Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS® - Washington DC, Northern Virginia and Regional Newsclips

Stadium Lease Deal Leaves Questions
Baseball Officials Await Key Details

By David Nakamura and Thomas Heath
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, February 9, 2006; Page A01

As District leaders hailed the long-awaited approval of a baseball stadium lease yesterday, Major League Baseball expressed concerns about the deal, and great uncertainty remained about the construction timetable.

Richard Levin, an MLB spokesman, said baseball officials had not received a copy of the emergency legislation passed by the DC Council shortly after midnight yesterday and sought to review the document before endorsing the deal. The council conditionally approved the lease provided that baseball officials accept a spending cap on District funds of $611 million.

"We are very concerned about what we heard during the debate, and we need to read the materials and the legislative language so we can determine whether they are consistent with the agreements between Major League Baseball and the city," Levin said in a written statement.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/08/AR2006020802387.html

Marion Barry's Tax Sentencing Postponed

By Carol D. Leonnig and Yolanda Woodlee
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, February 9, 2006; Page B01

An irritated federal judge called off yesterday's planned sentencing in the tax case against DC Council member Marion Barry, complaining that he had not promptly filed his tax returns, arranged to pay his outstanding tax debt or provided other required paperwork.

The former four-term mayor pleaded guilty in the fall to misdemeanor charges stemming from his failure to file local and federal income tax returns for six years. He had hoped at his sentencing hearing yesterday to ask the judge to let him avoid prison time. But his effort to seek the court's leniency -- already threatened after he tested positive for cocaine and marijuana use in a court-required drug screening in November -- was put in further jeopardy yesterday when he tried the patience of the jurist who will decide his fate.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson expressed surprise and frustration upon hearing that Barry had waited until Tuesday to finally file the overdue tax returns. Even then, she said, he did not provide copies to the court. The judge also complained that Barry has not made arrangements to pay whatever he owes, though he was required to do so under the plea agreement he signed in October.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/08/AR2006020800927.html

Revival Marked by Hope, Mired in Snags
Plan Would Bring Mixed Housing To Northwest One

By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 9, 2006; Page DZ11

One sweltering night last July, DC Mayor Anthony A. Williams strode into a dilapidated school auditorium and announced the start of an intensive planning session for residents of one of the city's poorest and most crime-ridden communities.

Over the next four days, Williams (D) told the gathering, residents of the Sursum Corda housing cooperative and other properties in the rapidly gentrifying area just north of the U.S. Capitol would have a chance to tell city officials how to rebuild their neighborhood.

At first, the meeting, dubbed a "design charrette" by city officials, did not look promising. The mayor's delegation of nearly 60 planners, consultants and other city officials far outnumbered the 30 or so wary-looking men and women who sat quietly before them in folding chairs. But as the night wore on, more people trickled in, slowly filling the room with the productive buzz of faith, optimism and hope.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/08/AR2006020800934.html

DC Deal Could Get Schools, Libraries
City Would Let Developers Build Housing, Shops

By Debbi Wilgoren
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 7, 2006; Page A01

The District of Columbia is studded with worn-out municipal buildings, many surrounded by the gleaming office and apartment towers of today's construction boom.

The old schools and libraries need to be replaced. Developers are hungry for space for even more condominiums. So DC officials want to make a deal: The developers would build new libraries, schools and maybe even police stations, and get the privilege of putting condominiums or shops on top of or alongside them.

Proponents say developers could pay now for amenities the city wouldn't fund for years, if ever, and developers would get scarce city space for housing -- mostly high-end, but some affordable.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/06/AR2006020601526.html

$89M Financing Package Paves Way for Retail Project

By Barbra Murray
Last updated: February 7, 2006 08:46am

(For more retail coverage, click GlobeSt.com/RETAIL.)

WASHINGTON, DC-Development of DC USA, a 500,000-sf shopping complex, has taken a big leap forward with today's scheduled closing of an $89-million construction financing deal. Citicorp is providing the construction loan to project developers Grid Properties and Gotham Organization; the Development Corp. of Columbia Heights is also part of the team behind the endeavor.

