POTENTIAL DRIVERS FOR ANACOSTIA REBIRTH

Since the 1968 riots, rebirth of the city went from West to East. Bars and restaurants opened, townhouses were restored and the Capitol Hill neighborhood extended all the way to the Anacostia River.

But many see the river as a barrier to further development in the eastern part of DC, even though there is some stirring. A major employer or entertainment hub would help jump the waterway.

The federal government is in talks with the DC government about housing the Department of Homeland Security in a new campus at the St. Elizabeth's Hospital site. Already the U.S. Coast Guard is planning to locate there. The plan is to build a 1.3 million-square-foot, $330 million Coast Guard headquarters there by 2010.

"Because we can provide a secure environment [at the St. E's site], they are looking at, over time, relocating components of DHS," a GSA spokesman told the Washington Post. "DHS itself is still in the process of figuring out what components to locate there."

With the presence Coast Guard alone, Anacostia may be on the verge on a major revival. Look how close it is to the baseball stadium.