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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

NYC? SF? LA? All cities in STATES! DC isn’t a state. There is no other place in America comparable. DC should have statehood then.

So if DC is so special that it needs a Federal hand out, then DC should not ever be a state and requires more Federal oversight. If the Federal government agrees to any of DCs requests on this, then it should come with bringing back the Control Board.

You make no sense, you bitter angry man. You sound like a crazy House GOP member. I realize all you conservatives are just seething with rage for anything that doesn’t conform to your limited world view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It’s full when I have used it during commuting hours. My teenager rides it to school and says it’s often packed like before Covid. I assume all these people posting stuff like above don’t live in DC.

It is occasionally crowded because they don’t have enough trains due to the 7000 series safety issues and have long headways between trains. They could improve service now to reduce crowding, but won’t. Metro wants guaranteed revenue but doen’t actually want people to use the service. At least that’s how they act.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

NYC? SF? LA? All cities in STATES! DC isn’t a state. There is no other place in America comparable. DC should have statehood then.

So if DC is so special that it needs a Federal hand out, then DC should not ever be a state and requires more Federal oversight. If the Federal government agrees to any of DCs requests on this, then it should come with bringing back the Control Board.

You make no sense, you bitter angry man. You sound like a crazy House GOP member. I realize all you conservatives are just seething with rage for anything that doesn’t conform to your limited world view.

You seem a little unhinged. Let me be more clear. Federal dollars always does and should with strings attached. For example, if states want Federal transportation $, they need to have a drinking age > 21 and meet national ambient air quality standards.

If DC wants a Federal handout to help downtown, then it will also need to come with strings attached. That is just how life works. Nothing is free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A bunch of GS 12s getting lunch a few times a week wasn't propping up the economy. DC needs big law and lobbyists working in the office and spending money in the city

Just wait until the bike lanes are built on Connecticut Avenue and the 1000s of Montgomery County big law/lobbying partners are forced to take Metro or work from home more. That’ll be GREAT for the downtown economy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A bunch of GS 12s getting lunch a few times a week wasn't propping up the economy. DC needs big law and lobbyists working in the office and spending money in the city

Just wait until the bike lanes are built on Connecticut Avenue and the 1000s of Montgomery County big law/lobbying partners are forced to take Metro or work from home more. That’ll be GREAT for the downtown economy.

Yup, that's right, no one will be able to drive on Connecticut Avenue at all once the bike lanes are built, and not a single law partner who lives in Montgomery County takes Metro now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

NYC? SF? LA? All cities in STATES! DC isn’t a state. There is no other place in America comparable. DC should have statehood then.

So if DC is so special that it needs a Federal hand out, then DC should not ever be a state and requires more Federal oversight. If the Federal government agrees to any of DCs requests on this, then it should come with bringing back the Control Board.

DC is the only colony that pays federal taxes. The feds use DC's police and fire employees to help guard and protect federal buildings. They do not pay taxes.


You make no sense, you bitter angry man. You sound like a crazy House GOP member. I realize all you conservatives are just seething with rage for anything that doesn’t conform to your limited world view.

You seem a little unhinged. Let me be more clear. Federal dollars always does and should with strings attached. For example, if states want Federal transportation $, they need to have a drinking age > 21 and meet national ambient air quality standards.

If DC wants a Federal handout to help downtown, then it will also need to come with strings attached. That is just how life works. Nothing is free.

[Anonymous]

To be clear, no one is asking for Federal handouts. At all.

I agree that the city needs to get rid of camping on sidewalks. That is a blight and not a good long term solution for unhoused people.

DC government needs to get better at looking critically at developers and creating a good plan for how the city should look in twenty years. I believe it's too early to say that workers will never return to offices at all. But things won't be going back to how they were. That much is clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be clear, no one is asking for Federal handouts. At all.

I agree that the city needs to get rid of camping on sidewalks. That is a blight and not a good long term solution for unhoused people.

