Retail, Offices and An Eataly Concept: The Latest Plan for Uline Arena

• February 7, 2013
• 13 Comments

by Shilpi Paul

A new rendering of The Coliseum. Antunovich Associates.

In recent years, a number of redevelopment ideas have been tossed out for the historic Uline Arena, famous as the site of The Beatles’ first US concert. Among those ideas were a music museum and a massive mixed-use project with 225 residences.

On Wednesday night, Paul Millstein from Douglas Development, which bought the property in 2004, stopped by the ANC 6C Planning and Zoning meeting to share details on the latest plans for the 1100 block of 3rd Street NE (map).

Douglas now hopes to bring 50,000 square feet of retail and 150,000 square feet of office space to the unique curved structure. The retail will be divided between small retailers facing 3rd Street NE and one 40,000-square foot vendor facing Delaware Avenue NE — ideally an “Eataly-like” vendor, with a market, restaurant and bar concept. As UrbanTurf readers know, the excitement surrounding an Eataly concept arriving in DC is matched by the difficulty in finding a location suitable for such an establishment.

Douglas has filed an application with the Historic Preservation Office and is close to filing with the BZA, giving hope to the committee that the project will be moving forward steadily.

Uline Arena. Photo courtesy of Ghosts of DC.

In other news from the meeting, the Heritage Foundation plans to create six row houses on the 400 block of 3rd Street NE. The developers will build six houses on top of a surface parking lot, and build a large, three-story parking garage underneath. The facades of the homes will differ slightly: the southernmost home will have a turret, the next three will have blocky square bays, and the two northernmost houses will have differently shaped bay windows and roofs. The Heritage Foundation also has plans to rehab several buildings on the 200 block of Massachusetts Avenue NE.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/uline_arena_redevelopment_new_rowhouses_on_capitol_hill/6624

13 Comments

1. Johnny said at 2:30 pm on Thursday February 7, 2013:

   I’m all for Eataly but isnt Uline like 2 blocks from Union Market? Same Metro stop.  Might be specialty market saturation.  What ever happened to Eataly at City Center?

1. Scott Rensberger said at 2:57 pm on Thursday February 7, 2013:

   Here’s a story I did on the historic arena.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ5Lamg6hZM  you can find me on twitter @scottrensberger

1. Brian said at 3:53 pm on Thursday February 7, 2013:

   I hope they don’t waste all those roof patios on office space - it would make an ideal trainspotting bar.

1. L said at 4:52 pm on Thursday February 7, 2013:

   It makes me sad to see such a beautiful and historic space turned into an office and shopping center. The neighborhood is slowly losing its soul.

1. Scooby said at 10:53 pm on Thursday February 7, 2013:

   Historic barely, “beautiful” definitely not. I’m surprised anybody at all has bothered with this white elephant. “Neighborhood losing its soul”? By “soul” do you mean vacant lots, methadone clinics, warehouses, and the Greyhound bus station?

1. Name said at 9:46 am on Friday February 8, 2013:

   Should have been a local sports arena like an indoor turf field.

   Would have served the community better than *another* eatery/office.

   But DJ isn’t about community, he’s about $$.

1. revitalizer said at 12:49 pm on Friday February 8, 2013:

   There aren’t many sit-down, table-service restaurants in NoMa.  In fact, there is just one - and that one is inside the Hilton Garden Inn.  This is a good move for the community.

1. Milton said at 1:12 pm on Friday February 8, 2013:

   There is nothing that could be done to this building that could be any worse than what Waste managment did.

   I say, it is about time SOMETHING was done. At least people will be able to visit the site that the Beatles once perfomed in and not be welcomed by a cold, damp parking garage.

1. Rhett said at 9:57 am on Sunday February 10, 2013:

   The music museum seemed like a far more interesting and thoughtful proposal that some students threw together in 48hrs. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2012/02/15/architecture-students-whip-up-ideas-for-a-new-uline-arena/

1. hillman said at 11:36 am on Sunday February 10, 2013:

   This is a shame.  Those terraces would be magnificent outdoor restaurant space that could be used by everyone instead of office terraces used by almost no one.

   I used to work in an office building that had a magnificent roof terrace with terrific views.  No one ever used it.

   I’d love to see more restaurant retail and residential.  We already have plenty of boring office space.

   But then its not my property so I guess I’m not the one that gets to make that choice.

1. Tom A. said at 10:18 am on Monday February 11, 2013:

   The Heritage Foundation as a landlord?  I think this is worthy of a story on its own.  Will they rent to whites only?  No unmarried couples?

   It seems odd that lobbying groups are becoming landlords.  Or maybe this happens already- I don’t know.  DC is political enough, I can’t imagine writing a monthly rent check to a PAC or lobbying group- on either side of the aisle.

1. Random said at 5:50 pm on Wednesday February 13, 2013:

   There seems to be some type of Heritage connection to a rowhouse at 5th and F, NE.  It’s unclear if the house is regularly occupied but when it is there are often limos outside picking people up in the morning.  It’s a bit unusual but maybe that’s how the other half lives.

1. makeba said at 11:42 pm on Wednesday March 13, 2013:

   Get it Douglas! Another piece of crap off the list.

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