Good news for grocery store aficionados in the District: the long-delayed Harris Teeter store locations in the District, one in Adams Morgan at Kalorama and 17th NW and the other at Pennsylvania Ave. SE, across from the Potomac Avenue Metro stop, finally have some official-sounding opening dates. According to an email forwarded by Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham to the Third Police District, the Adams Morgan location will open in mid-February, with the Capitol Hill store opening one month later. They will be the first locations of the popular grocery store inside the District of Columbia.

The stores have been an extremely long time coming. We first heard about the Pennsylvania Ave. location back in October, 2004 and the Adams Morgan store in February 2005, but delays regarding construction, adequate parking, liquor licenses and all the other standard issue furnishings associated with new development quickly brought plans to a snail’s pace. Earlier opening dates have been announced time and time again, with the earliest “official” opening date for Adams Morgan clocking in at just under two years ago.

Will these dates actually hold firm? It looks that way, since all of the roadblocks originally raised by neighborhood groups seem finally to have been removed, though given past experience, we won’t hold our breath for too long.