Art Place – Construction Notification Weeks of July 24 2017 thru the week of July 31 2017 FINAL

In response to DC’s Zoning Commission, the Cafritz Foundation provided a more detailed status update on Art Place at Fort Totten. See: Submission on behalf of Cafritz re further status update on Buildings A and B-6-29-2017 (pdf)

For the first phase (Building A), the development team still anticipates that residents will begin moving into the residential apartments called The Modern at Art Place around August 2017. Retailers are expected to be open for business around first quarter 2018.

Art Place – Construction Notification Weeks of June 26 2017 thru the week of July 3 2017 FINAL (pdf)

Yesterday, we provided a status update on the first two phases of Art Place at Fort Totten. Bisnow also reported in a newsletter yesterday that the Art Place team has reached out to Trader Joe’s and MOM’s Organic to anchor the second phase, noting that residents have expressed a desire for some type of organic grocer in the neighborhood.

‘Tis true. For several months, there have been rumblings about a Trader Joe’s in the neighborhood. And something of a grassroots campaign has started with residents requesting a Trader Joe’s in Riggs Park through the company’s official location request page. The page allows anyone to “request a TJ in my city.” It states, “There are no guarantees, but being wanted matters to us.” We have been told by a knowledgeable source that the company does pay attention to these location requests and if it receives say around 300 requests to locate in a neighborhood, as opposed to receiving just 12, then it really pays attention. So we won’t go so far as to say that 300 is the magic number to show that the store is wanted, but if you are so inclined to assist your fellow neighbors in getting to that ballpark figure, then go to the location request page and ask for a Trader Joe’s in Riggs Park at Art Place.

Some of the things people have noted in their requests:

• Art Place at Fort Totten is a multi-phase development with the necessary square footage for a Trader Joe’s. It is centrally located to draw customers from different parts of DC (north, south, east, and west) and from areas in Maryland like Hyattsville and Takoma Park. It is also right near Fort Totten metro station, which serves three different lines and several bus routes.
• Trader Joe’s has a positive reputation for being a high-quality store and can compete on price with Walmart and Giant. Also, the store can sell wine and beer if it locates in Art Place, which is on the Ward 5 side of the neighborhood.
• New housing, both rental and for sale, is under construction in and around the neighborhood. Fort Totten Square recently delivered. Art Place will soon deliver 520 rental units in the the first phase. Roughly 40 townhomes are expected at Totten Mews. Additional multi-family housing is expected through WMATA’s partnership with Donatelli to redevelop the long-term parking lot at Fort Totten metro station. And 180 townhomes are expected for the second phase of Fort Totten Square.
• A new children’s museum is coming to the neighborhood at Art Place, which will be an added draw to residents and visitors alike.
• Neighborhood annual median home value is steadily increasing.
• The neighborhood has relatively low crime and is economically stable. See this year’s neighborhood profile sheet: Fort Totten/Riggs Park 2017 Neighborhood Profile Sheet (pdf).

This is what Riggs Park resident David wrote in his request:

My wife and I moved to Riggs Park in . . . . This neighborhood is safe, economically stable, and growing. Fort Totten Square has been completed and the first phase of Art Place at Fort Totten is soon going to be delivered.  Following are several more phases of development to include condos, restaurants, and community art spaces. The [Explore!] Children’s Museum will also be located within the upcoming development. A Trader Joes in the Riggs Park neighborhood will pull customers from Brookland, College Park, Takoma Park, and Hyattsville and likely several other neighborhoods as three metro lines run through the Fort Totten metro station. Additionally, no alcohol at MD Trader Joes will pull people to the Riggs Park location which I assume would sell a selection of beer and wine. There would be no serious competitors to Trader Joes in the area. Yes Organic is in Brookland, but it does not tend to be the main grocery store for customers like a Trader Joes. Giant cannot compete with the prices of Trader Joes (and does not sell alcohol) and Walmart does not have the positive reputation of a Trader Joes nor the high quality selection of a Trader Joes. Please come to Riggs Park. I am including the link to H&R Retail who is responsible for leasing space in the building (http://hrretail.com/#property-2409832-art-place-at-fort-totten.

