Hope for Blighted Corner in Historic Anacostia

Regardless of what improvements are made around it, a charred façade of three old storefronts at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and Good Hope Road in Southeast has refused to improve. It's been vacant, overgrown with weeds, and even damaged by fire, and business advocates have championed its demolition for years. But since the structure is more than 100 years old, historic preservationists have stood in the way of that.

The Anacostia Economic Development Corporation has been trying to take over the aging structure for some time now, and now they have cause for hope. According to the Washington Business Journal, District officials have approved the demolition of the rear of the building. AEDC will be able to take over the building after that.

As executive director of Main Street Anacostia, Yavocka Young is painfully aware of how buildings like this one negate the corridor's viability and add to the perception of blight in the neighborhood ("Strip Tease," Nov. 16) She's not sure exactly how long it will take to redevelop the site, or what businesses will be able to move in or when, but she's hopeful it's a step in the right direction.

"I think it's good that development can move forward," she says.