DC Downtown Revitalization Plan Announced 2/26

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This it?

https://dmped.dc.gov/page/downtown

Bringing people back to Gallery Place with the open air drug market and crime seems very pie in the sky and putting the cart before the horse. Gallery Place Festival Plaza seems to be a reach to me. Unless the goal is to provide prey?

I work downtown. I don't see open air drug markets.

It’s block by block. Feel lucky you’re on one of the safe ones. I see them all the time by my office. (Chinatown)

I work in Chinatown. Do you know what an open air drug market is?

I think some of you just see homeless people or groups of teenagers and assume open air drug market. I have lived near an open air drug market, and it describes a situation where you see people openly buying/selling, and often using, illegal drugs. I occasionally see people downtown that I suspect might be on drugs, but I virtually never see drug traffic, and the only drug I ever see people openly using is marijuana (which is annoying and needs to be addressed, but can be legally acquired in DC so is not evidence of illegal drug activity on it's own).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This it?

https://dmped.dc.gov/page/downtown

Bringing people back to Gallery Place with the open air drug market and crime seems very pie in the sky and putting the cart before the horse. Gallery Place Festival Plaza seems to be a reach to me. Unless the goal is to provide prey?

I work downtown. I don't see open air drug markets.

It’s block by block. Feel lucky you’re on one of the safe ones. I see them all the time by my office. (Chinatown)

I work in Chinatown. Do you know what an open air drug market is?

I think some of you just see homeless people or groups of teenagers and assume open air drug market. I have lived near an open air drug market, and it describes a situation where you see people openly buying/selling, and often using, illegal drugs. I occasionally see people downtown that I suspect might be on drugs, but I virtually never see drug traffic, and the only drug I ever see people openly using is marijuana (which is annoying and needs to be addressed, but can be legally acquired in DC so is not evidence of illegal drug activity on it's own).

You must be blind.

[Anonymous]

Or lying. Or drive from your garage to a garage and never actually walk on the street or take the metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This it?

https://dmped.dc.gov/page/downtown

Bringing people back to Gallery Place with the open air drug market and crime seems very pie in the sky and putting the cart before the horse. Gallery Place Festival Plaza seems to be a reach to me. Unless the goal is to provide prey?

I work downtown. I don't see open air drug markets.

It’s block by block. Feel lucky you’re on one of the safe ones. I see them all the time by my office. (Chinatown)

I work in Chinatown. Do you know what an open air drug market is?

I think some of you just see homeless people or groups of teenagers and assume open air drug market. I have lived near an open air drug market, and it describes a situation where you see people openly buying/selling, and often using, illegal drugs. I occasionally see people downtown that I suspect might be on drugs, but I virtually never see drug traffic, and the only drug I ever see people openly using is marijuana (which is annoying and needs to be addressed, but can be legally acquired in DC so is not evidence of illegal drug activity on it's own).

This is also my experience, but people here are very committed to the "open air drug market" story for whatever reason.

[Anonymous]

The plan needs to include building a couple large public parking garages with reasonable parking rates.

Right now they could get more people to come to DC. There are plenty of potential consumers and businesses in the metro area. But ask the masses and without a doubt one issue that will top the list for avoiding DC is lack of reasonable priced safe parking.

And no they are not going to take the metro or ride bikes

But what they will do is take the metro or a bus or even a bike once they have arrived downtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Investing in the cultural relevance of Black Lives Matter plaza..."

Lots of buzzwords, not any of it is realistic without downtown becoming safer again.

Investing in the cultural relevance of Black Lives Matter plaza...

So the Hay Adams Hotel will be converted to voucher housing?!

[Anonymous]

Here’s what Mayor Bowser was doing to revitalize downtown DC as workers fled downtown and crime began spiking:

https://dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-dedicates-one-judiciary-square-building-‘marion-s-barry-jr-building’

[Anonymous]

Can anyone summarize the key points for me?

I think she’s got a tough road ahead of her because the long term commercial leases are still coming up post covid, plus variable debt coming due.

I work downtown and agree that there is no open air drug market near where I work. (Years ago I worked in a mostly abandoned industrial small city that did have an open air drug market near my office.). But there’s only about half of the restaurants and similar amenities there were in 2019. I am very glad they cleared the homeless encampment outside my office though—there were a couple of assaults and I felt like it was always a step away from a manslaughter or rape situation. And they’ve also done a pretty good job with rat control recently. I feel like the city is trying but I’m not optimistic. There are just so many empty buildings.

