This should be interesting:
“Sustainable Development, Infrastructure and the Future of the District of Columbia.”
What: Inaugural Anacostia Waterfront Forum, sponsored by the District Department of Transportation
When: February 17, 2009
Open House: 6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Forum: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, Great Hall
901 G Street, NW
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown Station (Red/Yellow/Green lines)
Take the 9th Street Exit Continues after the jump. (more…)
I’m always amazed at the contrast of the new buildings with the old school row houses. Incidentally a reader just wrote me:
“No crystal clear development news yet at 14th and Florida, but Jemal has plans for the area. Nice.
Also, Union Row’s Dry Cleaner opened at 14th and V”
From DCmud:
Douglas Development is in the process of acquiring the necessary permits to raze a vacant auto lot at 2221 14th Street, NW. (Ed. Note: at 14th and Florida)According to Douglas Jemal, President of Douglas Development, his corporation acquired the bafflingly named “Latino Auto Sale” five years ago; now, under the creative title of “Jemal’s Hookers, LLC,” he’s planning to scrap it for a new retail development intended to service the increasingly crowded 14th and U Street corridor.
Below is a different angle of the building in the above photo, looks like it could be pretty cool:
Well, sometimes if it’s too good to be true… This is actually quite sad. The owners of Columbia Heights Coffee, located on 11th Street between Park and Monroe, informed me this weekend that they will not be expanding after all. I feel really bad for them because they told me they had paid two years rent for nothing. It seems that the permitting process was just way too cumbersome. Oh well, at least the original spot will remain. For those curious the for rent sign says $1K per month.
Thanks to a reader for sending. He writes:
“Here’s a shot of the house on 9th between Webster and Allison I told you about. The lot has been empty since 2003, and probably long before that. A month or so ago they started excavating the site, and already they’re at this point. It looks like it will be two house, attached on the left and detached on the right. Not much new construction in this area, so it’s interesting. I don’t know why they chose now to do it unless they were so far along in the process they didn’t want to stop.
Update on construction. They’re using real brick and really going fast.”
This house is flying up. I know some folks feel strongly about brick. What do you think – thumbs up or down?
Thanks to Paul from the Arts & Real Estate blog for the heads up.
He writes:
“The Fire House on North Cap that was scheduled to be turned into a restaurant (and XM radio sound stage) is for sale. It looks like it was bought for $600K back in March and is now listing it at $1.5M.”
More info can be found here. The Bloomingdale blog has tons more info.
Wow. I’d say this is pretty bad news. I thought this spot had the making for a great restaurant. But the price of $1.5 million seems insane to me. What are the chances another investor will purchase this spot for a restaurant or an art space?
There have been lots of discussions about the property being built above the Petworth metro. First they were going to be condos then we heard they were going to be rentals then there were rumors that they were going to be condos again. Well, the mystery is finally solved. I spotted this sign this weekend:
So rental it is…
I seem to remember reading something about this huge area being redeveloped but I just noticed that all the windows were boarded up. Anyone know the story here? These apartments cover a huge area of 7th Street near M. Are these going to become mixed income condos?
Back in September I asked if anyone knew the deal here? At the time “Animal Mother” told us:
“According the contact at the Cesar Chavez website (http://www.cesarchavezhs.org/prep/contact/), as of last month they planned to begin substantial renovations this month. I’m also skeptical, but that was their position as recently as three weeks ago. They also claim that substantial demolition has been done on the interior.
But yeah, I’ll also be surprised if they actually open in 09, since they said the same thing about this time in 07 about what was going to happen in 08.”
But I saw some bulldozers so maybe the substantial demolition has begun?
“My longtime girlfriend and I recently relocated DC from Florida and have been renting a large studio in Columbia Heights. We’re now in the market for our own place – nice size apartment or small, fixer-upper house – and it seems that Petworth is one of the few remaining places in DC that is in our price range and has the community features (or could have the features) we’re looking for.
My question to you is about the planned development for the Petworth area, especially around the Petworth/Georgia Ave. metro stop. Do you know what some of the plans are for the area? From my understanding Columbia Heights has undergone a tremendous change over the past several years. Do you see Petworth developing in a similar way – restaurants, shops, etc.? What is the quality of life for those in there late 20’s early 30’s who enjoy the occasional night out, but who also enjoy quite nights at home.
Also, It’s important to me to know my neighbors and that they know me. I feel that the best way to be safe is to know people and care about the community one lives in. Is that sentiment prevalent in Petworth?”
Development in Petworth is indeed on the rise. In only the last five years Petworth has seen the addition of Domku (Scandinavian Restaurant/bar), Looking Glass Lounge (bar, formerly Temperance Hall), El Limeno (Latino), El Togoraz (Latino), Sweet Mango Cafe (Jerk Chicken), Fusion (Indian), Moroni & Bros. (Pizza), Flip it Bakery, Abol (Ethiopian), and Red Derby (bar, not exactly in Petworth proper but very close by) and lots more is on the way. A new coffee shop is coming, a YES! Organic Market is coming, a CVS is coming, many restaurants are likely to come to the development above the Petworth metro (pictured above) including a restaurant from the well known chef Gillian Clark, a boutique building is on it’s way (corner of Quincy and Georgia) and I’m sure I’ve left lots out. That’s a long way of saying yes, lots of development has occurred and lots more is on its way.
Quality of life for those in early 20s and 30s is fantastic. Not necessarily because of Petworth itself but also because of it’s proximity to Columbia Heights and U Street. But as you can see from the list above you certainly have quite a few options in Petworth as well.
Your last question is certainly an easy one. Yes! For sure, neighbors are very welcoming here as long as you make an effort to introduce yourself and get to know them. Of course not every single person is going to want to be your best friend but certainly the majority should be quite welcoming if you are kind and respectful to them.
So for the readers, did I leave anything out?
I think these rowhomes are coming along nicely. What do you think – do they fit in with the block?
And remember we were talking about those “v” things that were going in up top? Here’s what they look like now?
