Anonymous
09/30/2021 10:29
Subject: Re:The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I'm more concerned about Metro. Will they ever get back to full ridership? They already had budget shortfalls before the pandemic.
What’s “full ridership”? Ridership peaked in 2009 and has been downhill since. WMATA loses money on every ride and yet they have foolishly been suckered into running empty buses and trains because some dudes goaded them into it because it’s convenient for them. In 2 years they will have wasted their once in a generation life support and that’s when the real pain begins.
How much money does DDOT get paid for our roads by people driving? It's been losing money on building roads since forever.
Anonymous
09/30/2021 10:14
Subject: Re:The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Anonymous wrote:Once all kids are vaccinated and the vaccine mandates kick in, people will start going back to the office downtown, including a large population of Federal employees who have been working from home for over a year. I do think it's not going to be back to "normal" like it was pre-pandemic but ultimately, I think downtown will be fine in the long run. It will just take a couple of years to sort it out.
In a couple years an office building with high vacancy rates can easily go into bankruptcy because of how leveraged real estate it. In a couple years, business with expiring leases could decide to opt out of downtown DC for a more convenient location that is easier accessible in cleaner and safer environment with cheaper office rents, like Reston. A lot can change in that couple years you are waiting for things to “get back to normal”.
Anonymous
09/30/2021 10:07
Subject: Re:The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Anonymous wrote:I'm more concerned about Metro. Will they ever get back to full ridership? They already had budget shortfalls before the pandemic.
What’s “full ridership”? Ridership peaked in 2009 and has been downhill since. WMATA loses money on every ride and yet they have foolishly been suckered into running empty buses and trains because some dudes goaded them into it because it’s convenient for them. In 2 years they will have wasted their once in a generation life support and that’s when the real pain begins.
Anonymous
09/30/2021 09:51
Subject: The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Anonymous wrote:Moved to the District in 1990 - coincidentally, the same year that GGW bro intern was born in Indiana. My inlaws and husband have lived here since the 60s. You know, the riots and all.
I have a hunch that in the near-term DC will feel like it did during the *late* Barry years, post riot and post intense crack wars … but still suboptimal and looking for revenue. With an overlay of ever-present graft and hesitant developers. I predict DC will again shuffle along for some years, until there is a big political change analogous to Tony Williams ♥️ This would lead business and banks to have the confidence to Do Big Things downtown, a la Abe Pollin ♥️
One thing that is clear is that this will require grown up, boring elected officials who understand big picture financials and aren’t jerked around by the short hairs by the likes of WABA and 4-person homeless nonprofit and donations
GGW bro is insulated from this environment because he never leaves his 4-block area, doesn’t have kids and doesn’t own a home. People like my family are insulated to this decline because we live in an enclave like historic Cleveland Park and can pay our way out of bullshit with private schools, locked garages and beach houses and we can weather the new taxes.
Two kids in a crosswalk on Georgia Ave we're just hit by a car this morning. Have fun ragging in GGW bros and WABA short hairs. But what are you proposing to make this a safer place for people to live?
Anonymous
09/30/2021 09:17
Subject: Re:The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Once all kids are vaccinated and the vaccine mandates kick in, people will start going back to the office downtown, including a large population of Federal employees who have been working from home for over a year. I do think it's not going to be back to "normal" like it was pre-pandemic but ultimately, I think downtown will be fine in the long run. It will just take a couple of years to sort it out.
Anonymous
09/30/2021 08:24
Subject: The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Moved to the District in 1990 - coincidentally, the same year that GGW bro intern was born in Indiana. My inlaws and husband have lived here since the 60s. You know, the riots and all.
I have a hunch that in the near-term DC will feel like it did during the *late* Barry years, post riot and post intense crack wars … but still suboptimal and looking for revenue. With an overlay of ever-present graft and hesitant developers. I predict DC will again shuffle along for some years, until there is a big political change analogous to Tony Williams ♥️ This would lead business and banks to have the confidence to Do Big Things downtown, a la Abe Pollin ♥️
One thing that is clear is that this will require grown up, boring elected officials who understand big picture financials and aren’t jerked around by the short hairs by the likes of WABA and 4-person homeless nonprofit and donations
GGW bro is insulated from this environment because he never leaves his 4-block area, doesn’t have kids and doesn’t own a home. People like my family are insulated to this decline because we live in an enclave like historic Cleveland Park and can pay our way out of bullshit with private schools, locked garages and beach houses and we can weather the new taxes.
I have a hunch that in the near-term DC will feel like it did during the *late* Barry years, post riot and post intense crack wars … but still suboptimal and looking for revenue. With an overlay of ever-present graft and hesitant developers. I predict DC will again shuffle along for some years, until there is a big political change analogous to Tony Williams ♥️ This would lead business and banks to have the confidence to Do Big Things downtown, a la Abe Pollin ♥️
One thing that is clear is that this will require grown up, boring elected officials who understand big picture financials and aren’t jerked around by the short hairs by the likes of WABA and 4-person homeless nonprofit and donations
GGW bro is insulated from this environment because he never leaves his 4-block area, doesn’t have kids and doesn’t own a home. People like my family are insulated to this decline because we live in an enclave like historic Cleveland Park and can pay our way out of bullshit with private schools, locked garages and beach houses and we can weather the new taxes.
