What was approved by the Old Georgetown Board was what’s known as a “design concept“. It’s not the final design. They’ll have to go back through the ANC and the OGB to get the permit for the finalized plans. The designs won’t change that much, but you should be clear that this is by no means the final design or approval (GM admits he’s been a little sloppy about that too).
Category Archives: Development
Apple Store Design Finally Approved
Original image curtesy of ANC2E, modifications roughly matching those made by Apple added by the Georgetown Metropolitan
As described the other day, the ANC approved the most recent design tweak by Apple for its proposed Wisconsin Ave. store. The Post is reporting that the Old Georgetown Board finally approved the design.
By the way, GM really wanted to be the first to break this, but the staff of the Commission of Fine Arts apparently won’t disclose the results of public meetings over the phone. Spoilsports.
And since we’ve been down this road before, it’s worth noting that there’s still a tiny, tiny chance the Commission itself will reject the decision of the Old Georgetown Board, something they rarely do.
Filed under Development
The North Face to Open in Georgetown
According to the just announced agenda for next week’s ANC meeting, The North Face is presenting a design concept for a store at 3333 M St. This is the first GM’s ever heard about The North Face opening up in Georgetown, and the Google hasn’t heard about it either.
That space was most recently used for Foto Week DC, and before that it was the doomed-from-the-start Artefacto furniture (when the construction of your building is held up because of a massive sinkhole, that’s not a good omen). It’s a huge space and only so many tenants could carry it, but perhaps the name brand of North Face and it’s proximity to a prime market at Georgetown University will mean success.
Filed under Development
Oh, Never Mind
The Post is reporting that the Old Georgetown Board rejected Apple’s most recent design concept. Apparently they don’t read a certain neighborhood blog that predicted:
The design will be heard before the Old Georgetown Board on Thursday where it will probably be approved. No timetable for construction has been set (they haven’t even knocked down the old building yet, so it probably shouldn’t be expected until early 2010 at the earliest).
Oops. Cue the shiny white pitchforks and tastefully colored torches and follow GM as he performs the post-mortem:
Filed under Development, Retail
WaPo Retells the Apple Saga
The news was first broke by us bloggers, but it was The Washington Post that pulled all the strings together to retell the whole Apple store saga, with more photos to boot. Paul Schwarzman’s article and the DC Wire’s post show the evolution of Apple’s designs. The most interesting point for GM was that WaPo reached out to the U.S. Fine Arts Commission and got copies of Apple’s previous proposals.
First of all, how close was GM’s Photoshop sight-unseen hacksaw job to the actual proposal? Surprisingly close:
Apple's on the left, GM's on the right
Filed under Development
The Approved Apple Designs
While Vox Populi may have gotten the DCist link love it’s the Georgetown Metropolitan that has the actual approved most recently rejected* designs for the new Apple store at 1229 Wisconsin Ave. Check them out:
Courtesy of ANC2E
As described in GM’s ANC round up, the approved design fits in with the 19th century buildings around it. The roofline matches the building housing Nine West and is decorated by dentil mouldings, echoing its neighbors. Hopefully the actual structure won’t be the blinding white light that the designs make them out to be. More after the jump:
Filed under Development
M St. as Dodge City?
Courtesy of Shorpy.com
The Georgetown Current has a bit more detail on the shocking possibility that gun stores could open in Georgetown. Two things are clearer now: Where they could be and how little the neighborhood can do to stop them. Read more after the jump:
Filed under Development
Fisher to Georgetown: I Want My Shiny Plastic
Apple's Proposal - As illustrated by the Georgetown Metropolitan
The other day, Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher weighed in on the decision by Georgetown’s ANC and the Old Georgetown Board to reject Apple’s second design for their proposed store at 1229 Wisconsin. Anyone who follows Fisher shouldn’t be surprised that he’s inveighing against the city’s preservationist Mandarins. Unless you’re talking about baseball or radio, Fisher typically has no time for historicism. But does he have a point? Read more:
Filed under ANC, Development
Safeway’s Curb Cuts
The New Social Safeway
As described earlier, the Social Safeway as it currently exists isn’t long for this world. They have put forward a dramatic new design whereby the whole building will be moved up to front Wisconsin. However, Safeway plans to keep the same ingress and egress. DDOT may have something to say about that though. Will there be one or two driveways for Social Safeway, Mark II? More after the jump:
Filed under Development
ANC Round Up
GM gets bored so you don’t have to!
Some fireworks tonight at the ANC. Some of which will result in full posts; but for now here are the high points:
- Key Bridge will be closed for the inauguration (not to pedestrians though); the DC Chamber of Commerce will hold a meeting this Thursday at the Four Points Hotel at 8:00 pm to discuss all the inauguration issues like these
- Crime is up 3% in PSA 206, but apparently that’s better than citywide
- Georgetown gets to renovate 60-120 street lights, should we do them all in one area or the worst first? Tell the ANC what you think
- The ANC supported Social Safeway’s proposal to keep two driveways for the new building despite DDOT’s inclination to insist on only one
- ANC voted not to amend the voluntary agreements with the few bars that showed up hoping to get the go-ahead to stay open later for the inauguration (definitely more on this to come)
- Apple decided not to show up despite the fact that they were on the agenda to present a new concept (GM’s hoping to get a copy of the most recently rejected design soon)
- ANC rejected Ice Berry’s request for new awnings; but that didn’t matter cause there’s a historical protection easement that banned it anyway. There’s some good news for Ice Berry though, apparently half the Commissioners wanted to leave right there and buy a few scoops
- The neighbors around Philly Pizza & Grill on Potomac St. are piiiii-isssssed, as would you if your piano teacher neighbor’s house got turned into a late night drunk student hang-out where the pizza delivers block your driveway and the restaurant fumes flood your house. Oh and if they pretty much ignored every zoning rule in the book on the way there.
Filed under Around Town, Development
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
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