The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH), developer of Riggs Crossing Senior Residences, is seeking interested local and unique retail tenants for under-market lease opportunity. The project is currently under construction at 307 Riggs Road NE on the southeast corner of South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road NE in Riggs Park. Project delivery expected first quarter 2025.
UDC will kick off a few days of activities for the inauguration of UDC’s 10th president Dr. Maurice Edington the week of March 11, 2024. There will be an academic symposium at the Lamond-Riggs campus on March 13, 2024. View the full list of inauguration activities at https://www.udc.edu/inauguration.
Academic Symposium
Wednesday, March 13 Advancing the Mission of the Urban HBCU: Showcasing Excellence, Elevating Possibility 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Auditorium 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE Washington, DC 20017
Updated to correct last date of enrollment to March 7.
The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing and Davis Construction (the team behind Riggs Crossing Senior Residences) are offering paid apprenticeship training for up to 20 DC residents through a partnership with the local Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) chapter. They plan to enroll interested potential workers in the ABC CORE program for a 10-week training program. The final opportunity to take advantage of this opportunity is Thursday, March 7, 2024.
APAH and Davis will help graduates find job offers with trade partners within the industry. Costs for candidates to enroll will be covered by DAVIS and APAH.
If interested in the apprenticeship opportunity, complete the contact form on the “Career” page on the project website or simply stop by the construction trailer (located in the green space in front of Food & Friends) to provide your contact information and let the team know of your interest in enrolling.
We achieved one of our major milestones in January – We topped out our concrete structure! This kicks off the next phase of work which involve installing our CMU masonry towers for stairs and elevators prior to wood framing commencing. Since our last update, we had 5 elevated deck pours which is a very high rate of production in roughly 3.5 weeks. Once we completed the groundwork, concrete proceeded switfly! You will also notice that Stair S2 CMU tower nearest South Dakota Avenue topped out in late January.
Ongoing and Upcoming Work
CMU towers at the north side of the site started and should top out by mid-February at the latest. We’re setting our steel beams and embeds in place within the stair and elevator shafts to facilitate future stair and elevator installation. We also mobilized the self-erecting crane for the wood framing operations and have begun layout for wood framing on the concrete deck.
Wood framing is the next critical activity that is starting in 1 week. Layout has commenced and wood deliveries are arriving early February. This will be ongoing for the next 2 months or so. Within the next few weeks, we’ll move the east side silt fence and backfill against the building (after waterproofing) to facilitate access for sheathing and Tyvek from the building perimeter.
We’ll also start installing our below podium steel angles and metal stud framing which will allow us to being rough-ins for below podium work on level 1 and the garage. Plumbing will go first, then HVAC. Once the building is dried in approximately in March, we will begin electrical wiring and insulation activities in a big push to commence drywall.
We plan to install the remaining utilities along Riggs Road this spring once wood framing is complete and before masonry starts on the west facade.
In the Event of Inclement Weather:
We had (2) snow storms the week of 01/15/2024. DAVIS diligently cleared the public sidewalks in front of our trailer and jobsite first to ensure pedestrian and worker safety. Afterwards, the DAVIS team cleared off select portions of the concrete deck to allow masonry to commence work and to provide safe walking paths on the concrete deck for workers. We utilized blankets to cover portions where work was upcoming so clearing was easy and work could continue with minimal delays. If inclement weather occurs, DAVIS will continue to implement similar measures to ensure pedestrian access/safety is secured first and then perform clearing as needed to minimize downtown for productive work on site. We want to do everything in our power to maintain schedule.
Phase 1 rendering of renovation of existing campus buildings from UDC hearing presentationPhase 2 rendering of new campus wing from UDC hearing presentation
At its public meeting on November 30, 2023, the DC Zoning Commission voted (4-0-1) to take final action to approve UDC’s Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan (2023-2033) (Zoning Commission case no. 23-16). The (-1) is a vacant seat. The campus is located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE in Riggs Park. UDC’s campus plan website is https://www.udc.edu/campus-master-plan.
Formerly known as the Bertie Backus campus, the Lamond-Riggs campus houses the university’s community college program and a few workforce development programs. UDC plans to gradually increase student enrollment at the campus from roughly 1,800 students currently to 3,000 students.
Phase 1 of the campus development plan will involve renovating the existing buildings on the campus. Phase 2 will involve constructing a new wing on the campus. Currently, there is not funding for Phase 2 activities. UDC will have to provide notice and return to the Zoning Commission before proceeding with construction of the new wing.