Anonymous
09/30/2021 07:48
Subject: The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Manager at a commercial bank...we're going permanent hybrid. I've already had team members move far out or to other cities. We currently have 5 full floors of beautiful office space. About to go to 2. We're going to save huge money. Still doing business lunches and dinners but not all downtown anymore. Playing more golf. Doing fishing outings. The entertainment dollars will still be spent but reallocated. Personally I'm happy to not have to fight the ridiculous traffic or deal with broken metro. I'm extremely worried about how DC survives this
Anonymous
09/30/2021 07:43
Subject: The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
When many people only need to go into the office 1-3 days a week, you simply do not need as much office space. Some folks will return to the office daily but many will not. The pandemic has really just accelerated a trend that was happening anyway. Over the next couple of decades we will see more move to WFH. Office space is expensive and many businesses will find it more profitable to have employees working from home and going into a temp office. There is too much office space in not just DC but also basically everywhere. We will see satellite offices closing and many buildings being combined. When you can have two people share a desk, you only need half the desks. If you need half the desks, you need half the buildings. You also need half as many service economy businesses like restaurants that serve these office buildings. Any city that wants to grow in the future will need to attract residents or tourists and not office workers. We will always need places to meet and discuss in person some of the time so the death of the office isn't happening but the downsizing of offices is and will continue for the next couple of decades. It's not the end of the world but it is a structural change in the economy.
Anonymous
09/30/2021 07:21
Subject: Re:The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Work is far from the only reason I live in DC. It's baffling to me that folks are like "well I don't have to work in an office anymore, so I'll go live in Frederick." Like, don't you have friends? A social life?
I love the community I have here and I would not be able to replicate it in Frederick in a million years.
I know it’s a generalization, but I think a lot of the people (myself included) who are moving to the exurbs now that we don’t have to be in a DC office 5 days a week have a community that is largely wrapped up in our kids. That community will be replicated anywhere we move because the kids will go to new schools, we will meet the kids parents, etc. The dramatic difference in housing prospects also can’t be underestimated. The 750k house that we are buying in the exurbs would cost 1.5 million or more here. It’s just people in completely different life phases and/or with different priorities. Some people think walkability is non-negotiable, and I could not care less about it. I couldn’t handle being crammed into a 1500 sq ft house with my 2 kids and DH any longer, some people find that absurd. To each their own. But DC will be back, the interns and new graduates will return to the city (just as I came after college) and help pump up the economy again, and when they are ready to leave the city won’t miss a beat because there will be a new group ready to replace them. If DC wants to hold on to a portion of those people as they get older and have families though, they might want to address some of the quality of life issues that a 22 year old isn’t much concerned with.
PP here and I actually am a mom of 2 kids. I have a group of friends loosely connected to my grad program, mostly moms now, and we hang out regularly on weekends. We have a ton in common and have been friends for years- I’m not going to be able to replicate that group in Frederick.
Anonymous
09/30/2021 07:17
Subject: Re:The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
I'm concerned that the Mayor's development plan to build, build, build condos everywhere isn't taking these seismic changes into account. Is there a way to hit pause and see what the city REALLY needs? Maybe we need something we haven't even thought of yet as the draw, not condos everywhere.
Anonymous
09/30/2021 07:12
Subject: Re:The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
I'm more concerned about Metro. Will they ever get back to full ridership? They already had budget shortfalls before the pandemic.
Anonymous
09/29/2021 23:01
Subject: The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
I go into the office once a week. Downtown, Farragut North. There is some life on Connecticut, some restaurants w outdoor seating do a good lunch business, but most retail is on life support or gone. It’s a like Saturday levels of foot traffic. I bet daily occupancy in our building is under 10%.
Yes, that will absolutely rebound, and other parts of the city are thriving.
But the office space market is permanently changed, and long term you may see more residential conversions — though they are expensive, mean lower rents, and property owners are loath to do them unless they become uneconomic as offices. Which long term could be good for city life but means a lot of pain in the meantime.
Yes, that will absolutely rebound, and other parts of the city are thriving.
But the office space market is permanently changed, and long term you may see more residential conversions — though they are expensive, mean lower rents, and property owners are loath to do them unless they become uneconomic as offices. Which long term could be good for city life but means a lot of pain in the meantime.
Anonymous
09/29/2021 22:53
Subject: Re:The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Anonymous wrote:Work is far from the only reason I live in DC. It's baffling to me that folks are like "well I don't have to work in an office anymore, so I'll go live in Frederick." Like, don't you have friends? A social life?
I love the community I have here and I would not be able to replicate it in Frederick in a million years.
Don't people who live in Frederick have friends and a social life? I don't understand your point.
I never stayed somewhere because I had friends. I'd only do that for family.
Anonymous
09/29/2021 22:39
Subject: The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I haven't read every single reply, but one issue is traffic. I work downtown and most of my colleagues do want to be back in person at least half-time. But we don't *have* to be back in person. And right now the traffic into DC is really lousy because the DC government is more concerned with bike lanes and giving NWDC residents free street parking than in winning back office workers.
