As noted in this post, Love & Care Child Development Center expects to open soon at The Modern at Art Place on Galloway Street NE. The daycare applied for a certificate of occupancy on January 12, 2021. Residents might have seen construction taking place outside the building this week. I have been told that is being done to install a wheelchair access ramp for the daycare center.
A couple of neighbors passed along information they received from Love & Care Child Development Center indicating that the daycare will be opening soon at the Modern at Art Place with COVID-19 precautions in place. It has taken a long time to get to this point, so I am sure some families will be happy to have another option for daycare in the neighborhood soon. Excerpt from Love and Care communication to families below:
Greeting Families!
We are excited to announce that Love and Care is almost ready to open its doors!
We will be hosting an open house over the course of 4 days, February 10-13th, with guided tours occurring at … each day. Love and Care is located in the Modern at Art Place, at 402 Galloway St. NE just steps away from the Fort Totten Metro. Please swing by at any of the listed times to see the new space!
By David Kosub (Contributor)
As you know, construction on Phase B of Art Place at Fort Totten project is underway. I had a couple of follow up questions related to construction activities and reached out to the team around Thanksgiving via the hello@fezartplace.com email address for answers. I encourage everybody to ask their questions via that email address as they are very responsive.
Regarding general construction status, the foundation for the buildings is proceeding with the completion of the construction documents. The general contractor, L.F. Jennings, put out the project for competitive bid, with the process expected to be completed by January or February. They also noted that, “as with everything and everyone, Covid-19 has had an impact on our lives, our health and how we all work.” The general contractor has implemented strict guidelines at the site for its workers and visitors, going on to say, “So far, we have not had any outbreaks, or any significant delays related to an outbreak.” That said, it has been difficult to get District agencies and utilities to perform inspections, they admit.
The team also does not have any new updates to share at this time regarding the groups who have already signed leases (e.g., Meow Wolf, Explore! Children’s Museum and Aldi). However, announcements may be forthcoming in the spring about operators for the food hall.
I asked if they have received any concerns from the community about construction. They have not. I am taking that as a good sign that construction activities may not be interfering too much with our day-to-day lives. If any arise going forward, they are willing to address them. On a related note, the construction team is willing to participate in a community meeting to discuss construction related activities. A date and time needs to be worked out, but in the interim, please indicate in the comments section if you would like to join such a conversation and if you have any concerns or questions to share.
Art Place Construction Notice 07/27/2020
Just got word from Art Place counsel that 24 Hour Fitness has actually not rejected the lease to anchor the Modern at Art Place at this point. Even though the company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief, there is still a possibility the gym will come to the Modern.
Updated 7/7/2020 to clarify that counsel for the developer provided this information
Next Stop...Riggs Park 