Roadside, Sekisui House deliver 4 residential properties on former Fannie Mae site

Properties: Botanica, The Coterie, Crescendo, The Branches
Developers: Roadside Development, North America Sekisui House
Property Manager: Bozzuto
Architect/Designer: Shalom Baranes Associates
Location: Washington, D.C.
Unit Size: 691
Rent: $2,508–$10,120
Cost: $715 million

The former headquarters of one of the country’s largest affordable mortgage providers has gotten a new lease on life.

Washington, D.C.–based Roadside Development and Arlington, Virginia–based North America Sekisui House, a subsidiary of Japanese home builder Sekisui House, have completed the residential component of City Ridge, a mixed-use development built on the former site of the Fannie Mae headquarters in northwest Washington, D.C., according to a press release provided to Multifamily Dive.

The 1.1-million-square-foot site includes the city’s first Wegmans grocery store, which opened this summer; 154,000 additional square feet of retail and restaurant space and 160,000 square feet of fully leased office space. The original exterior of the Fannie Mae building has been retained, with the interiors renovated as offices for the International Baccalaureate’s Global Centre for the Americas.

Roadside and NASH acquired the property in 2016 for $89 million after Fannie Mae announced plans to relocate its headquarters to downtown D.C., according to WTOP.

A modern apartment building situated next to a Colonial-style structure. — The City Ridge development includes both entirely new buildings and office space that makes adaptive reuse of the original Colonial-style Fannie Mae corporate offices.

Permission granted by Roadside Development

The site’s 691 residential units are spread across four newly constructed buildings, including The Branches, a 171-unit property that opened in the spring. Bozzuto is the property manager for all four buildings. The other three are:

Crescendo, the largest of the four developments, which features a warm, natural color palette inspired by Glover Archibald Park next door, according to the release. The building was designed with an eye toward indoor-outdoor integration and features Italian appliances and cabinetry, private terraces in select units and a green space open to City Ridge residents. Six of its 340 units are walk-ups located on the ground level.
The Coterie, which is based on the look of boutique hotels, according to the release, with a unique wedge building shape and tall, thin windows in even rows across an expanse of gray brick. The one- to three-bedroom units feature tall ceilings to match, and select units include balconies with indoor/outdoor fireplaces.
Botanica, which offers 86 units ranging from studios to three-bedrooms and includes six ground-floor units with private patios. The building overlooks downtown D.C. and the National Cathedral and features expansive rooftop green space.

A park on the roof of an apartment building with playground equipment. — Pin Oak Park, a private park open to City Ridge residents, is located on the roof of the Crescendo apartment building.

Permission granted by Roadside Development

All City Ridge residents will have access to every amenity across all four buildings, including:

Six rooftop patios equipped with lounge space, gardens, grills, a pizza oven and smoker, and private event rooms.
24-hour fitness centers, including yoga studios, Peloton bikes and outdoor workout areas.
The Den, an entertainment lounge with a multi-sport simulator.
Pin Oak Park, a private park located at Crescendo.
Anna’s House, a rooftop greenhouse located at Botanica.
A coworking space and library at The Branches.

Residents and office tenants can also choose to join The Ridge Club, which gives members access to a lap and resort-style pool, dining, cabanas, a theater screen and lounge space. A public Great Lawn at the front of the property will host community events and programming for the site.