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DC public school closings were announced in November of last year. At that time, the organization’s proposal included the closure of 20 schools due to low enrollment. 

Yesterday, on “The Kojo Nmandi Show,” the chancellor of DC public schools, Kaya Henderson, called the plan “a proposal around consolidations and reorganizations.” According to Henderson, the final list of DC public school closings may or may not include 20 schools, but the original 20 were identified due to under utilization and under enrollment. A school with low enrollment has the same expenses as a full school -- heat, janitorial services, security, overhead, administrators, non-classroom teachers, etc. So Henderson’s goal is to eliminate these facility expenses, and use the money to…

Victorian rowhomes in Shaw are a distinct architectural feature of the neighborhood.  Duke Ellington was once a resident of Shaw, and many Howard University professors past and present also call Shaw home.  Even though Shaw’s borders have been a topic of debate, the general perimeter includes U Street and Florida Avenue to the north, First Street on the east, Massachusetts and New York Avenues to the south, and 11th Street to the west.  Shaw is served by both the Yellow and Green Metro lines at 2 stations.

Shaw has not experienced the same rapid growth as neighborhoods like Logan Circle or Columbia Heights.  But Shaw is changing with developments like CityMarket at O and new residents joining the neighborhood.  

Typically, three-bedroom Victorian…

Whole Foods in Logan Circle is the largest Whole Foods Market in the DC Metro area at 40,000 square feet.  This Whole Foods on P Street, NW combines the friendliness of a corner grocery store with the freshness of an organic farmers market, plus a custom cuts butcher, a gourmet specialty shop, a European bakery, a fresh fish market, and a vitamin store.

The Whole Foods in Logan Circle arrived in December 2000, just two blocks west of the circle in Ward 2.  The grocery store is bordered by U Street to the north and Dupont Circle to the west.  

The Logan Circle area was already changing when Whole Foods arrived, but it seems like the grocery store helped to speed up the gentrification process.  Whole Foods in Logan Circle replaced an abandoned service…

Schools in 16th Street Heights (an area bordered by Columbia Heights, Petworth, Brightwood, Crestwood, and Rock Creek Park) are generally mediocre.  The area is served by 6 DC public schools, 5 charter schools, and 2 private schools. 

The schools in 16th Street Heights include 6 DC Public Schools:   

• Powell Elementary School educates 314 children in Pre-K through 4th Grade.  This school has an 11:1 student to teacher ratio with a Great Schools Rating of 5 out of 10.  
• Brightwood Education Campus is the most northern of the public schools in 16th Street Heights.  It serves 549 students in grades Pre-K through 8 with a 27:1 student to teacher ratio, and received a Great Schools Rating of 5 out of 10 based on state test scores.  
• West Education…

Southwest Waterfront development is taking shape as part of DC’s Anacostia Waterfront Initiative.  This new mixed-use development, called the Wharf, will span 27 acres of land and 24 acres of water from the northern landmark of the Maine Avenue Fish Market to the southern point of Fort McNair.  This swath of land has remained largely untouched since the infamous Urban Renewal 50 years ago. 

The Wharf aims to change the waterfront to include cafes, restaurants, homes, office space, hotels, retail, and public spaces.  Those public spaces will include waterfront parks, promenades, piers, and docks.

The first phase of development along the Southwest Waterfront includes 3 apartment buildings, a cultural venue, a condo building, a co-generation power…

The public schools in Arlington serve a diverse community of students, just across the river from DC.  While Arlington’s 26 square miles is rather small compared to counties in the rest of the state, the Arlington Public School system is the 15th largest in Virginia serving over 22,000 kids in Pre-K through 12th grade. 

The schools in Arlington are highly ranked.  In fact, the Washington Post Challenge Index listed all three Arlington public high schools in the top 1% of US high schools for the 7th year in a row.

Arlington is a diverse county, which is reflected in the schools in Arlington.  The public school system serves students from 123 different countries, speaking 97 languages.  Less than half of the students are white, about 30% are Hispanic,…

The DC Homestead Deduction is a real estate tax benefit for District residents who own and occupy property.  This deduction can save you hundreds each year by reducing your annual tax liability and providing a cap on the assessed value of your property.

There are a few criteria that must be met to qualify for the DC Homestead Deduction.  First, you must occupy the property shortly after closing as your principal residence.  In addition, the property must contain no more than five units, including yours.  For example, if you own a condo complex with 200 units, the building would not qualify for the DC Homestead deduction.  If you own a single family home or a smaller apartment building, then you would be eligible for the DC Homestead deduction. 

So how…

The Petworth Safeway at 3830 Georgia Avenue, NW closed in September for major renovations.  The previous building, one block from the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro station, was known as the “Stinky Safeway,” but hopefully the new mixed-use Petworth Safeway development will have a more complimentary nickname.

Years ago, the Petworth neighborhood was promised a replacement for their aging Safeway, but nothing materialized until now.  Some residents are not particularly fond of the design of the new Petworth Safeway.  They wish that signature architectural elements of the old building, like the arched facade, had been incorporated.  But pretty much everyone agrees that the new building will certainly be better than the current 50-year-old one, and are very…

CityMarket at O has roots dating back to 1881 with the O Street Market at the corner of 7th and O Streets, NW.  In 2002, Roadside Development purchased the deteriorating site with hopes to revitalize the Shaw neighborhood.  

Shaw is undergoing lots of changes from the Howard Theatre to retail and residential projects.  The neighborhood has not developed at the same pace as the surrounding neighborhoods of Logan Circle, Chinatown, and U Street.  But since the 2008 economic crash is behind us and financing is once again available, big projects in Shaw like CityMarket at O are now under construction.

CityMarket at O encompasses six buildings over two blocks between O and P Streets, and 7th and 9ths Streets.  The mixed-use development will include…

The CityCenterDC complex will be on the site of the former Washington Convention Center, which was torn down in 2004.  The 10-acre development near Chinatown is bordered by 11th Street NW to the west, H Street NW to the south, 9th Street NW to the east, and New Youk Avenue NW to the north.  The first phase of CityCenterDC will consist of six new buildings and a public plaza.  

CityCenterDC has been in the works since 2003, but plans were delayed after the financial collapse, and construction did not start until 2011. The first six buildings will house 515,000 square feet of office space, 458 apartments, 216 condominiums, 295,000 square feet of retail/restaurants, 1,570 underground parking spaces.  In a later phase, two more buildings will be added -- a…