On July 8, 2017, join ANC Commissioner Barbara Rogers (4B08) and the Department of Parks and Recreation for a PG-13 movie night on the field at Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center (501 Riggs Road NE). Popcorn, cotton candy, and water provided. Bring the kids, blankets, and lawn chairs.
Guest post
On June 14, 2017, ANC 5A held a special meeting, which also served as its monthly meeting for June. Notice was given two days beforehand. There was no notice that this special meeting would serve as the monthly meeting, so if there is something residents wish the ANC to address before the summer break, let your commissioner know.
All commissioners were present except Commissioner Isaiah Burroughs (5A04). No financial report was given. The ANC might hold a special meeting in July to approve the third quarter financial report.
DC Public Charter School Board/Mundo Verde
Ms. Tomeika Bowden, Senior Communications Director, and Ms. Nicole Newman, Community Engagement Specialist, of the DC Public Charter School Board (Board) responded to a meeting request from ANC 5A Chairman Ronnie Edwards (5A05). Chairman Edwards raised two concerns: The significance the Board gives to ANC recommendations in general and the recent Mundo Verde Public Charter School agreement. He stated that the Board must provide the ANC with an explanation of its decision making process. [Note: The DC Code says “In all cases the government entity is required to articulate its decision in writing. The written rationale of the decision shall articulate with particularity and precision the reasons why the Commission does or does not offer persuasive advice under the circumstances. In so doing, the government entity must articulate specific findings and conclusions with respect to each issue and concern raised by the Commission. Further, the government entity is required to support its position on the record.” Please see DC Code §1-309-10, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions – Duties and responsibilities; notice; great weight; access to documents; reports; contributions, for more information.]
Ms. Newman and Ms. Bowden explained the Board’s process. Anytime a school wants to change what is in its existing charter agreement, the Board must notify the ANC and open a 30-day comment period. Mundo Verde requested an enrollment ceiling increase and to locate at 4401 8th Street NE. The 30-day comment period started on May 22, 2017 and ended on June 19, 2017. The Board’s analysis includes the ANC recommendation in addition to information from the school community such as occupancy permits, traffic data, a completed DCPCSB pre-opening checklist, etc. This information is then compiled, commented upon by DCPCSB staff, and summarized for a vote. [Editor’s Note: The Board approved Mundo Verde’s petition on June 19, 2017]. Legal opinions are handled by the general counsel. An individual (or the ANC) may request the Board to explain its decision, but current Board practice is not to automatically explain its decision.
The discussion shifted to Mundo Verde. Mr. John Breyer, Mundo Verde Chief Operating Officer, said the school wants to increase the student population from 458 to 600. He said from a financial perspective, the school can operate at 4401 8th Street NE with 458 students, but the school will not commit to a ceiling of 458 students at the existing facility because of future needs. The school will explore having a satellite location for grades 4 and 5 and will not seek to enroll more than 458 students at the exiting facility without further discussion. Commissioner Edwards (5A05) cited the current traffic problems and objected to the increase. Commissioner Edwards stated the ANC would alert the board that the ANC wished to withdraw its agreement with Mundo Verde. Ms. Newman and Ms. Bowden noted it is the school’s responsibility to negotiate things like traffic management plans with the surrounding community, not the Board’s.
Fort Totten Mews
Mr. John Dapogny, Fort Totten Mews Project Manager, discussed the status of community benefits associated with development of the project.
A community member cited a home suffering vibration damage, seeking resolution. While the cause of the damage was debated, Commissioner Fletcher (5A08) will follow-up on this matter. Other issues raised were:
[Editor’s Note: Mr. Dapogny noted that the lottery is open for one affordable townhome at Totten Mews. Search the DC housing search website for home sales of 3 bedroom homes in zip code 20017. If an individual is not already registered for the lottery, it is probably too late to participate in the lottery for this particular home. Individuals must complete a housing counseling program in order to register. Individuals interested in taking advantage of the lottery to purchase a below market rate home should be sure to complete the requirements to register as soon as possible because additional Totten Mews townhomes will be available in the lottery in the near future.]
ANC Website
Upon the recommendation of Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08), the ANC approved a resolution to contract with Startup Design Solutions for an ANC website. For $750, the company will design the site and maintain it for one year. The ANC hopes the website will be available beginning in September 2017. Commissioner Fletcher envisions that commissioners will be trained on website maintenance to avoid future cost after the one-year maintenance period by Startup Solutions has ended. Residents raised two issues. First, some commissioners have email lists and those lists are not passed on to successor commissioners. However, the email list should be the property of the ANC not the individual commissioner. Second, due to the shortcomings of the existing DC website, a better performing alternative was sought.
