Capital Bikeshare in Anacostia

DC's newest form of public transportation, Capital Bikeshare, opened in September of last year and has been picking up speed as a truly hot new option for getting around. Year-long memberships are just $75, and but there are also month and day memberships available.



As long as there are convenient stations, Bikeshare is a great way to get from point A to point B, especially on one-way trips, without having to deal with bike storage.

There are three Capital Bikeshare stations in Anacostia:


at the corner of MLK and Good Hope...


across from the Anacostia Metro on Howard Road...


and at the Anacostia Neighborhood Library


View Larger Map

I think the current station locations are a good start - but also think that it would be helpful to have one at the corner of MLK and W Street. What do you think? Any other suggested stops? What are your thoughts about this new transportation option?

Good Reads: Why is Capital Bikeshare usage low east of the river? on Greater Greater Washington, and Biking While Black in the Washington City Paper

Super Bowl @ Big Chair & Uniontown

Just a heads up, both Uniontown and Big Chair will be showing the Super Bowl this Sunday. Big Chair is now set up to serve alcohol, so let the business competition (this is a good thing) and the games begin!

look what's being tweeted about the neighborhood

I present to you the last four tweets about Anacostia:

Uniontown Bar & Grill Opens TODAY

Today's a big day for Anacostia. Opening day of its first sit-down restaurant and alcohol-serving bar: Uniontown Bar & Grill. Stop on by to 2200 MLK Ave SE for lunch, dinner, happy hour, or a nightcap -- the option is now here!



Official opening is at 11AM for lunch. Regular hours are 11AM-9PM Sunday through Thursday; 11AM-2AM Friday and Saturday; Happy Hour is from 4PM-7PM Monday through Friday.



Contact information for Uniontown:
Website: www.UtownDC.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/UniontownBar
Phone: 202-445-4021

Sheridan Station Taking Shape

Have you noticed the massive dirt hill / construction site just past the Anacostia Metro station along Sheridan Road? Once home to failed housing projects, the site is fast transforming into Sheridan Station: an assortment of brand new, mixed-income apartments and townhouses - with some offices space as well. In total, there will be 344 new housing units.


the utility lines are conveniently not shown in the rendering below


there will be office space on the ground floor (dentist offices, etc)

Adjacent the multi-family rental shown above will be the townhouses, 165 of which will be for-sale units.





Sheridan Station is the first of two major HOPE VI "housing projects to mixed-income neighborhoods" programs in the vicinity of Anacostia. The other, Barry Farm/Park Chester, has not yet begun demolition and construction.



Click Here for a map of the Sheridan Station project in Google Maps for better context

Streetcar Survey + Happy Hour

In case you missed last week's meeting, there is an online survey to give input on the next phase of the Anacostia streetcar line. One of the reasons I first invested in Anacostia was because I was excited about positive changes like the streetcar - and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. Let's support this improvement and help it get here ASAP!

Click Here to go to DDOT's survey

Also, check out Greater Greater Washington's ideas for running the line down MLK Avenue. Why have the line if it isn't conveniently located?

** Update 1/21/11 **

On Thursday, January 27 at 6PM, the DC chapter of the Sierra Club will hold a happy hour for streetcar supporters to celebrate recent victories and to discuss what next steps should be taken in their campaign to make streetcars a viable transportation option for as many residents of the DC metro area as possible. The happy hour will take place at SOVA, which is located along the route of the proposed H Street / Benning Road NE line. To learn more about DC's streetcar initiative, visit www.streetcars4dc.org

Restoration on 1600 Bl. U Street

There's a new restoration taking place on the 1600 block of U Street SE - and it looks like it's gonna be great. (How do I know? Because it looks nasty now, and because the same folks just did one a few houses down)


a very typical "Anacostia look" house - awesome potential


the fake brick asphalt shingle siding has been mostly removed


looks like the porch floor needs a complete rebuild, but glad to see original columns and decorative elements in place

This is the house on the same block that the same builder just completed and sold. Looks great from the outside, and original wood siding was restored!



It makes such a big difference in the neighborhood when people actually care what the end product looks like ... the city and its future are very thankful.

