Cropp's Mayoral Campaign Gets Early Signs of Support
By
Lori Montgomery and Eric M. Weiss
From the looks of many local streets, Council Chairman
Linda W. Cropp must have been awfully busy in the days
leading up to her planned announcement to run for DC
mayor. In upper Northwest, on Capitol Hill, in Adams
Morgan and all along 16th Street NW, lampposts and
telephone poles have been blanketed with stark
black-and-white signs that say simply, "Think Cropp."
(Or "Piensen Cropp," to attract Hispanic voters.)
But Cropp (D) said she had nothing to do with the
well-timed campaign.
"They aren't mine," she said Tuesday, after greeting
Louisiana evacuees outside the DC Armory.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090800415.html
Rove Not Entitled to DC Homestead Deduction
By
Lori Montgomery
Presidential adviser Karl Rove may live in Washington.
But in his heart ― and for voting purposes ― he
remains a Texan. Which means he is not legally entitled
to the homestead deduction and property tax cap he's
been getting on his Palisades home for the past 3 1/2
years.
This week, the DC tax collector was alerted to the
problem. And Rove agreed to reimburse the District for
an estimated $3,400 in back taxes, city officials said.
But now some Lone Star officials also are wondering
about the place Rove calls home.
In
a letter released yesterday by the White House, the DC
Office of Tax and Revenue accepted blame for the error,
which also has affected numerous members of Congress.
The homestead exemption gives District taxpayers a
substantial tax break on their primary residences. But
starting in 2002, a change in the law made it available
only to District property owners who do not vote
elsewhere, city officials said. That made Rove, and many
others, ineligible.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090202397.html
No
Step Too Small in Mayor's Race
By
Lori Montgomery and Eric M. Weiss
Why do the current DC mayoral contenders insist on
turning routine campaign announcements into the dance of
a thousand veils?
First, the city watched council members Adrian M. Fenty
(D-Ward 4) and Vincent B. Orange Sr . (D-Ward 5) shimmy
around. The two men:
a)
formed exploratory committees
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/31/AR2005083100993.html
1901 L St. Sells for $52M
WASHINGTON, DC-McMorgan & Co. has acquired the office
property at 1901 L St. NW for $51.5 million from the
John Buck Co. managed JBC Fund II. The property last hit
the market in 2003 when JBC acquired it from the
developer, RREEF Funds, for $38.2 million.
JBC was represented by Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP,
while McMorgan was self represented. According to
District real estate records, the 131,700-sf class B+
property has a current assessed value of nearly $38.4
million.
Developed in 1977, 1901 L St. is located on a corner lot
in the city's central business district. In addition to
the office space, the eight-story structure also
features 19,500 sf of retail space, part of which is
currently leased by a two-story Staples, and a
three-level underground parking facility.
http://www.globest.com/news/364_364/washington/137948-1.html
CreateHope Relocates to 10,000-SF Space
WASHINGTON, DC-CreateHope Inc. has committed to 10,000
sf at the 94,000-sf office building at 2201 Wisconsin
Ave. The web-based workplace-giving solutions provider
will relocate from its current home at 7920 Norfolk Ave.
in Bethesda, MD.
The company is moving in order to meet the
qualifications for venture capital funding by DC Capco,
which stipulates that funding recipients have a
District-based headquarters. Betsy Schuman of CB Richard
Ellis represented CreateHope, while Randy Harrell and
Ben Adams of Grubb & Ellis repped the property owner.
Terms of the lease have not been disclosed; however,
space at the property is marketed in the mid $20-per-sf
range.
http://www.globest.com/news/363_363/washington/137932-1.html
Host Marriott Will Acquire Hyatt Regency DC for $274M
By
Barbra Murray
WASHINGTON, DC-About one year after having come under
new ownership, the Hyatt Regency Washington, DC on
Capitol Hill will change hands again now that Host
Marriott Corp. has committed to acquiring the property
from Blackstone Real Estate Advisors affiliate BRE/Capitol
Hill LLC. Host Marriott will spend $274 million to take
the 834-room hotel.
BRE bought the property for $160 million in early 2004
from Strategic Hotel Capital, a joint venture involving
Whitehall Street Real Estate Fund and Prudential Real
Estate Investors. According to District real estate
records, the property has a current assessed value of
nearly $114.5 million.
The Hyatt Regency DC sits at 400 New Jersey Ave. NW,
occupying a full city block a few streets north of the
US Capitol. Seller BRE spent more than $10 million on a
capital improvement plan that included the recent
renovation of all guestrooms. The property features
41,000 sf of meeting space that includes the new rooftop
meeting center, a fitness facility, swimming pool,
restaurant and lounge.
http://www.globest.com/news/363_363/washington/137907-1.html [ Back to Top ]
Gang Attacks, County Troubles Cloud Duncan's
Introduction to Md. Voters
By
Cameron W. Barr
It
wasn't the kind of summer Montgomery County Executive
Douglas M. Duncan had in mind when he set out to
introduce himself to the rest of Maryland as their best
hope for governor.
