WASHINGTON, DC NEWS

For Guidance, Fenty Turns to a Neighbor
Candidate Seizes on O'Malley Program

By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 3, 2006; Page B05

BALTIMORE -- In a darkened room tucked under the eaves of Baltimore's Baroque City Hall, Mayor Martin O'Malley preached the gospel of service delivery to an attentive student yesterday: DC mayoral candidate Adrian M. Fenty.

"You can't fake being mayor," the veteran mayor and Maryland gubernatorial candidate counseled the sophomore council member. The city is "either getting better or it isn't. Either it's getting safer, or it's not."

In Baltimore, it is not hard to take those measurements. When he took office six years ago, O'Malley (D) pioneered an award-winning strategy for evaluating the performance of each agency and forcing bureaucrats to run them more efficiently. Now Fenty (D-Ward 4) is making that strategy the centerpiece of his campaign for mayor and promising to bring the same impressive results to Washington.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/02/AR2006080201818.html

 

Radar Cameras Reining In Speeders
Drivers Traveling 28.5% Slower on Residential Streets

By Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 3, 2006; Page DZ01

Washington motorists are easing up on their gas pedals and driving more safely since the city installed photo radar cameras five years ago, according to DC police.

The average speed on neighborhood streets where the devices are in place has been reduced 28.5 percent since 2001, police say. In June, cars went on average 25.4 mph, compared with 35.5 mph in July 2001. On such streets, the default speed limit is 25 mph unless otherwise posted.

On highways, where the speed limit is 50 mph, motorists have reduced their speed 21.7 percent since 2001. Vehicles traveled on highways at an average of 45.2 mph in June, compared with 57.7 mph in July 2001, according to police.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/02/AR2006080200723.html

 

Georgia Ave. Project Stirs Hopes For Long-Awaited Revitalization

By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 1, 2006; Page B03

Donning hard hats and grabbing ceremonial shovels, DC public officials broke ground yesterday on a $60 million housing and commercial development that they hope will start to change the profile of Georgia Avenue NW.

DC officials foresee Park Place, which is being built above the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro station, to be the economic catalyst for a long-awaited renewal of Georgia Avenue, said Stanley Jackson, deputy mayor for planning and economic development.

The project, expected to be completed within two years, includes 150 condominiums among seven floors, six townhouses behind the main building, underground parking and six to eight shops and restaurants.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/31/AR2006073101065.html

 

City's Lack Of Vote Decried By U.N.
U.S. Says Policy Is 'Justifiable'

By Elissa Silverman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 29, 2006; Page B02

The District's lack of voting representation in Congress violates terms of an international human rights treaty agreed to by the United States government, a United Nations commission said in a report released yesterday.

Discussion of Washington's disenfranchisement came near the end of the 12-page U.N. human rights committee findings, which expressed concerns about U.S. policies involving secret facilities to detain terrorism suspects, allegations of torture, and treatment of poor or homeless residents.

"The Committee . . . remains concerned that residents of the District of Columbia do not enjoy full representation in Congress, a restriction which does not seem to be compatible with article 25 of the covenant," the report concluded.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801649.html

 

District Redevelopment Hurts Poor, Voters Say

By Paul Schwartzman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 28, 2006; Page B01

As construction cranes began rising downtown six years ago, a majority of Washingtonians shared Mayor Anthony A. Williams's vision that economic revitalization would help the city's poorest residents by creating jobs and repairing blighted neighborhoods.

That vision has undergone a marked reversal now that offices and condominiums have opened, and developers have transformed neighborhoods across the city, according to a Washington Post poll.

Sixty-one percent of registered voters surveyed said redevelopment is "mainly bad" for the poor, and 35 percent said redevelopment is "mainly good," the poll showed. In 2000, however, 64 percent said redevelopment is largely beneficial to the poor and 28 percent said it's harmful.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/27/AR2006072701769.html

 

Pro-Slots Group Is Sailing On

By Lori Montgomery and Elissa Silverman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 3, 2006; Page DZ02

The St. Croix folks who have promoted gambling in the District have moved. And they're taking their slots campaign with them.

