Statement Regarding Recent Store Closures at DCUSA

originally posted on X; photo credit: Popville

I took time to reflect on this one, reading the responses of #ColumbiaHeightsDC residents and others. To put this into greater context, this will bring the cumulative number of vacancies at DCUSA along Irving St and Park Rd to 7. In my view, some of what is plaguing DCUSA are District policy choices that impact how attractive companies and investors see this space (and the surrounding community) for business AND choices by the property owners to continue not to invest in and contribute to solutions that would create a more attractive operating environment.

[Some of] these are franchises [and large corporations], so there's always more to the story and how the bottom line informs these decisions, but there is little doubt that neighborhood conditions play into them. We must address the financial hemorrhage that is #ColumbiaHeightsDC's local economy, not just at DCUSA but across central and north Columbia Heights.

As @OPinDC prepares to release the #ColumbiaHeightsDC (and Mt. Pleasant) Public Life Study, we must harness this opportunity to ignite a community-driven reinvestment strategy, much like what occurred in 1997 and 2004 following the publication of related planning documents. We must ensure everyone has a seat at the table to reimagine our neighborhood economy and the public life and spaces that can power it and contribute to better quality-of-life outcomes for all.

So, I look forward to working with #ColumbiaHeightsDC residents, my @ANC1A colleagues, the Ward 1 Councilmember and At-Large Council Members, @DMPEDDC, @SmallBizDC, @DCCHUSA, and many other key community stakeholders to ensure #ColumbiaHeightDC's best days remain ahead of it.