August 24, 2007
Uline Arena to Become Huge Starbucks
We kid. Kind of.
According to the Washington Business Journal, the Uline Ice Arena and the surrounding area may be the next frontier in development in the District. The arena, which is just north of Union Station and hosted the first Beatles concert in the U.S. in 1964, is being looked at by developer Douglas Jemal as the anchor for a new entertainment district along the lines of the popular East End/Verizon Center area.
While plans are still in the making, the possible development would host restaurants, bars and entertainment, adding to an area that is fast moving forward. Along with the Uline re-development, progress continues along New York Avenue in Northeast, while parts of Bloomingdale along North Capitol Street have picked up and NoMA (the area north of Massachusetts Avenue) has taken on new residential and commercial properties in recent years. Other large development projects in the works also include the area around the new stadium and along the Anacostia River in Southeast and Southwest, and H Street NE.
The Uline Arena, also known as the Washington Coliseum, was built in 1941 and hosted everything from basketball to hockey to Bob Dylan. From 1994 to 2003 it was used as a trash transfer station, and since then as an indoor parking lot. In November 2006 the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board added to its list of protected properties.
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So that is what that building is! I've always thought it looked interesting when passing on the Red Line.
Same here, I had no clue what this!
Ah, this monkey recalls many a Trouble Funk, EU, and Junkyard Band show at the Uline. I hope the developers find it in their hearts to preserve a portion of the place for kids to hone their skilz in the fine art of gogo with their paintbuckets and cowbells.
What about having it be a music venue again?
my mom saw the Beatles there...she loves to tell that story
I'm with [4]. Enough of this "urban renewal" crap. It's bad enough seeing Columbia Heights - one-time home of the Wilson Center - becoming a sterilized yipster backyard. Let's revitalize this into a nice theater-sized music venue and keep the medium-large sized shows here and out of NoVa. Dammit.
I ride the red line every day and still have no idea where it's located. Still, I can't help but feel a pang of dread when I read about more development.
I went to the circus there when I was a little kid.
That's where my lifelong suspicion of clowns began, which triggers my distress upon hearing of Douglas Jemal's involvement with this site.
I mapped the area out on my blog for all of you to see.
http://developersagent.com/
Its right in the center of EVERYTHING!!!
I live near the site and welcome the development. I can't stand people who don't live near potential development projects nay say about what is being planned. You don't live in the neighborhood, you just ride by it on the metro and that means your opinion isn't appreciated...
If Jemal's past performance is any indication, nothing's going to happen on the site for the forseeable future. Douglas Development still owns quite a few properties in Penn Quarter and Gallery Place that have been empty for years, and that neighborhood is booming. He bought the Uline 3 years ago and he's only announcing this development plan now? Assuming there's still demand for what he's planning, I'd give it another 3 years before groundbreaking, if that.
Actually, with his knowledge and experience the only thing holding him up is the variance and MUD (mixed use development) approval from the city. They can take as little as 8 months. The rest will be history.
For those of you who want to know more about the area...Jemal isnt the only one...just across the tracks is the new Marriott Hotel, ground break next month, the Sunoco Station at New York and Florida is going to be a condo building and that Wendy's is about to be leveled!!!!!! Get ready for another traffic circle.
developersagent.com
Oh, THERE IS MORE!!!!
The city will complete its above ground streetcar system in 2009, right down H st NE from Union Station and out on Benning. Take a look at the road construction right down the middle of the street.
Its not going to end their either!
Guest from Post 7:
I don't understand what's so wrong with development. Have you looked at DC lately, especially the Northeast? Half the buildings look like they are abandoned. I say the more development the better! It would be nice to be able to use the building instead of it being an unsightly eye sore.
There is graffiti all over it. It hards to miss it. If you are going towards Glenmont/Silverspring on the red line look towards your right after you get out of Union Station. You'll see it.
I can't wait for all these projects to be done. It'll be nice to see DC out of the slump it was in during the last 20 years (hell before I was born). I think it's going to be an even more beautiful city once everything is done.
developersagent.com reminds me of the guy from "Flipping Out." And yes, I watch too much Bravo.
