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The parent companies of Giant and Food Lion (both are based in Europe) are merging, or actually are about 95% done with the merger. The new company closing various stores from both companies throughout the area.
Most of those closed are in close proximity to another one (Giant and Food Lion in adjoining shopping centers) or are, apparently, underperforming.
Opening a new store in a previously served area wouldn't be surprising necessarily.
Thank you for this information! I am definitely rooting for a Whole Foods but it looks like many residents in the outer Fort Washington/Accokeek area don't want that (from what I have read about previous efforts to open a WF store here). I guess we will see how this plays out. As the NH area continues to develop, those residents located "within the gates" will probably get the upscale grocery store, being that the prices of those town homes are pretty high (compared to the rest of the Oxon Hill/Forest Heights area).
Thank you for this information! I am definitely rooting for a Whole Foods but it looks like many residents in the outer Fort Washington/Accokeek area don't want that (from what I have read about previous efforts to open a WF store here). I guess we will see how this plays out. As the NH area continues to develop, those residents located "within the gates" will probably get the upscale grocery store, being that the prices of those town homes are pretty high (compared to the rest of the Oxon Hill/Forest Heights area).
I would actually be okay with that because its in the area. There is only one whole foods in Alexandria servicing the entire city so a WF or a TJ would benefit OH, FH, and FW as well as other cities in the area. I look at NH serving as a downtown area for this part of PG. What I would love to see is that whole area surrounding livingston square be revitalized into a downtown/midtown area for FW. There is about 70 acres of undeveloped commercial land around it that would be an ideal mixed-use project.
I would actually be okay with that because its in the area. There is only one whole foods in Alexandria servicing the entire city so a WF or a TJ would benefit OH, FH, and FW as well as other cities in the area. I look at NH serving as a downtown area for this part of PG. What I would love to see is that whole area surrounding livingston square be revitalized into a downtown/midtown area for FW. There is about 70 acres of undeveloped commercial land around it that would be an ideal mixed-use project.
That would be amazing! I'm not sure if you attend the PGLDC meetings but they are attempting to limit the impact area to a three mile radius around the casino. I don't know what that will mean for the rest of us outside the borders but it seems as if greater Ft. Wash (if I may use that term) will continue be overlooked with regards to development. They are attempting to bring back Food Lion (this time to Livingston Square) which doesn't make any sense being that there is already a Food Lion in Accokeek. If I had my way, I would knock down that entire mall, get rid of the fast food restaurants and build from scratch. For an area that is considered to be "wealthy" it sure seems as if they are trying to turn this place into the hood. Really strange considering that many PGLDC members as well as C. Anthony Muse live in Fort Washington themselves. I don't understand why Ft. Wash residents would not want to model themselves after a place like Potomac/Bethesda or even Silver Spring (the more residential areas).
That would be amazing! I'm not sure if you attend the PGLDC meetings but they are attempting to limit the impact area to a three mile radius around the casino. I don't know what that will mean for the rest of us outside the borders but it seems as if greater Ft. Wash (if I may use that term) will continue be overlooked with regards to development. They are attempting to bring back Food Lion (this time to Livingston Square) which doesn't make any sense being that there is already a Food Lion in Accokeek. If I had my way, I would knock down that entire mall, get rid of the fast food restaurants and build from scratch. For an area that is considered to be "wealthy" it sure seems as if they are trying to turn this place into the hood. Really strange considering that many PGLDC members as well as C. Anthony Muse live in Fort Washington themselves. I don't understand why Ft. Wash residents would not want to model themselves after a place like Potomac/Bethesda or even Silver Spring (the more residential areas).
No I haven't had a chance to attend one of the meetings yet. I wonder how successful they would be with that because the 5 mile radius was a legislative action and would have to be voted on to change. I may be wrong but I thought that was the process. 3 miles would roughly cover part of downtown Oxon Hill to Livingston Square.
Livingston Square would be a great candidate for infill development and starting from scratch and redesigning it to add a residential element, sit-down restaurants and retail would be great. They could even play up the historic elements of that area to appeal to the preservationist. It could become a central hub for FW especially with the upgrades proposed for 210.
The demographic has changed since the 90s so, although its affluent in pockets, its not as wealthy as it was in the 80s/90s. Now, post recession, the demographic is slowly changing again. With the National Harbor and the affordability of PG county compared to other areas in the DMV, areas like FW are becoming attractive. However since we are not metro accessible/walkable like Hyattesville, its going to take a little longer for the area to turn around. Its not doom and gloom though FW is still a lot better than other communities in the DMV, its just hasn't realized its full potential.
