Introducing the Next H Street – Ivy City

northeazy

Bold statement! I like Ivy City but there is nothing like Capitol Hill and surrounding residential neighborhoods to support a large neighborhood. Ivy City is based around Hect. It is too distant and cut off from the rest of DC. I hope it becomes a quirky neighborhood unaffected by the sterile, corporate growth that has infected DC. But alas, Ivy City’s anchor, Hect, is the first symptom.

justinbc

It’s pretty much become the alcohol production center of the city. There are so many breweries and distilleries based out of there now, since it’s one of the only areas in DC with large, available, and cheap warehouse space. The new Union Kitchen incubator building is there as well.
- justinbc
  
  There’s also a massive project planned across the street from Hecht at the old tomato canning factory. You’re right in that there’s no bougie neighborhood surrounding it, but with all the JBG / Gallaudet / Union Market development going on they’re somewhat going to force it from scratch.
  - Timebomb
    
    There are large residential developments happening nearby:
    .
    http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2016/02/first-look-at-newcitydc-the-massive-next-phase-in.html
    http://riadc.com/
    .
    And a lot of land on which those developments can keep on coming.
    - Timebomb
      
      Also, a lot of 100-year-old single-family homes to be popped up and out and turned multi-family; it won’t all be generic developments, hopefully.
***

“It is too distant and cut off from the rest of DC.” Really? Really? It’s literally within a 3 mile radius of downtown DC and a straight shot down NY Ave. How is this any different than Bloomingdale and Eckington?
- stacksp
  
  West Virginia Ave by Galludet runs right into IVY City. Not far from Hst or Florida Ave at all.
- Chareth Cutestory
  
  One is comprised mainly of warehouses, train tracks and a cemetery and the other is comprised mainly of residences where people live and spend money?
  - Anony
    
    This.
- Anon
  
  I assume you’re only talking about location/proximity to downtown, but Eckington/Bloomingdale are far closer to two different metro lines and a panoply of busses. Both neighborhoods are also surrounded by other attractions, whereas Ivy City only has Union Market and some breweries. Granted, Union Market will eventually explode, but I don’t see any point to paying a similar rate in Ivy City as NoMa.
- Hill Denizen
  
  It is disconnected from public transportation. A lot of people consider H Street a trek. This is quite a bit further. And 3 miles doesn’t seem like a lot compared to suburban distances, but it’s a pretty long ways in DC. Van Ness is only 5 miles from Capitol Hill, but you definitely wouldn’t say they are near each other. I think there’s a lot of potential for this area, especially with all of the available space and the interesting character, but the connectivity is a very real issue.
  - Timebomb
    
    The built environment counts for a lot. People considered H St. a trek because there was a large swath between Union Station and 6th St. NE (give or take) that was undeveloped. It’s since been filled out, and I don’t hear as many complaints. The creation of Uber probably has a lot to do with that too, which is great for 3-mile trips.
    .
    There’s a large swath of awful built environment between Union Market (which is soon to be highly developed, and is adjacent to highly developed NoMa), and Ivy City, but if it gets built out a bit, the walk from NoMa metro station won’t seem that untenable. Plus, there’s a large railyard in Brentwood/Eckington between NoMa and RIA that could eventually become an infill station. It’s basically just a station the trains don’t stop at (which is especially hilarious because it’s crowded with the cars of people who work there).

Anon x2

My only problem with Ivy City (so far) is that the developments seem so artificial and orchestrated. Perhaps that’s needed to jump start the neighborhood but so far it seems a bit National Harbor-ish. I moved to H Street because I liked what was happening in the Neighborhood, between neighbors. Ivy City feels like a deep-pocketed developer trying to create some sort of hipster Disneyland. The best neighborhoods, in my experience, start with neighbors and low cost of living- not anchor stores and built-in appreciation.

