BRC Bulletin

Volume 4, Issue 6, June 13, 2005

New City Center, DC Government Contracting, DCRA, Television Work, Southeastern University

1. Council Approves New City Center
2. Advance Planning Required For On-Time Bid Delivery
3. DCRA's Online Registration Allows You to Register Your Business Quickly
4. More Television Series Work Is Coming to the District
5. Southeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship's Real Estate Series

1. Council Approves New City Center

DC Council approved legislation authorizing the disposition of the former convention center site to Hines and Archstone-Smith for the development of a world-class mixed-use project. This new city center will include approximately 300,000 SF of retail, 1,372 units of housing, 550,000 SF of office, at least 1,900 parking spaces, and an active one-acre public space programmed with at least $1.5 million per year to be paid by the developer. At the District's option, 120,000 square feet of the site are reserved for uses to be determined by the city, which could include residential, retail, a new central library and/or hotel uses.

The Land Disposition Agreement/Exclusive Rights Agreement (ERA/LDA) covers the development program, financial consideration for the site, and a timetable for construction. The ERA/LDA calls for a 99-year lease of the site to the developer for all private uses, except the for-sale housing parcels which will be sold outright. The District estimates it will receive $200 million in value for the land (in today's dollars) over the course of the 99-year lease. In addition, the District will participate in 25 percent of profits if the project performs better than projections.

A few facts about the New City Center:

• Jobs. This project is projected to generate 7,584 construction period jobs and 5,217 permanent jobs.
• Fiscal Benefits. The District is receiving a projected $200 million in value for the site (in today's dollars) plus $30 million a year in new tax revenues.
• Affordable Housing. Twenty percent of all housing units will be affordable at a range of incomes. Five percent at 30 percent of HUD Area Median Income, five percent at 60 percent of HUD Area Median Income, and 10 percent at 80 percent of HUD Area Median Income.
• LSDBE Commitment. The development will create significant local, small and disadvantaged business (LSDBE) opportunities. LSDBEs will own 20 percent of developer equity and will invest at least $20 million in equity. A minimum 35 percent of eligible pre-construction/construction and operational costs will go to LSDBE contractors.
• First Source Commitment. At least 51 percent of all new jobs created will go to District residents.
• Unique Retailers. There is a developer commitment that 30 percent of retail space will be devoted to merchants with six or fewer stores in the United States. Retail emphasis will focus on a broad range of restaurants and cafes, grocery/market foods, entertainment and performance venues, fashion and specialty retail, and neighborhood services.
Details about this new development can be found on the Mayor's website .

2. Advance Planning Required For On-Time Bid Delivery

The Office of Contracting and Procurement recommends that potential contractors, due to heightened security requirements, arrive at bid opening locations at least one hour prior to bid opening time.

District of Columbia government buildings have increased security requirements for those entering the buildings. These requirements may affect on-time delivery of bids. Potential contractors responding to the Office of Contracting and Procurement solicitations are urged to arrive at the bid opening locations in time to clear building security. Potential contractors should inform the building security staff that they are submitting a bid response.

The Office of Contracting and Procurement is bound by regulations to date- and time-stamp each bid as it comes into the bid opening locations. It is the responsibility of the potential contractor to deliver the bid by the required date and time as stated in the solicitation.

Packages exceeding in size the portal to the scanning machines must be opened and inspected. The size of these machines may vary at different DC government buildings and the security staff may conduct additional random security searches.

Visit Office of Contracting and Procurement and Office of Local Business Development for more information about contracting with the DC Government.

3. DCRA's Online Registration Allows You to Register Your Business Quickly

Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has added a new feature to its website. Online Organization Registration allows you to register your business in the District of Columbia quickly and easily. Find the necessary forms to register your organization, view frequently asked questions, or search for available business names. You may also access and check the status of existing organizations that are properly registered in the District. Visit DCRA's website to take advantage of this new feature.

4. More Television Series Work Is Coming to the District

More television series work is coming to the District. Business is making a comeback after the lull incurred by security measures put into place following September 11which limited or restricted filmmaking in some of the city's most popular locations.

The staff at the District's Office of Motion Picture and Television Development have learned to work within the confines of heavy security imposed after September 11 so that the city may get its fair share of the lucrative production dollar. The city will be featured as the "silent star" this fall on Fox Television's "Bones," NBC-TV's "E-Ring" and ABC-TV's "Commander-in-Chief." Filming for these series took place last spring for broadcast this fall.

Commander-in-Chief
Created by the acclaimed writer/director of the Oscar-nominated film, The Contender, the series focuses on Mackenzie Allen, who has a lot on her plate. She has twin teenagers and a six-year-old at home, an ambitious husband at the office, and she is about to become the first female President of the United States. Geena Davis, Harry J. Lennix, Ever Carradine, Kyle Secor, Julie Ann Emery, Donald Sutherland star.

E-Ring
CSI Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Oscar-nominated Director Taylor Hackford, and actors Dennis Hopper and Benjamin Bratt join forces in this drama set inside the Pentagon. It's a hub of highly explosive conflicts between American military heroes and the civilians to whom they report--a world where crises can escalate into life-and-death climaxes, for individuals or entire nations. Viewers witness critical decisions by intelligence officers in the war room and the execution of these decisions by covert special ops on the battlefield.

Bones
Emily Deschanel stars in this drama pilot about a team of forensic anthropologists who solve crimes using evidence supplied by skeletal remains. She'll play Temperance Brennan, the leader of the team in this 20th Century Fox Television-based project. David Boreanaz and Michaela Conlin also star in the pilot, which comes from executive producers Barry Josephson and Hart Hanson and is based on the "Brennan" novels by Kathy Reichs.

Visit the Mayor's Newsroom to see this and other recent press releases.

5. Southeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship's Real Estate Series

Southeastern University is offering four courses on real estate issues.

• How to Market & Lease Your New Real Estate will teach you how to determine who your ideal qualified tenant would be and how to find qualified tenants. You will also learn what language should be included in a commercial or multifamily lease.
• Real Estate Financing and Rehabilitation show attendees how to finance commercial real estate properties, which include houses, commercial buildings, basements and small apartment buildings. Attendees will also learn how to finance the rehabilitation of new and old construction.
• Property Management Issues will cover property maintenance issues, what legal requirements you are responsible for as a landlord, and what the landlord tenant requirements are in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
• Real Estate Exit Strategies will help you decide whether your investment is a short-or long-term financial strategy, and what factors you should consider when deciding whether or not to sell.

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