ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) held a single member district (SMD) meeting on February 18, 2020. A few highlights below:

Art Place at Fort Totten

Regarding the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten (Block B), a lot of activity is anticipated over the next several weeks. The developer is removing the final items from the remaining Riggs Plaza apartments and will then disconnect utilities. Demolition of existing buildings, installation of a bike path and utilities on 3rd Street NE, and undergrounding of utilities on South Dakota Avenue are expected.

Traffic control plans for Block B are being coordinated with DDOT in conjunction with traffic control plans for construction of Lamond-Riggs Library as well as the Riggs Park Place townhome project on the southeast corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE. Construction vehicles for Block B will park at The Modern.

Commissioner Fletcher will be neighborhood point of contact to distribute construction notices.

The developer is still awaiting a final written order from the Zoning Commission, so some of this activity will be contingent on receiving that order and also relocating the last few tenants remaining at Riggs Plaza apartments. The developer anticipates receiving the order soon.

Regarding the first phase (Building A), the 24 Hour Fitness is working on interior construction and hopes to open by the end of 2020. Roll-down gates have been installed at T-Mobile and Ramdass Pharmacy to address security issues.

A meeting for just the residents of The Modern and the Cafritz Foundation will be arranged to address resident concerns.

Rocketship & Social Justice School

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Interior work on the two warehouses at 5450 3rd Street NE (3rd and Kennedy) that will be the site of Rocketship Public Charter School is ongoing. The school is finalizing drive aisles with DDOT for dropoff and pickup and working with DOEE on stormwater retention plans. In fall 2020, only the North Building will be open; the South Building will open in fall 2021.

Rocketship, with AppleTree, will open with grades preK3-2 and add 100 students each year to reach full capacity. Social Justice will start with grades 5 and 6. Registration is ongoing through March 2, 2020, through My School DC.

Rocketship holds weekly information sessions at Lamond-Riggs Library. There will be an information session on February 25, 2020, at 6:00 pm where some of the faculty/staff will be present. Rocketship is still hiring for a few faculty positions. Interested candidates should contact Principal Angel McNeil.

Rocketship will have a naming ceremony on April 25, 2020. The purpose of naming ceremony is to reflect desired values of the school. Currently the school is simply known as Rocketship Fort Totten.

Totten Mews

There has been an uptick in crime along 6th Street and at Totten Mews, the new townhome community near the Capital Area Food Bank. Issues inclue car and home break-ins, older youth smoking weed on the playground at Totten Mews, non-residents loitering on benches at Totten Mews, abandoned/stolen cars, and drug activity along 6th Street. The nearby Emerson Park townhome community has also seen an uptick in crime with a shooting nearby in the past month.

Officer Bonilla noted that MPD’s Fourth District is down 11 officers due to a police-involved shooting in Petworth a couple of weeks ago. Those officers have to be cleared before they can return to duty.

Several residents volunteered to assist Commissioner Fletcher on a plan for North Michigan Park. Silas Grant, Senior Advisor to Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, also recommended getting an overhead map and highlighting the streets that need better lighting. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Commissioner Fletcher.