Janey Asks for Time to Turn Around Schools
Superintendent Maintains He's Trying to Restore System's Luster

By V. Dion Haynes and Theola Labb?
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; Page B01

In a major address designed to help him keep his job, DC School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey delivered a robust defense last night of his two-year record as leader of the city's beleaguered school system and urged city leaders to allow him to finish the work he has started to move schools forward.

Janey called for laying "a new foundation" for schools that includes higher academic standards, more rigorous student assessment and modernized facilities. It was his first-ever "State of the Schools" speech, as well as his first formal public statement since his future came into question when Mayor-elect Adrian M. Fenty said in September that he might seek to take over the schools.

Fenty has been calling for a dramatic shake-up in the school system, saying that reform is moving too slowly. Janey has been walking a fine line attempting to cooperate with Fenty while asserting his position as the city's chief education leader.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112801523.html

 

Members Defend Possible Raise
Panel Accused of Trying to Pass Pay Plan Without Public Input

By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; Page B04

DC Council members fought off criticism yesterday that they do not deserve a pay raise as well as a charge that they had tried to slip approval of the legislation through without public scrutiny.

Debate took place during a sparsely attended public hearing over proposals that would give council members salary increases of between 24 and 32 percent.

The council had considered the raises last week but postponed action until next week.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112801519.html

 

District Faces $300 Million Budget Shortfall

By David Nakamura
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 28, 2006; Page A01

The District government faces up to $300 million in unanticipated expenditures over the next two years, presenting an early test for Mayor-elect Adrian M. Fenty and his pledge to improve service delivery without raising taxes.

Fenty (D), who is reviewing the city's $9.6 billion budget in anticipation of taking office Jan. 2, has said his strategy for beefing up services will rely on eliminating waste and identifying savings in some city agencies so the money can be reallocated to other areas of need.

But last week Fenty received a memo from DC Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi stating that the District is already $87 million over budget for fiscal 2007, which began Oct. 1. Projections for fiscal 2008 show the city is facing up to $215 million in higher-than-anticipated costs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/27/AR2006112701335.html

 

Fenty's Choices Already Causing Anxiety About Insular Approach

By David Nakamura and Yolanda Woodlee
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, November 22, 2006; Page A01

Mayor-elect Adrian M. Fenty's decision to select a new police chief without input from his closest advisers surprised and angered some of them and raised concerns about how his maverick style will play out once he heads the DC government.

Fenty nominated DC police Cmdr. Cathy L. Lanier on Monday to be the city's next chief and, according to Fenty, consulted only his designated city administrator, Dan Tangherlini, on the decision.

Left out of the selection -- arguably the most important a big-city mayor makes -- were the public safety experts on Fenty's transition team, the two chairmen of his campaign and key campaign consultants, including former DC police chief Isaac Fulwood Jr. To many, including some close advisers, the process smacked of a headstrong young mayor-in-waiting who appears to be relying on a committee of one to make critical decisions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/21/AR2006112101707.html

 

District Is One Signature Away From 200 Acres of New Land

By Elissa Silverman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 17, 2006; Page B04

Congress sent legislation to President Bush yesterday giving the District roughly 200 acres of federal land, much of it valuable waterfront property that is key to the city's plans to transform areas bordering both sides of the Anacostia River.

The biggest parcel is Poplar Point, a 100-acre site on the eastern side of the Anacostia that is intended as the location of a stadium for the DC United soccer team. Also transferred to city control would be Reservation 13, a 66-acre site on the western edge of the river that houses the former DC General Hospital campus and is slated for mixed-use development and health-related facilities.

Officials said the land transfer is the biggest handoff of federal property since the city achieved home rule in 1973.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/16/AR2006111601605.html

 

DC Vote On Slots Ruled Out By Judges
Only Congress Has Power of Approval, Appeals Panel Says

By Henri E. Cauvin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 23, 2006; Page B01

The DC Court of Appeals yesterday blocked a bid to bring slot machines to the District, saying only Congress can authorize such gambling in Washington.

Unanimously reversing a ruling by a DC Superior Court judge, a three-judge panel of the District's highest court said Congress long ago banned the use of "gambling devices" in the District. The court said that prohibition precluded a referendum on slots that had been sought by entrepreneur Shawn A. Scott.

In May, the DC Board of Elections and Ethics approved the proposed legislation as a legitimate subject of a referendum. Scott had hired workers to canvass the city for signatures in support of a gambling referendum that would have appeared on the ballot this month.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/22/AR2006112201884.html

REGIONAL NEWS

Look Into the Future 

Big tax breaks come with homeownership, and it can be nice to watch an investment in a home increase over the years rather than watch rent payments grow. But that doesn't mean buying is the right choice -- or today is the right time -- for you. Renting can be prudent if you're likely to relocate within a year or two, your employment or income is unstable, or your credit needs work. And if you can't spare the time or cash to handle plumbing emergencies and other expenses, you may want to hold off. Finally, if you are ready to buy, try to envision your needs in five years: A place with extra room or remodeling potential might be a better investment than a home that suits you perfectly today.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/realestate/features/2006/finding-your-way/features/cheat-sheet/gallery.html

 

Home Prices Fell at Record Pace in October
South Had Biggest Drop in Sales Values

By Bill Brubaker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; Page D01

U.S. existing home prices dropped a record 3.5 percent last month, compared with the same month a year earlier, while the total number of residences sold fell 11.5 percent compared with October 2005, according to an industry report released yesterday.

