WCS Construction.com

New Projects on the Horizon

June 03, 2010
WCS Construction is pleased to announce several new projects currently in pre-construction. 2 M Street Apartments is scheduled to begin construction in March, 2011 and will be followed by Ripley Street and Colonel Brooks, a high-rise and mid-rise respectively.

The largest of these upcoming projects is A & R Development's Capitol Gateway Marketplace, with Phase 1 set to begin in 3Q 2011. The project is designed by Marks, Thomas Architects and features a mix of office, retail and residential uses on a 10-acre site. This transit-oriented development in Washington D.C. is located next to the Capitol Heights Metro Station on East Capitol Street.

Capitol Gateway Marketplace

Proposed Phase 1 construction includes 194,000 sf of underground parking, a 61,000 SF grocery store, two small retail buildings of 5,000 sf each and 90,000 sf of residential construction in two five story wood framed buildings. Each residential building will have 78 units and first floor retail. The budgeted Phase 1 value is $38 million.

Phase 2 includes 200,000 sf of underground parking, a 146,000 SF 8 story concrete frame residential building with 150 units, a 118,000 SF 8 story concrete frame office building, a 5,000 sf bank and a 5,000 sf retail building. The budgeted value for Phase 2 is $43 million.

2 M Street

Three of our upcoming projects feature LEED certification. 2 M Street, developed by William C. Smith & Company and designed by Eric Colbert & Associates, will be LEED Gold Certificate. It includes a pool, party room, pool kitchen and recreational area on the roof. The 389,900 sf project includes 75,000 sf underground parking and 314 apartments with 6,000 sf of retail on the first floor.

We are currently performing pre-construction services for the $65 million dollar Ripley Street project for Home Properties. Ripley will be located on Ripley Street and Dixon Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland. The high-rise concrete apartment building, designed by Shalom Baranes Architects, will feature 17 levels, totaling 382 units. There will be two levels of underground and four levels of above ground parking. Additionally, there is a 5 floor loft apartment building planned for the site.

Ripley Street

Ripley is designed as a post tensioned concrete building with either brick or precast facade and aluminum punched windows.

Other unique aspects of the design include a Green roof with a large court yard, pool and lounge on the roof. Also planned is a roof-mounted cooling tower for the designed water source heat pump system.

Colonel Brooks

We are currently performing pre-construction services for the Colonel Brooks project, located at 901 Monroe Street, NE. The project, developed by Horning Brothers and designed by Esocoff & Associates Architects, consists of one and a half levels of underground parking, an at-grade courtyard and another elevated courtyard on the third floor. The project will have 224 apartment units and its unique construction includes four levels of wood framing over two levels of residential area on concrete decks.

Other interesting design features include a precast façade and glazed tile upper floor. As with Ripley there is a roof mounted cooling tower for the designed water source heat pump system.

Pre-construction services have begun for William C. Smiths & Co's Multi-Family Shelter project. Work involves the total gut and refit of a 19 unit building on Mississippi Ave, SE. The building was converted from an apartment building to a police sub station and this work will revert the building back to its original function as an apartment building. The project construction budget is $3.8 million.

New WCS Environmental Specialist

June 03, 2010
WCS Construction Assistant Project Manager Marjorie Olivares graduated this month from George Mason University. Ms. Olivares adds an M.S. degree in Civil, Environmental & Structural Engineering and a Graduate Certificate in Water Resources Management to her impressive list of qualifications.

Since joining WCS Construction in 2006, she has earned LEED Professional Accreditation through the United States Green Building Council and adds valuable knowledge to our experienced construction management team. Her accomplishments enhance the expertise of our company as LEED requirements and environmental concerns become increasingly important in the industry.

Congratulations, Marjorie!

New Senior Project Manager

June 03, 2010
WCS Construction is pleased to announce the addition of new Senior Project Manager Chris Akkerman. Mr. Akkerman brings 27 years of experience in multi-family construction, and public and private site development to our seasoned team. Previously Mr. Akkerman worked for developer Simpson Housing, LP as an Owner Representative for The Reserve at Tysons Corner and as the Vice President of Operations for Beazer Homes where he worked with the Avera Station team. Mr. Akkerman brings wood-frame, concrete construction and site development expertise to WCS Construction.