The retail site will be anchored by a 173,000-sf Target store and will carry a total development price tag of about $140 million. DC USA will occupy about five acres on 14th Street NW near Park Road in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, which was tapped by the city for revitalization a few years ago.

http://www.globest.com/news/469_469/washington/142722-1.html

Fannie Mae Facilitates Nearly $26B in '05 Funding

By Barbra Murray
Last updated: February 6, 2006 10:54am

WASHINGTON, DC-Fannie Mae, the country's largest private-sector provider of affordable-housing financing, has opened its record books, revealing rental housing funding to the tune of $25.6 billion during 2005. The activity, which marked the second highest annual level of such financing in the mortgage provider's history, was facilitated through Fannie Mae's lender and housing partners and consisted of debt financing and Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

According to a statement, Fannie Mae participated in the investment of $21.2 billion in multifamily housing in 2004. The record year was 2003, during which time Fannie Mae and partners were involved in $36 billion in rental housing investments.

"Fannie Mae worked closely with its lenders and housing partners in 2005 to improve delegation and enhance the products that help us deliver financing to the markets that need it most," says Richard Lawch, Fannie Mae senior vice president of Multifamily Lending & Investment. "The shortage of affordable rental housing in high-cost areas is an ever-increasing issue, and Fannie Mae and its partners stand ready with the financing solutions to help address it."

http://www.globest.com/news/468_468/washington/142690-1.html

The Big Stretch
As Property Tax Assessments Rise, Owners Experience Sticker Shock -- Again

By Tomoeh Murakami Tse
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 4, 2006; Page F01

Just as Sara and Erik Franklin were getting over the price of houses inside the Beltway, something arrived in the mail at their North Arlington home that gave them a new dose of sticker shock.

Although the couple had a fixed-rate mortgage on their first home, the letter from their lender informed them that the monthly payment had gone up by about $100.

"I almost had a heart attack," said Sara Franklin, 34. "I said, what is this? Why did my payment go up? I called them up. I was livid."

By Kirstin Downey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 8, 2006; Page D03

Luxury-home builder Toll Brothers Inc. yesterday reported that the number of contracts signed to buy its houses slid 29 percent in its first fiscal quarter from a year earlier, sending its stock price down 5.5 percent.

The decline in contracts was particularly sharp in the region that includes the Washington area, and the company's chief executive told analysts that Northern Virginia in particular has been slowing.

The company's shares have lost almost half their value since July, as the once-high tide of the housing market has receded. Toll Brothers stock closed yesterday at $29.47, down $1.73. In July, the company's shares traded at more than $58. Stocks of other big builders also lost ground yesterday.

ANNAPOLIS - A third of this year's session is on the books, and lawmakers are turning their attention to the high-stakes showdown over the state's $29.6 billion budget.

The session has so far been dominated by pitched battles over veto overrides and gay marriage. The bitter partisanship that marked those debates is heating up again. At stake are billions of dollars and the fall's elections.

"The money is here," said Del. Murray D. Levy, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. "Santa Claus has come to town."

Annexation limits for cities and towns proposed
How much, where to develop is at center of dispute

ANNAPOLIS - A powerful coalition of state senators is pushing a bill that would restrict a municipal government's authority to annex land for development.

The legislation has sparked a heated battle between the state's influential local government lobbies - the Maryland Municipal League and the Maryland Association of Counties - while opening a debate on the volatile issue of land-use policies in an election year.

The bill calls for more collaboration between county and municipal governments when it comes to annexing land for development. It wants to set a growth boundary around the municipality to limit how much land could be developed. Another provision would allow the county government to delay for 10 years - instead of the five years under current law - an annexation outside the designated growth area of a municipality.

By Ovetta Wiggins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 9, 2006; Page T02

The Economic Development Corp. and county government last week sponsored a retail trade show, the first in the county's history, to promote Prince George's as a prime spot for department stores.

"The fact that you are here today demonstrates your membership's awareness of our county as an important economic center," County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) said to he crowd of 150 representatives from government, business and the community at the University of Maryland.

A proposed amendment to the St. Mary's County Zoning Ordinance that would revise provisions governing the transfer of development rights program was referred to the Planning Commission on Tuesday after brief discussion before county commissioners.

The program allows property owners to sell their development rights to a buyer, who then can use the rights to obtain approval for development elsewhere in the county. The original tract, known as the sending property, would be preserved as open space.

By Krissah Williams
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 2, 2006; Page T05

The owners of Landover Mall could soon begin knocking down walls at the closed shopping center. The Prince George's County Department of Environmental Resources approved three permits two months ago to allow interior demolition of the mall and the installation of a temporary construction trailer on the property.

The permit approvals are the first sign of activity at the mall since Lerner Enterprises closed it in 2002. Lerner has not given any indications about the mall's future, although local real estate developers have said it is probably dead as a retail center.

