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Union Market: The Western Section

12 Nov

For the purposes of this post, the western section is defined as the area starting on the northern side of Florida Avenue, NE by 3rd Street, going over to 4th Street, and then running up the western side of 4th Street until Penn Street.  You can view our interactive map here (note: this is not perfectly drawn to scale and does not perfectly reflect lot lines, etc).  The properties are colored by owner; the color purple indicates that the property is not owned by one of the large development companies.

Union Market Western Section

Union Market Western Section

The western section of Union Market is the area most likely to see significant changes soon.  This area has several large warehouse buildings that are either owned by major developers or are for sale currently.  Plans have already been announced for three of these parcels, and one will break ground soon.

Before moving on to individual properties, it is important that we provide some background context on Edens, the company that operates the new Union Market building and that owns much of the land in the area.  Edens, a South Carolina company, specializes in large retail projects across the United States.  They usually focus on retail, but many of their projects include large portions of residential or office space.  Some of their nearby projects include Jenkins Row in Southeast and the Mosaic District in Fairfax.  Edens completely renovated the Union Market building and has a vision for how to revitalize the entire area that includes significant housing and food-oriented retail.  The company also has the money to buy properties and redevelop them quickly; the company got a $1.5 billion investment late last year and, according to The Washington Post, plans to expand the value of the properties in its portfolio from $4 billion to $7 billion.

Now for the specific properties, beginning in the southwest corner on Florida Avenue (view interactive map here):

320 and 350 Florida Avenue

320 and 350 Florida Avenue

  • 320 Florida Avenue (green on map): this land is currently occupied by a Burger King but was purchased by Level 2 (Level 2 is working on the residential aspect of Edens’s 1270 4th Street project).  The company plans around 200 apartments and retail for the space but has yet to file formal plans.
  • 350 Florida Avenue (red on map), Gateway Market: this lot starts on Florida Avenue and moves up 4th Street.  The land is currently empty.  The land was purchased by Edens after it had already gone through the zoning process under different ownership (the Choi Family, also major landowners in the area, previously owned it), and Edens recently modified the plans.  Now Gateway Market will feature 170-216 residential units, including 20% affordable housing, and will also have major retail space on the ground floor.  Edens initially had planned to break ground this year but has now stated that it will be early next year.

After Gateway Market, imagine turning left down Morse Street and walking to the end of the street (view interactive map here):

300 and 350 Morse Street

300 and 350 Morse Street

Continue reading →

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Union Market: Edens Has Major Culinary Retail Tenant for 1270 4th Street

11 Nov
1270 4th Street

Site of Future Edens Apartment/Retail Building at 1270 4th Street, NE

Union Market developer Edens has a major retail tenant for its future retail/residential project at 1270 4th Street, NE in the Union Market area (top red box on map).  Speaking at a meeting of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6C Planning, Zoning, and Environment Committee last week, representatives for Edens gave a presentation on their plans for the 1270 4th Street parcel that is to the southwest of Edens’s existing Union Market building.  Edens is planning an apartment building with major retail on the first and second floors.  According to Edens, they already have a culinary retailer who will occupy the retail space and who will create a Union Market-style eatery space.  The retailer is apparently a significant name in the culinary world that people will recognize, and this project is the first of its kind for this person in the United States.  However, the identity of the retailer is not being released because the project is several years away from breaking ground.  When an ANC Commissioner joked that it was Eataly (there have been rumors that Eataly is coming to a different part of town for years), Edens joked that it was a good guess but not correct.  We reached out to Edens after the meeting for additional comment but did not hear back.

View our interactive Union Market map here.

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Union Market Series: A Preview of the Future

10 Nov

Almost everyone knows about the new Union Market–the massive indoor culinary market that opened two years ago and currently features over 40 different vendors and small restaurants.  The Market building previously housed the D.C. Farmers Market until a serious fire destroyed the building several years ago.  At that point, Edens, the owner, decided to completely remodel the building and reposition the concept to become the premiere culinary destination for foodies across the District.  Located between 5th and 6th streets and bounded by Neal Place in Northeast, the Market has been come a magnet for people around the area.  For the past two years, Edens has held a ton of different events ranging from beerfests to ice cream parties to musicfests to drive-in movies to put Union Market on the map for people across the District.

The Market itself and the surrounding area have a fascinating history dating to the 1800s (click here to see the progression through the years) and has been called Florida Avenue Market, Union Market Terminal, and Capital City Market.  The largely warehouse district previously was a hub for food distributors around the area, partially based upon its proximity to the railroad.  However, over time many of the buildings have lost their previous tenants and much of the area has become rundown.  At one point in the late 2000s, there was a plan to consolidate ownership of the Market area and push through a massive redevelopment project; however, this plan fell through.  Regardless, this deterioration of the area stands in very stark contrast to the new Union Market building that holds some of the most upscale food stores around town and that is packed with people and families every weekend.

While you know about the new Union Market building, what you probably don’t know about are the impressive plans for a revitalization of the area in the years ahead.  In this series, we will be taking a look at what is in store for the Union Market area in the future.  We will begin with several posts looking at the area in a series of geographical chunks: the west section, the middle section, the east section, and the upper section.  Finally, we will examine two existing spots in the Market that you are probably overlooking right now (A. Litteri Italian market and Angelika Pop-Up Theater).  Questions or comments?  As always, please feel free to use the comment section.

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