Aria Development Tops Out The Florian in DC’s NoMa
By Keith Loria October 20, 2023 5:08 pm
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Aria Development Group has finished topping out The Florian, a 388-unit apartment building in Washington, D.C.’s NoMa neighborhood, a project nearly five years in the making, Commercial Observer has learned.
The building replaced a long-gone Exxon gas station that Aria acquired in 2018 for $25.5 million. Combining the site with a previous $11 million acquisition of the adjacent parking lot, the company laid out plans for what was described at the time as a “prominent” building.
The result will be a 14-story luxury rental building at 1 Florida Avenue NE, at the corner of North Capitol Street Northeast. The first residents are expected this summer, with the entire project scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024.
“We are pleased with the pace and progress of this transformational project,” Joshua Benaim, Aria’s founder and CEO, told CO. “The Florian will help weave back together the fabric of some of D.C.’s most beloved neighborhoods.”
The Florian is just one of many planned developments that is part of the transformation of the NoMa neighborhood.
Also on Florida Avenue, MRP Realty is close to finishing the 202 at Washington Gateway, a 16-story building with 254 apartments and 3,800 square feet of retail. Nearby, Donohoe is close to topping out 7 New York Avenue NE, a 14- story, 115-unit multifamily tower at the site of the former Covenant House building.
And Douglas Development filed plans in 2021 for a 557-unit, 13-story mixed-use building at the triangular parking lot at First Street and New York Avenue Northeast. There have been no further updates on where the project currently stands.
Additionally, in July, the neighborhood’s infamous Dave Thomas Circle roundabout, which for decades has confounded Northeast Washington, D.C., residents, began its long-awaited transformation to include bike lanes, ADA-compliant ramps and open green space.
At The Florian, amenities include a rooftop pool and lounge, a private event space with a chef’s kitchen, a fire pit and outdoor grilling stations, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and coworking space.
Morris Adjmi Architects designed the building and the interiors of the development. The design was inspired by an Italian Renaissance palace in Ferrara, Italy, with a sculpted, diamond-patterned façade.
Georgetown-based Cunningham | Quill Architects, which also worked on Aria’s The Clifton in the 14th Street corridor, served as architect for the development. Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Kennedy Wilson provided construction financing.
Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.
