Adams Morgan's Corner Plaza Is Staying Public. What Happens at 18th and Columbia Next?

On the morning of Saturday, October 3, the Kalorama Citizens Association set out refreshments from SoleLuna on the upper level of the plaza at 18th Street and Columbia Road and put up renderings of the plaza's future design. PoPville came across the display on a weekend walk and called the story by its old name, the SunTrust Plaza Saga. That name belongs to the past now.

The rules for using the corner have changed. The plaza was created for community use in the late 1970s, and public access to it now rests on a conservation easement that runs in perpetuity, with a neighborhood association holding a formal role in deciding what happens on it. The current plaza will be around until construction starts, which Jubilee Housing expects in 2027. Until then it is open space with a defined process for booking it.

Eight years, compressed

Most people who walk through 18th and Columbia caught the dispute in pieces. Here it is in order, using the account the Kalorama Citizens Association published and PoPville reprinted:

1. Late 1970s. The plaza is created for community use beside the bank building.
2. 2017. KCA and Adams Morgan for Reasonable Development sue SunTrust Bank to keep the plaza open, after SunTrust plans to sell the site to developers whose luxury condo building would have covered the whole plaza.
3. December 2022. The DC Court of Appeals rules that the case should go to trial.
4. October 2023. Truist Bank, the name SunTrust took during the case, gives the property to Jubilee Housing.
5. September 2024. The DC Historic Preservation Review Board approves Jubilee's construction plans.
6. December 2025. The parties settle. Jubilee's January 8 announcement dates the final agreement to December 3, and D.C. Superior Court dismissed the case on December 12.

KCA's attorneys handled the case pro bono, and KCA donations helped cover the court costs. The plaza itself did not stay open the whole time. Jubilee's release notes that it was fenced off for a period during the pandemic.

Who decides what happens on the plaza now

The settlement's central piece is a conservation easement. According to KCA's summary, Jubilee, as the property owner, granted KCA an easement to help plan events, recommend upgrades and ensure community access to both the existing plaza and the future one, in perpetuity.

Jubilee's plaza page explains how the work is divided:

• Vending uses such as markets, food sales and pop-up sellers are led by Jubilee Housing.
• Non-vending uses such as gatherings, performances and civic events are led by the Kalorama Citizens Association.
• Applications for any event at 1800 Columbia Rd NW go through a form on Jubilee's site.

That split shapes how the corner gets used. Anyone hoping to put a craft table or food stand on the plaza starts with the owner. A choir, a reading or a neighborhood meeting goes to the citizens association. Either way, a resident or small business now has a known place to ask.

The full agreement is posted on KCA's website. It runs 43 pages, and the posted copy is a scan, so this post does not describe its clauses on hours or on construction-period access beyond KCA's and Jubilee's own summaries.

What the 2027 version adds

The renderings from October 3 show a plaza designed jointly by KCA, Adams Morgan for Reasonable Development, Jubilee and the architecture firm Eric Colbert & Associates. According to KCA, the design includes four features:

The building behind it replaces the footprint of the old bank. Jubilee's development page describes a six-story mixed-use project with 51 affordable homes, a habitable penthouse, basement parking and what Jubilee calls "a multifunctional community plaza designed to serve residents and neighbors alike." Jubilee expects to break ground in 2027 and says it is still working with District agencies, financial partners and consultants on financing, design and permitting.

The stage matters most for daily use. A covered portico and a small stage at 18th and Columbia would give KCA, which leads non-vending uses, a built-in setting for performances and gatherings.

The fall calendar, mapped to the corner

The current plaza already serves as a gathering point, but the neighborhood's fall events are spread across several sites. The 2026 calendar shows which ones use the plaza and which do not:

The Apple Festival's pie sales benefit Platform of Hope. PorchFest is adding a pre-holiday market this year for vintage goods, crafts and makers. Its listed schedule gives 12 to 5 p.m., while its FAQ says performances run 2 to 6 p.m., so check the lineup page closer to the day. The farmers market, listed in FRESHFARM's 2026 guide, sets up a few blocks north of the bank plaza.

Saturday mornings center on Unity Park, and PorchFest's hub sits farther south on 18th Street. Adams Morgan Day is the main event already tied to 1800 Columbia. The plaza has room on its calendar, and the settlement created a process for filling it.

New doors within a few blocks of the plaza

Several businesses near the corner have opened or reopened this fall. Some have only announced:

• CARLA, 2001 18th St NW, opened September 24. It's a multi-floor neighborhood bar with an open-air rooftop, walk-in only, open Tuesday through Saturday evenings, per PoPville.
• BUL, 2431 18th St NW, was back serving Korean comfort food and drinks at the start of October, PoPville reported.
• The Boogiedown, a New York sports bar at 2321 18th St NW, advertised a September 11 launch.
• The Berliner, 2436 18th St NW, is advertised for "this fall" with house-made pretzels, sausages and rotating taps. No opening day has been given.
• Chef Alexis Grea's bakery put up "Coming soon" signage at 1756 Columbia Rd NW in late September, steps from the plaza.

The bakery is the closest of these to 1800 Columbia. A morning business across from a public plaza is the sort of neighbor the redesigned seating and greenery could serve once both are in place.

What's still unsettled

Construction is the first open question. Jubilee's published schedule gives 2027 for groundbreaking but does not say whether the plaza will close, be partly fenced or stay open while the building goes up. The easement guarantees access to "the existing and future plazas." How that applies during construction will be clearer when Jubilee announces a firm start date.

The second is 18th Street itself. DDOT proposed restriping the block between Kalorama Avenue and Columbia Road and held a public meeting on May 27. WJLA reported in June that options included a four-lane road with two parking lanes and a version with a hardscape median, and that construction was set to begin in August. A later notice, NOI 26-185-MPDD, proposed striped bike lanes on both sides along with commercial loading and paid parking zones, with comments due August 13, according to WABA. As of mid-October, no published source confirms that work has started or which design DDOT chose.

For homeowners near 18th and Columbia, a permanent public plaza and a redesigned street at the same intersection are part of how a home's surroundings will be described when it comes to market. The Fleur Howgill Team tracks these changes block by block for homeowners around Adams Morgan. If you'd like a quiet conversation about what they could mean for your property, request a Confidential Home Valuation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.