Sunday, May 30, 2010

Historic Anacostia: Future Promise Breeds Cautious Optimism








On almost every block in Anacostia there are both beautiful homes and vacant houses. The neighborhood’s main streets are a similar mix: fresh new businesses next to forlorn facades. Blight? Maybe. But to many, this contrast signals something much more hopeful: opportunity.

“I can see the Capitol dome from my front porch!” Jeff Herrell says as he tends the huge yard surrounding the house he renovated with a historic homeowners grant. Those funds have recently rehabbed more than 60 other houses here, where relatively low prices have launched a home-buying surge.

“Historic Anacostia is an amazing place in terms history and architecture. Plus, we’re only a five minute drive from downtown DC,” Herrell, an International Monetary Fund staffer, told UrbanTurf.

Herrell says he’s made lots of friends with other newcomers, mostly gay couples in their mid-30s like him and his partner. That influx represents yet another seismic demographic shift in Historic Anacostia. Established in 1854 as Uniontown, a home for the white workers at the Navy Yard across the river, Anacostia got its current name from the Nacochtank Native American settlement along the river.

In 1877, abolitionist Frederick Douglass became the first African-American allowed to own land in the neighborhood. His stately home perches on one of the hills that give the area its great views, as well as the strategic advantage that sprouted civil war fortresses. The rich history and geography bequeathed to Anacostia some great landmarks, such as Douglass’s home, Fort Stanton, the Carver Theater and the Birney school, as well as its biggest economic advantage — historic district classification.

But like what comes with most exciting pasts, the neighborhood has suffered — and earned a bad reputation. White flight in the 1950s left a vacuum soon filled with public housing projects and their inherent drug and crime problems. The schools have been among the nation’s lowest performers and many businesses, like Safeway and McDonalds, have decamped.

Promises to realize the area’s potential have constantly been broken, with fingers often pointed at Council Member Marion Barry, the former city mayor currently dogged by corruption charges.

Where It (Actually) Is

Something of an identity crisis is also to blame for the neighborhood’s bad rap. “Anacostia” is often a misnomer used to refer to the entire area of Washington east of the Anacostia River, which is correctly called East of the River or River East.

In fact, Anacostia applies only to Historic Anacostia, a relatively small section with its own distinct identity. Because of this confusion, many people associate Anacostia with all poverty and crime that occurs East of the River. The neighborhood’s reputation has suffered unduly as a result.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and Good Hope Road make up the north and east boundaries of Anacostia, and serve as the neighborhood’s commercial arteries. The residential Howard Road is the boundary to the west and Fort Stanton Park the boundary to the south.

Change Brings Hopes for A New Identity

Many Historic Anacostia residents resent being associated with the entirety of River East -- where many cab drivers refuse to venture -- and the new life pulsing through the neighborhood may help their cause. Most visible are the cutting-edge contemporary new public library, the sleek Spirit Health and Wellness center and the Grandview condo building designed by Division One architects. New headquarters for the U.S. Coast Guard and D.C.’s housing department, and the proximity of the new Department of Homeland Security site at St. Elizabeth’s are expected to provide a boost to the area.

Newly-built Grandview Estates at 1300 Talbert Court SE
Newly-built Grandview Estates at 1300 Talbert Court S.E. (map)

But even more significant are the huge economic benefits that will likely result from some major coming attractions. The $4 billion Anacostia Riverfront initiative will transform that barren stretch with a gym, swimming pool, bike and pedestrian trails, tennis and basketball courts, an amphitheater and boating facilities.

Funds from D.C.’s new bag tax are also going toward cleaning up the toxic river. The 11th Street Bridge renovation, a new streetcar system and the Four Points developers’ plans for a 1.5 million-foot mixed-use complex in the neighborhood’s center round out the initiatives that hold considerable potential for Anacostia’s prosperity.

The decision by the D.C. Office of Cable Television and Verizon to make Anacostia the first D.C. area to receive FiOS (fiber optic cable, internet and phone service) is another sign that this quarter is starting to get some real attention.

Longtime Residents Make Way for Newcomers

The transformation of Historic Anacostia will almost certainly change the face of the neighborhood, now home to a predominately single, African-American, working and middle class population. The median age of the some 8,000 residents is 30, the median income $30,000 and just 40 percent of the households have children, according to The Washington Post. Most rent and the median overall residency is 3.4 years.

