Park Place apartments retail rumor

By the way... I heard a rumor that 7-Eleven has either backed out or is no longer being offered a lease at the Park Place apartments (on Georgia Ave over the metro stop). I believe the Wells Fargo bank is still slated to open, but no word on the other empty retail space.

I understand that the sale of the building last year by Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund (for $64 million) to TA Realty (paywall link) was predicated upon having long-term leases (hence national chains like 7-Eleven, Dunkin Donuts and Wells Fargo who can afford a long-term lease), so I wonder if another national chain is going to take that spot. Be nice to see local-owned businesses come into those long-empty spots. Kids' clothing store maybe?

We'll see what happens.

A plan for Sweet Mango's Chuck Brown mural?

Rooney Properties, who purchased the former Sweet Mango Cafe's foreclosed building at 3701 New Hampshire Avenue NW this past April, told the Washington Post that they are looking at options to save the Chuck Brown mural painted on the side of the building.

The developer's current plans call for construction to begin on the new building next summer and to find ways to preserve the mural. (See my previous article on the 21-unit building to replace Sweet Mango Cafe.) None of the plans seem to involve saving the actual wall where it now stands, but involve pictures or perhaps moving it someplace else.

“I love the mural,” said Lex Lefebvre, director of development for Rooney Properties, to the Washington Post this week. “We obviously know the mural has a lot of significance in the neighborhood and so we talked about a couple of ways we can incorporate it into the new project.”

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Current design for the new 21-unit apartment building to replace the Sweet Mango Cafe building.

While the mural is relatively recent, having been painted in 2012, it's a local favorite. There has been a fair amount of unhappiness at the potential loss of the mural (as well as Sweet Mango Cafe).

Apparently one of the ideas the developer has to preserve the mural is to take high-resolution photographs of the mural and hang photos in the lobby of the new building. 

Another idea, according to Lefebvre, is that the wall facing north on New Hampshire Ave will be blank in the current design (as opposed to the southern facing wall the mural is now), and that perhaps that northern wall space can be used for a new mural. 

The Post article states that: "But Lefebvre noted that the building’s neighbor is allowed to build against that wall, so the spot is not ideal. The mural could also be placed in the lobby of the apartment building or in one of the retail spaces. 'We are certainly looking at all options,' Lefebvre said."

There is a new restaurant, "3701 Jerk Station," temporarily in the building. They're hoping to reopen in the same location after the current building is torn down and the new building is completed.

Source: Washington Post

Sweet Mango Cafe to become 21-unit apartment building (updated)

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Image courtesy of UrbanTurf

If you were wondering what was going to happen to the Sweet Mango Cafe after it closed earlier this year, wonder no more. Looks like it's going to be torn down to build a 21-unit apartment building at 3701 New Hampshire Ave. 

According to DC UrbanTurf, "the 65-foot, five-story residential development will have one and two-bedroom residential units on floors two through five and there will be retail on the ground floor."

And of course, the developer wants to get a variance to reduce the amount of required parking spots down from the 13 the zoning laws call for (not sure what the final desired number is). The developer will need to go before ANC 4C and ask for a letter of support, and then the DC Zoning Board will have to approve their request for the variance.

Considering it'll be an apartment building with 1-2 bedroom units located across the street from the Petworth metro and a block from Safeway, etc, I would image that they'll get that variance approved.

7/31 Update: For those lamenting the loss of Sweet Mangos Cafe, bear in mind that the restaurant closed in March 2015 due to financial troubles (the building went into foreclosure). It was subsequently purchased by Rooney Properties for $2,430,000. There had been rumors of a new restaurant, but since the lot is zoned for residential as well, it's not a surprise that it's being redeveloped into a larger building. This redevelopment into a new mixed-use building is not the cause of Sweet Mango's demise.

According to a Park View blog post from April:

"The property is zoned GA/C-3-A. C-3-A permits matter-of-right medium density development, with a density incentive for residential development within a general pattern of mixed-use development to a maximum lot occupancy of 75% for residential use and 100% for all other uses and a maximum height of sixty-five (65) feet. Additionally, the Georgia Avenue (GA) overlay stipulates that the ground floor level of each building shall have a uniform minimum clear floor-to-ceiling height of 14 ft. To accommodate this, buildings permitted an additional five feet of building height over that permitted as a matter-of-right in the underlying zone, meaning that any new development on the site could be up to seventy (70) feet."

