Why Gentrify?!

I haven’t been living in the U Street Corridor for long, but I see a lot of unfinished condos that seem unchanged. I know the bubble has burst and that developers went waaayy crazy squeezing condos in wherever they could, not anticipating that condo sales would ever slow down. Some condo projects have even had to switch to rental units.

I’ve been curious about The Floridian condos at 919 & 929 Florida Ave. NW. I honestly cannot tell if construction is continuing or if any changes have been made in the couple of months I’ve been around. I’ve seen nothing and heard nothing. Does anyone know what’s going on with these condos?

I’ve read a few reviews about this project, some of it positive, some of it negative. Some love the design, others think it is garish and hideous. I think the towers will each be different colors, which I don’t think is a great choice. Any opinions on the design?

Anyway, I’d love to see the place get finished, with actual condo owners moved in. It has a great location. The Metro is close, plenty of restaurants are nearby, Howard University is right there, the 9:30 Club is just around the corner, and all of U Street is just steps away! I know someone has to rent (I used to do it not too long ago!), and I am not anti-rental units or renters, but I would prefer not to have a bunch of condo towers become the next high-rise apartments, which could eventually become the next high-rise projects (not the good kind). Property ownership just brings a little more stability to neighborhoods, something this particular area still needs.

Tags: 9:30 club, condo projects, condos, construction projects, florida avenue, floridian condos, howard university, property, real estate, rental units, U Street Corridor

This entry was posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 7:00 am and is filed under U Street Corridor, condos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.