Hill Denizen

But there was already a neighborhood there. There isn’t as much residential real estate already in Ivy Street. Do you expect an individual buyer to buy an entire warehouse? This is exactly the kind of place where I’d want developers to come in and build out.
- Anon x2
  
  I’m not super surprised that it’s being built out for the reasons you discuss, just that it ends up feeling artificial and that’s not for me. Poster below mentions Noma as a parallel and I also wouldn’t want to live there. There’s something strange about the Ivy City development. it’s like an insta-neighborhood with yoga and crossfit, just add white people.
Duponter

So, NoMa? It isn’t for everyone, no doubt. But NoMa has a market. This will too. But I agree with others that without better transportation options to downtown, it may not happen as quickly as NoMa. Then again, hipsters like bikes anyway.
jd

Anon x2 is right about deep pocket developers. Some of these industrial properties are being bought up at 4 times appraised value in cash deals. Who can do that? Bozutto’s and Douglas’ of the world. Yea – you’re not getting quirky – you’re getting rockville town center.

anonymous

I think once Union Market gets built out Ivy City will hurt from a housing standpoint. The restaurants/bars may do well because of Union Market growth. If there was only a way to merge the two of them. Unless they reroute redline somewhere near before getting to RI stop. Still mind blowing how Trinidad ended up dead center of all these developments. Union Market, Hects Warehouse, H street, the other part of Hects development along NY ave…Just a matter of time before Hechenger Mall is redeveloped.

***

reroute the red line?? Bah hahahahaha
Timebomb

It’s an idea floating around.
.
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16795/mcduffie-suggests-a-bladensburg-rd-marc-or-metro-station/
- John M
  
  Although I think there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of Metro getting routed that way anytime soon, a MARC/commuter rail station isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Perhaps they can even run a shuttle train to Union Station from Ivy City.
  - sbc
    
    It would also be a great place for the District to try bus rapid transit. I have no idea why there aren’t any metrobuses along NY Avenue–they could run buses between Ft. Lincoln (some spots there could be good park-and-rides fro commuters) and the White House, with major stops at Costco, hotels/the Arboreteum, Ivy City, Union Market/Gallaudet University, NoMa metro, Dunbar HS, Convention Center, and McPherson Square (maybe do some express buses that just have these 8 stops over about 6 miles, and some local ones that stop more frequently?).
    
    That would connect some major employment centers, educational and recreational facilities, and all the metro lines.
    - Jigga
      
      This

washingtonydc

I wonder if instead of H St NE, it’s more akin to Mt Vernon Triangle. MVT was mostly parking lots until City Vista opened with Safeway, Busboys, etc, and that sparked more and more development in the former parking lots. The area needed a focused, developer-led effort to jumpstart its transformation. But–and it’s a Sir Mix-a-Lot size but–MVT is a 10-minute walk from three metro stops and near multiple bus lines. Ivy City seems to be in a bit of a transit desert from what I can tell (though honestly I’m not familiar with the NY Ave buses).

***

I’ve always been amused by this attitude in DC “OMG you have to walk 1 mile to the metro!? Terrible. Transit Desert. Might as well kill yourself.” I’m not saying that’s exactly what you had in mind, but it’s a sentiment I see all the time. If it’s not within 2 blocks of the metro, then it might as not exist. Which in context of the intent of the post is actually very ironic because I feel like H Street is a pain in the ass to get to. In the 4.5 years of living in DC, I have been to H Street exactly twice. Both times I literally felt like I was going to Annapolis and that I should have booked a hotel (to be fair I live in the complete opposite direction of H Street). The reality is that DC needs more areas with interesting things going on, rather than then this belief that there can only be one cool area of town where all the bars and restaurants are.
- stacksp
  
  Up until recently, I guess when I discovered this blog, I had no idea that this “must be block away from metro” sentiment even existed. The beauty of this area and when I say area I mean the entire area as a whole is that there are so many different pockets to enjoy. Some metro accessible and honestly a lot that aren’t whether it’s Old Town Alexandria, City Center DC, Tysons, NOMA, Georgetown, Ust, Hst, Annapolis, National Harbor, Clarendon etc. This area has a lot to offer and isn’t limited by public transportation
- bll
  
  for me the one mile thing is more about safety than it is distance, particularly at night. if you’re walking a mile from some of the stops that are not in the densest parts of the city you might find yourself on a long stretch with nothing in between the stop and your destination.
  - lindz0722
    
    Yes, it’s safety moreso than distance. I had no issue walking 10-12 minutes from Logan Circle to the metro at Dupont or McPherson Square or U Street — there are street-facing businesses open, lots of lights on, and people around. The 10-12 minutes from Ivy City to RI Ave is a different story. You’re not passing much, especially in the evening. I have walked from my place on H Street NE to the Home Depot by RI Ave before during the day and even then there were parts of the walk that felt very deserted.
    - Timebomb
      
      There are so many projects in the work around those parts, though. Things’ll change.
    - markus
      
      SketchFactor user huh?.
      
