Target and Bloomingdale's Coming to Georgetown?

• March 9th 2011

by Mark Wellborn

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The retail landscape in DC’s oldest neighborhood could look a little different in the coming years.

The Georgetown Current’s Carol Buckley reported today that Target and Bloomingdale’s could be opening up shop at the long-troubled Georgetown Park mall on M Street. The article indicated that Target could occupy space on the mall’s lowest level, now occupied by a food court.

Residents intrigued by this big retail news might want to temper their excitement a bit. From the Current:

“Even if both retailers sign leases tomorrow, neither will open its doors in Georgetown for at least a couple of years. The design review for a redevelopment will be stringent — as it was a few years ago when Western Development went through the process. Weighing in will be the local advisory neighborhood commission, city agencies and even the National Park Service.”

Georgetown, a neighborhood that has been the backdrop for countless movie scenes and home to some of the country’s biggest political heavyweights, has been going through a bit of a transformation over the last year or so, as long-time landmarks have closed and new residential and retail projects have been announced.

Housing Complex’s Lydia DePillis had a piece back in July about the re-branding effort Georgetown had initiated. DePillis reported that the Georgetown Business Improvement District hired a branding consultant to find out “what it is that makes the place unique, and how it ought to be marketed.” Maybe one of the findings was that the area should try and be more like Columbia Heights.

What are your thoughts on a Target and Bloomingdale’s coming to Georgetown? Will it hurt the area’s cachet or is it just what the neighborhood needs?

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/target_and_bloomingdales_coming_to_georgetown/3128.