That said, Au Bon Pain will be opening up at the Marriott Courtyard (which is also looking like it's coming along well for its expected opening next year).And if you haven't noticed their signs up yet at the ATF retail space, we had reported that Five Guys was coming to NoMa. It has actually been official for the last couple of weeks.
8 comments:
Good to hear... I can't imagine there will be enough short-term demand for both that and Pound Coffee (I understand they're not entirely apples to apples), but nonetheless it's a good addition.
Since Pound only has hours that apply to anyone that works 5:30-3:30pm, I think an Au Bon Pain will be a welcome addition in this neighborhood, especially for those with less traditional hours and those wanting more food options than coffee cake or granola bars, ala Pound.
Not everyone has federal any job hours, and while I love Big Bear, I'm excited for a coffee/food place en route to a red line metro after 4pm.
I think it'll also be a welcome addition especially for the office peeps in the neighborhood who'd want more food options.
I think I changed my mind on this... as I've walked past the site on my way to the Metro the past couple of weeks, I've started to wrap my head around it coexisting with Pound. I'm sold. I absolutely think it will mesh well and play off of the future retailers in the area, especially once a critical mass starts to take shape. I'm excited for it!
Critical mass???? When is that happening? The economy is a mess and financing couldn't be tighter. I'm willing to bet that NOMA will still be in construction phase for a good decade.
Anon,
I think it's a safe bet that it will take a decade for NOMA to be built out - regardless of what it says on the BID website. Simply put, there are a lot of projects planned and they can't possibly all come to fruition in the next ~5 years. That said, there is a hole in the ground (and, I presume, construction financing) for the first phase of Constitution Square, which will include 200+ hotel rooms in a Hilton Garden Inn (in addition to 200+ rooms at the rapidly-progressing adjacent Marriot Courtyard) and close to 600,000 SF of office space (almost all pre-leased to DOJ). I'm willing to bet the 500+ apartments at Constitution Square II will be right behind the office, since apartments are much easier to finance in this credit environment. Also, Washington Gateway is expected to break ground by the end of the year. Since they also have a hotel component and hotel occupancy is still (historically speaking) incredibly high, I would guess that will happen as well. Don't forget about Union Place (apartments), which has also recently broken ground. I would say all of the above, which is happening or has a very high likelihood of happening, could be considered a critical mass - or at least enough of a critical mass to support the retail centered around the NY Ave./FL Ave. Metro station. That is all I was trying to convey.
I can't really see NOMA as a destination. It's wedged between the projects and railroad tracks...
I can't see it as a destination either. There really isn't anything "entertaining" in the area like a stadium/arena/theater/venues/etc... However, I am excited about the Harris Teeter coming to NOMA. I can't wait. As it is right now, I shop at the one in Adams Morgan every week. The Giant/Safeway on Rhode Island suck and they're always busy. Also, the employees at both are ghetto mamas. Does anyone no anything about the planned development at the Rhode Island Ave Metro Station?
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