      Check actual crime stats and you’re safer walking from RI or Noma Metro to Ivy City than Woodly to Adams Morgan.
    - textdoc
      
      Do the “actual stats” take into consideration the number of people walking in a given area?
      .
      You might belittle Lindz as a “SketchFactor user,” but this is common sense — especially for women. Lighting and foot traffic make an area safer.
- Philippe Lecheval
  
  You’re forgetting what it’s like to walk a mile to the Metro in the middle of July, when there’s no shade at all and the heat index is 110.
- tom
  
  The 1-mile walk isn’t too bad for a lazy saturday afternoon. But, from an everyday functionality standpoint, it isn’t very user friendly. As has been pointed out it is a borining and potentially unsafe walk for not to much when you get there. Old Town/Georgetown are always going to be more charming and Pentagon City is always going to have better big box stuff.
  
  Maybe people here would do the walk to Redline for their commute, but can’t see anyone here using metro off peak. You would walk 20 min to wait for a train that comes every 20 min. Bet off just uber, driving, biking or bus.
  - Timebomb
    
    I live a mile from a metro station and usually walk to metro for commutes. Sometimes, I don’t give myself as much time as I’d like and I check to see if a bus can help me out. Often, it can. If it can’t, I walk fast and deal with it. Or maybe I take a bikeshare bike. Yeah, I don’t really use the metro on weekends, but that was true when I lived two blocks from the metro. The metro is built for commutes and big events like sports games; it’s not great for other types of trips.
    .
    Key thing here is that living in Ivy City (once the built environment is built out a bit and there aren’t awful areas of wasteland there), gives one many, many options that drove us all to live in the city in the first place. It might take being slightly less lazy, but you’ll save a bit of money for that too; Ivy City will never be more expensive per square foot than, say, Logan Circle.
  - ***
    
    I literally walk a mile home (from the bus) everyday. If I walked from the metro it would be 1.5 miles. I have routinely walked home (to Forest Hills) from Glover Park because A: there were no buses coming and B: I didn’t feel like paying $10+ for a cab to travel 2 miles.
    - anon01
      
      Well a mile-walk commute from Glover Park to Forest Hills is much, much safer than a mile walk-commute from the noma metro to Ivy City or the east end of H St NE. As a few people above note, the safety aspect is just as important as the distance (or more important).
    - Timebomb
      
      Meh. People in this thread must just really lack vision. THINGS WILL FEEL SAFER WHEN THINGS ARE BUILT THERE.
    - ***
      
      Which is exactly why I choose not to live in those neighborhoods. Look – I lived in Downtown LA when it was still super sketchy. I’ve had to step over strung-out crack addicts and human excrement to get in my front door. I’ve had my apartment broken into by a homeless person. Which is all to say, I have nothing to prove anymore. I don’t need “hip rough neighborhood” validation.

Anacostia

This scares me a bit. It makes me feel like maybe we are in bubble territory. There is no residential or amenities to support this being the next growth neighborhood. It is so far removed from the city core and everything else. H street and all other neighborhoods that have experience resurgence have been close to the core of the city and have had strong residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors in the past. This part of town is basically a freeway with a few fast food joints.

This has to be a sign of a DC real estate correction coming. I know there are a lot of things in the pipeline for this neighborhood though. Maybe once it is built into a Reston-town-center-like neighborhood will it be desirable for a certain demographic. But give me anything else.

brookland_rez

They did build a bunch of apartments in the warehouse, and Douglas has said that the gargantuan parking garage can be converted over to residential as demand dictates. Also Ivy City itself is a neighborhood of rowhouses.
- Anonynon
  
  This area will never be as vibrant as H Street.
  - ***
    
    That’s a pretty bold statement. Look at 14th street – that area completely changed in a matter of a couple of years.
    - rob
      
      lets not hope for another 14th st and hope for something less generic
    - tom
      
      14th street is right in the heart off the city. Boxed in by U Street, Dupont and downtown. The area was already reasonably dense and had an organic city feel. Ivy City is removed from the core and is dominated by a quasi-highway and a giant train yard. I think Potomac Yards is a better analogy. Some big box stores for the greater NE DC area.
      
