Real talk about the city’s economy, federal buildings leases, and telework impacts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hard to attract people to live downtown with fewer and fewer amenities and commute much less of a consideration now. It feels like the area is reverting back to when I worked on weekends at my firm and you couldn’t even get a coffee bc nothing was open outside of M-F business hours. No one wants to live like that.

I am not sure what people are talking about. Downtown is just fine. The empty storefronts have just opened up a new frontier of “experience” exhibits which have been fantastic. While more neighbors are always welcome, especially neighbors who appreciate the dense, walkable living the downtown has to offer (which is unfortunately not enough of DC’s current residents who don’t want to live there), you fortunately don’t need to live downtown to enjoy the “Banksy Experience”, the “Friends Experience” or the “Office Experience”. Just need to install more bike lanes to make it easier for people to frequent these establishments to improve business and the economy.

Yes, I agree it makes sense for DC to market itself as a rich and GenZ playground. It really makes no sense for anyone to pretend that federal employees play much of a role in the DC economy other than to benefit small businesses like food trucks or the 5 or so non-chain sandwich shops. I don't even think a majority of DC area feds even live in the city.

[Anonymous]

Weird that people are suggesting DC is dead because nobody is working in town. If that's the case then why is the evening rush hour in DC still a nightmare?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Weird that people are suggesting DC is dead because nobody is working in town. If that's the case then why is the evening rush hour in DC still a nightmare?

I think most people are driving now because they only need to come in a few days a week. The metro feels empty and unsafe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn't an issue unique to DC. Every city now has more teleworking folks than before. The issue is that DC has terrible traffic, terrible crime, terrible public transportation, and a terrible homeless problem, so lots of people have no desire to come into DC unless forced to do so for work reasons.

The difference in DC is that instead of trying to find solutions, the city thinks the Federal government should solve the problem for them. What does the Federal government owe to NYC, LA, SF? Why didn’t DC apply foresight to use their Federal COVID funds and one-time surplus to make strategic investments to address the obvious until it’s now nearing a crisis and the days of free and even cheap money are over.

Imagine if they spent some of those free billions given to them by the Federal government to acquire distressed commercial properties and collaborate with developers to convert them to residential with deeply affordable housing?

Instead they have dropped millions on new social programs and free bus service. Choices have consequences and to turn around after all of that profligacy of stimulus funds to turn around and put it on Federal workers and all American tax payers to solve DCs fiscal problems rightly should draw little sympathy.

I don't believe that the Feds owe DC anything, but you are wrong. Feds own quite a bit of the city. No other city. With all due respect, DC is not yet suffering from fiscal problems. As a matter of fact, DC has regained every resident that has left. Our population has hit pre covid levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who would live downtown if they converted office buildings to housing? There is nothing open in some areas, it is empty at night and there are homeless people camping all over the place. I work downtown and it sucks now.

I absolutely would. The current downtown housing is full. Look at City Center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hard to attract people to live downtown with fewer and fewer amenities and commute much less of a consideration now. It feels like the area is reverting back to when I worked on weekends at my firm and you couldn’t even get a coffee bc nothing was open outside of M-F business hours. No one wants to live like that.

I am not sure what people are talking about. Downtown is just fine. The empty storefronts have just opened up a new frontier of “experience” exhibits which have been fantastic. While more neighbors are always welcome, especially neighbors who appreciate the dense, walkable living the downtown has to offer (which is unfortunately not enough of DC’s current residents who don’t want to live there), you fortunately don’t need to live downtown to enjoy the “Banksy Experience”, the “Friends Experience” or the “Office Experience”. Just need to install more bike lanes to make it easier for people to frequent these establishments to improve business and the economy.

Yes, I agree it makes sense for DC to market itself as a rich and GenZ playground. It really makes no sense for anyone to pretend that federal employees play much of a role in the DC economy other than to benefit small businesses like food trucks or the 5 or so non-chain sandwich shops. I don't even think a majority of DC area feds even live in the city.