Duncan's strategy to defeat Baltimore Mayor Martin
O'Malley for the Democratic nomination next year has
been to match his rival's telegenic glamour by
presenting himself as the man of substance. His calling
card is his 11 years at the helm of The County That
Works.
But this summer, he has had to contend with gang
violence and a planning department in which documents
were altered to cover up violations by developers. He's
even had to have officials mediate a financial crisis at
the SoccerPlex in Boyds, one of the gold-star amenities
that has gained Montgomery a reputation as a shining
example of suburbia.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/05/AR2005090501541.html
Other Md. Projects May Violate Plans
By
Miranda S. Spivack
Montgomery County officials have tentatively concluded
that a developer building homes in Germantown and
Bethesda violated county-approved plans and constructed
them too close to property lines.
The findings emerged from an ongoing review of 118
projects approved since 2003. The assessment began this
summer after the county's Planning Board found numerous
violations at Clarksburg Town Center. About half the
projects have been analyzed to see whether developers
violated approved plans.
The board, which had said for months that there were no
violations in Clarksburg, ruled July 7 that 433
townhouses and one condominium apartment building are
higher than allowed. It also found that 102 homes are
closer to the road than permitted by plans.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301392.html
Van
Susteren Joins Senate Race
By
John Wagner
Lise Van Susteren, a Bethesda psychiatrist, joined
Maryland's Senate race yesterday, presenting herself as
a political outsider interested in fixing the health
care system and willing to take bold stands on social
issues.
"I
am a citizen fed up with the way the country is headed,"
Van Susteren said in Baltimore at the first of two news
conferences touting her Democratic candidacy. "While
they may be well intentioned, I have lost my confidence
that the professional politicians can turn things
around. The U.S. Senate needs to be shaken up, and I am
not afraid to do it."
Van Susteren, 54, the sister of Fox News anchor Greta
Van Susteren, enters the race to win the seat of
retiring Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes (D) next year as an
acknowledged underdog. The Democratic primary has
already drawn two established politicians, Rep. Benjamin
L. Cardin and former congressman and NAACP leader Kweisi
Mfume, as well as community activist A. Robert Kaufman.
All are from Baltimore. Several more candidates could
soon join the race.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/01/AR2005090102262.html
Cardin Gains in Montgomery
By
John Wagner
With three Montgomery County Democrats eyeing Maryland's
Senate race, Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin of Baltimore rolled
out endorsements yesterday from more than two dozen of
the county's elected officials.
The announcement at a community forum in Silver Spring
underscored Cardin's early strength with the party
establishment as the 2006 primary field grows.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/07/AR2005090702248.html
County's SAT Scores Are Among the Best In the Metro Area
By
Lori Aratani
More seniors in Montgomery County public schools took
the SAT this school year than ever before, posting an
average score of 1101 ― outpacing the Maryland state
average of 1026 and the national average of 1028.
Students at three Montgomery County high schools ―
Whitman, Wootton and Churchill ― posted average scores
of 1200 or better. All but two campuses, and all the
students at the system's special schools, broke the
1000-point barrier.
Scores for the SAT were released at the end of August,
but a mailing glitch delayed the release of the scores
in Montgomery County until last Friday. As a result,
some systems reported their scores before others.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/07/AR2005090701237.html
BRAC Recommendations Now In President's Hands
http://www.kwtx.com/news/headlines/1832767.html
Betting on the Right Loan
By
Sandra Fleishman
Finding the right mortgage loan, like deciding on the
right cell phone or the right digital camera, can
involve way too many choices these days. The ads scream:
Interest-only! No interest! Low, low introductory rates!
But the stakes are much, much higher when it comes to a
home than when it comes to entertainment gadgets.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090201148.html
Duncan letter stirs debate
Friday, Sept. 9, 2005
Some political observers criticized Montgomery County
Executive Douglas M. Duncan's ''we are now on our own"
letter to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. as political
grandstanding.
The Sept. 7 letter attacked the federal government for
its response to Hurricane Katrina, particularly the
failure to transport vulnerable victims from harm's way.
He called on Ehrlich (R) to convene an emergency meeting
of city and county officials to review emergency plans.