On December 1, 2023, UDC issued a statement about the campus plan approval, stating in part:
The approved plan features five key changes to the Lamond-Riggs Campus, implemented in two phases:
Modernize and upgrade existing academic buildings and facilities
Strengthen enrollment opportunities and welcome an increase in students, faculty and staff
Promote the University’s distinct identity and wayfinding for public use of campus
Implement on-site urban design improvements along campus frontages
Construct a new wing to increase programs and provide an open-space courtyard for improved green landscaping and sustainable features
Questions about the campus plan may be directed to Avis Russell, UDC General Counsel, at avis.russell@udc.edu or Javier Dussan, UDC Vice President, Facilities and Real Estate Management, at javier.dussan@udc.edu.
Public Hearing
The Zoning Commission held a virtual public hearing on the plan on October 30, 2023.
DDOT Report The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) submitted a pre-hearing report stating that DDOT did not object to the plan with several conditions. DDOT requested that UDC develop a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan and a Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP). DDOT requested that UDC enroll students in Metro’s U-Pass program, that UDC address campus parking rates and enforcement mechanism, and that UDC provide covered or indoor bike parking for some of the bike spaces.
Office of Planning Report The DC Office of Planning (OP) also submitted a pre-hearing report that recommended approval of the plan with the condition that maximum student enrollment be capped at 3,000 students and faculty capped at 118 faculty. OP requested that UDC work with the Office of Historic Preservation to document the history of the Bertie Backus Middle School to determine whether the school building is eligible for inclusion in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites and the National Register of Historic Places. The school, built in the 1960s, was named after educator Bertha Arabella “Bertie” Backus. OP’s report included comments from other agencies such as the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), which had several comments about the operation of the food hub at the campus.
ANC 5A Letter in Support ANC 5A submitted a letter in support that outlined several areas of concern based on input from residents (including myself) regarding the Transportation, Sustainability, Campus Relations, and Community Character elements of the plan.
UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan Hearing Presentation UDC presented its plan. New UDC president, Dr. Maurice Edington, attended the hearing and gave brief remarks. The zoning commissioners asked several questions (some of which residents previously asked UDC).
Vice Chair Robert Miller asked about UDC’s response to DOEE’s comments about the food hub. UDC said they are working with DOEE.
Commissioner Joseph Imamura asked why UDC plans to rebuild the parking lot on Galloway Street with new vegetation for Phase 1 and then seemingly plan to remove that newly planted vegetation in order to rebuild the parking lot again for Phase 2. Why not just construct the Phase 2 parking lot. UDC noted that there is not funding for Phase 2 and that they do not know when Phase 2 will be built. They said they are not planting trees in the Phase 1 parking lot islands that will have to be removed, but more so shrubbery.
Commissioner Imamura asked UDC to clarify the plan for the chain link fence along Galloway and along South Dakota. Commissioner Imamura suggested using environmental design to define the campus edge rather than a fence. (Aside: I noted during my oral testimony that UDC would want a way to prevent people from accessing the parking lot without permission after hours and on weekends so that the people who decide to leave empty bottles and trash along the parkland do not decide to take their activities to UDC’s campus).
Commissioner Tiffany Stidham asked about any plan for a shuttle to the metro station or other means of encouraging students/faculty not to drive to campus and also for safety reasons for late-night classes. After Phase 2, the parking lot on Galloway will eventually have just 100 parking spaces for cars and UDC plans to have up to 3,000 students and 118 faculty going to the campus. UDC said they did a survey (presumably during the pandemic) and that the survey did not indicate demand for a shuttle.
In addressing requests by the ANC and residents, UDC noted several times that as a public university, its plan is constrained by funding that has to be approved during the city’s budget process.
DDOT gave a super short presentation as did OP. UDC stated that they were working with DDOT about which conditions would become final. UDC agreed to OP’s conditions. ANC 5A did not have a representative at the hearing.
By the time it was time for public testimony (myself), everyone was ready to call it a day. My written and oral testimony focused on (among other things):
The need for the campus plan to accurately reflect the state of food hub operations and include UDC CAUSES recently developed 5-year food hub strategic plan. Apparently this 5-year plan (which was not available to the public before the hearing) details changes to the food hub that CAUSES officials say are required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provides a portion of funding for the food hub. At an open house in October 2023, CAUSES officials said that Dept. of Ag wants UDC to focus on small farmer entrepreneurs. CAUSES officials said that is why the community garden was removed from the campus.
