What New Businesses Do You Want On Georgia Avenue?
The empty lot at Otis and Georgia has joined the list of proposed new developments in Park View
Last week, Dan Silverman (PoP) reported the latest gossip that the empty lot at Georgia Avenue and Otis Place is destined for development and will have an “organic bodega.” Based on my experience and the conversations I have had with developers, I can safely wager that there will be no “organic bodega” coming to Otis Place — that is, unless someone has figured out how to sell higher priced organic produce next to an existing market without selling beer, wine, and/or spirits.
With ABRA’s moratorium on Class B licenses (beer and wine) and rules on Class A licenses (liquor stores), the only new businesses that can locate on Georgia Avenue between the Georgia Avenue Metro and Park Road and sell alcohol are bars, taverns, or restaurants. With this in mind, I’d like to know what new businesses the community would like to see open up in Park View.
New development is continuing to happen along Georgia Avenue and each project includes retail space. Some, like The Avenue have spaces around 2,500 sq. ft. Others, like The Heights will have as much as 10,000 sq. ft. of retail space. Add into this mix future projects like The Vue and the empty lot on Otis Place — not to mention the existing empty storefronts that are available immediately — there is plenty of room for new businesses.
So the question becomes, what businesses should be pursued that would add to the retail we already have on Georgia Avenue? Would a coffee shop with wireless Intranet work here? Do you think a small home goods store like Home Rule would do well? Or, should the primary focus be more on services like dry cleaning?
Knowing what the community will support will greatly enhance the conversations I’ll be having with prospective businesses later this week.
Tags: commerce, Development, Georgia Avenue corridor, Park View
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Park View, D.C. 
July 23, 2012 at 9:27 am
Hi Kent, thanks as always for keeping us well-informed. Have there ever been conversations about The House and what it means for business prospects on that part of GA ave? I find it pretty unbelievable that there’s a strip club operating two doors down from an elementary school. I also worry that its general seediness makes it unlikely that folks will walk that far down Georgia from the metro (nor can I see the parents picking up their kids at EL Haynes decide to park and shop). Seems like that might not bode well for retail in The Avenue.
July 23, 2012 at 3:30 pm
e35, you have it backwards, there is an elementary school operating two doors down from an strip club, as the strip club was there first. I honestly forget its there until someone mentions it. As others have mentioned it will have no effect on other businesses or pedestrian traffic.
July 23, 2012 at 10:32 am
While I am no fan of the house either I don’t think it will completely discourage new businesses on GA avenue. I used to do a lot of work over in Glover Park which was a combo of families with young kids and AU group houses. That section of Wisconsin avenue had two strip clubs (now just the one) and they have a whole foods, WSC and a bunch of new restaurants and more nicer sit down places coming all the time. One of the best sushi places in DC (sushi ko) is located adjacent to the strip club on the south end. we just need a critical mass of new residents in PV to create the demand for newer/better retail.
July 23, 2012 at 11:02 am
even though the poll doesn’t support it there is a need for a gift type shop with florists/ cards currently go out of the immediate area to giant food store for that type of business having something local would be great. more focus should be given to our daily living needs
July 23, 2012 at 2:57 pm
We are a few houses up from the existing weed-forested chain link nightmare, and are thrilled at prospective development. What we would most frequent is a deli, something like Furin’s in Georgetown used to be, more down-to-earth than, say, Marvelous Market. Pricing on par with Fish in the Hood or Manny & Olgas, lots of prepared salads and made to order sandwiches, coffee/desserts, some seating, breakfast on weekends… that would be heavenly and we’d go there all the time.
July 23, 2012 at 3:29 pm
+1 on the deli that Lolly described
For sure a dry cleaner south of the metro
I know there is a heavy push for a TJs (though there always seems to be) at the current Murray’s location at GA and Morton
I may be dreaming but a bike shop and/or gym would be just glorious
I echo the concerns with the strip club, though there is surprisingly less ‘hanging out front’ that may detour folks from passing than say the 6 other liquor stores (excluding Lion’s)
July 23, 2012 at 3:58 pm
I for one would like to see a bakery along the lines of Hellers in Mt. Pleasant, a kebab place like Moby Dick’s, or maybe an indian restaurant.
I agree that, while The House is quite seedy, I don’t think it’ll stop people coming another block down GA if there’s a good reason to…
July 23, 2012 at 9:37 pm
All of this is great, but given the empty storefronts in the Park Place complex, are we sure that there’s really a market for more retail?
July 24, 2012 at 1:42 am
Inexpensive services, like those that exist on Connecticut Ave. An inexpensive dry cleaners like Zips. A reasonably priced gym like Golds. A decent deli like Marvelous Market. I used to live near the Van Ness Metro on Conn Ave. Now I live on Princeton Place and Georgia Ave. Why can’t we have the decent inexpensive services and stores that exist on the other side of Rock Creek Park? And get rid of all the bullet proof dividers!!! The House is not the problem. The mindset of the neighborhood is the problem.
July 25, 2012 at 4:08 pm
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July 31, 2012 at 7:01 am
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August 28, 2012 at 7:02 am
[…] confident in this since “coffee shop” was the most popular choice during the recent survey of the types of businesses that residents in the community would like to see […]
November 5, 2012 at 7:04 am
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