DC Downtown Revitalization Plan Announced 2/26

[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

They used the money and all the paint to re-paint the DEFUND THE POLICE street mural.

[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.

From WP:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dc-mayor-resurrects-old-policy-to-target-open-air-drug-markets/ar-AA1jpACC

That article doesn't say where.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

You clearly have a different agenda by mentioning BLM. Move to VA already. If you think progress has been erased, then you weren't here in the 90s.

[Anonymous]

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.

Maybe not in the heart of downtown but for sure towards Gallery Place and NY Ave

[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.

You could do this with existing garages and minor subsidies from the city/BID. Just incentivize garages to offer mid-day specials, say 9:30-3 for $10 and night out specials, say from 6-close for the same. They already do early-bird specials so this shouldn't be too hard a concept for the operators.

[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).

Do you drive to work? Almost every day, I see openly using crack pipes and dealing drugs on my commute. I've also seen several overdoses. I have worked near MLK library since 2005, but in 2023 I stopped using the metro at 7th and H after I was followed by a belligerent man who thought I was someone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You could do this with existing garages and minor subsidies from the city/BID. Just incentivize garages to offer mid-day specials, say 9:30-3 for $10 and night out specials, say from 6-close for the same. They already do early-bird specials so this shouldn't be too hard a concept for the operators.

Subsidies are not and cannot be the answer to everything. Just build a few public parking garages like Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You could do this with existing garages and minor subsidies from the city/BID. Just incentivize garages to offer mid-day specials, say 9:30-3 for $10 and night out specials, say from 6-close for the same. They already do early-bird specials so this shouldn't be too hard a concept for the operators.

Subsidies are not and cannot be the answer to everything. Just build a few public parking garages like Bethesda.

I don't think you understand just how expensive it is to build parking structures. It was around $24,000 per space in DC prior to the run up in construction costs that came with COVID. At current cost levels and a downtown location, it probably would be in the $35,000-$40,000 per space range. That's just construction cost assuming you had a lot you already owned and was cleared. Then the city has to operate and maintain it.

People don't appreciate just how expensive parking really is.

[Anonymous]

It's not clear what is tangibly being developed or promised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You could do this with existing garages and minor subsidies from the city/BID. Just incentivize garages to offer mid-day specials, say 9:30-3 for $10 and night out specials, say from 6-close for the same. They already do early-bird specials so this shouldn't be too hard a concept for the operators.

Subsidies are not and cannot be the answer to everything. Just build a few public parking garages like Bethesda.

I don't think you understand just how expensive it is to build parking structures. It was around $24,000 per space in DC prior to the run up in construction costs that came with COVID. At current cost levels and a downtown location, it probably would be in the $35,000-$40,000 per space range. That's just construction cost assuming you had a lot you already owned and was cleared. Then the city has to operate and maintain it.

People don't appreciate just how expensive parking really is.

That's bs. I own a parking spot downtown. The numbers you are throwing out are the retail purchase price not the construction cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

You clearly have a different agenda by mentioning BLM. Move to VA already. If you think progress has been erased, then you weren't here in the 90s.

Was here in the 90s. Crime is more random now, happens during the daytime in any neighborhood and with witnessed around. Carjacking was not an issue at all until the last few years.

[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).

Have seen all of this more times than I can count, and I’m only in Chinatown once or twice per week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You could do this with existing garages and minor subsidies from the city/BID. Just incentivize garages to offer mid-day specials, say 9:30-3 for $10 and night out specials, say from 6-close for the same. They already do early-bird specials so this shouldn't be too hard a concept for the operators.

Subsidies are not and cannot be the answer to everything. Just build a few public parking garages like Bethesda.

I don't think you understand just how expensive it is to build parking structures. It was around $24,000 per space in DC prior to the run up in construction costs that came with COVID. At current cost levels and a downtown location, it probably would be in the $35,000-$40,000 per space range. That's just construction cost assuming you had a lot you already owned and was cleared. Then the city has to operate and maintain it.

People don't appreciate just how expensive parking really is.

That's bs. I own a parking spot downtown. The numbers you are throwing out are the retail purchase price not the construction cost.

This is from 21 so you need to add three years of inflation (23%+ on concrete alone): https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/9476621/2021%20Parking%20Structure%20Cost%20Outlook.pdf
The average for the city as a whole was $24,544 in 21. Downtown would obviously be more expensive than Fort Totten. Some of the options would be mandatory downtown, like enclosed stairwells, stormwater management and electric vehicle charging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You could do this with existing garages and minor subsidies from the city/BID. Just incentivize garages to offer mid-day specials, say 9:30-3 for $10 and night out specials, say from 6-close for the same. They already do early-bird specials so this shouldn't be too hard a concept for the operators.

Subsidies are not and cannot be the answer to everything. Just build a few public parking garages like Bethesda.

I don't think you understand just how expensive it is to build parking structures. It was around $24,000 per space in DC prior to the run up in construction costs that came with COVID. At current cost levels and a downtown location, it probably would be in the $35,000-$40,000 per space range. That's just construction cost assuming you had a lot you already owned and was cleared. Then the city has to operate and maintain it.

People don't appreciate just how expensive parking really is.

That's bs. I own a parking spot downtown. The numbers you are throwing out are the retail purchase price not the construction cost.

This is from 21 so you need to add three years of inflation (23%+ on concrete alone): https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/9476621/2021%20Parking%20Structure%20Cost%20Outlook.pdf
The average for the city as a whole was $24,544 in 21. Downtown would obviously be more expensive than Fort Totten. Some of the options would be mandatory downtown, like enclosed stairwells, stormwater management and electric vehicle charging.

That's crazy. Presumably some of those costs should be lower since the regulator is the owner.

But even with those numbers it makes sense. 1,000 spots is a $25 million dollar building. If each spot brings in just $10 of revenue per day then the building pays for itself in 7 years, that's without including multiplier effects or increased tax revenue from additional spending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing can happen in DC until they get crime under control -- throughout DC. Only then will companies, institutions, and home buyers want to invest again.

We are building out 45,000 square feet of office space in a trophy building downtown. Speak for yourself. Houses are still selling.

That is encouraging. Which neighborhood downtown? I'm guessing Penn Quarter?

Near 11th and Pennsylvania NW.