DC Rising A publication of Sokol Media, Inc.
Covering D.C./Maryland/Virginia
The New NoMa
NoMa “NoMa represents the very best of 21st century live-work environments; a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood with terrific transportation choices in the heart of a vibrant and growing city,” says Robin-Eve Jasper, president of the NoMa Business Improvement District. .
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Where Work-Life Balance Works
BUILDING FORM RELATES TO RESIDENTIAL CONTEXT
Left page: A view of the U.S. Capitol dome and the iconic One NoMa Station water tower. Above left: The future NoMa Meander, a four-block-long pedestrian promenade, will feature greenery, seating, water elements, and active retail, including the pictured Landmark Theatre. Upper Right: Rendering of 300 M Street, The Wilkes Company’s 416-unit multifamily residential development, designed by Hickok Cole Architects that will deliver in 2018. Lower Right: Rendering of Uline Arena, home of the first Beatles concert in the U.S. and soon to be home to REI’s 52,000 SF East Coast flagship store and 170,000 SF of office space.
And she should know. As the former Director of Washington, DC’s Department of Real Estate services and as a consultant to the NoMa Improvement Associates, she takes pride in seeing how popular NoMa has become for its outstanding walk-ability, bike-ability, and work-ability. “Fewer than 20% of NoMa’s residents drive to work,” Jasper says. She is not the only one aware of NoMa’s increasing appeal. Nestled among Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Mount Vernon Triangle, Union Market and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C., NoMa is blossoming into a fabulous mixed-use neighborhood. Private developers have already invested more than $5 billion in the 35-block area within the NoMa BID, creating more than 3,900 chic apartments and sleek 21st century office space. Retailers are flocking to the neighborhood, including a flagship REI store opening in 2016 and a 7-screen Landmark Theatre opening in 2018. A wide array of other great stores and restaurants are in NoMa now or are soon to be open, Harris Teeter, Union Social, Walmart and Union Market’s 40 artisanal vendors are among them. 6 • www.sokolmediaonline.com
PERSPECTIVE | 3RD AND
With a capital investment of $50 million from the District government, NoMa, which is already home to more than 30,000 residents and more than 54,000 daytime workers, will soon feature great new parks and public spaces. Good news surely for the more than 110,000 people walking around NoMa on a typical day. But the NoMa advantages don’t end with its terrific location, great buildings and a unique mixed-use environment. NoMa is the most connected neighborhood in Washington, D.C. due to its unparalleled transportation access on Amtrak, VRE, MARC, two Red Line Metro stops, and vehicular access to Interstate 395 and Route 50. This readily allows visitors, workers and residents to travel throughout the region, as well as to New York or anywhere on the East Coast. The neighborhood boasts a WalkScore of 92, and offers great biking facilities that include three free outdoor air pumps, the East Coast’s only Bikestation, and eight Capital Bikeshare stations. NoMa provides its residents with easy access to home and office, and to more than 50 free award-winning community events each year.
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Avalon First + M is a luxury apartment building that was voted the best apartment building in DC by Washington City Paper in 2013.
LIVING IN NOMA
WORKING IN NOMA NoMa’s prime location and exceptional transit access have attracted a variety of smart companies, including think tanks, associations, media and technology companies, and government agencies. Talking with NPR Chief Financial Officer Debbie Cowan, one quickly understands the appeal of NoMa to important organizations like NPR, NeighborWorks America, the World Resources Institute, American Psychological Association, Mathematica, Save the Children and others. Cowan explained: “First, we wanted to remain in the District, having been here since our founding in 1970. Further, it is affordable given the emerging and improving nature of the neighborhood. Also, we were attracted to NoMa’s close proximity to airports, Union Station, Capitol Hill and downtown neighborhoods.” She added: “At NPR we have a high concentration of District resident employees [40%] who use public transportation and bike to work. NPR has had 8 • www.sokolmediaonline.com
Clockwise from upper left: Avalon First + M features luxury amenities including a roof top swimming pool, internet café, gym and theatre. | NoMa is home to 8 Capital Bikeshare stations, the 8-mile Metropolitan Branch Trail, a hike and bike path, and the District’s first protected cycle track. | Gourmet kitchens and spectacular views are a highlight of the Elevation at Washington Gateway apartments in NoMa. | Outside in NoMa you’ll find great, welcoming public spaces wired with D.C.’s first free neighborhood WiFi.
