Connecticut Ave, NW in Chevy Chase, DC Needs Help!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who really cares about Cathedral Commons vs. Chevy Chase, DC. No one, in their right mind, wants Connecticut Ave bulldozed and a CC put up in its place. Neighbors are discussing the need for the strip to be historically renovated and beautified with the addition of better eateries. Most people agree the amenities (library, postoffice, UPS, Childs Play, Avalon, CVS, Starbucks, Periwinkle, Full of Beans, Relaxed Nail Salon, Core 72, Jetties, Macon, Blue 44, beer and wine stores) are all good and better than any other NW neighborhood. It's the desire to fix the sidewalks, beautify the tree wells, renovate store fronts, and update some of the food eateries - like the Diner, Bread and Chocolate, Pumpernickle, Parthenon, Arucola, etc.

Agreed. It could look something like this.

[Anonymous]

+1000! Could be so pretty, enjoyable, and functional! Think of how it would improve our lives and home values.

[Anonymous]

Chevy Chase will never improve. Too many NIMBYs who don't want more traffic or bright street lights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase will never improve. Too many NIMBYs who don't want more traffic or bright street lights.

Why are you convinced it's NIMBYs who don't want the traffic lights? Traffic lights would sCrew the Maryland crowd way more than the locals.

It's true I am local and think more traffic lights are a terrible idea. But it's not NIMBY because I wouldn't want more traffic lights in any other circle either.

[Anonymous]

Putting traffic lights in the circle is a bad idea - it defeats the whole idea of a circle. That is why DDOT has removed them from all of the circles except for the ones that aren't circles anymore: Ward, Dupont, Scott.

Drivers just need to follow the Yield signs and have half a brain about it.

And yes, it would screw the MD commuters way more than DC folks.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Let's just get a decent grocery store and call it a day

It would be great if they renovated the Safeway, but not at the price of building another mediocre Cathedral Commons on the end of Morrison Street!

+100%. No more Cathedral Commons in upper NW, thank you!

In the good old days, the architects who designed Cathedral Commons would have been tarred-n-feathered. Such a great spot for such an unappealing eye sore.

whatves guys - i can think of a lot more places in cathedral commons that l'd rather go to than the strip in CC. really don't understand the hate - there's way more retail that I would actually use there.

That's because you're a childless millennial.

Nope. 2 kids and in my 40s.

bullshit. if you really had "kids," then you'd know the value of having a library, community center, a bunch of preschools, a children's shoe store, a top notch toy store, a children's clothing store, and even a crappy diner with cheap pancakes within a 2-block area.

CCDC isn't Shaw, and that's OK. this weedy strip is highly functional for the actual people who live near it.

Believe what you want to believe but I really do have kids and would prefer to live in that area in part Bc I think the amenities are better overall. Sullivan's is just up the street for toys, I buy kids clothes online, there's a library in Cleveland park, plus metro and lots of great parks - Newark st, Macomb st, Beauvoir playground. And I can't be the only one who thinks so Bc home prices are much higher there. Don't get me wrong - I think Chevy chase is lovely but it would be nice to have a better grocery store and to get a couple more places like two Amy's, Barcelona, raku. You should lobby for a trader joes. Your home values would go up overnight.

[Anonymous]

The recent pp did not say traffic lights, they said NIMBYS don't want more traffic OR bright street lights not more traffic lights. I am not the pp, but just wanted to clarify.

The NIMBYs need to understand that it is a bad idea to refuse all change just because it is change. Some change is actually good and will greatly improve our neighborhood. Why would anyone advocate for the weeds to stay in our sidewalks and tree wells and the historic store front to crumble right in front of us. Some tasteful store front renovations and cleaned up sidewalks and tree wells would do wonders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1000! Could be so pretty, enjoyable, and functional! Think of how it would improve our lives and home values.

er, it is functional. This is probably the single most high-functioning neighborhood-based strip in all of NW. (vs. a destination for 103 restaurants that don't take reservations and only offer Small Plates.)

[Anonymous]

What? I agree it is functional - that is why I said it could be pretty, enjoyable, AND functional. It doesn't have to just be functional - it has the potential to also be pretty and enjoyable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The recent pp did not say traffic lights, they said NIMBYS don't want more traffic OR bright street lights not more traffic lights. I am not the pp, but just wanted to clarify.

The NIMBYs need to understand that it is a bad idea to refuse all change just because it is change. Some change is actually good and will greatly improve our neighborhood. Why would anyone advocate for the weeds to stay in our sidewalks and tree wells and the historic store front to crumble right in front of us. Some tasteful store front renovations and cleaned up sidewalks and tree wells would do wonders.

