So You Have a Question About the DC9 Case?

Well, who doesn't? Like, what was the deal with the blood in the infamous Washington Post picture? What's going to happen to DC9 now that the ANC voted not to support a renewal of its license? Do police suspect race as a motivating factor?

Today, TBD hosted an online chat (specifically, it was hosted by editor Sommer Mathis) where interested parties could submit questions that had been at the top of their minds. It's actually pretty informative, so if you have a few moments available head on over to TBD and check it out.

EFN Lounge/Motley Bar Abruptly Closes

9th Street has lost one of its pioneering businesses.

The EFN Lounge and Motley Bar, two bar concepts under a single roof on 9th Street in Shaw, abruptly closed its doors Monday night after the loss of its manager and months of financial instability.

The Blade has the scoop, which apparently includes some tension between the bar's employees and its owners, Tom McGuire and Adrian Massiah, over the surprise announcement of the closing. From the Blade story:

"Employees were informed of the decision Monday night. Gay bartender Matt Bamford, who’d worked there four months and is Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2010, said the news came as a shock...“Company standard there was always two weeks notice if we wanted to leave,” Bamford said. “What they did to not just the staff but to the community at large is just unconscionable.”

No word on what, if anything, might replace EFN. However, the bar's abrupt closure does not bode well for the immediate future of 9th Street retail and commercial activity. Business owners there and elsewhere clamor for so-called "critical mass" of businesses, which helps drive traffic to the neighborhood. Although several new businesses have opened along 9th Street in recent years, the corridor continues to encounter problems generating that critical mass--and EFN's closure won't aid matters.

EFN was formerly BeBar until being rebranded back in January 2009. BeBar opened in the space back in 2006.

Preparing For a Busy Summer in Shaw

The development pace in Shaw is about to pick up.

Several major projects are due to break ground this summer and fall, including the long-awaited O Street Market Project, Ellis Development Group's slightly downsized Renaissance Project (formerly Broadcast Center One), and the refurbishment of the Howard Theater.


Over on O Street, it looks like the earth may finally start moving there this September, when developer Roadside Development undertakes efforts to stabilize the structure. The Giant store located across the street from the market will be closed in January 2011, and the building will be razed a month later. And with that, one of the neighborhood's most intriguing--and hoped-for--projects will be off and running.

To recap, when completed the O Street Market will include over 600 residential units (including 86 subsidized by the city), a boutique hotel, senior housing, a 500+ space parking garage, and nearly 90,000 sf of retail, including 57,000 sf for the new Giant store. The development will also reopen 8th Street in that portion of Shaw. The new Giant is tentatively due to open in early 2013, with the hotel and rest of the development coming on board a year later. (Be forewarned: dates for projects of such magnitude are nearly always "fluid".) The development stands to be a transformative project in a long-neglected part of the city, and will also provide a much-needed boost to 9th Street, where the development of its commercial corridor continues.

Speaking of 9th Street, a much smaller project is set to land at 1501 9th Street, next door to the Queen of Sheba restaurant. The 6,000 sf, four-story building, will be built on a vacant lot that used to host a used car dealership. Moving into the new structure will be Burmese food purveyors Mandalay, currently located in Silver Spring. Current plans call for the restaurant to occupy the bottom two floors of the building (with the second floor being largely a bar/lounge space), and the restaurant owner's family inhabiting the upper floors.

An entire floor devoted to a bar/lounge? Gah! Cue Shiloh Church protest in 3, 2, 1...


Over at 7th and S Streets, Ellis Development Group appears set to break ground on its Renaissance Project in August. If that name is unfamiliar to you, that may be because for years it was known as Broadcast Center One, which was going to be the new home of Radio One, until Radio One decided they liked their Maryland digs a bit better. At the time, Radio One's decision to back out put the project in serious jeopardy. However, the city stepped in with a $3.6 million real estate tax abatement for the United Negro College Fund, who agreed to move in and fill much of the commercial space in the building, which will also feature 180 residential units and street level retail (albeit 25,000 fewer sf than had originally been proposed).