ANC Cell Phone Guidelines
The ANC approved a resolution adopting the cell phone guidelines issued by the DC Auditor.
Cafritz Foundation/Art Place at Fort Totten
Mr. Mark Regulinski of the Cafritz Foundation discussed the Foundation’s response to a recent Zoning Commission inquiry on the status of Buildings A (first phase) and B (second phase). The Foundation is seeking a conditional (or temporary) certificate of occupancy for Building A to permit residents to move into the residential portion of the building while it deals with relocation of cable wires and other issues that have delayed opening. Pre-leasing for the apartments (called the Modern) is ongoing.
Commissioner Fletcher (5A08) asked Mr. Regulinski to attend the ANC’s September meeting to provide a status update on Building B.
Mayor’s Office
Mr. Lionell Gaines from the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations & Services (MOCRS) discussed the Free Summer Meals program and a the Mayor’s recent accomplishments. For a list of free summer meal locations, click here and here.
UDC-CC Backus Facility
Commissioner Frank Wilds (5A01) informed everyone that reserving space at UDC-CC Backus has become more stringent. Each requester must now apply 30 days in advance to the main campus and have insurance coverage.
Parking lot & curb cut for 22 Gallatin Street NE
Commissioner Sandi Washington (5A07) reported on the construction of a parking lot for six condominiums at 22 Gallatin Street NE. In order to have a curb cut, the developer must first notify the ANC, which it did not do before beginning construction on the parking lot. Commissioner Washington is opposed to the curb cut because she said it would be less than 15 feet from a four-way traffic light that is being installed by DDOT. The light is being installed to address traffic generated by the opening of Briya and Bridges Public Charter School and Mary’s Center. The ANC approved a resolution to oppose the curb cut.
DC Comprehensive Plan Amendments
DC’s Office of Planning has extended the call for amendments to the Comprehensive Plan to June 23, 2017. Upon the recommendation of Commissioner Fletcher (5A08), the ANC passed a resolution to support the amendments being proposed by a coalition of affordable housing advocates and for-profit developers. Last month, the ANC heard from Greater Greater Washington’s Housing Program Coordinator David Whitehead about the housing coalition’s priorities. For the complete list and explanation of the coalition’s priorities, see http://dchousingpriorities.org and Coalition Comp Plan Amendment Priorities Statement (pdf). [Editor’s Note: It would be interesting to know how many commissioners actually took the time to read all of the coalition’s priorities. Given some of the positions taken by the ANC over the years, it is not entirely clear that the priorities are aligned with the ANC’s positions, but it is gratifying to know that the ANC supports these priorities.]
The First Harvest event scheduled for June 24 at the Backus Urban Farm has been cancelled. From the organizer Fresh Communities Holding Corporation :
It is with sincere regret that we must cancel our scheduled event for June 24th, 2017 at Bertie Backus Urban Farm. This is a result of complications that have occurred that are beyond our control. We sincerely apologize and hope that you will join us at our future events. We are grateful for your patience and continued support as we continue to overcome these obstacles because of our unwavering commitment to the mission we serve.
Update 6/21/2017: This event has been cancelled.
June 24, 2017
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
First Harvest at Bertie Backus Urban Farm
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE, off Galloway Street
This Next Saturday, pay five dollars to fill up a bag with your hand-picked rainbow chard and baby lettuce at the Bertie Backus Urban Farm. The event takes place 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Hub, located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE (off Galloway Street).
A couple of residents have organized a happy hour tonight June 15 at Hellbender.
What: Thirsty Third Thursday Happy Hour
Where: Hellbender Brewery (5788 2nd St NE)
Who: Our neighbors in Lamond-Riggs, Brookland, Petworth, Takoma, Michigan Park, etc.
When: Thursday, June 15, 2017 @ 6pm
Why: because it’s fun to get to know folks at the local watering hole
Apparently, there’s an ANC 5A meeting tonight
ANC 5A Monthly Meeting
June 14, 2017 (6:45 PM)
UDC Community Campus @ Backus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE
Special Agenda Items
Yesterday, we provided a status update on the first two phases of Art Place at Fort Totten. Bisnow also reported in a newsletter yesterday that the Art Place team has reached out to Trader Joe’s and MOM’s Organic to anchor the second phase, noting that residents have expressed a desire for some type of organic grocer in the neighborhood.
