Posts by John Muller — Contributor
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In 1979, was your neighborhood “sound” or “distressed”?
DC looked very different in 1979. A map of neighborhood housing conditions shows just how much. In many DC neighborhoods that are now in high demand, the housing stock was in danger decades ago. Keep reading…
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Three big developments are coming to Ward 8. But how soon?
In Ward 8, a number of big residential and commercial developments are scheduled for public review this fall, many of which have been delayed for years. It is a vicious and repetitive cycle, and while a critical mass appears to be coming, community members privately wonder: “Will this actually happen?” Keep reading…
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This is what 100 people riding dirt bikes through your neighborhood looks like
Twice this past weekend, a phalanx of young men on dirt bikes and ATVs rode through 16th and W Streets SE in Old Anacostia. This is a common occurrence in this neighborhood, which is full of children and seniors. Many fear it could lead to tragedy, but it seems police can’t do much about it right now. Keep reading…
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Should these Anacostia homes become affordable housing?
Four homes in Historic Anacostia have sat vacant and in disrepair for decades, despite years of neighbors’ efforts to redevelop and preserve them. The DC government owns these blighted properties and just recently designated them to be rehabilitated and turned into affordable housing. But some neighbors and DC Councilmembers say an earlier plan— one that would make them market rate homes— should be the one moving forward. Keep reading…
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An unwelcome rider on Metro’s platform
To my eye, more rats and rodents appear to be within the Metro than in past years. But is the number actually going up? Nobody knows. Keep reading…
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Can a bookstore open east of the Anacostia River?
Wards 7 and 8 are rich with cultural institutions, from THEARC to Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum to the Gateway Pavilion at Saint Elizabeths East Campus. Yet there is not a single independent bookstore east of the Anacostia River. Can this change? Will it? Keep reading…
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There aren’t any bookstores east of the Anacostia River, and that hurts children
You probably know large swaths of Wards 7 and 8, east of the Anacostia River, are food deserts. Did you know these communities are also book deserts? Although there are numerous cultural and artistic institutions east of the river, the lack of a bookstore impedes the intellectual growth of the community, especially young children and their parents. Keep reading…
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Proximity to transit has always been good for DC real estate, even 150 years ago
Today, DC area real estate revolves around proximity to Metro. But transit-oriented development is nothing new here. 150 years ago, owners of boarding houses used access to the city’s omnibus lines to appeal to antebellum urbanists. This ad appeared in the Daily Evening Star on June 26, 1854. That year, three omnibus lines ran throughout Washington, serving the Capitol,… Keep reading…
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In 1979, was your neighborhood “sound” or “distressed”?
DC looked very different in 1979. A map of neighborhood housing conditions shows just how much. In many DC neighborhoods that are now in high demand, the housing stock was in danger 35 years ago. Keep reading…
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Anacostia’s larger-than-life Big Chair is full of neighborhood history
There’s a humongous chair at the corner of Martin Luther King Avenue and V Street in Anacostia, named, appropriately, the Big Chair. And while it is quite the spectacle, the Big Chair is also a symbol of economic opportunity in the neighborhood. Keep reading…