Baseball
Executive To Meet
With Council
By David Nakamura
Mayor Anthony
A. Williams said publicly yesterday he
feared that the DC Council would reject a
stadium lease agreement unless Major League
Baseball contributes more money, and within
hours the council scheduled a high-stakes
meeting with a top baseball official.
At a news
conference, Williams urged Chairman Linda W.
Cropp (D) to
meet with baseball officials.
Cropp arranged a
closed-door meeting with Chicago White Sox
owner Jerry Reinsdorf,
who is in town to resume lease negotiations,
and her 12 council colleagues for 8:30 a.m.
today at the John A. Wilson Building.
This marks the
first chance the full council will have to
air concerns directly to Major League
Baseball about the rising cost of the $535
million project. Baseball needs to
understand that stadium supporters are
facing opposition from council
"hard-liners," Williams said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/30/AR2005113001618.html
Resident Input in DC Planning Tops Forum
By Yolanda Woodlee
District residents at a
mayoral candidate forum in upper Northwest Washington
last night had one issue on their minds: development
and how it will affect their neighborhoods.
The five Democratic
candidates for mayor all pledged that they would not
support any development without the input of
residents.
DC Council Chairman
Linda W. Cropp used her
incumbent's status to gain favor with the crowd of
about 300. Cropp said she
planned to meet today with Ellen McCarthy, the city's
interim director of planning, and will emphasize the
need to place great weight on the opinions of
residents in the planning process.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/28/AR2005112802020.html
Spaulding &
Slye Colliers Wins Leasing
Assignment
WASHINGTON,
DC-Leasing at the 285,000-sf office facility at 950
L'Enfant Plaza SW has just
become the job of Spaulding &
Slye Colliers. Heyman
Properties, which controls the building on behalf of
property owner L'Enfant
Colony LLC, handed over the responsibilities to the
real estate services firm's Trip Howell, Marcy Owens
Test, Jae Lee and Greg
Tomasso.
Real estate data source
Black's Guide lists Heyman
as the previous leasing contact. On its website
Spaulding & Slye lists the
going rate for the available 118,000
sf as "negotiable."
According to the most recent quarterly report
published by real estate services firm Cushman &
Wakefield, the average rate for class
A space in the city's
Southwest area is $49.70 per sf,
while the average rate for all classes is $47.28.
http://www.globest.com/news/421_421/washington/140559-1.html
Real Estate
Roundtable Writes to Bush on Energy Conservation
WASHINGTON,
DC-In a letter to President Bush, the Real Estate
Roundtable has called on the White House to look to
the real estate industry's successes in facilitating
energy efficiency in order to further promote the
conservation of energy on a national level. An
attachment to the letter, which refers to the
President's action on the energy issue over the last
few months, contained RER's
"Energy Accomplishments and Trends," a list detailing
the successful conservation efforts in nearly all
areas of the real estate industry.
In August, the president
signed into law the Energy Policy Act of 2005, a
$12.3-billion energy bill. He explained that the
multi-faceted legislation that he described as an
economic bill "sets higher efficiency standards for
federal buildings and for household products." He
continued, adding that "it authorizes new funding for
research into cutting-edge technologies that will help
us do more with less energy."
And in September Bush
instructed agencies to use more products rated by
Energy Star, a government-backed program helping
businesses and individuals protect the environment
through superior energy efficiency. Among issues
visited in the letter, RER
called on the Administration to include more building
types covered under the Energy Star program, which
presently excludes shopping centers and multifamily
properties.
http://www.globest.com/news/419_419/washington/140468-1.ht
Too Poor for Hot
Housing Market, Too Affluent for Buyer Assistance
For half a decade,
Gwendolyn Halford, a
48-year-old librarian for a federal agency, has
searched several Washington suburbs for a home to
buy. With an annual salary of about $60,000, she is
too well-off to qualify for most affordable housing
programs, but she lacks the means to purchase
something she likes on the open market.
So she remains a
renter, frustrated by the actions of elected
officials. "You are allowing developers to come in
to build condo units and homes at prices that a
large percentage of the population can't afford,"
she said. "So what is going on here?"
