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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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 [/quote]

I think it needs both. I think you underestimate the sheer volume of federal workers who commuted into the city daily pre-Covid, and how much money they spent in the city. There were entire businesses that relied on selling modestly priced meals to low and midlevel government workers, and many of those businesses are gone now. That has a huge impact on those landlords, plus all the empty storefronts makes it a less attractive area for other tenants. It has a domino effect.

The decline in in-person law/lobbying/consulting downtown also has a major impact on retail and higher end food service, but believe it or not a lot of the Big Law offices downtown are more full than you think. However, when people are in the office 2-3 days a week instead of 5, they also spend less on the days they are in the office. Because they can focus their errands on days when they work from home. They also may be leaving the office earlier than they used to as face time requirements have declined, resulting in fewer dinners and drinks in the city.

The economy needs both. At least the economy we had downtown as of 2019. But we're not getting it back like before -- we're in triage now.[/quote]

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