Complete Main Street Retail Survey by May 31

Posted by nextstoprp in Main Street, Uncategorized

Passing along this retail survey from The Parks Main Street. Complete by May 31.

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Help guide the shops, restaurants, and services along the South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road corridor.  

Dear Neighbors,

The Parks Main Street (TPMS), a program of the Greater Washington Urban League, has been serving Riggs Park since 2019, working to strengthen our neighborhood commercial corridor—and your voice remains essential to shaping what comes next.

We appreciate the feedback shared by community members in the past—it continues to guide our efforts.

We invite you to take a short survey to let us know the types of businesses, restaurants, and services you would like to see in Riggs Park—particularly along South Dakota Avenue from Galloway Street NE (The Modern) to the intersection at Riggs Road NE (Riggs Crossing Senior Residences and Fort Totten Square), as well as other retail spaces along the corridor.

Take the survey (less than 3 minutes)

Survey closes: Sunday, May 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM

About The Parks Main Street

In addition to providing grants and technical assistance to small, local businesses—including $40,000 in grants awarded to seven local businesses so far in 2026—TPMS brings the community together through events and partnerships such as:

  • Fort Totten Summer Concert Series (June 5) — with DC Fray and Bozzuto
  • Riggs Park Art Walk (July 18) — with the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library and WALK Ward 5 Health Coalition 
  • Art All Night hosted by The Parks Main Street (September 12) — in coordination with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Department of Small and Local Business Development
  • Main Street Jazz Series (in progress) — with the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library

This work also includes partnering with UDC Community College on the Lamond-Riggs Farmers Market and maintaining an ongoing collaboration with the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA).

Why Your Input Matters

Your feedback will help:

  • Guide the businesses we work to attract
  • Support local entrepreneurs
  • Shape a more vibrant, welcoming corridor

We want to understand what’s missing, what’s working, and what would encourage you to spend more time in the neighborhood.

Help Spread the Word

Please pass this along to neighbors, friends, and coworkers who live, work, or spend time in the area.

Support Tz’ikin Cafe Pop-Up Coffee Cart at Art Place

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

Tz’ikin had a strong opening day on May 3. Thank you to all of the neighbors who came out. Continue to support the pop-up coffee cart at Art Place.

Location: 395 Ingraham Street NE

Hours

Mon–Fri: 7 AM – 2 PM

Sun: 9 AM – 2 PM

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Pick up coffee on your way to work or, if you are home during the day, stop in for a brew. Let your coffee-drinking neighbors know!

From Art Place at Fort Totten

On Sunday, May 3 at 9am, local concept Tz’ikin Cafe will open a coffee cart pop-up, marking the first dedicated coffee purveyor at Art Place.

Founded by a husband-and-wife team hailing from El Salvador and Guatemala, respectively, the DMV-based cafe focuses on Central American coffee traditions and direct sourcing, with beans coming from a family-run farm in El Salvador. The menu features drinks like the Horchata Latte, an espresso made with horchata-infused milk, alongside seasonal flavors like honey lavender.

You can find the cart inside Explore! Children’s Museum

395 Ingraham St. NE

Hours:

Mon–Fri: 7 AM – 2 PM

Sun: 9 AM – 2 PM

May 26: DC Council At-Large Candidate Forum Hosted by Ward 5 Civic Associations

Posted by nextstoprp in Council

A group of Ward 5 civic associations is hosting a DC Council At-Large candidate forum for the primary election and the special election. Candidates for both elections are on the same ballot.

Date: May 26, 2026, 6:30pm-9:00pm

Location: UDC Lamond-Riggs campus, 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE.

Host civic associations

North Michigan Park Civic Association

Fort Totten Civic Association

Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association

Woodridge Civic Association

Brookland Civic Association

Gateway Civic Association

North Woodridge Civic Association

Bates Are Civic Association

Hanover Area Civic Association

May 26: ANC 4B Public Meeting (Hybrid)

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 4B

From ANC 4B

ANC 4B May 2026 Public Meeting

Tuesday, May 26, 7:00 p.m.