[Anonymous]

I like the idea of turning some of the empty office space into more affordable parking downtown. Currently it’s about $24 to park for the day near the WH. And metro isn’t much better if you’re bringing in a family or group of more than 3. If you’re thinking of going out to eat or something, why not just choose Old Town, Tysons or Bethesda? When my out of town family visits, they are appalled at how expensive it is to park or take metro into the city to see the sights. So instead of spending several days downtown, they spent one. Lots that have a 4-6 hour maximum (to keep the commuters out but attract tourists or shoppers/diners) would probably work well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it include towing all of the abandoned food trucks parked near the Holocaust Museum?

If you tow the tucks, you make street parking available for people coming into the area.

Win Win

Maybe report to 311?

Every time I make a 311 request - it gets closed without anything happening.
The street near where I work in SW got replaced and the did not paint the crosswalk where it had previously been - never painted. The city did the 2nd round of leaf pick up on my block the day of the snow - so there. Are piles still in the street. I did a 311 and they have not picked up. 311 used to be better - but not any more

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This it?

https://dmped.dc.gov/page/downtown

Bringing people back to Gallery Place with the open air drug market and crime seems very pie in the sky and putting the cart before the horse. Gallery Place Festival Plaza seems to be a reach to me. Unless the goal is to provide prey?

I work downtown. I don't see open air drug markets.

It’s block by block. Feel lucky you’re on one of the safe ones. I see them all the time by my office. (Chinatown)

I work in Chinatown. Do you know what an open air drug market is?

I think some of you just see homeless people or groups of teenagers and assume open air drug market. I have lived near an open air drug market, and it describes a situation where you see people openly buying/selling, and often using, illegal drugs. I occasionally see people downtown that I suspect might be on drugs, but I virtually never see drug traffic, and the only drug I ever see people openly using is marijuana (which is annoying and needs to be addressed, but can be legally acquired in DC so is not evidence of illegal drug activity on it's own).

Hang out at the corner of 7th & H. You won’t have to wait long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The plan needs to include building a couple large public parking garages with reasonable parking rates.

Right now they could get more people to come to DC. There are plenty of potential consumers and businesses in the metro area. But ask the masses and without a doubt one issue that will top the list for avoiding DC is lack of reasonable priced safe parking.

And no they are not going to take the metro or ride bikes

But what they will do is take the metro or a bus or even a bike once they have arrived downtown.

You are smart. Smarter than our politicians AND our anti car "force them to bus/bike" crowd. FWIW, I'm all for safe public transport, but I don't think people should be forced to use it and I think it's only part of the flourishing city equation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it include towing all of the abandoned food trucks parked near the Holocaust Museum?

If you tow the tucks, you make street parking available for people coming into the area.

Win Win

Maybe report to 311?

Every time I make a 311 request - it gets closed without anything happening.
The street near where I work in SW got replaced and the did not paint the crosswalk where it had previously been - never painted. The city did the 2nd round of leaf pick up on my block the day of the snow - so there. Are piles still in the street. I did a 311 and they have not picked up. 311 used to be better - but not any more

Yes, 311 is designed to make the city appear, not be, responsive. I use it for homeless in distress. I can feel like I've done my bit, and then the city can FAIL to do theirs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the idea of turning some of the empty office space into more affordable parking downtown. Currently it’s about $24 to park for the day near the WH. And metro isn’t much better if you’re bringing in a family or group of more than 3. If you’re thinking of going out to eat or something, why not just choose Old Town, Tysons or Bethesda? When my out of town family visits, they are appalled at how expensive it is to park or take metro into the city to see the sights. So instead of spending several days downtown, they spent one. Lots that have a 4-6 hour maximum (to keep the commuters out but attract tourists or shoppers/diners) would probably work well.

Parking rates are set by supply and demand. Not by what some cheapskate considers "reasonable." lmao

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like we just revitalized DC. I wonder how many times in my lifetime it will be revitalized. It’s like yo-yo dieting.

So much progress from the late 90s until 2019 was erased. Will take another 20 years to get back whenever rock bottom eventually comes (so far we’re sharpening the drill bits to dig further).

Good point.

Gee, thanks BLM! /s