Arena Grand Opening

Ward 6 Town Hall: Vincent Grey's "One City" tour hits Ward 6 on October 27th.  Town Halls in other wards have been well-received.  This is our opportunity to put Southwest on the presumtive mayor's agenda.  Notably though, this continues a disturbing pattern of Ward 6 meetings located north of Southwest and Capital Riverfront.

WaPo on the Waterfront:  Washington Post development writer Derek Kravitz just released his detailed account of the Southwest Waterfront proposal unveiling last week at Arena Stage.  

M Street Bike Lanes: Some may recall the recent effort by Councilmember Tommy Wells to put bike lanes on existing M Street SE and SW automobile lanes.  After outcry from Southwesters and business leaders in Southeast, the proposal was withdrawn, but the idea is still hovering.  Greater Greater Washington wonders if floating bike lanes would be a better solution.  Inspired by a plan in Kentucky, bike lanes might shift between the parking lane and the center traffic lane of M Street depending on the time of day.  More bike lanes would be a nice amenity.  Given the limited width of our streets and dramatic increases in development, a multi-modal transportation study would be a great first step.

Arena Stage Homecoming Grand Opening: Southwesters are looking forward to Arena's opening celebration, a "full day of free events, including performances by Broadway and Tony Award-winning stars, conversations with prominent Arena Stage artists, presentations by local arts groups and more."  Due to limited availability, events in the theater spaces require tickets.  Tickets become available tomorrow (Friday); Arena expects the tickets to sell out soon; don't wait to get yours.

Hirshorn Explosion:  The Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has an exciting new director and vision.  This week the Museum announced plans to dramatically rethink and expand the sculpure garden.  This is on top of a plans to convert the courtyard into a seasonal international exhibition hall.  Perhaps the National Mall will once again become a sort of backyard recreation and amusement space for Southwesters that it was before the 1910 McMillan plan turned the Mall into a monumental front lawn for the nation.  A future Built Southwest DC post will expound on this turn of events.

Speaking of Culture...:  A three-week outdoor cultural festival begins tomorrow in the NoMa neighborhood.  Given Southwest's cultural institutions - Arena Stage, the art gallery planned for Randall School, the Smithsonian Museums - and other notable public spaces, this might be a great model for a future Southwest culture festival.  Zestfest, as it is being called "will bring the NoMa neighborhood to life, celebrating the beautiful outdoors in DC’s autumn season – and focus on enlivening public spaces for use by residents and employees. Join us for Zestfest, a three-week party on the streets of NoMa! Fun unleashed for 3 weeks October 7-23, 2010."

Is Southwest DC's Dumping Ground?

I remember the days not too long ago when it was not uncommon to get the question "Where's Southwest?" whenever I met people from other parts of the city and told them where I live.  When I mentioned the Fish Market as an alternative identifier, a remarkable number would respond, "I didn't know DC had a fish market!"  Perspectives have changed.
 

Downtown DC

Capped by the monumental redevelopment vision for Southwest's Waterfront, planners are increasingly eying Southwest as an extension of downtown DC.
 
This past weekend, a contributor to Greater Greater Washington, a blog run by a group of smart-growth and alternative-transportation activists, argued that "the alternatives of either pushing growth to the suburbs or tearing down even more historic and well-loved neighborhoods [than Southwest] are not acceptable.  No where else in the region can we achieve so very much with such relatively little sacrifice."  As if to assuage concerns, the post notes that "this doesn't mean that existing apartments will be bulldozed wholesale"..."the more historic blocks can be preserved, but only a minority of buildings in Southwest and near Southeast are historic." 
 

Existing Southwest Waterfront

I'm not aware of anyone who has doubted the merits of redeveloping our waterfront.  It was one portion of Southwest that was never fully or successfully built-out as planned.  But the suggestion to redevelop Southwest into a "downtown" creates numerous economic, infrastructure, socio-historical, and racial concerns.  Some efforts like the District's 2008 Center City Agenda may be a framework to delicately navigate these challenges.  We'll explore such initiatives in future post(s).
 

But perhaps what's more remarkable about the Greater Greater Washington post are the generalizations and assumptions it exhibits about Southwest.  Much of Southwest consists of subsidized housing; how that could be redeveloped and converted into high-density developments is unclear at best.  The suggestion that Southwest’s built environment doesn’t have any notable level of historic or aesthetic significance is incorrect.  While much of Southwest is not yet formally designated as historic, most historians and professionals who have studied Southwest recognize the importance of much of its built environment.   Previous Built Southwest DC posts have begun to explore its significance; this Saturday's tour provides another opportunity to examine the significance of Southwest.
 
