* ATLAS BREW WORKS: Ivy City's brewery/tap room Atlas Brew Works announced last week that it is coming to JBG's West Half building next year, where it will occupy 4,500 square feet mere steps away from the Nats Park Center Field Gate. The new space, double the size of the Ivy City location, will also have a kitchen and a "limited food program" along side its brewery and 12-draft-line tap room. Atlas is the second announced retail offering at the non-box-like West Half building, along with the previously announced Commons Restaurant and its bakery/breakfast operation Mah-Ze-Dahr.

* DISTRICT DOGS: The neighborhood's second-largest population gets a new retail offering in the coming days, as District Dogs has announced it will officially open its second full-service pet care facility in the ground floor of 1221 Van on Saturday, March 9. In a custom-built space that faces South Capitol Street just north of N, DD will offer daycare (with four separate playrooms), boarding, grooming, walking, sitting, and a "boutique retail shop." There will be an open house on Friday, March 8 from 5 to 9 pm, and services can be booked starting on the 9th.

* EL BEBE: A reminder that Circa's tequila-and-taco sibling El Bebe is opening this Tuesday, Feb. 26, on the southwest corner of 1st and M in the ground floor of the 99 M office building. Here's the menu, should you wish to peruse in advance.

* SHILLING PROGRESS: A reader passed along on Twitter photographic evidence that the Shilling Canning Company seems to at last be inching closer to opening in the ground floor of Arris, on Water Street across from District Winery. The placeholder web site says "Opening Spring 2019," and the restaurant is now hiring.

* WELLS FARGO COMING DOWN THE STREET: If your heart was broken last summer when Wells Fargo closed its branch in the ground floor of 20 M, you can now perk back up, because it was announced last week that a Wells Fargo "Express Center" will be coming to the ground floor of the aforementioned 99 M office building. With this, 99 M's retail space is fully leased.

* CIRCA OPEN, EL BEBE SOON: The neighborhood's newest restaurant opened on Monday, with Circa finally arriving on the southwest corner of 1st and M Streets, SE, not quite 3 1/2 years after it was first announced. As for now, it's open daily at 4 pm. And its sibling El Bebe is coming Any Minute Now.

* MEYER TO THOMPSON: The Thompson Hotel at 3rd and Tingey is still under construction, but the Post's Tom Sietsema reported in his chat last week that uber restaurateur Danny Meyer (he of Shake Shack, Gramercy Tavern, and more) will be opening a "full-service restaurant and rooftop bar" in the hotel sometime in 2020. There aren't many details (not even a chef), but this will be a project that will garner a lot of interest.

* ALBI POPUP: If you are looking forward to Albi, which is bringing a "contemporary vision of Middle Eastern cooking as soon through the lens of Modern American techniques and Mid-Atlantic ingredients" to the Bower at 4th and Tingey in "early summer" 2019, there is a two-day "pop up" of "preview dinners" on March 3 and 4. Reservations now available, with prices set at $85 per person, plus optional wine pairings for $35.

And in non-food news:

* CAPPER SENIORS GONE: The first building I watched be built is now the first building I've watched be both built and demolished, though the concrete stairwells and elevator shafts remain and await the building that will replace the structure destroyed by fire last year. This makes for a sad entry #182 in my Demolished Buildings gallery.

* VOTE FOR MOVIES: Time once again to make your preferences known in the Capitol Riverfront BID's 2019 Outdoor Movie Series poll. Voting ends March 4.

* PILE DRIVING: That pounding you heard in your head on Saturday morning wasn't your hangover, it's the start of Saturday pile driving as part of the new Douglass Bridge construction. The approved hours are from 9 am to 7 pm. (And, while I'm speaking of it, a shout-out to the NFDMB folks, who are doing a nice job of outreach with a very complete web site and social media offerings.)

* LOWER 8TH STREET STUFF: ANC 6B commission Kirsten Oldenburg reported in her latest newsletter about some changes to traffic flow near 8th and Virginia, now that the tunnel is completed: "The 800 block of Virginia Avenue and the 900 block of 9th Street SE are now two-way streets and the 1000 block of 9th Street SE between L and M Streets will join them as a two-way street but awaits adjustments to the traffic signal at 9th and M SE. The 800 block of L Street is to become two-way (instead of one way westbound). Pedestrian crossings markings will be added to the 9th & Potomac Avenue SE and 10th & Potomac Avenue SE intersections. " She also says she is in the process of asking DDOT for a traffic calming study of the 8th and L intersection (i.e., where the Brig is).

