Rising Anacostia Project Seen as Catalyst by Lindsay Ryan The first large commercial construction project in Anacostia in 15 years will, according to DC officials, spark a long-overdue surge of development in one of the city's poorest sectors.
Some civic leaders in the neighborhood are concerned about how the $19 million Anacostia Gateway project will affect traffic, property taxes and rents for small-business owners, but others in the retail-store-starved community are cautiously optimistic.
"To me, it will take away some of the blight, and what we are hoping is that other people will come in and revitalize Southeast," said Thelma Jones, president of the Fairlawn Citizens Association and a 32-year resident.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/06/AR2005070601161.html
DC's List Of Don'ts Grating on Some Nerves by Eric M. Weiss A parking ticket on your windshield used to be as far as the stubby arm of District law would reach. But now, drivers are ticketed by robot cameras, holding a cell phone when driving is verboten and no one is allowed to have more than one drink at a time at city bars. Last week, DC police were handing out $10 tickets for jaywalking.
Jaywalking.
It makes some people wonder whether the District is turning into a Big Brother "nanny state." With these official efforts to make urban life safer, is there danger of Washington losing some of its buzz and the organic street life that makes a city a city?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300884.html
DC Voting Rights Push Gets Foreign Backing by Carol D. Leonnig A committee of European and U.S. legislators gave an overwhelming show of support to residents of the District yesterday, calling upon Congress to give them a vote on the nation's laws.
The unusual vote came at an annual meeting of an international group that promotes democratic principles and human rights. While also voting on resolutions that support fighting human trafficking, sexual exploitation and religious oppression worldwide, a committee of the group backed a resolution calling for equal voting rights for 560,000 residents of the city hosting the conference. The full assembly is expected to endorse the resolution this week.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/02/AR2005070201118.html
Bill to Ban Diners' Smoking Withdrawn by Eric M. Weiss A ban on smoking in all dining areas in the District was withdrawn yesterday by its DC Council sponsor after the bill failed to garner the support needed to pass on an emergency basis.
But proponents of a comprehensive smoking ban in the District said yesterday's action was more of a bizarre sidetrack than a test of council support for a ban. They said a council majority still favors outlawing smoking in all bars and restaurants, and supporters said they would pursue such a comprehensive ban.
Council member Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large) sponsored yesterday's bill, which would have banned smoking in dining areas of restaurants and taverns. The bill fell far short of a comprehensive ban.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/06/AR2005070601659.html
$19M Anacostia Gateway Gets Under Way
by Barbra Murray WASHINGTON, DC-Development of Anacostia Gateway has gotten under way with a recent ground-breaking ceremony for the 63,000-sf office and retail building. Spearheaded by Anacostia Gateway LLC--a group comprised of the Anacostia Economic Development Corp. LLC, the National Capital Revitalization Corp. and DRI Partners Inc.--the project boasts the distinction of being the first commercial development in the neglected Anacostia area since 1990.
"This groundbreaking at the gateway of Historic Downtown Anacostia represents my deep commitment to help bring new jobs, new retail and new investment to neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River," Mayor Anthony A. Williams said. The project, just one segment of the District's multi-faceted plan to revitalize Anacostia and the rest of the Eastern section of the city, will cost an estimated $19 million to realize.
http://www.globest.com/news/321_321/washington/135966-1.html
Treasury Comes Out Against Terrorism Insurance Legislation Extension
by Barbra Murray WASHINGTON, DC-The US Department of the Treasury has issued its report, "Assessment: The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002," to much controversy. As per the study, the Treasury finds no legitimate reason to extend the legislation beyond its scheduled expiration date of December 31, 2005.
Passed in response to the effects the September 11 terrorists attack had on the insurance industry and insurance policyholders such as real estate owners, TRIA established a backstop measure in which the government would cover payouts exceeding $100 billion of insurers' annual liability in the event of another terrorist attack. According to a November 2004 study by the RAND Institute for Civil Justice, the attacks resulted in $38.1 billion in insured losses--to persons and businesses--with insurers making $19.6 billion of those payments.
"Overall we find that TRIA was effective in terms of the purposes it was designed to achieve," Treasury officials note in the document. "TRIA provided a transitional period during which insurers had enhanced financial capacity to write terrorism risk insurance coverage. While we don’t ascribe a causal effect, during this period insurers began pricing for terrorism coverage and insurer financial strength improved.” Treasury officials continued saying TRIA provided “an adjustment period” for both insurers and policyholders. “TRIA's effectiveness for these purposes does not imply continuation of the program.”
http://www.globest.com/news/318_318/washington/135834-1.html
JBG Snaps Up DC's Largest Hotel
by Barbra Murray WASHINGTON, DC-A partnership involving an affiliate of the JBG Cos. LLC and CIM Group has acquired what is widely known as the largest hotel property in the Nation's Capital, the 1,334 room Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. Seller Thayer Lodging Group had owned the 107-year-old facility since purchasing it in early 1999 for just a tad over $136 million.
