NoMa, Washington, D.C.



NoMa (short for "North of Massachusetts Avenue") is a neighborhood in the Northwest and Northeast quadrants of Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

While the definition of the neighborhood boundary varies, it is typically considered to include neighborhoods north of Massachusetts Avenue and extending a few blocks on either side of North Capitol Street, running northwards to approximately Florida Avenue. Most of the area was formerly known as Swampoodle. Gonzaga College High School is located here as well as the Sursum Corda housing development.

Development spillover from downtown
NoMa lies to the northeast of downtown Washington, whose northern boundary has traditionally been defined as Massachusetts Avenue. As of 2006, downtown is largely built out; therefore, city planners expect office development to spill over from downtown into NoMa. The area has a potential for up to 17000000 sqft of development, which would make NoMa larger than many other submarkets in the Washington area, including Georgetown.

In 2007, the Council of the District of Columbia approved a business improvement district for NoMa.

Transportation infrastructure
NoMa is served by Union Station and by the Union Station and New York Avenue stations on the Red Line of the Washington Metro. It is also served by the Center Leg Freeway and the following major streets: Massachusetts Avenue, North Capitol Street, New York Avenue, Florida Avenue, H Street, and K Street.

History
The name NoMa was conceived by Columbia University professor Marc A. Weiss, a former advisor to Bill Clinton during the 1990s.