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

By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 27, 2006; 2:46 PM

DC Mayor Anthony A. Williams today signed into law the first major revision of the city's rent control law in more than 20 years.

The new law, a hard-fought compromise between landlords and tenants, would abolish the city's antiquated system of rent ceilings and replace it with legal restrictions that limit future rent increases to 2 percent of current rent plus inflation, or no more than 10 percent a year.

The measure contains new protections for the elderly and disabled, limiting their rent increases to inflation only, or no more than 5 percent a year. And it would limit one-time rent increases on vacant units to 30 percent.

By Robert E. Pierre
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 29, 2006; Page B01

DC Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp pledged that if elected mayor, she would offer teachers, nurses and police officers loans of up to $50,000 toward a mortgage down payment as well as special incentives to developers to ensure that their projects have affordable units.

The proposals, Cropp said at a news conference yesterday, would help address the loss of about 20,000 affordable units since 2000 as abandoned and boarded-up buildings have been renovated and cranes have popped up across the city to build offices and high-rise condominiums.

"The good news is, people want to live here," she said, standing on H Street NE, a corridor that is undergoing redevelopment. "More of our neighborhoods are desirable. . . . The bad news is that the cost of the housing has risen so rapidly that it has become harder for middle-income and lower-income people to own or rent."

Mayor Asks for Stadium Plan Approval
Zoning Commission To Weigh Proposal On Towers, Parking

The DC Zoning Commission heard pleas yesterday late into the night from Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and his design team to approve their plans for the new Washington Nationals stadium.

The plans include a recent proposal that combines some underground parking with aboveground spaces wrapped inside 13-story towers, along with shops, restaurants, condominiums and a hotel.

"I can't emphasize enough the importance of this project to our city," said Williams, who signaled his determination by sitting through a hearing that lasted more than 4 1/2 hours. "I do implore you as mayor to give a favorable review as soon as possible."

Bulldozers are moving dirt and pile drivers are slamming into the ground on the site of the new baseball stadium at South Capitol and N streets SE. And the Anacostia Waterfront Corp. is finally pulling together its plans for the land around the ballpark.

Under those plans, about 9 million square feet of residential and commercial buildings and parking garages will be built over the next decade on 50 acres around the stadium, said officials with the Anacostia Waterfront group. They estimate that the new development -- on land that is now mostly auto repair shops, nightclubs and empty lots -- will be worth about $4.5 billion.

Adrian G. Washington, president and chief executive of the development organization, last week offered a preview of a draft master plan. Washington said the plan still needs to show where specific types of buildings would go. He said he expects to unveil the plan later this summer at community meetings to get feedback from residents, business owners and other community members. The point, he emphasized, is to look beyond the ballpark.

Taking Steps to a Pedestrian-Friendly DC
Measures Follow Deaths of 10 People Walking on District Streets This Year

By Caryle Murphy
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 29, 2006; Page DZ01

Marion Anderson sported a Washington Nationals T-shirt and blue pants. Rose Garrett's similarly casual outfit was accessorized with a Bluetooth earpiece and white-frame sunglasses. Both women carried shoulder bags.

And as they stepped onto a zebra-stripe crosswalk on Bladensburg Road at L Street NE on a recent sunny morning, seven cars whizzed past them. Five minutes later, as they again attempted to cross the four-lane street, a mammoth Ford Excursion whisked by and beeped impatiently. For the next hour, about half the cars passing through the intersection failed to yield to the two pedestrians.

Board Votes to Close Five District Schools
Others to Be Leased for Charter Programs

By V. Dion Haynes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 29, 2006; Page B01

The DC Board of Education last night approved the first major plan in nine years to significantly shrink its excess space, agreeing to close five schools and to make parts or all of eight other school buildings available for leasing to charter schools.

Board members continued to face criticism of the plan, as they have throughout the six-month school-closure process.

"This is closure for closure's sake," schools activist Marc Borbely said before the meeting. Yesterday, Borbely sent board members an e-mail urging them to reconsider closing R.H. Terrell Junior High School in Northwest, claiming that the panel had failed to hold a required public hearing on the proposal. "There is no sense this is what's best for kids."

WASHINGTON, DC-Shorenstein Properties has acquired the Commonwealth Building, a 108,085-sf office building located at 1625 K St. for $35 million, according to industry sources. Grubb & Ellis represented the seller, GE Capital Real Estate. This is the San Francisco-based Shorenstein's fifth major acquisition in the District.

According to a spokesperson, Shorenstein is continuing to seek out additional investments in the city and nearby suburbs. "The Washington, DC market continues to show positive growth from a real estate investment perspective, especially in the office sector," says Douglas Shorenstein, chairman and CEO of Shorenstein Properties.

WASHINGTON, DC-The city government here has released details about its "Great Streets" Initiative to redevelop underinvested DC parcels in corridors in such neighborhoods as Bellevue, Deanwood and Shepherd Park that are publicly or quasi-publicly owned. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development points to sites such as the historic Howard Theatre (adjacent to 7th Street NW) and properties owned by the National Capital Revitalization Corp. and Metro as possibilities.

