A walking tour of Van Ness last Saturday highlighted the past, the present and the potential of this DC commercial district.
Around 30 people, mostly neighbors, joined the October 22nd tour organized by the Coalition for Smarter Growth in conjunction with Van Ness Main Street. Cheryl Cort, the coalition’s policy director, started us off by introducing our tour guids and giving us an overview of changes that have come to Van Ness since the last walk in 2012:
Challenges at Van Ness were also discussed: the empty retail space left by the Walgreens closure, Fannie Mae’s decision to jettison retail as it seeks a buyer for 4250 Connecticut Avenue, and the “space-age crystal palace” where Intelsat once worked.
Who better to show off the new UDC student center than the man who designed it? Architect Michael Marshall, who is a principal with Marshall Moya and who, as a student, attended UDC’s predecessor, told us of the challenges of building the student center atop the Metro system. He then led us into the building to show us the sun-drenched atrium and a new space where students can sit and eat. It’s also accessible to Connecticut Avenue and the community. This space is yet to be activated.
Michael Marshall from @MarshallMoya talking about opportunity for new @udc_edu student center to better integrate school w/ CT Ave&community pic.twitter.com/KVste1SU3A
— Ward3Vision (@Ward3Vision) October 22, 2016
The student center’s ballroom on the third floor overlooks the former Intelsat headquarters, and there Sarah Alexander, an architect with Torti Gallas and part of a team evaluating this site, explained that Intelsat is unsuitable for conversion into an apartment building due to its structural features. Instead, this building is being marketed to tech firms because of its open space design – a much better fit.
Sarah Alexander from @TortiGallasUrbn talking about old Intelsat building in Van Ness & challenges of redeveloping the site @betterDCregion pic.twitter.com/MsZNx5liNb
— Ward3Vision (@Ward3Vision) October 22, 2016
Here also, Michelle Pourciau, the head of the Office of External Affairs at UDC, told us that the fitness center on the second floor is now open to UDC students and staff and will offer monthly memberships to the community at the beginning of the new year. This was greeted with a round of applause.
The next stop of the tour was Park Van Ness, at 4455 Connecticut Avenue. On the way, Mary Beth Ray, the president of Van Ness Main Street, stopped the group at Windom Place to mention the beautiful renovation of the UDC Performance Arts Theater at the west end of this street. This year, for the first time it is home to concerts by the Washington Performing Arts, Vocal Arts and Young Concert Artists. She stressed the potential of Van Ness as a cultural destination with this performance space, Levine School, Hillwood Museum, and other cultural and educational institutions in the neighborhood.
Across the street from Park Van Ness, Torti Gallas’s Alexander, who spent two years working on this building, pointed out the Beaux-Arts detailing and features.
She also discussed the challenges of construction at this site, given the sharp changes in grade to the Soapstone Valley. From the back, it is a 12-story apartment building.
Next, we visited one of the ground-floor retail spaces, Soapstone Market, with co-owner John Stannard. They are working hard to get it ready. Theresa Cameron, the executive director of Van Ness Main Street, announced the next Jazz@VN will take place at Soapstone Market this evening from 5 to 7 p.m. Stannard said they’d be serving drinks to those who came by to enjoy the music.
The final question of the tour was about the Burger King that Chick-fil-A had wanted for its own. Someone asked Mary Beth Ray about the status. Van Ness Main Street recently found a notice advertising the lease of this site at 4422 Connecticut Avenue. She said that the problem with this site is the drive-thru. It does not reflect the community’s vision of this area as a walkable, vibrant retail center. She went on to say that the DC Public Space Committee unanimously voted down Chick-fil-A’s request for a change in the use of public space because of the drive-thru.
This ended the tour of Van Ness. We saw a commercial area showing new sparks of life, a great potential for yet more growth and change, and a great need for Van Ness Main Street to help manage it.
Mary Beth Ray says
Kudos to Coalition for Smarter Growth, Michael Marshall, UDC, Sara Alexander, Ward 3 Vision, Van Ness Main Street, Theresa Cameron, Soapstone Market, and the lively participants for this excellent walk. Heartfelt thanks to author/editor Marlene Berlin, who proposed this walk four years ago. That original walk inspired the Van Ness Vision Committee of ANC 3F, which then evolved into Van Ness Main Street. There really is a new vibe in Van Ness, and there’s much more to come!