In NoMa City, the homeless population is booming, and encampments are popping up everywhere, from underpasses to crowded sidewalks. As the population grows, pressure is mounting on city officials to find a solution. Encampments are routinely cleared, but residents feel there is more they can do. In August, the City Paper published a piece about the encampment situation.
According to the latest Census data, the city is expected to have a population of 689,545 by 2020. This represents an increase of almost 90,000 residents since the 2010 Census. Most growth is happening in Ward 6, which includes parts of the Southwest Waterfront, Capitol Hill, and NoMa. Ward 6 alone added 31,604 residents since the last census. The slowest growth is occurring in wards 2 and 7.
Until recently, the area around NoMa was home to Irish potato famine refugees. In the late 1990s, the neighborhood was referred to as NoMa, as was the area north of Massachusetts Avenue. NoMa's westward expansion is now part of the Mt. Vernon Triangle neighborhood. However, after the dot-com bust, revitalization efforts waned.
Besides the new apartment buildings, there are also several residential projects slated to open in the area, including a 49-unit condo development at 3rd and L Streets NE. The project, by Valor Development and Ellisdale Construction, will feature 5,000 square feet of retail space and a restaurant. The first phase of construction is expected to break ground later this year. In addition, there are plans for a new development at Q Street between M and L streets.