21st Century Communication
The DowntownDC BID sent out its first tweet last month, officially joining millions of businesses and individuals who communicate in real-time on Twitter. The first communiqués, announcing our new foray into social networking, Washington, DC Restaurant Week and the 2011 Downtown Neighborhood Survey—your chance to inform retailers and other businesses about the growing Downtown consumer market and the area’s retail needs—were sent on January 19. Several others, from traffic alerts to weather conditions and access to public transportation in Downtown, followed. Expect to see even more soon, including a blog, as we adopt more efficient, faster and popular ways to spread the message about BID-related services, programs, partnerships and activities. Sign up to follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DowntownDCBID.

Blossoming Out
The National Cherry Blossom Festival has redesigned its website, www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org, just weeks ahead of the 2011 Festival taking place on Saturday, March 26 through Sunday, April 10. The site is more user-friendly and features a streamlined sitemap, interactive elements, and real-time updates. It provides practical information while conjuring the sights, sounds, and experiences from the nation’s greatest springtime celebration. View event feeds. Get the latest news. Tap into Twitter, Facebook and the official Festival newsletter. And become a part of the Festival community: learn about hundreds of Festival events and performances, how to volunteer, and ways to get and stay involved year round through tree plantings and educational programs. agencyQ (1100 13th Street), a full-service digital firm, designed the website, which debuted on February 1. Give it a try!

Filtering the Clamor
A Noise Task Force, established under the authority of the Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Board last March, has been working steadily to recommend changes to DC laws, policies and procedures related to ABC licensed establishments. The group, comprised of residents, community leaders and business community members, seeks to develop solutions that will educate DC residents and ABC licensees about noise laws and their rights, clarify the role of DC agencies in enforcing noise regulations, and prevent and resolve future noise issues. Hiram Brewton, the DowntownDC BID’s director of Environmental Services, is a member of the task force that has developed 10 proposals now before the ABC Board.  The proposals range from tracking noise complaints and creating an Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) afterhours hotline to developing an Introduction to DC Nightlife Course for licensees and mandating that developers and Realtors disclose noise laws.

Brewton recently gave a presentation to the ABC Board and recommended that ABRA create an Early Assistance Team made up of ABRA and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) staff and members of the public.

The ABC Board will be finalizing its recommendations based on the Task Force's proposals and will be forwarding a package to Councilmember Jim Graham (Ward 1) for his consideration later this week. The package will include some of the recommendations--including one about the Early Assistance Team--a transcript of the November 2010 pubic hearing and two additional recommendations that would require legislative changes. More details will be posted on the ABRA website. Stay tuned.

On the Right Track
The January SAM of the Month meeting took place at the US Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center (701 Pennsylvania Avenue). Danielle Loewy, in the Memorial’s Events and Leasing Department, hosted the ceremony and dispensed valuable information about the Center, which has a theater, several rotating exhibits about the sea services and houses several Navy Log kiosks.

Loewy, who presented the SAM of the Month awards, commended the SAMs for doing a superb job assisting visitors by providing directions and a welcoming presence and keeping Downtown streets clean and inviting.

The SAM of the Month meetings are a way to recognize individual SAMs for their stellar performance and to inform all SAMs of new developments in the Downtown BID area by enhancing their understanding of Downtown institutions, which enables them to better assist visitors, workers and residents.
 
During the meeting, Maintenance Team Member Robinson Reyes Acevedo and Safety/Hospitality Team Member Oscar Manual Benitez, Jr., were recognized as the December SAMs of the Month.

Robinson Reyes Acevedo joined the Maintenance SAMs two years ago and is delighted to receive his first Sam of the Month designation. The former painter was recommended by two Maintenance SAMs—SAM of the Year and SAM of the Month winners—who know a thing or two about a first-rate worker when they see one. Acevedo volunteered to work during the 2010 snowstorm and has a reputation for working hard and being on task. Born in the Dominican Republic, he loves playing baseball and spending time with his wife and 10-month-old daughter.

Oscar Manual Benitez, Jr., likes making people’s day. Since joining the Hospitality SAMs in 2009, he makes it his business to greet Downtown visitors and workers with a smile and helpful advice. The SAM Program’s Maintenance Team manager isn’t surprised. He originally interviewed Benitez for a spot on his team, but was so impressed with his personality and bearing that he referred him to the Hospitality Team, where interacting comfortably with visitors, workers and residents is key. Benitez is a native of El Salvador but grew up in DC and Prince George’s County. He is single and enjoys drawing in his free time time.