      Chicago has tons of these types of development. They are basically strip malls in a more urban format with some token housing thrown in. Nobody mistakes them for Lakeview, Wicker Park, Pilsen.
    - Anony
      
      14th Street is right in the center of the city, dense, surrounded by transit, and desirable neighborhoods. Big difference!
    - textdoc
      
      Potomac Yard is more than just big-box stores these days — in the past several years, midrise apartment (or perhaps condo?) have been built just north and south of the shopping center. The south has a Harris Teeter; the north has a Giant.
      .
      And the area is slated to get a Metro station, something that would likely spur more infill development and dense housing — see multiple Washington Post articles at:
      https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=%22potomac+yard%22
    - textdoc
      
      Sure, the 14th Street/Logan Circle area has changed between, say, 2009 and now. But to me, the most dramatic change was between maybe 1998 and 2008.
    - textdoc
      
      And on the Potomac Yard tangent — it’s fascinating to me to see what we consider to be smart growth/smart urban planning (building midrise mixed-use residential/commercial buildings, creating dedicated bus lanes, etc.) taking shape around a _strip mall_ — the emblem of suburban need-a-car living.
      .
      On the bus lanes:
      https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2015/12/28/bus-only-lanes-in-crystal-city-once-slated-to-open-in-early-2015-now-to-open-in-the-spring/
    - Lerner
      
      What couple years are you talking about? 14th st has been an appealing, commercially vital area gentrifying gradually for 10+ years. In the last couple, it’s certainly turned a corner from vibrant, hip, and only fairly expensive to absurdly expensive, but I don’t think that’s exactly analogous to Ivy City in any way….
Anon23

What is a bus?
justinbc

Builders have been unable to keep up with the demand for new units at the pace that people are moving into the city. As long as there are jobs here (which will still be the case even with a Republican presidency), there will be influx, and people need somewhere to live. Increasingly, younger people are choosing the city over the suburbs (at least until they have children).
- Anon x2
  
  Supply is going to catch up with demand in the next 2-3 years. While I think overall the trend to cities like DC will continue, in the short to medium term I would not bank on a lot of return given the huge number of units about to come on the market throughout the city.
  - Anonymous
    
    DC already has a yuuuuuuuuuge glut of pricey rental apartments. Way more supply than current demand. Hence all the lights turned out at The Shay. When rates rise, these guys are going to convert the buildings around DC and flood the market with condos in a stampede for the exits. These developers need to sell on the building to someone else – they don’t amortize principal on their loans. They only pay interest.
Truxton Thomas

Ivy City has quite a bit of existing residential, with more going in. All many people know about Ivy City is what they see from New York Ave. But there’s a complete mix of residential, light industrial and, increasingly, commercial properties. It’s a dynamic neighborhood with a lot of opportunity that is being realized. And the city is starting to treat it as such, rather than as a parking lot for diesel-powered buses and fleet vehicles.
- Anon
  
  Thank you for this comment- everyone seems to be judging without being familiar with the area!! I live in Trinidad right now and we were very close to buying a house in Ivy City last year because it is truly one of the last (maybe THE last) close-in neighborhoods left in the city with a somewhat affordable housing stock. The community of row houses is nestled smack dab in the middle of the Hecht Warhehouse development, Trinidad/Galludet, and all the stuff going on at Union Market. This area is bound to take off. And the Hecht Warehouse is nothing like Reston Town Center. Go check it out- they preserved a lot of the original features and it’s actually a pretty cool building! And I loathe most of the sterile development going on in this city.
  
  There are bus lines that serve the neighborhood that will take you straight downtown. And just like Eckington/Bloomingdale, you are close enough in, that it is a very realistic place for someone who bike commutes to live too.
  
  I am rooting for Ivy City!
  - K
    
    2 years ago when we were looking to buy a house we were seriously looking in Ivy City. It was the last neighborhood west of the river where we, as a middle class family of 5, could afford to buy. All the other neighborhoods that people refer to as affordable (Woodridge, Brightwood, etc) are cheap by DC standards but they aren’t actually affordable any more. We ended up buy EOTR for various reasons but I expect that more and more middle class families will be moving into Ivy City in the coming years. Their is already an established community in the residential portions of the neighborhood to welcome them. Plus, it is an easy commute the elementary schools on the east side of Capitol Hill and a few good charter schools.
    - h st ll
      
      where did you buy EOTR?
  - Anonynon
    
    The hects warehouse is nice…but the reality of the situation is all those apartments are too tiny for people to actually ‘live in’ meaning that your probably going to need to use the ‘shared spaces’ so when everyone is doing that, it will probably feel cramped. There isn’t a ton of stuff to do in that immediate area and wont be for several years. There is 1 bus line that takes you down town.
    - Anon
      
      The D3 and D4 both go downtown, to Dupon Circle (and then Georgetown) and Franklin Sq. respectively. I realize the D3 is a limited schedule, but it’s another option for commuters at least.
      
