Spending
Cap May Block Beauty
By
David Nakamura
It sounded like a
nice idea: Use the District's new baseball
stadium to showcase art, livening up the place
with bronze statues, ornate entrance gates, even
brightly colored tile mosaic staircases.
The DC Commission
on the Arts and Humanities yesterday gave city
officials a preview of its plans to beautify the
future ballpark, until now a cold slab of
concrete and glass being built in a former
industrial area near the Anacostia River in
Southeast. But like virtually everything related
to the stadium project, the arts commission's
creative license was shot down by a familiar
refrain: There isn't enough money.
In this case,
though, the arts commission wasn't even
appealing for funds. Director Tony Gittens told
the Sports and Entertainment Commission that he
set aside $2 million for the project from the
arts commission's budget.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120602105.html
By
David Nakamura And Elissa Silverman
Mayor-elect
Adrian M. Fenty
is racking up frequent-flier miles as he prepares to
take office, jetting off to New York, Miami, Chicago,
Los Angeles and San Francisco to meet with mayors and
other big city officials.
But when it comes to
naming his top-level deputies, Fenty continues to go for
home-grown products.
His latest appointments --
Stephanie Scott
for secretary of the District and
JoAnne Ginsberg
for director of policy and legislative affairs -- have
long been active in DC affairs and worked closely with
Fenty for years.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120600783.html
Pay Raise Measure Advances
By
Nikita Stewart
The DC Council gave
preliminary approval yesterday to salary increases of
$48,000 a year for the District mayor and council
chairman and $22,470 increases for council members
starting next year.
In an 8 to 3 vote, the
council agreed to a $200,000 salary for incoming mayor
Adrian M. Fenty (D); $190,000 for the chairman-elect,
Vincent C. Gray (D); and $115,000 for council members.
Under city law, the bill must pass a final reading,
scheduled at a Dec. 19 council session, before it
becomes law.
Mayor Anthony A. Williams
(D) had asked the council to raise his successor's
salary to be competitive with those of other mayors
across the country and the city's administrative staff.
At a public hearing in October, Williams said at least
five city employees received more than he does. Under
the city charter, the council chairman's salary is
always $10,000 less than the mayor's.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR2006120501394.html
City Is Close to Mandating
That Some New Buildings Go 'Green'
By
Nikita Stewart
Airtight windows,
energy-efficient appliances and low-flush toilets would
all be mandatory in certain new private developments in
the District under a bill that the DC Council is
expected to pass Tuesday.
The anticipated vote would
make the District the first major city in the United
States to require private developers to make some new
buildings efficient users of energy and friendly to the
environment. A similar law was passed last week by the
Montgomery County Council.
Features designed to save
energy and protect the environment, such as the
water-conserving toilets, can add 2 to 4 percent to the
cost of construction, according to Natwar M. Gandhi,
chief financial officer for the District, but other
estimates reach 11 percent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/02/AR2006120201083.html
GOP House Leaders Choose
to Let Bill Die
By
Mary Beth Sheridan and Yolanda Woodlee
Republican congressional
leaders decided yesterday not to bring to the floor a
bill giving the District a full voting member of the
House, dooming the measure's chances in this legislative
session.
Rep. Thomas M. Davis III
(R-Va.), the bill's author, had appealed to his party's
leadership to cram in a vote during Congress's lame-duck
session, which could end as soon as Thursday. But in a
closed-door meeting, House leaders rejected the request.
"There was a certain level
of resistance because there were a number of
constitutional concerns from members," said Kevin
Madden, a spokesman for Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio),
the House majority leader. He did not elaborate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR2006120501278.html [
Back to Top ]
Condo Developers
Sweeten The Bait
By
Dina ElBoghdady
Soon after Bryan O'Keefe
popped the big question to his girlfriend, Kimberly
Hall, the newly engaged couple began looking for a home
to call their own.
They quickly spotted a
two-bedroom condominium they liked at the Four Winds at
Oakton for $345,000, about $30,000 less than the
original asking price. The deal got even sweeter when
the developer offered to give back 6 percent of the
sales price, or about $20,700, which the couple used to
pay closing costs and other fees. And
the concessions kept coming -- even after they signed a
contract in October.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/01/AR2006120100017.html
Sexy! Fetching!!
Fabulous!!!
By Elizabeth Festa
Maybe all you're looking
for in a house is four bedrooms and a garage, with a
sound roof at the right price. Plenty of people would
like to sell you one.
But perhaps you need a
little more glamour in that open-house listing to get
you motivated. Why not go see the house with the turret
retreat, where you can write "the Great American Novel .
. . or smoke the forbidden stogie," as one real estate
broker recently described an attic?
