communitylife
BYwest
SOUTH A Deluxe Apartment in the Sky by William Rich
G
eorge and Louise Jefferson may not be ‘moving on up’ to Southwest (this is not the East Side of Manhattan after all), but developers, lenders, architects, as well as community and city leaders attended a commencement ceremony in mid-March for Sky House Apartments at 4th & M Streets, SW. Among those in attendance included Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6D Chair Andy Litsky, Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells and Mayor Vincent Gray. Removal of the concrete skin at the former EPA eastern tower actually began in February, but there was an official ribbon cutting in a tent erected next to the construction site and near Safeway. The luxury apartments will be the first residential component of Waterfront Station, the de-facto town center of Southwest where up to two additional multifamily buildings are planned in the northern vacant parcels. Upon completion, the two towers will have a total of 530 apartments with 106 affordable units (20% of the total) for those earning up to 50% of
Area Median Income (AMI) and will be the tallest residential buildings in Southwest. The project is a partnership between Urban Atlantic and the JBG Companies, with exterior design by Wiencek + Associates and interior design by RD Jones + Associates. Urban Atlantic purchased the buildings from Waterfront Associates in 2011 for $20 million. In addition to Sky House apartments, Urban Atlantic has a mixed-use project next to the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station that is about to deliver, and are a partner in the Capper Carrollsburg Hope VI redevelopment in Near SE. During the commencement ceremony, Urban Atlantic President Vicki Davis claimed that the Southwest Waterfront is the “newest, best neighborhood in the city.” In addition, Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells said that the Southwest Waterfront was “one of the most amazing neighborhoods in America.” ANC 6D Chair Andy Litsky is also pleased that the apartments will be mixed income. “The Sky House buildings are going to be a terrific ad-
Upon completion, Sky House I apartments will blend in with the new office buildings at Waterfront Station and will be steps away from Safeway. Rendering courtesy of Wiencek + Associates 76 H HillRag | April 2012
dition to the neighborhood and I’m especially pleased that 20% of the new units will remain affordable, ensuring that as many as possible can participate in the growth of the vibrant community that is the new Southwest,” said Litsky. Each building at Sky House will have a different ownership structure. Both buildings will have similar amenities, although the placement of some of them will be slightly different and the design will differ. RD Jones + Associates has designed the interiors to give the common areas of each building a boutique hotel-feel. At Sky House I (1150 4th Street, SW), the main entrance will be off of the multicolored roadway that runs past Safeway. The entrance opens up to an open lobby area with an e-lounge, fitness center, club room and “we work” area, designed with hardwood floors and a darker color palette. A stairway leads to the second level of common area space with a large demonstration kitchen and entertainment area with gaming. Doors lead to an outdoor space on the second floor that sits on
top of the parking garage entrance with a garden, seating area, and beyond that the green roof installed by Waterfront Associates on top of the Safeway loading dock. At Sky House II (1151 4th Street, SW), the main entrance will be off of the multicolored roadway that runs in front of Z-Burger. The entrance opens up to a lobby and e-lounge with a light-colored palette and limestone floors. To the right will be a club room with a kitchen, fitness center, entertainment area with gaming, and a “we work” area. The outdoor space will be a private, walled garden area with a fire pit, seating, plantings, and perhaps an artificial turf area. Average unit size will be around 675 square feet, continuing the trend of smaller units in newer apartment developments now being built around the city. Both buildings will have a small green roof and shallow swimming pool. Panoramic skyline views will be enjoyed from the rooftops of both buildings, due to the lack of taller buildings in the area. Each building will have 140 shared parking spaces
A small rooftop pool and deck area in both buildings will be available to residents with panoramic views of the Washington-area skyline. Rendering courtesy of Wiencek + Associates