WASHINGTON, DC-CityCenterDC developers haveinked a lease with Covington & Burling LLP forthe law firm to take 420,000 square feet at the mixed-usedevelopment project underway in Downtown DC. The partiessigned a letter of intent for the lease earlier thisyear. With the Covington lease in hand, the office buildings,One and Two CityCenter, are nowmore than 80% pre-leased, according to the project's developers,Hines, Archstone and the TFI US RealEstate Fund.

Covington is moving into its new space in the summer of 2014.The lease will run 20 years, during which time Covington will haveoptions to expand. Thomas Fulcher andArthur Greenberg with Studley andDebra Lehman-Smith and JamesMcLeish with Lehman Smith McLeish advisedCovington on the lease. Construction on Phase 1 of the 10-acreproject began in March 2011 and parts of it are close to toppingout. Two office buildings, two apartment buildings and twocondominiums are expected to be able to accept first occupants byQ4 2013.

Construction of Phase II of the project is expected to begin inthe first half of '14. It will consist of an approximately 370-roomluxury hotel and 73,000 square feet of additional retail. Alltogether, phases I and II of the project will contain more than295,000-square-feet of retail space and 520,000 square feet ofoffice space in seven buildings. There will be 458 rental apartmentunits, 216 condominium units, the hotel component, a public park, acentral plaza and pedestrian-oriented streets and alleyways.