Last week, I heard a brief broadcast about DC USA on WTOP News Radio.  It mentioned a few retailers that had signed on with DC USA, but the only one that was news to us was Modell's, the sporting goods chain.  The source that it cited was the Washington Business Journal.  I was unable to find the specific article that it referenced until this morning.

For the original article please click on the following links:

• Big retailers sign on for Columbia Heights revamp (Washington Business Journal)
• Reprint from MSNBC

There isn't much new information in the article that we haven't already reported here.  The following are tidbits of information that were news to us:

• Modell's and Staples have signed with DC USA.
• Developer's are expected to secure a loan for $89 million with Citibank.
• Maggie Moo's is considering leasing retail space in DC USA.

Discrepancies in the Article 

There are some discrepancies between some of the information provided in the article and what we learned from talking to the developers.

The article also touches on Whole Foods Market.  It states that according to sources, "Whole Foods Market was expected to lease about 25,000 square feet, but negotiations fell apart because Whole Foods needed its own parking area..."  Based on what we've learned from talking with developers as well as Karen Riley of Whole Foods Market, 25,000 sq. ft. of retail space would have been much too small.  Based on emails we received from Robert Moore, president of DCCH, DC USA developers are offering more than twice that amount, 53,000 sq. ft.  You can read more about this here.

Whole Foods Market Petition 

There is also mention of the community's petition to bring Whole Foods Market to DC USA.  We have not been contacted by the writer of the article and there is no direct mention of Columbia Heights News.  But it is still nice to receive a bit of publicity for the community's efforts.  We have been urging supporters of Whole Foods Market to send emails to Karen Riley at to voice their interests.  The number of people emailing Ms. Riley has trailed off quite a bit.  The current count is 118.  Again we urge you to email Ms. Riley to voice your support for bringing Whole Foods Market to DC USA.  Availability of dediciated parking is still the major sticking point in the negotiations so we need to impress upon Ms. Riley that parking will not be an issue for most residents of Columbia Heights and surrounding neighborhoods.  When you email Ms. Riley, please let us know by emailing us at so we can keep count.  Alternatively, you may cc of bcc on the message you send Ms. Riley.  Please go to our special Whole Foods Market section for more details.

The writer of the article is Erin Killian and her email is .  We will try contacting Killian to resolve some of the discrepencies in the article and perhaps get some more details.

Comments

Written by on 2006-02-07 08:05:10 I'm still not into trying to get Whole Foods to move to DC USA. I don't know why the neighborhood didn't try to get Harris Teeter to back away from locating in Adams Morgan. After all, they've had a hell of a time locating there. I wonder if it's too late for that possibility?

Written by Thomas on 2006-02-07 13:47:49 There are alternatives to Whole Foods - like Trader Joes    http://www.traderjoes.com/about/index.asp    for example, I think they should be a definate consideration if the idea is to have another grocery store in the space passed up by Whole Foods.

Written by on 2006-02-07 15:51:42 As far as I know, the opening of a Harris Teeter store in Adams Morgan is a done deal. Although I have nothing against Harris Teeter, it seems bringing one to Columbia Heights would really be duplicating resources considering the brand new Giant we have at Tivoli Square. Harris Teeter is a major grocery chain, albeit a bit higher end than Giant, but a full service supermarket nonetheless.    I believe that Trader Joe's or some other niche grocery store would be a good alternative if Whole Foods Market ultimately decides not to come to Columbia Heights. But at the moment Whole Foods Market has had the most momentum in bringing a location to DC USA. There are some major hurdles that needs to be overcome but this is why uniform community support is critical at this juncture. My stance is, we should not give up hope until an ultimate decision is made. That's when we should press for plan B.

Another DC USA Article Written by on 2006-02-07 18:54:29 Here is yet another article published today on DC USA by GlobalSt.com. It is basically a rehash of the Washington Business Journal article with even less new information.

Duplicating? Written by on 2006-02-08 17:11:39 Why wouldn't Whole Foods also be duplicating what's at that Giant, which stocks some organic products as well as its regular groceries? Why not use the energy going into this petition drive to ask Giant to improve the quality of the fish and meat it stocks at the neighborhood store, rather than pushing to get a whole other grocery store to come in?

Written by on 2006-02-08 18:51:20 There was an article in the Washington Post that we referenced in a previous post about Andrea Astrachan, consumer adviser to Giant Foods. Ms. Astrachan made a trip to the Giant in Columbia Heights and talked about her plan to improve customer service in Giant locations in the area.    We feel that our Giant is a great asset to the community and advocate community involvement to help improve its quality and customer service. We will try to do what we can on this respect. But Columbia Heights is very densely populated and its residents possess highly diverse needs. I think the population could support another grocery / pharmacy / convenince store like Harris Teeter but again, the push for Whole Foods Market has had the most momentum and it'll satisfy another segment of Columbia Heights diverse population.

chains Written by Ryan on 2006-02-10 13:31:29 I have nothing against some chain businesses..i shop there often but this glut of nothing but huge chains is really depressing to me. I think i read somewhere that local businesses would have space reserved for them in the development right? have there been any announcements about that. So far all the new development is making columbia heights into anytown, usa.

Written by on 2006-02-14 10:24:17 Why do we need another Whole Foods, when P St. is just a short walk away? Why not urge another type of store altogether to move in, or why not try to bring a Shoppers Food Warehouse or Sam's Club, that actually offers value instead of glitz. After all, isn't Columbia Heights about diversity? Not everyone in the neighborhood will (or should be) able to afford the "upper brackets" and all of us could benefit from a more egalitarian use of space.

Office Space Written by on 2007-10-14 14:48:42 I recently moved to the neighborhood from Adams Morgan. I love it so much I want to now move my office but can't find any space? I am looking for 1000 sg ft - any advise?

Written by GforGood on 2007-10-14 21:53:53 Wonder if the older building accross from Tivoli would have some space on the second floor?

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