WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is pushing forward with a plan to revitalize the Gallery Place/Chinatown corridor as Monumental Sports considers moving the Washington Capitals and Wizards to a new arena in Alexandria, Virginia.
Bowser told reporters she is not closing the door on the sports and entertainment company staying in the District, but she is not considering renegotiating a deal with Monumental without the sports teams.
"District residents would not accept premiere entertainment events going to their new location, and the non-premiere events going to our location. What it would render the facility, is underutilized," Bowser said.
Following a breakfast with the D.C. Council and the Gallery Place/Chinatown Taskforce, Bowser said she is looking for a bold vision for the two blocks that encompass Capital One arena, and not a, "limping along old arena."
Deborah Ratner Salzberg and Jodie McLean who were tapped earlier this month by Bowser to chair the taskforce updated the D.C. Council on their plan moving forward.
"We are looking at this vision, in the context of the larger area which goes from the Convention Center down to Pennsylvania, from the business museum to 10th Street." Ratner Salzberg said.
The Gallery Place/Chinatown Taskforce expects to have a plan for the area by the end of the year. The immediate priority is stabilizing the neighborhood and making it safer McLean said.
During the meeting, members of the D.C. Council voiced concerns as the plans moves forward.
At-Large Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie and Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White questioned how the new vision for the corridor would include native Washingtonians and the Black community.
The majority of the issues raised by the councilmembers focused on crime. "It's riddled with a lot of crime, a lot of drug use," Trayon White said. "In fact the last two times I came here to a major event at the arena my car was broken into. Window bust open. It wasn't just isolated with me. There was over thirty people," he added.
Salzberg and McLean assured the council that public safety was among the top priorities as they envision the future for the area that has been plagued with concerns that it is unsafe.
A report of the Chinatown corridor released last year by DowntownDC BID noted that visible drug sales, increased presence of unhoused people and disruptive panhandling created negative perceptions and experiences in the corridor.
Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah presented crime trends that show that both property and violent crime is down in the District and in the Chinatown corridor compared to the same time last year. Crime has also gone down since December 2023.
With 288 incidents of violent crime in the first 28 days of January compared to 306 during the same period last year, violent crime has gone down 6% in the District according to police data.
The crime numbers provided by Appiah show that as of Jan. 28, violent crimes in Chinatown are down 88% compared to the same time last year.
Starting next month, the taskforce is kicking off programs to make the neighborhood, 'clean and safe.' Bowser's office say they will be able to provide further details in the upcoming days into what changes residents and tourists can expect.
Bowser pushed for the approval of the massive Secure D.C. crime bill that is being considering the Council. The mayor says Chinatown is among the areas that could potentially benefit from establishing a drug-free zone, which is one of 100 proposals included in the legislation.
At-Large Councilmember Robert White questioned the effectiveness of drug-free zones noting that selling illicit drugs is a crime that is already punishable by D.C. Code.
The Secure D.C. legislation is set to be voted on Feb. 6.