Quick, grab Bill Euille and alert Alexandria’s Democratic machine – the Republicans are in the ‘hood!Public Opinion Strategies, called by The New York Times "the leading Republican polling company," is moving uptown from leased space at 277 S. Washington Street. The firm bought the former Firehook Bakery building at 214 N. Fayette for $2.7 million in October and received BAR blessing in early November for renovations.
Public Opinion Strategies currently represents seventeen U.S. Senators, ten governors, and over 50 Members of Congress. Partner and co-founder Bill McInturff conducted the polling for Senator John McCain's presidential campaign and, with Democratic pollster Peter Hart, is co-director of the NBC News/Wall Street Journal National Poll.
This move demonstrates that the square block bounded by Queen, Cameron, N. Payne and N. Fayette is a viable commercial corridor that, after 100 years, can readily attract low density, low impact, high operating margin businesses like consulting firms, accountants, and lawyers.
The Growler delivers a sharp jab in readers’ ribs to remind them that during the Queen Street kerfuffle, William Cromley and his attorney Duncan Blair tried to frighten the neighborhood by claiming that if 1210 Queen Street remained commercial it could only attract businesses like dry cleaners that would generate far more parking demand than his residential condos will.
Yep, the Growler is sleepless these days, worrying about how 77 U.S. Senators, Members of Congress and Governors are going to find parking places around here.
No, this event just shows that profitable firms that create low parking demand can and will be attracted to Parker-Gray. These businesses don’t generate intense parking demand because they offer professional services at widely dispersed locations (like polling), or at their customers’ sites.
With yeasty businesses like these investing in Parker-Gray and with the possibility of a growing residential condo glut in the Washington metro area, Mr. Cromley may be sorry he didn’t compromise with the neighborhood and opt to stay commercial at 1210 Queen.
3 comments:
Good point, Growler! And timely, as our Fair City is about to reveal its Braddock Area Plan - which could swallow up "Parker-Gray Historic District" in all but designation, and effectively wipe out our neighborhood's charming character.
nice, comfy place you got here :)..
Yep, the charming character that is the Braddock Metro area....what exactly is charming about abandoned warehouses, assaults at the Metro station, 40% concentration of public housing in one small area, broken glass all over the sidewalks from beer bottles, unending and unlimited noise generation and speed racing during the summer, and the list goes on....
I am sure Public Opinion Strategies will love it when one of their workers gets carjacked or their workers gash their feet on the borken glass. I am happy that they chose to move into the PArker Gray area but that location is fairly close to King Street. You see any commercial development on Montgomery or Madison? No, because no business in their right mind goes near these crime-ridden areas.
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