Washington Business Journal has the story on JBG Smith’s sale of Fort Totten Square to Atlanta-based LBX Investments. Bisnow also reported on the sale.

The property, located at 5661 3rd Street NE in the Riggs Park neighborhood, is anchored by a Walmart on the ground floor fronting Riggs Road NE with apartments on top. Subway and Five Guys are ancillary tenants. With the recent opening of Wingstop, the property was “fully leased” to the extent that Petco was still paying rent (on what I assume was probably a 10-year lease) even though that space has been vacant for a few years now. The addition of Wingstop felt like a full circle moment because JBG was actually looking at a Wingstop from the very beginning.

It is not a big secret that I am not the biggest fan of how JBG built out this project, in terms of both design and leasing decisions. I noted in a comment on a post that I had been toying around with an idea for a blog post titled, “How JBG Underdeveloped Riggs Park.” It’s still in my drafts folder, but I will just say the way this whole thing went down beginning around 2011 was actually part of the impetus for my starting this blog in December 2012.

Between having concerns raised about design completely ignored, having Walmart blue plastered on the corner of Riggs Road, and being told that we should be excited to have a Subway because “they sell breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” I gotta say I was a little befuddled by all of the praise heaped on this project when it was built in 2015.

JBG’s MO is to get in and get out, so I knew as soon as they bought the property out of distress from Lowe that it was only a matter of time before they sold. And the neighborhood would be stuck with the (negative) consequences. This project ended up being the first large scale redevelopment completed in the neighborhood. It was a matter-of-right project. As we knew would happen when we learned in 2011 that JBG selected Walmart to anchor the space with a 60-year lease, the decisions made for Fort Totten Square ended up having an outsize impact on the other big redevelopment project happening down the street. As a result, every year elected and agency officials get to read my treatises about the failures of the large tract review process during oversight season.

Anyways, we will see what this Atlanta-based investment firm ends up doing here. I am sure they will fill the old Petco space at some point. I think people should manage their expectations about what goes in that space.

Wing Stop is open at 300 Riggs Road NE in the former Culture Coffee Too space. Hours are 11am-11pm Sunday through Thursday and 11am-midnight Friday and Saturday.

Yesterday’s opening was described as a soft open because they are still training workers. They will have an official ribbon cutting in a few weeks.

Wing Stop joins the other culinary offerings, Subway and Five Guys, at Fort Totten Square. I’d say we’re tapped out on fast food for the neighborhood.

Wingstop will be opening at 300 Riggs Road NE (former Culture Coffee Too space) mid- to late-April 2024 (possibly around April 22).

Wingstop is looking to hire for around 28 positions at this location, manager and crew positions. The owner plans to hold a job fair with the DC Department of Employment Services, tentatively scheduled for April 9, 2024, 10:00 am-2:00 pm, at Lamond-Riggs Library (5401 South Dakota Avenue NE).

I am waiting for official confirmation/flyer with job fair details.

This week is DMV Black Restaurant Week. A number of restaurants in the DC area are offering discounts, including our own local coffee shop Culture Coffee Too, located at 300 Riggs Road NE. Check out the shop for special promotions.

This November marks Culture Coffee Too’s second anniversary. Stop by the Second Anniversary Exhibition on Friday, November 8, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm.

Culture Coffee Too
Second Anniversary Exhibition: Disruptors in Color
Opening Reception
November 8, 2019
6:00 pm-9:00 pm
300 Riggs Road NE

On Saturday, November 9, check out CCT’s Craft Show. Find crafts, jewelry, sweets, and more

Culture Coffee Too Craft Show
November 9, 2019
10:00 am-3:00 pm
300 Riggs Road NE

The Walmart located at 310 Riggs Road NE is trying for a second time to get a license to sell beer and wine. The placard notifying the public of the store’s application for a Class B license with tasting permit was posted on October 25, 2019. The protest period ends December 9, 2019.

Recall from this post, we started going through this exercise last year. The ANC commissioner at that time held community meetings and ultimately decided to pursue a protest with the goal of getting a voluntary settlement agreement with the store. Walmart still needed to resolve a legal question about a regulatory provision requiring evidence of a certain amount of renovations at the store. It appears Walmart requested an advisory opinion on the matter from the Board, which it received in October 2018. Now that all of that is cleared up, Walmart is back to try again. There is now a different commissioner for that area, ANC Commissioner LaRoya Huff (4B09). It is unclear if the ANC will again pursue a protest in order to obtain a settlement agreement.

When I served as president of the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA), I registered the organization with ABRA so that it would have its own standing and not necessarily have to rely on the ANC in ABRA license matters. So theoretically, LRCA could seek its own settlement agreement with the store if the organization meets certain requirements. Unclear if LRCA leadership plans to do anything. This issue might be discussed at LRCA’s meeting on November 4.

If you care about this issue, feel free to reach out to Commissioner Huff to let her know your views.

If you are not following our neighborhood coffee shop Culture Coffee Too on facebook, you really should. Located at 300 Riggs Road NE, the coffee shop always has cool events going on, such as music performances, workshops, artist exhibits, and open mic nights. It has a nice selection of food along with coffee, tea, smoothies, coffee cocktails, beer, and wine.

A few upcoming events

September 7, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm: Opening night of The Grace of Movement exhibition by artist Kimeke Robinson

September 8, 11:00 am-3:00 pm: Plant popup shop by Lillith Plant Company

September 15, 3:00 pm-6:00 pm: Sip and Sow Workshop – This interactive planting party will cover everything from feeding, watering, and harvesting to quick recipes, pickling demos, and a juicing lesson. Guests will choose a combination of: beet, carrot, radish, & onion to plant while enjoying a collection of food, beer, and wine. Tickets available for purchase at the link.