Anacostia Streetcar Meeting Tonight!

Late notice, I know, but there is a kick-off meeting for the environmental and historic preservation impacts of Phase 2 of the Anacostia Streetcar tonight from 6:30-8:30 at Savoy Elementary. Phase 2 is the section that will bring tracks from the Anacostia Metro, down MLK Ave, to the 11th Street Bridge. In other words, this is the section that really affects the Anacostia neighborhood!




View New Anacostia Streetcar plan in a larger map

The sections in green and blue above is the line that this meeting is about. It would be great to have a good showing at the meeting from neighborhood folks.

map courtesy of Greater Greater Washington

New Supermarket - Survey!

The Anacostia Warehouse Supermarket has been purchased by the Anacostia Economic Development Corporation and will be undergoing a major renovation, re-concepting, and new management-ing. Exciting! But they need your help in determining what exactly the new concept will offer. More organic? More fresh foods? More attractive exterior?



Click Here to fill out the survey (it's fast, it's easy, and it will benefit everyone!) ...and please call for them to do something about unattractiveness of the building. Kind of an eyesore right now...

Anacostia on HGTV Tomorrow

Set your DVRs for tomorrow's episode of HGTV's "My First Sale", which features Historic Anacostia (and me and the house I just sold...).

Click to Enlarge


I believe the episode will be available online later on as well. Click Here for the description of the episode and to find local TV station listings.

Wednesday 1/5 - Blank Space Open House

Blank Space, the new "permanent pop-up" space in Historic Anacostia is having an open house tomorrow from 11am-7pm.

Blank Space SE welcomes all professional, experimental, visionary, original artists and organizations to use the space as their own temporary creative home, as it is meant to be the ideal rental venue for all forms of creative projects and outlets.

Blank Space SE, located at 1922 MLK Ave SE, is available for many different projects, including (but not limited to): the production of your own art exhibit, a dance or theatre event, a workshop or classroom, a short term studio, a think tank, a creative crucible, a pop up boutique, or business.

Check out the Blank Space website: www.BlankSpaceSE.com

Sounds awesome, right? Love that there are creative forces at work in the 'costia.

Scare Tactics, Part 2

In Part 2 of this series, I'm posting another email I received about tactics that are being used to scare certain people away from the Anacostia neighborhood (and I'm sure other neighborhoods across the city).



This email comes from a resident who has witnessed an increase in negative and racial comments since posters appeared across the neighborhood advertising an effort to "Keep DC A Chocolate City":

Keep DC a Chocolate City - Stop the War On the Black Community! Gentrification and home foreclosures are just a few of the tools used to remove black people from their homes and move whites into the community.

This was the message on the intense yellow posters that were attached to every telephone pole along MLK Avenue as I walked from the Anacostia Metro to my home after work a few weeks ago. The posters brought on a feeling of confusion. Had I misinterpreted the views of my neighbors towards me these past two years? I tried to shake off the feeling of judgment that crept into me as I walked past the Thurgood Marshall Academy. The after school groups of kids were hanging out as per usual, except that day someone mumbled “better get on home whitey” and another of “get off our street”.

I chose to live in Anacostia for the same reasons that my non–white neighbors have in the past couple of years: affordability, short commute to work, the views of the city, and the friendliness of the people that live here. People say hello to each other here, we greet each other, we still take time to really talk with our neighbors. Maybe I have taken these posters too personally, but in a city that just elected Vincent Gray as Mayor with a mission statement of “One City”, I am dismayed and angered by these blatant words of racism plastered in my neighborhood. I like to think that all of the many varieties of chocolate can be equal, including white.

These signs and efforts come across as a desperate way to preserve some artificial sense of uniformity. Is this just a mirror of the integration fears many predominantly white communities held in 20th century?

Scare Tactics, Part 1

A young woman reached out to me a couple months ago about her interest in moving to Anacostia. I get these emails frequently, and try to be as honest as I can about the neighborhood, its potential, and why I think it's a good investment. This particular person ended up buying a house and is getting really excited about moving in.



