GO EAST YOUNG MAN, HORACE GREELY MIGHT SAY TODAY

Cross DC's mighty, mighty Anacostia, if you dare. Bring your dollars and your sweat equitiy.

Reinforcing other assessmnets, a panel of experts predicted that property values will rise significantly in the next couple of years in Anacostia as the new baseball stadium and waterfront developments are completed.

The predictions were made at the Anacostia Economic Summit, a forum organized by the nonprofit Operation HOPE to make residents aware of business opportunities opening up in their neighborhoods. The program featured Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and Washington Mayor Anthony A. Williams, who is the only one of the three that has crossed the river more than once when not very lost.

Operation HOPE CEO John Bryant estimated home values in Ward 8 would rise 20 percent when the baseball stadium is finished, which is scheduled for early 2008. "That's conservative, by the way," Mr. Bryant predicted.

Given that the rest of the market will drop at least 10%, a 20% rise would be nothing to balk at.