Can the neighborhood actually support a specialty grocery store with a Giant grocery store just on the other side of the DC/Maryland border, a Walmart with a grocery component in the neighborhood, and a Yes! organic market in Brookland? The short answer is likely yes. Longtime readers might remember that we covered a Vibrant Street Retail workshop conducted for this neighborhood through a partnership with Streetsense, DC’s Office of Planning, and the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association. [Disclosure: We participated in that workshop, facilitated the asks, and arranged a community meeting on the topic]. Through that partnership, Streetsense completed a market analysis (pdf) of a post-Walmart neighborhood and found that the neighborhood could support a specialty grocery store like an organic or gourmet grocery store.

So if you want a Trader Joe’s, ask for one. Same goes for any other retailer residents want in the neighborhood. There are no guarantees, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Catching up on news…

Art Place at Fort Totten, Bldg A under construction, view from new Ingraham Street NE extension

On June 2, 2017, the Cafritz Foundation filed a status report update for the multi-phase Art Place at Fort Totten development in response to a request from the Zoning Commission. See Art Place Status Update June 2-2017 (pdf).

Building A: Gym, dentist, pharmacy, cell phone store, possible coffee shop & restaurant

Building A (the first phase) is the building currently under construction. Pre-leasing has started for the residential apartments called The Modern. Hardhat tours are available for prospective tenants. A certificate of occupancy is expected by mid-June, with move-ins anticipated to begin around August.

As previously reported and confirmed in the letter, the developer has executed leases with a few retailers for Building A: X-Sport Fitness, T-Mobile, a dentist, and a pharmacy. They anticipate securing leases with a coffee shop and a restaurant in the near future. The letter does not identify the coffee shop and restaurant, but we believe they will be a Starbucks and a restaurant from the proprietors of a Virginia-based restaurant. We have been told that the retail components should be open by late fall/winter 2017.

Building B: Children’s museum, community recreation, possible grocer

The development team is still working to figure things out for Building B (second phase). Recall that the Commission previously raised concerns about the design, uses, and amenities proposed for Building B (e.g., recreation components including ice rinks). The team had put Building B on the backburner to focus on delivering Building A. The status report indicates that the delay in relocating the Riggs Plaza tenants, the presence of Walmart, and anticipated financing challenges for the planned unique uses of Building B all present obstacles for planning.

The letter states they are close to executing a letter of intent with an unidentified specialty grocer for 20,000 square feet for Building B. [Editor’s note 6/13/2017: After publishing, we learned from this Bisnow newsletter that the development team has reached out to Trader Joe’s and MOM’s Organic]. They are also looking at community recreational uses for Building B (but no specifics yet), and of course the Explore! Children’s Museum has committed to being part of Building B.

With respect to Building B, the Foundation will file prehearing statements within 90 days of executing letters of intent with retailers for not less than 70,000 square feet; they will file a building permit application within one year of 2nd stage approval order; and construction will begin within one year of filing permit application.

The Foundation will give the Commission periodic updates on the development of Building A and the proposed development of Building B no less than semi-annually beginning in Jan 2018, or within 30 days following a request for a status update from the Commission.

Finally, not stated in the letter, but important to know, we reported previously that a new neighborhood library will not be part of this development.

That’s the Art Place update for Buildings A and B. What are some recreation or community uses that you think would be ideal for the second stage of this development?

Art Place – Construction Notification Weeks of June 12 2017 thru the week of June 19 2017 FINAL (pdf)

Explore! Children’s Museum Jumpin’ June Festival
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
5234 4th St. NE

From Explore!:

– Take part in a mission in Space aboard the Explore! Mission Mobile at 11:15 & 12:15

– Imagination Stage will be leading two 30 minute Hip Hop Instructional sessions at 11:30 & 12:30

– Color With Luna is going to have a coloring station open & Explore! is providing a FREE Color with Luna book to the first 50 children!