Newcomers include single young professionals and families, attracted to the area thanks to the low home prices and the park and school improvements. Stan Voudrie, a Four Points principal, says he understands the concerns about gentrification he frequently hears from long-time residents. But he says they shouldn’t worry they’ll suffer the way others have in places like Shaw, where dense populations have people competing for high-priced properties.

“Folks that live here now aren’t going to be displaced. There’s so much space here that we’re going to be filling up apartments and empty houses,” says Voudrie, who has renovated several row homes on W Street. “I truly believe that the change over the next decade will benefit all the residents; it will continue to be an economically improving neighborhood.”

Low Priced, Fast Moving Housing Stock

Italianate, Victorian, Cottage and Queen Anne frame houses are the dominant property types in the area. Interspersed among these homes are brick public housing projects, row houses, a few contemporary homes and one- to four-story new condo buildings.

The average cost of a single-family home is around $260,000, one-bedroom condos average about $170,000 and two-bedroom condos $190,000. The latest condo developments include the Grandview Estates and Fendall Heights Condominiums (both priced from the low- to mid-$200,000’s).

Renovated Victorian in Anacostia
Renovated Victorian in Anacostia

Currently, 15 single-family homes and 31 condos are on the market. Home sales are brisk, according to neighborhood Realtor Darrin Davis, who said investors are snapping up a lot of the available inventory.

“Investment potential is at its best since 2002,” Davis said. “The prices are still low compared to other areas of the city. Six of my seven sales last month were all-cash deals with investors who bought homes that needed renovations.”

Renting

Just 28 percent of residents own their homes, and the rental stock (mostly investor-owned single-family homes or apartments) is tight. Renters are generally on government-assisted vouchers that pay $1,200/month for one-bedroom apartments, $1,400 for two-bedrooms and $2,000 for three-bedrooms.

The Schools Are Getting Better

As noted earlier, the schools in Anacostia have historically been some of the lowest performing in not only the city, but the entire country. However, efforts are being made to remedy that. Friendship Public Charter took over Anacostia Senior High Scool last year in an effort to turn the monumentally troubled school around.

The Thurgood Marshall Academy charter is D.C.’s highest performing non-selective public high school, and the shiny new public Savoy Elementary School boasts a state-of-the-art computer lab. Private schools include the secular Naylor Road School, the St. Francis Xavier Catholic School and the Islamic Clara Muhammad elementary school.

Big Chair Leads the Restaurant Influx

The Big Chair Coffee ‘N Grill, named after the World’s Largest Chair, a major Anacostia landmark erected in 1959, created a lot of of buzz when it opened on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue in January. The advent of a coffee shop was hailed as a harbinger in Anacostia, where sit-down restaurants are scarce.

The Uniontown Bar & Grill will open later this summer. In the meantime, the Fireside (Caribbean) and Morgan’s Fish ‘N Fry offer decent, affordable eats. Another restaurant, still un-named, is moving into the 1300 block of Good Hope Road with a projected October opening.

Big Chair Coffee at 2122 MLK Jr. Avenue
Big Chair Coffee at 2122 MLK Jr. Avenue (map)

The Douglass home and the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum are the neighborhood’s cultural heavyweights. The Honfleur and Vivid Solutions galleries, the American Poetry Museum and the African Heritage Dancers and Drummers studio are adding to Anacostia’s arts community.

Several parks, including the Fort Stanton woodlands and Anacostia Park on the waterfront, provide outdoor recreation. An unpaved hiker-biker trail runs east from Good Hope Road and the Suitland Parkway bike path is easily accessible.

A Shopping Desert

The Anacostia Art Gallery and Boutique carries African artifacts and home accessories, and American Shotta’s offers music and apparel, but otherwise it’s a shopping desert with just a few corner shops, a florist, and a small clothing store.

The Anacostia Warehouse Supermarket carries standard quality groceries in a quirky retro setting and the opening of a Yes! Organic Market near the Souza Bridge is close enough to give Anacostians something to cheer about.

Getting Around

The Anacostia Metro station on the Green Line sits on Howard Road in the western corner of the neighborhood. Metrobus lines A2, A4, A6, A8, B2 and U2 serve the area and bike paths run across both the Souza and 11th Street bridges. The Anacostia Freeway easily connects with the Frederick Douglass bridge to the west and other major D.C.-area freeways.

