UT Reader Asks: How is Bladensburg Road?

• February 24, 2010
• 3 Comments

by Mark Wellborn

Capital City Diner (opening today) by wageslaves

In this week’s installment of UrbanTurf Reader Asks, a reader curious about the Bladensburg Road corridor in Trinidad asks readers for their thoughts on the area.

I saw your article on Trinidad the other week, and the many comments from neighborhood residents. I wanted to ask about the Bladensburg Road corridor that marks the southeast boundary of Trinidad. I have heard a lot about the Jimmy Valentine’s bar as well as the Capital City Diner which is opening soon, and a friend looking for condos told me about The Renee, a new condo building over there. And of course, H Street and the new trolley are just a few blocks away, but despite all that, the street (not the neighborhood itself) still feels vacant and sketchy, especially at night. What do your readers think?

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This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/ut_reader_asks_how_is_bladensburg_road/1812

3 Comments

1. martin said at 1:34 pm on Wednesday February 24, 2010:

   I was at the Capitol City Diner last night - the food is great, and I think it’s a step in the right direction for that neighborhood.

   That being said, I tend to use the “sister” test in deciding if I’d live in a neighborhood. If I would be concerned about my little sister walking my dog for me after dark, it’s a no-go for me. In this case, I don’t think I’d let my little sister walk a pair of dobermans with an armed guard tagging along in this area after dark.

   Bladensburg Road has great potential, and if we were still in a housing boom, I’d feel differently. It is proximate to other development, and has an affordable housing stock that draws new buyers. But the H Street trolley is 3-5 YEARS away from hitting this end of H Street and being operational, and development is *another* 3-5 years after that. I’d rather rent than live somewhere that may be a decade before I’m comfortable leaving my house at night. And remember, until the trolley starts running, the X2 bus (which has a body count) is the only way to get to town…

1. Bladensburg said at 8:17 am on Thursday February 25, 2010:

   This is an area that I expect good things from in the coming months/years. The Capital City Diner is great and I expect that more things like it will be coming to Bladensburg Road soon.

1. Les said at 10:49 am on Thursday February 25, 2010:

   Abdo had bought up a lot of property opposite the Arboretum on Bladensburg Road to build luxury homes/condos. Financing for the housing market is so so bad, the project has been put off indefinitely, even though the PUD was approved. Once this project is up and running, you might find a desireable stock of housing and safe living environment, if nothing suits your price and fancy on H Street. The Abdo project may be another reason why Capital City Diner chose Bladensburg rose besides the unaffordability of H Street. H Street still has a lot of vacant commercial spots.

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