Popping up (and back) in Brightwood

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by Prince Of Petworth January 15, 2014 at 12:30 pm 15 Comments

5th street popup 01

“Dear PoPville,

The first one at 5th and Ingraham [picture above] contrasts greatly from the neighbors in terms of colors and height, but likely won’t be a standout for long.

The second [pictures after the jump] is around the corner on Jefferson just west of 5th. I haven’t seen a conversion like this one in Petworth/Brightwood yet. The sideyard of this once-duplex enables three 3-story units to be accessed separately on the side instead of from a shared front entrance. From the back, you can really see how much massing was added compared with its attached counterpart.

Hope this bodes well for Kennedy’s eventual revival.”

jefferson st popup 01

jefferson st popup 02

jefferson st popup 03

Anonymous

Wow, that second one is fugly.
.
Also, I fixed this last line for the OP: “Hope this bodes well for my appraisal value.”
- kyle-w
  
  Meh,
  
  Perhaps he just realizes that what Petworth needs is more density, more money, and more eyes on the street? The more density and money will certainly be helpful as they start talking streetcar on GA Ave, which would be huge for Kennedy Street.
  
  Perhaps your jaded view is just that, a jaded view. I could care less about my appraisal value in the short term. I own, and plan on owning here for the next 5-10 years, so I want the neighborhood to continue improving, and my house value will take care of itself..
textdoc

The second one isn’t quite as bad, since it’s an end unit. Not keen on the first one (though I grant that we’ve seen much worse).
brightwoodparkres

As somone that lives in the neighborhood, there is has been much discussion about these two pop-ups. The first, had 2-3 stop work orders placed on it due to the unsafe conditions that the contractor created while constructing this property. He damaged both houses on either side of his property and hasn’t communicated well on the repairs.

The second property is also the topic of much disdain due to the lack of setbacks from the property. Apparently Jefferson has some weird zoning for just 3-4 blocks in that area which made it a “by right” construction project. This contractor also damaged the adjoining property during construction.
- Anonymous
  
  From what I heard, they started out with a permit to make minor interior changes, and then knocked out the back wall. They had no permit for this, and ended up with a stop-work order. They ignored this, and got a second one. I didn’t see a single hard-hat on any of the guys doing the work. No construction dumpster, either.
jim_ed

C’mon PoP, this isn’t Brightwood. Its the far northern reaches of Petworth. Kennedy St is the border between Petworth and Brightwood Park, Missouri is the border between Brightwood Park and Brightwood.
- urbankate
  
  Agreed. This is most definitely still Petworth.
  
  Is the line really Kennedy Street? Some say it’s Missouri.
  
  I guess there really isn’t one right answer.
  - dat
    
    Wikipedia lists the Northern boundary as Emerson :-)
    - urbankate
      
      One day when Kennedy Street is super vibrant everyone will want to say “I live in the Kennedy Street CORRIDOR!”
      - Anonymous
        
        Doubtful on both of your assertions.
    - Anonymous
      
      Wikipedia didn’t say that a few months ago, looks like someone has edited this. As someone who lives in the neighborhood, I don’t want to sound like a snob, but Brightwood is a mess of crime, and I really don’t want my house associated with it. This Brightwood Park thing is new, I never heard it before and I live here.
- Truxton Thomas
  
  What would people talk about if they didn’t talk about arbitrary neighborhood designations?
  - Amanda
    
    +1
- kyle-w
  
  Jim,
  
  Just wanted to thank you for moving my house (7th and Farragut) from Brightwood to Petworth. Hardly anyone I work with knows what Petworth is, but certainly no one knows where Brightwood is. I normally go with Petworth as well. I particularly like your neighborhood designation :)
Cher Castillo Freeman

Thanks for the feedback! Our project looks better than ever and we will continue to set the standard in innovative real estate development is the District. See for yourself: http://tour.homevisit.com/mls/73291/5303-5TH-ST-NW-WASHINGTON-DC-20011

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