St. Matthews 2019 Christmas Tree Giveaway and Holiday Party

St. Matthews Lutheran Church will be having its annual Christmas tree giveaway tomorrow from 10AM - 1pm at 222 M Street in the courtyard.  There will be live Christmas music, gingerbread house-making, and free refreshments from Sacred Grounds Cafe. Trees are still available - to reserve a tree, call 202.800.4600 or 410.375.5053.

SW Community Center Request for Volunteers

The following message is from the SW Community Center:

A new SW Community Center is coming to Waterfront Station! Are you a member of the community who is interested in learning about the new Center? Do you want to become involved? If so, read on! We are seeking two different types of volunteers. 

1. If you have experience as an impartial facilitator or a marketing/communications background, the Community Engagement & Communications Committee (8-10 members) might be just the right place for you! Please click here to provide a short statement of your interest by December 31, 2019.
2. If you want to make sure that you, your organization, or your neighbors have input into what you want to see in the SW Community Center, consider signing up as an ambassador here to help us get the word out about the community engagement plan, once it is finalized. 

Would you like to receive updates on our progress? Stay tuned! Once this first Committee is up and running, we will have a website and email distribution list where we’ll share relevant materials and announcements and will begin hosting meetings, focus groups, surveys, etc., to make sure you are an integral part of the SW Community Center! 

About the SW Community Center: 

ANC 6D negotiated with Brookfield Properties (formerly Forest City) for a new Community Center at Waterfront Station as part of a Community Benefits Agreement. The ANC partnered with SWNA for a meeting earlier this year to hear from the community about its broad vision for the SW Community Center. Since then, a new non-profit organization called The SW Community Center has been formed and recently announced its founding Board of Directors. Joining the Board of Directors are Shannon Vaughn, Will Rich, Gail Fast, Evelyn Lugo, and Ambassador Mattie R. Sharpless. The Board is ready to begin a sustained community engagement process in the first quarter of 2020 in order to help bring the SW Community Center to fruition.

Rendering courtesy of Brookfield Properties

St. Matthew's 2018 Christmas Tree Giveaway

This year's Christmas tree giveaway at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church will be held this Saturday in the courtyard of the new church building, located at 222 M Street at 1pm.  Access to the courtyard is through a wood gate along Delaware Avenue, south of M Street.  If you'd like to reserve a tree, send an email to office@stmatthewsdc.org or call 202.484.3189. Trees are free to those who cannot afford them, but for those who are able, a donation to St. Matthew's to support the soon-to-form Southwest Youth and Children's Choir is appreciated.

During the giveaway, an Open House will be held with refreshments and tours of the new building from 1pm - 3pm.  The dedication ceremony and first service at the new St. Matthew's will be held on January 20, 2019 at 2pm and is open to the public.  Meanwhile, residents started moving into the neighboring Valo apartments last month.

Demolition Begins at 1900 Half

Fencing is up and interior demolition is now underway at 1900 Half Street, an office building that once housed DHS. Once complete in 2020, 1900 Half will be transformed by Douglas Development into a 453-unit rental apartment building with 16,542 SF of ground floor retail. The Anacostia Riverwalk will be extended through the project to the east. This marks the second office-to-residential conversion underway in the burgeoning Buzzard Point neighborhood – River Point began its transformation earlier in the summer. Meanwhile, work continues at Peninsula 88 condos next to Riverpoint. By the end of 2018, construction should be underway at the planned affordable housing project at 1st and Q streets.  

Rendering courtesy of Antunovich Associates

Plan Submitted for Cambria Hotel & Suites

An application has been submitted for the planned Cambria Hotels & Suites at the corner of Half and Q streets in Buzzard Point. Currently, the property contains eight rowhouses and a two-unit building. Cambria is a limited-service, upscale brand and the Buzzard Point property would be the second to open in the District after the one located on 9th and O streets NW in Shaw. The proposed nine-story hotel will have the welcome lobby, meeting space, and a restaurant on the ground floor with outdoor seating; 154 rooms will be located on floors two through eight; and a fitness center, meeting space, and a rooftop terrace will be placed on the top floor. The main entrance to the hotel will be on Q Street. Parking will be limited to eight surface spaces on the northern end of the property, which faces an alley. There will be limited parking due to the narrowness of the site. Loading will also be done on the northern end of the property. 