Across the region, government leaders have heard
some version of that question. They are scrambling
to provide "workforce housing" -- price-controlled
homes for families with high five- and even
six-figure incomes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/30/AR2005113002248.html
Montgomery Approves
Toughened Lending Bill
By Phuong Ly
The Montgomery County
Council agreed yesterday to dramatically increase
fines against unscrupulous lenders to $500,000 for
each violation and expand the categories of
activities that constitute discriminatory lending
practices.
But the head of the
county agency that would help investigate such cases
did not appear at yesterday's council meeting to
answer questions, prompting several council members
to suggest that County Executive Douglas M. Duncan
(D) did not fully support the measure.
"The silence is deafening," said council President
Tom Perez (D-Silver Spring), who initiated the
proposal a year ago. "It does harm to the efforts. .
. . We want to be able to say to the public that our
doors are open and our statutory tools are strong."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/29/AR2005112901639.html
Duncan Finds Support
at Home
By Tim Craig
Montgomery County
Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) collected a fall
harvest's worth of local endorsements yesterday in
his bid for governor, aiming to strengthen support
at home and prove to voters elsewhere in Maryland
that he is backed by those who know him best.
More than 50 current
and former elected officials, including virtually
every incumbent in Montgomery, rallied on the steps
of a county office building in Rockville to announce
that they support Duncan over his opponent for the
Democratic nomination, Baltimore Mayor Martin J.
O'Malley.
The backers include all but five members of the
county's 32-member delegation to the General
Assembly, five of nine County Council members, two
congressmen and several mayors and council members
from Montgomery's larger municipalities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/28/AR2005112801759.html
Germantown Weighs a
Tax That Binds
By Nancy Trejos
If Germantown were a
city, it would be Maryland's second largest, after
Baltimore. It is home to 85,000 people, 30,000 more
than nearby Rockville. Its footprint covers 16
square miles, six more than neighboring
Gaithersburg.
The difference is that
Rockville and Gaithersburg are both incorporated,
with mayors, councils and city managers. Germantown,
an unincorporated part of Montgomery County, doesn't
even have an official Web site. Until this year,
there were no signs on state roads letting drivers
know when they enter the community.
"It was more like German-area rather than
German-town," said Douglas
O'Bryon, a former resident who now lives in
Ohio.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/24/AR2005112400781.html
Clarksburg Case Is
Headed for Mediation
By Miranda S. Spivack
and Tim Craig
The builders,
developers and community leaders embroiled in the
Clarksburg Town Center controversy said yesterday
that they have agreed to take their quarrels out of
public view and into closed-door mediation.
The abrupt
announcement came on the eve of a scheduled
Montgomery County Planning Board hearing into
allegations that the 1,300-home community near
Germantown is being developed far differently from
the grand vision sold to residents and in violation
of county rules.
At the hearing, which has been canceled, more than a
dozen people were to talk about planning documents
that some Clarksburg residents claim were produced
to validate construction changes made without proper
approval.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/30/AR2005113002056.html
For Silverman, Issues
Consultants Become an Issue in Themselves
By Tim Craig
Former council member
Isiah
Leggett says he's girding for a tough
campaign to win the Democratic nomination for county
executive now that his opponent, council member
Steven A. Silverman
(D-At Large), has hired several national political
consultants.
Last week, Silverman
announced he had hired several of the architects of
Virginia Gov.-elect
Timothy M.
Kaine's (D)
successful campaign. Silverman's direct-mail
operation will be headed by
Chris Cooper
and Geoff
Mackler
, who work for District-based
MSHC Partners Inc. The
company is headed by
Hal
Malchow
, who along with Cooper handled
Kaine's direct mail.
Malchow also headed
President Clinton's
direct-mail effort in 1996.
Karl
Struble and
David
Eichenbaum
, who were both top
Kaine aides, will be heading Silverman's
media advertising strategy.
Leggett said he
expects a campaign similar to the one County
Executive
Douglas M. Duncan (D) ran in 2002, in
which his opponents on the County Council were
unseated.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/30/AR2005113000948.html
Subin
defends absences from council votes
Friday, Dec. 2, 2005
When Montgomery County Council President Thomas E.
