Mount Rainier received a $75,000 grant to improve more facades.

The city announced Thursday that it will receive the money next year from a state Department of Economic Development revitalization program.

The grants will be used to fix up the exteriors of historic buildings on 34th Street, which stretches from the circle with the bus stop up to Joe’s Movement Emporium.

“As part of Mount Rainier Economic Development’s strategy and commitment to revitalize our downtown core, 34th Street will be transformed into a more vibrant and welcoming business district for everyone—residents and visitors alike!” the city wrote.

In recent years, Mount Rainier has revamped the exteriors of businesses along Rhode Island Avenue, while Hyattsville has run a similar program.

The improvements help keep some of the Route 1 corridor’s historic architecture in top shape, spurring more customers to come to shops and keeping the retro design that gives the corridor a distinctive look.

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Taqueria Habanero on Route 1 is now running out of a taco truck in College Park.

The popular Mexican eatery, which was named Best Latin American Restaurant in the Hyattsville Wire readers poll in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, was forced to shut down on Sept. 30 by the new owners of the strip mall where it was located. It’s also regularly makes lists of top Mexican eateries in D.C. media.

But the owners recently brought in a taco truck earlier this month which is now parked in the space in front of its former location at 8145 Baltimore Ave., along with some outdoor seating. You can order from the same menu, including tacos, burritos, tortas, enchiladas and fajitas.

While the owners of the taqueria did not say how long the truck will be able to stay in the spot, their hours for now are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. You can also order from the taco truck through DoorDash, Uber Eats and Toast.

The owners of Campus Village Shoppes shopping center recently notified tenants that they had to vacate as the area will be cleared to make way for another large student housing complex.

You can also check out Taqueria Habanero’s new location at the Bryant Street Market at 670 Rhode Island Ave NE in Northeast D.C., just south of Woodridge in NE D.C., which opened earlier this year.

The Habanero food truck shows how important it was that the county reduced barriers to them in 2020, as they are not only a key first step for many entrepreneurs but can also serve as a bridge for a restaurant like Taqueria Habanero that has to close its current location while finding a new one.

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A busy stretch of Route 1 in the Woodridge neighborhood of D.C., just south of Mount Rainier, is slated to get a pedestrian-activated traffic control signal designed to make crossing safer.

Called a high-intensity activated crosswalk, or HAWK signal, the pedestrian crossing light is normally dark but runs through a red-yellow-green cycle when the crosswalk button is pushed or a sensor detects a pedestrian nearby.

Plans for this new traffic signal are in the works for the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue Northeast and Thayer Street Northeast, where a number of storefront shops and restaurants reside, including Zeke’s Coffee roastery, Provost, Art Enables, and the new Emma’s Torch cafe.

HAWK signals are considered better for motorists than stoplights since they only turn on when pedestrians are using the crosswalk, so they don’t slow traffic, though some drivers say they find the signals confusing as they aren’t entirely like normal stop signals and some argue that a regular full traffic signal would be preferable.

Still, they are one solution to help pedestrians cross safely, a concern for a wider, high-volume roadway like on Route 1. Data suggests that they reduce crashes and increase driver compliance with crosswalk laws.

This is especially important as the U.S. has seen a dramatic uptick in pedestrian deaths, especially at night, since 2009, according to government fatality data.

HAWK signals are one solution to making Route 1 safer for pedestrians, along with asphalt art, curb extensions, and reducing roadways.

There is a HAWK signal in College Park, where the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail intersects with Campus Drive, although Maryland transportation planners have opposed them in the past.

Meanwhile, local ANC Commissioner VJ Kapur said in a comment on Instagram, “there’s still time to improve the outcome of this intersection, including to push DDOT for a full traffic signal which would make a much bigger impact.”

You can visit Kapur’s page here to learn more about the work being done to help improve this intersection and others nearby.

To learn more about HAWK signals, click here for a helpful guide.

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Longtime late-night hangout D.P. Dough will return to College Park on Monday, Dec. 18., at 4200 Hartwick Rd., on the first floor of the Terrapin Row apartments next to the Amazon hub.

The Columbus-based calzone chain was long a favorite of University of Maryland students out late because it stays open until 3 a.m.

“We can’t say thank you enough as we are truly excited to announce our reopening!” the eatery wrote on Instagram.

An earlier location nearby closed in 2020, sparking a wave of concern among students and alumni that College Park was losing some of its old-school college town character. It reopened on Hartwick Road in January then closed temporarily over the summer.

As the city and the university have pushed to make College Park a “great college town,” a wave of new construction of student and post-graduate apartments have pushed out smaller mom-and-pop shops and hangouts in favor of more large national chains.

Since then, Marathon Deli has reopened in a new location, Ledo Pizza has reopened under new management and Cornerstone Grill successfully raised money to avoid closing.

Other eateries near D.P. Dough’s new location include Roots Natural Kitchen and Bandit Taco, which opened earlier this year and are both located in the new Aster apartment building along with Prince George’s County’s first Trader Joe’s.

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Route 1’s Discovery District research park, located on the eastern edge of the University of Maryland‘s campus, scored a big win this week as the Washington Commanders football team announced its office is moving in.

The NFL team will be moving its front-end staff to the fourth floor of a new office building at 4600 River Rd., a short walk from the planned M Square Station of the Purple Line light rail slated to open sometime between 2026 and 2027.

“Moving our headquarters will provide exciting new spaces to take in home games and will provide for greater collaboration for our business staff and partnership with the University of Maryland,” said Commanders President Jason Wright in a statement.

The office space will include workers on the Commanders’ human resources, sales and marketing teams, among others.

The 150-acre research park started by the University of Maryland is already home to staff for the Food & Drug Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the American Center for Physics, but the Commanders adds another name-brand that can help lure new tenants.

It’s also a win for Maryland officials who are hoping that the team doesn’t leave the state as its new owners look for a new stadium location.

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Whether you’re looking for a new sport or a fun alternative for date night, you can try axe-throwing not far from the Route 1 corridor.

Located at 2419 Evarts St. NE, just over the border from Mount Rainier, Bad Axe Throwing is a Canadian company that bills itself as “the world’s biggest urban axe throwing club.”

The venue hosts  axe-throwing leagues, private parties and couples for an activity that it argues is comparable to going bowling — or a heavier version of darts.

Though it’s long been a part of timber sports competitions, axe throwing as an urban activity started to take off in the U.S. around 2014, around the time that the “lumberjack chic” fashion trend became popular.

But axe throwing has proven popular, with Kick Axe Throwing near Union Market, Throw Social in Ivy City and Kraken Axes near Penn Quarter.

Regular axe throwers say it’s a good workout for your arms, core, shoulders, and leg. It can also make a fun first date because it’s nicer than a bowling alley and odds are that neither of you are experienced, so you’ll be evenly matched.

Bad Axe Throwing first opened in northeast D.C. in 2017 and also has locations in Waldorf and Alexandria, Va., as well as throughout the country and in its native Canada.

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