DCUSA Has Never Been Fully Leased

More than seven years has passed since the opening of the DCUSA shopping center in Columbia Heights and it has never been fully leased. With 540,000 square feet of retail, it's the largest retail development project in the District. It is three stories tall and encompasses about half of a city block. There are 1,000 underground parking spaces.

Technically Lane Bryant was the first store to open at DCUSA, in March 2008, followed the next day by Target. Other big box stores Best Buy, Marshall's, and Bed Bath & Beyond eventually followed along with Washington Sports Club. The larger spaces have always been filled. But developers have had a harder time filling and keeping occupied the mid-sized and smaller storefronts.

Whole Foods was part of the original lease plan, to be located on the southwest corner of the building. That deal eventually fell through. So did another proposal to bring Richmond grocer Ellwood Thomspon's to DCUSA. Those spaces are now partially filled by Petco, DSW and Five Below. Otherwise, there are a handful of smaller spaces that have either never been filled (space between Staples and Children's Place), or have turned over with no current replacement tenant (former Radio Shack space). 

The pedestrian traffic to and from the big box stores + Washington Sports Club seems astronomical. Former retail agents claimed that over 50,000 people walked by the DCUSA site daily. I do wonder why the smaller spaces have seemed more challenging to keep full. My guess is that the rent is probably too high. In 2011, this Washington Post article put the rent range for DCUSA at $40 to $90 / sq ft. That's equivalent to a rent range of $3,333 - $7,500 per month for a 1,000 sq foot store. There is a program in place to offer discounted (~30%) rental rates to small or minority business owners. IHOP operates under this program as a franchised location of the chain restaurant. 

Even with the small business incentive DCUSA has never been more than about 85% occupied. Since the District collects sales taxes from all businesses, and collects revenue from the parking garage, which they own, it's in the city's best interest to have a fully leased building. But, that's up to the developers and leasing agents. The next opening appears to be Chick-fil-A, replacing Lime Fresh. The most recent opening was Zombie Coffee, which replaced the built, but never opened short-lived Tasti D-Lite store, in a tiny 810 sq foot space. I really can't foresee all of the empty spaces being filled anytime soon, and I wonder if I'll be making this same report in 2018, a full 10 years after the first stores opened at DCUSA.

First-floor lease plan circa 2005. Note never-opened McDonald's, Starbucks, SunTrust, Whole Foods, etc.

Petco Will Fill Last Large DCUSA Space

DCUSA : 3100 14th St NW

The dreams of an indie, vegan friendly, organic grocery opening just two blocks from Mount Pleasant are officially dead. They actually had been for some time, but the impending arrival of Petco to the 15,000 square foot space in Columbia Heights' DCUSA development put the nail in the coffin. DCUSA is a very large (890,000 sq feet) retail development at the corner of 14th and Irving Sts NW. It opened in March 2008.

Petco was an original, planned tenant of DCUSA. The pet supply retail store was first slated for space 115, which is now half empty and half filled by The Children's Place clothing store. Petco will now occupy space 125, under the DSW shoe store. Space 125 was originally assigned to Whole Foods, then in October 2008, set aside for Ellwood Thompson's, a Richmond, VA based grocery. However, Ellwoods never did open a store in the District. They eventually opened a very similar store in Rockville, MD, named Dawson's Market.

Petco location at corner of  Hiatt Pl and Irving St NW

New Restaurants for Columbia Heights

Three new eateries are planned for Columbia Heights, just blocks from Mount Pleasant. Two are in DC USA and other is part of the Kenyon Square development.

Cava Mezze Grill will open this summer at 3105 14th St NW. This storefront was previously occupied by Radiance Medspa and is between Starbucks and d'vines on the first floor of the Keynon Square condo building. Cava is a local company that serves Greek food "mezze-style" via a pretty simple menu. WITH FALAFEL. Eh, sorry, I'm easily excited. Here's the whole menu. Very vegan friendly. And it appears they'll serve adult beverages, too. Cava Mezze Grill currently has locations in Tysons Corner and Bethesda.

