The DC Council Really Wants us to Have a Grocery Store

The D.C. Council passed a bill yesterday that would provide $7 million in funding to build underground parking for the Constitution Square project at 100 M Street, NE, and help Stonebridge Development attract a 50,000 square-foot grocery store.

So perhaps Harris Teeter really is coming to NoMa?

That little tidbit of news was at the very end of the article about tax changes affecting small businesses. The Council passed a bill that would raise the exemption to the personal property tax from $50,000 to $225,000, which would exempt most small businesses.

Second, if the city collects greater than expected revenue from commercial property tax, a new formula lowering the tax rate for all commercial property tax payers would be applied to the first $3 million of a property’s assessed value. I probably need to read the bill but what exactly constitutes “greater than expected revenue”?

Pound Coffee Coming to NoMa

If office buildings are built, coffee shops will come... Pound Coffee is slated to open in mid-February at 200 Florida Avenue, NE, right outside the Florida exit of the New York Ave Metro and in the ATF building. If it does open then, I believe it will be the first shop to open in that retail space. It would also beat out a Starbucks! The owners of the Ibiza nightclub at 1222 1st, NE had said they were going to offer their own Starbucks but last I checked, no Starbucks yet.

According to Pound’s website, they will also offer Counter Culture coffee provided by a local roaster. I’ve emailed the owner, Khalil Ghannam, to ask what kind of hours the café will have and will update this post if I get a response. It would be ideal if it had evening or weekend hours…with the Eckington neighborhood and Galludet University nearby, I’m sure it would get steady traffic even outside office hours.

Flashed Again

In an earlier post about street harassment, I mentioned that I was flashed in Adams Morgan. In broad daylight, while walking down the alley next to the Safeway, I noticed a green SUV pulled over, with its driver pissing against the wall. He sees me, says an audible "Oh shit!" and zips up. I pretend I didn't see anything and walk hurridly along. I hear the SUV coming and it then pulls up right next to me. I assume he just stopped because he was looking out for oncoming traffic. I hear him say, "I'm sorry if you saw any of that." I turn my head to look at him and to tell him not to worry about it. Lo and behold, he is holding himself and and asks me if I liked what I saw. I ran.

Today, I'm on R and North Capitol Street waiting for the walk sign. A green van slowly turns the corner in front of me and the driver waves at me as he drives away. I just missed the green walk sign to cross Lincoln Street and thought shit when I noticed the same green van pulling up on R Street. He turns the corner and stops right in front of me. He was just in his sweater holding himself!

I'm absolutely mortified and my first instinct is to run but I realized I could not run. Just today, I was allowed to take off my walking boot which I've worn for the past three weeks because of a foot injury. So running was not an option as I'm still getting used to walking again. Thankfully, he drives away as I'm frantically looking around trying to figure out what to do.

As with the first incident, my first reaction was shock and disbelief so by the time I could think straight, it was too late to get his license plate number to report the incident. I'm still in shock as to how this can happen a second time. I don't know anyone who's been flashed, must less flashed twice! It's frustrating too, I don't know how I can prevent this from happening again.

Update on Florida Ave Market Development

Here is a Washington Business Journal article discussing a new twist in the development plans for the Florida Avenue Market.

I've actually never been to the market although we've been meaning to. We do know it's closed on Sunday and by late afternoon, which are the times we've tried to check the market out.

Change coming soon? From Sursum Corda to Northwest One

So two D.C. developers have been chosen to develop the Sursum Corda area. As the Washington Post describes the project: "The $700 million project is part of an ambitious strategy to attract mid- and upper-income families to help revitalize a struggling and once crime-ridden neighborhood, without displacing residents."

It's always comforting to see areas around your neighborhood being developed but this is an area that I would really like to see changes happen soon. During the summer, I taught at the Georgetown Law gym and would bike down 1st Street, NW to get home. Although the Union Station area is probably only a 20-30 minute walk from Eckington, I chose not to walk through the neighborhood because I just felt so uneasy in the area, even when I was careening through on my bike.

It was only after being in Eckington a couple of months that I read more about the Sursum Corda Cooperative and its crime-ridden history, which confirmed the anxieties I had when I was in the area. Hubby and I often drive by on the way home and I sometimes ask "What is going on over there?" or "What is that guy passing to that other person?" And hubby some times replies, "It's probably not a good idea to stare."

The fastest way to walk or bike from point A to B is usually just a straight shot but right now, to get to Chinatown, I take a longer route through Shaw. I can't wait not to have to plan my walking or biking routes to avoid an entire neighborhood.

Old Hecht's Warehouse to be Developed

The old Hecht's distribution center at 1401 New York Avenue, NE, is slated to become a new retail hub. Philadelphia developer, Patriot Equities, has plans to turn property into a shopping center anchored by retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart and Costco. The building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will retain its original facade.

Also in the article are comments from District developer Jim Abdo who already has a $1.1 billion plan to build Arbor Place, a residential mixed-use planned unit development in the same area.

This is definitely a positive development for our quadrant. However, if any sort of retail (or residential use) is to take off in that area, the developers will have to make the area more accessible as it is not near a metro. Perhaps the developers can lobby for new or more frequent bus lines or provide shuttles to the metro? I believe Abdo already plans to provide shuttles to the Rhode Island Metro station.

I must admit though, because of Wal-Mart's appalling labor record (Target doesn't have a great record either), I wouldn't support any Wal-Mart moving into DC. I'd love a Costco though!

Photo by colros.

NoMa Launches New Website

Check out the redesign of the NoMa BID website launched today.