WASHINGTON (May 8, 2006) – A jury formed by the Washington Smart Growth Alliance (SGA) has recognized four new development proposals that are located in all three Washington area jurisdictions: a mixed-use project along upper Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C., a town center redevelopment near the Dunn Loring Metro in Fairfax County, a new addition to Rockville Town Center, and a redeveloped brownfield in downtown Frederick, Maryland.
The SGA is a coalition of five regional organizations: the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Greater Washington Board of Trade, Coalition for Smarter Growth, Metropolitan Washington Builders’ Council and ULI Washington (a district council of the Urban Land Institute). These organizations, some of which have held opposing views on growth issues, formed the Alliance four years ago to encourage policies and projects that promote smart growth.
5220 Wisconsin Avenue
On what is now a used car lot, D.C.-based Akridge proposes a tapered 3 to 7 story condominium building with neighborhood-serving ground floor retail along Wisconsin Avenue only 300 feet from the Friendship Heights Metro station.
The property is adjacent to a PEPCO substation with bricked over windows and cracked sidewalks. Akridge has agreed to replace the windows for use as community display space, repair and enhance the sidewalks by eliminating curb cuts, and provide trees and flower beds. Perhaps most impressively, Akridge has committed to achieving LEED certification, a distinction not yet achieved by any residential building in Washington D.C. LEED is a certification from the U.S. Green Building Council which encourages techniques and strategies that lessen a development’s environmental impacts. Among many other features, compared with traditional structures, the proposed building will use less energy and water, control storm water runoff, produce less construction waste and encourage alternative means of transportation through car sharing and bicycle use.
"We are proud of the 5220 Wisconsin project and of Akridge’s commitment to transit-oriented development," said Matthew J. Klein, President of Akridge. "In order to address the growth the Washington D.C. region is experiencing, it is critical that we look towards neighborhoods with good transit access for appropriate, compact development. This project will also substantially enhance the pedestrian experience on that block.”
Merrifield Town Center
Located three-quarters of a mile from the Dunn Loring Metro station, Clark Realty and Edens & Avant are joint-venturing to redevelop 27 acres that is currently occupied by an old multiplex cinema and 12.5 acres of surface parking. This proposal would effectively implement the Merrifield Town Center Plan, which was put together by a coalition of business and civic leaders in 2001. The mulitplex would be rebuilt, and the surface parking replaced with a well-designed mix of residential, office and retail uses. Three new urban parks programmed for year-round activity would be scattered throughout the site offering sorely-needed public space to new and existing residents. This project would add vitality and life to what is currently a moribund auto-oriented use. Free shuttle service and an emphasis on pedestrian and bicycle accessibility will encourage people to use Metro.
“Merrifield Town Center will create a ‘real place,’ out of an old cinema and a sea of parking,” said Bereket Selassie, Development Executive for Clark Realty. “The Town Center project will leverage the tremendous transportation assets that already exist in Merrifield and create an architectural and social focal point for the area that gives people new choice in living, working and playing.”
255 North Washington Street
The City of Rockville has worked for over a decade on their Town Center plan. KSI is proposing a mixed-use building located within the Town Center. The building will have residential units and ground-floor, neighborhood-service retail, enhanced by large pedestrian walkways and seating areas. 15% of the units will be moderately priced dwelling units and they will be provided on-site. In addition, $200,000 worth of public art will be placed around the site - twice as much as the city requirement. In order to address citizen concern about increased traffic, the developer is working with the city and the citizens to provide transportation improvements to the adjacent West End community.
“Rockville should be proud of its Town Center vision,” said Pamela Tyrrell from KSI Services, “We believe bringing mixed-use residential to downtown Rockville near the Metro Station will help to realize the City's vision for a vibrant downtown living."
The Galleria at Carroll Creek
Birthed by a vision for an urban renaissance at the heart of one of Maryland’s great historic towns, the Galleria at Carroll Creek is just a short 5-minute walk to downtown and across the street from the MARC station. The project borders and will help enliven the Carroll Creek Walk Project (now under construction). This gateway site was designed around a dramatic fountain plaza and will feature approximately 130 condominiums, 33,000 square feet of retail, and a 372-space public parking garage. The Galleria at Carroll Creek is at the cutting edge of smart growth projects around the country, and is a flagship project for The City of Frederick.
"When visitors step off of the train and walk out of the doors of the major transit hub," explains Ken Wormald of The Wormald Companies, "their first impression of the city will be a view of The Galleria. Our goal is that visitors would immediately sense that they have arrived in a signature city full of romance, class, and charm. When you begin to think about branding a city, projects like the Galleria become very important parts of the puzzle to get right."
The SGA was pleased to recognize projects this round in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. “Smart growth looks different in different locations, but the principals remain the same,” said Jessica Cogan Millman, chair of the SGA jury and a senior director with the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “From Frederick to Fairfax, all four of the projects take advantage of our region’s huge public investment in transit and provide people with convenient options to stay out of traffic.”
Each quarter, the SGA evaluates project proposals in the Washington area that are under review or subject to review by local government regulatory agencies. Those representing the best examples of smart growth are publicized by the Alliance and highlighted by the Alliance during regular Alliance events. To date the SGA has recognized 35 development proposals from around the region.