However, the usually-untold story in cases like hers (and mine, and probably many of you who have recently moved to Anacostia or neighborhoods like it), is that her friends have now taken it upon themselves to convince her to back out of the deal. Here's one email, from a DC cop friend of hers:

[Please read with a Huge grain of salt, as clearly this person is more concerned with statistics than with any kind of nuanced understanding of the neighborhood.]

I don't want to preach, pile-on, or come across in a negative way, as I am sure [person's name] has been trying to get you to reconsider, but I would feel bad if I did not offer my opinion on you plans to move.

The area you are moving to is bad, and it is not getting better. After they changed the section 8 housing rules a few years back, and forced many of the criminals who were in subsidized housing out (into PG), there was a brief decrease in crime. That was short-lived and now crime is rebounding, with no anticipation of any similar programs to provide such relief again. But even at it's best, that area was still the worst.

I am sure you are aware that 7D has the highest frequency of car-jackings, stolen cars, home invasions, domestic violence, sexual assaults, shootings, etc, but you should also know that many of the crimes throughout the city are linked back to people from your neighborhood. And you will be viewed as a target, someone with money, valuables, a car (an old car that is easy to steal). Those hood-rats will see you as someone they can beat down quickly, or intimidate, and take whatever they want. It happens every day.

The only reason any other areas have comparable stats is because of club zones (drunken crimes), and reporting differences. Much of the crime, probably the majority of it, is not reported. It happens everywhere but the lack of crime reporting is notoriously high in 7D. Simply put, many residents hate the police down there, and don't call them (for a number of reasons I wont get into). There are some bad people down there, who think in ways that you don't understand.

I am sure the people who want to sell that house are giving you a distorted view of the area. They obviously don't have your best interest at heart. And anyone who would encourage you to move there is either ignorant of the reality of the area, or they don't give a shit about you. Some people want to see the glass half full, and be optimistic about the area turning around, with development, Homeland Sec. moving in, etc., but those people are idiots. That area will not turn around, the subsidies maintain the status quo. The only people who truly know the reality of crime are criminals, police, and victims. I'm telling you, you are on your way to learning about crime.

I could go on and on, but you have to let the information in. It sounds like your mind is made up, but I beg you to reconsider. I have no reason to bullshit you, I have no stake in your decision aside from the fact that I don't want to see you hurt. You must ask yourself if any of your other influences may have an angle that you are not yet aware of. There are plenty of other options, and deals to be had, please back out.

I remember when I first bought in Anacostia, I had friends that never even came to see the house. The fear was too deep. Of course, after being there for a few years, I was able to turn a lot of those perceptions around ... but the fear is still alive in a lot of people. Is this experience similar to yours? What's the proper response?

New Apartments for Good Hope Road

After years of redevelopment limbo, construction is finally underway on the Art Deco building at 15th and Good Hope Road. I noticed that new windows were going in (and glad to see that they are good looking windows), so peeked inside and learned that it will be a mixed-use residential building.


no word on what the other uses will be, but likely ground-floor retail or office space


despite being just outside the historic district, I hope further efforts are made to protect and highlight the Art Deco design


the residential units will be on the second floor, with a few on the first floor on this back half of the building (technically 1916 15th St)


the interior is being gutted now, but it appears that general layout is being preserved


this permit is only for interior demolition

Although the permit I saw was just for interior demo, it shows that there will be 11 residential units, and that the building will remain mixed-use. Here's hoping that the building ends up looking great!

RSVP: SANTA COSTIA this Saturday

Please mark your calendars for this Saturday evening. I am hosting my annual holiday party at Honfleur Gallery this year, and I would love for you to attend. As it is technically a private (with security) event, you must RSVP to dggarber[at]gmail.com to get on the list!

Click to Enlarge


Thanks to Glacéau Vitamin Water, Flying Dog Ale, and ReadySetDC.com for sponsoring this year's event, which will feature a special performance by Joseph LMS of the Intangible Collective, a New York City-based consortium of slam poetry and spoken word artists.

Suggested donation of $5 goes towards the leadership and academic training of Anacostia teens at FLY Youth DC

New Signage in the Neighborhood

New signage has been appearing up and down MLK Avenue ... some good-looking, some not-so-amazing-looking.

