What happened to plans for apartments at the former Van Ness Burger King?
To recap: A developer announced at an ANC 3F meeting last November its intention to purchase three lots on the same Van Ness block: The former Burger King site at 4422 Connecticut Avenue, the parking lot directly behind the restaurant and drive-thru area, and the former Days Inn parking structure (at 3415 Yuma Street) to the south.
Highcrest wanted to build 110 apartments on two of those three lots.
The contract had been signed, but not closed. Then, as the early-1980s structure was being razed in February, we noticed the three lots were being marketed again by commercial real estate broker Feldman Ruel.
The Highcrest sale had fallen through, but we did not know why.
Now, the Washington Business Journal is reporting it came down to a potential title issue that turned out to be more of a red herring than a red flag. But the damage was done. The delay led to the departure of project’s equity partner, and that was that.
The article has even more property history and backstory. If you’re not a WBJ subscriber, you can read the publication with a DC Library card.
Rebranding blitz
Three local businesses and one apartment building are now operating under new names.
ZaoAn Cafe (4340 Connecticut), which was previously The Whale Tea, installed its new sign in mid-August. Its neighbor AllCare, the primary care provider, is now doing business as CloseKnit.
As we wrote in last Business in Brief, Shemali’s is now Leez Deli.
We also previously reported that the former Albemarle the Avalon apartments are now, simply, The Albemarle, after its previous owner sold the building to WC Smith. There’s a sign (above) for that too.
Around the world in 125 wines: Calvert Woodley (4339 Connecticut) hosts wine tastings every Friday. But some of its events are far too big for its store.
One example of that is its Wine World Tour on Oct. 2 in the third floor ballroom at the UDC Student Center. The event is billed as a “preview tasting” of new bottles hitting the shelves this fall, as well as an opportunity to explore wines from more than 70 producers across the globe. You can purchase tickets here.
Another UDC-local business collaboration: The basil used by Bread Furst (4434 Connecticut) this year has been supplied by UDC, which grows all manner of produce on its research farms at its Van Ness campus and in Beltsville, Maryland, and conducts research on soilless agriculture.
A free meal at I’m Eddie Cano, but there’s a catch: You have to eat it all or you pay more.
It costs $49 to reserve “la sfida,” which means “the challenge” in Italian. That challenge is to eat ten servings of Roman pasta. The rewards for completing la sfida are as follows: a refund of the $49 deposit, a $200 gift card, and your name on the restaurant’s wall.
Lose the challenge, and you’ll be billed another $150. I’m Eddie Cano (5014 Connecticut) says the dish would normally cost around $230 to $270, depending on the type of pasta.
La sfida takes place Thursdays and is limited to two people each night. Your space must be reserved at least 24 hours in advance.
A special for new customers at Tikka (4221 Connecticut):
Discover more from Forest Hills Connection
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.