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Friday, May 09, 2008
Major Retail Coming to Columbia Heights
Columbia Heights is poised to become the shopping destination for the entire Washington, DC area. Hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail space are in the works including DC USA, a 500,000 sq. ft. retail complex that will include major retailers such as Target, Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, and possibly Whole Foods Market! More exciting retailers are planning to open in the newly renovated Tivoli Square and other developments across Columbia Heights. Read more in the Retail News section.
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
Written by Just saying on 2007-02-16 04:03:02I think people need to step back into reality. There is absolutely a need for these stores, and Columbia Heights is a great neighborhood to have them. I keep seeing people type that Columbia is losing its charm with all the retail stores. Hello....but, does that so-called charm mean drug trafficking, chinese fast food joints with bulletproof glass between the customer and employee, empty storefronts, and endless licquor stores on corners? There was not much quality retail in Columbia Heights to begin with. I am a native Washingtonian, and I remember when this neighborhood was in dire straits. I hope you all can stop expecting this neighborhood to go from crap stores to niche, specialty stores in just a couple of months. This process takes years. Neighborhood serving retail such as banks, dry cleaners, etc etc is absolutely needed, especially when it was not available before. Chain stores will stabilize the retail market in CH first. Specialty stores, en masse, should come later. Get off the instant gratification. You are living in a promising neighborhood. Grow with it.
Written by Jaron on 2007-04-12 15:09:21"Ross the Store for Those with Less????"
Come-on folks, I really don't think we need the demographic (socio-economic) that Ross is going to attract to CH.
Rally for the Whole Foods or Trader Joes!
Written by
on 2007-04-29 09:59:00Sad that this page is completely missing the latino perspective, which is such a critical component of the neighborhood. Stores like Ross and Marshalls will appeal much more to the local residents than Whole Foods. Certainly some people in the area would use Whole Foods, but it would also be a factor in further gentrification of the neighborhood and push many of the established residents out. I'm sad to see several comments that see that more as a benefit than a cost of the new development.
Written by
on 2007-05-02 08:38:19nullRenovations are Contagious!null
Seeing all the developments and projects to improve the neighborhood, we have decided to give our small contribution. We are doing our own front yard landscape project, as well as our next door neighbor’s yard. It is contagious, as our neighbor told me that his next door neighbor would like to have his yard done as well. We think we will have to continue the trend and help him out as well…as soon as we are done with the two gardens.
The sense of community in the area is also positively great and many people have stopped to give me some hints on how I should do certain tasks to complete have our first landscape and garden project. We are also counting with our neighbor’s direct help, as he helps us to unload the material from the car and even does some of the heavy work.
This project might be ready at the end of the first week of May, as we can only work on it on weekends, but we believe that once it is ready people will enjoy and appreciate it as much as we will! We hope it is contagious and others will follow with their own front yard projects, adding beauty and colors to the front yards of our neighborhood.
Written by
on 2007-05-02 08:39:26nullRenovations are Contagious!null
Seeing all the developments and projects to improve the neighborhood, we have decided to give our small contribution. We are doing our own front yard landscape project, as well as our next door neighbor’s yard. It is contagious, as our neighbor told me that his next door neighbor would like to have his yard done as well. We think we will have to continue the trend and help him out as well…as soon as we are done with the two gardens.
The sense of community in the area is also positively great and many people have stopped to give me some hints on how I should do certain tasks to complete have our first landscape and garden project. We are also counting with our neighbor’s direct help, as he helps us to unload the material from the car and even does some of the heavy work.
This project might be ready at the end of the first week of May, as we can only work on it on weekends, but we believe that once it is ready people will enjoy and appreciate it as much as we will! We hope it is contagious and others will follow with their own front yard projects, adding beauty and colors to the front yards of our neighborhood.
Excitement Written by
on 2007-08-27 15:38:26Am new to the neighborhood, but can't wait for more retail outlets to open. I was glad to see the upscale d'vines and Mediterranean restaurant signs go up on 14th St. Is there any E.T.A. for when the bulk of the stores will be ready? I think they'll miss the holiday season for shopping and the like, unless a miracle happens. Also, when should Kenyon Square condos deliver...and what will the initial occupancy rate be? I'm still seeing new listings for condos unsold there. I imagine the DC condo slump has affected sales, but hope that they won't be rented too quickly as a stop-gap solution. Ownership is a much bigger advantage to an emerging area like CH. Thanks for any info you may have.
pass on the whole foods and starbucks Written by
on 2007-08-29 21:08:56we want value and originality....not chain corporate America.....Whole Foods is way over priced and we prefer independent coffee shops...I must say I will still take the bus ride to Busboys and Poets
Written by Mr. C. on 2007-09-03 11:01:24This is the first time I have read this post, And I read all of them. I am a resident of CH and have been so for over 12 yrs. I believs that the change is good for everyone who lives in the area(Past, present, and future residents). The only post I had a problem with, was the one that commented on the demographic make up of CH and that fact that stores like ross will attract the "wrong type of people"(reading between the lines)into or keep them in the neighborhood. CH has always been a working class neighborhood with working class people making working class money. We have the right to have stores in our neighborhood where we can feel comfortable shopping and spending our money any way we see fit. Whether it be at Giant or Whole Foods or Trader Joes, we need retail outlets that can meet everyone's need economically and not just based on the high income wage earners' that are migrating to CH. who may have more eclectic tastes as to where they prefer to shop or spend their money. I believe that the retail mix of stores is pretty good with the exception of too many confectionary stores(Carvels, Maggie Moo's, Rita's, Sticky Fingers, Dunkin Doughnuts, Baskin Robbins, 7-11)in one area. THAT'S MY 2 CENTS.
Written by Mark on 2008-02-01 00:00:58DC USA will open in early March, 2008 with a Grand Opening on Saturday March 8!
DC USA will be a 540,000 square foot retail and entertainment complex located near the Columbia Heights metro station at 14th and Irving Streets, NW. In all, the development will create 1,600 permanent full-time jobs.
The development will house a 1,300 underground parking garage. Small businesses will occupy 15,000 square feet set-aside at a discount.
List of Incoming Retailers:
* Bed Bath & Beyond * Best Buy * Children's Place * Lane Bryant * Marshalls * Matress Discounters * Panda Express * Quiznos * Radio Shack * Staples * Target * Vitamin Shoppe * Washington Sports Club
DCUSA space on Irving will be Self-Stora Written by aa11 on 2008-02-06 10:19:35A very strong, but yet completely confirmed rumor:
The space that was previously set for Whole Foods will not be a Ross or an Ellwood Thompson's, but instead will be a self-storage facility. As I've stated, this is not confirmed, but did come from a source close to the project.
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