Comments on: What Neighborhoods Will Be The Next Hot Spots?

By: Kofi Bofah

Kofi Bofah — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 06:47:06 +0000

Gaithersburg and Laurel must be all about the Inter County connector.

The list seems to have been made with affordability in mind. Real estate is cheaper on a relative basis in these outlying areas.

I don’t think these ‘up and coming’ areas will rise any time soon, though. The real estate boom has given way to bust. We will have to wait for another cycle before any drastic turnaround in these communities occurs – if ever.

I would not recommend that buyers speculate on anything that is labeled ‘up and coming’ right now.

By: SG

SG — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:23:04 +0000

Rob- I’d love to see it as well. No worries though

By: SG

SG — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:38:45 +0000

I think for suburban locales:
Gaithersburg, Takoma Park (if NIMBYism subsides), Mt. Rainer (this one really came out of nowhere, eh?), Shirlington, Columbia Pike, and Greenbelt.

For urban areas:
-Historic Anacostia (and Poplar Point in like 7 years)
-H Street (obviously)
-PETWORTH/GA AVE (ok, so it’s primarily residential, but Georgia Ave has major potential for bars & restaurants- NIMBYs cant complain about bars on major commercial strips)
-14th Street from Thomas Circle to Columbia Heights (lots of restaurants on the way)

By: dan reed

dan reed — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:03:45 +0000

There are two kinds of urbanity that people idealize – that of big cities and that of small towns. Places like Laurel, Occoquan and Mount Rainier can offer that small-town character. Old Town Laurel may be run-down in parts, but it’s got great urbanism – gridded streets, good 19th-century architecture, a variety of building types, all of which are crazy affordable compared to their counterparts downtown, and none of which can be re-created in new developments like Konterra or Kentlands. That’s why it’s important to market them aggressively – Philadelphia already has for their suburban small towns with their “Classic Towns” initiative.

How can non-subscribers to the WBJ get ahold of this series? (Rob, do you know if U-Md.’s got the hook-up?)