Monthly Archives: September 2014

Green & sustainable living

Posted by nextstoprp in Uncategorized

Green Building Symposium

A neighbor emailed about DCRA’s Green Building Symposium taking place Friday, September 26, at the Convention Center, so we thought this would be the perfect time to highlight items related to sustainability. According to DC’s Department of the Environment, a couple of workshops at the symposium may be of interest to people considering solar energy:

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm: Solar Permitting Guidelines Part I – “Streamlining Solar Permitting”

3:00 – 4:15 pm: Solar Permitting Guidelines Part II – “Supercharging Solar”

The symposium is free. Register at the link.

Riversmart Program

DDOE’s Riversmart Program is a really great program for District residents to assist in reducing stormwater runoff. Residents pay a small co-pay for rain barrels; shade trees; and bayscaping, a rain garden, or pervious pavers. There is a fairly simple application and consultation process. We used the program to have a rain barrel installed and have bayscaping done to control erosion of a slope in the backyard. We could not be more pleased with the work that was done. Check out the website to learn how you can use this program to improve your property while reducing stormwater pollution.

New Green Homes in the Neighborhood

We recently had the opportunity to tour two sustainable townhomes being built right here in the neighborhood (4th and Kennedy Street NE), courtesy of True Turtle. This project is the first new construction project for the development team, which is shooting for LEED Platinum certification of the homes. They have completed renovations of several  homes in the Petworth neighborhood, including one net zero home.  They anticipate having a community open house, so we will share that information when the date is set.

 

New construction green housing

New construction green housing

 

September 20: WABA Walking Tour of Northern Phase of MBT

Posted by nextstoprp in Transportation and tagged with , ,

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is hosting a 2.2 mile walking tour of the planned northern phase of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) on Saturday, September 20, 2014.  The tour starts at Fort Totten metro station at 1:00pm and will end at Takoma metro station around 3:30 pm. Click here for more information and to register.

Detours: Northbound South Dakota Avenue closed between Hamilton & Ingraham next 5 weeks

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten and tagged with , ,

For the next 5 weeks, South Dakota Avenue northbound lanes will be closed between Hamilton Street and Ingraham Street. On weekdays, the northbound lanes will be closed from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm and on the weekend from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. The righthand southbound lane will remain open.

Drivers traveling northbound South Dakota will detour east onto Hamilton one block to come down Ingraham and back north onto South Dakota. Drivers traveling west on Hamilton cannot turn north onto South Dakota. Drivers traveling west on Ingraham cannot turn south onto South Dakota. And drivers traveling south on South Dakota cannot turn east onto Ingraham.

Construction workers for Art Place at Fort Totten are installing a junction box on Ingraham so that the street can be extended west of South Dakota. Utility lines under Hamilton will be moved to Ingraham.

Unfortunately, this means people living in the 500 and 600 blocks of Hamilton and Ingraham will see a lot more vehicle traffic. Pedestrians should also be aware that drivers are also using the alleys to get around the detour, so exercise caution. Construction trucks are also currently detouring onto Hamilton and using neighborhood streets.