COMMENT OF THE DAY RUNNER-UP: WHAT’S COMING TO EAST DOWNTOWN “It’s been a pretty slow three years for east downtown townhome development, but it looks like things are coming back to life. While townhomes are about the least interest type of residential development I can think of, modest numbers of buyers willing to spend 250-350k is nothing to sneeze at, and it’s what retailers need to kick east downtown into the next phase.” [JD, commenting on Signs of Townhomes Coming to Polk St. in East Downtown]
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In terms of retail East of Downtown, it seems as if we should hope for the best, and expect … nothing?
Midtown doesn’t even have a great deal of retail. It will be a while before east of downtown gets any.
Agreed, John. I don’t understand how people in EaDo think it’s a great place for retail. It will probably be another 14 years or so… and even then it will probably only be tourist shops for the Dynamo Stadium. Midtown can draw people from Montrose, Museum District, Washington, Downtown… heck, even anywhere down 288 due to how easy it is to get into. EaDo only has EaDo and a part of Downtown w/out businesses… there are no other neighborhoods nearby that can easily access it. Yes, people live there… but enough to support major retail on their own?
@Brian,
I do agree with some of what you mentioned. I think Midtown is a good spot for retail due to easy access and proximity to other neighborhoods, I’m not sure if people from the washington area would go there on a regular basis when there is more retail, closer, same for montrose. Because of that, I think East Downtown could end up serving most of the same population (Midtown, Downtown, UH and surroundings, Clinton Dr. and Navigation area, along with E. Downtown itself), also has access to the light rail, and has a lot of generously sized lots laying around for a fraction of the price and with less demo to do than in Midtown. Now I’m not talking about creating a new Rice village, Gucci boutiques, or overpriced organic food stores, but at least a respectable grocery store and other basic inner city retail.
Since when did the term “EaDo” include what for decades was the East End or Eastwood or even the really small area called Broadmoor?
Spoke with someone the other day who bought a new house in EaDo! Turned out it is in the middle of what used to be Broadmoor! The East End and Eastwood have rich histories that are now reduced to EaDo.
In a few years, my current neighborhood of Woodland Heights will be NoDo.