Why is Anacostia special?What makes this neighborhood different is that you have a waterfront that is completely wild. You have herons that hang out on the side of the banks; you have huge areas that are covered with wildflowers and other brush; you have gorgeous views of the city, including the Library of Congress, the Washington Monument, Yards Park. There’s a beautiful bike path, and the hills are similar to what you would find in San Francisco. 

You also have architecture that is unique to the neighborhood and wooden-frame homes. Frederick Douglass’s mansion,  Cedar Hill, is one of America’s great homes, on par with  Mount Vernon and  Monticello, America’s castles. 

We’re hoping that this festival will bring people over here, make people realize how wonderful this community is, and hopefully, we’ll attract new businesses. 

How are you going to measure the long-term success of the Lumen8 project?We are going to provide participants with surveys to see how their experiences were. Arch Development Corp. has wonderful resources and owns a lot of properties. We don’t have to worry about what’s now happening on H Street, where smaller businesses are getting squeezed out in favor of higher paying tenants. Our long-term goal at Arch is to ensure that we have a vibrant arts and culture district.