The opening of the Reeves Center at 14th and U Sts. NW helped revive the U Street corridor. But much of the upscaling of U St. seems to have skipped that corner, which is dingy even by U St. standards.
Now the D .C. Office of Property Management has scheduled a June 5 public meeting to hear ideas on the future of the atrium and lobby of the building, reported the WashExam. The idea is to freshen the retail mix, which now includes a convenience store, cobbler etc.
Simply rethinking the first floor is “shortsighted,” said Dee Hunter, U Street advisory neighborhood commissioner. The entire building “should be in play,” he said, because its deteriorating condition is “hampering the revitalization of the neighborhood.”
Maybe the whole building should be shipped off to Anacostia to help revive that part of the city. Or at least more retail could be constructed on the plaza that faces the corner.
Let's think big Mr. Fenty.
May 23, 2007
Time To Move the Reeves Center
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4 comments:
I believe the area is gentrifying in spite of the Reeves building. Everytime I walk by there all I see are homeless people and drunks, not to mention the Bus Stop at the SW corner. It is disgusting. They need to move that stop away from all the fast food places that are clustered there. The good news is the redevelopment of the NW corner of 14th and U and the Farmer's MArket, some positive things happening there but more needs to be done.
Sure its gentrifty now despite the Reeve Center, but the Reeves Center certainly helped get things going
I remember when the Reeves Center opened in the 80s. Yes, it looks frumpy now, but at the time it was the only reason law-abiding people had for setting foot in the area.
It's not gentrifying fast enough if you ask me.
When is the city going to realize that stick 200 section 8 families, no matter how nice the facilities are, is a bad news all around?! And yet KSI keeps getting these twenty some year contracts.
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