Monthly Archives: August 2025

Repost: MOCA/MOLA Immigrant Resources and Support

Posted by nextstoprp in Public Safety

Ed. Note: Individuals were detained in the community yesterday. I am republishing these “Know your Rights” resources compiled for immigrant communities, originally published in February.

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Original Post, February 11, 2025

[Ed. Note: At last week’s North Michigan Park Civic Association meeting, NMPCA representatives noted that ICE has been in the community.]

Message circulated by North Michigan Park Civic Association

Please share this information with your neighbor. Everyone knows someone who may be impacted with the Immigration issues. There will be a representative from MOLA [Mayor’s Office of Latino Affairs] at the next NMP Civic Association Meeting to talk about resources. 

MOCA [Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs] has a repository of grantees that do work with immigrants through the community. 

Here is also a list of resources for immigrant communities: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WHdkVxfEtBt9l_BPDrNPTqRpp2ojPBuj

As well as the Know Your Rights: https://www.cliniclegal.org/resources/protecting-your-community/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-guide-your-rights-when

Upcoming Back to School Events/Giveaways

Posted by nextstoprp in Education

Ed. Note 8/15/2025: Given everything going on, I do not recommend that parents take their kids anywhere near police-sponsored activities.

Friends of Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center Annual Backpack Giveaway

On August 16, 2026, 11am-1pm, the Friends of Riggs-LaSalle Rec is holding a backpack giveaway at Riggs-LaSalle Rec, 501 Riggs Road NE. Must be a DC resident.

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MPD 4th District Backpack Giveaway

On August 21, 2025, 4pm-6pm, MPD 4th District officers will offer free backpacks and free haircuts while supplies last, 6001 Georgia Avenue NW. Child must be present to obtain a backpack.

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Metro Transit Police Department Annual Back to School Bash

On August 23, 2025, 11am-3pm, the Metro Transit Police Department is holding its annual back to school bash at Fort Totten station, large parking lot. Enjoy free food, drinks, haircuts, school supplies, live music, and giveaways.

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Lamond-Riggs Library Back to School Uniform Swap

On August 23, 2025, 2:30 pm-5:30pm, Lamond-Riggs Library is hosting a back-to-school uniform swap, 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE.

Please bring any lightly used school uniforms to the library. All clothing should be clean and free of serious wear and tear.  Clothing should be sized to fit students aged 3-16.  Accepted items include khaki pants, school shirts, belts, and school shoes. All leftover clothing will be donated to the PTA of the appropriate school.  

While at the branch, get ready for the new school year by signing up your child for a Library card and registering for Beyond the Book!

Contribute to “Walk Thru Ward 5” Interactive Exhibit for Ward 5 Day

Posted by nextstoprp in Ward 5

Ward 5 Day is coming up on September 20, 2025. For the celebration, the Office of Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker is asking neighbors to contribute to an interactive exhibit called “Walk Thru Ward 5.”

From CM Parker’s newsletter:

New this year to our Ward 5 Day festivities will be an interactive exhibit we’re calling Walk Thru Ward 5. Community members will create presentations featuring the history and culture of Ward 5 neighborhoods, telling the stories that have shaped us. Each neighborhood is unique and has its own rich and deep history. This project will have participants work closely with their neighbors to learn and share their untold stories. Our main goal is to actively engage Ward 5 residents in different neighborhoods. Whether you’ve lived in Ward 5 for 20 years or 2, the goal is collaboration. Want to be a part of shaping the exhibits? Now is the time to sign up! Click here. 

Forthcoming Urban Land Institute Report on Fort Totten Station Joint Development

Posted by nextstoprp in Fort Totten Metro Development

The Urban Land Institute ULI) recently published a post on the convening of the Fort Totten Net Zero TOD Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) held on June 3–5, 2025. The TAP was convened to support Metro’s development of the large parking lot at Fort Totten station, taking into consideration new energy requirements for new construction. Metro has previously tried to develop the large parking lot at least three times. ULI will issue a TAP report in the coming weeks.

ULI shared an initial set of recommendations:

1. Reduce the required parking.

2. Create a sense of place.

3. Collaborate with local utility PEPCO to ensure a smooth development process.

4. Integrate the new development into the existing neighborhood fabric.

I found some of the initial short and long term recommendations interesting.