Why is Bowser asking for Biden to end telework then? Doesn't her team know the sources of revenue in the city?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Weird that people are suggesting DC is dead because nobody is working in town. If that's the case then why is the evening rush hour in DC still a nightmare?

It is not just that people are driving more for commuting, people are driving more at different times. It is not just a morning and evening rush anymore. There is more traffic, more consistently from mid-day through the evening going in every direction.

[Anonymous]

The Fed refusal to go back to work is killing Metro as well; and Metro is already reeling from the pandemic drop in ridership (as well as the crime issues). Do you like being able to take Metro to the Caps or the Nats? They can't run an entire system for the benefit of Nats Park and the Verizon Center. I also just flat out don't believe that people are as efficient working from home 5 days a week. They just aren't---whether private or public. And young people cannot learn job skills (soft or hard) sitting on their sofas at home. We need a reasonable compromise on the work week---maybe Tu-We-Th becomes the new "in office" work week and Fri and Mo are the universal "work from home".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Fed refusal to go back to work is killing Metro as well; and Metro is already reeling from the pandemic drop in ridership (as well as the crime issues). Do you like being able to take Metro to the Caps or the Nats? They can't run an entire system for the benefit of Nats Park and the Verizon Center. I also just flat out don't believe that people are as efficient working from home 5 days a week. They just aren't---whether private or public. And young people cannot learn job skills (soft or hard) sitting on their sofas at home. We need a reasonable compromise on the work week---maybe Tu-We-Th becomes the new "in office" work week and Fri and Mo are the universal "work from home".

Subway ridership in NYC is still at about 60% of pre-pandemic levels also. So don't just blame federal workers; the private sector workers aren't using subways either. It would be nice if, instead of focusing on easy solutions (like forcing people into the office against their will), metro leadership focused on cleanliness, fare-jumping, crime, safety, and reliability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Fed refusal to go back to work is killing Metro as well; and Metro is already reeling from the pandemic drop in ridership (as well as the crime issues). Do you like being able to take Metro to the Caps or the Nats? They can't run an entire system for the benefit of Nats Park and the Verizon Center. I also just flat out don't believe that people are as efficient working from home 5 days a week. They just aren't---whether private or public. And young people cannot learn job skills (soft or hard) sitting on their sofas at home. We need a reasonable compromise on the work week---maybe Tu-We-Th becomes the new "in office" work week and Fri and Mo are the universal "work from home".

You sound like a dinosaur. Things have changed and we’re not going back to the old way, get over it. Even when all the old managers are in the office, we don’t have meetings in conference rooms anymore. Everyone is sitting in their office or cube alone during meetings where we are all in the same building- how does that make any sense? Work from home has more advantages than disadvantages, and now we use programs like teams for things like training. Why would I go back to having someone looking over my shoulder when I can just share my screen over teams and talk to them? And since I am sharing my screen anyway, why do we even need to be in the same room?

[Anonymous]

I work in Woodies building that has the office and friends experience. It’s not generating tons of money. Pret across the street has almost doubled it’s prices, shrank salad sizes, and closes before 6? Federal workers aren’t going to save DC or the metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Fed refusal to go back to work is killing Metro as well; and Metro is already reeling from the pandemic drop in ridership (as well as the crime issues). Do you like being able to take Metro to the Caps or the Nats? They can't run an entire system for the benefit of Nats Park and the Verizon Center. I also just flat out don't believe that people are as efficient working from home 5 days a week. They just aren't---whether private or public. And young people cannot learn job skills (soft or hard) sitting on their sofas at home. We need a reasonable compromise on the work week---maybe Tu-We-Th becomes the new "in office" work week and Fri and Mo are the universal "work from home".