Cava Mezze Grill, 3105 14th St NW

Four years after opening, DC USA (3100 14th St NW) is still not fully leased. But they get closer each year. Tasti D-Lite will open in a space (#105) originally slated for Panda Express (in turn, Panda is in the space meant for SunTrust Bank, which was never built). This is a very narrow storefront on Irving Street next to Panera Bread. Tasti D-Lite serves a product which they describe as "not frozen yogurt" and "not ice cream." Where do we go from here... I don't know. Just check out the website.

Taste D-Lite, 3100 14th St NW #105

Finally, on the 14th Street side of DC USA, Lime Fresh Mexican Grill. This is a Florida based chain trying to expand along the east coast. This location is among up to 200 which will be operated by Ruby Tuesday. Ruby Tuesday does not own Lime Fresh, they are just a very large franchisee. A Ruby Tuesday restaurant is located just two blocks away at 14th and Monroe. Check out Lime's very cheeky menu (PDF). Looks as vegan friendly as any other Mexican restaurant; i.e. just get used to saying "no cheese, please." Lime Fresh will occupy the space #104 at DC USA which was originally planned for, yes, Causal Male.

Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, 3100 14th St NW #104

alTARGETives: Where to Shop if You're Boycotting Target

A few weeks ago I got excited because the Target store in the DCUSA mall would soon begin selling fresh produce and generally expand it's grocery selection.  Then, someone commented about the recent news that Target was involved in a bit of controversy.  The company is receiving lots of negative attention over giving a large corporate donation to a Minnesota political fund that in turn spent some of the money producing ads for a questionable MN gubernatorial candidate.  You can read about the story here. 

So, if you are boycotting Target --or never shopped there in there first place-- where do you go for those products some of us have grown used to getting there?  This should be easy for most of you.  Target only opened in 2008 and you somehow got by without it before. 

Graphic Ts:  Target is the king of cheap graphic t-shirts.  People must really love those "retro" fake-faded looking Rolling Stone shirts.  Or the ones that have an old Dr. Pepper logo or an 80s comic book character.   If you must have that wacky, "it's only one of a kind because none of my friends would wear anything from Target" kinda t-shirt, try Washington Souvenir Headquarters at 421 7th Street NW.  They are a holdover from the Inauguration and carry all kinds of stuff from stupid pun joke shirts to political shirts from the left and right viewpoints.

Beer and Wine:  For better or worse we have a lot of choices within walking distance.  Maybe Samber Market or Sportsman's (both near Mount Pleasant Street and Park Rd NW).  Where are people's favorite places to purchase adult beverages around here?  

Cheap Swimwear: Ladies, a little help on this one?  I have no idea where to go.  Marshall's?  Guys?  Anywhere for us?  I feel like you can get board shorts pretty much anywhere.  Macy's?  I don't know.  Maybe City Sports.

Household maintenance "stuff":  You know, batteries, light bulbs, tools, mops, brooms, etc.  Stuff you only seem to need, well,  when you need it.  Pfeiffer's Hardware.  Logan Hardware.  Cooper's.

Body Care:  Target has a rather large body care section.  Maybe try something new (but spend a lot more) at Lush in Georgetown.  I like them because they are very open about their vegan friendly-ness, which is hard to come by with cosmetics.  And their printed catalog is cool looking. 3066 M Street NW.

Groceries:  Easy.  Bestworld, Giant, Yes!, Whole Foods, Safeway, Harris Teeter, various farmers markets.  Go bananas.  Go get some bananas.

Kitchenware: Starting to miss that Micheal Graves chic? IKEA to bland for your taste? Try one of handful of stores on 14th St NW.  Home Rule is the best of the bunch. They pack a lot into the little store at 1807 14th Street NW. Heavy on the kitchen and bath items. I've bought more gifts here than items I actually use at home. If you're looking for larger items, like furniture, lamps or weird accoutrement, try Miss Pixies two blocks south.