Generalizations aside, Southwesters should recognize that the Greater Greater Washington bloggers are a successful group of activists. Perhaps little known in some circles, this is a blogging forum that is credited with almost single-handedly convincing DC Council Chair Vincent Gray to reverse his decision on streetcar funding in the most recent budget year.  At the time, Gray and other Councilmembers thought it was appropriate to do more planning for the system due to the lack of clarity on integral streetcar components like the type of propulsion system, particularly given the city’s budget deficits. Nonetheless the bloggers successfully lobbied Gray to fund streetcar construction.  Through thoughtful analyses, the group has also significantly shaped WMATA’s decision-making.  A recent City Paper profile noted that WMATA staff are known to directly use graphical and statistical analyses developed by the group. 

One reason for this disconnect may be demographics.  The Greater Greater Washington bloggers are young, white males from Northwest DC and Montgomery County, MD, as noted in the City Paper article.  Other parts of the city have experienced wholesale shifts of economic and racial make-ups and any mixture is seen as merely transitional.   Conversely, Southwest has maintained a richly balanced community--racial, economically, and physically--unlike anywhere else in the DC region.

Over the comming months, Southwest and the larger city will be reviewing the waterfront plan.  During these months, Southwesters should recognize that the reaction to the waterfront development will to some extent set a precedent for future development in Southwest.

Walking Tour of Southwest

Two organizations interested involved in documenting and promoting the modernist architecture movement, DOCOMOMO and the DC Preservation League, are sponsoring a walking tour of Southwest this Saturday.  George Washington University professor Richard Longstreth will lead a discussion about the designers and architects behind the grand vision of Southwest.  The 10:00 am - 12:30 pm tour begins at the Waterfront Metro Station.  Registration is required; space is limited.

Tour of Forces

Southwest Waterfront Book Signing & Reception: Come to a wine-and-cheese reception on the lawn of the historic Thomas Law House for the launch of Swampoodle: The Life and Times of Jack Hennessey.  Author Paul Belford will be discussing his novel about an immigrant growing up in Southwest and other parts of the District of Columbia. Co-sponsored by The Ancient Order of Hibernians and the John Barry Division and Commodore John Barry Trust.  Event details: Sunday, October 10, 2010 3-6 p.m. @ Sixth & Water Streets.  RSVP by Oct 7 to 202-333-8076 / sueinnovent@aol.com

Transformers Invading Southwest: As reported by the Washington Post in June, part of the latest installment of the Transformers movie series will be filmed on the National Mall.  Filming will occur between October 11th and October 15th.  The Post has the complete schedule.  According to the Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, "The scenes will consist of pneumatic car flippers (which raise prop cars off the ground and flip them over), low-level pyrotechnics (roughly equivalent to small-scale fireworks like you might see at a concert or sports event), and simulated gunfire. These proposed special effects will create noise throughout the night (starting after dark and lasting until early in the overnight/morning hours)."  For better or worse, it promises to be quite the event.

Capital Riverfront a Criminal Hotspot?   Based on FBI and MPD data crunched by NeighborhoodScout.com, Wallet Pop reported that the area around L Street, SE between South Capitol Street and 11th Street is the U.S.' ninth most dangerous for violent crimes.  Dcist via JDLand reports that statistical anomalies may make the neighborhood appear higher than it otherwise might.

Can't Say Arena Didn't Give Us Anything: Wednesday night, Arena Stage is offering a Southwest our very own preview night.  For those who haven't been to the interior, it's equally remarkable as the exterior.  See flyer below for details:

The Waterfront Verdict: TBD

Last night developers and dignitaries, architects and planners from around the city descended on Southwest to hear the grand unveiling of the latest redevelopment plan for the Southwest Waterfront.  The standing-room-only crowd has left, but the future of our front yard remains undetermined.

The proposal is very promising.  Summaries and high-lights of the proposal can be found in the City Paper, The Little Quadrant that Could, and at DCRealEstate.com.  More information about the project is at the development team's website.

