Passengers sit in the Union Station food court by Jordan Barab used with permission.

Amtrak seeks to use eminent domain to gain control of Union Station

Amtrak is asking a court to grant it control of leasing rights in Union Station under eminent domain after negotiations to buy the rights from the current leaseholder fell through. Amtrak believes that their ownership of the station would improve the retail offerings and enable improvements to facility management as well as seating, signage, and other changes.  (Luz Lazo / Post)  

WMATA reviewing signage, considering adding numbers or letters to Metro lines

WMATA is looking at several ways to improve wayfinding and accessibility. One concept that’s drawn attention is to assign numbers or letters to each respective Metrorail line, traditionally known by their color such as Orange Line and Red Line. But WMATA officials say they’re not there yet and are working on interim steps first to make rider journeys easier to plan and understand.  (Adam Tuss / NBC 4)  

Business owners along H Street NE raise concerns about ANC handling of liquor licenses for Black-owned businesses

Although Black-owned businesses make up less than half of the active liquor licenses along H Street NE, DCist found that four out of six liquor license protests initiated by the Advisory Neighborhood Commission or neighbors have been against Black-owned businesses. Business owners and other community members shared anecdotes with DCist of experiencing or witnessing disparate treatment in ANC 6A’s handling of liquor licenses.  (Amanda Michelle Gomez / DCist)  

Washington region ninth in the country in new apartment construction in 2023

High demand thanks to a post-pandemic bump in inbound migration is driving the construction of new apartments in the region. One analyst notes that 90% of units to come online have targeted upper middle- and high-income renters, but that there’s a growing move to build more affordable units. Most of the new apartments are concentrated in DC, Arlington, and Alexandria, with larger units more often found in the suburbs.  (Jeff Clabaugh / WTOP)  

Rep. Jamie Raskin asks Meta, Tiktok, WMATA to combat ‘subway surfing’

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is asking Meta and Tiktok to take down videos of people “subway surfing,” which entails people riding on top of Metro and other subway-style train cars, prompted by the death of a 15-year-old constituent in June. He is also asking WMATA for help.  (Valerie Bonk / WTOP)  

Montgomery County Planning Commission will review two major projects

The projects include a 390-unit mixed-use development near the planned new entrance to the Forest Glen Metro station and a 453-unit development on Battery Lane in Bethesda. Both projects include improvements to the streetscape to make it more accessible to pedestrians.  (Elia Griffin / MoCo360)  

Herndon explores how to improve support for cultural ‘mini-festivals’

The discussion at the Town Council meeting last week centered around how the town could do more to improve the bureaucratic processes around accessing financial support for cultural events. Next year’s budget includes $70,000 for cultural festivals in downtown Herndon.  (Fatima Waseem / FFXNow)  

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