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In Columbia Heights, Room for the Little Guys
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Others question whether driving up the cost of these projects is worthwhile. In the short run, a few small businesses benefit from a program, but the cost is distributed across the entire tax base, said David H. Downs, a professor of finance and the director of the Kornblau Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]"If the taxpayers aren't properly monitoring what is going on with these programs, they can be inefficient," Downs said.
Mixes of national and small retailers already exist in the District. When Horning Brothers sought to renovate the Tivoli Theater, the original 1998 request called for the inclusion of at least one local business, said David Roodberg, chief executive at Horning Brothers. The project is also in Columbia Heights.
The project, anchored by a Giant grocer, includes several minority-owned and local businesses, including the Rumberos restaurant, Mayorga Coffee cafe and the Destiny De've hair salon and spa. Ruby Tuesday and Wachovia are the other national chains that are part of the mix.
"There is some risk," Roodberg said. "But you have to evaluate the individual retailers and their experience."
In the case of the DC USA development, the Development Corporation of Columbia Heights has played the role of recruiter for neighborhood businesses, overseeing an application and selection process and making recommendations to Grid. Robert Moore, chief executive of the group, said start-up costs for small businesses can be one of the biggest hurdles, particularly for businesses that are not franchises.
"When you walk down the street, the smells that you smell are the smells of the neighborhood: Ethiopian food, Peruvian kitchen, so I really think it's going to give cachet to the place, and you'll know you're in someplace special," Moore said.
Alejandro Lazo covers commercial real estate. His e-mail address islazoa@washpost.com.
