Reply to Politico article : CAPITAL CITY Downtown D.C. Confronts a Grim Prospect: A Return to the Dismal 1980s

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I actually think this is a decent plan, and I think the comparisons to the 80s are a bit premature. I go downtown often and while there are more closed store fronts and fewer people than 2017 (the last time I worked there daily), it's not like some hellscape. In fact I also see improvements-- I used to work near Franklin Square, and it's much nicer there now with the renovation to the square and the changes to the bus system around the square. There are actually fewer homeless people in the square now than there used to be, believe it or not.

I see two flaws with the current plan:

1) It underestimates the challenge of chapter inverting a lot of downtown buildings to housing. I think people recognize it's going to be more than retrofitting these buildings, but I've yet to see plans that explain what exactly will be done. I guess you need developers involved in that step, but I wonder if the city can offer incentives or assistance with the process, because it isn't going to be cheap or easy.

2) The plan does not incorporate enough tourism. I think this is a missed opportunity. The proximity of downtown to the museums and the mall, as well as tourist attractions like the White House, make it prime real estate for hotels and other tourist-focused businesses. I know there are a lot of hotels there now, but most are high end. I'd love to see the city encouraging hotel concepts that might cater to families and tour groups. Micro rooms or the family-style rooms you find in some European cities (some have bunk beds, or three twins, or other set ups that more convenient for group travel). They wouldn't be budget priced, but by offering ways for groups or families to stay downtown more affordable, you could attract some of the tourism that currently stays in NoVa suburbs, comes in on buses, and leaves on them too. And that would bring in not only more revenue from hotels but also capture more of the tourist spending that currently leaves the city.

I also think many of the existing plans to create more green space, walkable shipping districts, and dining centers, will be a major draw for tourists.

If the goal is tax revenue, hotels offer higher ROI than housing, so mixing more of that into the plan can help make up for the loss in revenue from commercial real estate as the office buildings empty out.[/quote]

None of this matters until crime returns to pre-2020 levels. [/quote]

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