Have you heard of the boycott?  Are you doing it?  Do you even care?  Even if you aren't boycotting Target, try one of the smaller, cooler stores listed here.  Maybe they have what you need at a cheaper price, or maybe you'll find something new and better.  Or maybe not.  Maybe you don't need to shop anywhere for anything right now.  But it can't hurt trying something new for the second time. 

Will You Buy Produce at Target?

This fall Target at DCUSA will join Giant, Safeway and Harris Teeter as a large national grocer within walking distance of Mount Pleasant.  Of course we also have Bestway/world right here in the neighborhood and Yes! Organic Market in Adams Morgan. Target is betting that it can compete in the grocery sector despite a Giant store literally across the street on Park Road NW and countless smaller markets in and around Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant.  

But will you shop there specifically for groceries?  I split my major grocery buying trips between Whole Foods, Giant, on rare occasion Safeway, and Mount P Farmers Market.  Giant is so close, WF has the specialty and vegan items I want and why buy produce anywhere but the farmers market.  Will Target be a part of the grocery mix?  I doubt it, for me.  I have picked up an orange juice, chips or snacks while on an unrelated trip there, but not sure that I would go there for produce and the whole nine yards.  Curious to see the lay out, though.  I'm guessing they'll build next to the sizable frozen and dry goods sections present now.

And how will the smaller businesses like Bestway/world be affected?  DCUSA is part of the reason (part, not the only reason) for Mount Pleasant Street's continued commercial stagnation.  We have capacity for more businesses and we obviously want to spend money at places like Bestway, Super Save and all of our great eateries, but new development seems to be happening just east of us, around 14th, not on Mt P Street.  The Target grocery expansion will likely continue this trend.

DC Home to Target, Costo and Walmart?

The District's first major big box discount retailer opened in 2008 just blocks from Mount Pleasant. Target is the anchor of Columbia Height's DCUSA development. Any questions about being profitable in an urban location were answered quickly. It has been busy daily from day one. Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Marshalls and Staples are other big box national chains operating in DCUSA.

Now Walmart is attempting to get into the mix. Only six months after news of Costo's plans to open in DC, Walmart may very well join them in Northeast. The world's largest retailer is banking on several perceived advantages in attempting to penetrate the urban market in cities like DC, Boston and Chicago. 1)They're following Target and Costo. 2)They'll play up the "creating jobs" factor. 3)They'll argue that residents in cities like DC are undeserved, especially regarding full service groceries. The location would be an 11 acre parcel on a triangle shaped piece of land bound by Montana Ave NE, New York Ave NE and Bladensburg Rd. Google map of the site is below.

Will Walmart have to concede the Superstore model and settle for a smaller store in DC? The Target store in Columbia Heights is 180,000 square feet, which is actually larger than the average. However the DC store is two floors. The average Walmart Supercenter store is 185,000 sq feet, but almost always on one floor, and almost always accompanied by a large parking lot. The NE store would be one floor and include parking.

Of course the big questions will be the result of community wants, needs and input. Who wants it, who doesn't and who's indifferent. And will the city be as financially involved as they are with DCUSA?: essentially building and operating the parking facilities for the mall, making road and landscape improvements and brokering deals to get specific desired retailers to join the shopping center. Very interesting development for the city and Walmart. The outcome will certainly set precedent for both entities.

Proposed site:

View Larger Map

Ellwood Thompson's: If and When...

Yes, the economy sucks. And locally that means plenty of empty retail storefronts. Most are in older buildings in which a former tenant has moved or closed. But some vacancies are in new construction. Like in DCUSA, the massive retail development located three blocks from Mount Pleasant.