Positive Signs of Recovery
Office real estate in DC continues to improve. In 2010, total net absorption—the amount of square feet (SF) leased minus the total space vacated—was 4.3 million SF, according to Cushman & Wakefield. Overall vacancy rates fell to 9.8% from the five-year high of 12% reached in the first quarter of 2010, representing the second-biggest decline in office vacancies in the nation behind New York City, according to CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) data. Northern Virginia also saw declines in vacancies and market fundamentals continue to recover, while suburban Maryland saw positive year-to-date net absorption for the first time since 2005.

Cushman & Wakefield says the DowntownDC BID area—represented by the East End submarket—saw its vacancy rate dip to 10.4% at the end of 2010 from 10.8% a year earlier, while all of DC dropped from 14.3% to 12.6% during the same period. In addition, overall net absorption for the BID area was 352,000 SF, versus 4.3 million SF for DC. Several Downtown DC federal tenants have moved to NoMa for lower rents and to take advantage of new buildings.

On the investment side, the DC regional market saw a nearly 175% increase in overall transaction value for the year, with 53 closed sales representing $4.8 billion, according to CBRE. More than 55% of the transaction volume was in DC, with Northern Virginia accounting for 42% of the activity and Maryland just 3%. DC continues to be one of the most attractive real estate markets in the world. Real Capital Analytics (RCA), a global research and consulting firm, says the average price of a DC office transaction was $487 per SF, compared with annual averages of $439, $560, $474, $454 and $413 per SF for the past five years, from 2009 back through 2005. Also, transaction volume more than doubled to $3.1 billion, compared to $1.2, $2.4, $4.4, $4.7 and $4.8 billion during the same time period.

No Shrinking Violet
DC ranks as the No. 2 global city for foreign real estate investors. A new Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE) survey shows the city fell from the No. 1 spot that it held for the past two years, only to be surpassed by New York as the top destination for investors seeking US commercial real estate holdings. London, Paris and Shanghai were the other cities rounding out the Top 5 list. DC has been the No. 1 or No. 2 US market for foreign investors over the past nine years. Globally, the city has held similar status for eight out of the past nine years. More than 60% of the foreign investors indicate that the US offers the best potential for capital appreciation—the highest positive response to this question since it was first asked in 2000. In addition, 72% say they plan to invest more capital in the US this year than they did in 2010.

Leasing Up
Douglas Development Corporation (702 H Street), a major Downtown property owner, continues to lease office space to a growing and diverse list of leaseholders. LivingSocial (829 7th Street), a major player in the lucrative online daily deals market, will soon occupy 12,500 SF at 718 7th Street. The fast-growing company already has offices in two other Douglas Development -owned properties at 702 H Street (12,500 SF) and 829 7th Street (more than 10,000 SF). LivingSocial has 600 employees but plans to grow its workforce to 1,800 workers this year.

In addition, Target has signed a lease to move its government affairs office to 5,500 SF of space at 1155 F Street. The building, occupied predominantly by government affairs offices and law firms, also is home to Intel, Home Depot and, later this spring, Facebook. Last year, Habitat for Humanity leased 5,800 SF of space at 1424 K Street and the National Endowment for Democracy expanded it offices at 1025 F Street, growing from 50,000 SF to 65,000 SF. Douglas Development owns both properties.

1400 Eye Street

Cashing In
The owners of the 12-story office building at 1400 Eye Street have put it on the market for more than $60 million, or $343 per SF. That’s no small potatoes. Joss Realty Partners LLC and GE Capital purchased the property for $43.5 million in 2006. The 175,127-square-foot building overlooks Franklin Park and is located above the McPherson Square Metro. It was renovated for $10 million in 2009 and is now 81% leased. Current tenants include the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, the One Campaign, the DC government and General Services Administration (GSA), as well as first-floor retailers Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Osaka Sushi Express.

Planning Ahead?
Diners have delighted in the pace of new Downtown restaurant openings, which feature cuisine from virtually every corner of the world. Now, the co-owner of the Japanese restaurant Sushiko is looking to open an eatery at 705 6th Street that will offer authentic ramen, a Japanese noodle dish. Although the concept makes the stomach growl, there’s only one problem—the location is a vacant lot. No word yet from Douglas Development Corporation (702 H Street), which owns the land, but restaurateur Daisuke Utagawa says he hopes to begin offering bowls of Japanese noodles by this time next year. If successful, the as-yet-to-be-named—and built—restaurant will join celebrity chef Mike Isabella’s Graffiato restaurant (707 6th Street), opening next door this spring.