The rebirth of the Renaissance Project is excellent news in more ways than one: in addition to providing further development near the Shaw Metro Station, it will also bring an influx of daytime office workers to an area currently lacking them. The project will take up space within a block of the new Waltha T. Daniel library, set to open this summer.

A bit further north on 7th Street, Ellis is also set to break ground in August on the refurbishment of the long-closed Howard Theater. This project has been on the books for awhile, and in fact appeared close to dead earlier this year when Ward 1 council member Jim Graham made comments to the effect of "the project isn't close to happening".

Well, it appears now that it is. When completed, the refurbished theater will play host to performances that can accommodate between 500-600 spectators, "upscale" (Ellis's words, not mine) food and beverage services, and space for community meetings and events.


If you're wondering how this will mesh with the Lincoln Theater, which seems curiously quiet for much of the year, you aren't the only one. The release touting the groundbreaking took pains to note that the Howard would not compete with the Lincoln, and that it would aim to host primarily larger-draw musical acts and similar performances. Maybe, just maybe, the Howard's board of directors will be a bit more ambitious when it comes to filling the Theater's calendar of events than the Lincoln has been. But that's just a thought.

Regardless, having the Howard project back online is certainly good news for residents of northern Shaw and Ledroit Park, who have been waiting for some time for new development to reach their corner of the city.

Coupled with the announced transformation of the Kelsey Gardens projects into the Addison Square development, it's quite possible that the Shaw you see five years from now will be markedly different from what is there today.

Changes in Store at Modern Liquors; New Microbrewery Coming?

This afternoon, we received the following message from Jeff Harrison, (former) owner of Modern Liquors at 9th and M streets:

FYI, after today I will no longer have any involvement with Modern Liquors. The new owner fired my staff last night, and as a result, I've decided that I need a clean break. The Modern Liquors you know today is the result of my hard work, and it was my desire to reap the rewards, but obviously that's not going to happen. It's highly unlikely that I'll open another shop, however, I have been approached by the infamous District Liquors (11th St.) to revamp their store just as I did with Modern. I'll let you know if/when things become official.



For anyone who attended Modern Liquors' frequent wine and spirits tastings, you know that Jeff's friendliness and personality were a significant reason to patronize the establishment. He took what was basically a run-of-the-mill liquor store and, through frequent tastings and events (including some lovely cheese and chocolate pairings) transformed it into an enjoyable and unique establishment. We can only hope that the new owner continues operating the business in a similar vein.

Along similar lines, Jeff also makes mention that he and a group of friends are embarking on opening a microbrewery they intend to call "Logan Shaw". They are aiming to open the microbrewery, which will begin with three varieties, by "early 2011" at an as-yet-undetermined location.

If plans for the microbrewery get off the ground, I have to think that will be a winning enterprise. Lord knows the wine bar idea is quickly getting tapped out, and ChurchKey has firmly entrenched itself as the area go-to for a wide and obscure beer selection. The next logical choice, as far as alcoholic-themed establishments go, would be a mircobrewery--something DC has lacked ever since the Heurich Brewing Company packed up and left town.

What's happening at the Old Convention Center site?

The ANC2f Community Development Committee will be holding court this evening at the Washington Plaza Hotel, beginning at 7:00 PM. Among the items on the agenda, Hines will present the plans for the CityCenterDC (Old Convention Center redevelopment) streetscape and Northwest Park.



The redevelopment of the convention center site is but one of many significant projects about to be undertaken in the eastern portion of the central part of the District, but it may be the most prominent. As the largest remaining parcel of undeveloped land in the city's core, the development of the site offers the opportunity to develop a truly unique and lasting project. However, as we all know, these kinds of plans can get fouled up, and without community involvement you risk ending up with something the developer--no the community--wants.

One of those opportunities to learn about the scope and plans for the project is this evening, where you will be able to learn about the plans for the streetscaping and the new park that will be installed as part of the site's redevelopment. No doubt there will be plenty of opportunities for questions for the development team as well.

