It’s all about the neighborhood
Theodore Roosevelt High School has been closed since 2013 to undergo a $136.1 million renovation that replaces the crumbling sections of the building, restores historic architecture, and expands the facilities and technology, all revolving around a new central atrium. It’s pretty impressive. Read the article and see a large photo gallery >
Read MoreTeshome Chekole has owned the Town & Country Market at 823 Upshur St NW for a little over 13 years. Affectionally known as "T" to many residents, Teshome has seen the neighborhood change during that time; back then one of the major concerns was dealing with crime. Today, it's how to appeal to a neighborhood that's changing.
Read MoreOnce upon a time, "pop-up" was the phrase that elicited frustration and protests from residents. Now it's "pop-backs" and the rapid redevelopment of single-family rowhouses into multi-unit condos. Backyards won't look the same.
Read MoreBesides staying up late to write blog posts, I also stay up way too late to read. For me, being in a bookstore, surrounded by books of all shapes, colors and sizes is a favorite past-time. I even managed a bookstore back in college for a few years. That’s why I was an early Kickstarter supporter of our first, very excellent neighborhood bookstore, Upshur Street Books. And it’s why I’m really interested and excited about the new Park View bookstore opening in January, Walls of Books.
Read MoreRuta del Vino is the new Latin American wine bar and restaurant coming to 800-802 Upshur Street NW in Petworth. The restaurant takes over the space previously occupied by the Riyad inconvenience store.
Justin Logan, one of the co-owners, met with 4C Commissioner John-Paul Hayworth and a few community members this week to talk through Ruta del Vino's settlement agreement. The agreement is needed for the restaurant to obtain a liquor license from ABRA, and helps establish a rapport and commitment with the community.
Read MoreThe Zoning Board had its final hearing today about the redevelopment of 3701 New Hampshire Avenue. This is the former location of Sweet Mango Cafe, which went into foreclosure in March 2015. It was purchased by Rooney Properties, who have plans to raze the existing structure and build a 21-unit apartment building.
Read MoreI spoke with Sabrina Zahid who works for Twisted Horn, and she told me that work on the building has progressed pretty far. At this point, they're looking to open...
Read more, after the break:
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Upshur Street along the 800 block is becoming restaurant row. We already have the critically and customer acclaimed Crane & Turtle, the long-standing neighborhood favorite Domku, and the local hangout Petworth Citizen. There's Dannie's and Cuzzin's for quicker take-out, and on the non-food side, Town & Country convenience store, Bentley's Antiques, Phillips Shoe Repair, Willow Fashion, Fia's Fabulous Finds and the hair care storefronts.
Coming in late Spring and early Summer 2016, Upshur Street will see the opening of four new restaurants. Read more about the new restaurants, after the break:
Read MoreThe Riyad market closed due to the efforts by concerned residents in the neighborhood, good work by MPD on busting the Riyad for selling synthetic drugs and the outstanding work of Assistant Attorney General Michael Aniton on partnering with the community and the building owners to turn this from a neighborhood problem into a neighborhood opportunity
Read the full article, after the break:
Read MoreKudos to the Kennedy Street Development Association for their hard work on getting properties owners of vacant and blighted homes to step up and respect the neighborhood.
929-931 Kennedy Street NW is now up for sale after the city was pushed to place a new tax lien on the properties.
Read more, after the break:
Read MoreANC 1A Chair and Park View blogger Kent Boese wrote a follow-up article about the parking issues around 3701 New Hampshire Avenue. I think it's a good explanation of the current parking situation. Kent walked around the area looking at where people are parking and what options were available.
The article is a good in-depth look at the issue. Ultimately, residents along 7th, Quincy, Rock Creek Church and other nearby streets will feel the stress from any new development, be it a restaurant or an apartment building.
Read more >
Read MoreThe Riyad is set to close in a month, and coming up is a wine bar to replace it. I sat down with Justin Logan for coffee the other day to chat about Ruta del Vino, the wine bar coming to 800 Upshur St NW.
Read more about the new restaurant >
Read MoreDC Treasure store owner Noah David is having an early "preview" party for the store on Monday, Oct 12th. The new antique store at 205 Upshur St NW is next to the Slash Run restaurant and was previously the Louisiana Gumbo Express restaurant
Read more about the preview party >
Read MoreWalk around Petworth and you'll see houses being renovated on block after block, dumpsters parked on the street with duct-taped "no parking" signs on the trees. Inside you'll hear tools and men's voices as walls go up, floors are redone, new landscaping put in.
Walk around Petworth, and you'll see many examples of houses that are sitting untouched and empty, slowly falling apart with trash strewn yards and a construction permit on the window -- with no signs of construction.
Neighbors are fed up with developers buying properties and leaving them to rot while waiting for housing prices to rise. The city loses out on taxes, and everyone loses out when those properties attract rats and illegal activity.
But KSDA and ANC 4D Commissioner David Sheon are working to fix it.
Read more about the plan to fix the problem of vacant and blighted properties >
Read MorePetworth News, a neighborhood blog on local news, information & events about the Petworth area in Washington DC.
Petworth News is a news site about Petworth area neighborhoods in Washington DC, written by Drew Schneider and other amazing contributing writers. It features facts and objective reporting, as well as an occasional subjective point of view and opinion.
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