All parties involved in the transaction--including Thayer's representative in the deal, Eastdil Property Co.--are remaining tight-lipped about the purchase price. However, the hotel and the 16-acre property it occupies are currently assessed at a value of $244.3 million. The property will undergo a $50-million renovation, but will continue to carry the Marriott flag.
With the address of 2660 Woodley Rd. NW, Marriott Wardman Park is just a short walk from the National Zoo in DC's mostly residential neighborhood of Woodley Park. The hotel has been expanded over the years, and currently encompasses the 202-room Wardman Tower, the 933-room Center Tower and the 199-room Park Tower, as well as 173,000 sf of meeting space.
http://www.globest.com/news/318_318/washington/135803-1.html
Marketplace Drives Construction to New Heights
by Tim Craig Susann Haskins sees it nearly every day. The Montgomery County real estate agent takes a client into a three-story townhouse with eight-foot ceilings. The client abruptly walks out.
Then Haskins, president of the Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS®, shows a newer townhouse with nine-foot ceilings and a fourth-story loft. Within minutes, the client is ready to make an offer.
"This is driving the market today," Haskins said. "Consumers want higher ceilings on both levels, and by higher ceilings we are talking no less than nine feet. . . . It clearly has value to the consumer, so clearly it has value to the builder."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/06/AR2005070602151.html
Slow-Growth Advocates Building a Case
Washington Post Staff Writers The revelation last week that hundreds of houses recently were built in the Clarksburg Town Center in apparent violation of building standards has emboldened longtime supporters of slower growth in Montgomery.
Neighborspac.org, which monitors developers' influence in the political process, has posted on its Web site a link titled "The corrosive effect of special-interest influence becomes apparent in Montgomery County."
The link includes recent newspaper stories about the Clarksburg issue. It also includes an editorial seeking to connect the current County Council -- most of whose members support the planned intercounty connector highway and generally are viewed as more receptive to development than some of their predecessors -- to the problems in Clarksburg.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/06/AR2005070601228.html
Official Defends Altering Site Plan by Tim Craig The former Montgomery County official accused of altering plans to show that a Clarksburg housing development complied with building codes said yesterday that she made an honest mistake, caused by an unmanageable workload and a complicated subdivision review process.
Meanwhile, questions about how hundreds of houses in the new Clarksburg Town Center were built in apparent violation of height and setback requirements continued to mount as residents demanded a more thorough investigation than the one planned by county officials.
The dispute over Clarksburg -- once a northern Montgomery crossroads that has tripled in population, to 5,500, over the past five years -- reflects broad concerns about the county's ability to effectively manage rapid growth in its rural tier.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/05/AR2005070501635.html
Church Proposals Trouble Montgomery by Tim Craig Montgomery County Council member George L. Leventhal says he's getting a lot of calls from churchgoers who say they are praying for him.
Leventhal (D-At Large) and other council members find themselves in the middle of a political struggle between environmental groups and two churches over what development, if any, should be allowed in the county's agricultural reserve.
Leaders of the churches, Bethel World Outreach Ministries and Seneca Creek Community, have mobilized members to lobby for proposals to build new complexes in the county's nationally recognized reserve. Environmentalists say they are mounting opposition because the projects would be the beginning of the end of efforts to keep the far northern and western edges of Montgomery rural.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/29/AR2005062902845.html
Plan Boosts Emergency Services by Fulvio Cativo Montgomery County fire and rescue officials are pushing for construction of more fire stations and the purchase of equipment for the fast-growing upcounty area as top priorities in an emergency-services blueprint for the next decade.
The document proposes revisions in allocating equipment to improve response times on emergency calls as well as guidelines for handling a large-scale disaster.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/30/AR2005063000968.html
Access Hollywood by Patricia Kime The crystal People's Choice Award that sits on a low shelf in the family room doesn't come with the house.
Neither do the black-and-white photos of the three striking women who once lived in the house on N. 26th Street in Arlington.