However some critical components are cause for concern and many other important considerations need to be clarified.  The Washington Post published an excellent piece to stimulate discussion, using the Arena Stage redevelopment as a model for the Waterfront.  The following is a brief review of what Southwesters might further examine as the development scheme moves forward:

Viewsheds: The new plan achieves a much better job of addressing viewsheds to the water from Maine  Avenue and M Street than previous iterations.  However water viewsheds that extend deeper into Southwest will be terminated or notably impaired, such as those along G and 10th Streets.  To some extent this is the unavoidable result of the mid-century realignment of the street grid west of Maine Ave.   More on Banneker later.

Traffic Circulation:  The transportation investments are remarkable; arguably without precedent in the DC region.  Successful integration of pedestrian, bicycle, Metro, Streetcar, personal vehicle and bus traffic within and around one of the most complex land use districts around will be critical.  Will the volume of pedestrian traffic from the Waterfront station effectively channel and dissipate along existing and proposed sidewalks without spilling into vehicular lanes or neighboring private property?  What about pedestrian traffic from L'Enfant Plaza Metro, 10th Street/National Mall, the Tidal Basin?  How will the Streetcar successfully navigate along a boardwalk no wider than that which exists today?  9th Street and its terminus appears designed specifically to facilitate vehicular movement from the Freeway.  Maine Street already congested from the Freeway to Southeast DC: how will the dramatic increase in vehicular traffic be accommodated?  Will vehicles instead take the more local 4th and P Streets?  Where will buses park?

Physical Connections to Residential Southwest:  The development team focused a lot about the arrangement of buildings activities that would go on within the development and the harbor to the west, but very little to no time was spent on the east side of the development.  Will the development, as the Post worries, be insular?  While the architect generally conveyed that retail/restaurants will surround the whole development, it's unclear if it will be active.  Some tenants, specifically professional retailers like banks and are desirable because of their strong financial capacities.  But they stimulate little street-level activity or are of limited local interest.  Another indicator of connectivity, and geographic priorities is where the entrances for the high-rise tenants (residents, hotelers, office workers).  Plans indicate they are focused on the cul-de-sacs and harbor-side.

Building Density & Heights:  Lead architect Stan Eckstut delicately argues that by allowing 130 foot buildings throughout the development, the team could provide a remarkable 60% of the development as public open space.  This common urban development argument for increased height implies a tradeoff: horizontal or vertical bulk.  Certainly, the waterfront suffers from a dearth of activity and a series of slim towers is more consistent with Southwest's form and a desire to maintain a street-level connection to the water. But perhaps Southwest should question the level of added density that is being thrust into the plan by the District government and the developer is both feasible and appropriate?  The Washington Post review particularly argues that the building heights adjacent to Arena Stage are troubling.  Indeed, should this civic landmark be dwarfed by a high-rise hotel?

Building Skin and Other Design Trademarks:  Exterior materials, textures, and colors should not be inconsistent with the existing Southwest design template.  The Post worries that the proposed buildings appear "to be oversize boxes of brick or paste-on faux stone, with a bland mix of sleek contemporary and historical references and generic, cookie-cutter design."  Although Eckstute suggested that the buildings would be setback on higher floors to open up viewsheds, it's unclear that the marginal setback would be significant enough to prevent corridors from resembling dark alleys.  Importantly, while the presentation featured quaint models of narrow European streets,  the buildings proposed in Southwest are much taller.  Although DC's soon-to-be built City Center project will use this design feature precedent in America for this concept is limited at best.

Perhaps what merits the closest examination is the "whimsical" lighthouse (Eckstut's term).  The lighthouse would directly compete with the Washington Monument.  It's unclear that there's any precedent for lighthouses anywhere in the metropolitan DC region, much less Southwest.  The only comparison perhaps is the lighthouse-inspired tower at Washington Harbour.  And at the end of the day, the pastiche lighthouse is unnecessary, as the development will be visible from miles away, presuming the development retains the planned row of 130' (plus 10+ foot penthouses) tower.

Market Square/10th Street: While this precinct is the most removed from residential Southwest, in some respects it is the most important given it's the critical link between Virginia and recreational spaces on the east and the National Mall and office precinct on the north to residential Southwest.

As Eckstut noted, Market Square represents a notable departure from anything that exists in the city.  As with many elements of the SW plan it could be a wonderful novelty, but pitfalls remain.  Seattle's Pike Place, the model for the Square is a derivative of the eclectic Pacific Northwest culture.  Today, it is a leading tourist destination.  Can this concept be successfully transplanted to Washington.  What characteristics would make it appealing to Southwesters?

