Residents give D.C. downtown its due By Jessica Gould Current Staff Writer For Miles Groves, the decision to move downtown was simple. All it took was two parking spaces and a cold martini.   ... Bill Petro/The Current   Miles Groves lives in the Cosmopolitan on 6th Street in the Penn Quarter For years, Groves and his wife rented an apartment in the elegant Kennedy-Warren in Cleveland Park. They were happy there, he said, but when they were ready to buy, they found themselves drawn downtown. The rapidly changing neighborhood was centrally located and offered easy access to restaurants and entertainment. In 1995, the couple made an appointment to look at a condominium in The Pennsylvania, near 6th Street. When they finished their tour, they went downstairs to the restaurant Bice for a drink. “The martini was good, so we signed the contract, “Groves said. Residents in the Penn Quarter neighborhood can be patriotic about their bustling slice of the District. They applaud the proximity to the Metro, movies, shops and restaurants. In fact, some see themselves as pioneers in an area that’s still endeavoring to offer services other neighborhoods take for granted. Groves originally got involved in neighborhood issues because he wanted to make sure downtown got its due. He helped establish the Downtown Neighborhood Association in 2006 soon after he and his wife moved to the newly constructed Cosmopolitan at 715 6th Street. “It just seemed to me time to get people together,” he said. And there are plenty of issues for his group to consider. “We have a fast-growing, fractious community, “ he said, “and there’s not a lot of information about it.   “We have evolved into a neighborhood that young, well-off residents have chosen to live in.”   — Rebecca White    That’s why the association recently teamed up with the Downtown DC Business Improvement District and The Downtowner to put together a survey of Penn Quarter residents. Over a 45-day period from October 29 to December 12 last year, 974 people filled out the surveys so the business improvement district and retailers could get a glimpse of who lives downtown, why they live there and what they want. “We’ve had such an explosion,” said Rebecca White, a Research assistant for the business improvement district. Prior to ehs survey, she said, the only available information about the area came from the 2000 Census data. The Downtown Neighborhood Association wanted data that backed up the fact that there was a constituency here. There is a neighborhood”. The survey spanned the 20001, 20004 and 20005 Zip codes, and the results, White said, were striking. “We have evolved into a neighborhood that young, well-off residents have chosen to live in,” she said. Of the survey respondents, 42 percent were 25 to 34 years old and 96 percent had undergraduate or graduate degrees. The area was almost equally split between married and single residents, while the survey showed that slightly more women live downtown than men. Meanwhile, 70 percent of respondents said they had household incomes of more than $100,000 and 42 percent have Household incomes in excess of $150,000. “There’s really more disposable income in this area than was previously attributed to it” White said. According to White, the business improvement district hopes to use survey results to attract retailers considering whether to set up shop in the neighborhood. For example, 91 percent said they would like to see more grocery options downtown. “We would very much like to contribute to the attraction of neighborhood and destination retail, “White said. Groves said he’d like to see local government start to recognize downtown’s residential constituency, too. Because Penn Quarter is primarily zoned commercial, he said, neighbors don’t get as much notice about upcoming construction projects, and in some areas, the permissible noise levels are higher than what would be allowed in more residential districts. “At night, the problem we have in certain areas of downtown is the noise we have from the nightclubs.” On top of that, he said, there’s no local polling place. “Traditionally, you either voted absentee, went to the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, or went to a location on East Capitol Street.” He said. “Right now, we’re focused on trying to get a precinct location downtown.” And a large percentage of residents are concerned about homelessness. Sixty-four percent of survey respondents cited the problem as a neighborhood’s most pressing concern. But, according to resident Jackie Cawthon, the benefits of downtown living outweigh the drawbacks. She moved to Penn Quarter from Mississippi in April 2006, selecting the neighborhood because she wanted to be close to the Capitol, the White House, the museums and Gallery Place. “I am right in the middle of the city,” she said. “The Verizon Center is right next door. Every month, there’s a new restaurant opening up.” She called the area” fabulous.” The best part, she said, is skipping the commute. “I don’t have to worry about driving home. I can walk if I want to. I’m not even out of bed yet when folks are stuck in traffic,” she said. “I think I made the right choice.” Reprinted by permission, 2008