14th Street Development Roundup
By this fall, youth living in Ward 1 neighborhoods like Mt Pleasant, Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan will have a new arts and performance resource available, as the Dance Institute of Washington building is just months from completion. The progress of construction is visible at the site, between Monroe and Newton on 14th Street NW, and the Institute should be open in September, says Cecily Stewart, the Dance Institute's assistant to the artistic director. When it's done, the Dance Institute will offer dance and performance arts classes, and programs in schools primarily for students from families living below the poverty line. Founded in 1987 by Fabian Barnes, the Institute's mission is to make arts education available and affordable in under-served communities, where access to such training is limited or non-existent. By moving to this new, permanent location, the Institute hopes to double its enrollment and bring youth from the neighborhood into its programs. The RLA-National Capitol Revitalization Corporation awarded the property to the Institute in 2002.
Kitty-corner to the Dance Institute, construction is continuing on the interior of many of the future shops that will move into the Tivoli building by the end of August. So far along 14th street the only storefront business operating is the Wachovia Bank. However, by the end of July, the national restaurant chain, Ruby Tuesday’s is expected to be open, according to Jim Farrell of the Madison Retail Group. Also, in late July, another chain, Kudos Beans, a cafe, will offer patrons coffee, tea, and sandwiches. Between the Wachovia and Kudos Beans, a Carvel Ice Cream and Cinnabon shop is expected to open closer to late August, adds Farrell. Only two of the businesses opening on the 14th street storefront side of the Tivoli, Rumberos and Destiny Salon, are not franchises. Rumberos is a Latin American themed restaurant operated by the owners of the Rumba Café located in Adams Morgan. Destiny Salon, a day spa/salon adjoining Rumberos, just signed a lease in April. Two storefronts are yet to be leased. Madison Retail Group is in the process of negotiating the remaining leases, says Jim Farrell, including discussions with the United Parcel Service and a sporting goods retail store.
On the west side of 14th Street, backhoes and bulldozers are beginning to lay the groundwork for the DC USA retail complex that will span the block between Park Road and Irving Street. There are still 18 months of construction before the project will be finished. Major tenants such as Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Washington Sports Club have all signed leases, negotiations with many others continue, and applications keep coming. “We’ve had a tremendous number of applications,” says Robert Moore, President of Development Corporation of Columbia Heights (DCCH). Moore says priorities for the first floor locations, which are smaller, are restaurants and small retail, but that DCCH hopes to receive 20 more applications before making any decisions. Only two of the 20 requests so far are from already established local businesses, though Moore says he hopes others will decide to apply as well. The scope of the project, and the fact that so many of the businesses will be franchises of national chains (though many will be locally or minority owned), leaves some feeling that the character of the neighborhood is not being kept intact. “It’s like they’re trying to make the city into the suburbs,” says Chad Williams, a candidate for the Ward 1 councilmember seat. Moore says DCCH is working with area business owners to encourage more of them to consider joining the DC USA project. Another priority is to sign an agreement with an “upscale grocery” says Moore, and conversations are looking more promising with Harris Teeter than with Whole Foods. –- Darby Hickey
Georgia-Petworth Farmer’s Market In Limbo
For the past two years, residents of Petworth have spent weekend mornings buying fresh produce from the Georgia-Avenue Petworth Farmers’ Market. This year however, they may have to go to Mt. Pleasant or Dupont Circle for their fresh vegetables and fruits.
A small group of residents started the Georgia-Avenue Petworth Farmers’ Market in June 2004, with the help of Community Harvest, an organization that supports farmers’ markets built in under-served communities. Andrew McGilvray, one of the organizers, negotiated with Jay Hellman of Hellman Company Inc., to hold the market at an empty lot on the corner of New Hampshire and Georgia. Hellman offered to house the farmers’ market for free until his company broke ground on the site in 2006.
No one is formally organizing the farmer’s market for this year, but McGilvray, who moved to Takoma Park last December, believes the need for the market is still there.
“It would be great if someone were interested in pitching in to work out the details for a new site right near the metro station [Georgia-Petworth]. There are a couple of possibilities using the land that Metro owns right across from the previous location of the farmer’s market,” says McGilvray. “The former organizers of the market would be happy to pass along information on how to put the market together.”
If you are interested in re-starting the Georgia-Ave Petwork Market, email ga_ave_market@yahoo.com.
-- Selina Musuta
Ayuda Moves Into New Home
On March 30, legal service provider Ayuda celebrated its move into a new building at 1707 Kalorama Rd, NW, at the corner of Kalorama and 17th Streets in Adams Morgan. The move didn’t take the organization far from its former home, on Columbia Road and 17th. That’s important to keep services accessible to the immigrant communities the group serves, says Executive Director, Mauricio Vivero. “The old site was no longer meeting our needs or the needs of our clients,” says Vivero, describing Ayuda as “the legal emergency room for DC immigrants.”
Ayuda was started in 1973, and has 22 employees and a $1.5 million budget. The new offices are almost double the space of their last location, allowing the organization to improve the level of services they offer. “We are the main provider of walk-in legal services for domestic violence and immigration issues,” for immigrants in DC, says Vivero. The majority of their clients are from Latin America and Africa, and Vivero estimates that there are close to 100,000 low-income immigrants from those communities in the DC area.
You can reach Ayuda at 202-387-4848. -- Darby Hickey
The Argyle Update
Last Month, DC North reported on the ongoing permit problems that Rocky Rakani, owner of the Argyle Convenience Store, was facing in reopening his business after the 20 year-old store burned down eight months ago. Now that those problems are resolved, the store had its official grand re-opening on Saturday, April 29th. According to Rakani, loyal customers are ready to welcome back to what some refer to as “The Corner Store”.
“I thank the customers…not just the customers, all of the community. Anytime I see them, they say when are you coming back. We want you,” says Rocky. “Now after 20 years, I like that they appreciate my service. It makes me feel good.”
The Argyle is located in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, at the corner of 17th and Park. -- Selina Musuta