Washington Informer

Hundreds of people, including Vice President Joe Biden, attended the grand opening Thursday, Nov. 29 of the new Costco, located in Ward 5 in the vicinity of South Dakota and New York avenues.

The 154,000-square-foot membership facility marks the District’s first big-box retailer to open its doors at The Shops at Dakota Crossing. The highly anticipated wholesale warehouse, which will serve as an anchor among shops at the Northeast center, brings a variety of specialty departments.

 “I thought they would have put a Walmart here for sure,” said Reginald Evans, 45, of Northwest, who was browsing the aisles stocked with UGG boots and Kenneth Cole wallets. Evans said he usually shopped at Costco in Brandywine, Md.

Sandra Green, another District resident, said she was happy she can shop here in the city.

“I usually go to the one in Crystal City [Virginia],” Green added as she lifted her twin toddlers into the cart, and pushed it into the store. The parking lot was full of cars with District of Columbia license plates.

Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden were among the store's first shoppers. They loaded an apple pie, cookies, children’s books, and a 32-inch TV in their cart. The vice president even tried food samples, much to the delight of the other shoppers who were flashing cell phone cameras as the Bidens browsed through the store.

In addition to offering name-brand and private-label merchandise, the area's newest Costco will feature a bakery, meats and produce, a variety of liquours and wines, as well as an optical department, tire center and food court.

“Costco Wholesale’s opening today signals a huge milestone for retail in the District,” said Mayor Vincent Gray, who joined other District government leaders and Costco officials at the opening celebration. “Having the big-box retailer call the District home as this shopping center’s anchor tenant means that many more District residents can partake in its discount shopping options here, thereby slowing retail leakage and keeping tax dollars in our jurisdiction—two critical elements of my administration’s economic-development strategy.”

Costco is situated on a 44-acre site for which ground was broken in February. Besides Costco, the center will house 430,000 square feet of retail space and 2,000 parking spaces.

The project, part of more than $2 billion that has been recently poured into District-affiliated efforts, is also expected to create 1,200 new jobs and generate $634 million in tax revenues for the city over the next 30 years.

Pannell Raises Money in Northwest

A leading candidate for the D.C. State Board of Education in Ward 8 recently raised money on his own behalf in a tony residence in Northwest.

Philip Pannell, who is running for the city's board of education, held a fundraiser on Sept. 17 at the Ward 4 home of Ernest Hopkins, a longtime friend and the director of legislative activities for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Hopkins said that Pannell would be an asset to the board.

"Philip has a commitment to improving the public school system and improving its library sciences," said Hopkins, 52. "I have supported him on many issues in the past and when I found out that he was running for the board, I offered my support and he agreed to a fundraiser."

Pannell, one of the District's most seasoned political and civic activists, is running against incumbent Trayon White. Pannell, 61, ran for the position in April 2011, to replace the late William Lockridge, but lost to White in a field that had a number of candidates.

District voters will determine who will occupy the seat during the Nov. 6 general election. Bradley Lewis, a Ward 8 resident, traveled across town to support Pannell at the fundraiser.

"I have known Philip for 25 years and I know that he cares for kids and he cares for the community," said Lewis, 54, who lives in Historic Anacostia.

U.S. Senator Encourages D.C. Residents

The District's quest for full citizenship has a strong ally in the United States Senate.

Sen. Mary Landrieu [D-La.] said on Sept. 19 that District residents should not lose faith in the country's political system as it seeks full representation in the U.S. Congress.

"In the post-election, there is a brand new opportunity to press for voting rights for the residents of the District of Columbia," said Landrieu, 56.

Landrieu sits on the subcommittee that deals with D.C. affairs. She has long supported the District in the Senate on a variety of issues and once served as the keynote speaker at a Kennedy-King Dinner.

Landrieu said that District residents need to continue to advocate for their rights as citizens.

"I would encourage the people not to give up hope," she said.

Fort Lincoln Votes for Gas Station

The residents of a neighborhood in Ward 5 recently voted to support a major retailer's desire to sell gas to its customer.

The residents of Fort Lincoln, a far Northeast neighborhood voted, 75-31, to have the new Costco – which is part of the new Shops at Dakota Crossing retail complex – set up a gas station with its retail component.

The Costco is scheduled to open Nov. 28. It's the first Costco in the District of Columbia.

Ward 5 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Robert King, who represents single-member district 5A12, said that the vote is not only a victory for Fort Lincoln residents, but District consumers as well.

"You will see gas prices drop all across the city because of Costco," said King, 61. "When you talk about Costco, you are really talking about gas, where it makes a lot of its money."

King said that final approval for the gas station by D.C. Zoning authorities "should come by January."