Salvation Army Update

New rendering!
I really hope that the exterior lighting is as spectacular as they make it look here.
And look at the great roof access:


For those of you not already familiar with this neighborhood, because it is situated on a hill, most properties in Anacostia (build those roof-decks!) have breathtaking views of the rest of the city.

...and from the inside, from the top floor at the corner of MLK and Morris Rd (from January 28, 2008):



images courtesy of WCS Construction
(Why have I not been noticing these photo updates!?)

Office Tenant for Anacostia Gateway!

thank you washington business journal for being all about anacostia today . . .

It has just been reported that the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development will make Anacostia Gateway its new headquarters. This is extremely good news, because it means that Anacostia will have quite a few new customers.

DC DHCD is taking the space that the NAACP backed out of last year.

More news as I hear it.

Video about Poplar Point

The Washington Business Journal online has a video story about the Poplar Point development.



The information in it is not all that new, but it includes footage of the existing conditions of the Point, as well as an interview with Main Street Anacostia's Executive Director Yavocka Young (Click Here for story about her vision for Anacostia).

The construction fences have been taken down around Anacostia Gateway:



Now all we need are some retail and office tenants!

photo (pardon the poor quality) by DG-rad

Anacostia Riverwalk Trail

According to this schedule, the riverfront trail network closest to the neighborhood of Anacostia should see major work in 2008:

Click to Enlarge


Click to Enlarge


...of course, anything that happens here in the next few years is likely to be largely changed / affected by the final Poplar Point plan.

For more information: DDOT ART Website

I wonder how much of the Poplar Point development will take up that middle ground in my favorite Anacostia view*?

*you're gonna want to click that to see the full size

(uploaded today) by flickr user derAmialtebloede

Fenty: No Soccer Deal Yet

transcript from NBC 4 interview:

Mayor Fenty:

"To be accurate, we're working on a plan, we'd love to have a plan, we wanna have DC United here - they've been great for this city and we wanna have a stadium. We don't have a plan yet but we'll keep working towards having one."

...more as it comes.

Clark Realty Wins Poplar Point !

The Washington Business Journal reports that Clark Realty Capital has won the competition to develop Poplar Point. Mayor Fenty will formally announce the winner in Anacostia later today.

According to the article, a soccer stadium is still very much part of the discussions, although they are not releasing any further details. This is a very exciting day. Why? Potential for a deck built over 295 (woot!) and a soccer stadium bringing thousands of fans to our fair neighborhood (woot woot!) and finally the first steps toward a revived south / east of the Anacostia waterfront!



- - -

The Washington Post reports more about the soccer stadium:

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has proposed using public funds to build a professional soccer stadium in Southeast Washington that would cost as much as $190 million, a drastic departure from his stance against public financing of the Nationals baseball stadium.

In a private meeting with the D.C. Council yesterday, Fenty (D) said the District has been collecting $20 million a year in excess revenue from city taxes related to the financing of the baseball stadium, according to government sources with knowledge of the meeting.

Fenty said the city could use that revenue to pay for construction bonds for a 27,000-seat soccer stadium for D.C. United, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussion was private.

Great News, for now at least.

- - -

...and more from the Examiner, which seems to point to this whole soccer stadium thing being a done deal (?!):

In a dramatic turnaround, the District of Columbia government has dropped its long-held resistance to a stadium for D.C. United and instead will announce today that it plans to contribute funds for the construction of a 27,000-seat arena at Poplar Point, the Examiner has learned.

Wow, I guess I will just have to be patient and wait for the announcement. Wish I could be there for it.

ROCK THE VOTE, take 1

Today is the Presidential Primary. Here in DC, we don't get to vote for much in the way of Federally Elected Officials, but today we do have a voice - so let's shout.

>Find your polling place
>Register to vote (please)





photos courtesy of local flickr user rachel eisley

Skyland Town Center Website

Although there have been a few bumps in the road, the Skyland Town Center project just up Good Hope from Anacostia is still on track.

Check out their New Website!

Latest site plan and renderings (renderings are clearly only evocative of the general look and feel of the development - Yep, it looks amazing):

click to enlarge






Click Here for Skyland Fact Sheet (PDF)

images courtesy of The Rappaport Companies
graphic by DG-rad

Updated Library Plans

My apologies for not being on top of the Library issue. I guess the fact that this isn't my full time job is catching up to me...

Preview Image (scroll down for more)


Last fall there were two meetings regarding the design of the new Anacostia library. I attended the meeting on October 4, but somehow missed the December 13 follow-up. It will be interesting to watch this process unfold, and I expect that the designers will have even more significant renderings and plans at the next scheduled meeting on April 10, 2008.

