What's Up At Van Ness?

If you're driving along Connecticut Ave through the Van Ness neighborhood, you'll probably notice tons of construction.(Unless all you look at is the window of Gold's Gym; you know those treadmill runners can see you back, right?) We decided to dig a little deeper and get some construction updates.

First up:American U has almost finished its renovation of 4401 Connecticut, the 96k SF office building it bought last year and where NPR affiliate WAMU will soon move. Michael Manos, AU's project manager for the building, tells us the station will occupy floors one through four, with a gradual move-in beginning around June 1. AU's communications and marketing department will occupy the remainder of the space, with a mid-July move expected, he says.Studio space won't be ready until the end of August though.

Just down Connecticut, UDC is hard at work on its new student center, delivering in late 2014, according to the school's Eric Thompson.UDC will add 80k new SF as part of the project, which will also include the renovation of the existing properties shown above. Eric adds the project is in foundation-to-grade status, as the school is negotiating the remainder of construction contracts.

What was once the Van Ness Square shopping center is being redeveloped by owner BF Saul as Park Van Ness, a 273-unit apartment complex. The seven-story property will include an Art Deco-style design. Just in case the design was inspired by the Great Gatsby remake, we're grabbing our 3D glasses and heading to the theater one more time.