"For decades, Mount Vernon residents have tried to harness the area’s rich history in a string of attempts to remake a portion of Route 1 that has long been marked by rent-by-the-hour motels, boarded-up buildings and auto repair shops.
As part of a new effort, a sign reading “Gateway to America’s Historic Heritage” welcomes visitors to a stretch of highway where community leaders recently approved plans to attract high-rise apartment buildings and restaurants — all a short drive away from George Washington’s iconic mansion.
But some local leaders say the revitalization attempts are in danger of being derailed because Fairfax County officials gave approval to an auto title loan company to move into a vacant lot that was part of those plans.
Where residents of Mount Vernon hope for office plazas, townhouses and cafes, they are instead looking at the possibility of another brightly lit sign offering fast cash with cars as collateral and interest rates as high as 342 percent. A four-mile stretch of Route 1 that cuts through Mount Vernon is already home to seven auto title loan companies..."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/mount-vernon-residents-seeking-to-revitalize-route-1-corridor-oppose-auto-title-loan-firm/2013/12/22/f734f362-6105-11e3-bf45-61f69f54fc5f_story.html
