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DC Retail Action Strategy Georgia Avenue-Petworth SWOT Analysis, Retail Demand Analysis, Strategy and Preliminary Planning Diagrams December, 2009 Georgia Avenue-Petworth SWOT Analysis Introduction = Core commercial area Boundaries Georgia Avenue NW from Upshur Street NW south to Columbia Road NW Zoning The Georgia Avenue-Petworth corridor is zoned entirely as commercial. At the top of this corridor, there is a small area of commercial light- manufacturing on the west side of Upshur Street (the east side is commercial for a block). The surrounding area is zoned mostly as residential. A major exception is 14th Street, which is another commercial corridor running parallel to Georgia Overview Ave. In addition to this commercial strip, there The expansive Georgia Avenue-Petworth corridor possesses a unique urban vitality, with an are large amounts of land zoned as government- active street life despite its outdated shops. Although the area has suffered from deferred owned property, including the U.S. Soldiers’ & Airmen’s Home and its surrounding area east to maintenance and neglect, a recent flurry of residential and commercial development around North Capitol Street. the Georgia-Petworth Metro station has turned this into a transitional community. The area benefits from a strategic location: in addition to having a central Metro station, Georgia Avenue itself is a major traffic corridor. The area is also close to Howard University, Columbia Heights, the U.S. Soldiers’ & Airmen’s Home (slated for major redevelopment), and several hospitals. Retail Opportunity 1 Upper Georgia Ave 1A This area is predominantly 1A NODE 1 residential and has a loose urban Hair Impressions Beer and Wine fabric. Anchored by Safeway, King’s Nails 1 Merrell Realtors apartments dominate. Mom-and- Shell pop shops are dispersed, except for Wendy’s Safeway a cluster on the east side of Upshur Pipeline Projects: -Georgia Commons Street. Projects in the pipeline -Residences at 1B reinforce this area’s residential Georgia Ave character. 1B 2 Central Georgia Ave (Metro) NODE 2 This central node, anchored by 2 Ace’s Cash Express 2 King’s Deli the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro Temperance Hall Pipeline Projects: station, is poised to become the -Park Place Petworth 2 heart of this section of Georgia Metrorail Development Ave. Because of its accessibility by Metro and car (it is located at the intersection of Georgia and New Hampshire Aves), this area is primed 3A for transit-oriented development. NODE 3 Fittingly, several lots by the Metro Car wash BP 3A are currently under construction Chinese carryout Pawnbrokers 3 with mixed-use developments. Home Improvements Lion’s Liquor Bell Corner Stop 3 Lower Georgia Ave Small Smiles Dental clinic This large area, anchored by Goodies Carry-Out Super Value Howard University to the south, has Cleaners-Laundromat a high concentration of price-point Sunray Market Universal Madness 3B sensitive retail in poor condition. Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Although it is currently the liveliest Rich Convenient Store Cluck U Chicken part of this submarket, its shallow South Food depth limits anchor locations and makes it ill-suited for larger-scale redevelopment. 3B Note: Tenant lists do not include all businesses located in the submarket. Retail Node 1: Upper Georgia Ave-Petworth 9th Street The Upper Georgia Avenue-Petworth corridor can be = Major Intersection divided into 2 sub-nodes: Upshur Street Shops and = Minor Intersection Grocery-Anchored Apartments. = Neighborhood Intersection = Sub-node A = Sub-node B = Public open space A - Upshur Street Shops is a one-block cluster of shops directly east of residential Upper Georgia Avenue. A The intersection at Upshur Street is currently one of the largest in this submarket. However, the existing infrastructure limits the ability to create an authentic, pedestrian-centered retail experience (Kansas Street intersects very close-by, breaking up the lots and creating huge gaps from a retail perspective). B B - Grocery-Anchored Apartments describes a 4-block area of apartments anchored by a 22,000sf Safeway grocery store (at the southwest corner of Georgia Kansas Street Ave and Randolph St). The intersections south of Upshur Street (Taylor Street to Randolph Street) show more potential to create a distinctive character for Upper Georgia Avenue, as they do not have an overwhelming amount of infrastructure. Although retail could cluster around these intersections, it is currently dispersed and secondary to residences. Projects in the pipeline include large apartment houses like the Residences at Georgia Avenue as well as approximately 30,000 square feet of retail. Retail Node 2: Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro The Georgia Avenue-Petworth = Major Intersection Metro corridor can be