New Giant Coming to the O Street Market Will Have Eat In Cafe, Transformation of Corner is Staggering

by Prince Of Petworth — August 7, 2013 at 10:22 pm 30 Comments

O_street_market_giant_shaw
7th and O Street, NW

The new Giant grocery store coming to the O Street Market will have an eat-in cafe according to a recent liquor license application:

“Eat-in café located within Giant with 54 seats. Total occupancy load 64.”

This corner’s transformation is jaw dropping:

o_street_market
2010

3130454897_1d2b7144c5_z
2008

Anonymous

you ain’t kidding… staggering indeed. just wait until the NW corner is done with new condos (apts?) /retail there… and then just wait a bit longer and the NE corner will be turned into a whole new building (right now it houses the construction crew trailers). craaaazzzy.
Anonymous

What was the story with that old market that was In or just outside the parking lot of the old Giant. I think it burned down a long time ago.

That Giant was real shady back around 2000.
Anonymous

just looked at the photo again… my bad… im talking about 7th and P
Anonymous

Curious if any of the NIMBY’s who opposed this project as too dense/tall, going to destroy the neighborhood etc. have reevaluated their position?
Anonymous

I can’t wait for my new Giant!! Anyone know when it will open? It closed in fall 2011 and the original estimates were that it would reopen fall 2013.
- babble
  
  I’m on a few of the update listservs, and they said we could buy our Thanksgiving turkeys there this year. They’re having an open house for the apartments this weekend. Check out the prices:
  Studios starting from: $1,800*
  One Bedroom starting from: $2,005*
  One Bedroom + Den starting from: $2,525*
  Two Bedrooms starting from: $2,830*
- RK
  
  Nov. 1st 2013
  - rickindc
    
    The price of rentals in DC is crazy, the place I live in now goes for $1700.00 per month with no washer and dryer in the units and sub-standard kitchens and baths.
Jack5

Man, staggering indeed. I remember it as if it was just 10 years ago when I would venture to the smelly old Giant at O street to buy stale milk and wait in line for half an hour at checkout, but still I’d have free parking right out front… Now it’s gone all big-city with expensive parking…. *sniff*
- gotryit
  
  Giant validates parking at the columbia heights store, so it’s free (I think for two hours). It’ll probably be the same for this one.
- stcohi
  
  I used to park in that lot all the time! Not once did I get a ticket. Good old days…
zindc

Giant should open sometime late this fall/early this winter. for more information follow the CityMarket at O blog: http://citymarketato.blogspot.com/
bb

Can’t wait for the Giant to open. We desperately need more grocery store competition.
etcetera

very very excited for the Giant. the massive number of apts/condos I’m less thrilled about… the material they seem to be using on the condo building (facade facing P street) is a little tackier and cheaper looking than i expected, especially in contrast to the nice bits of brick facade still left on the corner in your picture. I’m kind of hoping that maybe that’s not the final exterior material, but I suspect it is. Still looking forward to see what other retail moves in there – Giant, a gelatto place, what else?
jerseygirl

As much as I love the Capitol Supermarket, I cannot wait for the Giant to open!!! hopefully it won’t be as picked over as the horrid Safeway on NY Ave.
kken

I would still avoid that Giant like the plague on Sundays. With all the churches in the vicinity, God help you if you went into that Giant around 2pm after services let out. Now imagine the new Giant with all the new local tenants plus those church goers. NIGHTMARES
Anonymous

Agreed – this area is a nightmare on Sundays.
Angry Parakeet

Simple solution – shop early in the morning. Columbia Heights Giant is downright pleasant as late as 9:00 am on weekends.
Anonymous

Its going to be the biggest Giant ever, 76k sq feet. I was told they would also offer a service where you buy groceries online and they fill your order and put it in a locker for your to pick up all ready to go. They also will have a full time chef on staff. I think they are trying to compete with whole foods and Harris Teeter now. which is great.
Im not surprised at the rental pricing, seems kind of typcial now. The roof has a pool and individual fire pits (I think you have pay to reserve them) so its definitely catering to a very affluent demographic.
Anonymous

Excited to see this project. But, I’m curious how it will engage the surrounding neighborhood at street level. Hope 9th and 7th street are lined with retail and it helps animate those two streets. Currently, Shaw is coming together little by little. But there is really no vibrancy like one finds in Columbia Heights, Dupont, 14th, etc. I would hate for this to be a giant bunker on the outside with all the activity hidden in the interior courtyard.
overonhst

The transformation of this city in the last 10-15 years has been amazing. Detroit better pay attention; you can’t rebuild an entire city in a few years. It takes decades.
Jaynuze

They’ve moved on to the bier garten down the street
Jaynuze

They’ve moved on to the bier garten down the street
Anonymous

There is supposed to be street level retail at O Street and at the former Kelsey gardens building.
Alan

Love how they are preserving that facade. Truly a gem. This is what historic preservation is about, not that NIMBY bullshit to keep new people out of your hood.
Anonymous

Thanks for the reply! I’ll see you there by Thanksgiving 🙂
Anonymous

Woops. This was meant for Babble at 9:08am
Q-Street

I attended the community meetings. There was a concern or two raised – parking, affordable apts etc – but I think the developers did a good job addressing those concerns. It was a pretty amicable process as I recall.

I think the vast majority of the neighbors welcomed the O Street Market redevelopment, and quite frankly had been waiting for it for many years of delays, financing issues and dashed plans.
Paul H

One of the comments suggests that the old O Street market building burned down. Actually, the roof collapsed in a snowstorm in 2006 (I think). Anyway, great to see the roof structure the building mass replicated, and it being used as a food market again.
7th&OCrew

Have all the hardened violent criminals (not the nice residents) been arrested and removed yet from 1300Apts across O St to the south?

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