UDC’s need to work with DDOT to address the cluster that is the South Dakota Avenue/Hamilton Street NE intersection sooner rather than later, especially considering UDC is planning to relocate loading access to the Hamilton Street side of the campus.
UDC’s need for an actual community engagement plan, starting with an up-to-date campus plan website.
A need for the plan to address the role of the community college and campus in the workforce development ecosystem, particularly given the planned departure of the Department of Employment Services (DOES) from the campus.
Campus Naming
In between all of the presentations and reports, Zoning Commission Chair Anthony Hood mentioned more than once that he wants UDC to rename the campus after William Spaulding, the first person to represent Ward 5 on the DC Council following Home Rule. William Spaulding also has ties to UDC. Chair Hood said that he was sure that other people had mentioned this idea to President Edington, but President Edington said he was not aware of this desire. So that is apparently something brewing by folks that we might hear about in the future.
(Aside: UDC’s former president, Ronald Mason, Jr. is responsible for the campus name change, which was approved by university trustees in April 2023. He thought it was important to have a new name to reflect the community college rather than the old name of the middle school. Former President Mason decided to name the campus after the neighborhood in which it sits, just like UDC’s main Van Ness campus. The existing building on the Lamond-Riggs campus is still named the Bertie Backus building).
The Zoning Commission asked UDC to submit a post-hearing statement to address the testimony of the ANC (and myself). UDC also had to outline what conditions the university and DDOT agreed on for the preliminary order.
Zoning Commission Meeting & Decision
UDC Post-hearing Statement UDC submitted a post-hearing statement. The submission includes UDC’s TDM plan, which they say is approved by DDOT. It also includes further revisions to sections of the campus plan.
At the public meeting on November 30, the Zoning Commission decided it was satisfied with UDC’s updates and responses to OP, DDOT, DOEE, and the ANC. Chair Hood said he was sure that UDC would work with residents on better communication and work on issues related to the food hub. He also mentioned one more time for good measure that he wants to see the campus renamed after Mr. Spaulding. Vice Chair Miller chimed in to say he worked with Mr. Spaulding on the council and that he too thought it would be a fitting name. (Aside: It is always interesting to see what Chair Hood decides to expound on extemporaneously during hearings).
UDC Proposed Draft Order The Zoning Commission still needs to issue a final order. UDC submitted a proposed draft order outlining several conditions. UDC’s proposed conditions copied and pasted below:
Campus Plan Term
1. The Campus Plan shall be valid for a period of 10 years.
Enrollment
2. For the duration of the 2023 Plan, the maximum enrollment on the Lamond-Riggs Campus shall not exceed 3,000 students and 118 faculty.
Further Processing
3. The University may construct the proposed Wing D as described in the 2023 Plan, subject to further processing review and approval pursuant to § 210 of the Zoning Regulations: a. The location shall be within the area identified on (Ex. 3 and 2H2-2H3) of the University’s June 21, 2023 Campus Master Plan submission; b. The number of stories, gross floor area, and lot coverage shall be generally consistent with the development summary indicated in the University’s June 21, 2023 Campus Master Plan submission;
4. The University shall provide the community with notice and an opportunity to review the proposed design of the new wing at least 60 days prior to filing of the application for further processing:
a. Notice of the University’s intent to file the application (“Notice of Intent”) shall be provided by U.S. Mail to ANC 5A and all owners of all property within 200 feet of the campus. In addition, the Notice of Intent shall be provided by U.S. Mail to all residents within approximately one block of Square 3757, Lot 802. The Notice of Intent shall state that the University intends to file an application to secure further processing approval to construct the new wing on University property, and shall provide the maximum square footage, description of common areas, and planned pedestrian and vehicular circulation adjacent to the new wing. In addition, the Notice of Intent shall provide a website address (URL) where more information about the proposed wing may be found, and the contact information (name, phone, and email) for a University representative that can be contacted for additional information. Finally, the Notice of Intent shall indicate the date, time, and location of the Preliminary Design Review meeting described below; and
Student Conduct
5. All students at the Lamond-Riggs Campus shall be required to comply with the University Code of Conduct.
6. The University shall use disciplinary intervention for acts of misconduct committed by students (i.e., ‘violations of the Code of Conduct) in the surrounding community (which shall mean within one mile of the University), even if the students are not in properties owned or controlled by the University. The University shall act on incident reports submitted by persons including residents, ANC 5A, community associations, tenant associations, building management, the University’s Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management, and the Metropolitan Police Department.
