BillP says:
(10/19/10 8:56 AM)
hey JD - your notes on the ANC6D and your candidate interviews made me wonder, do you know the ANC SMDs come up for reassignment based on population figures? i would imagine that 6D07 (perhaps all of 6D) would be getting much smaller based on the massive influx of people in this area that was probably only a couple hundred when the districts were last determined? obviously, near SE would benefit if, for example, 6D only encompassed near SE and if near SE had more SMDs and representatives. many thanks! bill
JD says:
(10/19/10 9:09 AM)
Yes, the SMDs will be reapportioned before the 2012 elections. Each district is supposed to top out around 2,000 residents, and with Near SE now over 3,000, it certainly ought to be split up, and I could see 2nd St. or New Jersey Ave. being a dividing line. I also think it's possible that the eastern part could end up moving to ANC 6B, since the area south of the freeway around 8th already is in 6B. Will be interesting to watch!
G Street says:
(10/19/10 9:48 AM)
Did someone mention a grocery store???
BillP says:
(10/19/10 10:06 AM)
the generic signage even looks like harris teeter signage to me! or am i reading too much into it?
for some reason, i don't see what all the fuss is about concerning the need for more grocery options in our area. i would rather have more restaurant/bar/retail options instead and am counting the days until forest city gets the boilermaker shop underway.
for me, the new safeway at 6th and M SW is fantastic and only takes about 5 minutes to get to from my home at cap qtr. for that matter, the harris teeter at 14th and penn SE isn't much farther away if you scoot under the freeway at 11th street and hang a right on potomac ave.
khan says:
(10/19/10 11:24 AM)
Not everyone likes over priced Safeway or Harris teeter. What we need is an organic grocery store like whole foods (yeah, I seriously think Safeway is expensive than Wholefoods).
I am looking forward for a lot of sit down restaurants. Justin cafe shitty service is getting old. Speaking of Justin Cafe, why is Joe at Justin's always rude and drunk?
Jesse says:
(10/19/10 12:50 PM)
It's already been confirmed that Harris Teeter will be opening a grocery store here at 4th Street. Yay! While Whole Foods would have been great, Harris Teeter is really nice and much better than Giant or Safeway.
I can't believe the comments that a grocery store isn't necessary here in Navy Yard. Indeed, we have Safeway at SE Waterfront and Harris Teeter at Potomac Avenue (Jenkins Row), but those are entirely different neighborhoods that require at least 15-20 minutes to walk to and few people want to walk more than 10 minutes while carrying bags of groceries, especially at night! Not everyone has a car or wants to drive, mind you. You have no idea how greatly appreciated it is to be able to dash over to the market in mere minutes! Residents here crave and want that convenience.
Also a grocery store signals a strong, healthy, and vibrant neighborhood. Just look at the rapid transformation of P Street in Logan Circle when Whole Foods opened a store there. It's now a bustling area with tons of restaurants, gyms, shops, etc., and none of that would have been possible without a grocery store.
Anyway, a grocery store in the Navy Yard will attract more new residents, customers, and companies, which we need to continue the momentum and transformation of the area.
Finally, the U.S. Department of Transportation has its headquarters buildings (East and West Buildings) at that location, occupying the blocks from New Jersey Ave to 2nd to 3rd, and ending at 4th where the new Harris Teeter will open. There are 5,000 people who work in the U.S. DOT buildings and they have been clamoring for a grocery store. You can bet that the grocery store will be mobbed at lunch time! And it'll also be very busy at 5pm when workers headed home will stop by to grab something for dinner.
Bring the grocery store first. Then everything else will fall into place with more residents and companies. Then restaurants and shops will see a big untapped customer base and quickly move in.
JD says:
(10/19/10 12:53 PM)
@Jesse--Forest City has not yet publicly announced Harris Teeter as the tenant, and Harris Teeter has not yet publicly announced that they are going into 401 M. It's been reported in the media, and everybody "knows", but Teeter's name is not officially connected to the project. Just want people to be aware, because these things can fall through.
Also, if plans hold, the Boilermaker Shops with its restaurants will open in late 2011 (though, if they don't start construction soon, I see that slipping to early 2012), with the grocery store not expected to open until late 2013.