Speculation about plans for it have included a center for county government offices and a new site for Prince George's Hospital Center The most recent buzz is that it will become a residential development. Lerner Enterprises did not return calls last week to discuss the mall's future.

By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 9, 2006; Page B08

RICHMOND, Feb. 8 -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's push to reduce traffic congestion by enacting measures that could slow development suffered a serious setback in a House of Delegates panel Wednesday.

The centerpiece of Kaine's effort -- a bill to give local governments more authority to slow growth if nearby roads are inadequate -- was rejected, 9-2, in a subcommittee of the Counties, Cities and Towns Committee.

Transportation Secretary Pierce R. Homer said Kaine will continue to press for legislation to ease the state's traffic problems through improved planning by local and state agencies.

Fairfax County agreed yesterday to purchase a complex of 180 apartments in Reston. With their relatively low rents, the units might otherwise have been converted to luxury condominiums, county officials said.

The county will pay the Mark Winkler Co. $49.5 million for the Crescent Apartments near Lake Anne, the largest outlay from an affordable housing fund approved by the Board of Supervisors last year. Monthly rents at the complex run an average of $1,023 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,170 for two bedrooms. The current tenants, who represent Reston's mix of ethnic communities, earn incomes of $40,000 to $50,000 for a family of four.

By Lisa Rein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 9, 2006; Page B05

Fairfax County's signature growth plan -- the building of thousands of condominiums, townhouses, stores and offices at the Vienna Metro station -- generated more emotional debate last night as planning commissioners weighed what the development will look like.

As many as 60 people had signed up to speak at a public hearing on MetroWest, a project that has consumed Fairfax leaders, planners and civic activists for nearly three years.

The 2,250 homes Pulte Home Corp. would build just south of the Metro would become one of Fairfax's densest developments and test the county's vision of what officials call transit-oriented development -- the concentration of homes, jobs, shopping and entertainment around train stations. Similar growth is planned for Tysons Corner when Metrorail comes to that area of the county.

Hardly a Conservative in the Bunch

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 9, 2006; Page GZ02

The ratings are in. And, not surprisingly, Montgomery County has among the most liberal legislators in the Maryland General Assembly.

A group calling itself the Maryland Accountability Project has developed rankings based on how all 188 lawmakers voted on 25 bills last year. The organization, which says it is nonpartisan, then assigned a 0 to 100 "conservative rating" based on those votes. The higher the rating, the more conservative the voting record, according to the group.

Based on the rankings, all of Montgomery's senators and delegates, including the delegation's lone Republican, Jean B. Cryor (District 15), are fairly liberal.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/08/AR2006020801169.html

Ehrlich Says He's Fed Up With Rude Democrats

By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 7, 2006; Page B01

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) unleashed a searing attack on the Democrat-controlled General Assembly yesterday, telling a group of business leaders that some legislators have been so disrespectful of him that it's time to vote them out of office.

The tone of Ehrlich's remarks, which came during a question-and-answer session, was in marked contrast to his scripted State of the State address two weeks ago. Then, he pledged to cooperate with Democrats and help end "Capitol Hill-style" politics.

Ehrlich was less than conciliatory yesterday at a Montgomery County event. He complained that the legislature overrode a record number of vetoes this year and urged business leaders to help him get political payback in the November elections.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/06/AR2006020601699.html

Rockville councilwoman recuses herself from vote
Questions mayor's alleged comment on same issue

Friday, Feb. 10, 2006

Rockville City Councilwoman Anne M. Robbins bowed to pressure Monday, recusing herself from a 3-0 vote approving an exploratory application to redevelop the historic Chestnut Lodge property.

Last week, Mayor Larry Giammo said Robbins might have violated state law by discussing the issue privately with a resident. He suggested the best remedy would be for her to step down from any vote on the issue.

When her turn came to vote Monday, Robbins, who previously maintained that no ex parte violation occurred on her part, said the circumstances of the event remained unclear and she recused herself.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/021006/polia%20s195407_31917.shtml

Montgomery splits top Parks and Planning job
Former federal official named as new parks director

Friday, Feb. 10, 2006

Montgomery County's park and planning commissioners named a new parks director Thursday and announced they would eliminate the joint park and planning director position.

Mary R. Bradford, who retired as associate director and chief financial officer of the National Park Service in 1997, takes over as parks director on Feb. 21. She will be paid about $135,000 a year.

Bradford will report directly to the commissioners (also known as the Planning Board), as does acting planning director Faroll Hamer.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/021006/polia%20s194743_31906.shtml