Quote:
Originally Posted by exit2lef
Are you referring to Postino? That's on the first floor with a large patio addressing the street. Or are you referring to another wine bar on College?
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No, not Postino.
The fact that you didn't even realize there was one inside College Ave Commons proves my point... it's called Pitchforks & Corks - a wine and coffee bar on the 2nd floor.
PHXFlyer11 - Patios from the WF market would certainly help, but really, all projects built on Ash from here on out - with the knowledge that the streetcar route is finalized - need to stop treating it as a glorified alley. Even with patios, the majority of the frontage would be service access points. As the first major project being built on Ash since the streetcar's announcement, and with its prominent location on the intersection of University, this project should serve as a gateway which would encourage future developments to create energy with active ground levels. If you own the next available lot to the north, are you going to risk any space on retail when the first two buildings have little more than garage ramps? No. DC has some great urban grocery projects - the dead space is covered with shallow retail spaces along the perimeter... yes, fitting restaurant or clothing store space would be a major challenge, but a row with the following is certainly doable: 24-hour taco stand, tea cafe, liquor store, cell phone store, small boutique/accessory store (look at the size of Here on the Corner or the store on 5th below the old Terralever).
This Safeway is a great example of how to make a grocery store work:
http://bettercities.net/images/12586/urban-grocery-store-georgetown
^ I recommend checking out the street view on Google Maps so you can see the side stores better.
I know it's dramatic, but I sent the developer an email. I referred them to Mosaic for a more appropriately scaled project, explained how the demographics have shifted since Whole Foods was originally planned, and asked that at the very least they consider revising the Ash frontage with the streetcar in mind. I doubt that anyone with the power to suggest such changes will read the note, but oh well. I think the design is hideous as well- why are luxury apartments so generic?
ETA: On 2nd look, there appears to be a road west of the building... they could very well have created an alleyway from which the garage will be accessed, which is slightly less disturbing. But, given that the entrance to WF is on the corner of Ash/Uni, it isn't likely they could have been planning for retail along Ash in its current form. Also, looking at Ash again, it doesn't really stand a chance... the two Chase garages are massive and the fire station isn't very ped-oriented, either. Then, consider the lack of through streets that connect Mill to Ash, and the curve in the road that creates shallow lots on the west side, and it doesn't look good. The garages have setbacks... unlikely, but retail could be attached (or even residential?). I think retail could still do well within this project, though, since the Chase building has converted all of its ground level spaces to retail, and there are several cool stores just across the street - would be great if that retail center were redeveloped one day so that Cartel, the record store, etc. all faced University. [Side note - I also just realized how claustrophobic 6th Street is as it passes between W6 and Hanover! That could've been done so much better.]
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