The goal is to transform the District into a dynamic, regional retail destination; improve, expand and enhance neighborhood-serving retail; and grow the tax base and job opportunities, as well as add to the overall quality of life in the city.

“So much of what makes a world class retail city is already here,” says Harriet Tregoning, Director of the DC Office of Planning. “We have compact, walkable streets, a safe and reliable transit system, a bustling downtown and transit corridors lined with storefronts. We need a comprehensive strategy that leverages those assets. But the District is not a monolith. Washington is a city of diverse neighborhoods and our retail strategy should reflect that.”

Neil O. Albert, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, will lead the administration’s team of agencies in implementing the initiative’s actions. His team, which will include the Washington, D.C. Economic Partnership and the Department of Local and Small Business Development, will work to tie the study’s findings and recommendations to the District’s current economic development programs including the Great Street Initiative and reStore DC.

The Office of Planning’s consulting team begins work on the initiative this month and will produce a series of reports over the course of the next 12 months.

The team is led by Economic Research Associates (ERA) and it includes the Jair Lynch Cos., a District-based real estate development firm and StreetSense, a retail brokerage.