Sheridan Station Groundbreaking

May 19, 2010

On Monday, May 10, 2010, the District of Columbia Housing Authority-- together with developer William C. Smith-- held the official groundbreaking for the Sheridan Station Project, with the first phase of the 344-unit development to include a 104-unit, multi-family building, 10 townhoumes and 8 manor units. Site development work on the 13.5 acre site will concurrently proceed in preparation for future building phases. To mark the historic event for the local community, Developer Chris Smith was joined at the podium by Mayor Adrian Fenty, Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Vacant since 1994, Sheridan Terrace, a former 183-unit public housing property on 9.8 acres, was demolished in September 1997 following approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This was due primarily to the failure of site drainage that caused severe soil erosion and frequent flooding, and lead to the uninhabitable ground level apartments. Prior to its demolition, the Sheridan Terrace community suffered from symptoms typically associated with severely distressed public housing: poverty, high unemployment and drug-related activity.

DCHA was awarded a $20 million competitive HOPE VI Grant from HUD in March 2008 to redevelop the Sheridan Terrace site. Sheridan Station Phase I is the first of four phases and consists of 114 units of public housing and 69 Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LITC) units. DCHA was awarded $5,827,882 in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) Funds in September 2009 to build energy-efficient and green sustainable units.

The building is registered with the US Green Building Counsel with a goal of achieving LEED Certification Gold. The multifamily building includes an 80 KW solar photovoltaic array which provides 30% of the building's core energy, a vegetative green roof and an 8000gallon rainwater retention cistern underneath the slab of the building. The building will also have a health and wellness center which will provide general family practice care for the neighborhood. Construction is expected to be complete in December 2011.

The Reserve at Tysons Corner Grand Opening

April 29, 2010

On Thursday, April 29th, 2010, Simpson Housing held the Grand Opening celebration for their luxury apartment complex The Reserve at Tysons Corner. Around a hundred individuals flew into DC from Denver, Michigan, Alaska, Georgia and Texas. Simpson Housing has construction underway on properties in Seattle, San Diego, Denver and North Carolina that will now have to meet the standard of quality and schedule established by the WCS Construction Team.

The luxury apartments feature stylish granite countertops, stainless steel GE Profile appliances, hardwood flooring and solid wood cabinetry. The 267-unit complex, features resort class amenities, including a 16 ksf clubhouse, leasing and exercise facility, with indoor ½ basketball court and 1,300 sf swimming pool with fountain. Located only minutes from Tyson's Galleria Mall and 20 minutes from downtown DC, the Reserve at Tyson's Corner is the ideal new home with a world class location. The Reserve at Tyson's Corner is less than a mile and a half from the Dunn Loring Metro Station to provide stress-free commuting.

The project was built with WCS Construction's woodframe over podium expertise, a quality recognized by the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service, which chose the site for a tour of visiting Canadian and Japanese delegation in October2008.

The WCS Construction team lead by President Jim Anglemyer and Senior Project Manager Dave Kutchma worked diligently throughout the duration of the project to ensure all goals were met and where possible, exceeded.

"WCS came in under budget, ahead of schedule with superb quality, no time lost accidents and no claims throughout the project," wrote Steve Bair, Vice President of Construction for Simpson Housing LLLP. Owners Representative Scott Blake added, "The completed project is now a centerpiece in our portfolio and one that we will all be proud of for years to come. WCS Construction exhibited the utmost professionalism and focused on the TEAM approach throughout the project."

Assistant Project Manager Kari Poole coordinated between the field activities and project management. Superintendent Mark Hammond headed up the site operations together with Ralph Hammond, Tim Wilkinson, Tom Facchina and Cliff Hallam.

Among the visitors attending the Grand Opening were members of most of the investing groups involved with Simpson Housing-- Well Fargo, Prudential, State of Michigan, etc.-- all of which were very complimentary of the project. Simpson Housing is looking for ways to continue constructing housing in the DC Metro market, and the success of the Reserve at Tysons Corner project should help in this endeavor.

Stimulus funds propel Sheridan Terrace

March 19, 2010
Washington Business Journal - by Jonathan O'Connell Staff Reporter

Once a blighted Anacostia public housing complex, most of which was torn down in the 1980s, Sheridan Terrace is set to be rebuilt this spring, thanks to $5.8 million in stimulus dollars from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The D.C. Housing Authority, with a development team led by D.C.-based William C. Smith & Co., plans to break ground on a $108 million mixed-use neighborhood along Sheridan Road in April or May.

The first phase includes a five-story, 104-unit multifamily building and a half dozen townhomes, said interim Housing Authority Executive Director Adrianne Todman.

The $5.8 million will go toward infrastructure, a green roof and energy-saving features such as solar panels. As many as 60 units could be filled by families that left when the last of the buildings were vacated in 1994, Todman said.

For our Sheridan Station Portfolio Page click here.

Page 2

3303 Stanton Road, Washington, DC 20020, USA
Tel: (202) 889-3615 Fax: (202) 889-8875 E-mail Webmaster