‘Tis true. For several months, there have been rumblings about a Trader Joe’s in the neighborhood. And something of a grassroots campaign has started with residents requesting a Trader Joe’s in Riggs Park through the company’s official location request page. The page allows anyone to “request a TJ in my city.” It states, “There are no guarantees, but being wanted matters to us.” We have been told by a knowledgeable source that the company does pay attention to these location requests and if it receives say around 300 requests to locate in a neighborhood, as opposed to receiving just 12, then it really pays attention. So we won’t go so far as to say that 300 is the magic number to show that the store is wanted, but if you are so inclined to assist your fellow neighbors in getting to that ballpark figure, then go to the location request page and ask for a Trader Joe’s in Riggs Park at Art Place.
Some of the things people have noted in their requests:
This is what Riggs Park resident David wrote in his request:
My wife and I moved to Riggs Park in . . . . This neighborhood is safe, economically stable, and growing. Fort Totten Square has been completed and the first phase of Art Place at Fort Totten is soon going to be delivered. Following are several more phases of development to include condos, restaurants, and community art spaces. The [Explore!] Children’s Museum will also be located within the upcoming development. A Trader Joes in the Riggs Park neighborhood will pull customers from Brookland, College Park, Takoma Park, and Hyattsville and likely several other neighborhoods as three metro lines run through the Fort Totten metro station. Additionally, no alcohol at MD Trader Joes will pull people to the Riggs Park location which I assume would sell a selection of beer and wine. There would be no serious competitors to Trader Joes in the area. Yes Organic is in Brookland, but it does not tend to be the main grocery store for customers like a Trader Joes. Giant cannot compete with the prices of Trader Joes (and does not sell alcohol) and Walmart does not have the positive reputation of a Trader Joes nor the high quality selection of a Trader Joes. Please come to Riggs Park. I am including the link to H&R Retail who is responsible for leasing space in the building (http://hrretail.com/#property-2409832-art-place-at-fort-totten.
Can the neighborhood actually support a specialty grocery store with a Giant grocery store just on the other side of the DC/Maryland border, a Walmart with a grocery component in the neighborhood, and a Yes! organic market in Brookland? The short answer is likely yes. Longtime readers might remember that we covered a Vibrant Street Retail workshop conducted for this neighborhood through a partnership with Streetsense, DC’s Office of Planning, and the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association. [Disclosure: We participated in that workshop, facilitated the asks, and arranged a community meeting on the topic]. Through that partnership, Streetsense completed a market analysis (pdf) of a post-Walmart neighborhood and found that the neighborhood could support a specialty grocery store like an organic or gourmet grocery store.
So if you want a Trader Joe’s, ask for one. Same goes for any other retailer residents want in the neighborhood. There are no guarantees, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Catching up on news…
Art Place at Fort Totten, Bldg A under construction, view from new Ingraham Street NE extension
On June 2, 2017, the Cafritz Foundation filed a status report update for the multi-phase Art Place at Fort Totten development in response to a request from the Zoning Commission. See Art Place Status Update June 2-2017 (pdf).
Building A: Gym, dentist, pharmacy, cell phone store, possible coffee shop & restaurant
Building A (the first phase) is the building currently under construction. Pre-leasing has started for the residential apartments called The Modern. Hardhat tours are available for prospective tenants. A certificate of occupancy is expected by mid-June, with move-ins anticipated to begin around August.
As previously reported and confirmed in the letter, the developer has executed leases with a few retailers for Building A: X-Sport Fitness, T-Mobile, a dentist, and a pharmacy. They anticipate securing leases with a coffee shop and a restaurant in the near future. The letter does not identify the coffee shop and restaurant, but we believe they will be a Starbucks and a restaurant from the proprietors of a Virginia-based restaurant. We have been told that the retail components should be open by late fall/winter 2017.
Building B: Children’s museum, community recreation, possible grocer
The development team is still working to figure things out for Building B (second phase). Recall that the Commission previously raised concerns about the design, uses, and amenities proposed for Building B (e.g., recreation components including ice rinks). The team had put Building B on the backburner to focus on delivering Building A. The status report indicates that the delay in relocating the Riggs Plaza tenants, the presence of Walmart, and anticipated financing challenges for the planned unique uses of Building B all present obstacles for planning.
The letter states they are close to executing a letter of intent with an unidentified specialty grocer for 20,000 square feet for Building B. [Editor’s note 6/13/2017: After publishing, we learned from this Bisnow newsletter that the development team has reached out to Trader Joe’s and MOM’s Organic]. They are also looking at community recreational uses for Building B (but no specifics yet), and of course the Explore! Children’s Museum has committed to being part of Building B.
