The James Hotel Plants Flag At Trammell Crow's NoMa Mixed-Use Project
The James Hotel, a boutique brand from Denihan Hospitality, will open its fourth U.S. location in D.C.'s NoMa neighborhood.
Trammell Crow signed a deal with Denihan and KochSmith Capital to open The James Washington D.C. at the Armature Works development at 1200 Third St. NE.
The 204-room hotel will feature 10K SF of meeting space and a ground-floor restaurant. On the 12th floor it will have a rooftop bar, a lounge and an outdoor terrace looking across M Street at Uline Arena with views of the U.S. Capitol. Trammell Crow Managing Director Campbell Smith said the developer is in talks with operators for the restaurant and bar, which will be open to the public.
Denihan has opened The James Hotel in New York City's SoHo and NoMad neighborhoods and in Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Smith said he thinks the brand will fit in well with the neighborhood.
"The brand fits what we're trying to do with Armature Works, which is combine the new with the authentic, reflect the vibrancy and culture of the NoMa neighborhood," Smith said. "Also, there's a strong connection between New York and D.C., particularly with our location near Union Station, so it makes sense to bring a successful, popular New York Hotel brand to D.C."
The deal marks the second upscale hotel brand to sign onto a project near Union Market since October, when Virgin Hotels announced plans to open at 411 New York Ave. NE. Smith said Denihan's decision to choose NoMa as its fourth location for The James speaks to the evolution of the neighborhood from an office and residential standpoint.
"There's already a very strong base of office use in that market, and it's grown significantly in the last couple years," Smith said. "Hotel operators see that growth and absolutely believe that there's demand for a new level of hotel offering there from what exists today. Combine that with the growth in residential and retail offerings in the neighborhood, and it really makes it a market where we're confident there's leisure demand."
The hotel will be part of Trammell Crow's three-building, 780K SF Armature Works development at Third and M streets NE. It will also include a 465-unit apartment building, a 170-unit condo building and 42K SF of street-level retail. Additionally, Trammell Crow is building a plaza and connection to create a new entrance to the NoMa Metro station on Third Street, shortening the distance to Union Market.
The proposed funding for the Metro entrance was not included in the $82M tax-increment financing package the D.C. Council approved for the neighborhood in November, which included money for infrastructure and parking near Union Market. But Smith said it is still part of the development plan, and he expects the District to provide the necessary funding.
The development is one of six in the neighborhood currently facing appeal after a group filed suit in the D.C. Court of Appeals in September. But Smith said he remains confident the project will be able to move forward before the end of 2018. Trammell Crow is aiming to deliver the full project and open the hotel during the winter of 2020.