This meeting will be hybrid-offered both in-person and virtually. In-person and virtual meeting details are below:

In-Person Meeting Details:

Lamond Recreation Center, 20 Tuckerman Street NE, Washington, DC 20011

Virtual Meeting Details:

For video participation via Zoom on a computer or mobile device, click this link:

https://dc-gov.zoom.us/j/81506605246

For voice-only participation on a telephone, dial +13092053325,,81506605246#

Meeting ID: 815 0660 5246

1.     Call to Order & Roll Call, 2 minutes

2.     Administrative Items, 10 minutes

  • Instructions for participation in virtual webinar meeting, 1 minute
  • Approval of April 2026 Regular Public Meeting Minutes, 1 minute
  • Review and Approval of ANC 4B Expenditures, 5 minutes
    • Purchase of hybrid meeting equipment
    • Purchase of neighborhood cleanup tools and resources
    • Consideration of costs to participate in Takoma Park Street Festival 2026
  • Treasurer’s Report and Approval of FY26 Q2 QFR, 3 minutes

3.     Commissioner Updates, 20 minutes

4.     Community Concerns, 15 minutes

Please use the “Raise Hand” button via Zoom or *9 via telephone to speak.

The Commission will provide details regarding how to present community concerns at the start of the virtual meeting. This is the time for questions or statements from members of the public about issues on the agenda or other areas of concern. Please limit your statement or question to one minute. You may contact members of the Commission before and after Commission meetings.

5.     Reports, 12 minutes

  • Barbara Rogers, Community Engagement Director, Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis-George (3 minutes) 
  • Dr. T. Michelle Colson, Ward 4 State Board of Education Representative (3 minutes)
  • Zoey Lewis, Mayor’s Office on Community Relations and Services (3 minutes) 
  • 4B Community Safety & Support Committee (3 minutes)

6.     Presentations, 20 minutes

  • B-360 on ATV and dirt bike safety solutions, 10 minutes
  • Kelly Jeong-Olson and Tadai Abilla, DDOT – Notice of Intent NOI-26-129-TSA at 6th and Madison St. NE, 10 minutes

7.     Consent calendar, 2 minutes

  • Resolution ANC 4B-26-0501 BZA Application No. 21472

8.     Resolution ANC 4B-26-0502 – Requesting DCHA Oversight Related to Rent Reasonableness

9.     Resolution ANC 4B-26-0503 – Requesting DCHA Oversight Related to Health, Safety, and Sanitation

10.  Adjournment 

Please check the Commission’s website for additional information: anc4b.com

Contact your Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner: 

o      Doug Payton, 4B01@anc.dc.gov

o      Shamina Christian, Chair, 4B02@anc.dc.gov

o      Keenan Courtland, Secretary, 4B03@anc.dc.gov

o      Charlie Mayer; 4B04@anc.dc.gov

o      Tamira Benitez, 4B05@anc.dc.gov

o      Tiffani Nichole Johnson, Vice Chair, 4B06@anc.dc.gov

o      Michael Cohen, Treasurer, 4B07@anc.dc.gov

o      Garrett Moore, 4B08@anc.dc.gov

o      Danielle Geong, 4B09@anc.dc.gov

o      Vacant, 4B10@anc.dc.gov

The next ANC 4B Planning Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. 

The next ANC 4B Regular Public Meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 22, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

Submit Comments on Proposed Traffic Safety Changes Around Fort Totten Drive & Hamilton Street NE by June 29, 2026

Posted by nextstoprp in Transportation

ANC Commissioner Valeria Sosa Garnica (5A07) passed along a Notice of Intent (NOI) from DDOT for proposed installation of all-way stop signs at the intersection of Fort Totten Drive/Rock Creek Church Road & Hamilton Street NE.

See NOI 26-158-PSD

From the NOI:

DETAIL PROPOSED ACTIONS

Citing risks to pedestrian safety at Hamilton St NE & Rock Creek Church Rd NE/Fort Totten Dr NE, DDOT listed an all-way stop control (AWSC) study as a medium-term recommendation for the 2024-2025 Bridges/Briya/Bilingual Safe Routes to School action plan. DDOT has since analyzed the intersection and determined that it fits the criteria for an all-way stop. DDOT will install double-sided stop signs and stop bar pavement markings at the northbound and southbound approaches on Fort Totten Dr NE and Rock Creek Church Rd NE. Following good practices to increase awareness of the new stop signs, DDOT will affix small flags to the new signs for the first 6 months after installation.

To view and submit comments on NOI 26-158-PSD, visit DDOT’s NOI portal at http://noi.ddot.dc.gov by June 29, 2026.

Comment on NPS Draft Management Plan Update Environmental Assessment for Fort Totten Park/Corridor by June 15

Posted by nextstoprp in National Park Service

Neighbor Gavin passed along information about the opportunity to comment on the National Park Service’s draft management plan changes for Fort Totten Park and the Fort Totten Corridor, along with other Fort Circle Parks sites, which are formally known as the Civil War Defenses of Washington. We wrote about this process last year in this post. The draft management plan update environmental assessments and other information are available on the project website.