JD but not that JD says:
(10/19/10 1:55 PM)
wait a minute... the boilermaker shops are expected to be open next fall?...as in one year from now next fall?!? That's fantastic news! JD can you confirm?
JD but not that JD says:
(10/19/10 1:56 PM)
ah, nevermind, saw your last comment..thanks JD for the great blog and all the new tidbits!
JD says:
(10/19/10 1:59 PM)
Yes, I can confirm about the Boilermaker Shops: I wrote about the Fall 2011 date back when the Yards Park opened, when Forest City put up new banners at both the Boilermaker and Foundry Lofts building saying "Coming Fall 2011." (
link ) It's also actually in the entry that we're all commenting on, too. :-)
But until I see construction work actually underway on the Boilermaker building, I still see the possibility of that date slipping. Work is actually happening at the Foundry Lofts, so that Fall 2011 delivery date seems more solid.
MJM says:
(10/19/10 2:18 PM)
Or check out the Yards webpage - they have what units are leased (w/o the names), etc and when they are opening.
link
At the ANC meeting in September FCE slipped when they said Harris Teeter was going in there and then tried to backtrack but JD is right, nothing is 100%.
SW says:
(10/19/10 4:10 PM)
I want what Khan is smoking if he/she thinks Safeway is more expensive than Safeway.
SW says:
(10/19/10 4:11 PM)
errr Whole Foods.
BillP says:
(10/20/10 3:12 PM)
lol at SW, no kidding! whole foods as a bargain? first i've heard that notion!
however, i still disagree with the notion that there HAS to be a grocery store w/in walking distance in near SE. there are several examples close by:
- the house side of Capitol Hill, from Union Station to Stanton Park, has grocery access similar to what we have now (nothing really walkable but several within quick access via car).
- the rapidly developing corridor of H Street and the area between H and Florida Avenue has prospered with no grocery options closer to them than the Giant at Brentwood, which is much further away than the two stores closest to near SE. (although a HT is part of the development near Fla/NY Ave metro but that is still not present.)
- heck, even the famous georgetown "social safeway" is a loooong way from the "heart" of georgetown at wisconsin and M, again, further than most (if not all) of near SE to either of our two nearest options.
BillP says:
(10/20/10 3:17 PM)
ps - that's not to say i don't want a grocery option at 400M or elsewhere in near SE, it's just that having more retail and dining options is a MUCH higher to me than having a new grocery store that will essentially duplicate another new grocery store located 0.9 miles away.
pps - i understand the car thing, i didn't have one for six years while living at 8th and constitution. one makes do...
JD says:
(10/20/10 11:42 PM)
If you're seeing this comment in the display box on the home page, you're seeing JDLand on its new server. Yay!
Jesse says:
(10/21/10 12:59 PM)
Bill P - I understand your sentiment that a grocery store is not necessary in the Navy Yard since there is a Safeway a few miles away at the Waterfront Metro Station and a Harris Teeter at the Potomac Avenue Metro Station.
But I respectfully disagree. I work for the U.S. DOT Transportation and have walked from the USDOT HQ buildings on 2nd Street to the new Safeway on M Street during the lunch-hour break. It takes at least 15 minutes to walk there and another 15 back. Add the 15 minutes of shopping and buying groceries. 45 minutes altogether. Doesn't leave much time to eat before the lunch break is over.
I also walked to Harris Teeter in Potomac Avenue and it was 25-minutes there and another 25-minutes back. Lovely walk through Capital Hill and Barracks Row!
Yes, I could take the metro to both grocery stores, but I hate waiting up to 12 minutes on the platform for a train to finally show up. And I don't really want to carry food on the train back to Navy Yard. I enjoy walking and am happy to make the trip to both grocery stores, but it would be really nice to have one right here in the Navy Yard for those days when we are pressed for time and would like to make a quick dash across the street into the store just to buy a few staples.
Conversely, there are plenty of dining options on 8th Street in Barracks Row. So I could tell you to "suck it up" and walk 15-20 min over to 8th Street. But I understand that you want attractive restaurants a short walk from your residence/office much like I want a grocery store that's a short walk from our office in Navy Yard.
So lets band together and demand BOTH a grocery store, full-service restaurants, coffee shops, and bars in the Navy Yard area! :-)
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