Year in Review

Last year, I made this list of admittedly hopeful predictions about what 2007 would hold for the Shaw neighborhood. The list does not bode well for my psychic powers, but the year did bring some great strides to the area's renewal nonetheless. Of note, our nightlife options expanded with the addition of Old Dominion Brewhouse, The Space, be bar's VIP room, Vegetate's and Queen of Sheba's liquor license approvals, Nellie's, and Town Dance Boutique. Our dining options also got a major boost with the announcement of Corduroy's move to the 1100 block of 9th, the opening of restaurants in the Convention Center retail spaces (including Chan's Mongolian Grill and Tokyo Sushi, EuroMarket Cafe, and Old Dominion Brewhouse), the permits for Nima's restaurant in the 1200 block of 9th, the opening of Veranda, Chix and Vinotecha on 11th, and the opening of Nellie's, the announcement of a restaurant venture coming to the space above Grape Legs, and the announcement of Thai X-ing's new space on upper 9th. Development-wise, several notable projects made major strides toward breaking ground: The Convention Center Hotel, CityMarket at O Street (a.k.a. The O Street Market), RadioOne, Parcel 42, and the Old Convention Center site are just a few of the projects that have less red tape confronting them than they did a year ago. Likewise, several notable projects rolled forward towards completion, including CityVista, Yale Steam Laundry, The Marion, The Monique, Logan Row Phase 2, Lofts 11, and several on the 1500 block of 11th.

To me, the biggest area-disappointment of 2007 was the announcement of Warehouse Art Complex's downsizing and the likely move of all operations to another part of the city. Warehouse's unique, cutting edge offerings will be missed.