In a couple of years, the north size of Q Street will look a lot different. The Cambria project is on the same block as the first phase of an affordable housing project – raze permits have been approved for the existing building at the corner of 1st and Q streets. The Washington Business Journal reported last month that Donohoe Cos. Inc. was brought in as a partner with Michigan-based Kouza Cos. on the hotel development. Construction is now expected to begin on the hotel in the second half of 2019, with completion in 2021.

Renderings courtesy of BBGM

Construction to Begin Soon on The Kiley

Financing has been secured for The Kiley, a planned apartment project by UIP behind Capitol Park Tower at 4th and G streets according to Bisnow. The project has been in the planning stages over the past few years and went through several iterations before receiving approval from HPRB in early 2016. HPRB approval was needed since the adjoining Capitol Park Tower was landmarked as historic, as well as the landscaping. Now planned as 315 units, construction on The Kiley will start in about four months, after the existing parking lot behind Capitol Park Tower is demolished. Therefore, delivery of the new apartment building will likely be in late 2020.

Rendering courtesy of WDG

Dentist Practice Opens on South Capitol

Last week, Capitol Dental Associates opened an office on the 1200 block of South Capitol Street, next to Grand China carryout. According to their website, Capitol Dental Associates offers the following services:

• General and cosmetic dentistry 
• Root canal services 
• Pediatric dentistry 
• Crown, Bridge, Denture and Implant services

This is the second dental practice to open or relocate to Southwest in the past year.  Last year, a dental practice moved within Southwest to Waterfront Station.  The fate of South Capitol Smile Center on the 1300 block of South Capitol is in limbo depending on how the planned residential development next to Camden South Capitol moves forward. The townhouse where the dental practice on M Street at Carrollsburg Condominium was for sale earlier this year.

The hours of operation for Capitol Dental Associates are as follows:

• Monday - Thursday from 9am to 7pm 
• Friday - Saturday from 9am - 3pm

Pictures from Audi Field Inaugural Match Day

Yesterday was the inaugural match at Audi Field, the new home of D.C. United located in Buzzard Point. The 20,000-seat stadium was sold out as D.C. United won 3-1 against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Some finishing touches still need to be done - for instance, many signs throughout the stadium have not been put up yet, but Audi Field was ready to host its inaugural match. Below are pictures from yesterday's festivities. 

Fan walk

Fan plaza in front of stadium

Audi parked in Audi Way

Ticket window with sports car above

Main gate

Cycle track on 2nd Street

National Defense University

Team office on T Street

Staff entry on T Street side of stadium

Southern end of Audi Way

Audi Way - black areas will be retail

Cement plant across Half Street

View down S Street toward river

Audi Valet on 2nd Street

Team store entrance 

Eagle Bank Club

Picnic tables set up for fans

Activities available prior to match

Audi Sport tent on Audi Way

Food trucks

Fans waiting to enter

Sign greeting fans upon entry

Waiting for gates to open

White Ford Bronco performed

Ax throwing at Field House DC

Field House DC

Sports car above ticket office

View of pitch at Audi Field pre-game

View of west side of pitch

Screaming Eagles unfurl flag

East side of stadium

20,512 were in attendance 

Sunset at Audi Field

View of the pitch

Concession lines

Factoría Maria Pupusería

Wayne Rooney enters in 58th minute

Rooney on the jumbotron

Smoke bomb after second goal scored

Nighttime view of pitch

Fireworks celebrating 3-1 win

Pitch-level view

Bar w/ new substation in background 

Team store

Team store

View of main entrance and Nats Park

Main gate

One last view of the pitch and stands