If you're feeling
literary, but not on so grand a scale, take the
opportunity to seek out "simple living a la Henry
Thoreau" -- in a Washington condo.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/01/AR2006120100016.html
The Median Is the Message
By
Kenneth R. Harney
You might have seen the
scary news reports just before Thanksgiving: Housing
prices fell nationwide last quarter, the first such
decline since 1993. Even grimmer, total sales of houses
and condominiums across the country plunged by 12.7
percent, compared with the third quarter of 2005.
Omigod, you might have
wondered, is this the long-predicted popping of the
housing-boom bubble or the beginning of an extended
period of eroding values in American home real estate?
How bad could it get in the months ahead? And what might
that mean for the equity I've got in the home I own?
Before considering those
questions, it's important to focus precisely on the
statistical data that drew all the sobering news
coverage. The third-quarter median prices and sales
numbers were generated from local, state and regional
data collected by the National Association of Realtors.
The association has been compiling these statistics
since 1981 in the case of housing sales and since 1982
for prices.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/01/AR2006120100018.html
3 Counties Attempt to Put
Brakes On Growth
By
Alec MacGillis
The map of land available
for new homes in the Washington area shrank yesterday as
officials in three suburban counties took major steps
toward restricting development in the strongest
statement yet of the anti-growth sentiment that has
seized the region.
In Virginia, the Prince
William Board of County Supervisors voted for a one-year
freeze on most subdivisions to protest the lack of
transportation funding from the General Assembly. And in
Loudoun County, the Board of Supervisors approved a
long-debated move to restrict new housing in the rural
western section.
In Maryland, Montgomery
County's new council president introduced legislation to
impose a temporary moratorium on most large developments
to allow for an assessment of land-use policies that
some say have become too pro-business.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR2006120501533.html
Transition becomes City Hall-State House axis
ANNAPOLIS - The ties that connect Gov.-elect Martin
O'Malley and several of his first appointments pass
through Baltimore City Hall. The
city's two deputy mayors - Michael R. Enright and Jeanne
D. Hitchcock - have been appointed to powerful positions
where they will promote the governor-elect's agenda.
City Solicitor Ralph Tyler is executive director of the
transition team and a sure bet to find a permanent
position after the inauguration. And
in Enright's case, his ties to O'Malley predate his
arrival in Baltimore politics; they begin in the men's
freshman year in high school. Enright was O'Malley's
best man 16 years ago when the mayor married Catherine
Curran, daughter of Attorney General J. Joseph Curran
Jr. (D) and now a Baltimore District Court judge.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/120806/polia%20s201348_31981.shtml
GOP senators no closer to picking leader
ANNAPOLIS - Forget losing the governorship.
Republican lawmakers are having a hard time agreeing on
who should be the party's flagbearer in the legislature.
And the issue comes down to leadership styles.
After spending nine hours in their fourth-floor caucus
room on Tuesday, GOP senators emerged no closer to
electing a leader than they were when they walked in.
They won't vote again until next week or later.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/120806/polia%20s201415_31983.shtml
From Pioneer Lawmaker to
Granny
By
Ovetta Wiggins
Sen. Gloria G. Lawlah has
been thinking a lot about the well-known Bible verse
about the various stages of life:
"To every thing there
is a season, and a time to every purpose under the
heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die . . . . A
time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and
a time to dance."
Now, Lawlah says, "It's
the season to be Granny."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120601093.html
Leaders Promise to Get
Along
By
Rosalind S. Helderman
It has been a week of
transition for county government, as a few newcomers
took office, and many more incumbents patted themselves
on the back for getting reelected.
On Monday morning, County
Executive Jack B.
Johnson (D) and the nine members of the
County Council took the oath of office before an
audience of several hundred at Upper Marlboro's Show
Place Arena. Johnson, the county's sixth executive, and
seven of nine council members were incumbents taking the
oath for the second time.
Newcomers
Ingrid M. Turner
(D-Bowie), a former Navy judge advocate general, and
Sierra Club official
Eric C. Olson
(D-College Park) were sworn in for their first terms.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120601083.html
Supervisors Freeze Home
Construction
By
Timothy Dwyer
Prince William County
supervisors, in an effort to spur Gov. Timothy M. Kaine
(D) and the General Assembly to take action to ease
gridlock, unanimously approved a radical plan yesterday
that halts construction of residential development for a
year in the state's second-largest county.
The board, made up of five
Republicans and two Democrats, voted for the proposal
from Supervisor W. S. Covington III (R-Brentsville) to
freeze any approval of rezoning requests for new houses
in the coming year. More than 15 people spoke against
the proposal, and one person spoke in favor of it.
