DC USA Begins Construction

Construction is underway on the much-delayed DC USA, soon to be the largest retail space in Washington, D.C. Also, more developments announced at the National Harbor in Prince William County.

DC USA Breaks Ground

WASHINGTON, DC - After years of discussions and delays, work has finally started on DC USA, a 540,000-sq.-ft. retail project in the Columbia Heights section of Washington, D.C. Once completed, the $150 million project will be the largest retail development in the District.

Ground broke on the project in May, following Mayor Anthony Williams's February announcement that project financing had closed. A joint venture of Clark Construction Group of Bethesda, Md., and The Sherman R. Smoot Corp. of Washington are the general contractors. Completion is slated for 2008.

The three-level complex will include a two-level 180,000-sq.-ft. Target - the first in the District - as well as Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Marshalls and Staples. The property will also house a 40,000-sq.-ft. Washington Sports Club complete with swimming pool and basketball court.

National Harbor Heats Up

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, MD - High demand for hotel rooms and convention space is ramping up activity at the $2 billion National Harbor mixed-use development in Prince William County, Md. This spring, developers announced that another 1,400 rooms at six hotels would be built on the 300-acre development along the Potomac River south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, scheduled to open this month.

Gaylord Hotels announced that it will expand its Gaylord National project by 500 rooms and add 25,000 to 30,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. The original Gaylord National project called for 1,500 rooms, 400,000 sq. ft. of convention and meeting space, and parking for 2,600 cars. The joint venture of Washington, D.C.-based Perini/Tompkins is the general contractor. Gensler of Washington, D.C., is the design architect.

Colin Reed, Gaylord's chairman and chief executive officer, said the company is expanding the project to meet rising demand. Although the project is not scheduled to open until 2008, more than 600,000 room nights have been booked around future convention business. In the fourth quarter of 2005, Gaylord booked 184,000 room nights.

The contract for the original 2.4 million-sq.-ft. design was valued at $350 million, but Gaylord announced that the cost of the expansion, as well as higher construction costs, are expected to add between $235 million to $285 million to the total budget.

National Harbor's master developer, the Peterson Companies of Fairfax, Va., announced in April that five new hotels would be built on the site. Westin Hotels and Resorts, Marriott Residence Inn, Fairfield Resorts, Hampton Inn and Suites, and W's Aloft together will add 900 rooms.

In addition to hospitality projects, several other mixed-use developments are moving forward. WDG Architecture of Washington announced that it was selected by the Peterson Companies to design four blocks of residential, retail, and hotel space within the development.

The first of the four projects to go forward, Potomac Promenade Condominiums, will include 246 units with 41,500 sq. ft. of street- and mezzanine-level retail. The building will include a rooftop pool and plaza that will provide views of the Potomac River along National Harbor's western edge.

Potomac Promenade will also include a fitness center, media room, club room, and two levels of underground parking. The >> 526,000-sq.-ft. property is scheduled to begin construction this summer, with completion anticipated for early 2008.

When built out, National Harbor will include 7.3 million sq. ft. of residential, hotel, office, and restaurant and retail space. The development is located approximately 15 minutes from Washington, D.C.

ARC Wheeler Moves Ahead with Baltimore's Tallest Tower

BALTIMORE, MD - With plans for a new tower on Baltimore's Inner Harbor moving through approvals, Philadelphia-based developer ARC Wheeler is getting closer to commanding Charm City's skyline.

The firm plans to build a $360 million 59-story building - dubbed 10 Inner Harbor - on a long-vacant site at 414 Light Street. The 717-ft.-tall building would dwarf the city's current giant - the 529-ft. Legg Mason Building.

ARC Wheeler obtained the first of three required approvals from the city's Urban Design and Architectural Review Panel Feb. 16. The project is subject to final design approval by the Baltimore City Planning Commission at a publicly advertised hearing.

Assuming the project moves smoothly through approvals, the project is expected to break ground April 2007 with a slated opening in April 2010.

Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York, N.Y., is the project design architect. In addition to designing what could become Baltimore's tallest tower, Stern also designed Comcast Center, which will be Philadelphia's tallest structure when it tops out. No general contractor has been selected for 10 Inner Harbor.

The proposed project would be a mixed-use development, utilizing the full 1.92-acre block at the western edge of the Inner Harbor. Nearly 74,600-gross-sq-ft. of the 1.3-million-sq.-ft. building would be ground level and second-floor retail.

