Some notable properties at the southern end of Book Hill may be filled with new or different tenants in the near future.
The first is the former Capital One Bank building at Wisconsin and Q. The bank closed shop here several years ago and the property has remained vacant ever since. Recently a team of real estate developers announced plans to re-purpose the space for retail. As they described to WBJ: “With our long history in urban retail, we feel this property is a perfect fit for our team and we look forward to reenergizing the building with new tenancy.”
So it sounds like they plan to keep the physical building as is. Despite the design imitating early twentieth century architecture, the building is less than 30 years old. It was built on the site of an Exxon station in 1996. For that reason it could be knocked down without getting afoul of historical preservation concerns. But that does not seem to be in the cards as of now. (Seems to me that sticking with a purely retail plan is a missed opportunity to use the propery’s footprint for desperately needed housing.)
The other possible change is at 1600 Wisconsin Ave. The building, which contains am Edible Arrangements, has several large “Retail for Lease” signs up. Since the only retail space in the building is the Edible Arrangements, it seems this shop’s days are numbered. I’ve made some inquiries to verify this but haven’t received confirmation yet.
The leasing agent in Popadopulous. This firm specializes in dining-based retail and has a good track record in Georgetown (in my opinion, at least). They were the agents that brought in Stachowski’s and Dog Tag Bakery, among other establishments.
But this is a tough corner stuck somewhat in a bit of a dead zone between the main part of Book Hill and the rest of lower Wisconsin Ave. Years ago it was a 7-Eleven. Perhaps another grab-and-go concept could do well here? (One thing that won’t come in, at least if I can help it, is a pot shop. It is too close to Volta Park Rec. Center to qualify for a retailer’s license).
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
I’ve always wondered how Edible Arrangements survives in what I assume are high rent physical retail locations like this. Hopefully something more interesting gets a chance in that space.