Nationwide, the median price of a single-family home, condominium or cooperative apartment dropped to $221,000 last month from $229,000 in October 2005, according to a report by the National Association of Realtors, a trade group representing U.S. real estate agents. The median is the point at which half the homes sell for more and half for less.

The largest drop in sales prices -- 7 percent, or double the national average -- came in the South, which includes the Washington area.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112800465.html

 

Commercial Boom Softens Housing Bust
Strong Non-Residential Demand Keeps Local Builders Busy

By Nell Henderson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 27, 2006; Page D01

To understand why the housing slump hasn't dragged the economy into a recession, it helps to visit the Smoketown Plaza in Woodbridge, where the thumping of hammers signals the healthy pulse of a building boom that's still going strong.

Just two miles off Interstate 95, hard-hatted construction workers clamber up dusty ladders and scaffolding, hanging wallboard, laying bricks and drilling metal frames in a buzz of activity aimed at completing a new Arby's drive-through restaurant in time to open by mid-December.

Inspecting the progress as she crosses the bare concrete floor, stepping around the pipes and exposed wires and pointing with pleasure to the gleaming metal frame where the menu board will hang, Christy Gilligan envisions how the place will look when hungry commuters rush in after work for a quick bite, entering through a glass foyer with a two-story cathedral ceiling into a dining room seating 84.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/26/AR2006112600608.html

 

Newcomers to Annapolis get oriented

Friday, Dec. 1, 2006

ANNAPOLIS -- Call it the bipartisan calm before the political storm.

The 2007 freshman class -- 34 in the House and 11 in the Senate -- received a crash course in all things Annapolis this week, managing to do something not often seen in the legislative chambers for much of the past four years.

They got along and worked together.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/120106/polia%20s194526_31995.shtml

 

After Pricey Campaign, O'Malley Faces Large Debt
Governor-Elect Will Be Able to Raise $500,000 Easily, Aides and Analysts Say

By John Wagner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; Page B06

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley finished Maryland's most expensive fight for governor in history a half-million dollars in debt, according to a report filed yesterday by his campaign, but aides predicted that the governor-elect would have little trouble raising the money to pay it back.

Aides said O'Malley (D) had turned to former trial lawyer John P. Coale, a prolific Democratic donor, for a loan to keep pace with spending by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) in the final stages of a race in which the candidates together spent more than $30 million, much of it on television ads.

"The campaign made a strategic decision that we needed additional funds to avoid being outspent during the final week of the campaign," said O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese. "The governor-elect borrowed the money from a friend, and it's money that will need to be repaid. It turned out to be the right decision."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112801562.html

 

   

Kaine Starts Fresh Push For Transit Funding

By Amy Gardner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 28, 2006; Page B05

During a daylong tour of Northern Virginia yesterday by bus, rail and SUV, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine pledged to push anew for transportation dollars and growth controls when the General Assembly convenes in January.

Kaine (D) acknowledged, however, that persuading House Republican leaders to raise taxes for roads will be difficult so soon after they refused to do so during a special session in September that was called to resolve transportation issues. The lawmakers are up for reelection next year.

That's why the governor plans to focus on spending the $339 million that even Republicans agree can be found in the state budget without raising taxes. He also said he will again concentrate on giving local governments more authority to reject unwanted development.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/27/AR2006112701406.html

 

Hatrick Asks for 18% Increase, Faces Slowdown in Tax Revenue

By Michael Alison Chandler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; Page B05

The Loudoun County public schools chief last night asked for an 18 percent spending increase for the next school year to help keep pace with rapid growth and rising expenses. But the proposal for a $106 million budget jump faced an immediate obstacle: stagnant property tax revenue.

Even before Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III gave the School Board his proposed budget, the county Board of Supervisors confronted a potential shortfall of at least $61 million in 2007-08 if property taxes are not raised, according to projections announced last week by County Administrator Kirby M. Bowers.

The gap is largely attributable to flattening home assessments. In recent years, assessments and tax revenue rose steadily, helping fund the county government and schools.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112801452.html

 

Afternoon Rush to Get New Ramp, And Relief
Springfield Project Aims to Reduce Wrecks, Congestion

By Eric M. Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; Page B01

A new ramp that is expected to dramatically improve the afternoon commute through the Springfield interchange is scheduled to open one week from today, project officials said yesterday.

The ramp, leading from the outer loop of the Capital Beltway to Interstate 95 south, is not the biggest, longest or most dramatic of the more than 50 ramps that are part of the project. But it is expected to provide an easy merge for the 3,000 vehicles an hour that cram through during the afternoon rush, heading from offices in the Tysons Corner area to houses in Prince William and Stafford counties and points beyond.

