Douglas Development is less than two weeks away from breaking ground on a 30-unit apartment building at 14th and Florida Ave NW, principal Norman Jemal confirms. The project has been in the works for
years.
"We have people at DCRA hoping to walk out with permits," he says.
The completed building, which will be located at the former "Latino Auto Sale" car lot at 2221 14th St NW, will provide 25 1-bedroom and five studio apartments, and 2,700 square feet of ground-level retail.
"We haven't selected a retailer as of yet," Jemal says. If the space were to become a restaurant, it would be able to seat up to 100 indoors and 32 outdoors on a yet-to-be-built patio on Florida Avenue. "It'll be really nice retail with great corner exposure," he says. "Obviously there's a lot happening in that area."
U Street remains a hot real estate market with multiple projects in the pipeline in the immediate area. Just a few blocks south of 2221 14th St is JBG's Louis at 14th, a 9-story, 267-unit apartment building currently under construction. And at 13th and U, JBG plans an 8-story space to replace the strip mall currently on the block.
The average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in zip code 20009, encompassing 2221 14th Street, is $1,759 per month, according to website Rentometer.com.