The plaza at CityCenterDC. The site is expected to be completed in fall 2013. Photograph courtesy of CityCenterDC
When Cliff Atkinson began apartment hunting, he wanted something that’s hard to find without spending a small fortune: a spacious apartment in a modern building close to the center of DC.
He looked in the city’s Logan Circle and West End neighborhoods but discovered he could get more for his money in NoMa, an area about a mile northeast of Penn Quarter. “It’s important for me to be able to walk to things,” says Atkinson, a 46-year-old communications consultant. “I don’t want to get in the car every day.”
Since moving into Flats 130 at Constitution Square, Atkinson and his partner have explored the National Portrait Gallery, eaten at restaurants such as Oyamel and Rosa Mexicano, and seen movies at the multiplex at Gallery Place.
Because Penn Quarter is fairly well built out, development has spread to nearby areas such as Mount Vernon Square and NoMa. Since March, when Atkinson moved into Flats 130, a hotel has opened next door and an apartment building across the street has gone from two stories to 13. “There are new buildings on every corner,” he says. “It’s like watching something grow.”
Here are four new condo and apartment buildings in and around Penn Quarter that should hit the market next year.
CityCenterDC
920 I St., NW, and 925 H St., NW; 703-448-0400
On the site of the old convention center, CityCenterDC is one of the last development sites in Penn Quarter and will fill a big hole downtown. The four-block mixed-use complex will include two office buildings, 63 retailers, 216 condos, 458 apartments, and a park that can be used for markets, festivals, and more. The development will feature pedestrian-only walkways lined with shops and restaurants. Residents of the condos will have access to a gym, a spa-treatment room, and two rooftop terraces with outdoor kitchens. Although construction isn’t expected to be completed until fall 2013, units will hit the market in fall 2012. Prices aren’t yet available.
Archstone NoMa
1160 First St., NE
When it opens next spring, Archstone NoMa will have a health club, a 20-seat movie theater, soundproof music-practice rooms, a courtyard with an outdoor movie screen, and a heated rooftop pool. The 469 rental apartments will range from junior one-bedrooms to two-bedrooms with dens. Prices aren’t yet available.
Flats 130
130 M St., NE; 202-682-2787
Residents at Flats 130 at Constitution Square can order room service—at a 10 percent discount—from the neighboring Watershed restaurant. The rental development’s first phase, with 440 units, opened late last year; an adjoining tower with 203 will open in spring 2013. The apartments are above a Harris Teeter and next to the New York Avenue Metro stop. Rents range from $1,900 a month for a studio to $4,000 for a two-bedroom with den. Those who move into selected one- and two-bedrooms before the end of 2011 get two months free rent on leases of up to 15 months.
Meridian at Mount Vernon Triangle
425 L St., NW; 202-962-0010
Renters will be able to move into Meridian at Mount Vernon Triangle in early spring. The 390-unit building will have a rooftop pool, a fitness center, hardwood floors, granite countertops, and stainless-steel appliances. The garage will have outlets for electric cars. Floor plans range from studios to two-bedrooms with dens. Prices aren’t yet available.