And now some of increasingly old tidbits:

* ALBI/MAXWELL: Washingtonian reports news of two restaurants coming to the Yards in 2019: Albi, a "modern American eatery inspired by {chef Michael Lee Rafidi's} Middle Eastern and Mid-Atlantic roots," and another branch of Shaw's "oenophile haven," the wine bar Maxwell. The JDLand commentariat has analyzed the situation and are positing that the new garage door-style panels on the 4th Street side of the Bower might be the home for these ventures.

* CHEMONICS: Not a restaurant, but Washington Business Journal reports behind its paywall that Chemonics, a USAID contractor among other things, is close to a deal to move its 1,200-person headquarters from near Farragut West to Yards Parcel A Yards Parcel G (updated 1/2/19 with the correct location--oops). This northern portion of Spooky Park has long been planned to be Class A office space--as for the rest of the block, I wrote a few weeks ago about the plans for residential along N Street and the new streets coming. This new office building would be north of the hotly awaited Quander Street. (h/t commenter Westnorth)

* SQUARE 696 UNMASKED? With thanks to commenter CL85, we may have our first look at what is coming to Square 696, the block just about out of the ground on the south side of I Street between Half and 1st. (If Clark pulls it down, here is the rendering.) This is going to be an 818-unit residential project spanning the entire block when both phases are complete in 2022. (It sounds like they are going to build the "structure and skin" of the entire project, but will first complete the eastern tower before moving to the interior work of the western tower.)

* NEW BIKESHARE STATION: If you haven't stumbled across it yet, there is now a 19-dock CaBi station on 4th Street SE just north of M (alongside the new Sprint store and kitty corner from Teeter).

* NEW ANC COMMISSIONERS: In local local local election results, ANC 6D07 (the seat left open by Meredith Fascett's retirement) has been won by Edward Daniels, while in 6D02 Anna Forgie clobbered incumbent Cara Lee Shockley.

(Great. Now I'm hungry.)

A few other items:

* DOUGLASS BRIDGE: WUSA reports on the first of last week's public meetings about the new Douglass Bridge. DDOT's program manager says that they are already about 25 percent done with the project already. "He added in the next six months, locals should expect to see work begin on the construction of two new traffic ovals that will be placed at the base of each side of the new bridge. After that, the formation of the bridge's new arches should begin to form."

* STEADFAST MOVE: Local goods offerer Steadfast Supply is moving this week from its Boilermaker Shops location on Tingey Street to the old EVO Furniture space in the Foundry Lofts building on Water Street, across from Ice Cream Jubilee. It is closed for the move and is expected to open in the new space on Oct. 5.

* CHEESESTEAKS: Washingtonian reports that the mystery fast-casual restaurant inside Whole Foods is going to be Philly Wing Fry, from chef Kwame Onwuachi. Cheesesteaks, crispy chicken, waffle fries, and whatnot. "Unlike Kaz Okochi, who’ll have a quick-grab sushi counter in the prepared foods section of the new shop, Onwuachi’s eatery is more like a full-blown restaurant with its own space and seating. Customers can order the full menu inside the store’s SoCap Wine Bar & Pub, which will pour 16 wines by the glass and a dozen draft beers (the shop itself will have seasonal teas and lemonades)."

And yes, I took a boatload of photos this weekend. They are already up on the site if you want to go hunting, but I'll be posting a status survey soon.

* NEW DOG PARK UNLEASHING: On Thursday, Sept. 6 at 6 pm, the new "Bark and Go Dog Park" on H Street SE east of New Jersey Avenue (across from THAT not-yet-open grocery store) will have its official "Unleashing Ceremony." All are invited.

* DACHA UPDATE: This tweet reports that the latest "Beer Me" podcast says that Dacha Navy Yard is shooting for a "tentative soft opening" this winter, with a grand opening in March of 2019. It will be 4,000 square feet inside and double that outside (because it's, you know, a beer garden.) It will be in the ground floor of the Dock 79 apartment building across from Nats Park, alongside The Salt Line and All-Purpose.

* STREETSCAPES: I have not seen these with my own eyes, while most of you probably have, but it's still worth mentioning that the first section of the new bike path along Virginia Avenue is completed (per @Wash_Cycle), and a new "bulb-out" on the Teeter corner at 4th and M is or is about to be in place (per @MeredithFascett)

* HATOBA: The neighborhood will finally get a ramen outlet in early 2019, when Hatoba opens in the old 100 Montaditos space in the Boilermaker Shops at the Yards. (You may have caught their pop-up with "Japanese hot dogs.") Washingtonian has more about this fourth venture from the team behind Daikaya, Bantam King, and Haikan. (And apparently "hatoba" means "dock.")

