Saturday, February 28, 2009
Southwest...The Cherry Blossom Capital of Washington, DC
Friday, February 27, 2009
Lane Closures on I-395
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Engine 13 Presentations Held Tonight






Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Reporters Building to Get Pizzeria

Monday, February 23, 2009
L'Enfant Plaza Expansion Planned

“The goal is to make [L’Enfant Plaza] far more pedestrian-friendly and bridge the up-and-coming vitality of the Southwest waterfront,” Chase says.



Saturday, February 21, 2009
Douglass Bridge to Close
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Updated Waterfront Station Photos
The East Tower, where the new Safeway will be located, is a little behind and has reached only the 7th floor. The projected completion of the east tower is May 2010.
The 4th Street right-of-way is much more defined now with two towers flanking either side of the soon-to-be reopened road, which should happen sometime before the West Tower is completed.
Here is a close-up of where the entrance will be to the new Safeway in the East Tower.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
SW Call Box Update at Next SWNA Meeting

March Issue of The Southwester is Available
Bellevue Small Area Plan Meeting Tonight
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Coming Soon to a Corner Near You...a Parking Lot
Meeting Set for Firehouse Bidders Presentations
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Valentine's Day Community Peace Walk

Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Economic Benefits for Neighborhood Theaters
When Arena Stage noticed its sales slipping, the theater unveiled a new $25 ticket strategy and sold [$20,000] worth of discounted tickets in 24 hours. It will keep some seats at that price permanently this year...Arena Stage’s new $125 million three-theater campus is set to open in 2010. Artistic Director Molly Smith said she does not have concerns about opening a facility in a sluggish economy, partly because the new space does not include more seats to fill. Arena’s former capacity is redistributed over the three new theaters.Below are updated photos of the new Arena Stage under construction taken this past Sunday from 6th Street (left) and Maine Avenue (right). Check out a prior post to see progress photos from October and November.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
National Marathon Route to Change

Update: Lou Holder from the Greater Washington Sports Alliance tells Southwest...TLQTC the following:
Our technical team is currently assessing the 9th St construction project and is devising several alternatives. We don’t anticipate any delays in our permit process as we are working closely with public safety officials to find a solution that works for everyone. Our goal has always been strong jurisdictional support, community engagement, and effective communication to ensure a safe and enjoyable event.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Beware the Ides of March...
What Bloggers Are Saying About Southwest

[DCMud] What can we expect from the Southwest Waterfront? The only other true counterpart it has at present is the Georgetown Waterfront. What will the comparisons be once it’s completed?SO: Well, one thing we learned from Stan [Eckstut] about waterfronts is how important the water actually is. You need to have a plan for the water too, and not just focus on the land side of things.MB: What happens on the water totally influences the rest of the project. I think the general feeling is DC doesn’t have, outside of the Washington Harbor, a place where the city comes right to the water. If you think about [it], most of Georgetown pulls back and places like the Navy Yard never really went right to the water and, for years, were industrial. And, of course, the Anacostia is silted up and never became a great port. If you go back and look at the L’Enfant plan for the city, people were originally going to come by water and then travel by canals, so it was going to be a waterfront city. It never really happened that way and the idea is to finally bring the city to the water with people living there, working there, hotels, retail, restaurants and all different kinds of activity.[DCMud] How do you go about integrating those original L’Enfant designs into your plans for a modern development?MB: We base all of our work on what works in other places, so we spend a lot of time looking at precedents. We feel very strongly that great places are made by looking at other places, taking those ideas and using them as a basis for new ideas. I don’t think necessarily we’re trying to reinvent; rather, we’re taking the best of what you have at other waterfronts across the world and trying to make something that’s unique for DC. The L’Enfant plan is one aspect of that, but there are other ideas and other places as well. There’s an idea to connect to the Mall along [10]th Street, there’s an idea to make Maine Avenue a vibrant place with active waterfront uses that ties in the existing fish market in a creative way.
“Most real estate development companies are facing difficulties in this economic climate,” said Steve Earle, president of PN Hoffman Inc., Southwest’s lead developer. “[Struever Brothers is] a viable partner and we’re working with them.”

- Washington City Paper: The Housing Complex Blog did a post on the current state of the Southwest Waterfront and the new restaurant that will soon open at the former H2O site. Here's the intro to the post:
In the coming years, the Southwest waterfront will transform into a glittering $1.5 billion development with three new hotels, condos, and a bustling promenade overlooking Hains Point. But until then, locals can take in the old scenery: the garish Maine Avenue Fish Market, boring anchor sculptures, empty wooden benches, and a strip of boxy seafood restaurants and clubs, including the now-closed D.C. hotspot and drama magnet, H20.
Noell plans to call her addition to the waterfront Hogate’s after the seafood restaurant that operated in Southwest [at the H2O site] for three decades and was a pillar of the neighborhood..."There will be things that will be reminiscent of the old restaurant-they [had] the rum buns that everyone still loves,” she says about the old place’s famous sticky buns. “We’ll also have our own rum buns, but there will be a twist.”
Fire Trucks Kept Busy This Weekend
The early Sunday morning fire is believed to be accidental, but an investigation is underway. I walked right by that apartment building yesterday afternoon and noticed some broken glass on the sidewalk and a window screen dangling from the fence, but I didn't realize the debris was due to a fire. Then, last evening, I noticed quite a few fire trucks on the 200 block of G Street. However, I didn't investigate to see which building might have been on fire, since I was running late for dinner. Does anyone know if there was a fire last evening around the 200 block of G Street?A 66-year-old man was taken to the hospital in critical condition after being rescued from a fire that broke out in his apartment. The man was brought down a ladder from his fifth floor unit 1200 Delaware Avenue SW around 4:00 Sunday morning. He suffered from severe smoke inhalation.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Next ANC 6D Meeting & 7-Eleven Closing?

Update #2: Ruben Companies still owns 1101 South Capitol. However, the ANC tabled discussion about Ruben Companies' requested variance and exception at Monday's meeting since they are still in negotiations with the developer regarding community benefits.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Obamas Make the Rounds in Southwest
Monday, February 2, 2009
Forensics Lab Update


Lane Closures on I-395 This Week
The District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) is scheduled to demolish a 1000-foot section of the 9th Street, SW Bridge this week. That work will require temporary lane closures on Interstate 395 beginning this evening. DDOT is in the process of completely rehabilitating both the 9th and 10th Street, SW Bridges. It is a year long project that began last November. The demolition work will require closing 2 lanes on southbound I-395 each night this week. The left and center lanes under the 9th Street Bridge will be closed from 8 pm to midnight. In addition, on Thursday, February 5 and Friday February 6, there will be single lane closures on northbound I-395 under the 9th Street Bridge. The far left lane will be closed from 10 am to 3 pm on both days. Variable message signs will be in place to alert motorists and direct them around the lane closures.