The existing ramp forces outer loop drivers to move to the left at the end of the ramp to get onto I-95 at the same spot that drivers coming south on Interstate 395 must move to the right to exit in Springfield.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112801524.html

 

Plaza Ridge I Trades for $59M

HERNDON, VA-Franklin Street Properties Corp., a real estate investment trust in Wakefield, MA, has sold a 158,016-sf office building here to Brandywine Realty Trust. The building sold for $59 million, or $373 per sf.

According to a release by Franklin, the sale resulted in a net gain of approximately $28 million. The company expects to redeploy these assets in the acquisition of replacement properties, several of which it is now reviewing.

The property, located at 2251 Corporate Park Dr. in Woodland Park, is 100% leased to Scitor Corp. and Juniper Networks, according to Cassidy & Pinkard Colliers, which represented Franklin Street Properties. The building is next to the Dulles Toll Road.

http://www.globest.com/news/792_792/washington/151049-1.html

 

$40MCondo Conversion Reversion Closes in Reston

RESTON, VA--Ross Development and Investment, a Bethesda, MD-based firm, has acquired a class B 258-unit garden apartment community in Reston, Va. for $40 million, or $155,039 per unit, from Virginia-based Comstock Home Building Companies Inc. Carter Lake Apartments is located on Becontree Lake Drive off North Shore Drive. The seven building complex also has a pool, clubhouse, fitness center and tennis courts.

Comstock originally acquired the property in early 2005 from RREEF with the intention of converting it into a condo property, Coldwell Banker Commercial Ideal Realty Group team leader Dean Sigmon tells GlobeSt.com. Sigmon says Coldwell approached the company early this fall with the buyer's proposal. Comstock had already started the conversion process, renovating six units. It had collected deposits from some tenants, but hadn't ratified the contracts. When the decision was made to sell the asset to Ross Development, those deposits were returned. The deal concluded within 45 days. Ross's equity partner in the transaction is Rockville Capital, based in New York, Sigmon says.

http://www.globest.com/news/791_791/washington/151007-1.html

 

Neighboring Markets Diverge on Trends

TYSONS CORNER, VA-Traditionally growth and development in the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC markets have moved in tandem. In many ways, of course, this has not changed, especially for Virginia counties nearest the District. Investment sales activity for instance, shows little sign of slowing in either market. That said, it is also clear that with other issues--transportation, for instance, and government real estate investment patterns--the two markets diverge in focus.

Last year, the RealShare Conference Series introduced its first conference tailored to the Northern Virginia market in addition to its traditional DC gathering. "Not only is the Northern Virginia market large enough in its own right to warrant its own conference, but some issues tend to be more important to Northern Virginia investors," Rich Kelley, director of the series, tells GlobeSt.com. Real Estate Media, which publishes GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum magazine, produces the RealShare Conference Series.

http://www.globest.com/news/790_790/washington/150969-1.html

 

Convention Site To Undergo $650M Rehab

WASHINGTON, DC-After some 18 months of deliberations, the District of Columbia Deputy Mayor's Office for Planning and Economic Development has approved a master plan for the $650-million redevelopment of the city's old convention center. Archstone-Smith and Hines are the developers. Foster and Partners, a London-based architectural firm, and the locally based architectural firm Shalom Baranes Associates are leading the design team.

Some 1.4 million sf will be redeveloped into an urban mixed-use community, including 280,000 sf of retail--30% of which is to be devoted to local or boutique retailers. Also included in the plan are 686 residential units, of which 20% will be affordable housing; 415,000 sf of office; and 1,700 or so below-grade parking spaces. The project also includes a re-instatement of I Street and 10th Street through the site and the re-construction of land that is now controlled by the National Park Service, a plot called Reservation 174. The city has reserved the remainder of the land, some 110,000 sf, to be used as a new central library or similar project. The project will be designed based upon future LEED criteria.

http://www.globest.com/news/790_790/washington/150945-1.html

 

Growth Slows, Says NAR Q3 Index

WASHINGTON, DC-Leading commercial real estate indicators show that, while the market is still growing, it is not growing at as fast a pace as it used to. "It's a good news-bad news scenario," National Association of Realtors senior economist Lawrence Yun tells GlobeSt.com.

NAR's commercial version of its Leading Indicator for Brokerage Activity measures forward-looking investment trends. In the third quarter, the index rose 0.4% to 120.1, compared to an index of 119.6 in Q2. That is 2.9% higher than same period last year when it stood at 116.7, the highest level ever, says NAR.

The pace of growth is much weaker, though, Yun notes. For instance, the Ncreif total return indicator dropped to 3.5% this quarter, compared to 4% in the prior quarter, he notes. Other economic indicators NAR looks at include industry production, growth in employment, growth in personal income and wholesale and retail sale growth. These as well continue to show an increase, Yun says, "but less than before."

http://www.globest.com/news/789_789/washington/150928-1.html