No I haven't had a chance to attend one of the meetings yet. I wonder how successful they would be with that because the 5 mile radius was a legislative action and would have to be voted on to change. I may be wrong but I thought that was the process. 3 miles would roughly cover part of downtown Oxon Hill to Livingston Square.
Livingston Square would be a great candidate for infill development and starting from scratch and redesigning it to add a residential element, sit-down restaurants and retail would be great. They could even play up the historic elements of that area to appeal to the preservationist. It could become a central hub for FW especially with the upgrades proposed for 210.
The demographic has changed since the 90s so, although its affluent in pockets, its not as wealthy as it was in the 80s/90s. Now, post recession, the demographic is slowly changing again. With the National Harbor and the affordability of PG county compared to other areas in the DMV, areas like FW are becoming attractive. However since we are not metro accessible/walkable like Hyattesville, its going to take a little longer for the area to turn around. Its not doom and gloom though FW is still a lot better than other communities in the DMV, its just hasn't realized its full potential.
Livingston Square redevelopment would be amazing! From what I have heard, the owner is holding out for the Peterson Group to buy him out.
I can definitely see and feel the change in the area from when I left. It definitely has a different feel. You can see that the homes and yards are not being maintained as they once were and the people walking around look different as well. Not a lot of kids either like there were in the eighties.
Yes, the best thing for this area would be a metro station either in Oxon Hill or at NH. However, we probably won't get that anytime soon with Hogan in office. I know that that idea was has been fought for and shot down in the past. The area definitely has potential which is why I am sticking around for a few years to see what happens. But the mentality of the residents needs to shift. Unfortunately, either fear or apathy is holding the majority back from fighting to make this place better.
Livingston Square redevelopment would be amazing! From what I have heard, the owner is holding out for the Peterson Group to buy him out.
I can definitely see and feel the change in the area from when I left. It definitely has a different feel. You can see that the homes and yards are not being maintained as they once were and the people walking around look different as well. Not a lot of kids either like there were in the eighties.
Yes, the best thing for this area would be a metro station either in Oxon Hill or at NH. However, we probably won't get that anytime soon with Hogan in office. I know that that idea was has been fought for and shot down in the past. The area definitely has potential which is why I am sticking around for a few years to see what happens. But the mentality of the residents needs to shift. Unfortunately, either fear or apathy is holding the majority back from fighting to make this place better.
Metro has had 40 years to put a stop there and now it's Hogan's fault?
Livingston Square redevelopment would be amazing! From what I have heard, the owner is holding out for the Peterson Group to buy him out.
I can definitely see and feel the change in the area from when I left. It definitely has a different feel. You can see that the homes and yards are not being maintained as they once were and the people walking around look different as well. Not a lot of kids either like there were in the eighties.
Yes, the best thing for this area would be a metro station either in Oxon Hill or at NH. However, we probably won't get that anytime soon with Hogan in office. I know that that idea was has been fought for and shot down in the past. The area definitely has potential which is why I am sticking around for a few years to see what happens. But the mentality of the residents needs to shift. Unfortunately, either fear or apathy is holding the majority back from fighting to make this place better.
The redevelopment of that area would be amazing and would go a long way in enticing potential homeowner to the area. Especially if it is modeled after Arlington's(where that Cheescake Factory is located) or Bethesda's (Pike and Rose) mix-use project. What PGC and FW must do is define a personality and strategic plan for the area (e.g. Hyattevilles' art district, college park's science/tech corridor) and market the heck out of it.
I didn't know that was the current owners interests but I could see it. Peterson owns a lot of other shopping districts in the area (Eastover, Rivertowne, etc) so I could see that happening. I wouldn't anticipate development of that area until they are a little further along with the 210 project and home ownership in the area becomes more stabilized. It would be a lucrative venture though. He would have a captive retail deprived market that would be looking for a local alternative to what would then be a ove the NH. All that would take is a couple of restaurants, some retail, maybe a movie theater (like an iPic) and some residences. Maybe they could partner with the county to offer grants for existing small businesses to improve the curb appeal of their storefronts for a more uniformed look.