The 11th Street bridge replacement project will create two bridges to improve Anacostia’s accessibility. But, as it is in many neighborhoods, the new streetcar system is the best coming transportation news for the area. Its first phase, half of which is already complete, will begin operations in Anacostia in 2012 and will connect the neighborhood with H Street N.E. and Union Station.

Historically High Crime Rate Still Plagues Area

Crime is what many D.C. residents associate with Historic Anacostia, particularly homicides and other violent crimes. In March, The Washington Post reported that 11 of the 20 killings in the city since January were in communities like Historic Anacostia and Congress Heights.

Muggings are also a problem, but not necessarily worse than in trendier quarters like Adams Morgan and Georgetown, where late-night partiers and the well-heeled are targeted.

Though many hope Anacostia’s upward mobility will reduce the often drug-related crimes, resident Jeff Herrell says the opposite has been the case recently.

“We’ve had a lot of break-ins since the beginning of the year,” Herrell told UrbanTurf. “It’s kids and they’re after electronics, TVs, stereos and stuff like that.” He adds, however, that he doesn’t worry about violent crime. “It’s Southeast, so you get the homicides, but it’s mostly retaliation stuff, you know, like ‘You insulted my sister.’”

If You Build It Out, Will They Come?

For all the optimism, the pain of broken promises lingers along the blighted stretches of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue. Many a business has canceled plans to open, such as an upscale dining and dancing club, either because of onerous red tape or some financial complication. Others are adopting a wait-and-see attitude. Affinity Lab, which offers collective office space for independent entrepreneurs, raised hopes with talks about opening one of its “business incubators” in the neighborhood.

The lab’s CEO Charles Planck says the lab is focusing now on its new U Street Corridor location, though, and has no immediate plans for Anacostia.

David Garber, author of the neighborhood blog And Now, Anacostia, told UrbanTurf that a team consisting of Four Points and ARCH Development Corporation has picked up where Affinity Lab left off, and hopes to open a similarly-focused venture on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue in the next year.

Still, Planck echoes many who recognize Anacostia’s huge potential -- for both good and bad.

“Anacostia does have some unique opportunities -- and challenges -- that aren’t available in other communities.”

By Gretchen Cook. Gretchen is a Washington, DC-based journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Washingtonian Magazine.

* Photos taken by Glenn Hennessey.

More stuff about Anacostia

* ZIP code: 20020
* Historic Anacostia real estate data and profile from Redfin
* Anacostia rental listings on Craigslist
* And Now, Anacostia (neighborhood blog)
* Barry Farm (Re)Mixed (blog for nearby Barry Farm neighborhood)
* River East Emerging Leaders
* Anacostia River Realty: East of the river-based realty company

ANACOSTIA RIVER REALTY: The east of the Anacostia River experts.
http://www.AnacostiaRiverRealty.com

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Anacostia Streetcars Almost A Casualty Due To Budget Cuts



By KAREN GRAY HOUSTON/myfoxdc

WASHINGTON - Trolley cars were due to make a comeback in the District of Columbia in a couple of years, but there is probably going to be a delay.

The D.C. Council took a preliminary vote Wednesday to strip $49 million in funding and agreed to halt work on the project.

Several council members complained that the Fenty administration was building without a plan. Tracks for the 37-mile long system have been installed in places along the H Street corridor. However, there questions remained about how to power the streetcars. Questions are also being raised about whether streetcars riding in Anacostia should go to Bolling Air Force Base, not a destination for a lot of D.C. residents.

DDOT Director Gabe Klein said the council action would effectively kill streetcars for the city. Ward 6 councilman Tommy Wells agreed.

After numerous calls from citizens to the council complaining about a delay, Council Chairman Vincent Gray worked with the city's CFO to find more money. The council approved $10 million to cover the cost of three pending streetcars. $37 million was set aside for future financing and planning, but the money cannot be spent until the mayor's office comes up with a plan that can be approved by the council.


