If Whole Foods were to open a store in Fort Washington/Oxon Hill/National harbor where would it be (Waldorf: house, buy)

[slowlane3]

Originally Posted by armory

North...Eastover? Seriously?

The shopping center with the movie theater is east of 210, NH is west and FW is south on 210.

Whole Foods might do some business - specialty items - but most will stick to the existing stores on a price point alone. Trader Joe's is a glorified 7-11 in many respects and the reasons why have already been given. It is a dressed up convenience store with a limited offering. You may be able to pick up tonight's meal there but, you might be pressed to pick up a week's worth of groceries there.

Adelphi Sky seems to be referring to the Rivertowne Shopping Center on Oxon Hill Road -- not Eastover which is at the District Line.

[G1..]

Originally Posted by FortWashingtoneer

back around 2008-2009 there was a lot of discussion about Whole Foods coming to Accokeek - the empty land on the corner across the street from the Food Lion.

Many of the local groups didn't want this - as it would ruin the rural nature of Accokeek. I remember reading that developers came back with a couple plans but ultimately they stopped trying as it was clear that they were unwanted.

Sometimes I feel that the Fort Washington community feels the same way - they want to keep things as rural as possible at the expense of new grocery stores and restaurants. They worry about making the traffic worse. Yes traffic is bad, but it's not going to get any better until PG Country actually starts focusing on the town, and not consider it a drive-through location between Waldorf and the District. Fort Washington, especially the southern end of Fort Washington, is stagnating.

It will be many years before Fort Washington has school systems that will be good enough to draw families here to live. But in the meantime why not cultivate a climate that encourages couples, dual-income-no-kid families, and retirees. Make it some place that a person wants to live and spend their money locally. Using smart growth build some more higher-end sit down restaurants. How about a Panera or similar place where people can go on a Saturday morning, hang out, read the paper? Build a sense of community?

LOL ,so you want Waldorf in Fort Washington???Be careful of what you wish for because that casino is going to give you more than you ever thought you would want and then you'll want to give it back !If you think restaurants and Panaria will give you community you are sadly mistaken .

[justtitans]

I have been thinking about this and I am starting to think part of the reason why so many of these projects are rejected by the communities is because I think people are more concerned about other areas of their quality of life. Transportation has long been neglected in the Fort Washington/Accokeek area and I think most in that area would agree that is a top priority. As long as that isn't being addressed, people are going to ignore most of these projects. I think the area would really benefit from outlining a vision of where they see the 210 corridor 20-25 years down the road. Give people a sense that you aren't just building random development, but you are looking to help the over all quality of life and give people more to look forward to.

[CBMD]

Originally Posted by CBMD

I've already expressed my views (not good) on that new Safeway at 301/Croom on the first page of this thread.

Food Lion and Safeway are the weak links. Safeway was recently bought by Albertson's. Last week they abruptly closed 11 stores out west. Maybe more to come? May eventually see that on the east coast too.

A couple of months ago Food Lion sold 66 stores in Pittsburgh & Philly to Aldi.

Safeway closes 9 Denver stores
Safeway will close nine of its metro Denver stores, creating uncertainty among the remaining shops and landlords. Small retailers that depend on grocery-store anchors such as Safeway may struggle until replacement tenants are found, observers say. The Denver Post (6/1)

Closure of nine metro Denver Safeways has ripple effects on retailing - The Denver Post

[Baghead]

RE: Safeway. Good riddance.

I am also firmly on the side of luring more young professionals to Fort Washington. When we go out, it's always to spend our money in Old Town if we want a date night or Waldorf if we are errand running.

You have two choices as I see it: ghetto or rebrand. Panera, Whole Foods, more choices for dining, I don't see how any of those would be a bad thing.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by Baghead

RE: Safeway. Good riddance.

I am also firmly on the side of luring more young professionals to Fort Washington. When we go out, it's always to spend our money in Old Town if we want a date night or Waldorf if we are errand running.

You have two choices as I see it: ghetto or rebrand. Panera, Whole Foods, more choices for dining, I don't see how any of those would be a bad thing.