DC government needs to get better at looking critically at developers and creating a good plan for how the city should look in twenty years. I believe it's too early to say that workers will never return to offices at all. But things won't be going back to how they were. That much is clear.

The city asked the Federal government to change their HR policies to force workers back downtown or turn over Federal buildings to developers. If not handouts then they are definitely requesting subsidies. The government is rightfully saying no, as it should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a federal employee- what has DC done for me?! Made it easy to get to work? Nope, metro is bad, parking is bad, traffic is bad. Made it nice to eat lunch outside? No, the park next to my federal office has needles, homeless people sleeping on benches and pee everywhere.

Even before telework was a thing, people were begging to work in our suburban offices instead of DC.

LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be clear, no one is asking for Federal handouts. At all.

I agree that the city needs to get rid of camping on sidewalks. That is a blight and not a good long term solution for unhoused people.

DC government needs to get better at looking critically at developers and creating a good plan for how the city should look in twenty years. I believe it's too early to say that workers will never return to offices at all. But things won't be going back to how they were. That much is clear.

To be clear, any of you that live in Maryland or Virginia and complain about Metro are, in fact, asking for handouts. DC has been putting up with VA's and MD's fighting to claw back every cent they owe to metro to make it better (because it mostly serves YOU!!!) and then they complain how it's underfunded and never improves. You all are so incredibly lucky there's not a commuter tax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a federal employee- what has DC done for me?! Made it easy to get to work? Nope, metro is bad, parking is bad, traffic is bad. Made it nice to eat lunch outside? No, the park next to my federal office has needles, homeless people sleeping on benches and pee everywhere.

Even before telework was a thing, people were begging to work in our suburban offices instead of DC.

LOL

Just keep laughing as the tax base shrivels up and your taxes increase. Bowser committed to not raising property taxes, so how do you suppose they will make up any shortfall? That’s right, you’re going to be paying more and not the rich folk. LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be clear, no one is asking for Federal handouts. At all.

I agree that the city needs to get rid of camping on sidewalks. That is a blight and not a good long term solution for unhoused people.

DC government needs to get better at looking critically at developers and creating a good plan for how the city should look in twenty years. I believe it's too early to say that workers will never return to offices at all. But things won't be going back to how they were. That much is clear.

To be clear, any of you that live in Maryland or Virginia and complain about Metro are, in fact, asking for handouts. DC has been putting up with VA's and MD's fighting to claw back every cent they owe to metro to make it better (because it mostly serves YOU!!!) and then they complain how it's underfunded and never improves. You all are so incredibly lucky there's not a commuter tax.

When is DC going to recover the funds that two successive DC Councilmembers stole from WMATA through their corruption?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It’s full when I have used it during commuting hours. My teenager rides it to school and says it’s often packed like before Covid. I assume all these people posting stuff like above don’t live in DC.

It is occasionally crowded because they don’t have enough trains due to the 7000 series safety issues and have long headways between trains. They could improve service now to reduce crowding, but won’t. Metro wants guaranteed revenue but doen’t actually want people to use the service. At least that’s how they act.

Sounds like the perfect business model. Paid to do nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It’s full when I have used it during commuting hours. My teenager rides it to school and says it’s often packed like before Covid. I assume all these people posting stuff like above don’t live in DC.

Rail ridership is currently at 40% of its 2019 levels and about 35% of its all time peak ridership levels. So it is not crowded at all.

DC metro is running at something under 20% of potential capacity.

https://wmata.com/initiatives/ridership-portal/Rail-Data-Portal.cfm

[Anonymous]

Does the mayor honestly believe that these folks are coming back? They left to go start families in the suburbs and mid-sized metros. Building 15k micro apartments downtown is not going to convince these people to return. Three bedroom apartments on Capitol Hill might, but they just spent the last decade building nothing but studios and 1-BDs. Just goes to show the risks of designing your economic strategy around a demographic cohort. When the trends turn against you, your economy is in serious trouble.