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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

sorry, misread your 1st post. Agree!

[Anonymous]

How awesome would it be if they turned the metro bus depot into a Union Market/farmers market type place. Ugh, I wish.

[Anonymous]

Or a streetcar tunraround.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How awesome would it be if they turned the metro bus depot into a Union Market/farmers market type place. Ugh, I wish.

Metro buses don't need to turn around anymore? Cool!

[Anonymous]

I think they should still turn it into something nice like a mini Union Market, even if the buses still use it to turn around. It is such a beautiful and historic piece of property being wasted as a bus turn around. and what is actually inside? I can see the yellow tile from the street, is is just an enormous bathroom?

[Anonymous]

You guys are all missing the obvious point, I'm afraid. There is poor retail in CCDC (and in Cleveland Park, despite its Metro) because there is insufficient parking to attract customers. The neighborhood residents within walking distance can only support so much. There will never be vibrant high end retail or food without abundant parking (like Union Market) or gazillions of residents crammed into small spaces. I live a ten minute drive from Cleveland Park and I avoid going there because of the parking nightmare. That's why half the restaurant spaces are vacant despite being surrounded by millionaire households far as the eye can see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I see the woman from the CC listserv is on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think they should still turn it into something nice like a mini Union Market, even if the buses still use it to turn around. It is such a beautiful and historic piece of property being wasted as a bus turn around. and what is actually inside? I can see the yellow tile from the street, is is just an enormous bathroom?

In order to attract retailers who would want to invest their time in a place like this, there would need to be more lunch time and evening foot traffic - it just isn't on that end of Connecticut Avenue, and as others have noted, by the circle, there isn't enough parking to make it a destination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys are all missing the obvious point, I'm afraid. There is poor retail in CCDC (and in Cleveland Park, despite its Metro) because there is insufficient parking to attract customers. The neighborhood residents within walking distance can only support so much. There will never be vibrant high end retail or food without abundant parking (like Union Market) or gazillions of residents crammed into small spaces. I live a ten minute drive from Cleveland Park and I avoid going there because of the parking nightmare. That's why half the restaurant spaces are vacant despite being surrounded by millionaire households far as the eye can see.

There is plenty of parking in Chevy Chase DC. Cleveland Park? Not as much, but between the hundreds of surface lot spaces and regular street parking, there is plenty. The problem is day time activity during the weekdays that inhibits the truly innovative retailer/chef types from coming in. There just isn't enough demand, other than between about 5:30 and 9 in the evenings, when most of the cafes are busy. To be a money maker, you need a very strong lunch crowd, and even a viable breakfast crowd. In Downtown and other mixed-use neighborhoods, these places are busy from 7 AM until midnight or 2 AM. That won't happen in Chevy Chase or Cleveland Park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys are all missing the obvious point, I'm afraid. There is poor retail in CCDC (and in Cleveland Park, despite its Metro) because there is insufficient parking to attract customers. The neighborhood residents within walking distance can only support so much. There will never be vibrant high end retail or food without abundant parking (like Union Market) or gazillions of residents crammed into small spaces. I live a ten minute drive from Cleveland Park and I avoid going there because of the parking nightmare. That's why half the restaurant spaces are vacant despite being surrounded by millionaire households far as the eye can see.

Isn't it the case that today's city dwellers don't drive anymore? They walk, bike, use public transportation or get a Zipcar.

At least that's the argument that the planners make to reduce statutory off-street parking requirements for new buildings and that the developers embrace to argue that they should be subject to even fewer off-street parking obligations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think they should still turn it into something nice like a mini Union Market, even if the buses still use it to turn around. It is such a beautiful and historic piece of property being wasted as a bus turn around. and what is actually inside? I can see the yellow tile from the street, is is just an enormous bathroom?

Yes I think essentially that is what it is used as. I think it is owned by WMTA and they just use it as a place for bus drivers to take breaks and use the bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they should still turn it into something nice like a mini Union Market, even if the buses still use it to turn around. It is such a beautiful and historic piece of property being wasted as a bus turn around. and what is actually inside? I can see the yellow tile from the street, is is just an enormous bathroom?

In order to attract retailers who would want to invest their time in a place like this, there would need to be more lunch time and evening foot traffic - it just isn't on that end of Connecticut Avenue, and as others have noted, by the circle, there isn't enough parking to make it a destination.

Even this is an oversimplification. Van Ness (at least until Intelsat moved out) had lots of office traffic, including from Fannie, UDC, etc. Yet the restaurant scene has never been great there, in quality and in stability. The same is true over on Wisconsin Ave near the main Fannie headquarters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I see the woman from the CC listserv is on DCUM.

ha!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys are all missing the obvious point, I'm afraid. There is poor retail in CCDC (and in Cleveland Park, despite its Metro) because there is insufficient parking to attract customers. The neighborhood residents within walking distance can only support so much. There will never be vibrant high end retail or food without abundant parking (like Union Market) or gazillions of residents crammed into small spaces. I live a ten minute drive from Cleveland Park and I avoid going there because of the parking nightmare. That's why half the restaurant spaces are vacant despite being surrounded by millionaire households far as the eye can see.

CCDC is far easier to park in than Cleveland Park. I don't think I've ever parked more than 1.5 blocks from my destination and I've never circled. Plus a majority of the retailers have dedicated parking.

I'm not saying more parking wouldn't be even better, but it may be the easiest to park at commercial cluster along CT. Certainly better than Cleveland Park and Woodley and maybe better than Van Ness.

[Anonymous]

In order to attract retailers who would want to invest their time in a place like this, there would need to be more lunch time and evening foot traffic - it just isn't on that end of Connecticut Avenue, and as others have noted, by the circle, there isn't enough parking to make it a destination.

And this is OK with the majority of us (though not all, of course) who actually live close to these few blocks. It really is.

There is a reason that all these little independent stores and restaurants and dry cleaners and banks and food markets and liquor stores and insurance agents and boutiques stay in business and make their rent every month .... we patronize them, year after year.

Do we like Little Serow and Compass Rose? yep. But we go to the dry cleaner, CVS and Child's Play a whole hell of a lot more often in our day-to-day lives.

(but yes, spiff up the streetscape and fix the sidewalk cracks, if you like)