Illegal Billboards Imminent In Gallery Place (7th & H St NW)

Predatory advertising at its worst.

This seems insane to me. Am I the only one?

Big deal

Yeah… I don’t see the problem. I thought this was the “TImes Square” of DC. Why is there a ban on billboards?

I actually do think its a relevant topic and appreciate it being brought to light.

This seems like mainly a problem for Gallery Place residents (sorry, gpliving), but I’m also concerned about any speakers directed towards the street. Those Verizon Center speakers need to be turned down. Does anyone know who to call about that?

I think the electronic billboards will bring even more color and vibancy to the neighborhood. Downtown DC, except for 7th and H, is very nice but very conservative. Why can’t we have a colorful, chaotic, lively beating heart like all great cities? I’m not suggesting this for all of downtown, but why not for part?

7th and H is the heart of my downtown and it has always been a major metrobus transfer point. at night it reminds me of St Catherine’s St in Montreal. but the speakers from the Verizon Center need to be lowered.

Not sure if this was posted yet..
Top best neighborhoods to retire..

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0710/gallery.bpretire.moneymag/7.html

#7 Washington D.C.
Best place to retire: Penn Quarter

I agree with R7. DC at night looks as if it’s “beating heart” is on a pacemaker, and a weak one at that.

I agree with #7 and #10.

Darn, not one comment about my photoshopping yet.

It is interesting how a developer can totally disregard legislation approved by the City Council *and* get a permit approved. It sets a horrible precedent. It basically sends a message to developers that they can put whatever signage & billboards they want on any building at any time.

So, if the Verizon Center wants to put a 2nd jumbotron with speakers on 6th street, will no one care? What about extending this horrible Times Square concept all the way down 7th?

A little more movement and light from electronic billboards would not be such a bad thing in certain areas, but since the PQ is already a sensory overload, this may be an area where some restraint should prevail!

No one wants another timesquare! The lack of billboards through out the entire Washington Metro Area makes this region distinct in a very good way, and future DC construction should avoid this pitfall!

Seth

Billboards advertising pizza, spongebob, and viagra- woohoo! I see where this is going…

I’m against it for the same reason I’m against throwing the DC building height limitations out the window (aesthetics). The only reason DC isn’t full of obnoxious, tacky billboards is because there is legislation against it. I would be interested to see how this proposal squares with the details of the existing legislation.

Everytime I go to other cities, mainly in other countries but many in the US, that are plastered with billboard advertising from the airport all the way to the hotel, I think to myself – why would the residents of this city want their city to look like this? I have to think that the residents probably didn’t have much say in it (or maybe they thought it would look more vibrant full of billboards, or they just didn’t think it was a big deal). It makes me appreciate DC for having prevented this for so long, and I don’t think that should end now.

I like it. They are not even that big, and certainly not big enough to start overreacting. Plus, the speakers can help drown out the crazy people that routinely yell at the corner. The only downside is the one posed to the residents on the northwest side of 777 7th St.

My initial reaction is to hate this idea. But my real question is, since all the buildings in the neighborhood are required to advertise in Chinese, will these electronic billboards be forced to do bilingual duty too?

I was actually going to comment on the photoshopping, but I was looking a little “off task” at the office, so I had to get back to business. Pretty good job! I like use of the most abrasive, garish multinationals as fodder.

I don’t think we are in the ballpark of Times Square; we’re talking about one corner here. Times Square stretches two whole avenues across and from 42nd to 50th street. There literally have hundreds of billboards, some several stories in height and placed hundreds of feet in the air. Ours would be 8 feet across and placed 20 feet in the air.

I am against the speakers. Ugh, why can’t an anti social worker bee listen to their ipod in peace? Already too much noise in the city.

…..why is everyone in here so pressed about a few billboards?? honestly, its a CITY people, i think this is a step into the “real city” arena. development is not a negative, and to be real, this is not even close to major development. i have to commute every morning to this location, and a few signs will be a PLEASANT change of pace from the wackos who follow me while singing to me for spare change. please, give me billboards.

Big news from tonight’s DCDNA meeting re: a grocery store. Apparently Jemal has been looking for a grocery store since he bought the space earlier this year. Whole Foods has once again looked at the space and passed, but Jemal feels a neighborhood petition might swing them the other direction.

It takes little effort to go to the DCDNA site and sign the petition, even if it doesn’t get us anything. But it’s good to know Jemal’s still shopping the space to grocers! Maybe he lives in the Clara Barton…

Rachel: People who commute to work in Penn Quarter will no doubt have different feelings about large scale advertising – you will have minimal exposure to ads and are able to leave the neighborhood at the end of the day. But, for those of us who live in this neighborhood, the playground concept falls short – this is our home.

Residents are making DC a real city, not cheesy, intrusive advertisements for commuters to see in the morning and afternoon.

And that’s why it’s a big deal. You wouldn’t want to have billboards pasted around the entrance of your home either.

For the record, the only people who have ever dubbed this intersection “Times Square” are the developers looking to cash in on high foot & car traffic.

Someone pointed out in the DNA meeting tonight that nobody actually lives in Times Square.

