ValveetaChz says: (3/25/14 6:53 PM)
Seriously? Akridge? How about they finish the Half Street Project first before they take on anything new in Navy Yard???

dbt says: (3/26/14 1:25 PM)
I had exactly the same thought about Akridge. You would think that turning a low-revenue property (Half Street) into a high-revenue one by building something would trump buying more property to sit on, but it seems you'd be wrong in their case.

SWag says: (3/26/14 1:41 PM)
With all the visitors that come up and down half street every home game, and the 1,000 or so new residents the city is adding every month - you would think the Half St residential parcels would have no problem leasing/selling out! Navy Yard is hot! Helloooo? What exactly is the hold up? I don't know the history of Half St. development. I suppose I easily just snoop around on the site, but anyone have a quick history?

Also, I can see the logic in developing an office building on the chiller site, and not the mega project.

ZoolanderANDtheBoYz says: (3/26/14 2:38 PM)
It is a mystery. I think it has to do with Lehman brothers.
Lehman brothers was the financier for both Monument and Akridge on the half street project. I am not sure what kind of legal dispute Akridge have on the half street project. Unless JD is keeping the story to herself - All we can do is speculate and come up with our conspiracy theory.

JD says: (3/26/14 2:49 PM)
I don't think that's right about Lehman being involved in the Akridge side of Half Street--I don't ever remember Lehman being mentioned in concert with Akridge, only with Monument. And as far as I know there's no legal issue right now with Akridge's development. (Briefly there was a lawsuit by Monument when Akridge was awarded the Southeastern Bus Garage site, but that's been long over with.)

Monument got dealt a blow with both the economic collapse and the concurrent collapse of their money folks, Lehman. There's been some disentangling going on between those companies, though I think that's done now.

Both Monument and Akridge also bought their land at the very height of the market.

There were rumors at one time that Akridge was/is holding out for building the entire site at once, and since they aren't getting the office space leased, they can't move forward.

Beyond that, I don't really know what the deal is. Maybe someone more on the inside of CRE has some insight.

JD says: (3/26/14 2:53 PM)
I should also say, though, that I do hear through the grapevine that some financing types do look at the neighborhood and feel that it is perhaps getting a bit bubbly for residential. Might not be quite so easy to get financing when the banks see all the units currently under construction....

MJM says: (3/26/14 3:17 PM)
They are missing out if they don't build residential. As mentioned above the new people have to live somewhere. Condos have no problem going up elsewhere in the city. Akridge is probably the worst choice to build there. I can't think of another company in Dc that owns so many vacant plots of land. They are probably eyeing that spot as an extension of the Fairgrounds for the next five years until they can get financing to build.

JES says: (3/28/14 11:38 AM)
Bullish on residential?

link

JES says: (3/28/14 11:39 AM)
*Bubblish, excuse me