considered a = Neighborhood Intersection node unto itself. = Sub-node A Quincy Street NW A - Central Georgia Ave, which includes the area around the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro New Hampshire Ave station, is poised to catalyze the A redevelopment of this submarket. The intersection of Georgia and New Hampshire Avenues shows potential to be a very strong Rock Creek Church Road anchor for the area. Although the intersection is extremely large, the Metro activates it with pedestrians so that it can function well from Quebec Place Northwest a retail perspective. Fittingly, the area is quickly being redeveloped with mixed-use projects. Of these developments, the most significant is Park Place, which will add 156 mostly market-rate condos and townhouses, as well as 17,000sf of retail, at the Metro station. This project, as well as nearby buildings such as Temperance Hall (a sit-down restaurant/bar), offer glimpses into Georgia Avenue’s thriving future. Retail Node 3: Lower Georgia Ave-Petworth = Neighborhood Intersection The Lower Georgia Avenue corridor can be divided into 2 sub-nodes with distinct characters: Small Shops = Sub-node A and Schools and Homes. = Sub-node B A - Small Shops with neighborhood-serving retail line this somewhat gritty, but lively section of Lower A Georgia Avenue. There are no obvious anchors or hierarchy of streets; the existing retail is small-scale and generally in poor condition. There is also a small strip mall between Morton and Lamont Streets with similar retail options (cleaners, laundromat, carry- out, tax service). Shops in this section have very shallow depths because they are adjacent to densely packed rowhouses with tight alleys for service and loading. This underlying bone structure makes this section unlikely to change from its current live-work set-up. B - Schools and Homes occupy the bottom part of Lower Georgia Avenue. Bruce Monroe Elementary School anchors the northern end at Irving Street, while Howard University is to the south. Although B Howard is a major anchor, its real presence lies further south of this submarket’s boundaries. Howard’s Metro stop provides momentum southward for Lower Georgia Avenue’s redevelopment, just as the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro stop pulls northward. Retail Infrastructure Streets & Blocks Intersections Buildings Alleys & Service The streetscape along Georgia The main intersection, located Buildings on Georgia Avenue Georgia Avenue has very limited Ave is mostly stark, with narrow at Georgia and New Hampshire are generally older and have space dedicated to service and concrete sidewalks next to Avenues, is large and intimidating small footprints. They tend to loading. Most stores do not have rundown buildings. Lower Georgia to pedestrians (who are secondary be 1-story retail shops or 2- service alleys; trash cans are Avenue is the main retail corridor, to auto traffic). The intersection is story residential buildings with placed outside stores for garbage but has suburban-sized sidewalks. also out-of-scale with its current ground-floor retail. With the collection, much like they are for This small scale occasionally context of 1-story retail, but the exception of new construction like homes. When stores are slightly creates a charming intimacy; for new Park Place development will Temperance Hall, these buildings larger and set back behind a parking example, between Harvard and be a more appropriate anchor. are mostly rundown. In general, lot (e.g. Safeway, U-Like Carry- Hobart Streets, the sidewalk is Another significant intersection building facades lack transparency Out), dumpsters are visible in front paved with brick and has regular occurs where Georgia Avenue hits and often appear as solid walls set against the building. General- tree plantings. However, this small Upshur Street’s small retail strip; disengaged from the street. This use trash cans line Georgia Ave, scale also makes Lower Georgia this smaller intersection shows is especially noticeable in the civic but litter is noticeable, particularly Avenue’s blocks indistinguishable promise as a pedestrian crossing institutions on Lower Georgia Ave, around the Metro station and from each other, as there is no because of its adjacent grassy such as Bruce Monroe Elementary construction areas. When hierarchy of streets or blocks. open space. Georgia Avenue’s School and Howard University, and redeveloping this submarket, it will Oddly, the widest sidewalks exist intersection with Randolph Street in the large apartments on Upper be critical to improve back areas off of Georgia Avenue on Upshur is notable because of Safeway. Georgia Ave. for service and loading to make Street, where there is a small row of Lower Georgia Avenue, where the them safe and clean for adjacent shops. In terms of traffic, Georgia

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