Apple’s store-opening woes in Georgetown
Patrick Ruffini makes his feelings plain in his tweet on the attempts by Apple to open a store in DC’s Georgetown: “DC Luddites blocking first Apple Store in the Capital.” From the linked story:
The wait for Apple’s first retail store in the nation’s capital will reportedly drag on, as local preservationists have been unable to see eye-to-eye with the Mac maker on a design for the new shop.
The Cupertino-based company acquired a building in the historic Georgetown district more than a year ago with the intention of demolishing the structure and replacing it with a flashy high-profile Apple store.
Although it’s since been cleared to raze the building at 1229 Wisconsin Ave., Apple has been unable to pass its design proposals for the new store through a review process governed by a pair of local preservationist bodies, according to the Georgetown Current [PDF].
Read all about Apple’s attempts to put in a store that doesn’t look like a re-done row house. At the end of the article it mentions that Apple has apparently not paid taxes it owes since buying the property. To be frank, I wouldn’t be paying them, either, if I was constantly getting stonewalled about actually being able to build on it. If the Georgetown board mentioned has the ability to legally stop them from building on the property then they can take the heat for the taxes being withheld. If they don’t, then I’m afraid I’d consider this 3rd refusal from them the 3rd strike and go ahead with the building process over their protests.