      Also, the D8 may not go downtown, but it’s a pretty short trip to Union Station which gets you to that whole area (lots of gov’t buildings and hill jobs are easily accessible). And gets you to the metro either at Union Station or Rhode Island Ave.
      
      Anyway, agreed the bus situation isn’t perfect, but you do have some options.
Hill Denizen

There was a time there was nothing in Navy Yard or NoMa. Heck, when I first moved to the Hill, I remember when Ibiza felt like it was a world away. Now that spot is surrounded by high rises and offices and feels almost like an extension of Union Station.
- Leeran
  
  Yeah, people keep making this argument, but places like Noma and Navy Yard were significantly closer to jobs centers and have faster commute options.
  
  Clearly Ivy City will develop, but “next H Street” might be asking for too much.
OP Anon

I agree to some extent – this will be the first neighborhood to correct when the next downturn happens. It just depends on the severity. There’s very little here for families (and families are types who stick around even during the tough times). It’s an investor-owned neighborhood which means it’s the first to see capital flee during downturns.

justinbc

Oh hell yeah, bring it on baby!

Petworthian

I’ve been waiting for someone to say this about Kennedy St for years. Thanks for killing my dream.

Anon

Don’t worry, Kennedy is already attracting some cool restaurants, bars, and density. It’s further out than Ivy City, but already has charming retail bones and nice housing stock nearby. So yeah, keep hope alive.
Anony

I would buy a house near Kennedy rather than Ivy City if I were looking. There is an actual neighborhood and it has a walkable feel unlike Ivy City which is desolate and even with development still feels manufactured.
BrightwoodNorth

Ha, I like to tell people that Kennedy Street is the next H St. and they look at my like I’m crazy, even if they have heard of Kennedy St, which they often have not. But I am keeping hope alive! :)
- Anony
  
  Saying it is the next H Street makes no sense other than if you are referring to general area revitalization. I said I would buy near Kennedy over Ivy City but it will resemble nothing of H St. simply given the limited commercial zoning. It could eventually develop to something like 11th St. (which is awesome in my opinion) but not H St.
Brightwood Parker

Yes please!
clangclang

kennedy street will never be like h street. perhaps like 11th street.
.
what you can hope for in petworth is that they actually build the streetcar line up georgia to walter reed/silver spring. then georgia might become like h street, and you’d have a ton of great housing stock on either side, plus a super easy commute downtown if they did it with dedicated lanes (as they surely would after the h street debacle).

Near Northeast

Crossing my fingers that this will, eventually, lead to a more usable level of service on the D4.

d

Don’t think PoP has covered it yet, but included in Douglas’ plans are a massive town center type development just to the northeast of Ivy City, and it looks like (just based on renderings) they’re aiming to bring in Wegmans and Target to anchor it. If it happens, then Ivy City would be more like the new Columbia Heights than the new H St, but either way he’s right that it’s about to change dramatically.

hiphop anonymous

“NewCityDC” http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2016/02/first-look-at-newcitydc-the-massive-next-phase-in.html
- stacksp
  
  Looks good. Much needed for that part of town
  - hiphop anonymous
    
    Any development is better than what the large abandoned piece of land that is sitting there now!
    - stacksp
      
      Exactly.
Timebomb

Meh. Like Columbia Heights but with a bunch of nearby industrial areas that produce artisanal goods, especially alcohol. Not to mention a large rock club (Echostage) well within walking distance, so maybe it’s more like eastern U St.?
.
Or maybe Ivy City is just going to be Ivy City. Not resoundingly different from anything we’ve seen before, but nothing with a perfect analogue either.

