Thursday, October 07, 2010

WAMU: the Florida Market Celebrates 80 Years

Pig's Head: It's What's for Dinner

WAMU looks at changes at the Florida Market as it celebrates a birthday.

Interesting fact: that sign promising you won't recognize the place? The phone number has been disconnected. Hmm...

8 comments:

Rayful Edmond said...

Also marks the one-year anniversary of the DC Council's approval of the Small Area Plan:
http://planning.dc.gov/planning/cwp/view,a,1285,q,647398.asp

I know that both Richard Layman and Elise get so turned on by the grimy Florida Ave Market, but the District really needs to utilize eminent domain and allow Edens and Avant to move forward with the well-planned redevelopment. It will benefit not only the immediate community (Gallaudet students, Near Northeast residents, NoMa workers), but the entire city. It is conveniently located next to a Metro station on the Red Line. Increased tax revenue can be generated through consumer-driven sales. The new Florida Ave. Market will be a catalyst for future redevelopment in NE.

The existing wholesale retailers can be relocated East of the River. It is no more than a 5 minute drive further to downtown DC. Cities evolve. Change is good.

Aussies said...

http://www.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/our-projects/our-current-projects/melbourne-market-relocation

Anonymous said...

@Rayful

One of the issues, however, is that the J Street/Gallaudet/Edens & Avant team is not asking for the government to use eminent domain here...

It's Sang Oh Choi that wants help since they own so little themselves. They have little experience, and according to Elise, no working phone number on their sign!

Rayful Edmond said...

to anon,

Yes, the District needs use eminent domain once J St/Gallaudet/E&A receive consent from owners of 51% of the land.

Last percentage I saw was around 40%. The District can provide incentives to some remaining owners to buy into the redevelopment.

inked said...

Rayful,
no one but you has suggested moving the Market across the river. The City has already said they don't want to use eminent domain. The condo project looks to me like it's stalled. Choi is no longer working with John Ray's firm, and has now moved on to Arent Fox.

J Street and Gallaudet are not asking for eminent domain, and the massive handout that Choi wanted. Another notable difference is that J Street actually has development experience, whereas Choi has NONE.

Gallaudet and J Street are moving ahead with their plans, which I think is a good thing. I just don't like crappy poorly thought out development for the sake of development. But you seem to be a supporter of that kind of thing. Anything else that you don't like in the neighborhood? Maybe wig shops and dollar stores? Maybe we could get the city to use eminent domain and drop them East of the River?

Change is good, just not when it's driven by idiots and massive tax and land giveaways (read the original New Town legislation).

Rayful Edmond said...

Spot on! Along with removing wig shops and dollar stores, can we replace the beauty salons with a Starbucks, Pottery Barn and Washington Sports Club.

In the current market given the lack of available constr/perm financing, change can only occur through TIFs and Public-private partnerships.

Anonymous said...

TIFs and "public-private partnerships" are designed for large developers. They are impractical for the small locally-owned businesses that most of us would prefer to patronize.

Individual entrepreneurship is virtually destroyed in DC by taxes, fees, and regulation.
Many small businesses DO have access to capital, but the cost and difficulty of setting up and running a business in DC discourages most of them.

Anonymous said...

Small locally-owned businesses should focus on their business, not real estate development. This is why we have tenants and large scale developers.

TIFs, PPPs, and JV developments benefit local entrepreneurs who need quality retail space.