&pizza Opens; Izakaya and American Restaurants Planned

&pizza opened yesterday at 10th and E to significant crowds because, well, PIZZA.

The Penn Quarter food scene has exploded this summer. And there's more to come. Just yesterday, &pizza opened its newest location at 1005 E Street NW, in the former Freshii space. OF COURSE I immediately went there to get a pizza meal. It's the best meal. This is the third DC restaurant and fifth total. &pizza makes personalized, single-serving-sized pizza going from ball of dough to steaming hot pizza in less than 5 minutes. And they are super vegan-friendly.

Penn Commons looks to make a serious go of it where Townhouse failed to even open doors.

Remember the Townhouse Kitchen & Bar development on 6th Street NW? Well, it never came close to opening. The last of this small chain's restaurants closed in Baltimore this year after reportedly falling over $200,000 behind in rent payments. Hopefully, the new tenants of 700 6th St NW fare better. City Paper reports that the owners of District Commons are opening Penn Commons soon. No set opening date, but I've seen lots of moving-day type of activities the last few days. The space is already outfitted well beyond any state achieved by Townhouse. I'll update when they open/get close to opening.

The swanky 10th and G development is getting its first restaurant tenant.

A new Japanese izakaya will open at the 10th and G office building later this year. According to Washington Business Journal, the new bar/restaurant, named Umaya, is under the same ownership as nearby Cafe Asia. Posted ABRA notices at the site --officially 733 10th St NW-- indicate that the operators are seeking a total occupancy load of 350, service until 2:00 am (weekday) / 3:00 am (weekend), sidewalk seating, and the ability to provide live entertainment. Quite an operation! More news as it comes.

10th and G Project Rises

The 165,000 sq foot, $85million Skanska development at 10th and G Sts NW is progressing, even during the tough winter weather. 

Three years in the making (so far), the site was previously occupied by the First Congregational United Church of Christ. The church cut a deal to redevelop the site with PN Hoffman. Skanska stepped in to lead the project after real estate markets faltered. 

The church will return to the first and second floors inside the new building as part of the deal. The other spaces will include retail (4,000 sq ft) on part of the first floor and office space on the 3rd-10th floors. Skanska is building for a LEED Gold certification.


Other notable features:
5,000 sq rooftop penthouse terrace and green roof (tenants only)
3,000 sq fitness center (unsure if accessible to the public)
4 levels of underground parking, including bike storage
Proposal for onsite Zipcar spaces 

10th and G Church Project Back On

The on again-off again development on the site of the old First Congregational United Church of Christ is on again, according to the Post. The lot is at 10th and G NW adjacent to the MLK Jr Library. The church struck a deal with PN Hoffman about three years ago to tear down the existing church structure and build a new condo building which incorporated a new church while clearing millions in profits. But the market forced changes and finally a new developer, Skanksa. They are planning to build an office tower on the site, still incorporating the church on the first floor and second floors, along with retail.

The article indicated that Skanska is shooting for a substantially green building. That news came yesterday along side another note: DC has the second most energy efficient commercial buildings in the U.S. of any city, according to the EPA. Number one? Los Angeles.

10th and G May Be Back on Track

Special tip o' the hat to SWDC Blog for this news. The corner of 10th and G Streets NW had been occupied by the First Congregational United Church of Christ. In November of 2007 the church came to an agreement with developer PN Hoffman to raze and replace the church with a new worshiping space as well as an office building, totaling over 150,000 square feet. The site is in the middle of downtown, next to the city's main library and two blocks from the Verizon Center.

For financial reasons, including the lack of a main tenant for the office space, the development of the land has stalled. It has literally been a hole in the ground for quite some time, now two years after the original deal was made. Recently a new company has stepped up and taken over PN Hoffman's stake in the project, worth $85 million. That will free up PN Hoffman to pursue it's endeavors in Southwest DC. The new developer, Skanska USA will complete the building project without securing a main tenant before hand.

Good news for the corner and the church, which has been worshiping at another city church since their original building was torn down. First Congregational United Church of Christ will occupy about two floors of the new building and have dedicated parking in the underground lot.