Author: Prince Of Petworth

Park Place Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (Above Petworth Metro) Plus Some Details on Retail Revealed!

By Prince Of Petworth

Mrs. Peron Williams right (whose husband was an ANC rep who strongly supported this development) and Muriel Bowser cutting the ribbon along with CM Graham, Mayor Fenty and Chris Donatelli

On Wednesday the new building, Park Place, above the Petworth metro was officially unveiled. It brought out quite the representation from the DC government. In addition to Mayor Fenty, Council members Bowser, Graham and Kwame Brown were in attendance.

Some highlights from the remarks. Mayor Fenty said the day signaled that “economic development on Georgia Avenue had finally arrived”. He continued, “the days when stagnation reigned on Georgia Avenue are over”. And he gave a lot of praise and recognition to the Donatelli (the developers) family for their vision. “Donatelli is not afraid to invest in neighborhoods that other people have written off”.

Ward 4 Council member Muriel Bowser said, “My breath was literally taken away when I stepped onto this roof”. She continued, “This is just the start for things to come on Georgia Ave”. She also noted that this project captured the best of green development as it clusters people above the metro with easy access to commute to work. Bowser also lauded the community for their involvement in supporting this project.  Before the community got involved this space was slated to become a municipal property.

Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham said, “Who would’ve thought that we would have this kind of building at Georgia and New Hampshire? The neighborhood knew that this building could be here, that’s who knew”. Graham also noted that the project had “the benefits of transit oriented development in the best sense”.

Sadly, I passed out a bit from the blaring sun when Council member Kwame Brown said a few words. But he basically echoed the previous comments. I revived a bit when Chris Donatelli took the mic and started mentioning the coming retail. (Some info I found out after the official remarks.) There will be a cafe/coffee spot, 2 sit down restaurants (one from Gillian Clark formerly of Colorado Kitchen and the other possibly a Thai/Sushi spot). He said the retail may resemble some of the spots on U Street (in the Ellington building) as some of those folks are considering opening up second or third spots in Petworth. There are also discussions to bring a wine store in most likelihood the folks behind D’vines. There will be 8 retail spots in total.

Given the current state of the economy, I think we are very lucky that this project was completed. The place looks pretty amazing. It really sinks in when you hear Mayor Fenty say, “I remember the day when new development hadn’t been built on Georgia Ave. in like 80 years”.

As promised after the jump you can find some photos from inside along with a pricing sheet. (more…)

Dear PoP – What’s Going on at Columbia Road?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

Do you have any information about what’s moving in on Columbia Road right next to the Safeway? All the surrounding stores went out of business at roughly the same time so I’m thinking maybe they’re putting some new megastore in there.”

I have received a number of emails asking about this. Back in April we learned that CVS will be taking over this spot. They will be closing their store across the street when this new spot opens. At the time Kristen Barden from Adams Morgan BID wrote me that:

“Combined Properties (www.combined.biz) is combining all of their stores along that stretch – Popeye’s, the beauty supply store, Citibank, etc… and the CVS on the south side of Columbia Road will move over there. I also don’t know what will go in the old CVS space yet…”

And of course construction has also begun on the Safeway which will stay open during renovations.

Dear PoP – What’s The Story With the Lot Behind DC USA?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

What is the status of soccer field behind DC USA? It has been cleared but nothing more has been done. I think you said it was now part of the HS’s property but they were short on funds. Any idea of completion timeline? And when complete will it be open to the community? And along those lines, is the community allowed/encouraged to use the HS fields for sports when school is not in session?”

There was a similar Dear PoP about this back in April. At that time a few commenters said:

“I saw a contractor taking measurements along the edge of the aforementioned vacant lot. He said that it would soon be an artificial-turf football field. I assume that the field would belong to the Multicultural school, since the DCUSA/school were actually developed by associated parties, and the empty lot is smack in the middle.”

and

“It is (hopefully) going to be a soccer field or some variation of an athletic field for the school. My aunt is on the board at Bell and she is one of the people working on raising the money needed to get things going. From what I understand they are very close to having all the $. I will drop her an e-mail and see if I can get a status update for everyone.”

I walked by this weekend and the tractor was new to me. It looked like some sort of digging had begun. Can any of the commenters update what the plans and/or timelines are for this project?

Taking the Cat For a Walk

By Prince Of Petworth

This was a weekend of firsts for me. I’d never seen a cat on a leash before. (For the record, I did ask permission to take this photo.) Have you ever seen a cat on a leash before?

Garden of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth

This is from outside Columbia Heights Coffee on 11th Street. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen those curved bamboo plants, that you usually find in water filled vases with marbles in people’s bathrooms, planted in earth. I wonder if the bamboo will grow to be gigantic like regular bamboo?

House of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth

Looks like a normal row house but it’s actually a bit wider than most of those I see. I’m not sure why that fact fascinates me so much but I just find it pretty wild.

Coolest Pet in PoPville Entry #1 and #2

By Prince Of Petworth

Sent by Mr. T in DC – “This is Oliver, the most ferocious kitty in Popville!”

Kalia writes, “This is Charlie, my Corgi. He will be 7 years old on July 23rd!!! He loves to swim and play frisbee and shed all over your clothes! He’s the best little guy out there and of course he thinks he’s a badass ;) Charlie likes long walks on the beach, mentoring orphans, and reading to the blind in his spare time. When he isn’t nurturing sick baby kittens he spends most of his day working for a non profit organization saving the polar bears from global warming. But ladies, watch out, he’s a heartbreaker!

Vote for Charlie!”

Ed. Note: Wow, there has been great turn out already. I’ve received so many entries for this contest that I cannot individually reply to all the emails. But don’t worry your entry will be posted! The deadline for entries is August. 1st. Remember, please only send one photo per pet.

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