What's Missing From Tenleytown And Friendship Heights?
Friendship Heights has been reinvigorated by foot traffic driven by boutiques, a Blomingdale's and the Whole Foods market introduced in the last decade. As some of the ultra-luxury retailers vacate and relocate to CityCenterDC, their empty storefronts will prime Wisconsin Avenue for an infusion of new restaurants and appropriate, approachable retail.
Currently, there is a clear mismatch between local patrons and the ultra-luxe brands, which is exerting pressure on those stores occupying the valuable real estate to move.
Tenleytown suffers from the reputation as a commuter hub, and could benefit from more restaurants and Millennial-enticing mixed-use that integrates retail with residential. “It’s still missing the critical mass of apartments and people to support better retail in its commercial district,” Brook Katzen tells us.
“Over the past five years, many neighborhoods throughout the district have benefited from the population boom, ushering in better retail and raising property values," Brook said. It’s time for Tenleytown to benefit as well, albeit in a more incremental, calculated manner. "Change is good if it’s managed and executed with care.”