previous experience relocating to trendy, emerging neighborhoods. Last but not least,” Cowan adds, “our employees think it’s cool to work in NoMa.” Businesses are drawn to NoMa’s beautifully designed, sustainable office space. So far, 12.8 million square feet of office space and 360,000 square feet of retail in the neighborhood has been delivered. Nearly all of these buildings provide Class A office space with all the bells and whistles, including great light and window lines, wide-column spacing and many have spectacular views. Twenty-two are LEED certified and several, including NPR’s new headquarters and NoMa Station at 131 M Street NE, and the new REI flagship store are savvy restorations of a few of NoMa’s noteworthy historic buildings. There are plenty of opportunities in NoMa to find the right space to suit any business need.
The attraction of NoMa also did not go unnoticed by Sandy Wilkes, chairman of The Wilkes Company. Focused on developing transit-oriented mixed-use projects in the District of Columbia, his firm is currently developing 300 M, a 414,000 square foot, mixed-use project located one block from the NoMa-Gallaudet Metro Station. “We are not alone in viewing NoMa as one of the best development opportunities in the District,” says Wilkes, who is Vice-Chairman of the NoMa BID and Chairman of the NoMa Parks Foundation. “NoMa was master planned and zoned to accommodate great mixed-use development at an urban scale.” Wilkes continues, “No question, the resulting land economics have been particularly favorable for development providing a significant competitive advantage for the NoMa submarket. So much so that things here are moving very, very quickly.” Drew Wadsworth, property manager with D.C.-based property management and development firm, Bozzuto, couldn’t agree more.
The company manages NoMa’s Elevation, a luxurious residential apartment building in the heart of NoMa at Washington Gateway, only steps from the NoMa Metro Station and close to Union Station. The property features a host of amenities de rigueur for the luxurious residential buildings in NoMa. Boasting open, modern floor plans, amazing views, stylish lighting design and chef-grade kitchens, the property also provides a fitness and wellness center, on-site dining and retail, rooftop swimming pool, a dog park and a sky lounge. “We have found NoMa to be much more inclusive than most other areas,” Wadsworth says. “With the growth of NoMa, the gap between D.C.’s Northwest and Northeast communities is closing rapidly, and the people who are moving here are clearly ahead of the curve.” Launched on August 1, 2014, Elevation was 95% leased in only 11 months. “This is a testament to NoMa,” Wadsworth adds. Jasper is quick to add that NoMa’s residents take their buildwww.sokolmediaonline.com • 9
Left page: Clockwise from upper left: The headquarters for NeighborWorks America is just one example of the cutting-edge, open-concept offices in NoMa. | Access to two Red-line Metro Stations means more than 80% of NoMa’s employees use public transit to get to work. | Artwork adorns the office lobby of 1100 First Street in NoMa. | The tenant lounge at Elevation at Washington Gateway offers plenty of space for entertaining. | Exciting murals dot the landscape in NoMa. | 85% of the office buildings in NoMa are Class A and all of these are Leadership and Excellence in Environmental Design (LEED) Certified. | Regional transportation hub, Union Station, seamlessly connects NoMa to major cities up and down the east coast. Top: Ayers Saint Gross’ modern offices in NoMa maximize natural light by taking advantage of column-less space and great window lines.
