Union Market Update

A lot has changed since we last wrote about Union Market three years ago. There are too many vendors to name in one blog (more than 30!), but some of the more popular choices have become Co Co. Sala (chocolatier), Cordial Fine Wine & Spirits, Rappahannock Oyster Company, Red Apron Butchery, and TaKorean (Mexican/Korean fusion). Dock5, located directly above the marketplace, also provides a 12,000 square foot warehouse event venue. There are always pop-up artisans in Union Market, but none have gathered as much attention as the planned Angelika Pop-Up. Opening later this year, it will be a three-screen micro cinema located behind the market at 550 Penn St. NE. Dolcezza, a gelato and coffee shop, is located next to the Angelika and has been receiving rave reviews. Of course, the many wholesalers of meat, produce, and ethnic foods still remain steps from Union Market and provide a lot of the character of the little neighborhood.

The biggest change is that the area around Union Market is turning into more than just a retail center. LCOR’s new Edison building on Florida Ave. NE just broke ground this summer and is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017. The Edison is just the first of what is expected to be another eight development projects in the vicinity of Union Market. Next door, the Level 2 building is in the early stages of its planning and is scheduled to break ground in 2016. These mixed-use projects will feature retail on the ground floor and apartments or condos above, giving the Union Market area hundreds and eventually thousands of residents. With all of this development is an expectation of roughly 20,000 jobs to be created in the area. And for those who are worried that the area will turn into the next NoMa with nothing but office and apartment buildings, fear not. There is a plan in place to put at least six parks in the area, and construction could start as early as the end of this year.

Union Market is located at 1309 5th St. NE, next to Gallaudet University and a short walk from the NoMa-Gallaudet Metro stop on the red line. It is situated conveniently at the confluence of five neighborhoods: H Street Atlas District, Trinidad, NoMa, Brentwood and Ivy City.