 | Washington Post by Shilpi Malinowski Twelve new houses are coming to a blighted area of Northeast Washington reserved for families making up to 50 percent of the area median income, or about $54,722 for a family of four. The 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom residences will be on Central Place NE, a one-block street in Ivy City. Six three-story townhouses will be divided into two residences apiece. |
 Washington Post
by Shilpi Malinowski Could a warehouse-filled, traffic-clogged District neighborhood one day match the post-industrial glamour of New York City’s Meatpacking District? Inspired by the famed New York neighborhood known for its trendy restaurants, boutiques and bars, Level 2 Development is seeking to transform a site at 320 Florida Ave. NE — currently home to a Burger King and some weedy overgrowth — into a 315-unit  Washington Post
by Ron Charles In a move to expand its retail operation and cultural offerings, Politics and Prose Bookstore will open five satellite locations in Busboys and Poets restaurants around the Washington area. Under an arrangement announced Thursday, the venerable bookstore in Chevy Chase will stock and manage the retail book sections of all but one of the current and planned Busboys and Poets owned by entrepreneur-artist-activist Anas “Andy” Shallal. The mini-stores, staffed by  The Washington Post
by Michele Lerner Federal Capital Partners and Level 2 Development recently began leasing Takoma Central, a new 150-unit apartment building in Northwest Washington’s Takoma D.C. neighborhood adjacent to the Takoma Metro station. The building’s first floor will be occupied by a Busboys and Poetsr estaurant, and residents will be able to walk to the neighborhood’s eclectic mix of shops and restaurants as well as the year-round Takoma Park Farmers Market.  Washington Post
by Liz Essley Whyte Julie Williams’ studio apartment is about the size of a large master bedroom, except that a kitchen and bathroom are crammed in as well. At 350 square feet, it’s the smallest apartment she’s ever lived in, and she loves it. “I previously lived in a two-bedroom [in Olney, Md.], but I would rather live here,” says the 36-year-old National Institutes of Health employee, who is one of a new wave of renters willing to swap space for the ideal location. “I have everything  Washington Post
by Clinton Yates Abinet Birrratu, a student at a nearby Strayer campus, stops in for a snack at Takoma Bistro, in Takoma Park, Maryland, on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. At right, Katrina Browne enjoys the quiet ambience of the restaurant. A new Busboys and Poets Restaurant will bring more dining options to the neighborhood which straddles the DC/Maryland border. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post) (Nikki Kahn - THE WASHINGTON POST) Looks like Andy Shallal has struck gold. The owner of Busboys and Poets, the highly successful chain of Washington  Washington Post Capitol Business Blog
by Jonathan O'Connell Shortly after Andy Shallal opened Busboys and Poets on 14th Street NW in 2005, he said he began receiving a stream of e-mails and phone calls from residents of the Takoma neighborhood of D.C. and its Maryland neighbor, Takoma Park, a neighborhood long known for its counter-culturism. Would Shallal, an Iraqi-American whose opposition to the invasion of Iraq helped put Busboys on the map, consider opening a location there? The e-mails never stopped, and on Tuesday, Shallal decided that he would answer them by signing a lease to open a 6,500-square-foot Busboys in a new retail-and-apartment project The Washington Post
by Lynn Thorne Tatyana Schum was single, 30, and looking for new friends. So she decided to take action. No, she didn't sign up for "speed friending," hit MySpace or join a book club. Instead, she organized a condo crawl through her Park Fairfax neighborhood near Shirlington. Now, a couple of times a year, Schum and her fellow Alexandrians spend an hour socializing at one condo owner's house, sharing everything from gardening tips to decorating ideas. They then move on to a kind of roving party at several other neighbors' condos that continues until late in the evening. "I wanted to meet people," she said. "It seemed that there were so many young, single people in my neighborhood. And they were right there. But I didn't want to exclude anyone. It seemed natural to have the whole community involved."  by Chris Kirkham
Offers to buy Paulo and Pedro Petrovitch's garage started coming in more than 15 years ago. Their popular auto-repair shop at 14th Street and Florida |