Yes, Shawn Scott, Rob Newell and the rest of the gang from Bridge Capital LLC, the cash cow behind the 2004 drive to legalize gambling in the nation's capital, have decamped halfway around the world to the Northern Mariana Islands, where the company is eligible for a bevy of economic development tax breaks.

"We are very excited about coming to Saipan and launching our Asian financial business from here," Scott told island officials in December, according to Marianas Variety Online.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/02/AR2006080200728.html

 

Barry, Catania Drop Support For Hospital

By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 3, 2006; Page B01

Two key council members joined Mayor Anthony A. Williams in declaring their support yesterday for the recommendations of a DC health task force to abandon plans for a 250-bed hospital on the eastern side of the city.

Council members Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) and David A. Catania (I-At Large), who once backed the new hospital construction, said they now favor the establishment of three primary health clinics and renovations at Greater Southeast Community Hospital.

Williams (D), Barry and Catania were joined at the mayor's weekly press briefing by members of the task force. The group issued recommendations in a 10 to 5 vote and released a report this week outlining the new option.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/02/AR2006080201824.html

 

Multifamily Sales Still Strong in Region

WASHINGTON, DC-Two separate sales of multifamily properties in the DC area submarkets point to ongoing demand for investment opportunities in this asset class. In Stafford, VA, The Archon Group purchased Alta at Courthouse Square Apartments from Wood Partners for $71.5 million. The new 390-unit Class AA apartment property is located a quarter mile from the intersection of Route 630 (Courthouse Road) and I-95.

"The property is the highest quality apartment community in the Stafford/Fredericksburg region, and has leased up very quickly due to its location near major employers, such as Quantico Marine Base," says Michael Marshall, a director in Cushman & Wakefield's Apartment Brokerage Services Group, which arranged the sale. Due to the recent BRAC realignment plan, the base is adding 3,000 jobs.

http://www.globest.com/news/657_657/washington/147868-1.html

 

Faison Enterprises Closes Two Land Deals

WASHINGTON, DC-Charlotte, NC-based Faison Enterprises has closed two separate land deals in the DC area over the last week worth almost $200 million. The first is for a condo project in southeast Washington near the baseball stadium at First and L Street, SE.

Philip W. Norwood, president and CEO of Faison tells GlobeSt.com that this was a particularly complex transaction in that it involved land swaps and will entail some joint development work with a nearby office project on M Street. The approximate 260-unit condo development, which is expected to be delivered in 2008, is worth roughly $100 million, he says.

The company has also closed on property for a retail project in La Plata, Md. This $75 million project will be anchored by a Lowes and include a Giant Food grocery store as well as other retailers, Norwood says. The project will include 37 acres of out parcels for Lowes as well as 115,000 sf of retail space that Faison will develop.

http://www.globest.com/news/654_654/washington/147797-1.html

 

WRIT Closes Shady Grove/Plumtree

WASHINGTON, DC-Washington Real Estate Investment Trust closed its $67 million acquisition of the Shady Grove/Plumtree medical office portfolio that it first announced in April. WRIT acquired two buildings of a four-building, 175,289 sf class A portfolio that month. The third closed in June and the fourth recently closed, finalizing the transaction, according to Margaret Hirl, managing director of Investment Sales at Larsen, who introduced WRIT to the transaction.

Hirl told GlobeSt.com that the purchase price-$429 per sf for three of the four buildings in Rockville-was a record for that submarket. "The 400s have not been crossed yet," she says. "I would say the max has been in the high 300s." She said the portfolio was very high quality, with two of the buildings newly built and 100% leased. The remaining building in Bel Air was sold for $230 per sf.