Perez's predatory lending bill was pulled from last
week's agenda, council staffers said co-sponsor
Michael L. Subin had
asked for the postponement because he would not be
at the Nov. 22 legislative session.
This week, when the bill came up for discussion and
a vote, Subin (D-At
large) of Gaithersburg was again missing from much
of the discussion, appearing just before the vote to
offer a few comments.
The incident is part of an increasingly noticed
trend on Subin's part.
The council record of his presence at committee and
legislative sessions shows spotty attendance.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/120205/polia%20s185057_31896.shtml
Sales of New Homes Jump
13% in October
By Sandra Fleishman
Sales of new homes
unexpectedly catapulted 13 percent last month over
September's rate, a monthly increase not seen in a dozen
years, according to a government report released
yesterday.
The rise in new-home
sales, to a 1.42 million annual rate in October from
1.26 million in September, baffled some analysts. The
confusion sprang partly from a report released Monday by
the National Association of REALTORS® that said
existing-home sales fell more than expected in October.
The report said the available inventory rose to the
highest level in almost 20 years, signaling that the
housing boom has probably ended. The
unexpected burst of activity in sales of new homes,
particularly a 47 percent rise in sales in the West,
could be an error in reporting, some experts said,
noting that monthly new-home statistics are volatile and
often subject to revisions. Others speculated that it
could reflect a "last hurrah" for the market. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/29/AR2005112900423.html
Sales of Existing Homes
Slow More Than Expected
By Sandra Fleishman
Sales of previously owned
U.S. homes slowed more than expected in October, and
available inventory jumped to the highest level in
almost 20 years, signaling that the housing boom has
probably ended, the National Association of REALOTRS®
said yesterday.
"The housing sector has
likely passed its peak . . and the boom is winding down
to an expansion," said David Lereah,
the association's chief economist.
Although the group expects "further cooling in the
coming months," Lereah said,
"we feel confident that housing is landing softly" as
mortgage interest rates rise. "We are returning to more
balanced markets between home buyers and sellers, one
that places buyers on a more even footing."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/28/AR2005112801597.html
Daylight
In Steele's Embrace Of
Ehrlich
By Matthew Mosk
Maryland Gov. Robert L.
Ehrlich Jr. has always had policy differences with his
running mate and political partner, Lt. Gov. Michael S.
Steele -- most notably over the death penalty and
abortion.
But during five months on
the campaign trail in 2002 and the subsequent three
years in office, those differences have rarely, if ever,
come between them. Now,
as they head into the 2006 campaign season on separate
tracks -- with Ehrlich seeking reelection and Steele
running for the U.S. Senate -- a more complicated
dynamic has developed, with the state's two most
prominent Republicans not nearly as in sync as
previously believed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/25/AR2005112501301.html
Former star reflects on a darker Annapolis
Friday, Dec. 2, 2005
WASHINGTON -- John A. Hurson's
startling resignation earlier this year left the General
Assembly without one of its most influential leaders and
prompted questions that still linger today. Why
would Hurson -- Montgomery
County's most influential member of the General Assembly
-- give up his powerful chairmanship in the House of
Delegates? Why leave right before an election-year
session of the General Assembly? The
way Hurson tells it, his
decision was not based on some complicated political
calculus. He left for the same reason millions of people
leave their jobs each year: He got a better offer, and
he was getting a little tired of the politics in
Annapolis.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/120205/polia%20s193726_31901.shtml
Growth Debate Comes Full
Circle
By Michael Laris
Loudoun County's often
caustic debate over how to manage the fiscal and traffic
challenges of growth came around this week to the
roundabout -- a circular, signal-less,
traffic-channeling setup that is popular in Europe and
will make an appearance at intersections here in the
next few years.
At a meeting Monday of the
Board of Supervisors' transportation and land-use
committee, officials renewed discussion on the ongoing
traffic-calming project on Route 50.
Backers say the project will prevent speeding on the
country road that is a main commuter route but also
serves as a Main Street for small communities. Critics
say the plan is ultimately intended to stymie
construction in rural areas.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/30/AR2005113000035.html
Virginians Offer
Kaine Advice on Solving
Traffic Woes
By Steven Ginsberg
A short distance from one
of the miles-long traffic jams that define life in
suburban Washington, a standing-room-only crowd of
commuters, elected officials, anti-tax crusaders,
slow-growth activists and transportation advocates last
night offered Virginia Gov.-elect Timothy M.
