Roll Call has another story on H Street. Here are some key points:
-Steuart is negotiating a lease with Harris Teeter (no firm comittment yet).
-The grocery space is tailored to Harris Teeter's look.
-They want to build 250 apartments upstairs (10% affordable).
-375 total underground parking spots for the store (121 just for the store) & apartments.
-Public hearing on the plans in June.
-Style similar to that of The Ellington (13th & U NW).
-Expecting to break ground in early spring of nexr year.
21 comments:
Sounds interesting.
Overall, I think it is a potentially positive development to (finally) have at this corner. I know it took them a while to get back the rights to some of the land, which was still under lease to BP/Amoco.
The two main issues I see with the project are:
1. the sheer height seems like it is too much, especially where the proposed project transitions (if you can call it that) directly to the existing 2-story rowhouses on 3rd Street NE. The building, particularly at that point, will absolutely dwarf the existing rowhomes--all of which are occupied.
2. Having the loading dock on 3rd Street as they are currently proposing seems really problematic. 3rd Street is not very wide, and I just can't see how a semi-truck could make a three point turn and back into the loading dock (very close to the existing rowhouses). Maybe they could do something where the trucks would pull through going forward from 3rd Street through a mobile (?) loading dock, and exiting through the new ~22' alley they are proprosing. Or something.
As I recall, the H Street study found that 3rd & H was one of the busiest/most treacherous intersections along H Street, due to the volume of traffic and the number of left turns made onto and off of H Street at the intersection, so I certainly hope they present a traffic study at some point.
True, the ugly ass Hart Building dwarfs eveything in my neighborhood.
Still gotta be better than the damn super gas station proposal of a couple years back.
I saw a picture of ths thing floating around. At least at the front of it, it looked nicely matched to the scale of the "Landmark Lofts" rather than the new Senate Square Towers, and didn't look like it was the full 130 feet or whatever allowed. Of course graphical renderings do lie....
I wouldn't care if the project looked like the Tower of Mordor, just so long as it has a Harris Teeter in it. A nice grocery store would just be HUGE for the area.
A Trader Joe's would rock even harder than a Harris Teeter. Not to mention since they tend to be smaller, would work well with the fabric of H street. For an example of this, check out the one in Old Town Alexandria on N. St. Asaph.
But i don't want to look at the Tower of Mordor from my bedroom window, thanks very much......
I agree with Moses. If Tower of Modor is packing fresh produce and a kick a$$ deli, I say bring it on!! What's wrong with you people??
what's wrong is it's The Hill and everyone has a freakin opinion. I agree, a loading dock will not work on 3rd Street. What about a drive thru loading from 4th.
Trader Joe's would be a huge boon to Capitol Hill. Everytime I'm in Old Town I see tons of neighbors, getting their fix of 3 buck chuck.
I wrote to Trader Joe's back in May of last year asking them to consider comming to H Street and they wrote back stating that our neighborhood was not currently an area they were looking to for expansion. That being said, with the recent progress made for H on many fronts, perhaps another letter writing campaign would get a second look from TJ's. Also, I agree with the above statement about the Chuck.
If TJ's can make it in the middle of Hispano Land at Bailey's Crossroads and Leesburg Pike (and trust me the store is packed every weekend). They could definitely make it on Capitol Hill. They would probably do better than a Harris Teeter, their store at Pentagon City is empty every time I go in, plus very expensive. Capitol Hill desparately needs "grocery store" options. The Soviet Safeway(14th and Ky) known for its long lines and crappy selections is ridiculous and the Ghetto Safeway (Benning Road) had rats the last time I went in there. A large majority of my neighbors do their regular shopping at Shoppers Food Warehouse on Route 1.
Hispano land? Ghetto Safeway? What a weirdly racist post. At least have the balls to put a name by your statement. And by the way, the Benning Road Safeway has been redone, and is quite nice.
Bill,
Bad tone or not, anonymous has a point. We don't currently have nice grocery stores in the area because until recently the socio-economic makeup of the area could not have suported one. Upper class people living in the area have had to slum it or go to VA. Whether we like it or not, socio-economic makeup in this area has a high corolation to race. That being said, now that Harris Teeter has crunched the numbers on the disposable income available on the Hill and decided to locate here, the Safeway at Kentucky suddenly warrant's fixing up. Funny how that happens all of a sudden? No compeition = bad service. Unfortunately, the fixing up hasn't included cleaning house when it comes to management and workforce. Service is still horrible.
I think the reason we don't have TJ or other food emporiums is that these companies don't even have DC on their radar screen, paticularly SE & NE. Why? Inertia. DC had been a no-go for so many years and there are other easier places to make a buck. Therefore, they've completely written it off. Hopefully, HT will be successful and others will take notice of the money to be made in well located areas of the District. Even low-income parts of VA still have more cache' to retialers than solid areas in the District. Let's hope success breeds change.
Homey,
As I have not been living in a cave, the socio-economic ties to race are quite evident. I teach privileged high school kids in Potomac, MD, and it's amazing how they view 80% of DC as simply 'the ghetto'. No neighborhoods, just the ghetto. And anything that isn't up to their standards becomes 'ghetto'. I just find it funny to hear it from an adult actually living in the area. That being said, go TJ's!
Bill,
Glad to hear you've not been in a cave. I don't remember saying anyting about living in a 'ghetto'. Trust me, I would not have spent what I spent on my home if I considered the area a ghetto.