The portfolio is expected to produce a first-year unleveraged yield of 6.6% on a GAAP basis and 6.3% on a cash basis. WRIT assumed three mortgages in the amount of $19.4 million bearing interest at a weighted average interest rate of 5.4%. The remainder was funded through its line of credit.

http://www.globest.com/news/653_653/washington/147787-1.html

 

Tishman Speyer May Take CarrAmerica's DC Portfolio

WASHINGTON, DC-The rumor mill has gone into overdrive here amid reports that Tishman Speyer is closing a deal in which it will pick up CarrAmerica's Washington, DC assets from the Blackstone Group, as well as a few additional properties outside of this portfolio. "The deal is happening," an industry source tells GlobeSt.com. "I don't know when it will close but it is happening."

The source could not confirm, however, published reports that Tishman Speyer is paying $2.9 billion for the assets.

The firm does not have a significant presence in Washington, DC proper; it does have several properties and developments under way in Northern Virginia though, including Lakeside@Loudoun Tech, a class A office complex totaling 305,455 sf in Loudoun, and Westfields Corporate Center, a 1,100-acre master planned office park located in Western Fairfax County.

http://www.globest.com/news/648_648/washington/147690-1.html

REGIONAL NEWS

In a Slowing Market, Price Is Only the First Step

By Sandra Fleishman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 29, 2006; Page F01

If for-sale signs have sprouted like weeds in your neighborhood and the grass is growing up around them, it's no time to panic, say real estate experts.

It's time to go back to the basics.

For years, nothing seemed to faze home buyers here. Price didn't matter. You could sell with dirty dishes still stacked in the sink. Even the eyesores got multiple bids.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072800764.html

 

Demand for Home Loans Reaches 4-Year Low

By Kirstin Downey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 3, 2006; Page D01

In a new sign of the continued deterioration in the housing market, applications for home loans plunged to a four-year low last week.

Mortgage loan applications dropped to their lowest level since May 2002, according to a weekly survey of lenders conducted by the Mortgage Bankers Association, a trade group.

The group reported its market composite index, a measure of mortgage loan application activity, fell to 527.6. At the peak of the refinancing market in May 2003, the index hit 1,856.7.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/02/AR2006080201884.html

 

Mortgage Rates Retreat to 6.72%

From News Services and Staff Reports
Saturday, July 29, 2006; Page G04

Mortgage rates declined slightly this week as investors grew more hopeful that the Federal Reserve's long string of rate hikes is drawing to a close.

Freddie Mac reported Thursday that rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dipped to a nationwide average of 6.72 percent, from 6.80 percent last week, which was the highest level in more than four years.

The lowest mortgage rates in four decades powered a boom in housing that pushed homes sales to record levels for five consecutive years. But sales of both new and existing homes have slowed this year under the impact of rising interest rates.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072800763.html

 

Defections, money woes plague Simms
Campaign manager defends change to a volunteer-based strategy; other observers aren't so sure it will work

Friday, Aug. 4, 2006

Once the state Democratic Party's can't-miss attorney general candidate, Stuart O. Simms has endured a turbulent week that saw dwindling funds lead to the dismantling of his professional campaign team and an abrupt shift to a less costly, more volunteer-based strategy.

The purge of paid workers and switch to a completely new strategy come less than six weeks before the Sept. 12 Democratic primary pitting Simms against Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas F. Gansler and Montgomery County Councilman Thomas E. Perez (Dist. 5) of Takoma Park.

"We simply did not need a large paid staff," said Larry Gibson, a veteran Baltimore political operative who is Simms' campaign manager. "He's got enough friends and enough supporters -- people who understand that his credentials are superior -- that it was a not proper use of resources."

http://www.gazette.net/stories/080406/polia%20s194745_31940.shtml

 

Gubernatorial candidates court NAACP

Friday, Aug. 4, 2006

ANNAPOLIS -- Keeping the NAACP in Maryland has opened a new front in the governor's race.

