New Silver Spring Library Moving Forward: Construction Meeting Today

Work on the Silver Spring Library could begin within the next few months, according to sources at Montgomery County. "We’re moving forward on a very tight schedule, and this is a real priority project for the county."  That’s Ernest Lunsford, division chief for Montgomery County’s Department of General Services, speaking about plans for the forthcoming Silver Spring library. The project—a roughly 63,000 square foot structure designed by the Lukmire Partnership to sit at the corner of Fenton Street and Wayne Avenue - has been inching along since 1999, when the county approved funding for it.

No longer. Design plans finally made it through a long community approval process, construction drawings have been created, and the site has been largely prepared for work to begin. On August 28, the county put the project up for bidding, and today, officials will be holding a “pre-bid” meeting for the eight contractors that have already completed a pre-qualification process.

The contractors are Clark Construction, Coakley & Williams Construction, Costello Construction, Donohoe Construction Company, Dustin Construction, Grunley Construction, Hess Construction, and Morgan-Keller Construction.

The bid opening date is scheduled for October 2, but Lunsford says there’s a chance that date will be pushed back by a week or so if substantial new information arises as a result of today’s meeting. Lunsford and his colleague, Susanne Churchill, the senior architect project manager, swear they will award a contract soon after that. They’ll choose the lowest bidder and issue a “notice to proceed,” allowing work to begin around November.

It’s a bit of a tricky project, explains Churchill, which could cause obstacles. Being a county endeavor, the development includes a prevailing wage clause as well as a “minority, female, and disabled person” subcontracting requirement. It’s complicated structurally, too: the Purple Line train will eventually run through a portion of the building, and an atrium includes special smoke exhaust requirements.

Design plans haven’t changed much in the past few months. A five-story building clad in cast stone that includes a glass curtain wall cantilevering over the Purple Line’s path, this new library will be almost four times bigger than the current one, which is the oldest library in Montgomery County’s system. Pyramid Atlantic art center will operate out of the first two floors, and the library—with expanded meeting spaces, a computer lab, and a larger children’s section—will take up the rest. 

The project should be completed by fall of 2014.

Silver Spring, Maryland, real estate development news 

Morning Real Estate Fix

"Sand states" slowly coming back in housing market (HousingWire) The southwestern states, which led the nation into the housing crisis, are slowly starting to come out of it, as evidenced now by improved housing starts.

Portals III refinanced for $243m (Commercial Property Executive)  Republic Properties' building refinanced for $243m by a group of 5 banks.

Mortgage rates hovering near all-time lows again (Mortgage News Daily) Following the Fed's action, mortgage rates moved near 3.5% for 30-year fixed mortgages.

Cobbling Together Georgetown's Streets

Some of the oldest streets in DC have finally gotten a facelift and officials this week celebrate the big reveal.  The streets are home to streetcar tracks dating back to 1903 that have become recognizable symbols of historic Georgetown.

Work on P Street NW in Georgetown. Photo courtesy DDOT

A ribbon cutting Tuesday will mark completion of the $11.8 million 'rehabilitation' of O and P Streets, largely federally-funded through the Federal Highway Administration.   The ribbon cutting will be held at 10:30 on Tuesday.

Over the years, the section of O and P Streets in between Wisconsin Avenue and 37th Street got bumps and wrinkles.  Cobblestones around the old streetcar tracks sunk creating ridges of four inches in some places. Safety concerns emerged, as did questions about whether the city should keep the tracks and cobblestones or improve safety.

Old streetcar lines on O and P Streets NW got a face lift

The city has managed to do both, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2E member Ed Solomon told DCMud.  "Everyone is happy that both goals have been met."  "Some have even commented they couldn't believe how smooth the street could be with cobblestones." The project has been on the city's to-do list for 20 years, seriously for the last nine.

Image courtesy DDOT

The project included the restoration of O and P, the repaving of 33rd, 34th, 36th, and 37th Streets between O and P Streets, the restoration of curbs, gutters and sidewalks, and the evening out of street surfaces. The city has placed an emphasis on reusing materials when possible.  "The whole project was partly a preservation as well as a streetscape project," said Dara Ward, DDOT's spokesperson for the project. "As much of the original materials as possible were refurbished and re-installed."  The city even employed an archeologist in the beginning phases of the project who made some interesting finds, as reported by Georgetown Dish.

The city also conducted streetlight and drainage improvements, installed crosswalks, curb ramps, tree boxes and tree rails, reinsalled police call and fire alarm boxes, and planted trees, and restored underground parts of the streetcar tracks on O and P Streets.  The city refurbished underground, 250-pound cast-iron yokes that support the tracks at five-foot intervals, as well as track manholes and junction boxes.

Rehabilitated Streetcar track elements.  Photo courtesy DDOT

Any improvements to Georgetown's streetcar lines are purely aesthetic.  DDOT permanently removed tracks on P Street between 35th and 36th Streets and on 36th Street between O and P.  Even as the city is working to get the H Street Benning Road streetcar route online and servicing passengers by summer 2013, Georgetown is still just one more part of town with streetcar tracks and no streetcars to use them.