Notice from NPS

The National Park Service invites you to comment on a proposed update to the management plan for the Civil War Defenses of Washington, the historic network of forts, batteries and parkland that protected the nation’s capital during the Civil War.

Comment Period
May 15 through June 15, 2026

Public feedback will help shape how these historic sites are managed in the future.

How to Comment

Online (preferred)
ParkPlanning – CWDW Management Plan Update/Environmental Assessment

By mail
Superintendent
Attn: CWDW MGMT Plan Update
National Park Service
3545 Williamsburg Lane NW
Washington, DC 20008

Mailed comments must be postmarked by June 15, 2026.

The upcoming 30-day public comment period offers a final chance to provide input before NPS completes the required National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act review process.

What the Proposed Plan Would Do
The proposed Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Assessment would guide future management of approximately 1,315 acres across the Civil War Defenses of Washington, also known as the Fort Circle Parks.

The plan includes:
• 18 historic fort sites
• Shepherd Parkway
• The Fort Circle Drive corridor

The National Park Service’s preferred alternative would:
• Update park management zones
• Strengthen protection of historic and natural resources
• Expand opportunities for recreation and visitor use

Any future projects or changes would still require additional planning, community input and historic preservation review.

About the Civil War Defenses of Washington
During the Civil War, 68 forts and 93 batteries armed with more than 800 cannons encircled Washington, D.C.

Today, the National Park Service manages 19 surviving sites, including:
• Fort Stevens
• Fort Bayard
• Fort Bunker Hill
• Battery Ricketts
• Fort Chaplin

Important Notice
Comments, including names and contact information, may become part of the public record. Requests to withhold personal information will be considered but cannot be guaranteed.  

Deadline Extended: Comment on Office of Planning’s Draft Future Land Use Map by June 7

Posted by nextstoprp in Planning

Update 5/16/2026: OP extended the deadline again to June 7, 2026. See this post for OP’s presentation to North Michigan Park. Change areas for Riggs Park & nearby.

Update 4/15/2026: Comment deadline extended to May 17, 2026. View the virtual workshop.

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Original post 3/31/2026

DC’s Office of Planning (OP) has released a virtual workshop to walk through its Draft Future Land Use Map (FLUM).

Visit OP’s Draft FLUM Virtual Workshop. Comment on the draft changes by April 30, 2026.

OP estimated the number of additional new homes necessary to keep housing cost increases below the inflation rate. With the Draft FLUM, OP seeks to quantify the number of housing units that would be created by each of the changes.

Draft Ward 4 Neighborhood Proposal

CHANGE AREA 4.4

Location: New Hampshire NW and Riggs Ave NE

Changes in this area include:

·        Small-scale residential neighborhoods to moderate-scale residential neighborhoods

These changes are estimated to add 1,050 housing units and 100 jobs.

Draft Ward 5 Neighborhood Proposal

CHANGE AREA 5.1:

Location: South Dakota Ave NE

Changes in this area include:

·        Small-scale residential neighborhoods to moderate-scale residential neighborhoods

These changes are estimated to add 60 housing units and 50 jobs. 

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I attended the spring workshop and I find OP’s draft changes for Riggs Parks (Change Areas 4.4 and 5.1) to be a bit random. If the goal is to say that we need additional housing units, I think we can look to where we know large institutional properties are going to be developed into new housing, such as the Boys Town and Providence campuses, rather than looking at random parcels of existing semi-detached homes, which is what the Draft FLUM is proposing.

OP Director Anita Cozart explained that they are targeting areas near Metrorail and high-frequency bus routes (I get that). She said the idea is to make way for gentle density like small apartments. When I pointed out that Faith United Church has been trying to build on its property for decades but no change is being proposed for that property, she said OP also wants to keep the areas with proposed changes contiguous and not do one-off changes to individual lots. I get that as well, though I suspect that is exactly what will end up happening for reasons.

I still think that if there are institutional properties that will likely be redeveloped into new housing in the future, then to me it makes sense for that to be reflected in the Draft FLUM. I guess the only reason they are not doing that is that theoretically the institutional use reflected in the FLUM would not preclude developing housing.

For example, Boys Town is shown as institutional on the existing FLUM but it is zoned R-2 which will allow development of semi-detached housing by right. Developer Urban Atlantic is planning to build 166 semi-detached homes there. And 166 homes is already more than the 60 that OP is showing for the random draft change in Change 5.1. Realistically Change 5.1 is not going to result in an additional 60 housing units and that is probably fine. We already have 166 semi-detached homes going in at Boys Town and hundreds more housing units going in at Providence eventually. Furthermore, we know that the 8,000 square foot Main Building on the Boys Town campus will likely need a zoning change or exception in the future for anything to be done with it. It is not going to be torn down. So I think there are missed opportunities here.

