After a lengthy line of preservation-minded residents praised the merits of the worn Capital City Market, a fired-up Anthony Rowell strode to the microphone.

“You need to get your stuff together,” said the Ward 5 resident, adding that the market is dilapidated and uninviting. “Why should I shop there? You need to be more proactive in serving the community.”

The Georgia native said he expected much more of DC when he moved here in 1993. He spends most of his shopping dollars in the suburbs because “the services are pitiful in DC.” Merchants are only nervous now, he added, because of a separate development threat.

Rowell let off steam when the Office of Planning invited neighbors to Gallaudet University April 24 to learn the history of the wholesale/public marketplace and participate in shaping the future of a hub that employs about 275 workers.

Admittedly, explained department head Harriet Tregoning, the city began exploring this avenue only after a team comprised of former Ward 5 Councilmember Vincent Orange, ex-Councilmember John Ray and Sang Oh Choi, whose family has operated Sam Wang Produce on-site for more than two decades, floated plans for a mini-community dubbed New Town in 2005.

In late 2006, the DC Council essentially deep-sixed plans for that mix of residences, businesses and amenities such as a theater by inking legislation requiring buy-in from more than half of the operators. About 69 different people own the 120 plots on the pentagon-shaped 40 acres bordered by Florida Avenue to the south, Sixth Street to the east, Penn Street to the north and New York Avenue and railroad tracks to the west. Gallaudet, Maurice Electric and Choi are the three largest property owners. Choi has already leveled the adjacent Washington Beef building.

“We don’t actually have a plan for the market yet,” Tregoning emphasized, adding that citizen input is paramount in guiding city officials. She asked for comments about zoning, green space, pedestrian safety and signage.

The city hired a team of architects and other specialists to research possibilities for the market’s future. A whopping 36.8 million square feet of office and retail space are recently completed or under construction, planned or proposed in Wards 5 and 6. Also, more than 33,300 new housing units are finished or on the way. No industrial/warehouse facilities, however, are in the pipeline.

A recent city-commissioned study recommended retaining the market’s zoning (CM1). That allows for light industrial uses and restricts building height to 40 feet.

While most neighbors treasure what one woman described as the market’s “funky vibe,” all agreed that it’s in need of a serious facelift and a core identity. In addition to the seafood, meat, vegetable and trinket wholesalers that supply area restaurants, convenience stores and retailers, the gritty hub includes a farmers’ market, a flea market, motels, restaurants, offices, a nightclub, a bank, auto repair shops and a lighting store.

Attorney Paul Pascal, president of a newly formed merchant and property owners association, explained that he’s exploring the possibility of extending the NOMA (North of Massachusetts Avenue) Business Improvement District into the market to aid with safety and cleanliness issues.

“This whole process has been a wakeup call,” Pascal, also president of the Capitol Hill BID, said in a post-meeting interview. “Merchant and property owners are not interested in New Town, and we’re going to do all we can to resist it.”

He talked about revitalization efforts such as improving signage and repairing the flagpoles atop the historic Union Terminal Market, the original two-story reduced classical/revival style building in the complex designed by architect E.L. Bullock Jr. Construction by the Charles H. Tompkins Co. began in 1929 and was completed by 1931.

The market’s second phase, constructed between 1932 and 1939, consisted of smaller buildings designed by numerous architects. One such distinct structure is the current Subway sandwich shop, once a classic Little Tavern. The third and fourth phases, during the 1950s and post-1959, included a mishmash of nondescript warehouses built to industrial scale.

“It’s the breadbasket of the city,” explained Pascal, adding that the closest similar wholesale market is in Jessup, Md.

He frowns at the idea of constructing what New Town touts as workforce housing in the midst of a spot where noisy trucks spew exhaust while making early-morning deliveries.

“I think there’s room for upgraded retail,” Pascal said, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if sophisticated developers bought out some of the smaller landowners to add sit-down eateries in a sector that was once home to two highly rated steakhouses. “I’m a great believer in market forces.”

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Wilhelmina Lawson (5B-06) wishes the city had been more proactive before New Town was introduced.