Results tagged “vacants”

   

Renovation work began late last week on the exteriors of several long-vacant properties owned by Shiloh Baptist Church in the 1500 block of 9th Street NW.

This is a question I often ask myself when strolling by the intersection of 14th and U Streets NW (though thankfully a little less often now, since the long-awaited redevelopment of the buildings on the northeast corner nears completion). Matt Yglesias offers up the vacant building next door, however, as a case study in why, even accounting for the current recession, so many city storefronts in seemingly ideal locations remain vacant for so long. Assuming that a landlord has difficulty attracting a new tenant at the current rent, shouldn't there be an incentive then to lower the rent? Isn't some rent better than no rent at all?

After decades of promises but little action, Shiloh Baptist Church in Shaw has decided to sell two of its controversial vacant buildings and use the proceeds to fund a major redevelopment of its remaining properties.

The District is facing a massive budget shortfall over the next several years, but despite proposals to cut more jobs, reduce city services and now even raise taxes, the mayor's revised FY2010 budget still includes roughly $13 million for the upkeep of the city's many vacant properties, the Examiner reports today. What does that $13 million get us?: "... rent, utilities, security and other so-called fixed costs tied to 20 empty buildings in D.C.'s possession," writes reporter Michael Neibauer. Now, several of the buildings that are vacant are schools that were emptied by Fenty as part of his DCPS reorganization, and they'll theoretically be sold eventually. But this headline has to sting for the various agency heads who are once again faced with trying to decide which of their remaining employees they're going to have to fire soon.