Dan

If you’ve got a moment this weekend or next, go tour the Hecht’s loft building. Even if they’re too busy to show you the units themselves (there was a wait for a tour when I visited), ask the receptionist to show you around the common areas. The common space is spread out on 3 floors. It feels like you’re walking around a castle owned by a billionaire.

Not one, but FIVE pinball machines in the basement pub room. Plus shuffleboard, ping pong, billiards, etc etc etc. GIGANTIC common kitchen upstairs with commercial-grade appliances. Multiple fireplaces. Antiques everywhere. Free beer on tap (although double-kegerator was empty when I visited) and all the Perrier you can drink.

These apartments are not large and not cheap. But with the common spaces, you have more room than you’d ever need to spread out in.

I’d never move to Ivy City (too industrial…too skid-row…I hate NY Ave), but this place got me thinking hard about that.

ExWalbridgeGuy

So on the one hand it’s completely severed from the rest of the city except for a road that’s a 10-hour-a-day traffic jam… there’s really no prospect that the urban fabric can ever be restored to make this part of the city… the transit links are horrible… the development is entirely top down rather than even remotely organic, which makes me think it’s unlikely to ever have any real character or personality.

But on the other hand, there’s 5 pinball machines.
- Timebomb
  
  Disagree on many counts. While there are some challenges to making the necessary west-east connections over the tracks, there are some ideas out there being explored (http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/29696/could-development-in-eckington-lead-to-a-bridge-to-union-market/). Plus, the urban fabric is creeping up from NoMa/Union Market.
  .
  The deck being built over the tracks behind Union Station (http://www.burnhamplace.com/), if successful, could be a model for further extending the urban fabric over some areas of rail nearby.
  .
  And the wide semi-highway is perfect for subdividing with narrower lanes and bounded bikelanes or some such.
- ***
  
  “except for a road that’s a 10-hour-a-day traffic jam” – Have you been on 16th street lately?
Anon

You listed a bunch of building amenities that have nothing to do with location. I’ll grant you that the building itself is pretty cool, but that’s not enough to get me to live there, for the same reasons you mentioned.
justinbc

It sounds perfect for all the people who are moving here that don’t really know much about DC already.
OP Anon

Sounds like a Start-Up Bro’s wet dream.

Anon

Interesting! We don’t usually get these types of declarations from PoP. Very happy to see all the development going on in NE. Too much to hope that Bladensburg Rd in Trinidad will get some more development soon?

Trinidaddy

Already getting a ton. Mt Olivet to Starburst will be unrecognizable in 5 years. Check Washington Business Journal for details.

Teddy

Wanted to share a little Ivy City experience. I went to Ivy City to visit the One-Eight Distillery a few weeks ago. We turned off NY Avenue onto Fenwick Street; on the left side of the street was the new Nike Store, on the right side was a homeless man defecating right in the middle of the sidewalk . . . in full view of the 20 of so other homeless people sitting on the sidewalk. We parked the car and went to the distillery, which was really awesome. They let us bring in our dog inside. However, after leaving and trying to walk around the neighborhood my wife joked that Ivy City must also be home to a broken glass factory, because there was broken glass just about everywhere on the sidewalks and in the street. So much so that we had to carry the dog and then spent 5 minutes scraping broken glass and a very disconcerting needle out of the bottom of our shoes with the ice scraper. I know DC is always searching for the “next” hot neighborhood, but come on.

stacksp

The NY Ave Men’s Emergency Shelter is right there hence some of the activity that you described. Unfortunately my Great uncle used to have to rely on that shelter just before he passed about a decade ago.
- Timebomb
  
  There’s conspiracy theories abounding around the ornery Ward 5 community obstructionists that Douglas Development made a deal with the Mayor to move this shelter in exchange for providing the Ward 5 shelter location at reduced rent (and also donating a bunch to her compaign, I guess).
anonymous

Ha! This happens in San Fran….the most expensive place for housing in the country….was there 10 years ago and saw this happening and its stuck with me..then last week someone posted a video with someone defecating on the sidewalk in San Fran.
Timebomb

Around 15 years ago, you couldn’t walk down 14th St. without getting broken syringes and used condoms on your shoes. Things change.
Anonynon

This was my experience too, Hects building is great but you cant ignore the surrounding areas, which are hot even close to the same level.
- ***
  
  sounds like downtown LA
justinbc

And you think that’s not like H Street used to be?
http://frozentropics.blogspot.com/2009/12/caught-by-google-maps.html
Truxton Thomas