Its not surprising that there are fewer kids. More people are choosing not to have kids, fewer kids, or later in life. There are a LOT of kids in my area which I wouldn't mind having more 2 income no kids or empty-nesters to be honest but I digress. I think the lack of upkeep of the homes around here is due to the high number of renters in the area right now. Generally they don't take care of of the home as well as as a homeowner would. However, given the stricter buying rules and this area not being as popular as say an Alexandria or Waldorf neighborhood stabilization through home ownership is going to take a while. I feel that its coming but it wont be as fast as others unless more significant economic developments come to or near the area.
Metro has been one of the few things that a lot of residents (at least in my part) have been advocating for in or near Fr. Washington and Hogan being in office hasn't been the issue. The problem ,from metro's position, has been that the area isn't dense enough e.g. a 24/7 environment. From my understanding there are plans to extend the yellow line to the NH but that wont be for another 6 years at the earliest. Which in development terms probably means 10.
Metro has had 40 years to put a stop there and now it's Hogan's fault?
Not saying it is just Hogan. Again, I have been away from the area for two decades and am only ascertaining information from what I read in articles and hear through word of mouth. I read that Hogan wanted to nix the Purple Line which is sorely needed in PGC. We also need a metro line that connects South County to the rest of the metropolitan area so that we can start to build like Montgomery County. From what I was told, South County residents begged for a metro line at NH only to be shot down by local and state government.
The redevelopment of that area would be amazing and would go a long way in enticing potential homeowner to the area. Especially if it is modeled after Arlington's(where that Cheescake Factory is located) or Bethesda's (Pike and Rose) mix-use project. What PGC and FW must do is define a personality and strategic plan for the area (e.g. Hyattevilles' art district, college park's science/tech corridor) and market the heck out of it.
I didn't know that was the current owners interests but I could see it. Peterson owns a lot of other shopping districts in the area (Eastover, Rivertowne, etc) so I could see that happening. I wouldn't anticipate development of that area until they are a little further along with the 210 project and home ownership in the area becomes more stabilized. It would be a lucrative venture though. He would have a captive retail deprived market that would be looking for a local alternative to what would then be a ove the NH. All that would take is a couple of restaurants, some retail, maybe a movie theater (like an iPic) and some residences. Maybe they could partner with the county to offer grants for existing small businesses to improve the curb appeal of their storefronts for a more uniformed look.
Its not surprising that there are fewer kids. More people are choosing not to have kids, fewer kids, or later in life. There are a LOT of kids in my area which I wouldn't mind having more 2 income no kids or empty-nesters to be honest but I digress. I think the lack of upkeep of the homes around here is due to the high number of renters in the area right now. Generally they don't take care of of the home as well as as a homeowner would. However, given the stricter buying rules and this area not being as popular as say an Alexandria or Waldorf neighborhood stabilization through home ownership is going to take a while. I feel that its coming but it wont be as fast as others unless more significant economic developments come to or near the area.
Metro has been one of the few things that a lot of residents (at least in my part) have been advocating for in or near Fr. Washington and Hogan being in office hasn't been the issue. The problem ,from metro's position, has been that the area isn't dense enough e.g. a 24/7 environment. From my understanding there are plans to extend the yellow line to the NH but that wont be for another 6 years at the earliest. Which in development terms probably means 10.
I would LOVE it if this area was similar to a neighborhood like Clarendon. I am always over there and it would be nice to have a local area to frequent that is only 5-10 minutes away. I've been trying to convince people in my neighborhood that Ft. Washington needs to develop into a municipality. That seems to be the route to success. However, there are a lot of local groups that appear to stand in the way such as the IHHAAC and PGLDC. It would take a pretty large group in favor of smart development to override the influence that these groups currently have in this area.
The thing with stabilizing home ownership is that until DC and Montgomery County both start bursting at the seams due to a population explosion, no one is going to touch this area. I've been watching the homes up for sale and they just sit on the market for months. Some of these homes are overpriced for the area but others are around the $200k/$300k marker and they still sit. Shockingly this even happens with the waterfront homes. Usually there has to be a dramatic reduction in price in order for any buyers to bite. Of course, this probably has a great deal to do with the reputation of the area and crime reports. I guess people feel that the enticement of living on the water inexpensively doesn't override the criminal activity and theft issues.
I agree that the current small businesses need a makeover. They just really aren't appealing and, personally, I am not drawn to explore any local strip malls the way I do in NoVA or MoCo. From what I saw at the last PGLDC meeting, I believe they are going to put a movie theater at the casino which would be amazing! Looking forward to having a local place to go. They will need to keep the place up though so that it doesn't go downhill like the old AMC theater at Rivertowne. I really think that it will take some brave businesses to initially invest in the area and THEN the homeowners will come once they see that there is something that makes PGC worth moving to.