It is worth looking at the draft changes elsewhere in the city. I participated in one of the breakout meetings. One of the questions was where to build affordable housing (I assume they were referring to income-restricted affordable housing). Mysteriously one of the assumptions they made when asking the question was that if they continue to build affordable housing in areas well below the median family income, then somehow amenities would follow by adding more low-income households to the mix. I think if the goal is to provide access to amenities, then it makes sense to build/maintain affordable housing in amenity-rich neighborhoods like neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park and to be very intentional about providing amenities in areas lacking them. Assuming that amenities will somehow simply follow with no thoughtful intentional action does not make a lot of sense to me.

Anyways, be sure to take the opportunity to review the draft map and submit your feedback to OP by April 30.

May 17: ANC 5A/5B Joint Committee Meeting on Taylor Street NE Bike Lanes

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A, Transportation

From ANC 5A

ANC 5A/5B Joint Committee on Taylor St Bike Lanes

This meeting is planned as an Open Meeting, but not a Public Meeting, so no agenda or voting is scheduled. The meeting will be recorded and a URL to the recording will be provided within 7 days of the meeting date.

Topic: Joint Special Committee on Taylor
Time: May 17, 2026 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://dc-gov.zoom.us/j/89121638949?pwd=FZ0ZPpddgPiEy0oRgOHaFKWOaJVJy5.1

Meeting ID: 891 2163 8949
Passcode: 486647

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Office of Planning Presentation on Proposed Future Land Use Map Changes to North Michigan Park

Posted by nextstoprp in North Michigan PArk, Planning

North Michigan Park neighbor Robert Oliver passed along the presentation that Office of Planning Associate Director Ryan Hand gave to North Michigan Park Civic Association (NMPCA) about draft changes to the Future Land Use Map (FLUM). These draft changes are just one step in OP’s Comprehensive Plan rewrite, which OP is calling DC2050.

See OP Draft FLUM Presentation to North Michigan Park Civic Association (May 2026)

Submit comments on the draft FLUM by May 17, 2026.

There is a tiny section of North Michigan Park just south of Fort Totten Park that OP wants to change from “small-scale residential” to “moderate-scale residential.” Residents at the NMPCA meeting on May 6 were not on board this proposal.

I noted in this post that OP Director Anita Cozart stated that the intent of the change is to possibly make way for small apartments or accessory dwelling units (ADUs) (though ADUs are already permissible). Mr. Hand echoed that rationale stating that OP sought to “up-FLUM” areas near Metrorail and high frequency bus corridors and also areas that have not grown as much over the past 20 years. At the same time, Mr. Hand noted that OP also wants to be cautious about making changes to areas too quickly that are at high risk of displacement.

Mr. Hand acknowledged concerns from residents that this change could incentivize developers to try to buy out homeowners to tear down the existing semi-detached homes and build multifamily buildings in their place. In response to a resident who brought up the explosive growth in Columbia Heights, Mr. Hand stated that the development that took place in Columbia Heights was a different situation at a unique moment in the city’s history. So OP does not seem too concerned about something similar happening in North Michigan Park (or nearby).

I noted in a previous post that I do not quite understand why OP is drawing the map the way they are. This meeting with Mr. Hand did provide confirmation that it really is kind of random. OP is targeting areas near Metrorail, hence the change to this small section of North Michigan Park. On the Ward 4 side, OP selected areas along Riggs Road to up-FLUM because they are along a high-frequency bus corridor. It is still puzzling to me that OP chose not to account for for-sale and rental housing that can be built in areas identified as institutional areas on the FLUM.

As it stands the amount of housing that OP is saying can be built in areas with existing, occupied semi-detached homes is a bit of fiction whereas there can be real numbers attached to institutional areas with vacant land on the map. Also, while I get the move to the new “place types” concept, I do think there is a bit of worthwhile distinction lost when one lumps semi-detached and rowhomes with apartment buildings in one category.

ANC Commissioner Bocoum (5A09) is having a virtual single member district (SMD) meeting tonight about the changes in this small section of North Michigan Park. I anticipate that ANC 5A will want to vote on the issue at their meeting on May 27. Mr. Hand told the commissioners at the North Michigan Park meeting that the ANC can submit their resolution to OP after this meeting. Mr. Hand noted that the Council changed the law so that OP has to give “great weight” to ANC resolutions at this draft phase (and not just at the final phase).