Additional short-term recommendations from the panel included deepened partnerships with local community groups to begin activating the Fort Totten space and investing in placemaking around the station. Panelists also recommended identifying “quick wins” to accelerate development opportunities, such as lighting improvements, pop-up retail, and artist activations.

Long-term recommendations included making both the site and station-adjacent areas more pedestrian friendly by prioritizing the pedestrian experience, as well as by formalizing a collaboration network with the city and the utility to ensure a development-friendly experience. Panelists also emphasized the need to consider framing the joint development in terms of housing, transportation, and climate change to maximize potential funding sources (e.g., REC monetization, DC Green Bank financing, TIFIA/WIFIA infrastructure loans) and to address the most pressing needs in the region.

I have lots of thoughts on Metro’s joint development program. The upcoming ULI report will not be the first report on joint development at Fort Totten station. I am looking forward to what this one will say.

Ramdass Pharmacy Closing August 31, 2025

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

Ramdass Pharmacy, located at 475 Ingraham Street NE, will be closing permanently on August 31, 2025, according to a sign on the front door of the pharmacy.

The pharmacy, which opened around August 2018, was one of the very first tenants of the first phase of Art Place at Fort Totten. We covered the opening and featured a chat with the pharmacist, Anthony Ramdass. In 2020, Mr. Ramdass was featured in DCist for the vital role his pharmacy played in making house calls to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I appreciated having an independent pharmacy in the neighborhood, and I am sorry to see him go.

UDC Lamond-Riggs Farmers Market Starting August 15, Accepting Vendor Applications

Posted by nextstoprp in Backus Urban Food Hub

From UDC CAUSES newsletter:

UDC-CAUSES’ Center for Urban Agriculture and Gardening Education (CUAGE) and Center for Urban Resilience, Innovation and Infrastructure (CURII) expand their reach by connecting consumers to fresh seasonal produce and goods and promoting healthier lifestyles for D.C. residents. Together, these two centers will lead the newest edition to the College’s roster of farmers’ markets at the UDC Community College. The new farmers’ market will be located in the parking lot next to the urban food hub on the Lamond Riggs campus. Come out and enjoy locally grown fruits and vegetables, freshly baked goods, world cuisines, and handcrafted arts and crafts every Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more info, contact the Farmers Market Manager Andy Blunk at andrew.blunk@udc.edu or call 202-274-7124. If you are interested in vending at one of our farmers markets, click here to let us know.

5171 South Dakota Ave NE, Washington, DC

Boys Town Redevelopment Large Tract Review Application

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A, North Michigan PArk

Urban Atlantic’s Large Tract Review (LTR) application for the redevelopment of the Boys Town campus is available on the DC Office of Planning (OP) website. Urban Atlantic is redeveloping the site located at 4801 Sargent Road NE with 166 semi-detached homes. Approximately 17 homes will be set aside for below market rate housing for households earning up to 80 percent of median family income. The property will be developed in phases.

The property sits in ANC 5A02. Timothy Thomas is the ANC commissioner for this area.

The property will be accessed via the single entrance on Sargent Road. The developer plans to open up the campus by removing the mounds of fill dirt in front and creating a network of internal roads and 6-foot sidewalks throughout the site. The LTR application states the developer plans to plant 225 new trees. (Note: During public meetings, they said they will plant 90 new trees). The developer is studying creation of a pedestrian path to access the North Michigan Park Recreation Center from the property.

The developer plans to keep the 8,000 square foot building in the center of the campus (Main Building). They do not know what they will do with that building yet. The LTR application indicates they are evaluating formal designation of the building.

As part of the LTR application, Urban Atlantic submitted a comprehensive transportation review (CTR). (Note: While the applicant’s statement indicates the site will have 166 homes, the transportation analysis states the site will have 174 homes). Because the developer has not decided what to do with the Main Building, the CTR analysis is based on the assumption that the space will be for office use.

For residential use, the AM peak hour trip generation is projected to generate 59 vehicle trips per hour, 15 transit trips per hour, two (2) bicycle trips per hour, and 13 pedestrian trips per hour. The PM peak hour trip generation is projected to generate 70 vehicle trips per hour, 18 transit trips per hour, two (2) bicycle trips per hour, and 15 pedestrian trips per hour.