AND – they pointed out what is now on there website:

Whole Foods Grocery Store

The DNA recently learned that Douglas Development has been negotiating with Whole Foods Market to bring them into our neighborhood on 7th Street NW location between E and D Streets NW. This was the space that Balducci’s was slated to occupy until their unexpected decision against it last year. This was a huge disappointment to those of us who wanted to see a specialty grocery store downtown.

If you care about this, then here’s an easy opportunity to take some action. Douglas Development has asked for community support and time is critical. Sign our online petition, which we’ll present to Whole Foods. Please notify your downtown friends and acquaintances of our petition!

Click here to sign the petition.

How about encouraging the billboards…with the provision that some amount of time per hour be used to promote local events and arts groups. Hopefully before they sell out to the highest bidders (such as the Verizon Center screens.) Hmmm — lets work together to make a possible eyesore a benefit.

Where was everyone when the people who were installing the billboards met the neighborhood at the Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association meeting. That was a chance to get questions answered and voice your opinion.

I’ve been thinking, for at least 2 years now, what kind of interaction would develop between the pace and type of development in Penn Quarter versus the residents that have already moved into the area. This neighbourhood is at a crossroads, and it will be interesting to see what path it takes in the future.

Would it be more palatable to Penn Quarter residents if there were electronic billboards without the sound? Is the sound the dealbreaker?

Jeff: Yes, residents were there and we did voice our opinions. That’s still beside the point that billboards are banned in DC and that the Gallery Place legislation doesn’t allow billboards on the corner of 7th & H St.

I’d love to go to the PQNA meetings. When are they? Who commnicates this info? Where is the website for PQNA with this info?

I responded to the “breakfast meetings” invitation, but never got a response telling me where and when to meet. Is this the website? There are no working links on the site giving my the info about pqna or when the meetings are.

otavio: Yeah, it is an interesting question.

When the neighborhood had no residents, developers were trying to make it an attractive place to live and visit.

Now that there are residents and people walking around outside, developers are trying to milk more profit out of the foot/car traffic. A balance will needs to be reached where people can still live comfortably and where developers can make more profit.

In my opinion, one can notice a big difference between the actions of developers who actually live in the city and those that live in suburbia. The phrase “eat your own dog food” definitely applies.

The sound is probably the biggest deal breaker, but distracted drivers running over pedestrians (and vice versa), and aesthetics also rank high as negative factors. It’s amazing that the huge windows on the pagoda are taking second seat to bolt-on outdoor screens as an advertising platform.

on the grocery store petition and Douglas Jemal, PQ Living will do a separate post on the matter tomorrow.

on the signs, the Signage Review document is clear about where the video screens should go. the H Street facade and not the corner.

for perspective on GP, I thought this was an interesting article.

I live at 777 7th St. and think these billboards are a horrible idea. Not only will they add to the noise pollution at the corner and provide yet another reason for people to stop dead in their tracks and gawk around, they’ll be one more distraction for the many drivers who go through the 7th and H intersection.

And as to making this the “Times Square” of DC — I’ve only heard tourists and real estate agents refer to this neighborhood as such. Time Square in NYC is an area that actual residents avoid like the plague and for good reason. Who wants an overlit, overloud area, stuffed with generic advertising and retail, to represent their city?

When I think of Chinese retail, I remember all of the neon signs on the streets. Now that’s some signage we could encourage.

“Time Square in NYC is an area that actual residents avoid like the plague and for good reason.”

33,000 households call Times Square home.

hey gpliving…..i agree with you! There needs to be a balance. Maybe a renewed push by Douglas Development to bring in a grocery store could be the biggest balancer of all!

Thanks pqresident for pointing to that article. I enjoyed reading it. It was very detailed.

The epicenter of Times Square is defined as the intersection of Broadway and 7th Ave., between West 42nd and West 47th Sts. According to timessquare.org, those blocks are mainly filled with commercial properties, and the vast majority of residential buildings are in the surrounding area.

My point was that I doubt very many people would want to actually *reside* in the middle of neon signs and constant crowds, and I fear that the proposed billboards in the Chinatown neighborhood are one more step in that direction.

I like the idea but just wish I did not live directly above it.

Depending on the volume level of the speakers, they could clearly depreciate Gallery Place condos within earshot.

If the District allows an illegal sexually-oriented business to operate in our neighborhood (Fun Fair), what makes anyone think they give a hoot about illegal billboards?

btw, Fun Fair is still operating after the city gave them notice to shut down. If the police, ANC, Council, DCRA, BZA, attorney general and God knows who are powerless over an illegal porn shop, what do you possibly think they can do about billboards?

” live at 777 7th St. and think these billboards are a horrible idea. (They will) provide yet another reason for people to stop dead in their tracks and gawk around.”

Oh come on. There are some legitimate concerns about the placement of the boards, but are we *really* complaining about the people who, perhaps, take a bit more time than necessary when walking down your street? 7th street isn’t a cul-de-sac. This reminds me of the people who complain about sidewalk tables at restaurants impeding their ability to beat a path down the sidewalk.