October 4, 2007 Meeting Summary
December 13, 2007 Meeting Summary

Anacostia Neighborhood Library Project Page







(I'm trying to get some higher-quality renderings and plans, but these should do for now)

images courtesy of DCPL

classic Marion Barry flip flop

Until yesterday when it appeared that the majority of the public actually supports Fenty's school-closing plan, Marion Barry was Fenty's biggest rival on the issue. Thank you Marc Fisher of the Washington Post for pointing this out.

Click Here for article

Here's to better Ward 8 representation in the next election.

Grocery Shortage

The Washington Business Journal has a very interesting article today on the "food deserts" of Wards 7 and 8, and the connection between obesity and lack of food options in underserved communities.


graphic courtesy of the WBJ

From the article:

Ashbrook's research confirms what residents of wards 7 and 8 already know: There is not much good food at corner stores. Indeed, food sellers themselves are often missing.

D.C. Hunger Solutions, in a report to be released this spring, found that while 24 percent of the District's population lives east of the Anacostia River, only 15 percent of the city's 360 food stores are there.

For the city overall, there is one food store for every 1,589 residents, but in wards 7 and 8 the ratio is one for every 2,585 residents. The statistics point to so-called food deserts in east-of-the-Anacostia neighborhoods.

"Certain areas of D.C. really have almost no access to fresh fruits and vegetables," Ashbrook says.

The lack of access to nutritional food is recognized nationally as a significant factor in obesity, and health advocates are exploring ways community planning can improve health.

How amazing would it be if we got a really great urban infill grocery store? (like CityVista, Logan Circle, O Street Market)

in black and white . . .

. . . and in need of redemption .

images by DG-rad

$10 Million for MLK Ave Corridors

This has been the week of neighborhood development funding announcements. Mayor Fenty announced today the distribution breakdown for $95 Million made available for struggling retail corridors throughout DC.

Developers can apply for money to accentuate retail projects of at least 10,000 square feet, but must "demonstrate true financial gaps" in their effort to attract retail, according to a statement from Fenty. -Washington Business Journal

Overall, this is great news for Historic Anacostia. However, our allotment must be shared between:

Historic Anacostia:


and Congress Heights:


It is interesting that the Martin Luther King Ave / South Capitol Street SE corridor in Ward 8 -arguably the DC corridor most in need of revitalization- was only doled out $10 Million, while the other corridors in NE and NW are getting $25 Million each. We may be across a river and in a less-known part of the city, but we still deserve the same chance for economic development as other, more visible neighborhoods.

In any case, it will be exciting to see how this infusion is put to use.

**editor's note: commenter IMGoph makes a good point in saying that attracting retail to corridors in NE and NW costs a lot more than in SE. Which would at least partly explain the major disparity in funding...

maps courtesy of Neighborhood Grant Application

Neighborhood in the New York Times

There is an excellent article in the New York Times today -our press is getting more and more widespread- titled "A Comeback Story Decades in the Making". It's just too bad that they chose pictures of places not in actual Anacostia (but still in greater Ward 8), making it look like we are some Anywhere, USA suburb.

I like that there is a Giant in Ward 8, I don't like that it looks like this:

courtesy of the New York Times

Instead, this is the pattern new development should follow, and hopefully even more dense:

Summer on MLK
Photo by DG-rad

Here is a clipping:

...ambitious projects are expected to inject new life into the old Anacostia historic district, whose Martin Luther King Avenue resembles an early-20th-century Main Street. A new 600,000-square-foot $77 million headquarters is to be built there for the city’s Department of Transportation, housing 800 workers.

The developer Doug Jemal, an investor in downtrodden areas that ultimately revive, is poised to take advantage of the changes. Mr. Jemal owns three small commercial buildings in old Anacostia that are currently empty and is eager to assemble more parcels to create a commercial, retail and residential development. “It’s going to take time, but it’s certainly going to turn around,” he said.

Definitely take time to read the article. It may not be new information for all, but it is nice to begin to join the ranks of other more NYTimes'ed about neighborhoods (cough cough H Street NE).

Attention 1100 Block of Good Hope Property Owners!

(*note: the 1100 block of Good Hope Road is where Drake's is going to be, and where the "before and after" photo was from my recent post)

From the District's website:

The District’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development on Monday announced it will make available $500,000 in grants for improvements along Great Streets corridors.

The funds are available for grants to property owners for facade and other improvements along H Street, NE, the 1100 block of Good Hope Road, SE, the 3600 block of Georgia Avenue, NW, and the 3100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE.