Coupled with the Convention Center Hotel, O Street market project, and the Kelsey Gardens 7th Street development, things are certainly on the upswing for the 7th and 9th street corridors.

Marriott Set to Transform 9th St.

First of all, apologies for not getting this recap up sooner...sometimes work just gets in the way.

This past Monday evening, representatives from Marriott were in attendance at the Washington Convention Center to discuss one of the most important projects to come to the Shaw/Logan/Mt. Vernon Sq. region in years:  the development of the Marriott Marquis Convention Center hotel.  The hotel, which is tentatively set to begin construction in June of 2009, will feature nearly 1200 rooms, four restaurants, a coffee shop, and other street level retail.  In our opinion, coupled with the forthcoming O St. market project, it will lead the transformation of 9th St. into one of the city's core commercial corridors.

Unfortunately, there are no images to share of the hotel, but I can boil down a few of the "talking points" that were discussed at the meeting.  

• The Marriott Marquis hotel will be build on the parcel of land bordered by 9th St., Massachusetts Ave, 10th St. and L St.  The facade of the American Federation of Labor Building, currently fronting 9th St., will be incorporated into the structure.
• Marriott also has ownership of the tract of and bordered by 9th St., L St., 10th St. and M St., and will construct two additional "boutique" hotels on the site.  Those hotels will integrate the existing historical structures along 9th and L streets into the facade, and will also feature street level retail.  Details about the "boutique" hotels will not be known until all details surrounding the Marquis flagship hotel are finalized.
• The Marquis will feature an abundance of street level retail.  The corner of 9th and L will see the arrival of a "sports bar" (despite its name, Marriott officials were quick to say that the bar would not necessarily be a "sports themed" establishment, but rather would be a "high energy" bar-type establishment).  A coffee shop will be feaured along 9th St., as will other yet-to-be-determined retail options.  An upscale restaurant with outdoor seating will be located at the corner of 9th and Mass, and a "boutique" restaurant (the "hip" restaurant, according to Marriott execs--guess the other restaurant will be stodgy and boring?) will be Located at Mass and 10th streets.
• In addition, the hotel will feature a full service restaurant located entirely within the premises of the hotel.
• The hotel will feature floors dug as much as 75 feet below the ground, and will include 13 above-ground floors.
• The Marquis will feature a 30,000 sq. ft. ballroom and a significant amount of meeting space, and will be connected via underground walkway to the Convention Center.
• A special cut-out for a bus depot for large groups will be included along L St.
• The Marquis has an anticipated construction start date of June 2009, and will wrap up by 2012.  No dates were given for the other boutique hotel developments. 

The reaction by the public seemed substantially positive, at least if the lack of substantive questions at the event are any indication.  One woman indicated that buses loading/unloading along L St. would be a "non-starter" for her (though I'm sure she'd be more than willing to muck up 9th St. traffic by moving the bus bay there).  The president of the Whitman resident's association was in attendance and expressed concern over the upkeep of the currently abandoned properties along 9th St. and L St. that will eventually become part of the two boutique hotels.  Marriott officials responded by stating that while they are taking some pains to secure the properties, since construction on the premises has not yet begun they could not guarantee the security of the abandoned properties.  Finally, one individual in attendance who noted that he himself was an architect asked numerous questions about the construction of the hotel, including gripping questions about the tpe of glass being used in the windows of the building.

Marriott officials promised to provide additional (and more complete) information once the plans became more substantive.

As I mentioned earlier, I think this project has the opportunity to be the boon for the Shaw/Mt. Vernon area that the Convention Center has not. As part of the ongoing revitalization of the 9th St. corridor, including the redevelopment of the O St. market, the opportunities presented to the neighborhood as part of this project will be substantial, and could literally help transform the neighborhood into something we wouldn't recognize today.  As we get any additional information about the development of the Marriott Marquis, we'll post it here. 

Please feel free to share your thoughts/concerns about the project in the comments section below.