ing’s amenities very seriously. “While personal space is getting smaller, residents’ shared spaces are getting bigger. People want more outdoor space, roof decks, and other kinds of shared amenities in their buildings. That is what NoMa’s new residential properties deliver.” For example, only two short blocks from the NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro Station stands 2 M Street, a residential property housing 314 brand new units ranging from efficiency to two bedrooms. Amenities include a 24-hour concierge, rooftop pool and patio, private dog park, garden area, club room, fitness center, private theatre, indoor basketball court and underground parking. Green features include rooftop solar panels, rainwater harvesting and electric car charging stations. Camden NoMa, which opened its first phase in November 2013 with 321 luxury apartments, features amenities including a rooftop pool deck, state-of-the-art fitness center, cyber café, resident lounge and billiards room. A second phase will include approximately 405 apartment units. 10 • www.sokolmediaonline.com
Michael Weinberger, a resident of NoMa’s First + M, a luxury building developed by Avalon Bay, has found that the neighborhood optimizes his lifestyle. “As a professional transit planner, I wanted to live in an area that is not only convenient to everything, but also is in the process of being developed,” Weinberger says. “I love being a part of the future of the city. So many of us are socially-conscious and socially-minded, and I feel like I can effect change here.” One can also not ignore the blossoming retail presence in NoMa. “There is a retail surge in NoMa”, says Doug Firstenberg of Stonebridge Carras and developer of Constitution Square. “In 2010, the restaurateurs did not see enough people here. Now with more than 6,300 people living in the heart of NoMa and destination retail like REI’s DC flagship and the Landmark Theatre choosing to locate in NoMa, restaurants are demanding space.” A highlight is the revitalization of historic Union Market, which is a huge attraction for residents and workers in the
NoMa area. A year-round indoor market featuring 40 local artisans, Union Market has become a culinary epicenter. The market is joined in NoMa by an increasingly vibrant mix of retail, restaurants, hotel, and entertainment. Soon to be open in the neighborhood is REI’s East Coast flagship store, which is repurposing the long-neglected Uline Arena. The Uline Arena project will also feature office space and restaurants and is putting the site of The Beatles’ first U.S. concert to a new use while maintaining many of the historic characteristics of the building. “If you haven’t visited here [NoMa] in the last couple of years, you wouldn’t know about all that has been developed in this time,” Jasper says. “And the next two to three years will bring even more great new changes. This is what both the office and residential markets are demanding, an area where employees can live and work with ease, a place that is easily accessible via transit, a neighborhood that has amenities and things to do in walking distance and NoMa provides all of that.” www.sokolmediaonline.com • 11
TRAVEL SMARTER
PLAY SMARTER RETAIL HIGHLIGHTS:
90,000
92
WALK SCORE
Union Market’s 40 artisanal food vendors Harris Teeter I Union Social (2015) Chicken Rico I Walmart I Unleashed by Petco I Starbucks I CVS I Wunder Garten Beer Garden I Tynan Coffee & Tea
weekday average pedestrian count
80%
7
CAPITAL BIKESHARE STATIONS
of NoMa employees walk, bike, or take public transit to work
3 HOURS TO
INTERSTATE 395 AND ROUTE 50 FOR GREAT HIGHWAY ACCESS
ALL
regional rail (MARC, VRE, and Amtrak) come to NoMa at Union Station
NPR | Google | CNN | American Medical Association | World Resources Institute | Department of Justice | Mathematica Policy Research I NoMa Workspaces
TOTAL EMPLOYEES OF EMPLOYEES LIVE IN D.C.
80%
OF EMPLOYEES HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE OR HIGHER
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50+ FREE EVENTS a year,
22,000
92% OF RESIDENTS
HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE OR HIGHER
NOMA BID CORE:
59% of households earn more than $80,000/year 84% of residents are employed full-time $2.92 average multifamily rent per square foot
4,803 NEW APARTMENTS 23
1ST NEIGHBORHOOD
IN DC TO OFFER FREE LEED BUILDINGS OUTDOOR WIFI
including 967 under construction
6,300
CURRENT POPULATION
77%
PLUS
520,000+ SF retail planned
TOTAL ATTENDANCE AT NOMA EVENTS IN 2014
LIVE SMARTER
TENANTS IN NOMA
54,000 75%
(2016)
7-SCREEN LANDMARK THEATRE (2018)
including outdoor movies, pumpkin carving, nerd nights, art openings, and more!
WORK SMARTER PRIVATE SECTOR TENANTS
FLAGSHIP STORE
MINUTES FROM
NYC ON AMTRAK
38%
COMING SOON:
OF RESIDENTS ARE 18-34 YRS OF AGE (AVERAGE AGE IS 30.7)