'Gentrification Overdrive' on 14 Street Symbolizes D.C.'s Gilded Age

In D.C.'s newly-crowned densest area, apartment rents average $2,700 a month, cocktails cost $16, and it's tough to get a table on a Tuesday night. 14th Street's rapid renewal, emblematic of the city's recession-era boom, has some residents chafing.

1 minute read

July 22, 2013, 2:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

"The recession has proved to be more of a catalyst than a cataclysm for much of the District, and nowhere is that playing out more dramatically than the one-mile stretch of 14th Street from Thomas Circle to Florida Avenue," writes Annys Shin. "The formerly riot-scarred corridor has gone into gentrification overdrive, a boom fueled by investors looking for a safe place to park hundreds of millions of dollars, the relative ease of obtaining a liquor license, and the arrival of thousands of new residents longing to live downtown."

“What is going on on 14th Street is fascinating, anomalous and wonderful for the city,” said Harriet Tregoning, director of the D.C. Office of Planning.

However, not everyone is pleased with the area's new popularity. "Emanuel Silberstein, who grew up in Georgetown and moved to Logan Circle 11 years ago, is not sure he likes what he sees," notes Shin.

“'I knew I wasn’t moving to Hagerstown. I didn’t expect it to be the suburbs,' he said after a community meeting where he raised concerns about a boutique hotel expansion near his home. 'But I fear the balance has really shifted to the commercial interests.'”

FULL STORY: Gentrification in overdrive on 14th Street

Sunday, July 21, 2013 in The Washington Post

Urban Development District of Columbia 14th Street Logan Circle Gentrification

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