ANACOSTIA RIVER REALTY
: The east of the Anacostia River experts.
http://www.AnacostiaRiverRealty.com

Monday, May 24, 2010

Real Estate Investing



In the month of April, I sold 7 houses. All but one of these buyers was a real estate investor. With prices being so low, especially in the east of the Anacostia River market, it's a perfect time to buy. I've started purchasing investment property in the area myself. My plan and what I advise my clients is to hold onto their investment property and rent them out for the time-being. There is not a shortage of renters seeking housing. Below is an article for you that talks about investing. I hope you find it beneficial!

The Successful Investor: Not What You Think



While much has been done to crush the misconception, many still believe that to be a successful real estate investor, you must either have a lot of money or find some one-in-a-million opportunity. That is plainly not true and while it may certainly turn out that making money through investing comes easier as wealth increases, all wealth has to start somewhere and the real estate investing arena is no different.



In The Beginning

The biggest piece of advice any real estate investor can have when just starting out is to invest carefully. There will be many opportunities as you get deeper into the real estate investing field, but not all of them will set you on a path towards prolonged success. The most successful real estate investors deliberated carefully before picking an initial project, sometimes a hard thing to do when you make your mind up to get involved in real estate investing.



What ends up being the case here is that you will find a way to get involved in an investment without laying out your entire nest egg, though it will take some time. A common way to achieve that low-cost inroad is to partner with another investor on a particular property to get your feet wet and share the risk with another party. You may not see the huge windfall you've envisioned, but if you choose the right opportunity you will see enough to continue your investing career.



Save, Reinvest, Rinse, Repeat

Investing is a cycle and as you graduate from your first real estate investing experience, the best thing to do would be to put your earnings away in savings and then take a portion back out to reinvest in a new project. The best investors make a strict habit of saving at least a portion of the proceeds of every investment to gradually build up a fall-back reserve should an investment go horribly wrong.



You will find that most real estate investors make a serious commitment to saving and many never have a reason to stop doing so. While you will most likely run into a life event or investment hiccup that causes you to stop investing for a period of time, you will most likely see a rebound from that and begin again. Remember to save and reinvest your proceeds to continually benefit from your investments.



It Will Get Rocky

Very few real estate investors make it through an entire career without having some hardship and difficulty along the way. For most situations, successful investors will tell you that riding out the storm and waiting out a rough patch is the best way to combat a low market or other investment malady.



Markets, just like so many things in life, are cyclical and if your investment looks dour for a time, you would be well served to wait it out as prosperity is likely to return. That may seem a little touchy feely, but look at the stock market for inspiration. Though there will always be dips in the market, there is eventually a peak to offset that loss. Maintaining a similar outlook of patience on your real estate investments will likewise typically pay off in the end.



Though it may seem like only the wealthy get wealthier, getting involved in real estate investing does not have to be as daunting as it appears. Just getting a foothold in the investment arena with a small deal at the onset of your career is likely to eventually grow into bigger and bigger investments. Make certain that you save and remain level-headed as you go through your investment career and you will be able to speak from a position of authority when people ask you just how you did it.



By Joe Lane, co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team at http://www.joelane.com/. Are you looking for an experienced Tri City WA Real Estate agency? With 20 years of service based, business experience, Joe and Colleen Lane work hard to serve home buyers and sellers for the Tri Cities of Washington's Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, and surrounding areas.




ANACOSTIA RIVER REALTY
: The East of the Anacostia River Experts.
http://www.AnacostiaRiverRealty.com

Sunday, May 23, 2010

New Direction For Anacostia News

Beginning today, my blog will take a new direction. In the past I've talked about things that are going on in the east of the Anacostia River community. I'll still post and keep readers updated on community issues, but I am now going to talk about the booming real estate market we have east of the Anacostia River and how these issues affect real estate east of the Anacostia River. I'll post articles written by myself and others. I'll also give real estate tips in general. The first article will start with real estate basics; Real Estate Vocabulary written by Joe Lane.
Real Estate Vocabulary ~ Who Are The Players



When beginning a new venture, there is always a new language to learn. In real estate knowing the right language can be the difference between making good choices, and having serious problems down the road. To help buyers and sellers get on the right track, here are a few key words so you, too, can tell the different between real estate personnel.



The definitions here are for the most typical use, though in some states the definitions of Real Estate Agent and Real Estate Broker may be different. It is wise of confirm what an agent or broker means by that before entering into a business relationship with them.



