Located in the city's Brentwood neighborhood, the Rhode Island project will ultimately include 270 apartments, 70,000 sf of retail space, and a seven-story parking garage capable of accommodating the 340 spaces it will replace, as well as additional spaces for the complex's visitors and residents. The residential units will sit atop ground-level retail space in two four-story buildings. Among the retailers that have expressed interest in opening up at the development are Boston Market, Applebee's and Dress Barn.

"This project is a wonderful example of transit-oriented development, which furthers the Metro Board's overarching goal for the Joint Development Program," Metro Joint Development Subcommittee chairman Jim Graham says. WMATA is involved with a variety of development projects where the transportation organization joins forces with area developers. "This project will also help to revitalize the community in the area of the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station," he adds. While the project is still in the early stages, an architectural firm, Hord Coplan Macht, is in place.

"We've done the conceptual plans and we're getting ready to get started on the schematic design," firm principal Edward M. Hord tells GlobeSt.com. We haven't had our kick-off meeting yet, where we'll talk about schedules, changes, etcetera."