Douglas Development Plans for 1216-26 9th Street

Updated 7/9/2013: Content
Updated 6/12/2013: Photographs
Updated 6/3/2013: Content
Updated 5/3/2013: Content

Updated 7/9/2013: 
Blagden Alley Naylor Court Association have their monthly meeting on the 18th, part of this will be a Q & A from Douglas Development on the "Gang of Three"  Project. For the full text of the (pre) agenda narrative I will send you the BLANCA site Below is the guts of the project, the construction schedule. Phase 1 is starting, "Most of the construction activity for Phase I will take place on the Blagden Alley side of the rowhouses." So you may not see the progress, without a walk through.
Phase 2,  "will primarily be a structural and architectural phase and will also include significant facade remediation and restoration.  Since this phase on the construction will be on the 9th Street side of the buildings Douglas Development will have the proper infrastructure in place to handle and protect pedestrian traffic and limit street parking in front of the buildings.
The good news is that this is not a project that will stretch out for years, the completion date of 8 months is just so good :)


Construction Schedule
We project an 8-month construction timeline (as of June 2013 – subject to change):
Demolition Permit Issued: July 2013
Start Demo: Mid July 2013
Receive Building Permit /Phase I Construction: August 2013
Submit for Permit, Phase II: September 2013
Start Construction, Phase II: December 2013
Substantial Completion Phase I & II: February 2014
Update 6/12/2013: The signs are up!!!
Sigal Construction signs go up today
The signs are up, the permits approved and the construction is all that's left for "Gang of Three"


Update 6/3/2013: Douglas Development has begun remediation of the three properties, removal of Asbestos and toxins. This also means that the wonderful street art created within the buildings interior is now gone.It also means that the project is on the move....

Update 5/3/2013: On Thursday, May 2nd,  the Historic Preservation Review Board approved Douglas Development’s concept for an office and retail development along 9th Street NW.
The project, (report below) is the expansion of three rowhouses from 1216 9th Street NW to 1228 9th Street NW. There will be an entrance on 9th Street and a restaurant facing into Blagden Alley. The architecture firm designing the project is Antunovich Associates out of Chicago.


Original Content:
The 1200 Block of 9th Street NW must have the most speculated projects of any block in the city. Starting at MAC Realty’s 1212 9th Street, which is connected to Blagden Alley. This building (one of two, the other located on M St and Blagden Alley) will have 24 Units, and Retail.
The Flats at Blagden Alley - 9th St Facing -rendering
At the other end of the block, building plans are already approved for the corner of 9th and N Street that will feature Condo's and Retail (Old City Green site) 
Rendering of 9th and N Street Project
Directly next to The Flats, Douglas Development has proposed  a new project (known as "Gang of Three") the concept which they unveiled, March 27th at the local CDC meeting, this prior to meeting with the Historic Preservation Office. The Gang of Three refers to the three Victorian townhouse's facing 9th Street # 1216, 1218 and 1226.The design includes entrances on both 9th Street and Blagden Alley. (1226 9th does include a carriage house in the Alley that will be restored and incorporated into the project)
Current Gang of Three - 9th Street View
The Douglas Development's plan is to connect the interiors of the three houses, as well as adding an addition, spanning the three structures, that would reach back into Blagden Alley. The facades facing 9th would be restored, and the design would ensure that the addition would not be visible at street level.
Rendering of 9th Street view in Concept Project
The upper floors of the project will house commercial tenants, although some talk of Condo's has come up. 
Current Gang of Three - Blagden Alley View
The Rep from Douglas Development, Paul Millstein, stated that they are hoping for a restaurant facing the alley. “Its going to be a very cool, very bright space, with lots of outdoor areas”.
(Concept) Douglas Development Blagden Alley - Rear View
(Concept) Another Blagden Alley View - from above
This is all still a conceptual design/project. Douglas Development does own the three properties, so we can expect something to happen (personally I think that Jemal and his team have done wonderful work in preserving the old of DC and incorporating the new). The same Chicago architectural company that just completed the Walgreen's on 7th and H St are reported to be working with Douglas Development on the design.

Put the three proposed/projects together, and the 1200 block of 9th, between M St and N Street is going to look quite a bit different in the coming years. Mixed-Use, Apartment(Condo) / Retail will anchor both ends, preservation seems to be the key for the developers to find a successful path to passage of their concepts (lets hope so). Now if only the Washington Convention Center could find a way to fill all that vacant retail space on the opposite side of the 1200 block of 9th Street.


I would like to give credit to;

Blagden Alley Naylor Court Association
Urban Turf
Douglas Development Corp

All of whom I used as source material, along with my own stuff



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