When leasing begins this fall at Wisonsin Avenue’s
Cathedral Commons, new stores and services will also open there.
Another outpost of Asian-food stalwart
Raku will open at the complex, as will
Barcelona Wine Bar; iDoc Optical, a Starbucks, and a CVS. Branches of Wells Fargo and SunTrust Banks are also being added.
A giant Giant Food, clocking in at 56,000 square feet, will anchor the whole thing, says Jeff Kayce, the vice president of development at Bozzuto who is leading the Cathedral Commons project.
Some 30,000 square feet have yet to be signed, Kayce said, though he is in talks with an upscale restaurant “that would face Newark Street” and offer outdoor seating. He also said he is hopeful a housewares retailer will join the roster of retailers but declined to say which one.
From any retailer’s point of view, “the neighborhood has wonderful demographics,” he said. In terms of chains versus local haunts, the ideal mix would have the stability of the former plus the character of the latter, he added.
Bozzuto had hoped to save the iconic “GIANT” sign positioned on the rooftop of the previous Giant that had stood on the spot for decades, but it was decided a replica would be more cost-effective, Kayce said.
Positioned between Cleveland Park and Cathedral Heights, the development will contain some 146 residential units, ranging from 500 square-foot studios to 3,200 square-foot townhomes complete with garages. Other amenities will include a fitness center, library, roof deck and courtyard.
Kayce said that stylish “hotels and bars and museums and technology companies” are the types of businesses from whom Bozzuto takes its cues in the development of Cathedral Commons and other projects, such as Monroe Street Market, where
Busboys & Poets will open its sixth location this fall.