– Tom Noll will be bringing the Recycled Rainbow Truck & Explore! is providing the first 50 children with a FREE copy of one of his books!

– We will be decorating and creating tambourines!

– Hoola Hoops, Bubbles & Jump Ropes will be available

– Explore! prizes will be available for participation in a Simon Says Showdown!

– A Represent Your Ward! giveaway for adults

Funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts

Art Place – Construction Notification Weeks of May 29 2017 thru the week of June 5 2017 FINAL

Art Place – Construction Notification Weeks of May 15 2017 thru the week of May 22 2017 FINAL (pdf)

Art Place – Construction Notification Weeks of May 1 2017 thru the week of May 8 2017 FINAL

Art Place – Construction Notification Weeks of April 17 2017 thru the week of April 24 2017 FINAL

Art Place – Construction Notification Weeks of April 3 2017 thru the week of April 10 2017 FINAL

Another family friendly event from Explore! Children’s Museum of Washington DC:

April Fools Fest
Saturday, April 1, 2017
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
5455 3rd Street NE

We’re hosting our third FREE backyard fest – and this time we’re celebrating spring! Enjoy family-friendly activities, meet new neighbors, and learn what Explore! has in store for the Spring! Families and children of all ages welcome; dress for outdoor weather and bring your own smock or old t-shirt for wall painting. We will also be partnering with the Lamond-Riggs Library who will join us with exciting programming!

Activities to include:

• A saxophone demo with Herbert Scott
• Music and storytelling with Sylvia Zwi
• Storytime about Spring and a matching craft activity with the Lamond-Riggs Library
• Weaving on the collaborative loom
• Fundred Dollar Bill project
• Arts and Crafts
• Snacks and Drinks

RSVP and info at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/april-fools-fest-tickets-32435484407

To volunteer, contact Irina Rubenstein at irina@exploremuseum.org or (202) 248-3490.

Art Place – Construction Notification Weeks of March 6 2017 thru the week of March 13 2017 FINAL

art-place-construction-notification-weeks-of-jan-30-2017-thru-the-week-of-feb-13-2017-final

On January 28, 2017, Explore! Children’s Museum, which will be part of a future phase of the Art Place at Fort Totten, will open a temporary pop-up exhibit downtown at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibit will be free to the public.

The museum held a couple of neighborhood events last year to introduce staff and concepts for the museum. The year-long pop-up is another chance to showcase the museum and test out some exhibits in a cool collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery. Tell your neighbors and friends.

Details from the website:

In Explore! with the Portrait Gallery, kids can experiment with portraiture in an age-appropriate way to answer questions such as “What is a portrait?” “How do I see myself?” and “How do others see me?”. Young visitors will be able to trace each other’s silhouettes, strike a pose for a projected video art piece, and experiment with expression and emotion by building faces out of illustrated blocks.

• Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:30 am to 6:00 pm on the first floor of the gallery
• Designed for children ages 18 months to eight years old
• Text in English and Spanish

Check the website for additional details.

The Washington Business Journal profiles the Explore! Children’s Museum, which is anticipated to be part of a future phase of the Art Place at Fort Totten development. The museum will open a temporary location at the National Portrait Gallery on January 28, 2017. We have covered the museum’s progress on this blog in several posts, noting in our year-end neighborhood development profile that there are still open questions regarding the museum. The article provides a few details on the temporary exhibit and notes that museum officials hope to begin construction on the permanent museum here in Riggs Park at the end of 2017:

The portraiture exhibit is one that could be replicated in the eventual permanent museum, though Explore! has not yet decided exactly what exhibits will be installed, said [Executive Director Rhonda] Buckley. She and the other museum principals are still keeping mum on other details on the project as well, including size and cost.

They hope to begin construction by the end of 2017 and open to the public in mid-2019, however. The museum will be built on “Parcel B,” as the developer refers to it, which is in the second phase of the Cafritzes’ Art Place development. . . .

 We will see if this timeline holds. In the meantime, check out the temporary museum at the National Portrait Gallery later this month.