Sounds like you had yourself a cute little urban adventure.
- textdoc
  
  No need to be patronizing.

cakelyn

Hm, sounds like the Ivy City branding team has a new (un?)official member

Truxtoner

People who think that Ivy City will never really take off or be a thing or be successful clearly haven’t live in DC for very long. I moved here in the 90s when you never went East of 16th Street except to go the 9:30 club. And you took a taxi. I had friends move into Bloomingdale in 2001 and thought they were out of their minds. Then had friends move to Eckington and Petworth and though, WHY would anyone want to live so far away. Now I see friends living in Brookland, Edgewood, Southeast, the Waterfront, etc. I bought in Truxton Circle. A neighborhood even two years ago I wouldn’t have gone near. God, I remember when Shaw was a dumpster fire of a neighborhood.

Ivy City will be just fine. I’d rather live there today than Cleveland Park.

Anon

“I’d rather live there today than Cleveland Park.”
.
I hear you. In CP, you merely risk stepping into dog poo on your walk home. As a seasoned urbanist, it’s just not the same if you don’t risk passing human excrement as well. ;-)
- Truxtoner
  
  You might step in dog poo on your way to the many amazing restaurants, shops, and amenities in Cleveland Pa….oh, wait.
  - ***
    
    That’s fine. We don’t want you coming west of the park anyway. We like our bars and restaurants to not have 4 hour waits and 2 year long reservation lists. And we like being able to safely walk/run/bike late at night without getting stabbed.
    - pacerguy00
      
      Congrats on making 5% annual ROI while I make 20%-25% annual returns on my property values EOTP. It doesn’t matter anyway. In 15 years we’ll all meet with our kids for a beer at Whole Foods in Fairfax…Lol
    - textdoc
      
      Jeez. Different people have different priorities. To each his/her own — no need to bad-mouth other people’s neighborhoods, priorities, etc.
    - Dadric
      
      I can understand where you’re coming from. If I lived in Cleveland Park, I’d be pretty disappointed with my neighborhood’s restaurant options too. The waits at places like Toki and Rose’s never seem to bother the people from all over the city (including from WOTP, amazingly) that I see when I go there.
      
      I’ve lived in several neighborhoods EOTP and never been stabbed, so I’m not sure what you’re on about with that one.
Anonynon

Just because these trends have occurred doesn’t mean there is unlimited potential for development in the city. There are only so many people who can afford boutique Condo’s to continue the growth in the city. Ivy city will just be the next over priced generic hyped up place where you can eat/sleep/live (what else do people do?). You know housing bubbles burst, prices don’t always go up forever….things change. Become better and then become worse.
***

“I’d rather live there today than Cleveland Park.” Alright. Let’s not drag CP into this, okay?
- stacksp
  
  Went a bit too far with that CP statement lol
Pacerguy00

+1 Truxtoner

I live in Brentwood, 10 min walk north of Ivy City and 10 min walk south of Brookland. I love reading all the ridiculous comments about how awful the neighborhood around Ivy City is. All of DC 25 years ago was in the throws of the crack epidemic, things don’t improve everywhere overnight. While I would love to see more public transit options, I’m only a 15 min bike ride Eastern Market or Nats stadium. My millennial comrades need to smarten up and realize that you buy low and sell high to make your home and investment. re: Columbia Heights. I don’t see a bubble coming to DC anytime soon because the housing absorption rates are still at record numbers and the city isn’t building more single family homes. Ask Brooklyn and Jersey City if they are worried about a bubble. I think Ivy City is akin to those locations more than any other neighborhood in DC.

TonyLikesFish

I would just like to contribute to this thread that Ivy City Smokehouse is WONDERFUL! The Profish fish wholesalers that have probably been operating in Ivy City warehouse space for years have opened up a retail space where they sell amazingly fresh fish and all sorts of variety of house-smoked fish. Went there this past weekend and the service and knowledge was top notch…wanted to cedar smoke salmon and they walked me through the different options. Prices are great, too, since they are wholesalers you get great prices. Go go go!!

SkeptiDC

Shhhh don’t let the secret out!

Brookie

I love that there’s a gym, yoga, and crossfit plus actual parking. Holla. And yes, the Smokehouse rules.

David Bowie

The lofts at SoDoSoPa…

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