Both Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D) have launched aggressive campaigns to woo the nation's oldest civil rights organization away from the nation's capital. The NAACP is looking for a new headquarters after deciding to leave its west Baltimore home and move closer to Capitol Hill where most of its work takes place.

Both campaigns deny there is any political tinge to their efforts, but the symbolism could not have been stronger than on Monday when the state's top two Republicans -- Ehrlich and Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, who lives in Largo -- personally took NAACP President Bruce S. Gordon on a high-profile tour of the $2 billion, 235-acre National Harbor retail and entertainment project in Prince George's County.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/080406/polia%20s200258_31947.shtml

 

Schaefer hedging on O'Malley
Comptroller will support the Democratic nominee but says he didn't find him to be a 'good mayor'

Friday, Aug. 4, 2006

Comptroller William Donald Schaefer pledged his allegiance to the Democratic Party on Monday, but he refused to endorse the party's presumptive nominee for governor, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley.

Schaefer said Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is as "honest as the day is long," emphasizing their strong working relationship. But O'Malley, he said, has not been "a good mayor."

Schaefer told The Gazette editorial board that he and Gene Raynor, one of Schaefer's strongest allies and a Baltimore insider, worked to get O'Malley elected in 1999. But, he said, after the election O'Malley turned his back on them, which has led to their strained relations over the years.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/080406/polia%20s194809_31946.shtml

 

No debates yet, but plenty of talk between camps
O'Malley proposes five debates with Ehrlich; staffs have yet to talk details

Friday, Aug. 4, 2006

More than two weeks after calling for a series of debates, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley have yet to set any dates.

On July 19, Ehrlich (R) wrote O'Malley (D), proposing debates in September and October.

"These debates should be substantive and conversational, giving voters a chance to go beyond sound bites and learn about how we intend to confront the challenges this state faces," he wrote. "We owe the voters frequent, meaningful debates in a number of venues across the state that address their interest about what is best for Maryland."

http://www.gazette.net/stories/080406/polia%20s194754_31944.shtml

 

Democrats Look for Edge as Race Heats Up
Endorsements Announced; Gansler Launches TV Ads

By Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 3, 2006; Page B04

The race to elect Maryland's first new attorney general in nearly two decades heated up this week, as the first television ad of the campaign began airing yesterday and several major endorsements were announced.

Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas F. Gansler, one of three candidates for the Democratic nomination, began running a television ad in Baltimore aimed at raising his name recognition in a part of the state where he is little-known.

Gansler also scored endorsements from two prominent Prince George's County politicians, appearing in Largo yesterday morning with County Executive Jack B. Johnson and Rep. Albert R. Wynn. Today, he plans to announce support from the Coalition of Asian Pacific American Democrats and some Montgomery lawmakers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/02/AR2006080201790.html

 

Candidates for County Executive, Council Square Off at Forum

By Rosalind S. Helderman and Hamil R. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 3, 2006; Page T02

Campaign season was in full swing in Prince George's County last week as candidates held fundraisers and events countywide and two nonpartisan groups held candidate forums.

On Wednesday, the county's branch of the NAACP and several fraternities and sororities sponsored a forum.

In the county executive race, former state delegate Rushern L. Baker III debated Michael D. Herman, who is Executive Jack B. Johnson's chief of staff. Herman told the audience that Johnson was visiting his ailing mother in South Carolina. Baker is challenging Johnson in the Sept. 12 Democratic primary.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/02/AR2006080201058.html

   

In Vienna, a Twist On the Tear-Down

By Jacqueline L. Salmon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 3, 2006; Page VA20

Six years ago, Chris and Kira Brunjes were looking for a bigger place than their Sterling townhouse. On one house-hunting trip, they drove around Vienna, where Kira grew up, and stumbled on a number of elaborate Victorian-style houses rising on a cul-de-sac.

They were hooked. They located the builder, Ayrhill Homes of Vienna. Ayrhill partner Steve Bukont designed for the couple a four-bedroom cottage-style house with two stories, a low roof and a wraparound porch.

