[RP TownTalk] RP empty storefronts

[Andrew Farrington]

Is that why he's charging downtown-College Park prices for space in our 
little nook off the beaten trail?  To keep out the dollar stores and nail 
salons?  I'm pretty sure it's his prices making things not desirable to 
shop/business owners.  Lord knows we had the best little coffee shop and 
used bookstore in the area until he bought the building and tripled the 
rent.  That was a desirable business.  Now it's an empty husk.

  -Andrew Farrington
4605 Queensbury Road


On Thu, 28 Sep 2006, dominey at mris.com wrote:

> Hello everyone. Although I live in Hyattsville I have been following 
> RP's announcements and discussion with vivid interest. I'd like to give 
> my 2 cents worth of opinion on the storefronts: Doug Jemal has done 
> wonders in neighborhoods that desperately needed development and 
> investment. Please go to Chinatown/7th Street in DC and see how that 
> area has been transformed from the most horrible surroundings into what 
> it is today. It took years, though. But patience and wisdom and the 
> financial ability to hold out against dollar stores and nail salons has 
> paid off. Unfortunately it takes time and patience to attract the right 
> kind of tenant into retail/commercial strips that are not deemed 
> desirable by shop/business owners. I am sure that everyone, including 
> Jemal wants to see a revitalized commercial strip in downtown RP. But as 
> of now I only see low end discount stores willing to move into our 
> immediate area. Go up RT 1 in Laurel and you will notice the brand new 
> strip malls tenanted by dollar stores or similar businesses. Even EYA 
> has acknowledged having difficulty attracting quality commercial tenants 
> to the east side of their development in Hyattsville. In light of this 
> reality they had to incorporate more residential units on that side than 
> initially planned to make up for the lack of commercial/retail interest. 
> I think we need to be patient and communicate more closely with the 
> developers to understand underlying forces and reasons.
>
> Sandra Dominey 
> Queensbury Road
>