The X2

The main focus at Emissary will be coffee. A new cafe is coming to Dupont and promises to bring both cocktails and coffee to the busy corner of 21st and P NW. I had a chance to talk to the GM and get an early look at the still developing interior spaces last week. Aside: Emissary will open in the building I first knew as Cafe Japone, a favorite karaoke spot for a few hot years, although I'm not sure I ever ate food there. Anyway, I have fond memories related to this particular building. Emissary will occupy the downstairs, ground floor level at at 2032 P Street NW. The idea is that the establishment will be coffee-first. It's the first thing you'll see when walking through the front door and the providers at open will be Counter Culture (great choice). The look inside is cool and clean with a lot of exposed brick, counters that appear to be marble --although I'm not good identifying stone-- and simple cool colors for for tables and chairs. They'll serv...

DC Office of Planning 2016 Interactive Zoning Map Carver Langston is located in Northeast DC and is politically, part of Ward 5. To the north is the National Arboretum; to the east is the historic Langston Golf Course; to the south is the Kingman Park neighborhood; and to the west is the Trinidad neighborhood.   The south and west sides are bound by two busy thoroughfares, Benning Road and Bladensburg Road, respectively. It's diagonally bisected by another major road, Maryland Avenue NE. The neighborhood is predominantly residential, which in DC includes institutional uses such as schools and churches. However, along Bladensburg Rd, Benning Rd, and Maryland Ave, there are other uses including commercial, and open/public space, if you include the golf course. As you can see in the overlay above, Carver Langston is comprised of just four zone districts: RF-1, RA-2, MU-4, and MU-7. [ The red, striped area represents a pending request for a zoning change by the  b...

Now closed H Street Connection shopping center, bottom left. The Washington Business Journal recently reported that raze permits have been issued for H Street Connection at 801 H Street NE. The now closed strip mall was two blocks long (8th-10th Street) and housed 37,911 sq ft of retail stores including Bank of America, McDonalds, Rent-a-Center, 7-11, Subway, Rainbow, Sports Zone, Game Stop, and anchor tenant Rite Aid. H Street Connection opened in 1987. It is set to be replaced by a residential building with ground floor retail. Rappaport is the main developer and they are planing to build an eight story, 419 unit building with 469 parking spaces (below grade and surface). The ground floor will be comprised of 44,700 sq ft of retail that renderings indicate could include up to 11 separate businesses. At this time, the development is just known as 901 H Street. Construction should begin soon after razing and the building is scheduled to deliver in 2019. Looking west fr...