One of the original planned tenants was Whole Foods. That deal never materialized and later speculation focused on Ellwood Thompson's, a Richmond, VA heath food store. Then the signs went up. It was official, Ellwood Thompson's was opening a location in DCUSA: target date, winter 2009. That was immediately followed by the realization that the country was already in economic disarray, with many of the problems originating with real estate. So, the move to DC was put on hold. However the company was still spending money. They are paying the rent on the DCUSA space and over the last two years completed a huge expansion of the Richmond store including a stand alone coffee shop located across the parking lot from the store. (They have great vegan breakfast wraps by the way. And a Clover.)

I hope they make it here someday soon. Here's what you'd have to look forward to when and if they can make it happen. The location would be 15,000 sq feet of space in DCUSA on the first floor, directly under the Best Buy store. Elwoods would front on Irving Street and face the Highland Park building. It's unknown if they'd make room for the stand alone coffee shop, but perhaps it'd look like the last photo here. One can hope, right?

Keeping Tabs: Target is Cool. Coffee is Hot. School Rulz. Metro Droolz.

***The Washington Post comments on the big box explosion in Columbia Heights and the "hip" kids who shop there. I don't actually believe that people have been moving to CH for any kind of street cred or "bragging rights" as the article puts it. Seems like a win/win/win for the most part. Residents get their amenities (like blue ray dvds and micheal graves microwaves), the city gets tax $$$ and developers chalk up another completed project. General street scape aesthetics took a hit, but hey, who cares about architectural diversity in a down economy. Beats empty, concrete strewn lots. This just in: shopping at Target doesn't make you cool or uncool. Shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond however...

***On a related note; the word "hipster" is meaningless. It means NOTHING. It's not definable. I refuse to use that word. Some people use it as a slur, other people think they are it. Some people use it as an adjective. No, no, no. Just stop Washington Post. Just stop everyone. Please. Not cool.

***Stop leaning on the Metro train doors. One opened during travel yesterday. Not cool.

***Chinatown Coffee Company is open. In this aforementioned down economy, I'm still spending indefensible amounts of money on soy lattes. But if you've had one at this place, you'd understand. They'll get a Coffee/Riot entry at some point. For now, you should just visit on your own. They're open every day of the week. Come today before work and I'll buy you a drink. Pretty cool.

***Taxi drivers in the District just got a small ruling in their favor. The DC Council voted to get rid of the maximum fare within the District. It was set at $19 for any one ride within the city. Now, the rider will pay the entire metered fare. Hard to imagine a normal fare reaching $19 from point A to point B within DC, but for those of you to whom this applies, sorry. Let the meter decide the fare. Cool.

***The University of the District of Columbia is about debut a new master plan which its leaders hope will improve the prestige of the school and success rate of its students. The school is officially breaking up into two separate entities; an upgraded, more rigorous four program and a new two year community college element. The four year school will still be based in Van Ness, but the community college will have satellite campuses all over the District; very much like a state system. I really want UDC to succeed and serve its students well. That means treating them like college level academics so their degrees actually has value. Good moves. Very cool.

Mystery DCUSA Build Out is Desi's Chicken

Been wondering about the mystery build out on the Park Road façade of DCUSA? There's been internal HVAC and other work going on for about a month now. Looks like some questions are being answered. The work is most likely in preparation for Desi's Chicken, a local Peruvian restaurant.

Desi's was an original tenant of DCUSA. That is, it was included in all the pre-opening press materials as one of the local/small business which would be a part of the massive, mall like shopping center. Ellwood Thompson's is the other recent "local" addition (they hail form Richmond, VA).

Desi's ,if it is actually going to be called that, will occupy space 121, between the Park Rd parking lot entrance and the Mattress Discounters. Looking at the diagram below (h/t Columbia Heights News), its clear that the original leasing plans for DCUSA are still inching towards completion.