With respect to Building B, the Foundation will file prehearing statements within 90 days of executing letters of intent with retailers for not less than 70,000 square feet; they will file a building permit application within one year of 2nd stage approval order; and construction will begin within one year of filing permit application.
The Foundation will give the Commission periodic updates on the development of Building A and the proposed development of Building B no less than semi-annually beginning in Jan 2018, or within 30 days following a request for a status update from the Commission.
Finally, not stated in the letter, but important to know, we reported previously that a new neighborhood library will not be part of this development.
That’s the Art Place update for Buildings A and B. What are some recreation or community uses that you think would be ideal for the second stage of this development?
Catching up on news…
On June 1, 2017, the public safety committee of ANC 4B held a meeting with DDOT to discuss the expansion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail from Fort Totten (Riggs Road NE) to Takoma.
See: DDOT ANC 4B June 2017 MBT Fort Totten-Takoma Expansion Presentation (pdf)
An RFP for design-build construction of the Brookland-Fort Totten expansion was announced earlier this year.
As currently planned, the Fort Totten-Takoma expansion will essentially be an enlarged sidewalk (shared use path) with bi-directional lane markings, running along Riggs Road NE, up to Blair Road into Takoma.
Trail under Design (Riggs Road NE to Takoma)
Specific plans for the trail from Riggs Road to Blair Road include:
Design plan and alternative plan
So the feel of this portion of the trail will be very different (and perhaps not feel trail-like at all). The land abutting the metro tracks in this expansion area belong to the National Park Service. While there have been murmurings about potentially getting NPS approval to build on federal land, that would require a new environmental impact assessment and therefore would involve even more delay.
DC’s Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants now offers a voucher program for the private security camera program. Eligible recipients of public assistance will be able to apply for installation of a security camera. Applicants who are tenants will need permission from the property owner. Seniors are eligible for a voucher for a security camera through the Safe at Home program. For details and to apply, visit the program website.
A neighbor read our mind and asked us to report on budget news. On May 30, 2017, the DC Council cast its first vote for a FY 2018 budget. It includes a few items of interest specific to the neighborhood.
New neighborhood library
Funding for modernizing the Lamond-Riggs Library has been moved up to fiscal years 2018 and 2019. There were discussions about including a new library in the Art Place at Fort Totten development. It appears now that question has been answered and it will be renovated at its current location.
Coolidge modernization
Funding for modernization of Coolidge High School and new middle school components is included in the FY 2018 & 2019 budget. Recall LaSalle-Backus Education Campus, currently preK-8, will become preK-5 and students will attend middle school on the Coolidge campus.
Pedestrian Safety
The budget includes money for pedestrian safety improvements including rapid flashing beacon lights at Michigan Avenue and Perry Street NE near Turkey Thicket Recreation Center.
Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie issued a press release highlighting a bevy of other items, including funding for more DCRA inspectors; funding for legislation to provide legal assistance for low-income residents in landlord tenant matters, ban the box in housing, and assess the need for larger family units in rental housing; an increase in money for vouchers for low-income and extremely low-income residents; and an increase in funding for transportation for seniors and disabled residents. To view the complete list of highlights from Councilmember McDuffie, click here. For the complete Council markup of the proposed FY 2018 budget, click here.
Explore! Children’s Museum Jumpin’ June Festival
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
5234 4th St. NE
From Explore!:
Explore! is hosting our fourth FREE backyard fest – and this time we’re celebrating movement! Come get the wiggles out! Enjoy family-friendly activities, meet new neighbors, and learn what Explore! has in store for the Summer. Families and children of all ages welcome; dress for outdoor weather. Light snacks and drinks will be provided.
– Take part in a mission in Space aboard the Explore! Mission Mobile at 11:15 & 12:15
– Imagination Stage will be leading two 30 minute Hip Hop Instructional sessions at 11:30 & 12:30
– Color With Luna is going to have a coloring station open & Explore! is providing a FREE Color with Luna book to the first 50 children!
– Tom Noll will be bringing the Recycled Rainbow Truck & Explore! is providing the first 50 children with a FREE copy of one of his books!
– We will be decorating and creating tambourines!
– Hoola Hoops, Bubbles & Jump Ropes will be available
– Explore! prizes will be available for participation in a Simon Says Showdown!
– A Represent Your Ward! giveaway for adults
Funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts
Next Stop...Riggs Park 