I'm also glad to hear that you're dismissive of my take on the area. Open minds make great teachers. Call me crazy, but yes I have 'standards'. For me, and I believe many people, minimum standards of service are expected before I will patronize a store. People with higher standards (like not waiting in line for 30 minutes to check out every time I enter the store, while 10 cash registers are unmanned or having stocked shelves) and the ability to go elsewhere have done so. The Hill Safeway has preyed opon those who are unabe to go elsewhere, or simply don't care. Now back to my point - there are now enough people on the Hill who have high standards of service that HT has seen there is money to be made by opening a store. Everyone will now benefit, including those who couldn't travel elswhere, and even those with lower service standards. That is if service is good. I refuse to be cowed into believing I'm a bad person because I expect good service. It's exactly the opposite that has exacerbated many of the problems the District has had over the years. Many people were resigned to bad service or simply didn't care - this applied to levels of government and private sector service. I see simple examples in my own back yard. The common back lot on our block has never been taken care of or cleaned up until I arrived. Trash left on the sidewalk stays there. I take the time to clean up the place. I expect a different level of property maintenance. It's not a ghetto, but it could be so much better if everyone (newcomers and old timers) would step up to the plate. I refuse to feel bad for expecting better. Low expectations lead to poor results.
Homey & Anonymous,
I don't think it is so much that the others who have commented think you are wrong about the following:
--it is reasonable to demand good service.
--it is reasonable to refuse to patronize establishments with bad service, poor stock or that are dirty/unhygenic.
--the neighborhood benefits if we all take responsiblity to keep our own property (rented or owned) clean and relatively tidy.
--the neighborhood benefits if folks pitch in together to clean common areas, like by having community cleanups, picking up trash while out for a walk.
--we should all demand (and should be receiving already) better government services.
--competition from well-run, clean establishments will force poorly-run, dirty businesses to get better or be forced out of business as people go elsewhere.
That said, I think the objection was primarily to the references to different groups of people, and the relative insensitivity that those references display (I repeat them here only to specifically point out what is offensive--in my opinion--about the posts):
--"Hispano Land" (Anonymous)
--"Soviet Safeway" (ok, not as bad) (Anonymous)
--"Ghetto Safeway" (Anonymous)
--"slum it or go to VA" (Homey) (Giant, Whole Foods and Safeway all have nice, clean stores in the District)
Now, before people go off on me, I'm not saying that "PC" is necessarily a good way to go, or necessarily the best way to discuss or debate important issues. However, there isn't need, particularly on a neighborhood blog to openly demean large groups of people. The particularly unfortunate result is that people don't listen to the valid points you make because they can't get past the slurs and can't help wondering what opinions you have about other groups in our diverse neighborhood.
This blog is intended (I think at least in part) to encourage people to work togther to make the neighborhood the best it can be, and in the process (or as a result) to stimulate interesting conversation via the comments. There's no need to insult whole groups of people, or to call individuals closed-minded--just make your point.
I am looking forward to the new development, especially a potential Harris Teeter. I lived in VA for a short while and I shopped at the Pentagon City Harris Teeter and loved it. I also love Trader Joes but I don't know if I would want to shop at TJs every week. But the 3 buck chuck is tempting. HT is a huge improvement to the Murrays on 6th and H. I haven't been to the Safeway at Hechinger Mall since the renovation but I am glad to here that it is now a nice place to shop. I live within walking distance of 3rd and H and I would love to walk to a supermarket.
Alan,
Thanks for the reasonable response. When I say "slum it" I mean it in the way people <30 yrs old do. I 'slum it' when I go to KFC and get a bucket of wings. I love it, but I also don't have any prentions about it being great cuisine. However, I also 'slum it' when I go to the DC Home Depot and not the one in PG County. The one in DC is convienient but its always out of everything and the service is terrible. For a reacap:
KFC = greasy but good + could be caught in an armed robbery
Home Depot = close but empty + bad serice
Safeway = close but empty + bad service
Please don't mistake jargon for a "slur". Also, I didn't mention the nice Safeways or Whole foods in DC because from the Hill, VA is a quicker drive. The closest grocery story with clean floors, stocked shelves, and good service is Pentagon City.
My choice to live on the east end of the Hill is evidence enough that I don't mind living as a minority. I do mind having service that sucks. I will begin patronizing local establishements when they give me a reason to.
Homey,
All good points, and well said. I had also thought about the fact that it is often faster/easier to get to VA than to stores in other parts of the District that do have good service, stock and cleanliness.
Cheers.
If you look at all of the comments for this post, it's amazing how much general agreement there is. While some many have concerns about the architectural design, or where the deliveries would take place, everyone is in support of either a Harris Teeter or Trader Joe's coming to H St. And why wouldn't they? By the mere fact that so many of us spend time on this blog, it shows that we are all actively interested in the development of a neighborhood we have a real investment in (both monetary and otherwise). I'm sure most all of us pick trash and get annoyed with those who leave it, and would love if H St. could become a place where we could spend more of our time. Isn't one of the reasons we chose to live in the city is so that we don't have to climb into a car for every necessity?
However, we must be careful in our pursuit. It's easy to lose sight of the fact that this was a neighborhood before we arrived, and that our zeal to bring about change can easily be turned into what many blacks in this city generally refer to as 'the Plan'. This is somewhat paranoid idea that white america doesn't like the fact that the US capital is a majority black. Hence there is a 'plan' to move blacks out of the city through political and economic means.
What's great about the development of H St. up to this point is the support it has gained from different communities. And it's for this reason that racial slurs are so dangerous. This positive consensus on revitalization could easily be derailed, and degenerate into a black vs. white power struggle. DC history is full of it, and it would be so unfortunate for a community that clearly cares so much about the realization of H St.'s rebirth.
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