- the english major
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the Capitol City Market is going to get buried under Toontown. The question is, will places like Litteri's stay in the neighborhood or will they be replaced by some overpriced boutique slopshop?
RoyC - I don't think the choice is between development or no development. It's between good development (what the people in the neighborhood want, like cafes and grocery stores) and bad development (office cubes with no groundfloor retail, overpriced tourist traps, upscale junk the neighbors can't afford). There was a time where DC would bend over for any developer, any time, for any project that brought revenues in. At what point can DC residents start getting picky about what they want their tax dollars going to subsidize?
developersagent.com should change his slogan to "The only bad development is no development!" In all caps.
Whether it is a music venue or the home of Starbuck's and the Gap, anything is better than it's recent uses as a trash transfer and a parking lot!
I live nearby and yeah, development is needed, but can't say I'm eager for all high-rises that block out the sun and Vegas-style entertainment complexes. Chinatown sucks with all of it's flashing boards and chain tapas places. We don't need more like it.
This Onion article seems prescient:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/shitty_neighborhood_rallies
Well if this article is correct, progress in the District will slow, thanks to sup-prime craziness.
"For the moment, the District's office market remains strong, even as developers struggle under a glut of unsold condos. But it's hard to imagine that the market will be able to absorb all the exciting development that is now slated to rise out of the ground over the next five years, from Union Station to the old convention center site and areas along the Potomac and Anacostia waterfronts."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/23/AR2007082302102_2.html
Monkeyrotica...lol....like the name. Yeah you are right. Development does need to be done in a good way. I'm with you, I don't want to see crappy development just for the sake of development.
Basically I was just saying I like development [as long as it's good]. So the more [good] development the better...lol.
"even as developers struggle under a glut of unsold condos"
You mean, they're having problems moving their $800k "luxury" condos in cookie-cutter buildings located in drab neighborhoods?
Oh, poor condo developers. My heart goes out to them.
How about swallowing some pride, lowering your profit forecasts, and dropping your prices? Or is that too drastic an action for you?
#22 - Keep it down. When developers hear that kind of talk, bargain hunters become bargain hunted.
I did my CUA Architecture thesis project on this site. I hope Jemal doesn't screw it up.
check out my proposal:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_malone/sets/72157600961212348/
i vote for giving district sports rights to use it for volleyball, basketball, indoor soccer, and hockey. i'm tired of driving out to fairfax, dulles, rockville, and columbia for my winter soccer jones. plus i've always wanted to try speedskating. OK ok, make some money by putting food & drink on the second level.
I'm guest #7, thanks for the link, guest #9. When I saw that I realized that it was the building I've been staring at for the past 8 years, day in and day out.
RoyC- I did not mean all development, of course. Good development is great for a community, but when I read 'development', I immeidiately imagine starbucks, starbucks, starbucks.
ditto on the recreation use for Uline. It should definitely at least return to its use as an ice rink for part of the year. It's just sad that the only Ice rink in DC is way down at Ft Dupont. I had to drive down there 3 times a week when I played on CUA's ice hockey team and nowadays I have to schlep out to Ballston to get my hockey fix.
Ice at the Uline now!
Eh, It'll probably end up either a gay strip club or some "New Orleans French Quarters during Marti Gras" sort of thing. Or maybe both, depending on which promoter is running the place that night and how quickly the waterbeds can be cleaned.
Monkey:
With all due respect to your graying self (I had no idea you were old enough to have seen shows at the Uline), it's damn hard to actually develop an existing property in DC. Jemal bought the Uline, and instantly every organization in town started weighing in on it's 'historic significance', it's potential uses, etc.
It's not uncommon for development projects to take years, in large part because of DC fuck-up-edness.
The man paid $6 million for a rotting eyesore in a high crime neighborhood. Once the rest of us are able and willing to take that type of risk then we can bitch about the uses of the property.
Of course, things have changed in 3 years. The initial use of residential now doesn't look so promising.