A former Woodward & Lothrop department store building next to the station sits largely empty. Abutting that is an open field that Akridge Co. bought this year with the hope of creating 2 million square feet of mixed-use development, firm officials said. Across several Amtrak tracks on the other side of the station, warehouse-size buildings await renewal. "I think development is moving out New York Avenue, and the activity you're seeing there at New York and Florida with ATF and other developments will be complemented by Metro and allow it to continue and propel it," Williams said. Metro officials said growth in the area will combine to bring as many as 10,000 daily passengers to the station by 2020. In the meantime, they have predicted, passengers will be drawn from existing businesses, the nearby bus terminal, Gallaudet University and the neighborhood near the station. They also expect passengers to connect by Metrobus to a new stop on Florida Avenue.
Thanks to David Garber
