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‘We want the new entrants’ | Locals hope DC Main Streets Program can revitalize Glover Park

Rising rents and commercial competition from other Northwest neighborhoods are obstacles Glover Park business owners want to overcome.

WASHINGTON — Cavit Öztürk remembers the days when he paid $8,000 in property taxes to operate his Turkish restaurant, Cafe Divan, in Glover Park.

“Today, I’m paying $32,000,” he said.

Over the last decade, Glover Park has seen an exodus of businesses along Wisconsin Avenue as rents continue to rise, making other Northwest neighborhoods, east of Rock Creek Park, more attractive to bars and restaurants.

For this very reason the neighborhood is working to revitalize its commercial corridor.

Glover Park joined D.C.’s Main Streets Program in late 2019. The main streets program aims to enhance local retail areas by taking a coordinated approach to improve their physical design, business retention and promotional branding.