Will New Retail Jump Start Tenleytown Real Estate Market?

• August 31st 2009

by Mark Wellborn

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The stretch of Wisconsin Avenue between Albemarle and Davenport Street in Tenleytown has never been very kind to the stores, restaurants and bars that have opened up shop along the avenue over the years. Babe’s Billiards, Nobody Beats the Wiz and The Outer Circle movie theater are just a handful of places that closed their doors after struggling to stay afloat.

Well, DCmud is reporting that the area could see some new retail and much needed renovations to one long-standing establishment in the coming months. Specifically, “a one-story, 3600 s.f. building, with a ‘decorative cupola’ that will serve retail” is currently being constructed above the Metro and the Tenleytown Safeway at 3203 Davenport Street will undergo a complete renovation at some point in 2010. Here are a few excerpts about both projects:

The retail above the Metro:

“Keystone Development, representatives of the property owner Circle Management, have begun work on the site but have not yet scored a retail client. Keystone has hired K3 Construction Group to build the structure. According to K3 representative Kathy McCormick, the site will be “very challenging” work for its proximity to the metro entrance and tunnel, a process that requires WMATA to sign off.”

The renovated Safeway:

“Renovation and design will be overseen by Torti Gallas. The new designs will incorporate Safeway’s ‘lifestyle’ branding – the grocer’s move to incorporate urban design principles into their stores by improving pedestrian friendliness and adding more diverse retail into the shopping experience.”

Tenleytown does not quite have the same allure to first and second-time home buyers that other DC neighborhoods do, so perhaps the coming retail will help breathe some new life into the area.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/will_new_retail_jump_start_tenleytown_real_estate_market/1265.