Helping local businesses and transforming Petworth's economy through microfinance Initiatives

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Helping local businesses and transforming Petworth's economy through microfinance Initiatives

Following the closing of some local businesses, Petworth is at a unique crossroads concerning its economic development. Do we let commercialization take its course, overrunning the surrounding local enterprises? Or do we change the tide and take action to support our neighbors’ businesses?

A Georgetown University non-profit is ready to offer micro-transactional loans to small businesses to help them succeed.

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9th Street BARJ: A look at the DC Courts adolescent pre-adjudication center

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9th Street BARJ: A look at the DC Courts adolescent pre-adjudication center

Petworth used to have a post office on 9th Street. Even if the people who worked there weren’t always the nicest, it was convenient. When it closed in 2015, people wondered what was going to come next. Condos? A new business? In 2017, we found out it was going to be a youth pre-adjudication center run by the DC Courts. And now, it’s getting ready to open.

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Community meeting on Thursday on mixed-use housing & retail coming to Upper Georgia Ave NW

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Community meeting on Thursday on mixed-use housing & retail coming to Upper Georgia Ave NW

Local developer Neighborhood Development Company has purchased several properties on the west side of Georgia Avenue (addresses 5756 through 5810) with the intent of building a large mixed-use housing and retail development. Please come meet the developers and share your opinion on what should be included in this development!

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President Lincoln's Cottage to convert to an AirBnB, offers historic amenities

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President Lincoln's Cottage to convert to an AirBnB, offers historic amenities

In what’s surely a first for a Registered National Historic place and museum, President Lincoln’s Cottage, on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Petworth, will be converting the historic mansion into a rentable housing unit with AirBnB.

Now you can really sleep in the Lincoln bedroom!

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DC should invest in middle-class housing affordability [WaPo]

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DC should invest in middle-class housing affordability [WaPo]

No one is arguing that this legislation is a panacea for affordable housing or rising tax costs. Yes, renters are feeling the same financial pressure as homeowners. We can and should do more for renters. And we can and should look at increasing benefits through programs such as Schedule H. However, we ignore the plight of homeowners who cannot qualify for these programs at our own peril.

The District must decide if we are to have a government that responds to the needs of all our residents or one that shuns the concerns of our middle class.

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Update meeting about Hebrew Home development ("Spring Flats")

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Update meeting about Hebrew Home development ("Spring Flats")

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Chair Bennett Hilley wrote to the local listservs about an upcoming meeting to discuss the redevelopment of the Hebrew Home (now known as the Spring Flats development).

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Make way for more condos on Upshur — large house set to be razed as tenants figure out next steps (updated)

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Make way for more condos on Upshur — large house set to be razed as tenants figure out next steps (updated)

The large single-family house on the corner of 8th and Upshur has reportedly been sold and is set to be torn down, with a new condo building to go up, pending the outcome of discussions with the existing tenants who now find themselves looking for a new home.

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Yoga District opens new studio in Petworth

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Yoga District opens new studio in Petworth

Yoga District has opened its newest location in Petworth, across the street from Safeway at 3905 Georgia Avenue. Yoga District founder Jasmine Chehrazi says she has had her eye on Petworth for years, and finally saw an opening when a friend of hers purchased the 3905 Georgia Avenue building.

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A new restaurant and a clothing store to open on Upshur in the next few months

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A new restaurant and a clothing store to open on Upshur in the next few months

As proof in the pudding that Upshur is doing fine comes the news that two new businesses are opening up in the next few months on the corridor. Both are the brainchild of Don Route, who grew up in the Petworth area.

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As Petworth develops, some small businesses are losing their leases. DC needs a plan to help them stay.

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As Petworth develops, some small businesses are losing their leases. DC needs a plan to help them stay.

Petworth property owners are cashing out, leaving local businesses stranded. But developers say the neighborhood’s economics can’t sustain retail.

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A flower shop and craft classroom is coming to Upshur Street

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A flower shop and craft classroom is coming to Upshur Street

A flower and plant shop called She Loves Me will be opening at 808 Upshur Street in the next few months. The shop will sell flowers, plants and gifts, and will offer craft classes upstairs. The space had housed Philip's Shoe Repair for 51 years before the owners retired and the shop closed last November. 

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New things are opening off the Upshur drag, and it's not condos!

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New things are opening off the Upshur drag, and it's not condos!

The stretch of buildings that occupy most of the 9th Street block between Upshur and Varnum Streets has a new owner, and some big plans for the future. In December 2017, the buildings that comprise 4231 through 4239 9th Street were purchased by Cathedral Property Partners, a DC developer that is bullish on Petworth and interested in bringing retail and restaurants, rather than residential properties. 

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New burger joint "Burgerim" to open in Petworth

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New burger joint "Burgerim" to open in Petworth

File under “Finally,” as it seems the Park Place building on Georgia Avenue is finally getting another tenant in the first floor empty retail spots: a burger joint!

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Lighthouse Yoga on 9th & Upshur to close next month (update: reopened at Teatro de la Luna!)

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Lighthouse Yoga on 9th & Upshur to close next month (update: reopened at Teatro de la Luna!)

Owner Julie Eisenberg sent an email to her clients today telling them about the upcoming closure and offering some alternative locations as she looks for a new place to call home for the studio. UPDATE: Lighthouse Yoga found a new home at Teatro de la Luna (4020 Georgia Ave NW). They’re seeking a permanent space.

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