8 D.C. Developments Expected To Break Ground By Year-End

Development in D.C. continues to move forward at a rapid pace, with cranes dotting the sky of the nation's capital. The construction wave is not slowing down, as developments move through the planning stages and prepare to break ground across the city. From Shaw to NoMa to the Capitol Riverfront, Bisnow found eight developments expected to break ground before the end of 2018. 

1. Town Nightclub Redevelopment

• Developer: Jefferson Apartment Group
• Address: 2009 Eighth St. NW
• Project Plan: 132 units

Jefferson Apartment Group plans to break ground in early fall on its redevelopment of the Town nightclub building, a spokesperson said, after the popular Shaw gay bar closed this summer. The development, seen in a new rendering provided to Bisnow, will incorporate the facade of the nightclub building. 

The project will be 70 feet tall with 132 apartments and ground-floor retail. It sits on the eastern edge of the U Street corridor, one block south of JBG Smith's Atlantic Plumbing development. JAG bought the property in 2016 for $25M. 

2. AC Hotel by Marriott

• Developer: Douglas Development
• Address: 601 K St. NW
• Project Plan: 235-room hotel

The popular AC Hotel by Marriott brand signed on as the flag at Douglas Development's 601 K St. NW project, Douglas Project Manager Drew Turner tells Bisnow. He said the developer will file for building permits in September and plans to break ground before the end of the year. 

The Mount Vernon Triangle project sits next to the American Association of Medical Colleges headquarters that Douglas also built. The 13-story hotel will include 235 rooms and 7K SF of retail between the ground floor and basement. Turner said he hopes to have a basement bar similar to the Crimson Whiskey Bar that opened in Chinatown's Pod Hotel last year.

3. Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center Redevelopment

• Developer: MRP Realty
• Address: Rhode Island Avenue and Fourth Street NE
• Project Plan: 1,450 units with retail

MRP plans to break ground in Q4 on the first phase of its major redevelopment of the Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center in Northeast D.C. Phase 1 is planned to include 345 of the development's total 1,450 apartment units. It will also feature 45K SF of retail, anchored by an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. 

The project, designed by SK&I Architecture, is connected by a pedestrian bridge to the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station, and it abuts the Metropolitan Branch Trail. The developer plans to improve the portion of the trail next to the property, create a new bike route that runs through the development and position restaurants with outdoor seating against the trail.

4. SLS Hotel

• Developer: Peebles Corp.  
• Address: 901 Fifth St. NW
• Project Plan: 176-room hotel

Construction is planned to begin this fall on the project that will bring the first upscale SLS Hotel to D.C. Peebles Corp., which recently opened a new office in D.C., plans to deliver the project in late 2020. 

The development at 901 Fifth St. NW will include the 176-room SLS Hotel, an adjacent 45-unit condo building and 10K SF of retail. Sushi chef Katsuya Uechi will open Japanese restaurant Katsuya, and the lobby will have a cocktail bar. As part of getting the development approved, Peebles Corp. agreed to build 61 units of affordable housing off-site. 

5. Kiley

• Developer: Urban Investment Partners
• Address: 301 G St. SW
• Project Plan: 315 units

Last week, UIP secured financing for Kiley, a 315-unit apartment building it plans to construct next to Capitol Park Tower. UIP principal Steve Schwat told Bisnow it plans to begin demolition within the next five weeks of the two-story parking garage currently on the site. 

Designed by WDG Architecture and Lee & Associates, the project sits within a half-mile of The Wharf and three Metro stations. It will feature a courtyard in between the buildings, a lounge and library space on the first floor, and an indoor-outdoor rooftop with a fitness center, a yoga studio, a pool and a deck.

6. New DDOT Headquarters

• Developer: WC Smith
• Address: 250 M St. SE
• Project Plan: 216K SF office building with 12K SF of retail

The D.C. Department of Transportation in May presented the community with plans to move its headquarters to 250 M St. SE, where WC Smith would construct a new office building. That project is expected to break ground before year-end, according to the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District. WC Smith could not confirm the construction timeline.

DDOT is currently headquartered at 55 M St. SE. WC Smith has been planning an office building on the vacant 250 M site for over a decade. It first received approval in 2008 and then received a series of extensions from the Zoning Commission as it awaited an anchor tenant to kick-start the project. 

7. Congress Street Condos

• Developer: J Street Cos.
• Address: Congress and L streets NE
• Project Plan: 62 condo units

J Street Cos. aims to break ground by New Year's Day on a 62-unit condo development in NoMa. The developer in June 2016 filed plans with the Zoning Commission to develop the site, previously occupied by a two-story warehouse  and a three-story office building. 

The eight-story project, designed by Nelson Architects, is at the corner of Congress and L streets NE. EagleBank provided the financing and Urban Pace will market the units. It is one of at least four new condo projects at various stages of development in NoMa, a neighborhood that has experienced a massive rental apartment boom in recent years. 

8. Press House at Union District

• Developer: Foulger-Pratt
• Address: 301 N St. NE
• Project Plan: 372 residential units, 170-room hotel, retail

Foulger-Pratt hopes to officially break ground by year-end on its long-stalled, three-building NoMa development. The development would preserve the historic printing press building at the corner of Third and N streets NE. It would also add a new 372-unit apartment building and a 170-room hotel, with the option to switch that to residential. 

The project received Zoning Commission approval in December 2016 but was then appealed in January 2017 and has been stalled since. The developer has recently begun demolition on some of the existing structures on the site, which it was allowed to do without the appeal being settled. The court held a hearing for the case in May and Foulger-Pratt Chairman Bryant Foulger says he is confident it will have a decision that allows it to begin full construction before year-end. 

“The financing and equity and everything is in place,” Foulger said. "Our expectation in terms of the appeal process is we break ground by the end of the year. As soon as there’s a decision we’re ready to go.”