"This vote signifies that
Prince William County, to the maximum extent possible
under Virginia law, will manage the pace of growth in
order to ensure that the demands of growth do not
outpace the capacity to provide the necessary services
and infrastructure," Covington said. All board members
will be up for reelection next year.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR2006120501343.html
Kaine Takes GOP to Task
For Blocking Tax Increase
By
Michael D. Shear
RICHMOND, Nov. 5 --
Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine used a speech to a major
business group Tuesday to excoriate senior Republicans
in the House of Delegates for blocking tax increases for
road and rail construction.
In the speech, Kaine (D)
hinted that he has not given up on his proposal for a $1
billion a year increase in taxes and fees to support
transportation and might reintroduce the plan during the
legislative session that begins Jan. 10. He also made it
clear that he will work during next year's election to
defeat lawmakers who oppose it.
"If we are going to make
progress on transportation, I have got to have partners
in the General Assembly who will commit to finding
long-term, sustainable revenue," Kaine told members of
the Virginia Foundation for Research and Economic
Education, a bipartisan group of business leaders from
across the state that supports higher taxes for roads.
"I have to."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR2006120501070.html
Normandy Acquires $157M Portfolio
NORTHERN VIRGINIA-Normandy Real Estate Partners was the
winning bidder of the US Army/Air Force Mutual Aid
Association's real estate portfolio here, called Starco
Properties. The Morristown, NJ-based firm paid $157
million for the 10-asset portfolio, which totals 786,632
sf. It made the acquisition on behalf of its private
equity fund, Normandy Real Estate Fund, LP, which is
co-sponsored by an affiliated partnership, Normandy
Northeast Office Venture Partners, LP.
The
properties are located in Northern Virginia submarkets
of Westfields, Reston, Fairfax, and Alexandria. There is
also one asset located in Columbia, MD.
Cassidy
& Pinkard represented the association, which provides
life insurance to the military. Holland & Knight was
tapped to serve as legal counsel to Normandy. Morgan
Stanley provided the mortgage financing.
http://www.globest.com/news/797_797/washington/151239-1.html
Space Demands May Turn on Election Results
MCLEAN,
VA-There are several changes underfoot in the Northern
Virginia real estate markets that are affecting demand
for space in office and industrial properties. Trends in
the area's infrastructure, land prices and even politics
were discussed during yesterday's Northern Virginia
RealShare Conference held here in the McLean Hilton.
It all
comes back to one thing: the market fundamentals.
Panelists considered the fundamentals here rock solid as
especially illustrated by both tenant and investor
demand that continues to remain strong. "This is one of
the strongest and longest real estate cycles I can ever
remember," said Jim Lee, COO and president of OPUS East.
Even asset classes marginalized, like condo sales, are
expected to come back once the bottom has been hit.
Last
month's national election is having an impact on space
demands among some tenants, according to Spencer
Stouffer, principal with Trammell Crow Co. "It is
fueling caution among some firms as the administration
exchanges hands," he says. "There is a sense of inertia
among some of these firms and they are not signing up
for additional space."
http://www.globest.com/news/795_795/washington/151194-1.html
Rolls-Royce Scouts Eight States for New Site
CHANTILLY, VA-Eight states have been invited to bid for
new investment from Rolls-Royce. The British
manufacturer, most famous for its luxury cars, is
expanding its aerospace manufacturing operations and is
looking at several possible sites in the US as well as
globally. Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina,
Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia are in the
running.
This "RFQ
is part of an ongoing evaluation process, which is
intended to provide the company with options as it
positions itself for the future," says James Guyette,
president and CEO of Rolls-Royce North America, in a
statement. The eight identified states have 60 days to
submit a bid to Rolls-Royce.
The
company provided little additional detail as to why
these eight states were invited to submit a bid, the
size of the investment or even the specific nature of
the manufacturing activity. Also, it is unclear whether
it is seeking to build one or more factories. The
company did not return calls.
http://www.globest.com/news/794_794/washington/151123-1.html
Development Exec Takes
Trade Group's Top Spot
By
Michael S. Rosenwald
John Clarke, a senior
executive with Elm Street Development, has been
elected president of the Maryland-National Capital
Building Industry Association.
The organization
lobbies on behalf of developers, who, in Montgomery
County, are facing the possibility of slower
development. The County Council is considering a
bill to impose a temporary moratorium on building in
order to slow growth.
Clarke is regional
partner for Elm Street Development, a McLean company
that has been operating in the Washington region for
nearly 30 years. Clarke is responsible for
developing new communities in Montgomery County,
among others.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120601003.html
School Board Narrows
the Field to Five Finalists for Vacant Seat
By
Daniel de Vise
Montgomery County
school board members have selected five finalists
for the vacant board seat representing the Silver
Spring area, picking their choices from a group of
20 candidates.
The Board of Education
will interview the candidates Saturday and vote on
the appointment at a public meeting. The new board
member will complete the last two years of Valerie
Ervin's term. Ervin was elected last month to the
County Council.
