I have not seen an official notice of the meeting anywhere, but I have been told there will be an ANC 5A meeting tonight at UDC-CC, Backus campus (5171 South Dakota Avenue NE) at 6:45 pm. I have been told that DDOT representatives will attend, but since no one seems to have an official notice or agenda, I cannot say who else is on the agenda for tonight. If you have any questions for DDOT, come on out.
In neighborhood brewery news, over the weekend, 3 Stars Brewing Company, located at 6400 Chillum Place NW, held a grand opening for its new tasting room dubbed the Urban Farmhouse. The Washington Post has a nice write-up of the festivities. If you never had a reason to walk through the industrial area on Chillum Place before, this new tasting room may give you a reason to go.
This weekend on November 14, Hellbender Brewing Company, located at 5788 2nd Street NE, is celebrating its one-year anniversary. There will be music, games, food trucks, and of course lots of beer. VIP and general admission tickets available at this link.
Finally, the Washington Business Journal reports that 2016 could see another brewery join the neighborhood, this one paying homage to one of the first breweries in DC, the National Capital Brewing Company. According to WBJ, the search “has focused more near Fort Totten in Ward 5 and in Anacostia in Ward 8 . . . . The space needs to be between 7,000 and 13,000 square feet and have 20-foot high ceilings.”
Hmm, sounds like the making of a neighborhood brewery tour.
Join us November 5th at Askale Cafe where we will have free tasting of food and a 10% discount on main dishes ordered.
Drink specials include: beer $2.50 per bottle and $10.99 for a bucket of 5 beers. $3/glass of wine or $15 for a bottle from 5:30-8 p.m.
From Councilmember Todd’s office:
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Join Councilmember Todd for his State of the Ward 4 Senior Address, Thursday, November 5, 2015, 10 am to 2 pm at Riggs Lasalle Recreation Center, 501 Riggs Road NE
Councilmember Todd will discuss his priorities for seniors in Ward 4 and across the District. Seniors will receive health screenings and hear from District agencies as well as private partners. DC Office on Aging, Office and Tax and Revenue, Public Service Commission, People’s Counsel, DC Department of Parks and Recreation, AARP, Walmart along with along a variety of vendors. Breakfast and lunch will be served and the day will end with a fun afternoon of entertainment. Please RSVP with Solomon Waller at (202) 724-8052 or swaller@dccouncil.us.
Photo courtesy of Ms. Barbara Lee
The Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association is having its monthly public meeting tonight at 7:00.
Pay dues, purchase a t-shirt, hear from At-Large Councilmember David Grosso and DC’s Office on Aging.
The meeting is at LaSalle Backus Education Campus (501 Riggs Road NE, enter on Madison Street).
The Walmart at Fort Totten Square officially opened yesterday. I managed to catch up with store manager Paul Hill, who said the store is still hiring in all departments. All applicants must apply online at http://www.walmart.com/apply. No applications will be accepted in the store. The store number is 3035.
Operating hours for the store are 6:00 am to midnight. Hill noted there is a very strong need for evening associates as well as overnight stock associates. The work hours for the overnight stock associates are 10:00 pm to 7:00 am. Applicants should indicate if they can or prefer to work evening hours.
He recommended that applicants call the store at (202) 756-4418 after they have submitted an online application, ask for personnel or Paul Hill, and inquire about the status of their application. He said that will let him know that the individual is really interested and really wants the job and he will be able to pull the application and take a look.
For individuals who do not have access to a computer with Internet service, DC libraries offer computers for public use, including the Lamond-Riggs Library, located at 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE. In addition, computers are available at the resource center at DC’s American Job Center, located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE (entrance on Hamilton Street).
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd, and Walmart store manager Paul Hill cut the ribbon to officially open the Walmart at Fort Totten Square. Photo courtesy Gwen Cofield, Co-Chair of the Lamond-Riggs Development Task Force
On October 28, 2015, Mayor Bowser and Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd joined a number of Walmart representatives in cheering “Jobs!” as they cut the ribbon to officially open the Walmart at Fort Totten Square (310 Riggs Road NE). Festivities began early at 7:00 am. Led by store manager Paul Hill, the grand opening celebration was filled with music, speeches, and Walmart cheers. There were some consistent themes–affordable retail, jobs, keeping tax money in DC–in everyone’s remarks.
Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke of the long history of the project, which incidentally tracks her public service career in DC. A resident in the neighborhood, the mayor served as an advisory neighborhood commissioner and with a number of other residents created the Lamond-Riggs Development Task Force. As we all know, Bowser went on to become councilmember for ward 4 and eventually mayor. The task force with the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) worked to develop the Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue small area plan. That plan created the blueprint for development in the neighborhood. The mayor noted the impetus for the plan was the desire for high quality services and amenities in the neighborhood. She highlighted the reconfiguration of the South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road intersection that eliminated the fly-bys as the start of creating an urban square, one in which people can walk to dining and shopping. The mayor gave a nod to Walmart’s movement towards increasing wages. She turned what is often a criticism–the fact that there are now two Walmarts 1.5 miles from each other in ward 4–into a positive by saying that means there are 600 people working in the ward at those two stores.
The mayor acknowledged that there is still some work to do on the South Dakota Avenue-Riggs Road intersection that the city spent almost $10 million to reconfigure. DDOT is working on a long-term engineering solution. In the interim, there are traffic control officers at the intersection. They will be there everyday during rush hour, 7:00 am-9:30 am and 4:00 pm-6:30 pm, to direct the flow of traffic and make sure drivers do not block the box.
Councilmember Todd echoed many of the mayor’s remarks. He too acknowledged the efforts of the LRCA and the task force in advocating for development reflective and inclusive of all residents. Giving a shout out to his former boss, he said Mayor Bowser’s efforts to secure funding to reconfigure the South Dakota Avenue-Riggs Road intersection when she served on the council literally paved the way for this moment. He also celebrated keeping tax money in DC and noted there are over 100 Ward 4 residents working in the store.
The pharmacy manager of the store is one of those ward 4 residents. Repeating the theme of affordable retail options, the pharmacy manager said Walmart is proud to provide savings on generic prescription drugs. The store will be administering 300 flu shots to the first 300 customers who request a flu shot at the pharmacy. (It is completely possible that by the time this post is published, the free flu shots will be gone). The pharmacy is also offering free blood pressure screenings. On October 31, the store will be teaming up with its nonprofit partner Mary’s Center to provide a dental clinic for residents.
Anthony Greenberg, principal of The JBG Companies, the developer of Fort Totten Square, called Fort Totten Square transformative for the neighborhood and noted that it would not have happened without Walmart’s early commitment to not just building a store, but one in a vertical alignment mixed-use development. He mentioned the second phase of the project, stating that his company wishes to continue smart and responsible development with that project.
Walmart’s regional manager spoke briefly about how the store will stimulate DC’s economy and provide affordable products. He reiterated Walmart’s commitment to giving back and hiring DC residents. He noted that nearly 75% of Walmart’s management started off as hourly workers.
At almost 120,000 square feet, the store is the largest Walmart built so far in DC. It has a sizable grocery component, around 50,000 square feet, which is about the size of typical grocery store. Operating hours are 6:00 am-midnight. The store has 24 hour security and there is free underground parking. During the first few weeks that the store is open, if there are products you would like the store to carry or have other suggestions or complaints, just let the store manager Paul Hill know.
Recently, we posted about DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s survey on affordable housing needs. Tomorrow at 6:30 pm at Shaw Library (1630 7th Street NW), DHCD managers are hosting an informal forum. If you feel strongly about affordable housing, stop by the forum tomorrow to share your thoughts. If you cannot make the forum, remember to fill out the survey.
From the listserv. Please encourage your neighbors to take the survey.
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The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) created an online survey to solicit input for affordable housing and community needs in DC. The results will help shape the FY 2016 – FY 2020 Consolidated Plan (“Plan”). The document is updated every five years and submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). All projects and initiatives funded over the next five years will tie back to the policies and priorities outlined in this plan. This survey, along with public hearings and informal events, will drive DHCD’s Needs Assessment Analysis for this 5-year update. Share your thoughts with us and take the survey! For more information, visit DC Draft FY2016-FY2020 Consolidated Plan | dhcd
A neighbor recently expressed concern about sounds of gunshots around the 800/900 blocks of Hamilton Street on two separate occasions, once on September 26 and again on October 19. I emailed Fourth District Commander Manlapaz about this and asked if there was any information they can provide at this time, if there is a pattern that we should be concerned about, and if there is anything residents can do to help police in addition to calling 911. Below is his response:
I have included Lt. Rosenthal, the PSA manager for this area for her attention. We don’t have any information at this point as to the source of the gunfire. We still ask that suspicious persons, activities, or vehicles be reported to 911.
I encourage residents to join MPD’s 4th District listserv. You can ask MPD officials about crimes (call 911 to actually report a crime). The more people who are bringing matters to the attention of the Commander, the better. Also, the PSA 405 meetings are combined with the monthly ANC 5A meetings. The next one is on October 28 at 6:45 pm at UDC-CC, Backus. That would be a good opportunity to bring public safety matters to the attention of MPD officials.
