REE Case Study: District of Columbia Downtown Action Plan

The Challenge

In May 2023, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser awarded a grant to the DowntownDC and Golden Triangle Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to develop a comprehensive and cross-sector action plan to reimagine Downtown D.C. At that time, Downtown D.C. found itself at a post-pandemic inflection point, after an outflow of office workers led to a decline in day-to-day activity. District leaders were faced with the increasingly urgent task of identifying new, more resilient sources of demand that embrace Downtown D.C.’s strengths, while also boosting foot traffic and spending to offset potential future losses in commercial property tax revenues. Following a competitive selection process, the BIDs engaged RCLCO to lead a team of consultants tasked with developing the Downtown Action Plan and its various economic development and placemaking strategies.

Solution

RCLCO was tasked with completing 14 deliverables in total. These deliverables included a fiscal analysis to quantify the historical, current, and projected net fiscal impact of Downtown D.C. on the District of Columbia. RCLCO also conducted a comprehensive analysis of existing conditions, which involved compiling a detailed real estate inventory and evaluating recent market performance and economic drivers. Key components of the research included a data-driven analysis of work-from-home trends and their implications for office space utilization, as well as two consumer surveys—one targeting businesses in Downtown D.C. and another focused on residents, employees, and visitors from the broader region. The stakeholder engagement process reached more than 6,000 people across the District and its surrounding suburbs.
Using this research, RCLCO developed a list of approximately 100 policy and planning interventions to enhance Downtown D.C.’s economic competitiveness, along with a set of near-term budget recommendations to jumpstart implementation. To evaluate the proposed interventions, RCLCO created an analytical framework to assess their potential impact on foot traffic, tax revenue, office occupancy, and retail spending, compared to a scenario with no intervention. At the conclusion of the process, RCLCO produced two reports—a summary version and a detailed version—for the Downtown Action Plan.

Impact

Since the completion of the Downtown Action Plan in June 2024, the DowntownDC BID, Golden Triangle BID, and the District of Columbia government have worked together to begin implementing several recommendations from the Downtown Action Plan, such as a soft landing program to attract and support international companies. Separately, each BID has also engaged RCLCO on subsequent efforts related to the Downtown Action Plan.