In June, The Lawrence Ruben Company added to the 24,000-sq-ft lot it has owned at the corner of South Capitol and L since 2004, paying (according to DC land records) $4.843 million to buy 9,000 sq ft of the St. Vincent de Paul church's parking lot. I'm told the Ruben Co. has hired the Shalom Baranes architecture firm (which is also working on the huge Southeast Federal Center project) to design a 330,000-sq-ft office building for this location (1100 South Capitol Street). Most likely, Ruben will not move forward on construction until they sign a tenant for the building. Check my North of M page (and it's spiffy new map!) to see what other projects are on the boards in this getting-ever-more-crowded section of Near Southeast.

As projects begin to move with a dizzying pace in the blocks bounded by South Capitol, New Jersey, M, and the SE Freeway, it's tough to keep track of what's going where. So I updated my North of M overview map to make it easier to read.

WMATA has released a Joint Development Solicitation for two sites in Near Southeast--the eastern entrance to the Navy Yard subway station at New Jersey and M, and the chiller plant on the southwest corner of Half and L. The sites would be offered for long-term leases, with the goal being Transit-Oriented Development: "safe, walkable, mixed-use communities that emphasize transit connections and reduce auto dependency." The 4.400-sq-ft New Jersey and M site is interesting because it butts up against Donohoe's planned 1111 New Jersey Avenue office building, and the JDS states: "The Anacostia Waterfront Corporation has indicated a preference for the ground floor area around WMATAs eastern entrance to be an attractive public plaza, complimenting the new development in the area. In this case, development on the parcel would largely occur above the street level." I'm not sure how you create an attractive public plaza that has development above it.... I'm guessing that Donohoe will be quite interested in this land (and their rendering of 1111 NJ does indeed show a very nice plaza). As for the chiller site at Half and L, it's 14,100 square feet, with a 7,700-sq-ft privately owned strip right next to it that combined could allow for a 200,000-sq-ft development (just like 20 M Street just to its south). With two other parcels at the corner of Half and L ready to be developed (the Nation site and the Ron Cohen Square 699N project), I'd imagine this site will garner a fair amount of interest. Proposals are due to WMATA on Nov. 17.

A message on the PSA 105 Yahoo Group, posted by Ofc. Marvin Williams of MPD, says that there will be a "Fightback" on August 11 at 10 am, staged at 900 First Street SE (which would be in front of the Nexus Gold Club). What's a Fightback? Quoting: "There will be several other DC agencies on hand checking abandoned buildings, cars, fire hazards, business licenses for the businesses that are left, etc......we will also issue out any fines for businesses not in compliance." For folks who don't know about the PSAs, they are "Police Service Areas", and PSA 105's boundaries include the western half of Near Southeast, from 6th Street to South Capitol and from the Freeway to the River. (PSA 105 also extends north of the Freeway as well.) The eastern part of Near Southeast is part of PSA 106.

What was I just saying about crime in Near Southeast? The Washington Blade reports: "Two men, one armed with a gun, made off with more than $18,000 in cash after robbing the Wet/Edge nightclub complex, home to D.C.'s only remaining male strip club, on July 16, according to police." The clubs were open at the time; no one was hurt. The police are investigating it as a possible inside job. These clubs are part of the huge 2005 purchase of Square 699N by developer Ron Cohen; at the time of the purchase he announced plans for mixed-use development on the site, starting construction in 2006, but the businesses on the block are still operating and as best I've heard have not been given eviction notices, so I don't know when development is going to proceed.

From the Post: "D.C. Councilmember Marion S. Barry (D-Ward 8) pulled his car out of a parking space into the path of an oncoming vehicle shortly after midnight this morning, police said, in a stretch of Southeast Washington dominated by fast-food restaurants and nightclubs. [..] A camera crew from WRC-TV (Channel 4) arrived at the accident scene, in the 1000 block of 1st Street SE, in time to interview Barry, 70, who said he was coming from meeting a friend. His car was parked about 50 feet south of where 1st Street intersects with K Street, police said. The area is just north of the industrial zone where construction has begun on a new baseball stadium for the Washington Nationals." I would also add that the 1000 block of 1st Street is a block south of the Nexus Gold Club, just as a point of reference....

The rumors have abounded for some time, and now there's confirmation that the Nation nightclub at Half and K will be closing, with July 15 given as the last night of festivities. Potomac Investment Properties has had plans for some time to build a 250,000-sq-ft office building on that site--they filed a building permit application back in August, 2004, but it lay dormant for months and months and months. However, the permit has had some movement on it within the past month, so there clearly is movement toward beginning the new project. The Washington Blade has more on the closing, and on Nation's history. I don't know when exactly construction would begin. See my North of M page for photos, etc.

While at the Courtyard by Marriott today, I got some great overhead photos of Near Southeast; as I worked to put them on the site, I realized that it was also now time to launch separate pages for three developments that are in the pipeline: JPI's two residential projects on I Street, the mixed-use development project on Square 699N at 1st, Half, K, and L streets; and the Faison and Opus East 1st Street office and residential towers between L and M. Right now the pages are kind of short on specifics, and I don't have renderings of any of the projects, but with JPI and Square 699N looking to start construction later this year, I figured it was time to break them out into their own pages. Also, I added overhead shots to my Capper/Carrollsburg and North of M pages. (And, in looking at my 2006 pictures, have you all figured out yet that I got a new camera?)

Let's see if I can remember how to post an entry that doesn't have to do with the stadium... ANC 6D has posted its February Meeting agenda, which has a number of Near Southeast items. First, there will be a presentation by the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation on their plans. Then there will be a (re?)discussion of the proposed alley closings on Square 743N petitioned for by Faison to allow for the construction of two towers on 1st Street. There will also be presentation on the BZA application for the planned JPI residential project at 70/100 Street SE, which should give us our first peek at what's being planned for that site. Finally, there is a public space permit application by the Courtyard by Marriott hotel at 1st and L streets SE for a sidewalk cafe (which might be just fancy talk for an outdoor seating area connected to any food service the hotel will be having). The ANC meeting is on Monday, Feb. 13 at 7 pm, at 65 I Street SW.

Near Southeast makes the front page of the Post on Friday with "The Last Handshake Deal", a long feature on colorful real estate investor Marty Chernoff and other men who bought land in the area years back and are now cashing out. (As an example, Chernoff bought the trash transfer station at 70 I Street for $800,000 in 1988, and sold it last year for $35.9 million.) The print version also has a huge fabulous half-page graphic with a map of the neighborhood (centered mainly on the North of M area) with nine stunning and brilliant photos of streetscapes along 1st, K, L, and M streets. (Yes, they're my photos.) The Post's web site has an interactive version of the graphic, which is a nice companion to their interactive map of all of Near Southeast (which has been updated with six months' worth of new information). And if you're visiting here for the first time as a result of the Post story, welcome to Near Southeast, and try not to be too scared by all that this site contains.