Bladensburg Road
For those of you who get your jollies at community meetings, or if you're just looking for something to do before heading to the Freaky Friday the 13th Cheeky Monkey Show, here's a Carver Terrace (SMD 5B10) meeting with discussion of the Arboretum Place (so apparently they still plan to buil it) development. Previous haggling over the development has focused on condo versus apartment and price caps. Rumor has it that the latest rendering looks like a gated community. Also on the agenda is a little place called Jimmy Valentine's that wants to open on Bladensburg, but needs a liquor license. Oh yeah, they'll also be talking about crime.
DATE: APRIL 13, 2007; TIME: 5:30 – 7:00 P.M.; LOCATION: DC DEVELOPING
Former Commissioner Kathy Henderson
(202) 397-2777
Refreshments
17 comments:
I live over by 3rd and H, but was passing by this building on Bladensburg.
What's up with it? It's all boarded up, but it looks like it could be a pretty cool building!
I belive it was done in by a fire a while back. Bladensburg has some decent buildings.
This is OT but I wanted to warn your readers to watch their street trees, especially newly planted trees. Last Fall, the city planted a new tree in the tree box in front of my house near Union Station. I have been mulching, watering, and weeding it.
I weeded it about 10:30 this am and at 12:45 went back out to go somewhere and immediately realized the tree was gone. Obviously someone stole it -- the earth and mulch are all disturbed but put back neatly. (Like I might not notice!)
I did report it to the police and to the DOT, Urban Forestry. They ask anyone experiencing a similar loss to report to them.
Sorry about the tree.
Anyone see this?
http://www.dcfire.com/index.cfm?mws=publicnews.detail&News_ID=458
What is the Arboretum Place? I just below Carver Terrace, and am always sad that the old entrance to the Arboretum is closed.
Arboretum Place is an apt. complex on 1600 Maryland Ave. NE.
I think you may be referring to Arbor Place.
From dcrealestate.com:
Arbor Place is intended to redevelop 17 acres of used car lots and blighted space at NY Ave. and Bladensburg Rd., where hourly hotels have been the norm, into a massive mixed-use community. The project is expected to include 3.7m s.f. of new buildings, mostly residential, anchored by retail along New York Ave., including a supermarket, and enough amenities to be self-sustaining while the blighted entryway to DC catches up with the revitalization that has eluded this area. The buildings will sit on top of parking for the entire facility with a central, 3.5-acre park, and a new access road next to NY Ave to service the project. Number of residential units was cut back by zoning, but should still be from 3500 to 4000, and will consist of eight 11-story towers, some overlooking the Arboretum, with completion not likely before 2009. Torti Gallas is the main architect, built by Abdo Development.
It is a housing development that is supposed to go on that big open space behind Safeway. It's been on the drawing board for a few years. They even had a rep at one of the Starburst meetings a while back. But, like I said, there has been some wrangling (and the developer, Clarke, has shifted up and down on the total number of units). I heard a while back that they looking for interim uses, but now it looks like they are thinking about moving forward. The people running the meeting have seen the latest sketches (I haven't) so you might want to hit this meeting if you want the full story.
We are talking about Arboretum Place (which is to be cited in roughly the 1600 block of Maryland Avenue, but right now it is just a vacant lot). The idea was originally for a mixed use development that they though might include retail & maybe a movie theater, but when I talked to them later they were more thinking about the mixed use being office space. I don't know, maybe the extra attention focused on H Street is spurring them on, but what's with the giant gates I'm hearing about. At different times I've heard anywhere from 300-600 units of varying sizes.
I can only imagine the problems a movie theatre there would have-- no doubt 50 times worse than those at the union station theatre
Ok, the meeting went pretty well. The Arboretum Place (working name only) development looked pretty good to me. Here are a few details:
-430 units (studio, one bedroom & two bedroom)
-hidden parking (interior)
-hidden trash (interior)
-gated swimming pool
-partially gated grounds
-wrap around design.
-the only commercial space is one place where they hope to have a coffee shop or conveniance store (um, it's right across from the Safeway)
-five stories & the design looked good to me.
thanks for the update, inked!
i trust your instincts.
cool.
did they say when they expect to start/finish?
it's a good way of building out the hood.
Having the convenience store isn't such a bad idea. It's 10pm, you're in sweats, it's 30 degrees out and you need milk...you jump in the elevator and a couple minutes later you're back in your place w/ the milk...
Sorry to have missed the meeting, thanks for the update.
Off subject, but yesterday while walking home from Sidamo, I peeked in the window of the place next door (the short-lived bookstore). I think someone may have mentioned it, but what's supposed to be going in there? It looks like a sit down, casual restaurant -- sort of like Cosi. So far, it looks really cool.
Rick on L NE
421 H Street is Pap &
Petey's, which is supposed to be a jazz bar.
Is Petey's another Joe Englert "tavern" with no food?
This one is not associated with Joe Englert. The Argonaut serves food, and I believe that is the only open spot in which he currently has an ownership interest. But all of the CR/CT licenses on H Street serve some food (I think that the Pug is still working on a menu, but they have some free munchies).
Pap & Petey's is a jazz club serving light food, and is not associated with Joe Englert.
Duke Cross is the owner, and he has gone out of his way to address concerns raised by the community. We have negotiated a far-reaching Voluntary Agreement with him, addressing things like sound, screening and conduct of a proposed outdoor garden, lighting, trash cleanup, etc. I am pleased with where we ended up, and how quickly we got there.
Also, per the VA, food is to be served with metal utensils and permanent, reuseable plates. It is a sit-down club, not a takeout place.
Best,
Alan Kimber
Commissioner, ANC 6C05
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