NEIGHBORHOOD
Shaw Streets by Pleasant Mann A winner in the Shaw Open House raffle with Executive Director Alexander Padro. Photo by Pleasant Mann
Shaw Main Streets Holds Open House
Shaw Main Streets held a neighborhood business open house event on Saturday afternoon, June 25, featuring Shaw businesses north of Rhode Island Avenue. Shaw Open Houses to introduce residents and those beyond the neighborhood to the offerings of local businesses had been a biannual event, until the pandemic hit. This Shaw Open House was the first held since 2019. Shaw Open House started at the Streetsense Streetmarket, located at the Howard Theatre parking lot (behind 620 T Street, NW) where people could pick up a Shaw Open House Passport at the Shaw Main Streets booth. The Streetmarket was a collection of local product makers — like Little Sesame, ReWild, and Chippin Dog Treats — offering their wares at this pop-up market event. The Streetsense Streetmarket also benefited the Washington Housing Conservancy. Then Open House participants took their passports for validation at participating Shaw businesses, where they enjoyed free food and beverage samples and special offers. The passports included $20 worth of the ever-popular Shawbucks, coupons that could be used for any purchases made during the day. Participating businesses included ABT Liquors, Compass Coffee, DC SHAWarma, FishScale, Gogi Yogi, Lee’s Flower and Card Shop, Nellie’s SportsBar, Prescription Chicken, Rewild, Right Proper Brewpub, Roasted Boon Company, Serv-U Liquors, Shaw’s Tavern, Stop Smack’n
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Restaurant & Lounge, Taqueria Xochi, Union Kitchen Grocery, Wanda’s on 7th Salon & Spa and Yoga Heights. After Shaw Open House ended, participants went to Shaw’s Tavern for an after party, where they were treated to free pizza and champagne. After everyone turned in their passports, there was a raffle where over 30 prizes from local businesses were given out. Another Shaw Open House, this time covering businesses south of Rhode Island Avenue, is planned for some time in the fall.
Lincoln Temple Gets Redevelopment Grant
and the facility can be rented out to nonprofits and other community service providers.
Is Development in Shaw Drying Up?
Bisnow, Washington, DC noted recently that some of the most desirable neighborhoods, including Shaw, are running out of space for further development. According to the last survey done by Delta Associates, the Shaw-Columbia Heights submarket commanded the highest rents per square foot but had the smallest number of projects in the development pipeline compared to other areas in the District. Their conclusion is that there are not many opportunities left for largescale development in Shaw. Bisnow found only four major housing projects underway in Shaw, totaling less than 1,000 new units. However, community residents have recently been briefed on plans to create over 2,000 additional rental housing units, including affordable units,
Lincoln Temple, on the corner of R and 11th Streets, will receive a grant from Amazon.com’s Housing Equity Fund to develop affordable housing on the site. The grant is one of 10 affordable housing developments and studies in the DMV area benefitting from the fund, which the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments will administer through its newly formed Housing Affordability Planning Program. The history of the site dates back to 1868 when it started as the Lincoln Industrial Mission, dedicated to teaching young Black students in the post-Civil War era. On its 50th anniversary, one former student, John Alwood, recounted his trek “every Sunday from home near Howard University, over open fields, to the Lincoln Mission.” The Lincoln Temple building, Planning is underway to convert Lincoln Temple to affordable housing. now on the National Register of Historic Photo by Pleasant Mann Places, dates to 1928 when it housed a predominantly Black congregation of what is now the United Church of Christ. on several Howard University properties along and DC and Lincoln Congregational Temple Unitnear Georgia Avenue. ed Church of Christ will receive $71,300 for predeThe Bisnow article found at least one developer velopment activities in order to rehabilitate and rewho disagrees with Delta Associates’ conclusion. purpose the three-story historic church building in Buwa Binitie, principal of Dantes Partners, has Shaw. Plans are to turn it into 19 units of affordable two current projects in Shaw, one at Eighth and O housing and 5,290 square feet of community space. Streets, the other at Seventh and R Streets. BinThe Lincoln Legacy Affordable Housing Developitie credits the neighborhood’s political leaders for ment will be available to families earning between being supportive of development projects in Shaw 30 and 80 percent of local median family income,