As long as I have to sit in a nightmare of 2 lanes on Conn Ave to get home at night, why should I bother? I can just meet colleagues for lunch when we want to have informal opportunities to interact. Some degree of personal flexibility on telework is now the norm for a lot of people, including many more USG offices than was previously the case. So if DC wants to ensure businesses thrive downtown, they'll have to make it worth our while. Revert to pre-Covid commuter traffic (including re-opening Beach Drive and the 4-lane rush hour switch on Conn Ave) and you'll get more of us back in the office and spending money at DC restaurants and shops.
DC resident here. We don't care what you think. You don't even pay DC taxes -- you don't own a home here and DC can't impose a commuter tax. You're a drain on our resources, not a net gain, and we don't care if you or your stinking car ever come back.
You're the perfect combination of a stubborn refusal to listen to any opposing viewpoints, and utmost certainty of your own.
I'm surprised you're not a Trump voter.
The Trump voters live in the suburbs. Now, tell me again why we should care about some commuter who doesn't set a foot into this city when she's not working and paying us zero dollars in taxes and doesn't know a thing about us other than her commute?
Because, you simpleton, your image of commuters leaving DC as soon as their workday is done is not based on reality. You have no idea what you're talking about.
Commuters do things like go out to happy hours with co-workers, dinners with friends, sporting events etc. And, if their view of DC is positive, they'll come into the District on weekends.
I say this as somebody who worked for a DC government development agency. DC can't impose a commuter tax, so it needs to make the District an attractive place to work, shop, and play. The District's fiscal stability is heavily tied to commuters. We've seen what happens to the District when suburban residents decide that the District is not an attractive place to spend their time and money, and it ain't pretty.
If you were smart, you'd want people from outside of DC to spend as much of their time and money as possible in the District.
Oh, please. How often does the average commuter living in the suburbs stay in town for happy hours and dinners or sporting events? I lived in a close-in suburb for 20+ years and worked downtown and almost never did, and I'm social. Most folks couldn't wait to get home.
DC doesn’t need average “commuters” sticking around for $1 beer happy hours. It doesn’t need average “commuters” spending $8/day at the lunch buffets. It DOES need lobbyists and executives that live in Maryland and Virginia dropping incredible amounts of money in steak houses and other high end restaurants and paying 10% sales tax and leaving $1000 tips to waitstaff 3 nights a week. The DC economy is uniquely driven by the expense account crowd. You’d be shocked how many of the highest groci g restaurants in the country are located in a 10 block area in downtown DC. Those restaurants are slowly dying.
Anonymous
09/29/2021 19:33
Subject: The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard And Then There's Washington, DC
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I haven't read every single reply, but one issue is traffic. I work downtown and most of my colleagues do want to be back in person at least half-time. But we don't *have* to be back in person. And right now the traffic into DC is really lousy because the DC government is more concerned with bike lanes and giving NWDC residents free street parking than in winning back office workers.
As long as I have to sit in a nightmare of 2 lanes on Conn Ave to get home at night, why should I bother? I can just meet colleagues for lunch when we want to have informal opportunities to interact. Some degree of personal flexibility on telework is now the norm for a lot of people, including many more USG offices than was previously the case. So if DC wants to ensure businesses thrive downtown, they'll have to make it worth our while. Revert to pre-Covid commuter traffic (including re-opening Beach Drive and the 4-lane rush hour switch on Conn Ave) and you'll get more of us back in the office and spending money at DC restaurants and shops.
DC resident here. We don't care what you think. You don't even pay DC taxes -- you don't own a home here and DC can't impose a commuter tax. You're a drain on our resources, not a net gain, and we don't care if you or your stinking car ever come back.
You're the perfect combination of a stubborn refusal to listen to any opposing viewpoints, and utmost certainty of your own.
I'm surprised you're not a Trump voter.
The Trump voters live in the suburbs. Now, tell me again why we should care about some commuter who doesn't set a foot into this city when she's not working and paying us zero dollars in taxes and doesn't know a thing about us other than her commute?
Because, you simpleton, your image of commuters leaving DC as soon as their workday is done is not based on reality. You have no idea what you're talking about.
Commuters do things like go out to happy hours with co-workers, dinners with friends, sporting events etc. And, if their view of DC is positive, they'll come into the District on weekends.
I say this as somebody who worked for a DC government development agency. DC can't impose a commuter tax, so it needs to make the District an attractive place to work, shop, and play. The District's fiscal stability is heavily tied to commuters. We've seen what happens to the District when suburban residents decide that the District is not an attractive place to spend their time and money, and it ain't pretty.
If you were smart, you'd want people from outside of DC to spend as much of their time and money as possible in the District.
Oh, please. How often does the average commuter living in the suburbs stay in town for happy hours and dinners or sporting events? I lived in a close-in suburb for 20+ years and worked downtown and almost never did, and I'm social. Most folks couldn't wait to get home.
Depends on your interests. It’s also about money spend on lunch, coffee, etc during the workday. Commuters spend plenty of money in DC and that’s revenue lost during telework.