''As local and state officials, we must recognize we are
now on our own when it comes to timely emergency
response," reads the letter from Duncan (D).
http://www.gazette.net/stories/090905/polia%20s194216_31888.shtml
Miller to go on offensive next session
Friday, Sept. 9, 2005
ANNAPOLIS -- Election-year sessions of the General
Assembly are usually 90 days of feel-good bills and
political posturing.
But not next year.
With Democrats desperate to reclaim the governor's
mansion, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. is
promising a far more aggressive legislative agenda than
he has pushed at any time in recent memory. His
reputation is more political tactician than legislative
mechanic.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/090905/polia%20s194216_31889.shtml
Slots hot again as Magna makes cuts
Friday, Sept. 9, 2005
ANNAPOLIS -- Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. renewed his call
to legalize slot machines on Wednesday, responding to
news that the number of live racing days in Maryland
will be reduced from 200 to 120.
Magna Entertainment Corp., owner of Maryland's two major
horse racing tracks, Laurel Park and Pimlico in
Baltimore, will cut the number of racing days because
the purses in Maryland cannot compete with slot
machine-fueled prizes in neighboring West Virginia and
Delaware, Ehrlich (R) said.
The governor also sounded a familiar warning that Magna
could move the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of
racing's Triple Crown, from Pimlico to another track in
another state.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/090905/polia%20s194217_31890.shtml
Duncan, O'Malley urge override of vetoes
Friday, Sept. 9, 2005
Two Democrats running for governor have joined forces
with the social advocacy group Progressive Maryland to
urge the General Assembly to override vetoes on two
bills that Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has called
''anti-business."
Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan and
Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley put aside their
competing campaigns this week to bash Ehrlich (R) and
his decision to veto bills increasing the state's
minimum wage a dollar to $6.15 per hour and requiring
large corporations to provide health care benefits for
their workers.
The so-called Wal-Mart bill would require companies with
10,000 or more employees to designate 8 percent of their
payroll to provide health care benefits. The bill, along
with the minimum wage hike, were vigorously supported by
organized labor this session and opposed by business
groups.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/090905/polia%20s195152_31902.shtml
Big
Ballot for County in 2006
By
Ovetta Wiggins
Prince George's County politicians are already
maneuvering for the 2006 contests for county executive,
state's attorney, sheriff and nine council seats. School
board elections also will be held for the first time
since the elected board was disbanded amid controversy
in 2002.
The only contender to step forward to challenge County
Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) is Rushern L. Baker III,
one of the five candidates in the county executive's
race three years ago. Baker, an education advocate and
former chairman of the county's House delegation, is
trying to raise money in a county where Johnson has
amassed more than $600,000.
The big question is swirling around State's Attorney
Glenn F. Ivey (D), who has been mentioned as a possible
candidate for lieutenant governor, governor or attorney
general.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/31/AR2005083101380.html
GMU
Competitors Welcome Plans for Loudoun Campus
By
Michael Laris
George Mason University's plan to build a campus in
Loudoun County was born out of a tough Northern Virginia
reality: There's not enough room in local colleges and
universities for the region's booming population.
While a political struggle continues in Loudoun over the
planned campus and a development project near Dulles
International Airport, higher education officials said
yesterday that a major new outpost would be a welcome ―
though insufficient ― addition to the region's strained
network of two- and four-year colleges.
"Northern Virginia is the place people want to be. It's
reflected in our housing prices going up. It's reflected
in our road congestion. And it's reflected in our demand
for higher education," said Robert Templin, president of
Northern Virginia Community College. "The population is
exploding faster than we can possibly keep up."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/07/AR2005090702226.html
Va.
Governor Rivals Wrangle on Schools
By
Michael D. Shear
RICHMOND, Sept. 7 ― Democratic gubernatorial candidate
Timothy M. Kaine accused his Republican opponent of
wanting to roll back billions of dollars in spending on
public schools that the Virginia General Assembly
approved last year.
At
a news conference in front of Maggie L. Walker
Governor's School, the lieutenant governor said former
attorney general Jerry W. Kilgore's intentions were made
plain in a fundraising letter the Republican sent to
supporters in June 2004, though a Kilgore spokesman said
later that the Kaine campaign was twisting the meaning
of the letter.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/07/AR2005090702239.html
GlobeSt.com EXCLUSIVE: Transportation Department Renews
122,300 SF
CHANTILLY, VA-The 166,000-sf office building at 14685
Avion Parkway in the 188-acre Avion Business Park will
hold on to its largest tenant, the Northern Virginia
District headquarters of the Virginia Department of
Transportation, now that the agency has renewed its lease
on 122,300 sf of office space.
