The District’s downtown is the heart of the city’s economy, home to an ever-growing workforce and an expanding number of high-end retailers and highly desired restaurants.
But the health of the downtown economy is not entirely strong. It’s dragging.
“I’m putting on my glass half full hat,” said Neil Albert, the Downtown BID’s executive director. “Downtown continues to be a major economic engine for not just Washington, D.C., but for the region. We still have impressive numbers in terms of workers coming downtown every day. Institutions are still investing in our real estate. We’re holding our own competitively in terms of office vacancies, but we are no longer the BID with the shiniest buildings in town. It’s a mixed bag in that we have to be more aggressive and creative in holding our own.”