Brookland's Pastoral Peace

In the latest installment of its Neighborhood Profile series, UrbanTurf takes a look at DC's Brookland neighborhood. The authors defined its boundaries as "...8th Street to the west, Franklin Street and Rhode Island Avenue to the south, South Dakota Avenue to the east and Michigan Avenue to the north." Brookland, which the authors compare to a small Midwestern town, is characterized by "...wide, leafy residential streets, expansive front yards and minimal commercial presence." Combined with its wide variety of properties, its small town appeal makes Brookland popular among both renters and buyers.

But things may be changing in this sleepy corner of DC; in the next several years, three mixed-use developments--including one from Abdo Development--are scheduled to go up in Brookland. While some are excited about the arrival of new shopping outlets and other amenities, others are concerned that their neighborhood will lose its Midwest-like appeal, falling to "traffic, noise and trash.”

We won't get the final verdict on Brookland for a while, though. We'll have to check back in about five years when much of the new development is complete, suggests UrbanTurf.