RTC Merchant Has Huge 37% Drop In Sales Since Start Of Paid Parking: Report

UPDATE 3/29: Boston Properties has responded.

RESTON, VA — The sales figures are in for Reston Town Center merchants struggling with the introduction of paid parking in January, and they are ugly, the Reston Merchants Association says.

In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the RMA said that multiple restaurants are reporting soaring losses, with one of them — Potomac River Running — seeing a 37 percent decline in sales in March, even though its seven other locations are reporting higher sales.

And that's not much of an outlier, either, RMA states. Big Bowl is down 26 percent in March after experiencing a 15 percent decline in February and has lost 4,500 customers. Red Velvet Cupcakery, run by key anti-ParkRTC figure Aaron Gordon, has seen sales drop 19 percent for a year-to-date total loss of 25 percent.

RMA also listed the following losses for other restaurants:

• Busara reports March sales are down 18 percent.
• The Counter Burger reports March sales are down approximately 24 percent.
• Dawn Price Baby reports February sales were down 18 percent, while all other locations were up an average of 20 percent for the same month.
• The Eyewear Gallery reports February sales were down 29 percent.
• Edibles Incredible Desserts reports February sales were down 28 percent.
• Ted’s Bulletin reports sales are down significantly on the year, while other locations have even or higher sales compared to last year.

Jackson's Mighty Find Food & Lucky Lounge has already filed suit against developer Boston Properties, who introduced paid parking on Jan. 3, and Gordon told Patch recently that he is "80 percent" sure the 25-member Reston Merchants Association will proceed with a lawsuit against BXP between a month and three months down the road.

Boston Properties says that it was always its intention to introduce paid parking at Reston Town Center, both to prevent overcrowding in garages with the arrival of the Reston Town Center Metro station and to use the money to reinvest back into RTC.

“Paid parking is simply killing business, ruining our reputation and destroying the sense of community that has always been the pride of Reston,” Gordon said in Tuesday's statement. “The merchants are suffering across the board from the greedy money-grab of one company and many of us are being driven out of business.”

RMA is working with Reston community organizers to organize two upcoming events:

"The first event, which will take place in mid-May, is a town hall-style meeting to discuss all the issues surrounding paid parking in the Town Center," the statement reads. "Representatives from the Merchants Association, community leaders, local politicians, parking-garage specialists, the Chamber of Commerce and many more will be invited to speak and take questions from the community. Boston Properties will be invited to attend and speak. More information on the event will be coming in the next few weeks.

"The second event will take place in mid-June," the statement continues. "To follow up on the tremendous success of its community protest march earlier this month, community organizers, along with the help of the Reston Merchants Association, will hold another march and rally to protest paid parking in Reston Town Center. More information on this event will be available in the next month."

Image: Patch file photo