Real Estate Agent



A real estate agent is an independent real estate sales person. Typically they are required to be licensed by the state. The majority of Real Estate Agents are employed by or under contract with a real estate broker. Real Estate Agents earn a percentage of the broker’s commission when they sell a home.



Real Estate Broker



A Real Estate Broker has undergone further training for additional real estate licensing. Real Estate Brokers are the homeowner’s direct link to the real estate market. While they do work as sales people, just like Agents, they spend an equal or greater amount of time searching for new homes to sell. Brokers are frequently in charge of supervising the purchasing process and often combine their real estate business with law, insurance, financing or some other related practice.



Realtor®



Frequently in the real estate business a Real Estate Agent or Broker will call himself a Realtor. An agent or broker is qualified to do this when they become members of the National Association of Realtors. The NAR is the worlds largest professional association. In order to be a member of the NAR, and there fore be a Realtor, agents and brokers must agree to follow the NAR’s strict Code of Ethics. This Code of Ethics protects buyers and sellers from unscrupulous business people. Making a point to work with a Realtor instead of an unaffiliated Real Estate Agent or Broker is one small guarantee that a buyer or seller will be treated well.



MLS or Multiple Listing Service



The MLS is a service that real estate brokers and agents have access to. It is a complete listing of all of the real estate available for sale in the area. Because maintaining this system isn’t free, there is a cost to subscribe. By working with an agent, buyers automatically has access to the MLS in addition to the expert advice of a real estate professional. With the technological advances of the past twenty years, accessing the MLS for cross country buyers is as simple as helping someone within the community. This streamlines the home buying process for dozens of buyers every day



By Joe Lane, co-owner of The Lane Real Estate Team at http://www.joelane.com/. Are you looking for an experienced Tri City WA Real Estate agency? With 20 years of service based, business experience, Joe and Colleen Lane work hard to serve home buyers and sellers for Tri Cities WA Real Estate, Kennewick Real Estate, Richland WA Real Estate, Pasco Real Estate, and surrounding areas.

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ANACOSTIA RIVER REALTY:
The east of the Anacostia River experts!
http://www.AnacostiaRiverRealty.com

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Restaurateur sees opportunity in Anacostia, will open new bar and grill

Natasha Dasher, a third-generation Washingtonian, who as the daughter of a former city housing administrator, knows her way around town. So when she left her corporate marketing job in Houston last year to return home and start a restaurant, she knew which areas to consider before she began talking to brokers and landlords.

She chose Anacostia.

In July, if permitting and construction continue as planned, Dasher will open the Uniontown Bar & Grill, a 1,500-square-foot spot for sandwiches, salads and cocktails that she believes will thrive.

The restaurant would be another new sit-down place to get a bite and a beer after work in the city's east of the Anacostia River neighborhood. It will offer antibiotic-free meats and fresh juices as mixers. The name -- Uniontown -- is what the neighborhood was called when it was first developed as a whites-only suburb in the 1850s.

Dasher, who worked as a marketing manager for Houston-based Satterfield & Pontikes Construction before deciding to open Uniontown, considered space on 14th Street Northwest, near the new Target store. But she isn't alone among local, independent restaurateurs who has chosen a location that many before would have considered less choice. Michael Landrum, owner of Ray's the Steaks in Arlington, opted to open his newest restaurant in Deanwood, another east of the Anacostia River neighborhood, in Northeast D.C.

Dasher made a simple calculation in choosing the 101-year-old building at 2200 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE: There were no competitors in a six-mile radius. Plus, rent was $15 less per square foot than in Columbia Heights.

She said she would be coming to Southeast whether or not the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was building a massive campus nearby -- but she is aware of the number of employees, 14,000, that are expected to arrive.

Please come out and show your support for this new project on June 1, 2010, 6pm at the next ANC meeting being held at the UPO building. The address is 1649 Good Hope Rd SE.

By Jonathan O'Connell
www.WashingtonPost.com

ANACOSTIA RIVER REALTY: The East of the Anacostia River Experts!

http://www.AnacostiaRiverRealty.com

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day

ANACOSTIA RIVER REALTY would like to wish all the mother's a very Happy Mother's Day.




ANACOSTIA RIVER REALTY: The east of the Anacostia River real estate experts.