WASHINGTON, DC-The court appointed receiver of Opus East's 1015 Half St., SE, has restarted construction on the 400,000-square foot office project after inking a $26 million contract with Skanska USA Building last week.

Opus East began developing the building in 2008 with an eye to delivering the 10-story office asset in April 2010. Work on the building, though, ceased when Opus East's parent company filed for bankruptcy last year, leaving uncompleted the building's core and shell, its glass and precast concrete exterior skin, the final installation of the mechanical systems and elevators, the build-out of a two-story lobby and site work and landscaping.

The receiver, Douglas Wilson of the Douglas Wilson Cos., has retained Cassidy Turley for marketing and leasing. The core and shell of the Silver LEED-designed building is now slated to deliver by year-end.

An emerging submarket in the District, the Capitol Riverfront has experienced a significant build-out in the past few years--much of which, unfortunately, delivered in time for the recession. The building at 1015 Half St. will be joining these recently-constructed and partially-empty office buildings in the competition for tenants. The area does have its advantages. There is the Nationals Ballpark, of course, and the federal government tends to favor this market and similar neighborhoods such as NoMa.

There has also been some activity during the recession. Last October, Monument Realty inked a lease with Sayres, a government services contractor, at 55 M St., SE--a 275,000-square-foot building above the Navy Yard Metro at Half and M streets. In August, the Bureau of Land Management took 94,435 square feet at 20 M St. SE, a 190,600-square-foot office building owned by Lerner Enterprises in the heart of the submarket.