* EL BEBE: There's finally an official replacement for Open Road as Circa's sibling in the ground floor of the 99 M office building at 1st and M, and that's "El Bebe," which is billing itself as "tacos and tequila." Eater DC has more, including that both Bebe and Circa are shooting for a "late 2019 2018" opening. {fixed my own typo}

* WALTERS: The sports bar in the ground floor of 1221 Van isn't coming until next year, but they tweeted out this rendering of the planned interior.

* ALL-PURPOSE: Their rooftop is now open.

* DEEP DIVES: The Post had a long piece this weekend on the neighborhood 10 years after the ballpark's arrival (with some photos that will look familiar), and Washington Monthly has a long and interesting look at Business Improvement Districts, with a focus on the Capitol Riverfront BID.

* CAPPER MEETING: The DC Housing Authority is having a public meeting to give an update on the status of the Capper/Carrollsburg redevelopment on Wednesday, July 25, at 7 pm at the Capper Community Center, 1000 5th St., SE. I imagine this will discuss the remaining three blocks of the redevelopment footprint, which are planned as mixed-income residential buildings, including one condo building, if that is still on the boards. (UPDATE: The 25th is the correct date, but the flyer called it Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Waiting for an updated flyer.)

* BRIDGE SURVEY: Interested in the new Douglass Bridge? DDOT wants to hear from you in this survey.

* ME ME ME: I always feel weird about including these links, but if you want the quick version of how this crazy project came to be, read Urban Turf's look at the "Unofficial Historian of the Ballpark District."

And, as a preview, they will be operating a pop-up bar in the new space for the fast-approaching All-Star hullabaloo, July 13-17.

They will join Mission as the corner spaces in this residential building just north of Nats Park--and Mission will be "opening" for All-Star festivities as well, with a shortened preview menu in advance of its expected full opening later in July.

The focus of ballpark-related retail has always been Half Street, but N Street is going to be hopping as well, with these two places and when West Half and 1250 Half are completed in 2019/2020. (I'll note that the first tenant announced for West Half is The Commons, which will apparently front N Street.)

And, not only will it have lunch and dinner menus with "a sort of contemporary, upscale diner feel," but it is apparently intending to have a bakery and breakfast operation, Mah-Ze-Dahr at The Commons, from the owners of the New York bakery.

The article says that The Commons is aiming for a late 2019 or early 2020 opening.

This is the first retail offering announced for West Half, which will have over 65,000 square feet of retail on two floors.

While it does not yet quite look like the rendering, the huge space that will be the first restaurant on N Street SE immediately across from Nats Park (or, more accurately, one of the garages) is certainly taking shape. If you look closely at the rendering, you can see that Mission will occupy the corner space on both the first and second floor, but the bulk of the restaurant--including what it is heralding as DC's largest bar--runs the length of the second story, from Van to South Capitol.

There are actually four separate bar areas, plus outdoor seating on two floors, a private event space, and lots of the large roll-up garage-type windows to bring the outdoors in.

Owner Fritz Brogan told me that there will be happy hours seven days a week, and that while of course the hope is to make Mission a destination for the huge ballpark crowds that descend 81-plus times a year, the restaurant is also planning to cater to residents during the days and nights when Nats Park is dormant.

As to whether they will actually make it across the finish line by All-Star time, We Shall See, but one way or the other, I imagine that there will be considerable excitement for Mission's opening, whenever it is.

Here are some photos, showing the second-floor space and That Bar, plus a few positioning shots to give a feel for where the restaurant is/will be, in case you aren't envisioning it.

As an aside, if you had told me in March 2008 that it would be July 2018 before any sort of retail opened on N Street, I would have called you mad. Mad!! But delayed is not denied.

* OATH OFFICIAL: Tomorrow (Thursday, April 19), Oath Pizza is having its official grand opening, with half-price pizzas as well with samples and swag, from 11 am to 10 pm. Address is 110 M St., SE, next to Bethesda Bagels.

* TRUCKEROO RETURNS: Friday, April 20, brings the return of monthly summer food truck festival Truckeroo, once again being held at the Bullpen at Half and M Streets, SE. Hours are shorter than they used to be, though, with the doors opening at 4 pm and running until 11 pm.

* FIVE GUYS RETURNS: Commenter ZinNY reports that a sign on the door at Five Guys says it will reopen on Monday, April 23. And with milkshakes, finally.

* NOT FOR EATING: One non-food tidbit, which is that reader Bryan Rodda reports that the Sprint store is now open at 4th and M, SE.

* PHOTOS OF THE NEWBIES: I was out amongst the hordes on Saturday, and got a few photos of the newest arrivals in the neighborhood, on a beautiful day for al fresco dining. (I also got lots of other photos, but have been distracted from posting about them. Soon.) If I may actually express two opinions, I'll note that Declaration's front bar is a great tableau for 1st Street, and All-Purpose's facade and outdoor areas are lovely (and clearly not a secret).