Obviously Ellwood's will take the place of a previously drooled over Whole Foods. Bank of America replaced Suntrust as the on-site bank, and Starbucks decided to open across the street to the Kenyon Square building. There is no Petco, and Children's Place moved to a much better spot, right at 14th and Kenyon. McDonald's, Cingualr (AT&T) Wireless, Quizno's and Casual Male never made it for whatever reasons. Quizno's is still featured on the DCUSA website (along with Desi's). There was, briefly, some "opening soon" signage for a Maggie Moo's (next to Marshall's) but they never opened. I assume the leasing agents are working on alternatives for the businesses which were part of the original plan but haven't made the jump. Any ideas for what should go in the empty spaces?

Satellite Images Show Ruin and Reconstruction

These new satellite images from Google Earth the significant change Mount Pleasant and nearby Columbia Heights have been through over the past few years. The first image, of Mount Pleasant, shows the still vacant ruins of 3145 Mount Pleasant Street (1). The apartment building was gutted by fire last March. One wing was left standing, the other remains a hole in the ground. Immediately east of 3145 is Meridian Hill Baptist Church (2). Its roof was destroyed in the same fire. In this image, the roof repairs are nearly complete.

In the Columbia Heights image is the recently finished construction around 14th and Irving Streets. No less than seven major construction projects have been completed in the last five years, including four major residential buildings, the massive DCUSA shopping center (4) and a Giant grocery store. On the western edge of Columbia Heights are the rebuilt, state of the art, Lincoln Middle and Bell Multicultural High Schools (3), part of the DCPS system.

Key:
5. Tivoli Square Theater, Offices and Giant grocery store
6. Park Triangle Apartments
7. Kenyon Square Condos
8. Victory Heights Seniors Housing
9. Highland Park Apartments

10-Year Tax Bill Helped Bring Grocer to DCUSA

The Ellwood Thompson's Local Market decision to open a store at Columbia Heights' DC USA was helped along by an emergency bill passed by DC Council. Ward One Councilmember Jim Graham an Ward Two Councilmember Jack Evans co-sponsored the bill.

The new emergency bill (NEIGHBORHOOD SUPERMARKET TAX RELIEF CLARIFICATION EMERGENCY DECLARATION RESOLUTION OF 2009 - PDF [updated 2009 version of the bill]) clarified an existing piece of legislation which gave stand alone full service supermarkets ten years of property tax and sales tax incentives for operating in DC. The new legislation broadens the scope to include supermarkets which open as a part of a larger development. Ellwood Thompson's will occupy 15,000 square feet on the first floor of DC USA, a 500,000+ square foot development at the corner of 14th and Irving Streets NW. The face of the store will be on the Irving Street side under Best Buy.

Ellwood Thomposn's joins YES! Organic Market stores in Adams Morgan and U Street, Whole Foods on P Street, and Everlasting Life at Howard as another health food store option for mid city residents. They will to employ about 100 staff members and offer credits to customers who bike/walk/mass transit to the store and for those who use their own bags. Ellwood's was one of the first, if not the first grocery in Richmond to give a bag credit (5¢) to its customers. Also, mimicking the policy of the Richmond store, Ellwood's will buy local produce and other products from within a 100 mile radius. Luckily it looks to be a vegan/vegetarian paradise with the choice of vegan cookbook author and chef Jannequin Bennett to head the prepared foods section. The store should open late 2009 or early 2010.

Panda Express Opens, In a Mall No Less

Panda Express opened last week at DCUSA. Sort of fits right in with the other mall-like establishments at the mall-like shopping center in Columbia Heights. Panda Express is located on the formerly barren side of DCUSA, on Irving Street directly across the street from Pete's Apizza. A Bank of America promises to open soon next to Panda Express, finally activating all three sides of the complex which have retail spaces. This is the first Panda Express in DC and there are seven total inside the Beltway.

The establishments now open at DCUSA as of today are: Target, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Washington Sports Club, Payless Shoe Source, Marshalls, Radio Shack, Children's Place, Staples, Lane Bryant, Vitamin Shoppe, Mattress Discounters and now Panda Express. Bank of America is just about finished, Ellwood Thompson's natural grocer has signed a lease, and both Desi's Chicken and Quizno's are now featured on the DCUSA website.

