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The D.C. construction industry, like all construction industries, is cyclical. A boom in the mid-2000s gave us condos on Massachusetts Avenue NW and in Dupont Circle. Things froze after 2008. But right around 2010, developers and financiers realized that D.C. was the only city where people were still getting jobs. Capital markets loosened up, and the race was on: Cranes went up and holes were dug for apartment projects all over the city’s northern half. Now, alas, they’re nervous about what happens when those buildings get done. Everybody knows Uncle Sam will be slimming down, which could mean layoffs or salary cuts—leaving fewer people to fill the space. At the least, that would be a good thing for the people who can’t find a studio apartment these days for less than $1,500.