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Chuck Brown mural on the side of the former Sweet Mango Cafe

It will be a shame to lose that awesome mural, though. The mural was put up in 2012 to honor iconic DC musician Chuck Brown (the mural was drawn from a 1992 photo taken by Washington City Paper) who passed away that year (here's his Washington Post obit). Sounds like a great opportunity for ANC Commissioner Timothy Jones (4C08) to reach out to the developer and work with them to get a new mural created at that location.

There's been some lively discussion on this topic on the Petworth News Facebook page. Feel free to add your thoughts on FB or below.

One resident posted this option on the Petworth News Facebook page:

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Courtesy Mike Henry

Sources: DC.UrbanTurf, ParkViewDC 

What's your advice: owning a bad flip

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OK, Petworth News readers, this one is for you. What advice do you have to share on owning a bad flip?

I got an email from a reader who lives in Petworth. About a year ago, she and her husband bought a newly flipped / renovated house and now... problems, lots and lots of problems.  Unfortunately, this isn't a unique story, but maybe one of you smart peeps have good advice (and the name of an attorney) that you can share to help this couple find a way to resolve the issues.

The reader's email:

Thank you for all your Petworth news - my husband and I follow your news religiously! I have a question, we are new to Petworth, one year, and think we may have been scammed.

We feel like schmucks and bought a flipped house and we are having many many problems with our home. We still have holes in our ceiling, the skylights and basement leak, there has been water leaking into our electrical panel and the sub-flooring in our kitchen is unfinished...anyways, we are looking for some recourse against the seller.

Do you know any real estate attorneys that have been a part of litigation against these LLCs that flip houses? We are desperate for consult and help. 

Please comment below or send me an email and I'll pass along your response to the reader. You can also comment on Facebook.

Egregious pop-ups on Kennedy Street

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A terribly designed pop-up conversion on Sherman Avenue. The house looks perpetually surprised to me. 

Look, I'm not against pop-ups if they're done well. Being able to add more livable space to a house built 90-100 years ago in a city that doesn't have much in the way of expandable space is a great idea. 

My neighbors "popped up" their attic into a full, usable floor that you don't notice from the street and can only see from the rear, and even then it looks great and fits into the design. 

Even the conversions where a developer (or owner) converts a house into a two or three unit condo can be acceptable (within reason, and that can be argued). If done well, as in this example in my opinion, I think the building can fit in with the existing visual design of the street (not talking about parking or other issues here):

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New Hampshire & Randolph pop-up condo conversions. For me, these look acceptable.

But THESE pop-ups on Kennedy Street... damn. This is why we can't have nice things.

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Petworth Post Office to close in July

Courtesy Google Maps

The Petworth Post Office (4211 9th St NW) finally has its close date. USPS has been saying the location is going to close for a couple of years, but the date hadn't been known until now. It's shutting down on July 28, 2015.

That part of 9th Street (just around the corner from Upshur) has Lighthouse Yoga, Red Sun embroidery, Marshall March funeral home and El Torogoz restaurant. 

According to a few residents commenting on the Popville.com website, "the District has signed a long lease to build a Community Outreach Center. They’re going to occupy the entire building and will open at the end of the year. The Post Office has to move sometime in the coming months but he doesn’t know where they’re going to go."

It'll be interesting to see what does happen to that space. Something that serves the needs of residents with housing, jobs, etc., would be great -- especially if it brings more foot traffic to that area, helping both restaurants and retail.

Source: Popville, listservs

Thai/Balinese Restaurant coming to Upshur St

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Image courtesy of Takeaway

Looks like Upshur Street between 8th & 9th Streets continues its growth as a restaurant row. Word is that a group is looking to open a Thai / Balinese restaurant at 845 Upshur St NW, where the closed China American Inn is now.

They hope to open in Fall 2015. I'll try to get more info.