Culture Coffee Too is on track to open its doors at 300 Riggs Road NE in November. Before then, get a free taste of cake and coffee on September 30 from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm in front of the store (300 Riggs Road NE).

Continuing with status updates, looks like the grand opening for Culture Coffee Too (at Fort Totten Square) will be pushed back from July to this fall. Build-out on the space is just getting started, so we will have to a wait a few more months to enjoy coffee, sandwiches, and open mic nights in the neighborhood.

Culture Coffee Too owner Veronica Cooper (aka Ms. V) at Culture Coffee in Brightwood Park

This summer Culture Coffee is opening a second location, Coffee Culture Too, in Riggs Park at Fort Totten Square. Culture Coffee is a neighborhood coffee house that combines coffee and culture, hosting open mic nights, live music, and artist exhibits. We caught up with Culture Coffee Too owner Veronica Cooper at the original Culture Coffee, which she opened with her business partner on Kennedy Street NW in Brightwood Park in 2013.

Ms. Cooper (known as “Ms. V” to her regulars) anticipates holding grand opening events for Culture Coffee Too the week of July 10 through July 16, 2017, with a soft opening before then. A retired dressmaker, an accountant, a certified barista, Ms. Cooper hopes that Culture Coffee Too will be a community gathering spot for everyone. She will host sewing and arts and crafts classes for girls and looks forward to welcoming the neighborhood’s senior residents to Culture Coffee Too for activities as well. In addition to hosting art exhibits, Ms. Cooper wants to establish a jazz program for the new location, featuring jazz events on a weekly or monthly basis. The space will also be available to host meetings and private rentals.

Culture Coffee Too will serve coffee, tea, smoothies, wine, beer, coffee cocktails, pastries, and sandwiches. There will be outdoor seating. Some details, such as operating hours, may be adjusted over time. The coffee shop could be open as early as 6:00 or 6:30 am and as late as 10:00 or 11:00 pm depending on the pace of business.

We look forward to supporting a small, locally-owned business that will provide a true neighborhood gathering spot for coffee, culture, and conversation in Riggs Park. Culture Coffee Too will be located on the corner of 3rd Street and Riggs Road NE, occupying the last available retail space at Fort Totten Square. Stay tuned for the soft opening date and grand opening events.

Fort Totten Square’s Petco Unleashed is celebrating its grand opening(pdf) this weekend. Residents received coupons in the mail for 20% off purchases September 16-18. The store is located at 318 Riggs Road NE near the corner of Riggs Road and Chillum Place NE. The ribbon-cutting will take place on September 17 at 8:55 am.

The developers of Fort Totten Square are still negotiating with a coffee shop to occupy the space at the corner of Riggs Road and 3rd Street NE. Hopefully that will get squared away soon because a coffee shop would be a very welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Unleashed by Petco and Five Guys are building out their spaces near the corner of Riggs Road and Chillum Place NE. The pet store is looking at a September opening. Five Guys anticipates a fall opening (could be September).

We have also seen hiring ads on craigslist for Five Guys. For restaurant crew members, see this ad. For general manager and assistant manager positions, see this ad.

And looking at the Five Guys website, this location will serve milkshakes! That’s a good enough reason for us to pay a visit to FTSQ.

Based on this Washington Business Journal permit report, looks like lease has finally been executed for new pet store at Fort Totten Square soon. We have been told it will be a Petco Unleashed.

318 Riggs Road NE: Tenant layout within the JBG Cos.’ Fort Totten Square for incoming tenant Petco. The permit does not say whether this is a Petco Unleashed.

Post updated with application and hearing notice

The developers of Fort Totten Square have filed an application(pdf) and statement in support(pdf) for a special exception on behalf of its tenant restaurants to operate fast food establishments. A Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) hearing on the application has been scheduled for February 23, 2016. View the Hearing Notice: Notice of Hearing to ANC 4B

Fort Totten Square is in the C-2-A zone district. That zoning designation permits fast food restaurants only by special exception, not by matter-of-right. DC’s zoning code defines a fast food establishment as one in which “(a) [t]he premises include a drive-through; (b) [c]ustomers pay for the food before it is consumed; or (c) [f]ood is served on/in anything other than non-disposable tableware.” (11 DCMR §199). That definition encompasses not just what one thinks of as the typical fast food restaurant but also what has been labeled “fast casual” restaurants. The developers have signed leases with Subway and Five Guys. A third restaurant is listed in the application, but a lease has not been signed with that restaurant.

According to DC’s zoning guide(pdf), a special exception is necessary when “the owner wishes to institute a use that is pre-deemed compatible with the Zoning Regulations for that particular district, but which needs to be reviewed by the BZA to ensure that certain negative impacts will not occur.”

The BZA considers:

1. Is the proposal in harmony with the general purpose and intent of the Zoning Regulations and Zoning Map?
2. Would the proposal tend to affect adversely, the use of neighboring property? (11 DCMR §3104.1)

To address these questions, the applicant must show that the establishments comply with the zoning standards for fast food establishments in the C-2-A zone, regarding issues such as trash, parking, and deliveries. (11 DCMR §733). The Board may impose conditions related to the use. The applicant states it complies with all of the section 733 requirements and no conditions are necessary.