Rush hour on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between the Capitol and the White House in March of 2023 by Victoria Pickering licensed under Creative Commons.

President Biden’s timeline for federal workers to return to the office gives hope to downtown DC businesses

In downtown DC, retails vacancies hover at around 22% — the highest in decades — and the number of people working downtown is fewer than half of what it was pre-pandemic. President Biden has asked cabinet officials to increase their agencies’ in-person work beginning in September and October, a welcome update for struggling downtown businesses. (Disclosure: the Downtown DC BID is a member of DC Sustainable Transportation, a coalition that GGWash manages.)  (Post, Mauricio Casillas / NBC 4 )  

Beyoncé tour pays for Metro to stay open late after severe storms at Sunday concert

Beyoncé brought her Renaissance World Tour to FedEx field this weekend and WMATA had a plan to accommodate concertgoers. When a storm caused a delay to the concert’s start time, however, the tour officials paid an extra $100,000 to keep Metro open to help concertgoers get home on Metro Sunday night, with the last train leaving at 1:04 am.  (NBC 4, NBC 4 )  

WMATA’s customer service chief talks importance of signage, communication

Sarah Meyer, WMATA’s new chief experience and engagement officer, is committed to making the system as “customer friendly” as possible. In an interview, she describes priorities including improving signage and making it easier to identify stations.  (Justin George / Post)  

Jump in on-campus housing requests stresses UMD’s housing supply

The University of Maryland (UMD)’s already-stressed on-campus housing supply is facing more pressure than usual after a higher-than-expected number of incoming students requested housing. While the university was able accommodate all incoming freshman, many older students have to choose between high housing costs in College Park and commuting.  (Fiona Roy / The Diamondback)  

New Metro stations keep Loudoun’s office vacancies among lowest in region

New Metro stations keep Loudoun’s office vacancies among lowest in region Vacancy rates for office space in Loudoun County are lower than nearby Fairfax County, Arlington County, and Alexandria thanks to the opening of new Silver Line stations, according to one economic development official. The new Metro stations have also increased the pipeline of new mixed-use development in the county.  (Jon Banister / Bisnow DC)  

Arlington seeks more equitable approach to use of athletic fields

Arlington is seeking public comment on ways to amend it policy for reserving athletic fields in the county to make the process more equitable. The comment period comes as residents say the growing number of scheduled sports events has made it difficult to accommodate unscheduled “drop-in” activities like Frisbee or sunbathing.  (James Jarvis / ARLNow)  

Northern Virginia businesses honored for supporting Bike to Work Day

The Dulles Area Transport Association recognized 29 companies in Northern Virginia for participating in Bike to Work Day on May 19. One Fairfax County supervisor said the opening of new Silver Line stations has given local residents more ways to incorporate cycling into their commute.  (Fatimah Waseem / FFXnow)  

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