COVER STORY, FEBRUARY 2007

GATEWAY TO THE NORTH
Washington Gateway leads NoMa growth in D.C.
Daniel Beaird

Washington Gateway in Washington, D.C.

Marketing itself as the capital’s new business address, the NoMa submarket of Washington, D.C., is the next stop in line in the city’s expansion and growth. The submarket that got its name from being bound by Massachusetts Avenue to the south will feature more than 16 million square feet of Class A office space upon build out of a handful of campus-style office environments and mixed-use environments in the submarket. Serving as a northern anchor in the NoMa submarket is Washington Gateway, a 1 million-square-foot mixed-use project that will be located immediately north of the New York Avenue Metro station at the corner of the submarket between New York and Florida avenues. The $350 million development, being built by MRP Realty, will include two office towers, a 250-unit residential tower and a 150-key extended-stay hotel; and it has just been granted approval by the Washington, D.C., Zoning Commission. 

“Washington Gateway offers great visibility and accessibility as it will be a gateway site, hence the name, into Washington, D.C.’s downtown area,” says Fred Rothmeijer, a founding principal of MRP Realty. “The NoMa submarket offered a great opportunity for growth and the East End, in which it’s located, is a pioneering location for the district.”

Located close to the new Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) headquarters, Washington Gateway is scheduled to break ground in the fourth quarter of this year with an occupancy date set for the first quarter of 2010. While the NoMa submarket is already home to the headquarters of the aforementioned ATF, CNN, XM Satellite Radio, CareFirst, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the Department of Education, Washington Gateway looks to attract even more headquarter sites with its mix of office space and hotel availability.

“The hotel is a good use to complement the office component,” Rothmeijer says. “Companies won’t have to worry about where their out-of-town employees or clients can stay.” A hotel component is the new trend in mixed-use developments as developers look for ways to accommodate not just the everyday employee through residential options, but also the traveling employee or client for a few days.

Municipalities want more mixed-use developments to keep their residents working and playing close to home. Washington Gateway will provide residents and workers with a pedestrian-scaled urban street and plaza. Sidewalks along New York and Florida avenues will be substantially widened and enhanced with new trees, pavings and street furnishings; and retail amenities will include sidewalk cafes and shops.

“We have developed many projects in the district but none have had the significant level of public benefit and visibility as Washington Gateway,” Rothmeijer says. “We have been working closely with the D.C. Office of Planning, the D.C. Department of Transportation, and members of the community to unlock the site’s potential and create the highest possible project quality.”

And that’s what the entire NoMa submarket is aiming to do, create the highest possible project quality throughout the area. “The NoMa area has transitioned from just an office area a few years ago to a mixed-use area today,” Rothmeijer says. “The developers are committed to mixed-use projects and so are the members of the community.” Not only are developers and community members committed to mixed-use ideas, they are also committed to developing cleaner and more environmentally-friendly buildings for 24/7 uses. “There are bigger sites available in NoMa than the rest of Washington, D.C.,” Rothmeijer says. “So, developers are able to take the sites, work with the community, and mold the sites into a clear vision for the future.”

And the future’s bright for NoMa. With office and mixed-use developments such as NoMa Station, 90 K Street, Constitution Square, Capitol Plaza, First Place, and 201 Florida Avenue to go along with Washington Gateway, NoMa is full steam ahead. To compensate for such an influx of new development, the submarket has recently added the Red Line Metro Station, which expands its people-moving options and solidifies NoMa’s place as one of Washington, D.C.’s most exciting redevelopment areas.


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