I do not know if OP plans to formally extend the deadline for everyone, so if you plan to submit individual comments, be sure to submit your comments by May 17.

To receive updates about the Comprehensive Plan process, join OP’s mailing list.

Submit Comments on Proposed Parking Changes Around 6th & Madison NE by May 28, 2026

Posted by nextstoprp in Education, Public Safety, Transportation

ANC Commissioner Danielle Geong (4B09) passed along information about a Notice of Intent (NOI) with proposed parking changes around 6th Street & Madison Street NE. DDOT is proposing to daylight the intersection of 6th and Madison by installing pavement markings and flexposts within 25 feet of the existing crosswalk.

See NOI 26-129-TSA.

Commissioner Geong wrote:

DDOT issued a plan to update 4B09 residential parking signage and daylight the intersection at 6th/Madison St NE to improve safety (please reference attachment for details). This is the southwest corner by Riggs field, where a lot of W4-5 neighbors walk to LaSalle ES, the rec center etc. Parking in and around the intersection will be prohibited in accordance with existing city regulations if the NOI moves forward. 

Background: ANC 4B sent DDOT a traffic-calming resolution last year in response to a history of serious traffic accidents in the LaSalle-Backus ES school zone. LaSalle ES serves PK3-5 students in both ANCs 4B and 5A (5A01, 5A02, 5A07, 5A09).

To view and submit comments on this notice of intent (NOI 26-129-TSA Daylighting and Parking Change), visit DDOT’s NOI portal at http://noi.ddot.dc.gov by May 28, 2026.

May 14: ANC 5A09 Community Meeting

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

[Ed. Note: The ANC did not send out an agenda for this meeting but I have been told that the meeting will focus on the draft Future Land Use Map changes for North Michigan Park.]

From ANC 5A

Topic: SMD 5A09 Meeting

Time: May 14, 2026, 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://dc-gov.zoom.us/j/85752173916

Meeting ID: 857 5217 3916

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Reminder: LRCA Scholarship Applications Due May 15, 2026

Posted by nextstoprp in Education, Lamond Riggs Citizens Association

The Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) is now accepting applications for the 2026 Scholarship Award.

Deadline: Friday, May 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

Apply: LRCA 2026 Scholarship Application

LRCA will award Academic Excellence Scholarships of up to $2,000 to eligible graduating high school seniors and eligible college or trade school students who demonstrate academic achievement, financial need, and a commitment to community impact. Must live within the boundaries of LRCA.

Download: LRCA 2026 Scholarship Flyer (updated)

Map of LRCA boundaries.

May 2026 Events at Explore!

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten, Uncategorized

Check out the events calendar for May 2026 events at Explore!

Location: 395 Ingraham Street NE

* Tz’ikin Coffee Pop-Up

Hours: Monday – Friday 7am – 2pm, Sunday 9am – 2pm

* Dance Loft Youth Classes & Summer Dance Camp (Register at the link).

  • Pre-Ballet
  • Baby & Me
  • Bilingual Creative Movement

Explore! Activities: Mixed Materials Studio | May 5, 4pm-6pm

Explore! Activities: Cardboard Building Lab | May 7, 4pm-6pm

Candle Making Workshop | May 7, 6pm

Explore! Activities: Clay Open Studio | May 12, 4pm-6pm

Explore! Activities: Paper & Texture | May 14, 4pm-6pm

Explore! Activities: Paint Studio | May 19, 4pm-6pm

Explore! Activities: Tile Design | May 21, 4pm-6pm

Explore! Activities: Clay & Form | May 26, 4pm-6pm

Kid’s Maker Space Activities: Open Art Studio | May 28, 4pm-6pm

Recognition for Neighbor Debra Whitford

Posted by nextstoprp in North Michigan PArk, Riggs Park
Debra Whitford at UDC Lamond-Riggs Farmers Market, April 24, 2026.

I am super late in getting this post up but never too late to acknowledge the efforts of North Michigan Park neighbor Debra Whitford. Ms. Whitford was nominated for and recognized as “Volunteer of the Year” by residents at Councilmember Zachary Parker’s annual awards ceremony on April 1.

Ms. Whitford grew up in Riggs Park. Her family still owns the home they purchased on Riggs Road NE back in 1957. Ms. Whitford attended DC public schools and UDC before embarking on a career in information systems. Ms. Whitford retired from the federal government in 2017. Since then, one can find her at making sense at ANC meetings and volunteering in her local community, whether with North Michigan Park Civic Association, Food & Friends, passing out newsletters for the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association, or helping out CM Parker’s office on Ward 5 Day.

Congratulations and thank you to Ms. Whitford!