If the non-residential use were utilized as office space, the AM peak hour trip generation would be projected to generate 12 vehicle trips per hour, 1 transit trip per hour, zero (0) bicycle trips per hour, and zero (0) pedestrian trips per hour. The PM peak hour trip generation would be projected to generate 15 vehicle trips per hour, one (1) transit trip per hour, one (1) bicycle trip per hour, and one (1) pedestrian trip per hour.

The CTR does not include a transportation demand management (TDM) plan because the homes are for sale and the use of the Main Building has not been determined yet. The property is about one mile from Fort Totten station and is close to a few bus lines.

The traffic analysis includes the background development at 801 Buchanan Street NE. When this background development is taken into consideration, there is a slight increase in delays during AM and PM peak hours. But overall, the CTR concludes that the redevelopment will not have a detrimental impact on the transportation network or “trigger mitigation measures based on established DDOT standards.”

The CTR notes that Sargent Road has sharrows and that 12th Street has unprotected bike lanes. The CTR states that bicycle parking is not required for the residential portion, but the developer is proposing 10 short-term bicycle parking spaces in the center green portion of the site. The bicycle parking requirement for the Main Building will be determined when the developer decides what to do with that building. The CTR indicates that the nearest CaBi station is 0.4 miles away at South Dakota & Decatur.

Each home will have one private parking space for a car. The application states that each home “will also contain space for bicycle parking within the home.” There will be 16 additional parking spots for “shared use between the residential and non-residential uses.” Currently, there is unrestricted parking along Sargent.

The developer plans to provide electric vehicle parking in accordance with DC law that requires “all new construction of single-family homes (for building permits issues after January 1, 2025) that include dedicated off-road parking in the permit include installation of electrical panel capacity and conduit during construction that can support electric vehicle charging and mark the space as electric vehicle-ready.”

We previously discussed the LTR process in this post: Boys Town Redevelopment Pre-Large Tract Review Update. ANC 5A provided a letter in support of the conceptual redevelopment plan. The LTR application does not include everything that has been discussed at meetings so far. I know that there have also been side conversations among Commissioner Thomas, residents, and the developer with a goal of formalizing some type of agreement. Unclear at this point whether the ANC plans to submit a formal response with a copy of any agreement now that the complete LTR application has been submitted. The ANC is on recess until the end of September.

ANC 5A Medical Cannabis Shop Protest Update

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A, North Michigan PArk

ANC 5A delivered the following message by email on August 2, 2025.

Dear Neighbors,

As you may know, ANC 5A has been working diligently to protest the marijuana application for 4942 South Dakota Ave. This letter will share some vital insights with you all.

ANC 5A’s protest letter was dismissed by the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) on July 14th for lacking substance. ANC 5A has since hired legal counsel and filed a Motion for Reconsideration of the Board’s decision as ABCA’s decision to deny did meet the statutory grounds of D.C. Code as argued by our attorney, Ms. Kerri Verdi esq. Our Motion for Reconsideration articulates our legal reasoning behind the appeal and the clear procedural errors made by ABCA.

We anticipate that the Board will make a decision on whether to reinstate ANC 5A as a protestant in the coming weeks. In the meantime, ANC 5A is working to deliver the best legal arguments to oppose the application and to oppose the application through in-person protests.

We will be sure to keep everyone updated on the status of the motion and thank you for your support. 

Thank You,
ANC 5A

Great Neighborhood Clean Up Eastern Avenue NE Corridor

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 4B, ANC 5A, Riggs Park

Another solid crew of 15 or so residents came out on Saturday August 2 to clean up a portion of the Eastern Avenue NE corridor in Riggs Park, collecting about 30 bags of trash. Thanks to the families who brought their little ones to pitch in. Special shoutout to the residents from Michigan Park Commons apartment community, organized by resident and assistant property manager Kale Davis with Borger Management, for helping to clean up the parkland near Galloway & Sargent.

While we were cleaning up, National Park Service came out to cut the grass at Fort Circle Park 🙌🏾

Thanks to the good folks at the Mayor’s Office of the Clean City for providing supplies, Barbara Rogers from Councilmember Janeese Lewis George’s office for acting as a liaison, and ANC Commissioners Danielle Geong (4B09) and Keith Sellars (5A01) for organizing the clean up.