Star Status
Guess who made America’s Best Restaurant Cities list for the first time? You got it, DC! The city placed at No. 8 on Esquire magazine’s Top 10 restaurants list, beating out Boston and Seattle but ranking below New York, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Houston for offering food that equals any found in the world. The magazine specifically noted that DC has the country’s best Indian restaurant, Rasika (633 D Street), has an increasing number of first-rate restaurants such as Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca (1100 New York Avenue) and has a national treasure in chef Michel Richard of Central Michel Richard (1001 Pennsylvania Avenue) and Citronelle fan.

The Best of the Best
Downtown restaurants continued to lead the pact again this year, making up 22% of Washingtonian magazine’s 100 Very Best Restaurants list. The elite ensemble of Washington metropolitan area restaurants was ranked based exclusively on cooking because ambience and service “can’t make up for indifferent cooking.”

The list was a year in the making and includes a ranking of the Top 40 standouts (every restaurant thereafter is listed in alphabetical order).

Short Termer   
Mixt Greens, an eco-gourmet restaurant concept, has closed its location at 1311 F Street. The restaurant had just replaced Organic to Go, which shuttered its operations nationwide to focus on its organic wholesale and catering business, last year. Mixt Greens cited “a long running dispute with the landlord” as the reason why it shut down.

Hospitality Shuffle
Another Downtown hotel has traded hands. Jamestown Realty purchased the Madison Hotel (1177 15th Street) for $93.8 million, or $266,000 per room, last month. Once the epicenter of DC social and political life, the 353-room property is now managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts and will undergo $20 million worth of renovations. Palette, the popular bar and restaurant has closed, although PostScript, the lobby lounge, remains. The deal follows several recent hospitality acquisitions that include the Hotel Monaco (700 F Street), which sold for $74 million, or $404,000 per room; the Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square (806 15th Street), $95 million, or $401,000 per room; and the Red Roof Inn (500 H Street), $40 million, or $205,000 per room.

A New Look
The Red Roof Inn (500 H Street), recently purchased by Bethesda-based RLJ Development LLC, is closed for renovations but is scheduled to reopen next month as a Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites property, catering to business and leisure travelers. The hotel’s Irish Channel Restaurant & Pub also is getting a makeover and will reopen at that time.

Presidential Hub
Hail to the chief is taking on new meaning over at Madame Tussauds (1025 F Street), where all 44 US presidents will be part of a permanent exhibit beginning February 17. Visitors to the three-year old wax attraction will have the opportunity to “interact” with every single president from Washington to Obama once the new, $2 million US Presidents Gallery opens. More than a year in the making, the three-dimensional tribute to America and its commanders-in-chief will likely bolster attendance and bring history buffs, students and visitors making their way off the National Mall to the private venue. A US presidential history curriculum also will complement the museum’s existing, and free, comprehensive Educational Curriculum Guide, which allows educators to provide stimulating lessons before and after their students visit the museum. For more information, click here.

Architectural Model
Congratulations to the historic DC Courthouse (430 E Street), winner of a 2010 GSA Design Award, which recognizes the best in public architecture and civilian federal workplaces. The 162-year-old Courthouse is one of the oldest buildings in DC and one of 11 award winners nationwide selected to showcase the federal government’s commitment to cutting-edge architectural design and sustainability. The building received a Preservation Citation from the US General Services Administration (GSA) and is a recipient of several awards—including a DowntownDC BID Momentum Award for Landmark Development Project—since reopening after major renovations in 2009.

Trivia Pursuit
Who says books are the sole source for learning and entertainment? Not the DC Public Library, which has teamed with Madame Tussauds (1025 F Street) to sponsor a “Guess Who?” contest highlighting the CDs, DVDs, audio devices and books available throughout the city’s library system. Each week, wax figures from Madame Tussauds will appear at various library branches, including Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G Street), where they will entertain and serve as learning vehicles. Clues about the figures and their location will be posted on a special “Guess Who?” page at dclibrary.org/guesswho, where participants also can submit entries. The first person to submit a figure’s identity and other information will win free admission for two to Madame Tussauds and be entered in the Grand Prize drawing—an all-expense paid trip to New York, including four round-trip train tickets from Amtrak. The contest runs through March 2 and is open to DC, Maryland and Virginia residents.