Former Employer Won't Leave Me Alone

Ellwood Thompson's, the Richmond VA natural grocer is coming to DC. I was gainfully employed at Ellwood's many years ago before I left Richmond. It is named after the intersection where it sits, Ellwood Avenue at Thompson Street. This will be the third location, although the second location opened and closed in the early 2000s. Richmond was not ready for two organic, vegan friendly markets. We are though!

Most of my paychecks went to buying groceries from ET and the pennies which remained went towards my college tuition. At the time ET was really the only game in town for organic, vegan and enviro-friendly alternative grocery shopping. Richmond was dominated by Hannafords (now Kroger) and another homegrown chain, Ukrop's. Whole Foods didn't arrive in the Richmond market until summer of this year.

Ellwood's was right on the edge of the downtown/uptown boundary. It was close enough for the suburban and uptown shoppers to get to without driving too far into the city and close enough for bike-bound college kids and cool kids (me) to get there easily as well. Like all the workers I was employed in about 10 different roles. It was a small operation and very friendly. Once, we had the year end holiday party at the owners house. I secretly thumbed through his CD collection in the "music room;" there were over 5,000 CDs! The atmosphere at ET is nothing at all like P Street Whole Foods or even Yes! Market. Much more homey and friendlier. I hope the new location is the same. Maybe the economy will force me to take a second job.... I wonder if they still have my stellar employee record on file.

Ellwood Thompson's will occupy the old Columbia Heights Post Office space in DCUSA, on Irving Street, below Best Buy. The store maintains an opening date of sometime during the winter of 2009-2010.

Banks! Banks! Banks!

Yet another bank will open in Columbia Heights. Bank of America will replace Suntrust as the "official bank" of DCUSA. No, it's not really the official bank of DCUSA, but BOA will have a prominent corner unit at the development. Original plans for DCUSA included a Suntrust in the space below Best Buy. That plan looks to be dead at this point. However, standing at 14th and Irving NW, you can now walk to BB&T, Signal, Lafayette, Bank of America, PNC, Citibank and Wachovia without breaking a sweat. They're all within TWO BLOCKS of the intersection; seven banks! Bank of America also has another branch three blocks away right here in Mount Pleasant.

Mall/Mall

Coming Soon...

DC USA has proved that mass consumerism can be wrapped in veil of renewal and revitalization and be passed off as legit. The "build it and they will come strategy" worked. Or maybe the neighborhood was starving for access to amenities like Target and other stores heretofore found in locations not accessible without leaving the city. Regardless of your take on the development, know that it will have a dramatic impact on Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights.

Some of the larger tenants are opening their doors soon. The electronic retailer Best Buy will be opening the night of March 27th, a Thursday. Marshall's, the self-described "off-price" retailer, opens tomorrow, the 20th. Bed Bath and Beyond is rumored to open before the end of March and Radio Shack looks to open soon as well. Columbia Heights News reports that talks to bring Ellwood Thompson's and REI to DC USA are ongoing. ET is a natural foods grocer with one location in Richmond, REI is an outdoors/sports retailer.

The big question is.... When will Vitamin Shoppe open!? Yes, nothing says successful retail development like Vitamin Shoppe. And nothing says Colonial Williamsburg like adding that "-pe" to the end of the word "shop." What, "apothecary" was taken? Shoppie. I'm going to pronounce it that way from now on; Shoppie. Vitamin Shoppe is a very successful supplements and vitamin dealer. I don't mean to demean the business model or employees; its just I can't get excited at all about having the Vitamin Shoppe at such a prominent corner. Its like GNC. Let's be honest, when you lived at home and went to the mall to hang out, you never saw anyone shopping at GNC, did you. No. Didn't you wonder how they stayed in business? I did. I still do. I guess Vitamin Shoppie has figured it out. Build it, and they will come...

