The X2

Hempburger / 408 H St NE Hempburger has signage up at 408 H Street NE. The restaurant looks to be a derivative of Khepra's Raw Food Juice Bar which is currently just a few doors down at 402 H Street NE. About a year ago, we noted signage at this address indicating Khepra's was actually relocating (link) . So, it's not exactly clear if Khepra's is moving or if they are just opening the Hempburger location and keeping the current resto open. We'll see.  Here's the menu for Khepra's . They're all raw, all vegan, all the time. And yes, they serve a hempburger! Updates as they come. 1350-1352 H Street NE ABRA placards (111354) are up for 1350-1352 H Street NE. They're requesting a Class C Tavern licence under the trade name O2. The request is specifically for: "A tavern that will be open for private events for specific occasions such as weddings, art exhibits, banquets, and other events. The tavern is requesting an Entertainment En...

The first retail tenant for the Constellation on H condo building will be a liquor store. ABRA placards (111599) are up for a Class A liquor store that is listed under the trade name "Cheers DC!." Constellation on H is a triangular shaped, 28 unit condo building bordered by H Street NE, Florida Ave, and 14th Street. The address is 1402 H Street NE. It's not clear if the liquor store will comprise the entire retail space which, at 4,900 sq ft, takes up most of the first floor. The builders of Constellation took care to add concrete pads to the north side of the building and the retail pitch materials showed outdoor seating as an option, so you have to wonder if they were looking to score a restaurant or cafe. As long as they carry Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, I'm good! Good luck Cheers DC.

Rendering courtesy of KGD Architecture . Delta Towers --located at the Starburst intersection of Florida Ave, H Street, Bladensburg Rd, and Benning Road, NE-- is gearing up for a major expansion. Fences are already up around the perimeter of the property, presaging a significant transformation and addition of residential units to the H Street corridor.  There are 179 new units slated for "Fortitude at Delta Towers" as part of a nearly $1 billion bond issue via DCHFA (PDF) All units in Fortitude will be for seniors and all units will be affordable as each will leased at a maximum of 30% AMI. From the DCHFA press release  (PDF): "The redevelopment of Delta Towers is $96 million project. Delta Towers is a 100 percent affordable senior community with all units leased at a maximum of 30 percent AMI. Thirty of the apartments will receive LRSP subsidy and 18 will be designated as permanent supportive housing with housing assistance payments via the DC Housing Autho...

A lot has happened this summer! Here's some of what I took notice of in July and August. Follow TheX2BusDC on Twitter for real time neighborhood observations and photos. Carver is a bit safer for pedestrians. DDOT has made quite a few upgrades to 19th St NE in Carver this summer. Earlier this year, they added ADA accessible curb ramps to each intersection from Benning Road to M Street. And just in the last few weeks, they've added new pedestrian-crossing stripes as well as a new road surface to the block of 19th between I Street and Maryland Ave.  Damaged Streetcar station reopens The eastbound 3rd Street NE DC Streetcar station sat closed for nearly 15 months. A Megabus destroyed it in an April 2017 collision and the station remained closed during the construction of an adjacent apartment building. It finally reopened on August 7th, 2018. New music venue, same pies Dangerously Delicious Pies added a second floor to their shop, in the form of a new ...

Rendering courtesy of Bennett Frank McCarthy Architects . S2 Development is building an art deco(-ish) styled residential building at 21st and Benning Road NE. 633 21st Street NE is expected to have 31 units and is planned to deliver by late next year. Construction appears eminent.  The site is currently in the process of being cleared to prepare for the construction. Million Man Tires was the previous occupant of this site --then addressed as 2101 Benning Rd NE-- and they appear to have moved to 3401 Benning Rd NE. The project (unsure if there is a clever name awaiting) is currently planned as for sale condominiums. It would be 5 stories tall on the Benning Road side, although it is unclear to me if the developers won a variance to include a significantly set back penthouse level. The 31 total units would range from 0BR efficiencies to 2 BRs. The rendering reminds me a little bit of the Majestic  in Mount Pleasant or Highland Park in Columbia Heights. I will up...

This Sunday, June 24th will bring significant service changes for Metrobus and Circulator. Close to home here in Carver, the X2 and X9 buses are making midday adjustments, and for the better. From WMATA: X2 Benning Road-H Street : All weekday midday trips will operate between Minnesota Avenue Metrorail Station and Lafayette Square. To improve reliability, the time between weekday midday buses will increase from 10 minutes to 12 minutes. X9 Benning Road-H Street Limited : New weekday midday limited-stop Route X9 MetroExtra service will operate every 15 minutes between the Metro Center and Minnesota Avenue Metrorail stations. What it means: Since the X9 previously ran as a rush hour only bus, we're getting more trips downtown during the midday and lunchtime hours. This is awesome. The X9 does make several clustered stops from 19th St NE to 14th St NE, but as a limited stop bus, I generally find it much, much faster than the X2 for trips between Carver Langsto...

Several multifamily residential buildings are being constructed on H Street NE and are in various stages of completion. Here's a mini-update on the build-out status of four of the more prominent projects. The Coda on H is a 112 unit apartment building located at 315 H Street NE. There are studios, 1BRs, and 2BRs. Sample rent: a 536 sq foot 1 BR on the 5th floor, facing H Street, is currently online for $2,122/month. The current range for available units is $1,800 to $4,345. The ground floor still needs work, but they are currently accepting leases. This building is walking distance to Union Station and also has an eastbound DC Streetcar stop at the front door. 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail is planned. Avec on H (and no, I'm not a fan of any of these names) is currently the largest residential building under construction on H St NE at 420 units. It spans two city blocks from 8th to 10th Streets. Just based on the eye test, it appears that they are a little o...