I feel that the tax increase will be a good thing in some ways in that it creates more exclusivity which is what FTW needs. Not to throw Charles County under the bus but FTW should be marketed and rebranded as an upscale suburban alternative to DC the way it was back in the eighties. Charles County (and areas such as Indian Head and Accokeek) could absorb those who can't afford the higher end homes and cost of living in this area as they are further away from the DC action. This appears to be the case with Prince William County (which is further out) versus the areas closest to DC on the Virginia side such as Arlington/Alexandria. We should be the PGC equivalent of Bethesda/Potomac. The only way to do that is to raise the prices. Of course, our elected officials will need to properly invest the revenue gained to make this work.
I would LOVE it if this area was similar to a neighborhood like Clarendon. I am always over there and it would be nice to have a local area to frequent that is only 5-10 minutes away. I've been trying to convince people in my neighborhood that Ft. Washington needs to develop into a municipality. That seems to be the route to success. However, there are a lot of local groups that appear to stand in the way such as the IHHAAC and PGLDC. It would take a pretty large group in favor of smart development to override the influence that these groups currently have in this area.
The thing with stabilizing home ownership is that until DC and Montgomery County both start bursting at the seams due to a population explosion, no one is going to touch this area. I've been watching the homes up for sale and they just sit on the market for months. Some of these homes are overpriced for the area but others are around the $200k/$300k marker and they still sit. Shockingly this even happens with the waterfront homes. Usually there has to be a dramatic reduction in price in order for any buyers to bite. Of course, this probably has a great deal to do with the reputation of the area and crime reports. I guess people feel that the enticement of living on the water inexpensively doesn't override the criminal activity and theft issues.
I agree that the current small businesses need a makeover. They just really aren't appealing and, personally, I am not drawn to explore any local strip malls the way I do in NoVA or MoCo. From what I saw at the last PGLDC meeting, I believe they are going to put a movie theater at the casino which would be amazing! Looking forward to having a local place to go. They will need to keep the place up though so that it doesn't go downhill like the old AMC theater at Rivertowne. I really think that it will take some brave businesses to initially invest in the area and THEN the homeowners will come once they see that there is something that makes PGC worth moving to.
I feel that the tax increase will be a good thing in some way
PGC Police
MD Park Police
MD State Police
s in that it creates more exclusivity which is what FTW needs. Not to throw Charles County under the bus but FTW should be marketed and rebranded as an upscale suburban alternative to DC the way it was back in the eighties. Charles County (and areas such as Indian Head and Accokeek) could absorb those who can't afford the higher end homes and cost of living in this area as they are further away from the DC action. This appears to be the case with Prince William County (which is further out) versus the areas closest to DC on the Virginia side such as Arlington/Alexandria. We should be the PGC equivalent of Bethesda/Potomac. The only way to do that is to raise the prices. Of course, our elected officials will need to properly invest the revenue gained to make this work.
Thanks for providing the name of that area. I had a brain freeze and couldn't remember. Yes a Clarendon with a nod to the areas history (a revamped Harmony Hall, Library, Cultural Center/Museum) would be my ideal.
I am definitely going to have to attend those meetings. I have been emailing Peterson for years about a upscale movie theater similar to iPic so I am glad to hear that may be part of the plan. I think they would do well with the upscale concept because it currently doesn't exist in this part of MD, VA, or DC so they could draw customers from all three jurisdictions. AMC rivertowne has been remodeled and looks nice but hey don't have stadium seating though nor or the dinner/bar concept.
It will be interesting to see the concept and where they put it. As for upkeep, I think it would be okay. The bottom line is that National Harbor is a focal point in the county and the state being gateways for both. They will not let that go downhill for that reason alone. Last thing the county/state needs is bad press around its premium locations.
A friend and I were talking yesterday about the level of security that will be at at MGM and by my count they will have the following: 1) NH Security Team (they are creating a special unit for MGM; 2)MGM Security; 3) PGC Police; 4)MD Park Police; and 5) MD State Police. I would be surprised if there is a great deal of shenanigans with that many layers of security/law enforcement onsite.
I think with the proper planning and leadership we can definitely regain the prominence of the past. Like you said it would take re-branding and introducing elements that you find in Potomac/Bethesda and even Chevy Chase that would appeal to potential home buyers at those income levels. Becoming a municipality would be a great start.
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