Kaine (D) their solutions to
what he called "the most urgent issue" of his term.
The town hall-style
meeting, in a hangar at the Manassas airport, was
Kaine's fourth during a
statewide tour to rally support for efforts to improve
Virginia's road and rail networks in advance of the 2006
General Assembly session.
Kaine
plans another round of public meetings, including two in
Northern Virginia on Saturday. One is scheduled for
Walker Grant Middle School in Fredericksburg at noon,
and the other will be held at the Leesburg airport at
3:45 p.m.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/29/AR2005112901489.html
Inova
Expands at Dulles
DULLES,
VA-Inova Health System takes
an additional 30,200 sf at
the Corporate Office Park at Dulles. The healthcare
organization now occupies 54,100 sf
of the 95,000-sf flex/office facility at 45745
Nokes Blvd.
Located at the intersection
of Route 28 and Route 7, the single-story building was
developed four years ago by owner Lerner Enterprises.
Cushman & Wakefield's Marc A.
Bassin represented Lerner, while
Donohoe Real Estate
Services' Charles M. Matincheck
spoke for Inova. Additional
terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. The
average rate for class A
space in Loudoun
County is $26.01 per sf,
according to Cushman & Wakefield's Third Quarter 2005
MarketBeat Snapshot.
Inova's
expansion comes less than a year after the organization
moved into its original 23,900-sf home, which currently
houses its Blood Donor Center. The new space will be the
site of the organization's IT department. With
Inova's new lease in place,
45745 Nokes has 38,500
sf of vacant space
remaining.
http://www.globest.com/news/420_420/washington/140514-1.html
GlobeSt.com EXCLUSIVE:
Two Apartment Properties Sell for $38M
(To read
more on the
multifamily market,
click here.)
FREDERICKSBURG,
VA-Ownership of Snowden Village Apartments and
Steeplechase Apartments has changed hands in two
separate transactions totaling $38 million. Together,
the properties account for 410 rental residences.
With the assistance of real
estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield's Apartment
Brokerage Services,
Aimco Properties sold the
multifamily communities. The 254-unit
Snowden Village, located off
Interstate 95 less than 20 minutes from Quantico Marine
Corps Base in Prince William County, was snapped up by
Juniper Investment Group for $23 million. Consisting of
several low-rise structures, it was developed in two
phases, Snowden Village I in 1970 and Snowden Village II
in 1980.
The class B property at
2352 Cowan Blvd.
became part of Aimco's
portfolio in 1998, according to a 1999 SEC filing by the
company on real estate and accumulated depreciation.
Steeplechase sits about five miles from Snowden Village
at 5300 Steeplechase Dr. and sold to Fairfield
Residential for $15 million. Also located near
Interstate 95, the 156-unit Steeplechase is also a class
B multifamily community, and was developed in 1985 and
renovated in 2000.
http://www.globest.com/news/424_424/washington/140674-1.html
Mayor
Outlines Concerns Over
Stadium
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 1, 2005; Page A01
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 29, 2005; Page B02
By Cameron W. Barr and Annie
Gowen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, December 1, 2005; Page A01
Broader Definitions, Stiffer Fines Backed
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 30, 2005; Page B04
Endorsements May Not Be Enough
Against O'Malley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 29, 2005; Page B01
Special Levy Seen as Way To
Foster Community
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 25, 2005; Page B01
Controversy Over
Alleged Improprieties at Town Center Development to
Be Settled in Private
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, December 1, 2005; Page B01
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 1, 2005; Page GZ02
Increase Surprises Many Analysts
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 30, 2005; Page D03
Inventory Jumps to Highest Level in 20
Years, a Signal to Real
Estate Experts That Boom Is Over
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 29, 2005; Page D03
Senate Run Brings Out Differences on Policy
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 26, 2005; Page B01
Hurson
says lucrative offer trumped power in capital
Roundabout Project Still Target of Skeptics
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 1, 2005; Page LZ01
Extending Metro's Orange Line Among
Ideas for Governor-Elect
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 30, 2005; Page B04
