Brunch links: What’s next?

Car Free Day ‘09? What should DC do for this year’s Car Free Day in September? Last year, DC closed F Street around 7th to create a plaza featuring music, bike tune-ups, and more. Tommy Wells wants your ideas for an even better Car Free Day this year.

More Metro on I-66? Every time I post a future Metro map, no matter what the topic, some commenter(s) ask to add an Orange Line extension to Centreville. Now that the Silver Line is a done deal, Congressman Gerry Connolly wants to extend the line down I-66 at least to Gainesville. (WTOP) BeyondDC argues that extending Metro is the wrong approach. With the same amount of money, “we could extend VRE to Gainesville and drastically improve service frequencies on the entire VRE system and build a regional network of streetcars on several corridors around Northern Virginia.”

Ground floor retail? Arlington required new buildings to include ground-floor retail. Now there’s too much of it. Good thing or bad? Ryan Avent says it’s good, since arts spaces, doctors and dentists can and are starting to use those spaces. On the other hand, some planners say that upper Georgia Avenue has too much retail space, leading to widespread vacancies and an overabundance of liquor stores. DC’s current approach recommends consolidating Georgia Avenue retail into smaller nodes. Which is better? Is the right choice different between Arlington and Georgia Avenue?