Trending Topics: Boston bombers Solar flare bill Young voters Don't drone me, bro

June 20, 2013

Capitol Riverfront draws permanent fans

BY: LIZ FARMER JULY 5, 2012 | 8:00 PM
Leave a comment
Photo - New development is under way in the Navy Yard area close to Nationals Park. Another 1,000 new housing units are expected to open in the next two years.
New development is under way in the Navy Yard area close to Nationals Park. Another 1,000 new housing units are expected to open in the next two years.
Topics: DC

Once a stale, industrial quarter of the District, the Capitol Riverfront has been transformed over the last decade, drawing nearly 4,000 residents in its revival.

And more are expected to move here in the years to come, making it a place where residents live, work and play.

"The next two to three years will be pivotal in our neighborhood's history," said Michael Stevens, executive director of the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District, or CR BID. "You're seeing some fundamental pieces coming in the neighborhood."

According to BID, 1,000 units of new housing are slated to open in the next two years, in addition to a new grocery store and health club. At the same time, nine restaurants are expected to open and give the streets some legitimate nightlife in addition to Justin's Cafe, the neighborhood's only existing bar.

Bar owner Justin Ross said more retail can only help the neighborhood and won't hurt his booming business -- especially if the Washington Nationals continue their attendance surge.

"If there's 40,000 people in that stadium, there could be 20 bars in this neighborhood and they'd all be packed and there will still be some left over," he said.

The area was recently identified by the real estate tracking firm Delta Associates as the hottest rental neighborhood in the District, with rents rising more than 10 percent over the last year.

Developers are taking notice. According to Stevens, the developer of a proposed office building at M Street and New Jersey Avenue is considering making it primarily residential.

"It speaks to the strength of the demand," Stevens said.

lfarmer@washingtonexaminer.com

View article comments Leave a comment
Author:

Liz Farmer

Examiner Staff Writer
The Washington Examiner
@LizFarmerDC Liz on FB

More from washingtonexaminer.com

Related Videos

Related Articles

Top 5 Most Read Stories

From the Weekly Standard

  • June 17, 1953

    By: William Kristol

    Today, speaking at the Brandenburg Gate, President Obama paid appropriate tribute to the brave East Germans who rebelled 60 years ago against Communist dictatorship:

    Read More...

  • Problems of the Second Generation

    By: Peter Skerry

    The Boston Marathon bombings highlighted, once again, the challenges of assimilating Muslim youth. And while the onus of accountability ought not rest exclusively on Muslim Americans, it...

    Read More...

  • Release Osama Bin Laden’s Files on Taliban

    By: Thomas Joscelyn

    The Obama administration announced on Tuesday that it was moving forward with its attempt to negotiate with the Taliban, which has opened a long-awaited political office in Doha, Qatar. The...

    Read More...