Applicants for the
District 4 seat, which encompasses Takoma Park and
parts of Silver Spring and Wheaton, have stressed
the major issues of their community: closing the
achievement gap that separates students of different
races and socioeconomic levels; raising grade-point
averages, advanced coursework participation and
graduation rates at the high school level; and
challenging the school system to provide equal
services to all students and schools.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120601095.html
New Council President
Seeks Freeze on Projects
By
Ann E. Marimow and Miranda S. Spivack
The new president of
the Montgomery County Council signaled her intention
yesterday to quickly move in a different direction,
calling for a freeze on dozens of large residential
and commercial projects for the next seven months.
Moments after being
selected as the council's leader, Marilyn Praisner
(D-Eastern County) introduced a temporary moratorium
to give the council time to revamp the county's
approach to managing growth.
Developments already
approved by the Department of Park and Planning, and
those near Metro stations, could be built even if
the measure is approved when it comes to a vote next
month.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR2006120501386.html
Oaths Resound Across
The State
By
Ann E. Marimow
Isiah "Ike" Leggett
was
sworn in yesterday as Montgomery County's first
new chief executive in 12 years, promising to be a
bridge to the region's leaders, to end "gotcha
politics" and to balance voters' desire to slow the
pace of development with the need to keep the
economy humming in Maryland's largest jurisdiction.
"I want to assure you
that we have no intention of stopping progress.
Properly planned growth is essential for our
future," Leggett (D) said in a 25-minute address
delivered before nearly 1,400 people at the
Strathmore Music Center in Rockville.
It was inauguration
day throughout the state as Prince George's County
Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) was
sworn in to a second term. New county executives
took office in Howard, which welcomed the youngest
county leader in Maryland in recent memory, and in
Anne Arundel County, which elected a Republican
maverick. New council members and commissioners were
sworn in during ceremonies in St. Mary's as well.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/04/AR2006120401361.html
Scenes of a Political
Sea Change
By
Miranda S. Spivack and Ann E. Marimow
Montgomery County this
week marked the change in its top political
leadership for the first time in 12 years with an
air of celebration, a huge inaugural ceremony and of
course, parties.
The inauguration of
Montgomery County Executive
Isiah "Ike" Leggett
(D) and the swearing-in of the new County Council
midday Monday was notable for many reasons -- among
them several firsts. Leggett is the county's first
African American county executive, and
Valerie Ervin
(D-Silver Spring) is the first African American
woman on the County Council.
It was the first
county inaugural ceremony in the Strathmore Music
Center in North Bethesda. Previous inaugurals had
been in the auditorium of Richard Montgomery High
School in Rockville.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120600899.html
Residents Step Closer
To Saving Community
By
Jennifer Lenhart
Rockville officials
are taking steps that could lead to adopting a plan
to preserve the unique character of Lincoln Park, a
historically African American community established
in the 19th century.
The Lincoln Park
neighborhood plan, and a companion conservation
plan, would preserve the streetscapes, the canopy of
old trees and other unique characteristics of the
82-acre neighborhood. The proposal includes a
special zoning tool that would limit the height and
overall size of new houses.
Mayor Larry Giammo and
the City Council are scheduled to take the first of
several votes required to adopt the plan during the
Dec. 18 council meeting.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120600989.html
[ Back to Top ]
Improving City's Blank Canvas Could
Require Art of Politics
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 7, 2006; Page B04
Fenty Stays Close to Home for Top Aides
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, December 7, 2006; Page DZ02
Brown Questions
End-of-Session Timing, Scant Public Input
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 6, 2006; Page B04
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 3, 2006; Page C05
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, December 6, 2006; Page B10
After Trying
Incentives, Many Take the Plunge And Lower Prices
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 2, 2006; Page F01
Real Estate
Blurbspeak May Change With the Market
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, December 2, 2006; Page F01
Saturday, December 2, 2006; Page F01
Va., Md. Acts Aimed
At Land-Use Limits
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 6, 2006; Page A01
O'Malley
surrounds himself with people he can trust to tell him
the truth
Friday, Dec. 8, 2006
Harris and
Brinkley offer different styles for shaping the
opposition the next four years
Friday, Dec. 8, 2006
Sen. Gloria Lawlah
Retiring After 20 Years of Service in the General
Assembly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 7, 2006; Page T01
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 7, 2006; Page T02
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 6, 2006; Page B06
Governor Hints He May
Submit His Plan Again
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 6, 2006; Page B06
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 7, 2006; Page GZ04
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 7, 2006; Page GZ10
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, December 6, 2006; Page B02
Leggett Pledges
Balanced Growth
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 5, 2006; Page B01
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, December 7, 2006; Page GZ01
Council to Cast
1st Vote On Lincoln Park Plan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 7, 2006; Page GZ03