Restored streetcar track. Photo courtesy DDOT

Today in Pictures - Canal Park

Work on southeast DC's Canal Park is nearing the final stage, District of Columbia residents will soon be enjoying a new park near the Anacostia waterfront.  The project got underway in February of 2011, shepherded by the Canal Park Development Association. 

The 3 acres of landscaping take up 3 city blocks just north of the ballpark, and will offer "a stunning urban park on the site of the historic Washington Canal" with a large pavilion/restaurant (LEED certified) designed by Studios Architecture and two smaller pavilions, 2 large fountains, wintertime ice skating rink, rain garden, multiple lawn spaces, an electric car charging station, and bicycle racks.  Philadelphia-based OLIN is the landscape architect.

The federal government owns the land in arrangement that gives control to the District, which in turn has a 20-year agreement with the Canal Park Development Association to develop and manage the land.

Morning Real Estate Fix

What to consider when deciding whether to rent or buy (Atlantic Cities) First, consider that in every one of America's 100 largest metropolitan areas, its cheaper to buy than rent.  Then consider that it might still be better to rent.

Radiating death - how Walmart kills nearby businesses (Atlantic Cities) A new study shows a strong correlation between the opening of a Walmart and the closing of smaller shops nearby.  And the closer the business, the more likely it is to close.

Rockville planners consider loosening development limits (Gazette) Tight development limits designed not to overtax public facilities are being reconsidered by Rockville officials.

NoMa to get $490,000 for parks (Washington Post)  The District plans to give the neighborhood money to develop a series of small parks.

The rise of MRP Realty (Washington Post)  The trio of developers is making a big mark on the DC area with a quick succession of development projects.

Arlington Approves Tallest Crystal City Office Building

The Arlington County Board voted yesterday to approve 1900 Crystal Drive, Vornado's enormous office building that will be the tallest in Crystal City.  The county's approval allows the developer to demolish the super-block sized building now on the site and replace it with an even larger, more contemporary building.

The building, designed by New Haven-based Pickard Chilton, will feature a number of impressive vitals, including 720,000 s.f. of office space in 24 stories (297 feet), a 5-story underground parking garage, an expected LEED Gold rating, a raised interim park (until replaced by another building), 32 bicycle parking spaces on the street and in the park.  Pickard Chilton is noted for a number of large office building designs, including a senior role on Malaysia's Petronas Towers.  Cooper Carry is the architect of record. The design employs a "ski jump architectural treatment" as part of its glass facade, and will be a major contributor to the upgrading of Crystal City's outdated architecture and infrastructure.

The plan for the block is to eventually demolish another of the office buildings on the block to create a large "Center Park" - a centerpiece of the Crystal City Sector Plan developed in 2010 - to replace the mid-block, concrete-heavy park that now connects the 3 existing office building.  While the project will have a more appealing street view, especially on Crystal Drive where 11,000 s.f. of retail will face the street, the building will still make large concessions to the automobile along 18th and 20th Streets with wide curb cuts for garage access.

The County approval was expected, especially with Vornado's $3m contribution to the county's affordable housing program and $7m of promised community benefits that that county negotiated for a host of improvements to causes like parking meter improvements, utility improvements, and public art.

Arlington VA real estate development news

Your Next Place

 This fantastic Colonial is the sort of house you see in a family sitcom that makes everyone say, "come on, no family actually lives in a house like that!"  By which I mean you should buy this house, live in your car in the driveway, and rent it out to Hollywood producers as a set on which to film their family sitcoms.  Cha-ching!  I feel like that tip is worth at least a fifteen percent commission.

TThis house has it all; huge, open floor plan, hardwood floors burnished to a high shine, marble fireplace, recessed lighting.  The dining room is one of the most striking I've ever seen, with a duo of huge rectangular skylights and an entire long wall of windows.  There's a general feeling of openness and space, which is important for families, since you need room to grow, and also because you hate each other.  I grew up in a huge rambling Victorian house and one floor per family member was barely enough space; I routinely urinated off the roof rather than go downstairs and risk an encounter with my dad as he trimmed his handlebar mustache to "Steve Miller's Greatest Hits" or my mom as she did step aerobics while watching "Martin" starring Martin Lawrence.  (She still sprinkles his catchphrases into everyday conversation: "Hey mom, can you give me a ride to the airport tomorrow morning?  My flight leaves at 7AM."  "DAMN GINAAAAAAA!!!")  No worries about that in this place; with five bedrooms and 5.5 baths, you could conceivably never see the people you lived with, which is just how it should be.

The bedrooms are large and beautifully finished, with fine shutters and accent walls.  Out back is a stone patio and a sizeable yard, nicely fenced off from prying eyes.  It's big enough and secure enough that you could totally put your dog or your children back here anytime you needed some "grownup time" to yourself, in the bathroom, "rocking back and forth" with a "bottle of vodka" repeating "oh my god I've wasted my youth, is there still time to change my life?!"  (No.)  There's also a full garage, for the aftermath of the aforementioned "grownup time" crisis when you buy a convertible and/or motorcycle.

2707 34th Place NW
5 Bedrooms, 5.5 Baths
$2,345,000

Washington D.C. real estate news