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Wednesday, December 03, 2008
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DC USA is a 546,000 square feet shopping and entertainment complex that is under construction in the heart of Columbia Heights. With major retailers like Target, Best Buy, Washington Sports Club, and Bed Bath and Beyond, DC USA will become the one-stop shopping destination for all of Washington, DC.
Many residents have expressed interest in bringing Whole Foods Market to the DC USA retail complex. Whole Foods Market and DC USA developers are still under negotiation. There are a few major hurdles. We have set up a special Whole Foods Market section to provide you the latest information on this situation and let you know what we can do as a community to make it happen.
Updates
February 2006
"...Modell's and Staples have struck agreements with New York-based Grid Properties and the Gotham Organization, according to sources close to the deals...Citibank is giving the project an $89 million construction loan, according to NCRC...NCRC will finance $47 million for three levels of underground parking by issuing tax-exempt bonds to Citibank Community Development Bank. NCRC started issuing the bonds last month. The bonds will be repaid with $4.9 million in parking revenue and $42 million in tax increment financing, which uses some of the taxes generated by new development to pay off bonds...DC USA has 15,000 square feet of first-floor space reserved for minority businesses, and 14 businesses have applied for it, including franchise owners for Maggie Moo's Ice Cream and Treatery and Quizno's."
"The closing date for the construction loan. Eighty percent of the DC USA retail space must be claimed in order to break ground. 'Closing has started, with tenants under lease at an amount sufficient for the lender to proceed,' says Robert Moore, president of the Development Corporation of Columbia Heights. City sources say ground will be broken sometime in the coming months."
Site preparation has been completed by National Capital Revitalization Corporation (NCRC). The site will be transferred to DC USA Operation Company, LLC. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2006 and completed sometime in 2008.
This is a photo of the sign posted on the DC USA site - January 2006.
Comments
stores Written by Lisa on 2008-03-07 14:00:30what i want to know is why this "mall" is filled with such crappy stores. target and best buy are pluses.....but everything else....hmm...not so much
Written by Tom on 2008-03-07 22:18:37I am excited to see Staples and Bed Bath and Beyond coming in. Also I think I saw that Radio Shack is coming. I always get great service at the Columbia Road store, but they are always so busy. This will be closer to me and a lot more convenient.
I think that having the regular stores is a plus. Why should we all have to go to MD or VA to get what we need?
Written by Newton St on 2008-03-08 13:18:24I think Bed Bath and Beyond is great place to have. Every time my girlfriend wants to go to Linens and Things, we always have to plan the day out b/c we have to drive out to Pentagon City. Each store targets different demographics. Some will cross over (such as Marshalls and Target).
Traffic Flow Written by
on 2008-03-15 11:57:15I was checking out the mall yesterday and the traffic flow was pretty bad. Have they considered sky walks and underground tunnels to connect different parts of the mall?
The mall seems to be built to utilize as much space as possible without traffic flow/user-friendly/ease-of-use in mind. I went in at the corner of 14th and Irving. I saw Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Best Buy and that was it. To go to other stores, I have to go back outside and walk around to the Park Road corner. Now how do I go to T-Mobile? I have to cross Park Road street, cross 14th street, and then cross Park Road again. It was a long wait. A lot of people was jaywalking. It is like an accident waiting to happen. It did not make me feel safe or comfortable. Of course if people don't feel safe and comfortable, they would not come.
Food Court? Written by
on 2008-03-15 12:11:43I took my buddy to the mall to have dinner last night. He said he wanted Chinese. I couldn't find a food court. We walked up and down 14th street for a while. There seems to be no central food court. Finally we found a takeout place near 7-Eleven. Now where can we sit down to eat? I think a food court is essential to a mall. If I was shopping for a while, I would want to have a place to sit, relax and eat something. It is a place for kids to hang out and show off with their friends. Kids are the ones who spend the most these days.
BTW, to keep your pages fresh, you should keep the newest comments on the first page, not bury them deep down in the fifth page.
Bed Bath and Beyond is Open Written by Shocked on 2008-03-16 11:58:00Who knew?
Written by Newton St on 2008-03-16 12:01:22Are you serious? They never gave a date for the opening. The only ones I knew about were Marshalls and Best Buy, and that's b/c they have signs plastered in Metro.
When did they open?
New Mall Written by 16th St. on 2008-03-20 16:56:26Overall all I am pretty happy with the mall. I may not shop at every store, but I don't shop at every store at any other mall either. My neighbor likes Marshall's, but I am not a fan. I actually shop at Lane Bryant and I am annoyed that when I go to any mall there are usually only 1 or 2 stores I can find clothes in my size and I am far from huge. I guess there are lots of SKINNY BITCHES in Columbia Heights. I sometimes shop at the Giant and being white I have never felt discriminated against. The bagers can't bag a bag a groceries to save thier life and get upset when you want to bag your own so I usually do my grocery shopping in Silver Spring. I have been shopping in Silver Spring for years and am comfortable with the store and the service is better. I was most excited about the Target and Lane Bryant. After Washington Sports Club opens, I may join deponding on what is offered in the membership. I can understand that no food court, is a bit inconveinent, but I see that at the Mall, three fast food restuarants are opening up and accross the street will be a Potbelly and Five Guys. There may not be a central place to eat and hang out, but as all of the stores open, there will be plenty of places to get a quick bite.
Written by GforGood on 2008-03-21 15:57:48Lol.. I think there a lot of women in CH that are far from being skinny bitches.. that's why the Lane Bryant is here too.
And Johnny, this is not a traditional mall per se, its more of a shopping building/area. So no food court (nor needed in my view; there will be plenty of restaurants just accross the streets and also in DC USA itself eventually). Plus, I think its fantastic you have to come out of the building to go to the stores facing the street. Increases foot traffic in the area, which is always good for any urban neighborhood.
Written by
on 2008-07-07 10:28:11I too agree with all previous postings which argue that Ross is not the ideal retailer for the DC USA Complex. I was born and raised in DC. Mount Pleasant to be exact. I have seen the dramatic change that Columbia Heights has made. Bake in 89-95 you wouldn't even consider walking down 14th street. Now look at it. It takes 20 minuets to drive 3 blocks. Anyways, we have enough stores that cater to the "low income" population. Examples would include Target, Payless, Marshalls, Lane Bryant, Radio Shack and Ruby Tuesdays just to name a few. We need more upscale stores like Whole Foods, Gap and or Banana Republic. Not all people want to buy closes and food from Target. If you’re going to open a store for the “poor” at least open something that us high achievers would use / not mind. I know I wouldn't mind seeing a Chipotle in Columbia Heights. That way when we all get fat from eating there every day we can shop at lane Bryant.
Entertainment 
DC USA is a 546,000 square feet shopping and entertainment complex that is under construction in the heart of Columbia Heights. With major retailers like Target, Best Buy, Washington Sports Club, and Bed Bath and Beyond, DC USA will become the one-stop shopping destination for all of Washington, DC.