Specific terms of VDOT's lease renewal agreement with
property owner Advance Realty Group have not been
disclosed; however, class A office space in the
Chantilly area goes for $24.41 per sf, according to
Cushman & Wakefield's MarketBeat Mid-Year 2005 office
report. Brad Davis of CB Richard Ellis represented the
tenant, while Advance Realty's David Fisher stood in for
the owner.
http://www.globest.com/news/366_366/washington/138064-1.html
52,400-SF Office Building Trades at $8M-Plus
SPRINGFIELD, VA-The Cary Building has sold for nearly
$158 per gross sf. Trimark Corp. represented itself in
the $8.3-million transaction that left the building
under the ownership of Alum Ridge LLC, which was
represented by Wellborn Management Co. Inc.
According to Fairfax County real estate records, the
building and the approximately three-acre parcel it
occupies off the Capital Beltway have a current
aggregate assessed value of $5 million.
The Cary Building is a three-story structure divided
into two linked rectangular wings that reached
completion in 1974 following a two-year development
process. The property is fully occupied under 29 leases,
the largest of which is the County of Fairfax, occupying
about one-third of the property. The tenant roster also
includes physicians, and such organizations as
Mid-Atlantic Publishing Inc. and World Hope
International. According to Trimark's offering
memorandum, the property has an annual net rental income
nearing $1 million.
http://www.globest.com/news/366_366/washington/138063-1.html
DRA
Investors Take Auto REIT for More Than $3B
(For more retail coverage, click
GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.)
MCLEAN, VA-A group of investors operating under the
advisement of real estate investment management services
provider DRA Advisors LLC of New York City will acquire
locally based Capital Automotive REIT. The investors
will acquire Capital Automotive in a transaction valued
at $3.4 billion that is on schedule to close toward the
end of this year or in early 2006.
The multi-billion deal, in which Capital stockholders
will exchange their common shares for cash in the amount
of $38.75 per-share, calls for the investors to assume
an undisclosed amount of debt, as well as the REIT's
Series A and Series B Cumulative Redeemable Preferred
Shares.
"We strongly believe that this transaction provides
substantial value to our shareholders and is in their
best interests," Capital Automotive president and CEO
Thomas D. Eckert says. He notes that tenants will also
be well-served by the arrangement. According selected
portfolio data detailed in Capital Automotive's earnings
report for the second quarter of 2005, the REIT has 345
properties accounting for nearly 2,700 acres and 15
million sf in 32 states.
http://www.globest.com/news/364_364/washington/137980-1.html
Company Takes 17,900 SF in Tysons Corner
MCLEAN, VA-Information technology services provider
Optimus Corp. has signed a lease for 17,900 sf at 7926
Jones Branch Dr., a 250,000-sf office building in the
Tysons Corner submarket. The move took the company out
of Montgomery County―where it occupied a
similarly-sized space at 8600 Georgia Ave. in Silver
Spring, MD―to Fairfax County.
"All of our business associates are located in Tysons
Corner, our lawyers are here, our bank is here," Optimus
Corp.'s Pete Spewak tells GlobeSt.com. "It makes a lot
of sense for us to be located here for business
purposes." Additionally, the relocation allowed for the
consolidation of office space onto a single floor,
instead of on three different floors, as was the case at
the firm's previous location.
http://www.globest.com/news/365_365/washington/138020-1.html
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, September 8, 2005; Page DZ02
Bush Adviser to Reimburse City for
Back Taxes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 3, 2005; Page A02
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, September 1, 2005; Page DZ02
By
Barbra Murray
September 6, 2005
By
Barbra Murray
September 2, 2005
September 2, 2005
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 6, 2005; Page B06
Montgomery Bolsters Review Staff
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 4, 2005; Page C08
Bethesda Psychiatrist, Sister of Fox
Anchor, Is 4th Democrat
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 2, 2005; Page B04
Relationships With Officials Yield
Endorsements for Senate
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 8, 2005; Page B09
More Students Tested Than Ever Before
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 8, 2005; Page GZ03
It's now up to President Bush to
decide whether to accept the Base Realignment and
Closure Commission's proposal for closing and
reorganizing bases.
Buyers Looking Only for the Lowest
Payment Could Be Gambling With Their Future
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 3, 2005; Page F01
By Douglas Tallman
Staff Writer
GOP sees ambitious agenda as a ploy to
undermine governor
By Thomas Dennison
Staff Writer
By Thomas Dennison
Staff Writer
By Thomas Dennison
Staff Writer
Election to Include Top
Offices and a New School Board
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 1, 2005; Page T17
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 8, 2005; Page B09
Kaine Questions Kilgore's Tax
Opposition
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 8, 2005; Page B09
By
Barbra Murray
September 8, 2005
By
Barbra Murray
September 8, 2005
By
Barbra Murray
September 7, 2005
By
Barbra Murray
September 7, 2005