I don't think anyone is advocating for weeds in the sidewalk, I just don't give a big shit about the issue. This isn't a NIMBY issue. If a chop't wants to open on that strip, I ain't going out to protest it. I'm just unlikely to go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The recent pp did not say traffic lights, they said NIMBYS don't want more traffic OR bright street lights not more traffic lights. I am not the pp, but just wanted to clarify.

The NIMBYs need to understand that it is a bad idea to refuse all change just because it is change. Some change is actually good and will greatly improve our neighborhood. Why would anyone advocate for the weeds to stay in our sidewalks and tree wells and the historic store front to crumble right in front of us. Some tasteful store front renovations and cleaned up sidewalks and tree wells would do wonders.

It's not legally historic and no one is proposing anything that would consititute change, though the neighborhood has the same historic qualities as Cleveland Park and Takoma DC. The strip and the adjacent 1900 era houses probably should be historic district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who really cares about Cathedral Commons vs. Chevy Chase, DC. No one, in their right mind, wants Connecticut Ave bulldozed and a CC put up in its place. Neighbors are discussing the need for the strip to be historically renovated and beautified with the addition of better eateries. Most people agree the amenities (library, postoffice, UPS, Childs Play, Avalon, CVS, Starbucks, Periwinkle, Full of Beans, Relaxed Nail Salon, Core 72, Jetties, Macon, Blue 44, beer and wine stores) are all good and better than any other NW neighborhood. It's the desire to fix the sidewalks, beautify the tree wells, renovate store fronts, and update some of the food eateries - like the Diner, Bread and Chocolate, Pumpernickle, Parthenon, Arucola, etc.

Agree with almost all the above, though would add a renovated Safeway, plus a prepared food option. Oh, and I really don't care about the sidewalks -- trees and flowers would be nice, but why are people so fixated on the sidewalks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase will never improve. Too many NIMBYs who don't want more traffic or bright street lights.

I say hats off to those who push DDOT for appropriate design and brightness in street lights. If DDOT is left to its own devices, and we've seen this, they just install the cobra lights that are so startlingly bright that they illuminate everything like a high security prison yard ... or at least like an on-ramp on I-295.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Let's just get a decent grocery store and call it a day

It would be great if they renovated the Safeway, but not at the price of building another mediocre Cathedral Commons on the end of Morrison Street!

+100%. No more Cathedral Commons in upper NW, thank you!

In the good old days, the architects who designed Cathedral Commons would have been tarred-n-feathered. Such a great spot for such an unappealing eye sore.

whatves guys - i can think of a lot more places in cathedral commons that l'd rather go to than the strip in CC. really don't understand the hate - there's way more retail that I would actually use there.

That's because you're a childless millennial.

Nope. 2 kids and in my 40s.

bullshit. if you really had "kids," then you'd know the value of having a library, community center, a bunch of preschools, a children's shoe store, a top notch toy store, a children's clothing store, and even a crappy diner with cheap pancakes within a 2-block area.

CCDC isn't Shaw, and that's OK. this weedy strip is highly functional for the actual people who live near it.

Believe what you want to believe but I really do have kids and would prefer to live in that area in part Bc I think the amenities are better overall. Sullivan's is just up the street for toys, I buy kids clothes online, there's a library in Cleveland park, plus metro and lots of great parks - Newark st, Macomb st, Beauvoir playground. And I can't be the only one who thinks so Bc home prices are much higher there. Don't get me wrong - I think Chevy chase is lovely but it would be nice to have a better grocery store and to get a couple more places like two Amy's, Barcelona, raku. You should lobby for a trader joes. Your home values would go up overnight.

Barcelona, Raku, Meh. They're ok, but just more of the same stuff that one finds in Friendship Heights and Bethesda. If I really want a corporate restaurant group "experience" then that's not too far to go. While some places are better than others, I much prefer Chevy Chase DC's independent business orientation. If some developer or real estate holding company redevelops the area, you will see many more of the chainish-type establishments of Cathedral Commons or F.H., because those are the entities with the balance sheets and corporate guarantees that real estate investors demand. Plus, you'll see even more bank branches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Barcelona, Raku, Meh. They're ok, but just more of the same stuff that one finds in Friendship Heights and Bethesda. If I really want a corporate restaurant group "experience" then that's not too far to go. While some places are better than others, I much prefer Chevy Chase DC's independent business orientation. If some developer or real estate holding company redevelops the area, you will see many more of the chainish-type establishments of Cathedral Commons or F.H., because those are the entities with the balance sheets and corporate guarantees that real estate investors demand. Plus, you'll see even more bank branches.

I am not sure there are even any more banks that could open in CCDC without having two of the same within 4 blocks. It is rather uncanny.