Click here for an exciting summary of last night's presentation (and video of the same) about the upcoming O Street Market Development. Things seem to be progressing well behind the scenes (if I understand the presentation, the mayor's office recently signed off on some issues on which the HPRB did not have the power to sign off regarding the historic market); P.U.D., zoning, permitting, and financing are all upcoming hurdles. If all goes as planned, construction will begin in August 2008 and will be complete in 2011.
It sounds like most--but not all--of the residential portion of the development will be rental units, which makes sense given the current condo market. The new Giant grocery store sounds like it will be awesome: in addition to being the biggest Giant in the city, it will provide a great shopping experience, hide all of the ugly components of a grocery store underground (like the delivery truck area, processing area, etc.), be neat architecturally, and include a Starbucks on the corner of 7th and O (utilizing the former entrance to the O Street Market and possibly including outdoor seating). The development will also include several ground level retail spaces (mostly reserved for local businesses), a nice restaurant in the boutique hotel portion of the development at 9th and O Streets, and walk-up, modern-looking, row-home-scaled structures along 9th. To say the least, I will be very excited when this mixed use, infill project is complete.
Many thanks go out to Commissioner Chapple for providing a forum for this great update.
18 comments:
Ugh...Starbucks...
I'll take Starbucks any day over drive bys and Check N Go.
Yeah Dan
apparently anony 11 20 loves him some Check N Go
I am more than psyched for the Starbucks, as well as all of the additional retail......!!! I think all of the related foot traffic will also make the area safer.....
There could be some serious construction in '08 around here, with the O Street project, the Old Convention Center development, and (fingers crossed) the Convention Center Hotel.......
I'd be more than happy to oblige some serious construction too...and if Starbucks is our biggest problem, I'll take it...
i have been following the O street market for a while now and this is great. I can't wait to see progress take place!
also, from one neighborhood in transition to another, you should all check out my new Anacostia blog:
www.anacostianow.blogspot.com
engage with it!
(PS, admins, could you add it to your list of neighborhood blogs? thanks!)
Did they discuss any plans for the housing projects nearby there? Their days have to be numbered with all this development going on.
Clara:
What housing projects are you speaking of? Gibson Plaza, 1330 ?
I'm certain this gentleman was there to present his project and not speculate on others.
Alex Padro claimed on WAMU that he would picket and protest against Starbucks coming to the Shaw Main Streets area.
When does the protest begin, Alex?
PROTEST AGAINST STARBUCKS?!?!?!?! WTF?!?!
Yes, I think it's 1330 and the others around it - I was just curious to hear if anyone knew what the future plans for those projects are. With all this development around the Convention Center (including a big new hotel??), it seems unlikely that those buildings will be left as they are.
Starbucks is normally viewed as the murderer of all local cafe's... thus putting places like Azi's and/or Breakwells out of business, which would be sad.
However, there are many cities in which a Starbucks functions alongside smaller, local cafes in a productive and supportive manner. I think competition breeds a better product. It will be interesting to see how Azi's and Breakwells can step up their business to compete... I'd love some more special, daily sandwiches, salads, pastries, etc...
OK, if given the option of a local, indy spot or a chain, I'm a LOT more likely to go to the local, indy spot, especially when I know the product is far better than the chain (as it often is).
That said, I would welcome Starbucks to the neighborhood. I think the neighborhood can benefit from and support a Starbucks. Some folks (particularly nearby conventioneers, but many others as well) will always prefer Starbucks over indy coffee shops and will specifically seek Starbucks out.
I think a healthy mix of retail tenants in Shaw includes mostly indy retail, but not exclusively. I think a Starbucks is a staple throughout the city that's notably missing from Shaw. I welcome it.
I also would gladly welcome Starbucks! While I love the independent places (and would continue to patronize them), I think a 'bucks would be good for the area........the more, the merrier........i think having a patio cafe on that particular corner is a very good thing to provide an unofficial deterrent to crime........
What I said some months ago on WAMU was that the threat of protests and boycotts is how we've kept Starbucks out long enough to allow independent, home grown coffee shops to open and get established. Community surveys for years have indicated Starbucks was not desired by the community. By the time the O Street Market Starbucks opens, the independents will have developed their following and reached profitability, or they will have closed due to their inability to become profitable and skyrocketing property tax assessments, which get passed along to renters of retail space as part of triple net rents.
--Alexander M. Padro
Executive Director, Shaw Main Streets
Did anyone speak about how long the Giant would be closed during the reconstruction -- or any plans for supplying food in the neighborhood during this period?
It doesn't seem as if Mayor Fenty is counting the days before "developers" change dwellings like Gibson and 1330, although some may be eager to see them dissapear. The crime issues need to be addressed, but I bet Clara Barton Dweller has never stepped a well heeled foot inside either of those buildings to meet some of the great neighbors who live there who are not deserving of being so callously dissed.
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