Some officials fear the arena and new convention center will create a demand for parking garages instead of residential buildings that help support the shops and restaurants. Downtown property owners are taxing themselves to pay for crews of street cleaners and unarmed security personnel who will patrol a 120-block area of downtown, bordered by 16th Street, Massachusetts Avenue, Third Street and Constitution Avenue. They'll begin before the scheduled opening of the MCI Center. The downtown dreams also depend on the city and federal governments approving a special taxing district that would allow the city to sell bonds, supported by property and sales taxes, as incentives to entice the retail entertainment industry. Legislation setting up the tax district hasn't been introduced.
Critics question the staying power of entertainment retailers.
It's like collecting Boy Scout merit badges. First you had to have your convention center. Then you had to have an aquarium. Now it's an arena or stadium. An arts district may be a good idea, too, but hockey fans coming downtown aren't the kind to sip chardonnay in galleries.