Catholic University Taps Developer to Create 9-Acre 'Destination'

Neither Abdo nor the university would disclose the deal's financial details, except to say that the school would sell a portion of the land to the developer while leasing the ground in other parts.

A lush, sloping neighborhood of rowhouses and detached homes, Brookland is otherwise known as "Little Rome" because it hosts more than 60 Catholic institutions, including the university, which opened during the 19th century, and the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.

Although developers focused on a number of neighborhoods across Washington in recent years, they largely ignored the Brookland area. Deborah Crain of the District's Office of Planning said Abdo's project would help create the kind of population density necessary to attract new retailers, as well as bolster business along 12th Street.

"You need the residential numbers to make the commercial work," she said.

Jim Stiegman, the owner of Colonel Brooks' Tavern, one of the neighborhood's only sit-down restaurants, said Abdo's development would "create the possibility for a real neighborhood shopping and entertainment area that will feed off itself, give people a reason to come here, and give people who live here a reason to get out of their cars."

Yet several community activists cautioned that Abdo's project could generate too much traffic, even though his buildings would include underground parking.

"Eight stories?" Tom Rooney, a retired Catholic University art professor and a Brookland resident for more than 40 years, said of the proposed building heights. "That's humongous for around here. Once you start doing that, this whole area is going to change."

Jim Feeley, 53, who grew up in Brookland and still lives there, said he cherishes the neighborhood's small-town rhythms.

"Some people think we've been especially privileged and that it's time to for us to catch up with the 20th and 21st centuries," he said. "I feel that the quality of life we have should be prized and protected."