Grunley Adds $26.5 Million Contract at DOI

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. General Services Administration's Public Buildings Service awarded Grunley Construction of Rockville, Md., a $26.5 million option under its contract to modernize Wing 4 of the U.S. Department of the Interior Headquarters Building in Washington, D.C., in April.

Grunley Construction renovated Wings 5 and 6 of this historic building under separate contract options. The project started in April and is expected to wrap up in August 2007.

Wing 4 work will include renovation of an office store; hazardous material abatement throughout the central plant, mechanical level, and seven floors of office space; upgrades to the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems; addition of new interior and exterior egress stairs; renovations of offices, bathrooms and four passenger and two freight elevators; and restoration of window frames and replacement of sashes.

$112 Million Tower Underway at Baltimore Washington Medical

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD - Work is underway on a new six-story patient tower at Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Anne Arundel County, Md. The Whiting-Turner Construction Co. of Baltimore broke ground on the project this spring. Cannon Design of Baltimore is the designer. Completion is scheduled for 2008.

Work started this spring on the $112 million Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Anne Arundel County, Md. The project will add 111 private medical surgical beds, an obstetrics unit, as well as a larger emergency department that will enable the hospital to treat up to 100,000 patients annually.

The $112-million project will add 111 private medical surgical beds to the hospital - formerly known as North Arundel Hospital - including 24 intensive care beds. Plans also include a state-of-the-art obstetrics unit with four labor and delivery rooms and 18 post-partum beds, and a 15,000-sq.-ft. expansion of the existing emergency department, with 17 additional treatment rooms.

The emergency department, which opened in 1999, was designed to accommodate 65,000 patients but treated more than 80,000 in 2004. The expansion will enable the hospital to see as many as 100,000 emergency room patients annually.

Cannon Design has completed a number of projects at Baltimore Washington Medical Center over the past five years, including the Tate Cancer Center, honored with a design award by the American Institute of Architects, Baltimore Chapter, as well as the Maryland Vascular Center.

Heery Heads up Penn Judicial Center

HARRISBURG, PA - Heery International of Philadelphia was selected in April to manage construction of the $98.4 million Pennsylvania Judicial Center in Harrisburg, Pa.

The nine-story, 340,000-sq.-ft. Judicial Center, which is part of the historic Capitol Complex at Commonwealth Avenue and North Street, will house three Commonwealth Court courtrooms, a conference and training center, archives, library and office space for more than 500 employees.

Demolition of an existing parking garage and other site preparation work are underway. Sabre Demolition Corp. of Avon, Ohio, is the demolition contractor under a contract managed by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. The Judicial Center, designed by Vitetta Architects of Philadelphia, is expected to be completed in December 2008.

Heery anticipates multi-prime contracts for general trades, mechanical, electrical and plumbing to be awarded this summer.

Forrester Books Busy Spring

ROCKVILLE, MD - Forrester Construction announces eight new contracts this spring.

Forrester Construction was awarded the $21 million King Hall repair and rehabilitation project at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. The restoration work is approximately 63,000 sq. ft. The architect is RTKL Associates in association with James Posey Associates, both based in Baltimore. Construction will begin in June and be completed by June 2008.

D.C. Public Schools selected Forrester for relocation of the Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School in Washington. The project will involve a 15,000-sq.-ft. gut and renovation of a historic building, which was once home to the old Military Road School. The architect is Washington, D.C.-based Hickock Cole Architects. Construction began in May and is expected to last approximately four months.

Other new contracts include the $13.5 million Maryland Department of Transportation/Motor Vehicle Administration Operations and Information Resources Building in Glen Burnie, Md., the $14 million 170,000-sq.-ft. Lexus of Rockville new Automotive Dealership and Service Center project in Rockville, Md., and the 6,000-sq.-ft. PS900 Restaurant in Washington, D.C.

Forrester Interiors Group announced three new projects this spring. The company was awarded a 10,000-sq.-ft. fast-track office renovation at the headquarters of Hospital Corporation of America in Reston, Va.; a 40,000-sq.-ft. interior renovation for Reed Technology and Information Services in Alexandria, Va.; and the 31,000-sq.-ft. Discovery Communications project in Bethesda, Md.