Big Wheels Keep on Rolling
Say hello to yet another mobile food truck. This time it’s PORC, short for Purveyors of Rolling Cuisine. The meat wagon rolled onto the scene last month and specializes in hickory and oak smoked pulled pork and 16-hour cooked brisket, gourmet sausages, seasonal vegetarian specialties and cookies on a stick. Got your taste buds in overdrive? For more information, click here.

Ideally Suited
The National Theatre (1321 Pennsylvania Avenue) has a new executive director, Thomas F. Lee, a trustee since 2003. The former president of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) replaced Donn B. Murphy, who retired after leading the theatre since 1984. Lee also had a long and distinguished career as a pianist with “The President’s Own” US Marine Band, performing weekly at White House functions. In his new role, he will provide fresh insights to the theatre’s core community programs and strengthen its position in the local theatrical community.

Artistic Inspiration
Kudos to the many Downtown organizations receiving fiscal year 2011 grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH). The agency awarded more than $3.9 million to fund 310 individual and group arts projects across the city.

In addition, the Capital Fringe Festival and the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. (1250 H Street), the nation’s greatest springtime celebration, also received grants. The DowntownDC BID supports Capital Fringe, the independent performing arts festival, and provides management, staffing and administrative services to the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Making a Change
The DC government has completed the benchmarking of energy performance data for 194 municipal facilities and posted the results online. The fiscal year 2009 analysis of DC-owned buildings’ energy use looked across the city’s portfolio of police and fire stations, recreation buildings, community centers, libraries and office buildings. The city launched the annual benchmarking program following a fiscal year 2008 pilot using the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) free Energy Star software tool, Portfolio Manager, which tracks and compares the energy performance of buildings.

DC is using federal stimulus funds to conduct several hundred energy audits of its facilities this year and next. The goal is to pinpoint potential energy savings and begin delivering cost-effective energy efficiency improvements that could save the city tens of millions of dollars annually. The benchmarking audit data help the DC government track energy performance, set improvement goals and demonstrate improvements over time.

The disclosure of the government building energy performance data is required by the Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008 and is a precursor to requirements for large privately owned commercial properties.  Commercial properties over 50,000 square feet will be required to benchmark, report and then publicly disclose their annual energy usage in phases over the next few years. For more information, click here.

On the Right Track
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has won a $1 million grant to study options for extending a DC Streetcar line onto K Street. The grant, from the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA), is a big deal because it’s DC’s first federal award to-date specifically for the streetcar program and could be a sign of more federal funding to come. Previously, the city almost exclusively funded two streetcar lines now under construction along Benning Road and H Street NE. Although DDOT is working with private sector partners, including the DowntownDC BID, to leverage private funding sources to develop a 37-mile, eight-line streetcar network, the FTA grant is a godsend. It will allow DDOT to study options for connecting the H Street/Benning streetcar route with K Street, evaluate turnaround options in the Washington Circle area and, possibly, lead to new innovations in modern streetcars.



Not So Sluggish
All you sluggers who “slug” into or from DC to Virginia by doing the instant carpooling thing, take note: come this spring, the new location for the slug line will be on New York Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets. So says the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), which selected the spot based on feedback from the slugging community. The slug line on 14th Street and New York Avenue was moved to a test location at 15th Street between New York Avenue and H Street late last year because of safety concerns—but the location didn’t sit well with sluggers, who take advantage of a popular system that allows drivers and passengers to zip along high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes between DC and suburbia.

Environmental Steward
Creating a more balanced transportation system and livable city is what the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) works to achieve. Protecting the environment, reducing greenhouse emissions and conserving resources are a huge, if not easy, part of this mission. To stay on track, the agency has published a new Sustainability Plan. The plan embraces the triple bottom line of environmental protection, economic viability and social responsibility and is based on the DC Green Agenda and both the DDOT mission statement and Action Agenda. The strategy incorporates eight priority areas—including climate change adaptation and improving mode choices, accessibility and mobility—and sets goals, actions, measures and targets for each. For more information, the plan is available by clicking here.