7. The University shall establish and maintain a relationship with the Metropolitan Police Department to secure referrals on all reports of complaints, infractions, or arrests of University students. The University shall maintain a log of all referrals received and all actions taken.
Transportation and Parking
8. The University shall manage its on-campus parking supply and encourage all students, faculty, staff, and visitors to use transit and other alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle through the implementation of the TDM and PMP measures detailed in Exhibit 24 which reflects all of the commitments made by the University.
9. The University shall encourage all visitors attending special events on campus to use transit or park in University or other area parking facilities. The University shall work with area institutions and commercial parking operators as well as use attendant parking to provide additional parking as needed during these events.
10. The University shall direct all construction traffic to avoid routes through the adjacent residential neighborhoods through contract provisions or similar mechanisms.
Community Outreach
11. University representatives shall attend ANC 5A’s monthly meeting, providing updates on the 2023 Plan process and continuing a line a communication between University leadership and community members and stakeholders.
With 2023 coming to a close, our project site has transformed! Since our last update, we have completed our concrete foundations, underground MEP, and our slab-on-grade. We’ve poured most of our level 1 deck where the main amenity space and future retail will be. We’ve formed the last portion of this level 1 deck and will begin forming the garage ramp before the end of the year. We will also be close to 2/3 topped out with our concrete portion of the building where only the north slab should remain. We plan to top out our concrete structure within the first two weeks of January. Thank you to all of our trade partners, design partners, and our client for helping us reach this critical juncture on the project.
Upcoming Work
Starting early 2024, we will begin building our CMU (cinderblock) towers for our stairwells, elevators, and trash chute. This kicks off a new phase of construction as we transition from concrete structures to wood framing. When wood framers arrive, you can expect to see a new mobile tower crane on-site, staged in a similar location to our current mobile crane along Riggs Road NE. This is to facilitate the lifting of wood trusses and lumber to the elevated decks. Further, our large dewatering system will be demobilizing shortly as we’re no longer in the deeper portions of our foundation that encountered groundwater. While the wood framing is occurring, you’ll see several other activities including:
Steel angle installation around the 2nd floor. This angle will support the brick over large spans and above the concrete portion of the building.
Excavations, steel pile removal, and waterproofing the tops of our foundation walls. These are smaller, roughly 4’ deep excavations that will be backfilled.
The start of metal stud framing and exterior sheathing
Our goal is to top out framing, install windows, and have the building substantially dried in come spring time. This will kick off our brick, siding, and balcony work on the exterior while we complete mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-ins on the interior before moving into interior finishes.
Please note that we will be shifting our site perimeter fence on the east elevation near the townhomes. The fence will move further east (towards the townhomes) into the permissible construction easement. This additional space will be required in order to allow the proper equipment to access this elevation safely and efficiently in order to best maintain our schedule. Plan to see small excavation equipment, forklifts, aerial lifts, and scaffolding within this area.
In the Event of Inclement Weather:
In the event of snow or other wintery weather, DAVIS has snow/ice melt on hand to ensure the sidewalks around our site and the walkway on our site have minimal tripping hazards.
Snow will be cleared from wood decks over the edge of the building with controlled access zones below.
If a large snow storm occurs, DAVIS will hire the necessary personnel to remove snow from site or consolidate on/near site to provide access pathways for our project.
Community Involvement
We’ve tried to mesh into the Fort Totten and Riggs communities. Thus far, DAVIS, KCM, and APAH have:
Taken the safety of the Riggs Park Place NE entrance to heart. We have removed portions of our fence mesh and adjusted the barricades and fencing angles to improve visibility between the private entrance and Riggs Road NE.
We have also ordered and installed a custom, photo-reflective sign in the median notifying passing drivers of the entrance upcoming.
We have worked with the local ANC and LRCA (Lamond-Riggs Citizen Association) to obtain TCP approval for the necessary site staging along Riggs Road. We have devised and implemented a plan to minimize rush hour congestion and noise as mush as possible.
Mowed the tall grass around the trailer and on DDOT’s land.
Periodically cleaned up the area around our site. This includes trying to maintain a clean area from both construction debris and any windblown debris from the neighborhood or pedestrians.
Conducted preconstruction surveys of adjacent townhomes to document any changes that may be caused by the project.
Connected with Food & Friends for volunteering opportunities. DAVIS personnel helped deliver Thanksgiving meals!
Registered 22+ District residents into a paid job training program that will commence in the new year. We will make every effort to provide these individual with job opportunities.
Attended Art All Night and supported local businesses.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 