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April 2, 2010
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TRANSFORMATIVE
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| A pressing question for Fairfax: “Our City’s Economic Future—Are we positioned to compete?” A forum sponsored by our friends at Cardinal Bank. It features Steve Fuller and John McClain from George Mason University. April 7, 7pm, at Old Town Hall. Info |
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| Our headline is how a certain presidential candidate described his aspirations a couple years back, even in a recession—and it resonated pretty well with the public. Stands to reason we’d hear that phrase more in our real estate community, too. |
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“Transformative” is how ANC member Drew Ronneberg describes the H Street Connection, a 433k SF mixed-use project to include 52K SF of retail, 400 residential units and 400 parking spaces that we snapped this week. Developer Rappaport Cos. finally earned Commission approval recently after two years effort, and now faces the Zoning Commission this summer. Torti Gallas designed the new facility to fit in with the style of existing buildings. Drew says the development will help connect the Atlas District (anchored by the Atlas Center for the Performing Arts on the corridor’s east end) with the west end of the street, astride Union Station. The project is not expected to get going until 2012, after DC Streetcars get on track (literally—look closer at our photo) in 2011.
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While terms like walkable, green and urban are buzzwords for many area developments (and they are for H Street as well), Drew says the “look of the street” brings a competitive advantage. Anwar Saleem, executive director of H Street Main Street, a nonprofit supporting H Street revitalization, says keeping with its roots means fostering a good atmosphere for mom-and-pops and avoiding excessive commercialization.
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WOMEN UNITED
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Yesterday morning over 500 turned out at the Reagan Building for our third "Where Do Women Stand" breakfast, this one featuring BET co-founder Sheila Johnson, former AIG and MCI General Counsel Anastasia Kelly, and Pillsbury public policy practice chair Elizabeth Moeller. As usual, the panelists talked candidly and passionately of their lives and times, evoking frequent bursts of audience applause and laughter and occasionally some moist eyes. As for practical advice, Sheila didn't hold back. "Stop doing each other in," she told the mainly female crowd. "Start lending each other a hand—like the men."
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| We love the professional mix these events bring out. Here’s Shooshan’s Claire Bordley, right, with Bank of Georgetown VP Mirline Boutin and Odell & Simms direct mail and public affairs SVP Anthony Lynch. |
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17TH STREET TWINS
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We’ve written a lot about those great new edifices across from each other at 800 and 801 17th (aka the PNC and Dreyfus buildings, respectively). But frankly, we have trouble remembering which address is which. We needed a mnemonic, so here’s what we’ve come up with: 800 is the one closest to you if you’re on your way to the White House because you have “even” chances of getting into a State Dinner. Whereas 801 is closest to you as you’re heading away from the White House because it would be “odd” if you didn’t get into that State Dinner after all. So this is clearly the remarkable 801 17th.
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We did our latest tour with CREW, some of whose members help show off here the beautiful view (a big factor in those $80 NNN asking rents): Beth Ann Gannon, Leslie Braunstein, Nancy Petrash, Bethany Allen, and Kathryn Ciliberti (current CREW prez, with the White House to her side). The 11-story building was designed by famed 86-year-young architect Kevin Roche, whose shop, Dreyfus’ Sean Cahill tells us, put out great construction documents, keeping change orders low. Sean also points out that the façade cutouts create more of those coveted corner offices. The top three floors are still available, with 22k SF floor plates and 9’3” finished ceilings.
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As developer of the first Four Seasons in the U.S. (Georgetown in the 70s, of course, wheredya’ think?), Dreyfus says it brings a hotel-type amenity frame of mind to its buildings. Which means not only showers and racks for bikers, a tenant-only fitness room, and window shades with sunlight sensors, but upscale restrooms. Sean points out that just a little extra drywall can create true private stalls and a sense of five-star luxury.
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And while we just ran a similar picture the other day from the roof terrace of PNC Place, we can’t resist showing you these dynamic hard-hatted CREW women, including tour leader (and Gensler principal) Theresa Sheils (center in white coat) and Vornado leasing exec Sandy Michaels in front of her. 800 (remember your mnemonic) is 12 levels of 31k SF plates, with two-thirds of the space still available.
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THE KETTLER CLAN
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Is this beautiful family togetherness or what? We meant to run this a couple weeks ago in coverage of our real estate summit: pioneer developer Bob Kettler, fountain-of-youth wife Charlotte, and great kids Forest, 24, and Taylor, 26. Forest and Taylor are working at the family biz on entitlements and multifamily acquisitions, respectively. Not pictured are the two other kids: Caroline, 22, development events coordinator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and third son Peyton, 14, freshman at the Potomac School in McLean. Charlotte and Bob will have been married 28 years this October—and it looks like the Kettler name will be strong for centuries to come.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS |
| Click here to place your own listing |
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April 07 - Cardinal Bank - Fairfax: "Our City's Economic Future-Are We Positioned to Compete." Features Steve Fuller and John McClain from George Mason University. Old Town Hall. 7pm Info
April 08 - NAIOP MD/DC - Collegiate Capitol Challenge. National Building Museum. 4-6:30pm. Info
May 07 - UMd, Colvin Institute - Spring Symposium: "Senior Housing Design and Development: The Next Generation." May 7 - 9. Info
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