Jim Abdo’s Brookland Project: Arts Walk, Housing, ‘Eclectic College Town Retail’ Coming…(Pt.2)

Earlier: See all the updated renderings of Abdo's Brookland development.

As I've blogged before, Abdo Development has been planning a new project across from the Brookland Metro Station, with construction slated to begin in 2011.

Here are a few more details about what's in store:  First up, Abdo will focus on the Arts Walk buildings, located right across from the Brookland Metro Station. On the ground floor, there will be 27 studio spaces for artists to work and sell their pieces.

"It’s kind of like a combo between the Torpedo Factory and Eastern Market," says  Toby Millman, Vice President of Project Development with Abdo Development.

"The art studios will face onto the arts walk, and each studio will have a glass roll up, and people can let their space kind of spread out into the arts walk. We foresee artists setting up displays or going out and working on the arts walk. People might set up kiosks—like on Eastern Market—that could be used for artists that might not have their studios there," says Millman.

Monroe Street is the so-called "spine" of the development. "We’re contemplating mostly smaller retail, and mostly kind of local, small, eclectic college town retail—coffee shops, sit-down restaurants, book shops, bike shops," says Millman. "The site happens to be on the new Metropolitan Branch bike trail."

All told, there should be 83,000 square feet of retail and 725 to 825 housing units, says Millman.  For more details on the phases of construction, and the development's location, see below.

View Larger Map

After finishing up the Arts Walk area—between Michigan, Monroe and 7th Streets—the builders will progress to the southside of Monroe Street, adjacent to the Art Walks west of 7th Street. Then, the final phase of construction will encompass the area on the south side of Monroe between 7th and 8th Streets, below the Arts Walk. Abdo's also building 45 townhouses for purchase (though I'm not entirely sure where they're going within the development.)