"We love it," said Kira, 39, who is an interior designer. "It's not a big brick Colonial."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/02/AR2006080200736.html

 

FEMA Denies Aid to Homeowners, Tells Fairfax to Help Its Own More
County's Affluence Noted; Arlington, Alexandria Also Lose Out

By Lisa Rein and Bill Turque
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, August 2, 2006; Page B03

Fairfax County homeowners hit hard by heavy rains and flooding in late June are not eligible for federal aid because they live in an affluent community that should address its own needs, an official for the Federal Emergency Management Agency said yesterday.

Dan Martinez, the FEMA official, made the statement as he explained the agency's decision to deny Virginia's application for emergency aid for residents of Fairfax and Arlington counties and the city of Alexandria whose homes were flooded during severe storms June 25 and 26.

Some of the heaviest damage was in the Huntington neighborhood of Fairfax. About 150 modest, 1950s-vintage duplexes were inundated by sewage-infested waters from Cameron Run, causing an estimated $10 million in damage. County officials say they have helped about 200 households countywide with temporary housing, food and cleanup, but Martinez said they should do more.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101407.html

 

Thousands of Homes May Be Too Tall
Officials Had Issued Building Permits That Violated Height Restrictions

By Lisa Rein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 30, 2006; Page C06

Thousands of new and renovated homes in Fairfax County have been built far taller than allowed by law, even though the county issued permits to developers to build the houses at those heights, county and industry officials say.

The discovery of violations that have persisted for years has triggered a confrontation between the county and Northern Virginia's building industry, which says it's not the builders' fault that Fairfax planners and inspectors approved the plans for estates and high-end townhouses.

The dispute has led to a legal challenge from a couple who cannot move into their home because the county denied the occupancy permit. "Until we get this issue resolved, builders can't sell their houses and have people move into them," said Fairfax public works director Jimmie Jenkins. Unresolved is what to do with houses that are too tall but already occupied.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/29/AR2006072900869.html

 

Tysons Metro Tunnel Buoyed
Cost Wouldn't Threaten Completion, Panel Says

By Alec MacGillis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 29, 2006; Page B01

A panel of experts commissioned by Virginia officials to study the Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport has strongly recommended that the tracks at Tysons Corner run underground, said local officials briefed yesterday.

The group of engineers also concluded that a tunnel would not be prohibitively more expensive than an elevated track, the local officials said. Those involved with the project had expected the panel to lean toward an underground approach for the four-mile stretch through Tysons. But Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, one of the officials privately briefed, said he was surprised at the strength of the group's support for a tunnel. Connolly (D) favors a tunnel.

The panel's findings, to be released Monday, raise the stakes in the $4 billion project. Tunnel supporters say the transformation of Tysons into a walkable, vibrant downtown for Fairfax depends on putting the rail line underground rather than on a 30-foot-high track.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801662.html

 

Army Awards $60M N. VA Redevelopment Contract

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA-The US Army Corps of Engineers awarded Orlando-based PBS&J and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP of Chicago a contract not to exceed $60 million to redevelop Fort Belvoir, located in the county. It is the largest redevelopment project by the army--encompassing an additional six million sf to accommodate the arrival of roughly 22,000 military and civilian personnel--under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) enacted last November.

Plans for Ft. Belvoir's realignment will be focused around the development of a new urban center that includes offices, open spaces and community facilities, as well as infrastructure such as utilities, communications systems, roads and transit opportunities. PBS&J and SOM will be responsible for master planning, design, engineering, and program integration of the base's realignment. The team and its 16 subconsultants are using the name Belvoir New Vision Planners.

This contract is just the start of what will be a massive realignment not only of the base itself but the nearby region as well, Kevin R. Wayer, managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle in Washington, DC, tells GlobeSt.com. "As this master plan gets underway we will see more activity in the Route 1 corridor as well as in Fairfax County."

http://www.globest.com/news/650_650/washington/147722-1.html