WASHINGTON, D.C. — Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP represented an affiliate of Carr Properties as landlord in a 700,000-square-foot lease of a building to be constructed for Fannie Mae’s new headquarters at 15th and L streets in Washington D.C. The new build-to-suit property will replace The Washington Post’s current headquarters. The lease is the largest ever non-government lease in Washington, D.C. The Fried Frank team was led by real estate partner Franz Rassman and included real estate associates Valerie Kelly, Neil Hood and Matthew Greeson.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — PRP LLC has purchased a 100,000-square-foot office building located at 2501 M St. N.W. in Washington, D.C.’s West End for $31.6 million. PRP acquired the property from the Association of American Medical Colleges on behalf of one PRP’s real estate funds in partnership with an institutional investor. PRP will convert the building into a 60-unit luxury residential condominium property with 11,475 square feet of retail space featuring outside dining. PRP plans to begin selling condo units in 2015 and deliver the finished homes by mid-2016.
There was a time when retail in the District of Columbia was tired and unimaginative, but today things are changing. Today, D.C. competes with some of this country’s greatest retail cities. No longer do “food by the pound” cafes dominate fast casual lunch options, or tired steak houses fill the nights. A young generation of award winning chefs — the likes of Mike Isabella, Cedric Maupillier and Aaron Silverman — are driving a new culinary scene, which in turn is helping to boost retail growth across our city. Silverman’s Rose’s Luxury across from the Marine Barracks on Capitol Hill was just named 2014 best new restaurant in the country by Bon Appetit. With a population of less than 700,000, D.C. is still a relatively small city, but it doesn’t act like it. It is the focus of the nation’s — and the world’s — political eye. It is also blessed with a stable economy and the recent influx of a younger generation who seek to put their stamp on it. We are no longer just a government town. International corporations like Hilton, Marriott, Choice, and Host Hotels have chosen this market for their headquarters. Discovery and Travel channels have staked …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Grosvenor Americas has completed a $7.5 million renovation to the HVAC systems at its 200,000-square-foot office tower at 1701 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C., just a block away from the White House. The 12-story tower was certified LEED Gold-EB in 2013 and has recently added three tenants occupying a total of 29,300 square feet: Occidental Petroleum, FoxKiser and JAB Holdings, which is the parent company of Jimmy Choo, Bally and Peet’s Coffee. Peet’s Coffee has its flagship location on the ground floor of 1701 Pennsylvania Ave. Since purchasing the office tower in 1986, Grosvenor Americas has invested $16.7 million in upgrades.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kettler has sold its newly constructed apartment development located at 450 K St. N.W. in Washington, D.C. The apartment developer sold the 233-unit, high-rise residential community to Ogden CAP Properties LLC for $106.5 million. HFF brokered the sale. Located in Washington’s Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood, the apartment community features 6,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The property’s amenity package includes a courtyard with a fountain, fitness center, bike storage and maintenance shop, as well as a rooftop club lounge and entertainment bar, swimming pool with lounge seating, outdoor kitchen and bar. Ogden CAP Properties has retained Kettler Management to manage the leasing activity of the property.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — HFF has secured $42 million in financing for 620 F St., an 11-story, 119,649-square-foot office tower in Washington, D.C.’s East End submarket. Sue Carras, Walter Coker, Brian Crivella and Nicole Snarski of HFF arranged the 25-year, fixed-rate loan through Prudential Mortgage Capital Co. on behalf of the borrower, BAC F Street LLC. Completed in 2006, the office tower is fully leased to tenants such as AARP and the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers. R.J. Davis of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP provided legal counsel of behalf of the owner.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — First Niagara’s commercial real estate group has closed on a $65 million loan with Mid-Atlantic Realty Partners (MRP Realty) for the construction of a 305-unit mixed-use apartment project. The property, known as The Waterfront, will be located along the Anacostia Waterfront across the street from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The development will feature ground-floor retail and underground parking space. Riverfront Holdings I LLC, a joint venture between MRP Realty and Florida Rock Properties, is overseeing the development of the project, which is slated for delivery by September 2016. The Waterfront will feature a rooftop swimming pool with an indoor lounge and kitchen area, local art gallery, fitness center, ground-level lounge with billiards, a bar area, outdoor seating with a fireplace, rooftop movie screen and an outdoor kitchen. Yvonne Ulrich of First Niagara originated the loan.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — CBRE has arranged a 148,613-square-foot lease renewal at One Metro Center, a 421,235-square-foot trophy office building in Washington, D.C.’s East End neighborhood. The six-story office property is located at 701 13th St. N.W., approximately three blocks from the White House. White & Case LLP, an international law firm, renewed its lease with the owner, Jamestown LP. Randy Harrell, Kevin Howard, Joe Coleman and Melissa Byrd of CBRE represented Jamestown in the lease transaction. Tom Doughty and Greg McCavera of JLL represented White & Case.
The government shutdown impacted local economies and real estate dynamics in many U.S. markets, but none moreso than the Washington, D.C., region. With anywhere from a quarter to over a third of metro D.C.’s privately owned office leasing tied to the federal government, the inability of the federal government to engage in long-term real estate planning has serious implications for the office sector. Non-federal tenants in the region are impacted as well in that a significant portion of the region’s occupiers are reliant, at least in part, on government contracts and spending. In fiscal 2012 alone, more than $72.6 billion of federal contracting dollars were procured in Washington, D.C., and its suburbs. Possible repercussions in the contracting arena from the shutdown and continued budgetary uncertainty from the federal sector could include contract cancellations, delays in payments and scope reductions. With ongoing questions about government funding and spending, these companies, like the government itself, cannot plan for the future and make decisions in areas that affect their businesses such as staffing, office and facility needs and support infrastructure. The inevitable uncertainty due to the current stop-gap fiscal environment creates questions about where funding for fit out, technology and equipment will come …
The tide is changing for subcontracting in the Washington, D.C., multifamily market. In the past year, while much of the country has been in recovery, Washington construction managers experienced a white-hot market in wood-frame, market-rate apartments. Along with multiple building opportunities, there was an abundance of qualified subcontractors offering extremely competitive pricing. Currently, new properties continue to be developed, but reductions in the subcontracting pool and changes in building codes are creating a climate of increased pressure for construction managers. Subcontractor Capacity Recently, our industry has seen unprecedented subcontractor failures, workforce leaving the area and some company owners leaving the business altogether because they are not willing to risk their livelihoods anymore. Profits and cash flow were just too tight. At the same time, more than 20,000 units will be added to the D.C. market during the next two years. Affordable and tax credit markets have come back strong as well, and rent increases in the new ground-up apartments have created a booming submarket in Class B renovations. For example, Snell Construction Corp. of Arlington, Va., is repositioning two major properties: Southern Towers, a 2,500-unit, 1960s era high-rise community in Alexandria, and Monticello Gardens, with 794 apartments in Falls Church, …