Homicides hit a 26-year high in Washington, D.C., last year, carjacking incidents nearly doubled and property crime was up 24%, all of which has seeped into the minds of the business owners who occupy office and retail space in the city's central business district.

In this special report, Bisnow's Emily Wishingrad and Jon Banister heard from more than a dozen of D.C.'s commercial real estate leaders, local business groups and the mayor's office on how the surge in crime — including several high-profile killings and robberies — has hurt the city's ability to retain and attract commercial tenants.

“You have folks who are looking at breaking their leases because of crime or costs associated with crime,” said Eric Jones, vice president of government affairs for D.C.’s Apartment and Office Building Association. “People aren’t coming into the office or everyone leaves at 3 p.m. because you don’t want to be in the city when it gets dark.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser has taken several steps to try to turn the tide, and incidents have ticked down to start 2024. But industry insiders say fear has taken hold of CRE decision-making in D.C. for the first time in decades, causing concern of an exodus to Virginia and Maryland.

— Ethan Rothstein, Bisnow Deputy Managing Editor