Prime D.C. Business Site Might House Cars for Now

The developer plans a 12-story office complex at Connecticut Avenue and K Street, but not for a year. (By Kevin Clark -- The Washington Post)
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"People make mistakes," he said when asked about the letter written by their attorneys, Whayne S. Quin and Mary Carolyn Brown. "Clearly, we didn't review it."

District officials are less than pleased that one of the city's best-known corners, one the developer advertises as the intersection of "Power and Influence," might be occupied by as many as 89 vehicles.

"It's ugly," said Harriet Tregoning, director of the city's Office of Planning, which has advised the Zoning Commission to reject the developer's application.

Concerned that more parcels might remain empty in future months because of the economy, Tregoning said she hopes to encourage developers to come up with creative alternatives, including outdoor retail and food markets. Along New York Avenue NW, the vacant land that once hosted the old convention center has been used for World Team Tennis matches and Cirque du Soleil performances as well as for parking.

"A surface parking lot is not a great use for a prominent space," Tregoning said. "It detracts from the experience of the street. No one wants to walk by a vacant lot."

Over the next two years, about 11 million square feet is scheduled for construction in Washington, according to Delta Associates, a research firm. Brokers and developers worry that demand for space might subside as the economy heads into a recession and companies put offices back on the market.

The development team, which also includes Albert Small and Edward Kaplan, had intended to start construction in time to finish the building in 2010, when the prospective tenant, the law firm of Mayer Brown, planned to move in.

But while they were demolishing the buildings, Mayer Brown decided on a different location, Steven Gewirz said. The developers then signed a deal with the law firm of Arent Fox, which can't move until 2013, after its current lease expires.

"So instead of sitting with an empty building for many years, we decided it's best to hold off on the construction," Steven Gewirz said. "You don't want to carry a full empty building."

The developers, he said, are "happy to discuss" how to use the site, and he planned to meet with D.C. officials yesterday.

"It would be great if the city came up with alternative uses," he said. "A driving range? I don't know."

Before the developers demolished the buildings, their tenants had to leave an address some considered the center of the Washington universe.

"We would certainly have stayed longer," Thomas Simeone, a personal injury lawyer, said when told of the parking lot proposal. "It was the best location in town," he added. He has since moved his office a block and a half away.

Staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.