Branding and signage is one of the most valuable things a business can invest in. On one side of the coin, people often like the underdog "we don't care about things like that" businesses. They're good because they're good, not because they have flashy signage. But when it's presented to them, people tend to appreciate creativity and a sense of legitimacy when they're looking to patronize a business. Here are a few new examples:


Uniontown's conservative lettering brings a new sense of heft to the corner of W and MLK. The kind of "sense of history" and "this is a real business" heft the neighborhood needs to build on.


the hive is open for business and has some new window decals that show off the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of the shared business center.


and the entrance flag sign...


ANC 8-A's offices adjacent to Big Chair went for a much more utilitarian look. The information is there, and as quasi-boring as it is, it kinda fits with the simple art deco of the building.


While I don't think it's the end of the world (and I don't 100% mind it), there's something a little too "Clip Art" about the new Big Chair signage. At this point I'm just glad it doesn't light up.

What do you think? Could the neighborhood be doing better, or is this a good standard to keep up?

the Food Truck mini-party

this morning, DC Slices, Red Hook Lobster Pound, and Curbside Cupcakes all made it out to Historic Anacostia. And they all had eager and excited customers!


Red Hook Lobster Pound chilling in front of Vivid Solutions


Curbside Cupcakes took the spot in front of Uniontown


DC Slices was hiding out set up on V Street just off MLK

Note to office workers and residents: Shhh, if you keep this up, retailers might learn the Anacostia secret and actually move in to take advantage of your business!

Food Truck Party TODAY at the Big Chair

you may have seen this on twitter or facebook, but if you're in the neighborhood Wednesday morning, DC Slices, Red Hook Lobster Pound, and Curbside Cupcakes are all making their first stops of the day at the Big Chair (MLK Ave & V Streets SE) starting at around 10:30AM! I know, kinda early, but show them some love!

Uniontown Bar & Grill Update

Curious about what's going on behind the paper at Uniontown Bar & Grill? I got the tour of 2200 MLK's exciting retail space today, and it's starting to look like a real restaurant/bar inside.


the "Uniontown Bar & Grill" lettering is coming soon

Interior construction is happening really quickly, and they are hoping to be finished with the build-out within the next few weeks. As you can see, the bar is built, but still needs its chocolatey-brown granite counters and surface finishes.



Natasha, the owner, points out where the banquette and table seating will be all the way along the far wall. The space will essentially be one long set of tables against the wall, the bar on the left, and a few stools and high tables at the front windows.



The kitchen equipment will come in when all the interior finish work is complete, but the space in back is getting ready.



As you can see, the bar is definitely the prominent feature of the room ... but it will be interesting to see how that changes when the upholstered high-back bench seating is built into the far wall.



After seeing the space today I am encouraged that the restaurant/bar is actually coming to the neighborhood. Will update as soon as there is a tentative opening date! For more about Uniontown, check out the website: www.UtownDC.com

W Street Townhomes & Condos Financed!

It's been a long time coming, but Four Points' W Street townhomes and condos project (likely to be called something like Cedar Hill Row) has finally received financing! Stan Voudrie of Four Points, the developer, gave me the good news today that his company has entered into a joint venture partnership with a publicly-traded regional homebuilder to begin construction in 2011. Final building permits still need to be issued, and a formal announcement about the deal is expected early next week.


a slightly outdated aerial rendering - Click to Enlarge

Located the corner of W Street SE and 13th Street SE, the development is the first significant new-construction residential project in Historic Anacostia, and is on the same block as Big Chair Coffee and the under-construction Uniontown Bar & Grill. The project is comprised of 32 condo units, 7 townhouses, and a rebuilt single-family home that will replicate a structure that sat on the site until it was demolished last year.

This is amazing news for the neighborhood because until now one of its greatest deficiencies is its lack of housing diversity. You either buy a condo in an old mid-century low-rise apartment building conversion, a total fixer-upper, or a houseflip (and those aren't all bad ... wink wink). People like options, and this project will help fill in some of the gaps.