The improvements are expected to help make neighborhood shopping districts more appealing for existing and new customers. The District anticipates providing reimbursable grants up to $20,000 each until this pool of funds are exhausted. Property owners will be reimbursed by the District upon regular submission of invoices, receipts and cancelled checks.

Applicants must submit a completed application to the District no later than Friday, February 29, 2008, no later than 3 pm. Applications are available for pick up at 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 317, Washington, DC 20004.

All inquiries should be directed in writing only to derrick.woody@dc.gov or fax number (202) 727-6703.

Great Streets Grant Application (PDF)

Readers: if you know a property owner along one of the above corridors (especially on Good Hope), please pass this information along to them!

The Examiner has a good piece on Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry. Here is the hook:

A responsible, morally upright politician might level with his constituents and tell them their children would be better served by a modernized school with a full array of classes and extracurricular activities, rather than a half-empty school with a leaky roof and no music or art classes.

Not our Marion Barry.

The article was written by Harry Jaffe, author of Dream City: Race, Power and the Decline of Washington, D.C. (Simon & Schuster, 1994).

For the full text, Click Here

Before:


After:


...except now the building next to it is boarded up.
(hopefully in preparation for a major overhall?)

The good word from a representative from Lewis Real Estate Services, the company leasing the space at Anacostia Gateway, is that they are currently in negotiations with a financial institution and a local coffee shop for the ground floor retail. There is an additional 10,400 square feet remaining, of which 6,200 square feet is available for a restaurant.



Really, a local coffee shop? That would be a-mazing.

And a reminder of what it will (at least sort of) look like once the government center is built:



images courtesy of Lewis Real Estate Services

Poplar Point Proposal Summaries

I was browsing the Poplar Point website and came across these very helpful summaries of each development team's proposal.

Click Images to Enlarge

Archstone / Madison:


Clark Realty Capital:


Forest City:


We should hear an announcement on this in the next week or so. Exciting and important times, these.

weekend pictures

I'm not sure how long this sign has been in the window, but I noticed for the first time that they are specifically advertising for a restaurant at Anacostia Gateway.



Good thing this house is being restored/significantly replaced during the W Street condo and townhouse project!



Salvation Army building update: bricks are going up, and they look really nice. I'm eager for the scaffolding to come down so we can get a real view of the positive impact on MLK. Right now it still has the look of a hulking mass of cement.







It is really too bad that these potentially beautiful houses (just a few doors down from Salvation Army) look like this. I have reported them a few times to the abandoned property people - hopefully their owners are at least getting ridiculously taxed until they fix them!

Pedestrian Bridge, Please

DC Council Chair Vincent Gray is quoted in a WTOP article about Nationals Stadium parking:

"Poplar Point really is very close to the site of the new baseball stadium, " says Gray.

With 20 to 25 dates reserved for soccer, Gray says baseball fans would have access to the soccer stadium lots.

"You could park over at Poplar Point, come across a pedestrian bridge, or otherwise be transported the short distance to the baseball stadium," says Gray.

Please build a pedestrian bridge over the Anacostia River! ..and bring DC up to par with:











...and many more.

Flickr photo credits: SubEclipse, ColinS., mineme73, Andrew.O, shaporama

Anacostia Walking Tour

Source: East of the River's community calendar

Sneak Preview - see sights like this, the oldest surviving house in Anacostia.


photo courtesy of flickr user stgermh

Tomorrow evening there will be a lecture by Dr. Robert D. Bullard about environmental justice and livable communities. It is part of the museum's 23rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Program.

When:

Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 7:00pm

Where:

Anacostia Community Museum (click for map)

What:

For a flier in PDF, Click Here

Note on Poll Accuracy

I have no way of knowing who is voting in the Poplar Point poll, at right, so just wanted to put out the warning of the possibility that it is members of the development groups themselves who make up some portion of voters in each category.

(This may explain why the Archstone "I think Poplar Point is a suburban lifestyle center" team has suddenly made significant gains only today after the poll was mentioned in the news.)

Anacostia (Now) in the News

An article in this morning's Washington Post Metro section discusses the Poplar Point proposals from a Ward 8 perspective, and mentions that a decision on the master developer could be made as early as next week. Way to go Historic Anacostia Block Association for all the comments and publicity!

Click Here for article.

And another hit from the Washington Post's "WashBiz Blog".

Mid-City Urban out of the Running

The field of contestants for the redevelopment of Poplar Point has now been narrowed to 3 teams. Good thing, as Mid-City / General Growth's proposal was pretty weak - thank you DC for not picking America's Mall Developer. Fingers crossed for an awesome Point.



Here is the Wash Biz story
(the story does not mention the fact that this team had the least votes on my blogger poll, at right, showing them by far the least popular)

We won the HGTV contest!