Mixed Use Project Coming to Salisbury Riverfront
Posted: July 20, 2012 Filed under: Baltimore, Development, Dining, Retail | Tags: feldman's building, mill street, mixed use, office, restaurant, river view commons, riverfront, salisbury, wicomico river Leave a comment »
owntown Salisbury can expect a new mixed-use development at the site of the former Feldman’s Building in early 2013. The property, recently acquired by River View Commons, LLC, will have open sight lines to the river front and on-site parking. Four different buildings comprise the 40,000 square foot structure, the most notably being a main 3-story building dating back to the 1800s and first used by wholesale grocers.
Demolition will begin in the Fall of 2012 with renovations occurring thereafter. The new owners have named the project River View Commons, and are looking to create office, retail and restaurant space. They also hope for city approval to construct a riverwalk along the Wicomico River and Mill Street.
Controversy Over College Park Student Housing Development Proposal
Posted: July 18, 2012 Filed under: Culture, Development, Retail, Washington, DC | Tags: college park, maryland book exchange, r&j company, route 1, sector plan, student housing, university of maryland, zoning 2 Comments »
development to accommodate housing for College Park students is meeting continued criticism for its proposed location. The project, developed by R&J Company LLC of New York, would sit on the corner of Route 1 and College Ave, where the Maryland Book Exchange currently stands. The site borders College Park’s historic district, and is currently zoned as residential.
A document published in 2009, the Route 1 Sector Plan, was meant to guide development along the Route 1 corridor, which has already seen new student housing construction in the last few years. Officials of College Park argue that the new proposal doesn’t conform to the document, and in January the City Council voted to oppose the development. The developers contend that, despite the zoning, the development’s surroundings (including a church and sorority houses) are compatible with the project.
If ultimately approved, the facility would stand 6 stories high, tapering back to 4 stories on the Yale Ave side. It would offer 313 residential units and 14,500 square feet of new retail space.
MICA To Add More On-Campus Housing and Improvements
Posted: July 16, 2012 Filed under: Baltimore, Culture, Development | Tags: ayers saint gross, bolton hill, commons, hord coplan macht, maryland institute college of art, mica, station north Leave a comment »
fficials at the Maryland Institute College of Art will break ground this fall on Commons II, a $16.5 million addition that will allow more undergraduates to live on campus. The five-story building will include 62 apartments and accommodate 240 students. It will be an extension of The Commons, which opened on McMechen Street in 1992 with 99 apartments housing 350 freshman. The site is currently a parking lot on North Avenue west of Mount Royal Avenue.
Commons II, designed by Hord Coplan Macht, will also include a performance space, lecture hall and artist studios. Its design attempts to reflect its role as a connector between Bolton Hill and the Station North Arts District. In addition, MICA is planning a $2 million renovation of the existing Commons by late 2013. Ayers Saint Gross will add a laundry center, cafe lounge, mailboxes, a connection to Commons II, and possibly an exhibition space.
When Commons II opens (scheduled for fall of 2013), MICA will have on-campus housing for more than 1,000 students.
Read more at The Baltimore Sun here.
NoMa’s Sentinel Square Consruction at Halfway Completion
Posted: July 13, 2012 Filed under: Development, Sustainability, Washington, DC | Tags: 1050 first st, 90 k st ne, leed, noma, office, sentinel square, smith group jjr, tom finan, trammell crow Leave a comment »
onstruction on “Sentinel Square” in DC’s NoMa (north of Massachusetts Ave) is now at the midpoint of construction according to Tom Finan, managing director at Trammell Crow, the developers behind the project. The current phase, Phase Two, is located at 1050 First St and will offer 280,000 square feet of office space on twelve stories. Phase One (above), located at 90 K Street NE and delivered in June 2010, is a similar but larger 12-story office tower with a LEED Gold certification. Phase Three remains in pre-planning stages.
Whether or not the ground floor of the new building will offer retail space is up in the air while developers continue to analyze the changing market. The project was designed by Smith Group/JJR.
Read more at DCMud here.
Optimistic News for PG County’s Westphalia Town Center Development
Posted: July 11, 2012 Filed under: Business1, Development, Retail, Washington, DC | Tags: evangel cathedral, national harbor, potomac, prince george's county, smith home farms, town center, upper marlboro, walton group, westphalia Leave a comment »
fter years of setbacks, delays and uncertainty, some momentum was made today for the planned Westphalia Town Center (early rendering above) in Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s County. Developers met this morning with members of the area’s business community to provide an update on progress, a loose timetable for construction, and information on contracting opportunities.
The 479-acre project, northwest of the Capital Beltway, is backed by three developers: Walton International Group, Smith Home Farms and Evangel Cathedral. The proposed development would include 15,000 dwelling units, 1 million SF of retail, 4 million SF of office space and centralized recreation amenities.
The development would the biggest in Prince George’s County since the National Harbor, which began construction in 2008. The waterfront project, still under construction, boasts a convention center, six hotels, restaurants, shops, condominiums, a beachfront walking path, and features a number of outdoor activities. Unfortunately, the National Harbor’s construction has caused considerable controversy for negative environmental impacts, mainly affecting the Potomac River.