H/T to a neighbor for information about this event. Free, but registration required
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October 17 – Best of Brookland
From Bozzuto Homes:
Join Us at the Festival for All Things Brookland!
Featuring Live Music, Food and Entertainment From Local Hot Spots:
Busboys and Poets | Hälsa | Brookland Pint | Brookland’s Finest | &Pizza | The Dew Drop Inn DC | Menomale | Community Foodworks | Smith Public Trust | A Creative DC | Dance Place | Barnes and Noble – CUA | South Rail | The Low Counts
Sponsored by Gallery Towns by Bozzuto Homes
October 18 – Takoma Park Street Festival
From Old Takoma Business Association:
Reminder! The 34th Annual Takoma Park Street Festival, Version 2.0, will take place THIS Sunday, October 18, 2015 from 10am-5pm in Takoma on Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park, MD to Carroll Street, NW in Takoma, DC.
NEW! We have reschedule one stage of music for the day at the Gazebo. Children’s performer Mr. Gabe will kick it off at 11:00am, followed by 12:00noon -The Meer, 1:00pm – ilyAIMY, 2pm- Jay Summerour and James Mabry, 3:00pm – The Smokin’ Polecats and 4:00pm – Esther Haynes
The festival includes a talented mix of local artists, non-profits, green companies and food trucks. The Crawl is back – festival attendees may purchase commemorative TAKOMA mugs good for discounted pours throughout the day at participating businesses. Get your mug at the Takoma Pop Up (near Suntrust Bank) which will also include the latest Takoma gear. We have new colors and designs in adults, womens and kids t-shirts, plus onesies and hats.
For the kids: Mr Gabe, moonbounces plus the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department Open House during festival hours. TPVFD, 7201 Carroll Ave http://www.tpvfd.org/
We still need volunteers! SSL hours available. Please sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4daaae2eaa8-takoma
More information: http://www.mainstreettakoma.org/featured-events/takoma-park-festival/
Event hosted by the Old Takoma Business Association, Your Main Street Takoma.
Have family/friends/colleagues interested in moving to the neighborhood? Fort Totten Square is having an open house this weekend. Click the link for details.
Phase I: Fort Totten Square
Lots of people have asked and now we know the Fort Totten Square Walmart will have its grand opening on October 28, 2015. Operating hours will be 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight.
As for the other retailers, Subway and Five Guys have signed leases. Subway’s signs are up. Five Guys is waiting for permits from DCRA. At last week’s LRCA meeting, the developers announced they are in negotiation to fill the two remaining retail spaces. Pending successful negotiation, the space on the corner of 3rd Street and Riggs Road NE will be a new “restaurant” concept by a local owner. Restaurant is in quotation marks because it will not be a sit-down restaurant exactly, but there may be tables outside. They have not publicly revealed what the new concept is, but they did say we are sort of a test market for the concept.
The other space, which will be between Subway and Five Guys, on the corner of Chillum Place and Riggs Road NE will be a non-restaurant use. They declined to elaborate what that use will be, but they made a previous announcement, so make of that what you will.
Phase II: Townhomes and retail
Phase II site
In previous posts, we mentioned there is a second phase to the project, which will be located across the street from the first phase. The developers and District officials are still negotiating the purchase of District-owned land adjacent to land already owned by the developers on the southeastern corner of South Dakota Avenue at Riggs Road NE. The District-owned land has to go through the public disposition process.
Originally the plan for the combined parcels was for more rental apartments with retail. The plan was changed to approximately 160 to 170 for-sale townhomes and roughly 27,000 square feet of retail because the developers now believe the market favors for-sale homes over more rental units in the neighborhood. One reader asked how they could possibly fit that many homes on the property. The answer is that the current conceptual plan calls for approximately 150 back-to-back townhomes and approximately 20 loft townhomes. Back-to-back townhomes are exactly what they sound like, so more homes can be packed on the site. This is just a conceptual plan and it may change, so there are no renderings or real site plans to provide, except for those filed with the Office of Zoning. The publicly filed documents are available on the Office of Zoning’s website by searching case number 17606E.
At last week’s LRCA meeting, the developer said he thinks negotiations will be settled in a month or so. We do not know if he was speaking off the cuff, but if he is correct, then more details will be forthcoming soon. In the interim, remember we asked about community benefits. If you have additional thoughts about that, let us know in the comments.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 