Photos: A Fuss Over DC USA

On a day when Target promised to open early (today!) and Lane Bryant quietly beat everyone to the punch by opening before any other DC USA store, there was much fanfare on 14th Street. Wednesday's excitement will certainly dwarf Tuesday's activity. Yesterday, Jim Graham, the mayor and many media outlets descended upon Columbia Heights to celebrate and report on the opening of the District's first Target while reflecting on the event's significance to the surrounding neighborhood. Wednesday, the shopping starts, for better or worse. Here are a few photos form the scene Tuesday.

DC USA Edges Closer to Opening

Ahead of the approaching grand opening of stores this spring and summer, the work around the DC USA retail center at14th and Irving Streets NW intensifies daily. The details and finishing touches are starting to be addressed. The sidewalks around the 500,000+ square foot center are nearly finished and the signage for Lane Bryant, Best Buy, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond have been installed on various sides of the brown and tan behemoth. Press about the project have picked up in recent weeks as well. A few of the ongoing issues:

Parking issues and implications still worry residents; a story from WJLA (video).

The developers of DC USA are having a hard time attracting what they consider "high end retail." Not really a surprise to me, but read about it in the Washington Business Journal (subscribers only).

Target has already begun hiring for its newest location; Washington Post.

Here are three photos showing some of the progress. This view is looking eastward on Irving Street, near its intersection with 14th Street. The only structure that survived the demolition of the original retail on the site was an old car dealership facade which will gracefully(?) transition into the main entrance of a Best Buy store. In order, photos are from July of 2007, December of 2007 and February 2008.

Signs of the Times

Whether you fear or love its impending arrival...
Its at 14th and Irving Streets NW.

Also, thanks for reading. This is the 100th post on The 42. Thanks everyone.

Highland Park Sidewalk Reopens; Sort Of

Mt Pleasant residents walking to and from the Columbia Heights Metro have been used to walking the unlit, narrow path that had been carved out of the roadway for some time now. For months the builders completing the Highland Park Apartments, née condos, have occupied the sidewalk area. They provided a jersey barrier for pedestrians to walk against, taking up the bus bay-lane of Irving Street. No longer. Pedestrians can now walk directly up against the building. For a while at least. The brick and concrete work aren't quite done on the sidewalk. It looks as if its a temporary move while the curb and some street work are completed. Not really all that exciting news, but it means the project is moving along, as the bulk of the work on the complex will be concentrated on finishing the interior of the building and finalizing the streetscape and landscape around the building. The project broke ground in 2005 as condominium, but was just recently "converted" into apartments.

I have two questions: What happened to the buyers of the condos who put down payments and secured financing expecting a place to live in 2008? And second, the condo project was to have up to 20% of the units available as affordable housing, with staggered Area Medium Income requirements. Will the promise of affordable housing availability be transferred to the apartment project? Rentometer estimates the median rent for a one bedroom apartment on or near that intersection to be $1450.00 per month. Since these units will be "luxury," bet on rents in the $1800-2000 range.

The retail options have been solidified in the last month as well. There will be seven total retail spaces on the first floor of Highland Park. Five are eateries: Five Guys, Potbelly, Pete's Apizza, CommomWealth (pub-like) and Zinnia (Caribbean). Of course there is a planned bank, Signal Financial Credit Union, and a new Boundless Yoga location. [OK, the bank situation is getting a little out of hand. I know having a place to deposit and borrow money is good for a community, but there are now SIX located at the Columbia Heights Metro; PNC, Wachovia, Lafayette Credit Union, CitiBank, BB&T, and now Signal. That's not including the SunTrust which was included in the preliminary DC USA plans. Doesn't add up...] All that remains is for the book store and cafe abutting the Metro entrance featured in all the promotional renderings to actually become reality. Anything can happen right?!