Rhode Island Ave. Overhaul: An Art District in Woodridge?
Last month, the city released a new vision for Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast. We read it, so you don’t have to.
This area, subarea three, calls for the creation of an arts district, or more specifically to “take advantage of the diverse and older building stock to regenerate” the area in the form of a “commercial district along with an eclectic arts district with galleries, coffeeshops, eateries, studios, dance classes and more.”
Overall, city planners aim to add 183 rental units and 152 for-sales units to the area.
Highlights from the plan:
The aforementioned arts district would be established in the area shown above, between 20th Street and South Dakota Avenue. The city is interested in the possible creation of a DC Main Street— like Barracks Row, for example—to attract the right mix of shops.
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6:41 pm
This would be the third? arts district on RI (Mt. Rainier & Hyattsville have arts districts or arts-oriented districts). I’m starting to wonder if we have enough artists (and patrons/consumers).
10:19 pm
If we really want to start up an ‘arts’ district, then we have to look at what it takes to attract artists, and that is, first and foremost, inexpensive studio space. Generally this type of space is crafted out of derelict industrial stock – warehouses, factories, and sweatshops all can be converted cheaply into live-work space.
DC doesn’t have much of this type of building, though, given that its primary industrial products have traditionally been bullshit and hot air. However, what there is of this type of building here is almost entirely in or adjacent to the Rhode Island corridor – just not in this area, per se. Heading north along the east side of the Metro and CSX tracks there are half a dozen empty industrial buildings, as well as clusters around the BET building as well as in Eckington. There are already conversions in place in Brookland – the Dance space as well as the Brookland studios are examples.
If DC wants an art district, they need to craft some revisions to the zoning codes and set aside some subsidies for conversion of these spaces. Make it affordable – there’s plenty of artists in DC who would love some place to work. At least, there used to be until they all moved to Baltimore.