The office's FY 2006 budget includes up to $16 million to be invested in economic and community development activities in certain neighbors. Those funds will be matched by over $100 million in transportation, streetscape, and transit improvements through the District Department of Transportation.

Caveat Co-Owner
For Unmarried Buyers Sharing a House Purchase, the Price May Be Right -- Until the Relationship Goes Wrong

By Sandra Fleishman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 24, 2006; Page F01

Architecture school pals Dave Delcher and David Tracz bought a District fixer-upper in 2000 as a way to get a toehold in the housing market. Since then, the friends have rehabbed the vintage Victorian and married their girlfriends, but they all still live and own together.

The percentage of people who, like Delcher and Tracz, buy homes with someone other than a spouse is small. Real estate agents and lawyers say, however, that the number has ticked up noticeably in hard-to-afford areas such as Washington.

Such arrangements are often the choice among unmarried couples, gay or straight, and they can allow friends or relatives a chance to buy a home they couldn't afford otherwise. Real estate lawyers, though, say they continually hear horror stories about deals going bad. They say the potential for disaster underscores the need for buyers to understand the various ways of holding ownership and to have agreements spelling out details.

One of the federal government's top housing officials has this practical advice for anyone negotiating with a builder to buy a new house: You can always say no.

When the builder dangles thousands of dollars of free upgrades or closing cost discounts in front of you if you will agree to use the builder's affiliated mortgage lender -- and threatens to withhold those incentives if you get your loan elsewhere -- you don't have to roll over and play dead.

As Brian D. Montgomery, federal housing commissioner, put it: "Often consumers feel compelled to use a builder's hand-picked mortgage company because they feel they've been offered an incentive they can't refuse." But federal real estate settlement rules "require that these incentives be legitimate and not built into the price of the house or the cost of the loan."

Ehrlich hopes ticket has punch
New running mate Cox heads state?s Department of Disabilities; O?Malley, Brown rally in Annapolis

ANNAPOLIS - Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. named his secretary of disabilities as his running mate, choosing a hard-working loyalist who, like his first lieutenant governor, brings an air of history to the ticket.

If elected, Kristen Cox would be the highest-ranking Maryland official who is legally blind, a factor she said should not influence people?s expectations.

"My blindness is a non-issue. It's not an issue of an 'if I do' thing. It's an issue of a 'how I do' thing," Cox said Thursday afternoon. "I wouldn't have accepted [the offer to be lieutenant governor] if I weren't absolutely ready for the challenge."

Simms gets late start but key support
Former Duncan running mate joins crowded Democratic attorney general field; Miller says Simms' bid could get stronger

BALTIMORE - In one whirlwind week that radically altered the landscape for this fall's elections, Stuart O. Simms has transformed from the running mate of an underdog gubernatorial contender to a leading attorney general candidate.

With less than 10 weeks until the primary, the former Baltimore city state's attorney officially joined a crowded Democratic field Thursday with campaign announcements outside the courthouse here where he once tried cases and in Prince George's County, where he won the blessing of several key elected officials.

"This is a battle to ensure that consumers are protected against corporate greed and excess," said Simms, who was surrounded by dozens of local lawmakers and members of the Baltimore legal community outside the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse. "This is a battle to stop crime, violence and drug abuse from destroying the lives of entire communities."

ANNAPOLIS - Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. launched his re-election campaign this week as a political outsider and an underdog fighting against years of Democratic dominance.

Despite having all the built-in advantages of incumbency, Ehrlich is using the same theme he trumpeted four years ago as a little-known congressman from Baltimore County willing to take on a heavily favored Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.

"We're going to engage the monopoly again, and this time we're going to bring the monopoly down," Ehrlich (R) said outside his boyhood home in working-class Arbutus on Wednesday.

Ehrlich, O'Malley making a play for Duncan's backers
State Democrats are determined to take back governor's mansion and will back Baltimore mayor, but governor sees opportunity to entice voters across party lines

Democrats are lining up behind Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley after last week's decision by Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan to withdraw from the gubernatorial race.

Supporters of both candidates said this week that Duncan's people are joining the O'Malley campaign.

"I expect every Duncan supporter will support Mayor O'Malley," said Stanton J. Gildenhorn, one of Duncan's chief Montgomery County supporters.

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. starts his reelection campaign today significantly trailing Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, according to a new Washington Post poll. Although the state's voters give the governor good marks for the job he's done, they also appear inclined to return a Democrat to the governor's mansion.

Ehrlich kicks off his campaign today at his boyhood home in the Baltimore suburb of Arbutus, attempting to become the state's first Republican governor in 50 years to serve a second term. But the poll shows why he is preparing to spend a record amount and why he is considered one of the nation's most endangered Republican governors.

