Washington Post
The Washington Post did an article on real estate development in today's business section. The story leads with our coffeehouse project. Here's a link to the entire article. I've posted an excerpt below.
Long-Awaited Revival for H Street Corridor
By Dana Hedgpeth
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 21, 2005; Page D03
Just east of Union Station, a church is turning what was a rundown, boarded-up building at the corner of F and Second Streets NE into what is intended to be a hip, neighborhood coffeehouse.
National Community Church, which has a largely young flock and holds its services in a movie theater at Union Station, bought the building that was once a diner for $325,000 in 2002 and is spending $2.2 million to fix it. Pastor Mark Batterson said the goal is to raise money for charitable projects and provide a gathering spot in a changing neighborhood.
Pastor Mark Batterson and National Community Church see potential in the building at F and Second streets NE. "We're seeing people who have little kids moving in," said Christina Borja, who lives in the neighborhood and is overseeing the coffeehouse project for the church. "With all the development, it's starting to feel different."
A few blocks away, along the H Street corridor that runs from North Capitol to Bladensburg Road and 17th Street NE, office, housing and retail development costing more than $1.5 billion was recently completed, is under construction or is planned for the next few years.
The H Street corridor, once a popular shopping district, never fully recovered after the 1968 riots. The area became a hodgepodge of closed storefronts, empty lots and small shops. Change came slowly.
Local business owners and community leaders said they have attracted more than 30 new shops, most of them mom-and-pop businesses, to H Street in the past few years. The H Street Community Development Corp. and the District put up about $1 million about two years ago to redo a rundown corner at H and Eighth streets NE, according to D.C. officials.
New development has been spurred by the District's strategic development plan for the area. It envisions an upscale strip of shops, sit-down restaurants and entertainment. Developers are following the lead of projects such as the Security and Exchange Commission's new 1.5 million-square-foot headquarters at Second and H streets NE and a $250 million project across the street from it by local developer Jim Abdo.
Long-Awaited Revival for H Street Corridor
By Dana Hedgpeth
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 21, 2005; Page D03
Just east of Union Station, a church is turning what was a rundown, boarded-up building at the corner of F and Second Streets NE into what is intended to be a hip, neighborhood coffeehouse.
National Community Church, which has a largely young flock and holds its services in a movie theater at Union Station, bought the building that was once a diner for $325,000 in 2002 and is spending $2.2 million to fix it. Pastor Mark Batterson said the goal is to raise money for charitable projects and provide a gathering spot in a changing neighborhood.
Pastor Mark Batterson and National Community Church see potential in the building at F and Second streets NE. "We're seeing people who have little kids moving in," said Christina Borja, who lives in the neighborhood and is overseeing the coffeehouse project for the church. "With all the development, it's starting to feel different."
A few blocks away, along the H Street corridor that runs from North Capitol to Bladensburg Road and 17th Street NE, office, housing and retail development costing more than $1.5 billion was recently completed, is under construction or is planned for the next few years.
The H Street corridor, once a popular shopping district, never fully recovered after the 1968 riots. The area became a hodgepodge of closed storefronts, empty lots and small shops. Change came slowly.
Local business owners and community leaders said they have attracted more than 30 new shops, most of them mom-and-pop businesses, to H Street in the past few years. The H Street Community Development Corp. and the District put up about $1 million about two years ago to redo a rundown corner at H and Eighth streets NE, according to D.C. officials.
New development has been spurred by the District's strategic development plan for the area. It envisions an upscale strip of shops, sit-down restaurants and entertainment. Developers are following the lead of projects such as the Security and Exchange Commission's new 1.5 million-square-foot headquarters at Second and H streets NE and a $250 million project across the street from it by local developer Jim Abdo.
2 Comments:
Man, that's what it's all about Mark. I'm dying to come and visit you guys and celebrate what God is doing.
Is that a PINK shirt in that picture? I could be my monitor but I was sure the blog was going to be the final reveal of the shirt.
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