Penn Branch Citizens Civic Association (PBCCA) Blog: Penn Branch Shopping Center: Who has a vision for it?

Monday, October 5, 2009

Penn Branch Shopping Center: Who has a vision for it?

On September 30, 2009, the principal owners of the Penn Branch Shopping Center (PBSC), Stylianos Christofides, David Stern of ICG Properties, LLC,, and the architect and broker that represent ICG Properties, Lee Quill and Tom Papadopoulos, presented their vision for the PBSC during a community meeting within the Center, in the former HEW Federal Credit Union site. While seating was set up for 60 people in the small converted office, an overflow crowd of community residents came to hear the plans for a major multi-phase redevelopment for the Center, including the first phase which will revitalize the street level façade that faces Pennsylvania Ave., SE. Residents also came to ask pointed questions and express their frustrations with what has been up to this writing, decades of underdevelopment and beneign neglect at that site.

Over the years, the Penn Branch Shopping Center has deteriorated into a eyesore, with an unsightly façade, incongruent signage, poor parking patterns, and with uninvitingly broken elevators and escalators that force patrons to walk around the facility to gain access to various municipal offices situated in the back lower section. The owners have described the front parking lot, on their webpage as “pavement that feels like it was laid over tree stumps.”[1] Also, it lacks many of the services, including restaurants that many folks within minutes of the Center would like to see.

So, when the owners offered prepared notes about the up coming redevelopment, they were confronted by a moderately aggressive crowd, with a chorus of questions that in some cases exposed frustrations born from many years of promises that were either unmet or limited. One can only assume or imagine what would have happened if the three city council members (Chairman Vincent Gray, Economic Development Chairman Kwame Brown, and Ward 7 Councilwoman Yvette Alexander) from East of the River had not been in attendance.

So, what would you like to see added to the lineup of businesses at PBSC? You may not know that:

“Penn Branch rarely has a retail vacancy and developers at ICG say they can see why. Pennsylvania Avenue carries 30,000 cars past the shopping center per day and nearby Branch Avenue another 18,000. The location is smack amongst some of the most upper-scale D.C. neighborhoods east of the river, with average incomes within the nearest mile over $60,000. And with plans to redevelop nearby Skyland Shopping Center stuck in legal tangles, Penn Branch could serve as a needed dam against the hundreds of millions of dollars in retail sales the city loses over the state line to Prince George’s County every year.” Also: “Rated one of Washingtonian magazine's ‘Best Places to Live,’ Hillcrest is an attractive urban neighborhood with an average household income of more than $75,000 in the area within a quarter-mile radius of the center. Current tenants include Wachovia Bank, CVS Pharmacy, and several District of Columbia government agencies, including the Department of Motor Vehicles.”

So, with its great potential, anchor businesses nailed down with long term commitments (CVS is planning an enlargement of its footprint), 48,000 cars moving through the confluence of Pennsylvania and Branch Avenues everyday, why are they having trouble attracting prime vendors, besides Ledo Pizza and Dunkin Donuts? What is the basis for their choices? Are they predisposed and/or committed to vendors and business that really don’t fit our community or will ultimately degrade our community? And who is Tom Papadopoulos?

We really do need to stop and consider why we now travel out of our community to spend dollars that should circulate in our community. Thus, in that vein, ICG and their crew should honestly consider what we believe will be important additions to the shopping center. Because if we have businesses that are close in, with services and products that we would otherwise have to go elsewhere to purchase, by car, bus or Metro, then dollars would remain in our communities, and by extension, in the pockets of the developers. By the way, have you been to Best Buns in Shirlington, Virginia next to the fabulous Carlyle Grand Restaurant or how about the meat, poultry, and fruit vendors in Eastern Market?

[1] http://www.icgproperties.com - Penn Branch Property

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Penn Branch Citizens Civic Association: From the Beginning

The Penn-Branch Citizens / Civic Association was formed over 40 years ago by members in the community. The need for an association stemmed from specific neighborhood concerns such as water and sewer problems; the lack of sidewalks and curbs on some blocks; no posted traffic signs; and issues arising from the many District and Federal Parks that surround or are located within Penn-Branch.

The boundaries of the community served by the association extend from 38^th Street East to Branch Avenue West, and from Pennsylvania Avenue South to Pope Branch Park North. Within these boundaries are approximately 550 houses on tree lined streets covering rolling hills with easy access to the many wonderful features of the greater Washington metropolitan area. The Penn-Branch community is a touch of the suburbs in an urban setting providing the best of both worlds.

The Penn-Branch Citizens Association, as it was called until 1989, began through the formation of a number of committees, the responsibilities included working with the District and Federal Governments on varying problems. The most active committees over the years have been the Legislative and Public Works Committees, and the Neighborhood Security Patrol. Security Patrol members have contributed countless hours to assuring the security of the Penn-Branch residents. The work of the residents who have served on the PBC/CA’s many other committees have brought about many desirable improvements, and protected the community from unwanted change. The association maintains a pocket park at the corner of Carpenter and O streets, the gateway to Penn-Branch. A major project in recent year was the petitioning of the city to rebuild the crumbling O Street retaining wall. The association working with Dupont Park neighbors, defeated a proposal to erect a cellular monopole at the Penn-Branch shopping center that would have defeated our vistas. We host two major social events during the year, a Christmas Potluck and Carols on the second Tuesday in December (free – just bring a dish to serve at least four or more) and a Spring Dinner Dance, a proven fund-raiser and a reliable good time.

The Annual Membership drive runs from September to December. Through the year, the association welcomes the volunteer efforts of all Penn-Branch residents in carrying out its programs. While its leadership has changed hands many times over the years, the association continues as a stable, cohesive force owing to the time and services freely given by residents.

The PBC/CA is incorporated as a non-profit organization, and is a member of the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations. The By-laws of the association have changed from time-to-time; one significant change allows two votes per household if a two-member household exists.

In 1989, the membership voted unanimously to change the name from the Penn Branch Citizens Association to the Penn Branch Citizens/Civic Association to acknowledge a more diverse tradition of community organization.

The Penn-Branch Citizens / Civic Association, Inc. is “A Community Committed to Excellence” with the goal to create a safe and desirable community in which to live.

Officers- a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer- are elected to one-year terms. A nominating committee appointed by the president solicits a slate of candidates during April, which is presented to the membership and voted on at the May meeting. Nominations may be made from the floor. Newly elected officers are sworn in at the June meeting, and begin serving in September. The president appoints committee chairs. A grass-root network of block captains serves as conduit through which concerns and information are shared between the association and its members. The association also publishes a monthly newsletter.

Our success in accomplishing the association’s goals can only be achieved to the extent that all the neighbors in Penn-Branch participate to ensure that the community we chose to live in remains a community we want to live in.