Archives February 2016

Walkable — I probably use that word more than any other when describing the future of the White Flint area. (Bike-friendly, vibrant, and transit-oriented are next on the list of most used words to describe the Pike District, in case you were curious.)

But how does a community become walkable? Do you just build some pretty sidewalks and call it a day?  According to this article, there are five things that make a community walkable.

1. High density for people and places.

2. A mixture of homes, places to shop, offices, schools and open space, and those options are intermingled.

3. A grid design for streets so connections are easy and plentiful.

4. Buildings that sit up close to the sidewalk with transparent windows to keep eyes on the street and give a glimpse of what’s going on inside.

5. Small block sizes and small-to-moderate street widths.

The plan for the Pike District does all those things, so we can look forward to a very walkable White Flint.

There was a terrific … and long … article about Pike & Rose and the Pike District in the recent issue of Urban Land Institute.  You can read it at the link below.

The article discusses Federal Realty’s planning process, the mix of retail/office/residential space, how Pike & Rose achieved its signature look through innovative architecture, and their target markets. The article does a fine job of summarizing how Pike & Rose became (and is still becoming) a unique, successful mixed-use community.

Click Here to Read the ULI Magazine Article on Pike & Rose

Join us at Paladar, March 3 at 6:30 pm to honor the fathers of the Pike District, Barnaby Zall and Evan Goldman. We’ll serve light appetizers and a drink, but more importantly, we’ll take a moment to thank Barnaby and Evan for founding Friends of White Flint. The cost is just $25 per person for a memorable evening.  Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP by Friday, February 26th to info@whiteflint.org.

You can pay at the door or even easier, you can use PayPal by visiting www.whiteflint.org and clicking the yellow donate button on the right.

Thank You to Gold Sponsor Linowes and Blocher and Friend Sponsor Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker

Bethesda Magazine reported that Carluccio’s, an Italian restaurant, café and market, had a soft opening this past weekend at Pike & Rose. It’s located on the first floor of the PerSei apartment building across from the project’s new parking garage. The restaurant and market is 4,600-square-foot-spot. Carluccio’s opens for breakfast at 7 am and  then changes to a menu of soups, salads, pasta, meat and fish.

In an article on StreetsBlog, cities making the most progress on protected bike lanes are seeing bicycling rates go up. Results indicate that a substantial share of people riding in the protected lane made bike trips because of the street redesign to add a cycle track.

Hopefully the planned bike lanes in the Pike District will have a similar effect!

Friends of White Flint board member Brian Downie, Senior Vice President of Saul Centers and executive director Amy Ginsburg were part of the panel on the Future of Rockville Pike at the recent Bisnow conference, the Montgomery County State of the Market.

One of the hot topics of the conference was Marriott’s search for a new headquarters. County Executive Ike Leggett said at the Bisnow event, “First of all, Marriott is going to stay in Montgomery County. That is my promise.”  Amy Ginsburg told the 600-person audience, “In the Pike District, Marriott will be able to make the Pike District in their own image. I think that’s a really exciting proposition for a company, to be the centerpiece of a community.”

You can read more about real estate in the Pike District as described during the Bisnow conference at Bethesda Magazine and Bisnow. (Brian and Amy are quoted in the two articles. Pike & Rose and Friends of White Flint got some nice mentions, too.)

Join us at Paladar, March 3 at 6:30 pm to honor the fathers of the Pike District, Barnaby Zall and Evan Goldman. We’ll serve light appetizers and a drink, but more importantly, we’ll take a moment to thank Barnaby and Evan for founding Friends of White Flint. The cost is just $25 per person for a memorable evening.  Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP by Friday, February 26th to info@whiteflint.org.

You can pay at the door or even easier, you can use PayPal by visiting www.whiteflint.org and clicking the yellow donate button on the right.

Thank You to Gold Sponsor Linowes and Blocher and Friend Sponsor Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker

What do you think? Would polka dot curb extensions make walking safer and more attractive in the Pike District? They worked in Austin, and they aren’t there just for decoration, said Anna Martin, traffic engineer for the Austin Transportation Department. The are “designed to “give space back to the pedestrians.”

Instead of building out the curb with concrete, hey opted for a low-cost option using colorful inspiration from various parklet and pedestrian plaza projects in New York City and Los Angeles. The dots clearly define the pedestrian space and stand out just enough to make drivers slow down without causing a distraction.

What do you think? Should we have something inexpensive, fun and useful like this in the Pike District?

Check out these charts to see how millennials are changing commuting — and why it is so important that the Pike District become walkable, bikeable, and transit-oriented.

• In 2015, Millennials became the largest and most diverse generation in America.

• Millennials will shape our workforce for decades to come, composing 75% of the workforce in 2025.

• Millennials more often indicate a moderate or strong preference for living in car-optional locations

• Millennials also more often indicate walkable and transit friendly neighborhoods are important to them.

• As Millennials have entered the workforce, the number of bike and pedestrian commuters in the Washington, DC area have risen by 12,648 from 2000 to 2012.

Read more here.

Commercial Property Executive reported that real estate company Hines announced the acquisition of North Bethesda Place I & II from JBG Cos. The amount was undisclosed but Bisnow reports the purchase price was $54.6 million.