Construction is underway on another massive mixed-use development on Wisconsin Avenue, this time a $295 million combination of apartments and retail space.
Known as Upton Place, the two-building development will bring 689 apartment units and 100,000 square feet of retail space to Northwest D.C. next to the City Ridge development. Onelife Fitness and the grocery chain Lidl have already signed retail leases, with more shops and restaurants expected to join.
The buildings are on track to open toward the end of 2023. The six-story East Tower will have 455 apartments and all of the retail space, while the eight-story West Tower will have 234 apartments.
The project is managed by Donohoe Development Company and Aimco, a real estate company. The buildings were designed by Bethesda-based firm SK+I Architecture.
Steve Colangelo, Dohonoe’s vice president, told The Eagle that amenities for Upton Place residents will include courtyards and a pool in each building, a rooftop terrace, private fitness center, golf simulator, meditation room, pet spa, coworking space, hobby shop and bicycle storage.
“It will be really convenient to use a bike as a form of transportation” from Upton Place, Colangelo said.
Other features include 825 parking spaces and solar panels to generate some of the buildings’ electricity.
Upton Place will feature a mix of residential and commercial space when it opens next year.
Prices for the apartments are not yet determined, but Colangelo expected they would be comparable to other high-end rentals nearby. Upton Place will sit next door to City Ridge, a 690-apartment development that opened this year and includes a Wegmans grocery store and Tatte Bakery and Cafe. Studio apartments at City Ridge start at $2,600 a month, The Eagle previously reported.
Upton Place will also include 65 affordable units, priced based on 60 percent of Northwest D.C.’s median family income. In Ward 3, where American University and Upton Place are located and which encompasses much of Northwest D.C., the median household income is roughly $130,000.
Another perk, Colangelo said, is the site’s proximity to Glover Archbold Park. Upton Place’s West Tower will sit against the park, and some apartments will have views of the greenery. In November, Donohoe and Aimco partnered with the National Park Service and the Rock Creek Conservancy to remove invasive plants from the park, plant native trees and install a trail map at the nearby park entrance.
The East Tower, by contrast, will sit adjacent to Wisconsin Avenue and be “a little more active,” Colangelo said. Both buildings, which are connected on the first floor and penthouse levels, will eventually have names, and Colangelo said their different aesthetics will lend them to being marketed separately.
“They’re both unique buildings,” he said.