Read more at The Maryland Gazette here.
WTMD Radio Station’s New Towson Facility
Posted: July 10, 2012 Filed under: Baltimore, Culture, Development | Tags: 89.7, baltimore unsigned, band, circle, investment building, radio, roundabout, steve yasko, towson, wtmd Leave a comment »
ome late Fall/early Winter, Towson University’s WTMD 89.7 plans to be fully moved into its new location at the Towson City Center near the Towson Roundabout. In addition to conference, classroom and office space, the space will offer four studios: an on-air studio, two production studios, and a large-scale performance studio that can transform into a 1,300 SF performance space with the help of a retractable wall. The new facility comprises 8,000 SF, more than quadrupling their current square footage at the university’s campus.
On WTMD’s website, General Manager Steve Yasko (pictured above) said the space will be a combination of a community meeting space, an education center, and an all-around music lover’s clubhouse. “Our listeners and the public will be invited to WTMD every day to experience the best in national and Baltimore bands.”
WTMD also plans to move their antenna and transmitter to the top of the building (formerly known as the Investment Building) for a further-reaching and better sound quality. The facility will also host movie screenings from Baltimore students and filmmakers enrolled in Towson’s Electronic Media and Film department.
First Tenant Signed to Wonder Bread Factory Building
Posted: June 21, 2012 Filed under: Business1, Development, Washington, DC | Tags: 641 s street nw, continental baking co, dorsh's white cross bakery, douglas development llc, shaw, washington dc, wonder bread factory, workspaces llc Leave a comment »
he Wonder Bread Factory Building has sat vacant since 1997, when it was bought by Douglas Development LLC. The building remained dormant until last year, when they began to redevelop the industrial space into loft-like commercial office space. Come the project’s expected completion in January, WorkSpaces LLC will take the role as first tenant and inhabit the entire third floor (20,817 SF). This will be the second location DC location for the company, who also has offices in Baltimore and New York.
The Wonder Bread Factory is located at 641 S Street NW. Originally opened as Dorsh’s White Cross Bakery in the early 1900s, it became a factory for Wonder Bread and Hostess products beginning in 1936 when it was bought by Continental Baking Co. Its doors have been shut since 1988, when production moved to Philadelphia.
The building has a total of 98,000 SF, with 24,000 SF dedicated to future retail.
Corcoran Gallery of Art Location Likely to Stay Corcoran Gallery of Art Location
Posted: June 7, 2012 Filed under: Culture, Development, Washington, DC | Tags: 500 17th st nw, corcoran gallery of art 1 Comment »
onday, the Corcoran Gallery‘s board of trustees met to discuss and vote on selling the current gallery location and moving to a nearby DC location. DC land records value the building at $116.4 million, which may have something to do with the idea of selling. But developers in the area seem to agree it wouldn’t be a safe move.
Despite being a beautiful, historic building in a great location (500 17th St NW), it’s also old and ill-configured for transformation into offices, retail or residences, not to mention the lack of parking. It’s suspected that if in fact the gallery was sold, it would have to be to another cultural or gallery-like use. But seeing as the location has for so long been associated with being the home of the Corcoran Gallery, chances are the question may not even get to be raised.
Luxury Theater to Join New Rock Spring Center in Bethesda
Posted: May 10, 2012 Filed under: Baltimore, Development, Dining, Retail, Washington, DC | Tags: bethesda, cinema, rock spring center, silverspot, theater Leave a comment »
ethesda will see construction breaking on Rock Spring Center some time this summer. The 1 million square foot mixed-use development, located at Old Georgetown Road and Rock Sprind Drive, will include two office towers, a hotel, residential units and retail space. And Silverspot, a luxury movie theater owned by one of the largest theater companies in South America, will be included in the mix.
This will be the third location for the cinema, with a current home in Naples, FL and one set to open soon in Miami. The theater distinguishes itself with leather seats, spacier foot room, and above average snack offerings. In addition, they provide a full restaurant and bar to cater to the dinner-and-a-movie outing.
For more information on Silverspot Cinema, visit their website here.
Hotel To Break Ground as First Phase of “Megadevelopment” at NoMa’s Capitol Square
Posted: May 8, 2012 Filed under: Development, Retail, Washington, DC | Tags: capitol square, hyatt place, jbg, macfarlane partners, noma Leave a comment »
oma’s “Capitol Square” currently refers to an old office building that sits on DC’s triangular site bounded by New York Ave, First St, and N Capitol St, along with a defunct car wash, a nightclub, and a youth shelter. This coming summer and as construction continues for the next 5 years, “Capitol Square” is expected to refer to the entire site, a mixed-use “megadevelopment” proposed under partnership between JBG and MacFarlane Partners.
The first phase is to be a 200-room Hyatt Place hotel, planned for completion by the end of 2013. Following that will be office, residential, and 85,000 square feet of ground floor retail. When completed, the entire project will have brought over 2 million square feet of leasable space to NoMa.
Read more at DCMud here.
Gordon
Guest
Jeremy
Ross
