Yesterday morning, the House Subcommittee on Government Operations held a hearing on federal-owned vacant buildings, but many of the attendees were there just to hear about the Half Street Market proposal at 49 L Street SE. Urban Turf was in attendance, and reported that the room was filled with supporters of the project. There was some support from elected officials as well.
The project seeks to create a market, restaurant, business incubator and education center in this 32,000 square foot vacant warehouse. At the hearing, ANC 6D Commissioner Ed Kaminski also suggested a hotel on top could provide some revenue. The building is valued at $19 million, so the real question is should DC invest in this idea. A representative from the General Services Administration also mentioned possibly working out an exchange of sorts with the city for the property, whatever that means.
· Is Half Street Market Possible? Thursday Hearing Offers Faint Hope [Urban Turf]
· All Coverage of the Half Street Market [Curbed DC]