But for an asking price of $1.195 million, you can buy a large, updated rambler "one stoplight from DC" and the chance to say you own actress Sandra Bullock's childhood home.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/01/AR2005070100940.html
Up a Creek Seems Mighty Fine
by Tony Glaros When Emily Mills and her husband, Kevin, decided to move to Annapolis, picking a neighborhood in Maryland's capital and sailing wonderland wasn't difficult.
"A friend of ours told us Murray Hill is the only place to live," said Emily Mills, 35, while meticulously painting a white picket fence that lines her shady yard. "We didn't look anywhere else."
Now, nine years after paying $210,000 for a 1940s dwelling within sight of Spa Creek, the family remains tied to the rhythms of water and land. "We have wonderful neighbors; I would have to say I love them all," said Mills, a mother of two and a fused glass artist.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/01/AR2005070101003.html
GOP giants stepping up for Steele
by Thomas Dennison Rove's scheduled appearance signals party commitment
ANNAPOLIS -- White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, President Bush's closest political adviser and a giant among Republican heavyweights, is headlining a fund-raiser for Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele later this month.
At a time when Democrats are loading their arsenal for next year's campaign attacks, the Rove event signals in the clearest of terms that Steele's public image of "exploring" a run for the U.S. Senate is masking a full-fledged candidacy.
Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, told The Gazette that Steele has the support of the White House, the RNC and congressional leadership.
http://www.gazette.net/200527/weekend/a_section/284084-1.html
When it comes to moving a primary, not all precedents are equal
Gazette Staff Writers One of the main arguments used by Steny Hoyer and other top Democrats to defend their plans to move up next year's primary election is that primaries have been moved before.
That may be true, but history shows that Maryland's primaries have been overwhelmingly held in the fall -- not in the summer. A list of the primary dates dating back through the last century shows that September has been the month of choice.
According to the list, compiled by an opponent and given to The Gazette, the primary was held in May in 1954, 1958 and 1962, and with the exception of a June primary in 1946, all the rest have been held in September.
http://www.gazette.net/200527/weekend/a_section/284088-1.html
Manufacturer Relocates HQ to 81,000-SF Space
by Barbra Murray DULLES, VA-Trex Co. Inc. has decided to relocate its headquarters from Winchester to Loudoun County. The decking material manufacturer signed a lease for 81,000 sf at the 185,000-sf Corporate Office Park at Dulles Town Center.
Terms of the transaction between Trex and property owner Lerner Enterprises, which markets space at the class A building through Diamond Property, have not been revealed. Trex's corporate operations will make the move, but the company's manufacturing operations will remain in Winchester.
Sandwiched between Rte. 7, or Leesburg Pike, and Rte. 27, which is also known as Sully Rd., the complex carries the address of 21000 Atlantic Blvd. In addition to class A office space, the four-year-old property also offers a fitness facility, storage space and parking accommodations.
http://www.globest.com/news/321_321/washington/135974-1.html
Two Tysons Corner Office Buildings Totaling 433,000 SF Change Hands
by Barbra Murray VIENNA, VA-Lowe Enterprises Investors--along with minor joint venture partners Minshall Stewart Properties and Blue Vista Sponsor Equity Fund--has acquired two office buildings at 1953 Gallows Rd. and 1951 Kidwell Dr. The pair totals 433,000 sf in the Tysons Corner submarket.
Edwin M. Clark III and Stephen L. Hoffeditz of McShea & Co. represented Lowe in the transaction with the seller, a group of affiliates of New Boston Fund Inc. The price tag remains unknown. The structures at 1953 Gallows and 1951 Kidwell have current assessed valued of $38.5 million and $22.7 million, respectively. When 1953 Gallows last hit the market, which was in 2000, New Boston snapped it up for $43.7 million, while the company paid $29.9 million for 1951 Kidwell in 2001.
http://www.globest.com/news/319_319/washington/135856-1.html
Development Will Follow, Officials Say
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 7, 2005; Page DZ03
Official Defends Safety Crackdowns
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005; Page B01
Committee Approves Resolution at Meeting of Mostly European Lawmakers
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 3, 2005; Page A10
Backers Promise Broader Measure
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 7, 2005; Page B01
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Thursday, July 7, 2005; Page B01
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Clarksburg Homes May Violate Codes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 6, 2005; Page B01
Environmentalists Oppose Construction in County's Agricultural Reserve
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 30, 2005; Page B01
Upcounty Areas in Need Of Significant Upgrade
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 30, 2005; Page GZ03
Sandra Bullock's Childhood Home for Sale
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, July 2, 2005; Page F01
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, July 2, 2005; Page F01
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July 8, 2005
July 8, 2005
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