Well, to be fair, Old Town is a city and was a city for over 100 years. Ft. Washington was a farm that turned into a residential neighborhood. That's not necessarily a bad thing. What some people need to figure out is if they want Ft. Washington to become a more dense neighborhood with a town center with all the retail you suggest, or do they want to keep it residential with a small neighborhood shopping center?

National Harbor stole most of the thunder away from Ft. Washington for ever having a central downtown. Oxon Hill has a better chance with the opportunity to redevelopment the Rivertowne Commons area into lots of mixed-use TOD projects.

[Baghead]

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

What some people need to figure out is if they want Ft. Washington to become a more dense neighborhood with a town center with all the retail you suggest, or do they want to keep it residential with a small neighborhood shopping center?

I vote for the first.

I think the larger point, though, and I hate to fear monger, but if you keep rejecting investment, if you remain hostile to business interests, you are opening the door to the area becoming a dumping ground for people who were out-gentrified from DC.

Most of us working class have our primary homes as the most important aspects of our daily lives. During this recovery, there are still a lot of upside down/empty properties. Yes, we want it to be nice and control growth, but you are becoming dangerously close to a situation that will become permanent blight. The way it is, you can expect a poor return for your life's work if you continue to choke down any attempt to change it from 1970s suburbia, and you can expect that unintended side effect.

Instead of working to exclude it, invite it in and secure promises to improve infrastructure and a younger crowd will bring back some life to the streets that were once teeming with kids.

[UrbanScholar]

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

Well, to be fair, Old Town is a city and was a city for over 100 years. Ft. Washington was a farm that turned into a residential neighborhood. That's not necessarily a bad thing. What some people need to figure out is if they want Ft. Washington to become a more dense neighborhood with a town center with all the retail you suggest, or do they want to keep it residential with a small neighborhood shopping center?

National Harbor stole most of the thunder away from Ft. Washington for ever having a central downtown. Oxon Hill has a better chance with the opportunity to redevelopment the Rivertowne Commons area into lots of mixed-use TOD projects.

If I remember correctly Fort Washington, by name, came from the Fort that is there. There were several farms located in the area but that was no different than other cities in the metro area. I think that its not a question of if it wants to become more dense, its a question of when. As the old guard who desire a rural bed-room community move out or move on, most of the new residence are going to want more amenities in close proximity.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by UrbanScholar

If I remember correctly Fort Washington, by name, came from the Fort that is there. There were several farms located in the area but that was no different than other cities in the metro area. I think that its not a question of if it wants to become more dense, its a question of when. As the old guard who desire a rural bed-room community move out or move on, most of the new residence are going to want more amenities in close proximity.

Maybe. The State has a lot to say about local development now. Some mentioned it turning into "another Waldorf".

Waldorf is the State's poster child of "what not to do".

The amenities thing always astounds me (keeping in mind my perspective due to my location). I always wonder why people move to places that don't have the various things they hold dear and then complain about the lack thereof.

There are reasons why those things aren't there, be they coffee shoppes, boutiques, nouveau cuisine, transit, etc.

I also have to wonder why people open businesses in areas for which there is no market for their wares.

[Baghead]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Maybe. The State has a lot to say about local development now. Some mentioned it turning into "another Waldorf".

Waldorf is the State's poster child of "what not to do".

The amenities thing always astounds me (keeping in mind my perspective due to my location). I always wonder why people move to places that don't have the various things they hold dear and then complain about the lack thereof.

There are reasons why those things aren't there, be they coffee shoppes, boutiques, nouveau cuisine, transit, etc.

I also have to wonder why people open businesses in areas for which there is no market for their wares.

I wonder why people forget things that used to be there, like kids, good schools and kept up properties, and then complain about people would like to change things for the better before they get worse.

It's not that we want to model ourselves on Waldorf. It's just that it's not 1973 anymore, and we shouldn't pretend that it is.

Fort Washington does have a lot going for it, and it could have more, as long as we target those things an upper middle class demographic demands. Get those things, and new people move in. Then they bring their kids. Then you have a future where fences aren't falling down, drunken people aren't colliding with neighborhood signs and houses aren't empty for years.

Or we could just say, "Hmph! No development!" and watch the slide continue.