The historic interior hall of Union Station by Daniel Kelly used with permission.

Union Station officials offer plan to save beleaguered station

Union Station’s management wants to reverse the station’s decline by boosting the presence of law enforcement, filling vacant storefronts with new tenants, and making the station appear cleaner and brighter. While Amtrak service has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, commuter traffic has yet to recover, which is a major challenge to the station’s recovery.  (Luz Lazo / Post)  

100+ cyclists show their support for bike lanes on Old Georgetown Road

Over 100 cyclists convened on Sunday to ride newly installed bike lanes on Old Georgetown Road in Montgomery County. The cyclists gathered to send a message to both supporters (and opponents) of the new lanes about why they’re necessary, especially in the wake of recent deaths involving cyclists along the corridor.  (Steve Bohnel / Bethesda Beat)  

Curbside Groceries steps in to fill gaps created by closed Bellevue grocery.

Grocery store operator Good Food Markets closed its location in southeast DC’s Bellevue neighborhood, effectively creating a food desert. Fortunately, mobile grocery vendor Curbside Groceries has reintroduced access to fresh foods in the neighborhood, with help from public and philanthropic funding.  (Amanda Michelle Gomez / DCist)  

How Metro’s potential fare increase compares to peer systems

Metro is raising fares first the first time in five years by roughly five percent as part of an effort to simplify the agency’s distance-based fare system. With a maximum fare of $6.50, Metro would still cost more than most other systems that use a flat fare per ride.  (Justin George / Post)  

How trends on interest rates, housing prices, and jobs affect the region’s housing market

High interest rates are keeping many prospective homebuyers out of the market, but a lowering of rates would likely cause more people to get off the sidelines and participate in the market.  However, if rates remain high, home prices could continue to decline.  Economic downtowns could also impact the housing market, but the Washington region’s economy is somewhat recession-proof.  (UrbanTurf)  

Data center turned indoor-farm in Herndon claims 200x the productivity of traditional farming

Brothers Mike and Jack Ross leveraged existing indoor farming technology to convert an abandoned data center into a farm located about half a mile from the Herndon Metro station. The half-acre site yields, the Rosses explain, as much produce as 100 acres of land.  (Jill S. Devine / Northern Virginia Magazine)  

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