While the activities within the Square are important, the connections to the east and particularly the north are critical to the success of the entire project.  The utilitarian nature of the existing easterly connection vastly curtails non-vehicular circulation and activity: how will the development overcome these obstacles? On the northern approach, both buildings that frame the passage along 10th Street significantly impinge on this key corridor, compromising the goal of various public-private efforts like the National Capital Framework Plan to reconnect Southwest to the Mall and downtown DC.

The Southwest Waterfront plan is a enormously complex development.  This preliminary review is an attempt to briefly touch on the issues that Southwesters may want to focus on in the coming months and years.  Traffic, shadowing, and environmental studies are a few of the important analyses that should be forthcoming.  Review, analyze, comment, and critique.  But ultimately, Southwest would be well advised to embrace the project.  While other developments continue to remain on the shelf, this an unparalleled opportunity for the betterment of all Southwesters.  Monty Hoffman,  CEO of lead parter PN Hoffman has assembled a very experienced project team; it clearly shows in the quality of the plan, particularly considering all the constraints and competing interests.

The next public opportunity for the community to review and comment on the plan will be at October's Southwest Neighborhood Assembly meeting on October 25 at St. Augustine's Church.  Come prepared.

What Makes SW, SW (part 2 of 2)

Parking - shielded by bushes in various arrangements 

A discussion of Southwest would not be complete without the mention of automobiles.  Planners in the 1950’s and 1960’s went to great lengths to accommodate the car.  In fact, all the large residential developments here are organized around, or built above, ample parking.  The recently-demolished Waterside Mall sacrificed the 4th Street connection to the National Mall for a large underground parking garage that stretched from 3rd to 5th Streets.  Perhaps most damaging, the 395 overpass was constructed, separating the residential and office zones of Southwest DC from one another.

Le Corbusier's Unite Habitation

Wikipedia’s article on Le Corbusier notes that “one of the first to realize how the automobile would change human agglomerations, Le Corbusier described the city of the future as consisting of large apartment buildings isolated in a park-like setting on [columns]...  Le Corbusier's theories were adopted by the builders of public housing in Western Europe and the United States. For the design of the buildings themselves, Le Corbusier criticized any effort at ornamentation. The large spartan structures in cities... have been widely criticized for being boring and unfriendly to pedestrians.”  Indeed, while Southwest proves successful on many levels, the blocky unornamented masses of most Southwest residential buildings are uninspired, and building entrances are located for arrival by car and not on foot.  I always find it curious that the townhomes facing M Street SW each have a gate with a sign indicating that it is the rear entrance -- with the front entrance facing the interior court and parking.  I also scratch my head at the scale of some of the spaces: the vast and underutilized plaza at Tiber Island could host a military parade!

Tiber Island Plaza

Newer development in Southwest have attempted to right some of these wrongs, for example by restoring 4th Street SW and lining it with interestingly-massed and handsomely-ornamented buildings.  The scale of the pedestrian spaces is more human, and the buildings embrace the metro that arrived in Southwest in 1991.  A bicycle rental station was installed at 4th and M Streets SW just this week.

What do I hope to see from PN Hoffman and EEK?  Truly I cannot say it any better than what is stated on the project website, “As the maritime front porch to the Nation’s Capital, the redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront should embrace a clean and active river; eliminate barriers and provide public access; produce an active urban riverfront and park system; showcase distinctive cultural destinations; and build a strong waterfront community. The redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront will set a new standard for waterfront urban development.”  Let’s hold the developers to their word.

Southwest in the News

Name Your Stop: Spurred recent efforts to rename Metro stations in Southwest and Near Southeast, media outlet, TBD asked readers to submit their own station name alternatives.  An animated Google map shows that the possibilities are endless in our politically-sensitive city.   Among the suggestions: "Waterfront/DDOT/1950s Urban Renewal/M St/Ft McNair/Arena Stage/Marinas/Titanic Memorial/kthxbai".  Obviously most veer on the witty end of things, but transportation planners and community leaders accross the city are seriously concerned about comprimising the simplicity and clarity of the origninal approach to Metro nomenclature.

Marine Development: Many people have been keenly looking forward to what Southwest Developers PN Hoffman & Co. have in store ashore. The Washington Post profiles the "Murky Waters" for Southwest's live-aboard's.


Free-thinking on the Freeway: Longing forward to a SW without the SW Freeway? TBD weighs the odds.  Also, Stay tuned for a "Point"-- "Counter Point" set of posts on BUILT Southwest DC in the near future.