???Feds have been working the whole time. Maybe you meant "go back to the office."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Fed refusal to go back to work is killing Metro as well; and Metro is already reeling from the pandemic drop in ridership (as well as the crime issues). Do you like being able to take Metro to the Caps or the Nats? They can't run an entire system for the benefit of Nats Park and the Verizon Center. I also just flat out don't believe that people are as efficient working from home 5 days a week. They just aren't---whether private or public. And young people cannot learn job skills (soft or hard) sitting on their sofas at home. We need a reasonable compromise on the work week---maybe Tu-We-Th becomes the new "in office" work week and Fri and Mo are the universal "work from home".

You sound like a dinosaur. Things have changed and we’re not going back to the old way, get over it. Even when all the old managers are in the office, we don’t have meetings in conference rooms anymore. Everyone is sitting in their office or cube alone during meetings where we are all in the same building- how does that make any sense? Work from home has more advantages than disadvantages, and now we use programs like teams for things like training. Why would I go back to having someone looking over my shoulder when I can just share my screen over teams and talk to them? And since I am sharing my screen anyway, why do we even need to be in the same room?

+10000. These types of people simply can’t evolve and accept we have technology that no longer requires physical presence. The technology was around pre-Covid but out of necessity we were forced to use it in 2020. Now people are used to it. There’s simply no need for me to go into an office to have a conversation I can have over video chat. Just like once cell phones became common there was no reason for us to sit around at home next to our landline in case we received a call.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Fed refusal to go back to work is killing Metro as well; and Metro is already reeling from the pandemic drop in ridership (as well as the crime issues). Do you like being able to take Metro to the Caps or the Nats? They can't run an entire system for the benefit of Nats Park and the Verizon Center. I also just flat out don't believe that people are as efficient working from home 5 days a week. They just aren't---whether private or public. And young people cannot learn job skills (soft or hard) sitting on their sofas at home. We need a reasonable compromise on the work week---maybe Tu-We-Th becomes the new "in office" work week and Fri and Mo are the universal "work from home".

Subway ridership in NYC is still at about 60% of pre-pandemic levels also. So don't just blame federal workers; the private sector workers aren't using subways either. It would be nice if, instead of focusing on easy solutions (like forcing people into the office against their will), metro leadership focused on cleanliness, fare-jumping, crime, safety, and reliability.

Just to further your point, the worst performing transit system in the country right is Bay Area Rapid Transit, which is running at 1/3 pre-COVID ridership.

The longer DC looks to cast blame at the Federal government rather than develop solutions (that don’t involve a Federal handout) the worse the situation is going to get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn't an issue unique to DC. Every city now has more teleworking folks than before. The issue is that DC has terrible traffic, terrible crime, terrible public transportation, and a terrible homeless problem, so lots of people have no desire to come into DC unless forced to do so for work reasons.

The difference in DC is that instead of trying to find solutions, the city thinks the Federal government should solve the problem for them. What does the Federal government owe to NYC, LA, SF? Why didn’t DC apply foresight to use their Federal COVID funds and one-time surplus to make strategic investments to address the obvious until it’s now nearing a crisis and the days of free and even cheap money are over.

Imagine if they spent some of those free billions given to them by the Federal government to acquire distressed commercial properties and collaborate with developers to convert them to residential with deeply affordable housing?

Instead they have dropped millions on new social programs and free bus service. Choices have consequences and to turn around after all of that profligacy of stimulus funds to turn around and put it on Federal workers and all American tax payers to solve DCs fiscal problems rightly should draw little sympathy.

I don't believe that the Feds owe DC anything, but you are wrong. Feds own quite a bit of the city. No other city. With all due respect, DC is not yet suffering from fiscal problems. As a matter of fact, DC has regained every resident that has left. Our population has hit pre covid levels.

Every city in America would gladly take this Federal presence from DC that DC seems to think is such a massive burden. And a lot of them would also pay billions for this privilege, just looking back at some of the Amazon HQ2 proposals which was only for 25,000 jobs.

As you can tell, I’m getting a bit tired of this DC whiny routine vis-a-vis the Feds. You would think that the city would show a bit more gratitude. Does the city seriously think it will be better off if the Federal government moved out of its 100+ leased buildings in the city and moved those offices to the suburbs?