Ehrlich is running in an overwhelmingly Democratic state at a time when voters are not happy with the GOP. Maryland voters are more critical than voters nationally of the Bush administration and more strongly opposed to the war in Iraq. And, unlike earlier in Ehrlich's term, more Marylanders than not believe the state is heading in the wrong direction, the poll shows.

Non-candidate Curry Still Visible in Election Year
Will he or won't he? An endorsement in the Prince George's executive's race could have significant impact

Former County Executive Wayne Curry has been out of office for nearly four years, but he is not gone from the public eye, or public life.

Curry, the first African American elected county executive in Prince George's, is still a presence - at political functions, on the county's Business Roundtable and in the rumor mill as a candidate this fall, courted by his own Democrats as well as some Republicans.

But with no formal plans to run for office, the $64,000 question is: What impact does this non-candidate have on the county executive race?

Cheye Calvo was first elected mayor of Berwyn Heights in 2004. He was 33 and, by his recollection, the youngest mayor in the county.

But then came Adam Ortiz, elected mayor of Edmonston in 2005, at 30. Walter Lee James joined them when he was elected mayor of Bladensburg later that year, also at 30.

By the time James Walls Jr., then 28, was sworn in as District Heights mayor on May 5, Calvo's thunder had officially been stolen.

RICHMOND, June 28 -- The 2006 General Assembly gave final approval to the state budget and went home Wednesday, leaving behind a first-year governor who presided over the worst stalemate in the legislature's history while failing to make good on his promise to ease traffic congestion for Virginians.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) confronted an issue that has bedeviled state leaders for two decades: how to finance billions of dollars in road and transit construction. His plan for tax increases to finance those improvements, presented six days into his term, stalled after he misread the resolve of his adversaries and overestimated public pressure for improvements.

He had mixed success with his other major initiative, an ambitious push to adopt new tools to slow growth. Efforts to help localities study the impact of development on traffic passed. But he failed to win passage of his boldest proposal, a new law letting local government turn down development if nearby roads are inadequate.

RICHMOND, June 26 -- People who live or work in Northern Virginia would pay steep new fees and higher taxes under a $578 million transportation plan being circulated by six Republican delegates from the region.

Having voted for months to block statewide tax increases that were pushed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) and the Republican-controlled Senate, the House members said their constituents will gladly pay more as long as the money raised is used only for road and rail projects in their area.

"All but my ardent anti-tax people are like, 'If everyone's paying and 100 percent stays here, I'm in,' " said the plan's sponsor, Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax).

ALEXANDRIA, VA-The Washington/Baltimore distribution submarket is likely to experience a decline in occupancy for the rest of the decade in large part due to tech advances that are compressing the demand for distribution space, according to Alexander Paul, president, Transwestern Support Group and national research director of Delta Associates. The company has just released its annual Industrial Distribution report.

Paul tells GlobeSt.com that the distribution market here is ahead of the curve in its adoption of radio frequency identification, which greatly increases warehouse/distribution operations' efficiencies and maximizes available space. "The higher level of technology is likely to lead to less demand for distribution space than there has been at the peak of previous cycles."

Leggett Brings in Big-Name Firms in County Executive Race

By Nancy Trejos
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 27, 2006; Page B08

Montgomery county executive candidate Isiah Leggett has hired two nationally known political consulting firms to work for his campaign, setting the stage for what could be an aggressive and expensive Democratic primary race against County Council member Steven A. Silverman.

Leggett has retained pollster Harrison Hickman of the Chevy Chase firm Global Strategy Group. Hickman has polled for a number of well-known Democrats, including former vice president Al Gore, former Nebraska senator Bob Kerrey and former North Carolina senator John Edwards.

Also joining Leggett's team is the DC-based direct-mail firm 360 JMG, whose founding partners are Max J. Brown and Jeff Gumbinner. Brown has worked for DC Mayor Anthony A. Williams, and Gumbinner has consulted for Gore and several members of Congress.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/26/AR2006062601302.html

Insiders Speculate on Possible Roles for Duncan

By Ann E. Marimow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 25, 2006; Page C07

In the hour before he went public with word that he was pulling out of the Maryland governor's race, Douglas M. Duncan strode into an intimate gathering of senior aides on the second floor of the county Executive Office Building.

It was a homecoming for Duncan, who has spent much of the past year miles away from his Rockville office, crisscrossing the state in search of votes. Greeted by enthusiastic applause, Duncan smiled easily and, to many of his colleagues, appeared relieved about the decision to ditch the campaign trail and seek treatment for what had been diagnosed only days before as depression.

When Duncan next returns to the second floor, after an unspecified period of weeks, he will have less than five months to close out his 12-year tenure as Montgomery County's most influential elected official. Liberated from a Democratic primary campaign that was struggling to gain traction, Duncan will have the opportunity to turn his full attention to county business -- and, if he chooses, have a hand in shaping the dynamics of other races.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/24/AR2006062400965.html