Fed Up
Last year, the Texas Transportation Institute’s Urban Mobility Report made it official: the DC area has the second-worst congestion in the country, which partially explains why Washington metropolitan area residents ditched their cars and took public transportation to work between 2005 and 2009. According to new Census data, 14% of the area’s commuters used public transportation during that period, up from 11% in the 2000 Census. The reasons cited include higher gas prices and younger residents who refuse to spend long hours in the car. Downtown and DC benefit from this shift. As noted in the DowntownDC BID’s 2009 State of Downtown report, many DC workers are choosing a shorter commute and avoiding daily traffic jams by moving into DC and also taking advantage of more transportation options, including increased DC Circulator service, expanded bike lanes and bike sharing.

A Capital Plan
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) is so open—and serious—about its new Open Government Plan that the federal agency’s proposal is available for all to peruse and comment on by March 11. The plan will guide NCPC’s efforts to increase transparency, public participation and collaboration as spelled out in President Obama's Open Government Directive, a mandate designed to make executive departments and agencies more accountable, transparent, receptive and effective.

The NCPC plan is available at www.ncpc.gov and outlines several initiatives that will give the public better access to agency records and data and use technology to provide new means of engagement. To share your comments and votes, click here to visit NCPC’s new online forum. The feedback will help develop the agency’s final plan, available in the spring.

Leading by Example
Your employees love coming to work? If so, the Washington Business Journal (WBJ) wants to hear from you. The newspaper is seeking nominations for its annual Best Places to Work awards. Each year, the program honors companies that go above and beyond the call of duty to foster an enjoyable and meaningful work environment for its employees. Companies are evaluated on a variety of factors, such as team effectiveness, retention, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued and people practices. The cream of the crop companies are determined by employee surveys administered by Quantum Market Research. Winners will be announced at a breakfast awards program in June and profiled in the WBJ.  For eligibility information, or to submit a nomination, click here.

Calling All Artists
Insiders in the know about noteworthy artists or those who contribute to the arts, listen up. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) wants your input selecting nominees for the 26th Annual Mayor's Arts Awards. Awards are issued in five categories: Outstanding Emerging Artist, Excellence in Service to the Arts, Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Innovation in the Arts, and Excellence in an Artistic Discipline. In addition, three categories are devoted to excellence in art teaching. They are Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Language Arts. Submit nominations by Friday, February 11, at 7:00 pm. For more information, click here, or email Catherine Cleary at artsawards@dc.gov.

Wednesday, February 2, 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Washington, DC Economic Partnership
inDC: New FASB Legislation and Enterprise Zone Incentives
Reed Smith LLP
1301 K Street Street

The Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) invites you to attend a two-part breakfast seminar. If you have questions about whether leasing or buying property is the right move for your business then the first part of the program is for you. This power-packed session will uncover the mystery behind new legislation from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) that will impact the lease versus buy decision for business owners. The second part of the program will focus on enterprise zone incentives, with a discussion about enterprise zone tax exempt financing and an overview of EZ Bonds, including what areas are eligible for the incentives. A Q&A session will follow. Breakfast begins at 8:00 am; the program starts at 8:30 am. The cost is $40. Registration is required, but seating is limited. For more information, visit www.wdcep.com.

Thursday, February 3, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
District of Columbia Building Industry Association
$5 Billion Development Explosion Coming to Ward 5
National Press Club
529 14th Street
 
The District of Columbia Building Industry Association (DCBIA) invites you to hear Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr., newly appointed chair of the Economic Development Committee discuss plans for promoting economic development throughout DC. Harriet Tregoning, director of the DC Office of Planning, will address planning policy goals intended to stimulate economic development across the city. Panelists Jim Abdo, president and chief executive officer, Abdo Development; Robert D. Youngentob, president, EYA; Bruce Baschuk, chairman of J Street Companies and the NoMa Business Improvement District; and Steve Boyle, managing director, Edens & Avant, will talk about issues critical to successfully implementing more than $5 billion of planned development in Ward 5. Steve Moore, president of the Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) will moderate. A light buffet and open bar is included. The cost is $60 for members; $75 for nonmembers. For additional information, or to register, visit www.dcbia.org.

Wednesday, February 9, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Washington, DC Economic Partnership
Doing Business 2.0: Finding Talent & Labor Laws
Venable LLP
575 7th Street

Got talent? Join the Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) for a look at how entrepreneurs and business owners can tap into key resources to find highly skilled workers. Panelists Dr. Rochelle Webb, director of the District Department of Employment Services (DOES), and James Edward Fagan, an associate with Venable, LLP, will touch on available services at DOES, employment and labor laws, wage hour laws, occupational safety and health, among other topics.  Tickets are $10. For more information, visit www.wdcep.com.