Preservationists vs. The Feds at St. Elizabeth's

The Story:
--- It will cost $3 billion to properly restore the St. Elizabeth's site. Some say the Dept. of Homeland Security, which is looking at moving its headquarters to the site, will not create enough spin-off development because DHS will be so isolated due to security at the campus.
--- "The area is sorely in need of economic development," said Rebecca A. Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League. "A walled-off citadel on the site is not going to help."

Bubble View:
--- Wishing for better development won't make it so. Only the federal government has the money to restore the property -- either it does the work for its own tenant or someone convinces the feds to pony up the dough.
--- The impact of DHS is being undersold. The Pentagon sure transformed Arlington and it has tight security too. DHS workers will have to live somewhere.

Link: WaPo

NAACP In DC: Definitely Maybe Not

Last year the NCAACP announced plans to move from Baltimore to DC, but the WashExam reported that the deal is off.

In fact, the developers of the Anacostia Gateway, a 63,000-square-foot mixed-use project the NAACP was supposed to move into, have put the building back on the market. The goal of the project was is to help revitalize that part of town and capture more jobs and retail.

The deal seemed to make sense for the NAACP too. Closer to the Capitol. In the heart of the DC, African American community. Nope. Among other things, the deal to sell the NAACP headquaters in Baltimore collapsed, according to the WashExam.

As for the Anacostia Gateway, the owners expect to have the building under contract to sell by the end of this month. Things seem like they are slowly percolating in DC's final frontier.

An Anacostian Tragedy

Shakespeare would have loved this one. Intrigue. Broken hearts. Greed. Lust. Negligence.

To the dismay of many, the Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to foreclose and sell Sayles Place at 2716 Douglas Pl SE to the highest bidder at auction Wednesday, despite the fact that the residents have financial backing to buy the property, said the WaPo.

HUD said it is foreclosing because the residents "did not improve physical and financial conditions to an acceptable level" as required under their cooperative agreement. Among other things, the property was cited for windows that don't open, doors that don't close properly and stove burners that don't work. The property repeatedly failed inspection.

To make matters worse . . . we mean more interesting . . . Mayor-For-Life Marion Barry is involved. "I'm going to fight as hard as I can to get this turned around." Falstaff speaks.

Who's The Boss

Now that its become a "how" not an "if" question about whether the National Capital Revitalization Corp. and the Anacostia Waterfront Corp. should be folded into a single new agency, DC Bubble points to a recent collumn by Steve Pearlstein in the WaPo for an answer.

The jist of what he recommends and we believe he is correct is that:

• A legally independent authority is the politically the best solution,
• The director of the authority should serve at the mayor's pleasure,
• The authority should be self-funded through rents etc.

What's at stake here is the Anacostia waterfront redevelopment, the future of the old D.C. General Hospital site, St. Elizabeths Hospital and the McMillan Reservoir etc.

Things may have progress more slowly that some would have liked with these two entities, but this is DC the city with northern charm and southern efficiency. Things always seem to move as slow as molasses here, not that we object to things being pushed along.

AGENCIES FLEEING FOR THIER LIVES

First, the police are on the run. Now Meto is contemplating a move to Anacostia with a financial push from D.C.

Under a plan drafted by the D.C. government, Metro would receive $68 mil from the sale of its HQ building at 600 Fifth St. NW for construction of a 275,000-square-foot headquarters at the Anacostia Metro Station, said the Examiner. It would also receive any net proceeds from the sale, and another $40 mil to build a badly needed pedestrian tunnel between Gallery Place and Metro Center.

The proposal assumes the building will sell for roughly $108 mil, covering the payments to Metro. But just in case, it also pledges DC will finance any shortfall. The transit agency’s headquarters is valued at $58.4 mil.

Even if DC had to cough up a few bucks to cover this deal, it would be a win-win. Anacostia gets a boost. Downtown returns a piece to the tax rolls and paves the way for another condo-retail-office megaplex. Ain't life grand?

MOVING PIECES ON THE DC MONOPOLY BOARD

To save some dough, the DC government will consolidate various agencies away from downtown. This could spark development in underutilized and forgotten neighborhoods, the same way the Reeves Center helped get development going along U Street.

Part or all of the Metropolitan Police Department is "relocating late next year to the old Washington Star and Washington Post building on Virginia Avenue downtown," reports NBC4. The WaPo also had a story.

"We have two main goals: One is to improve efficiency or our operations and the other is to reduce expenses," said Lars Etzkorn, director of the office property management.

Other city agencies that plan to relocate are:
* The city street and transportation office, which is moving to Anacostia,
* Consumer affairs and chief financial officials are moving to the renewed Southwest waterfront mall, and
* Employment services is moving from its downtown location to Minnesota Avenue near Northeast.

The city also plans to build a major forensics lab in Southwest.