Author Archives: nextstoprp

Farmers Market for Backus?

Posted by nextstoprp in Neighborhood Development and tagged with ,

At the ANC 5A meeting on May 22, 2013, Dr. Calvin Lewis, research associate, principal investigator, and farmers market coordinator at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), presented on UDC’s proposal to operate a farmers market at its Backus community college campus on South Dakota Avenue NE.

They propose to operate the market in the large parking lot on Galloway Street NE just off South Dakota Avenue.  However, that land is zoned R-2 for residential uses.  Dr. Lewis stated he was told by DCRA that the application for a farmers market likely would not be approved because a farmers market is considered a commercial use.

The commissioners at the ANC meeting told Dr. Lewis he can likely apply for an exception to the permitted use.  Frank Wilds, commissioner for the ANC SMD in which the campus resides (ANC 5A08), is supportive of a market there, but he was told he needs to present the concept to residents of his SMD before the ANC will consider whether to support UDC’s application for a farmers market at Backus.

UDC currently operates a farmers market during summer months at its main campus on Connecticut Avenue NW.  That market was first operated under a grant received from the Department of Agriculture, according to Dr. Lewis.

He said his team at UDC thought it would be a good idea to bring a market to the Backus campus since the surrounding neighborhood is home to a large number of senior citizens who would benefit from being able to walk a short distance to get fresh produce.  He said several UDC students walked around the neighborhood to ask residents if they would like and support a farmers market at Backus and that the response was overwhelmingly positive.

I caught up with another staff member at the meeting who said they have the same vision to incorporate chef tastings and demonstrations that they presently have at the UDC market.

Dr. Lewis will be at the Lamond Riggs Citizens Association general body meeting on Monday, June 3, 2013, to share information with residents about this proposal.  The meeting will run from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Connectivity around Fort Totten

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten, Fort Totten Square, Lamond Riggs Library, Neighborhood Development and tagged with , , , , , ,

This post is long overdue, but still timely because of a couple of events coming up.  At the Ward 5 budget townhall meeting, I raised a question about connectivity around Fort Totten.  Of course, Fort Totten metro station with its three lines and several bus bays is a huge plus for the neighborhood, but the neighborhood could benefit from a bit more connectivity.  More specifically, I asked if funding would be made available to improve connectivity through completion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail, installation of bikeshare stations in the neighborhood, and a study of the feasibility of a north-south streetcar route along South Dakota Avenue NE to Riggs Road NE.

Metropolitan Branch Trail

Currently, the northbound off-road portion of the MBT ends in Brookland.  From there, an on-street route continues (partly up a steep hill) to Fort Totten.  DDOT previously held workshops and planning sessions to determine the best route for completing the MBT north of Brookland.  The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board’s (TPB) May meeting included proposed amendments to update DDOT’s section of the FY 2013-2018 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).  One of the items is completion of the Fort Totten portion of the MBT in 2015.

Bikeshare

Residents have been asking for bikeshare stations in the neighborhood for a while.  JBG/Lowe, developers of Fort Totten Square, have said they are committed to paying for installation of a bikeshare station at the corner of the FTS development on 3rd Street & Riggs Road NE.  However, that station will not be installed until the development delivers in spring 2015.  They also said Walmart, which will anchor the development, has promised to pay for installation of a bikeshare station at Fort Totten metro station, but it’s not clear if Walmart will pay for that station to be installed before the development is complete.   In any event, the neighborhood will be getting at least one, maybe two, stations by spring 2015.

Opportunities for input

In the next couple of weeks, there will be two really good opportunities to speak directly to and hear from the agencies that are responsible for shaping the way residents connect and move around the city.  The first is DDOT’s moveDC public workshop on Thursday, June 6, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. at Lamond Riggs Library.  MoveDC is DDOT’s initiative to develop a strategic, multimodal long-range transportation plan for the city.  The workshop will provide a chance to talk about how residents travel around the city and share ideas on projects and priorities and what residents hope to see in the future.  Residents are strongly encouraged to participate.  Visit the moveDC website  for more information.

The second opportunity is a walking tour hosted by the Coalition for Smarter Growth called “Fort Totten:  More than a Transfer Point,” on Saturday, June 15, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.  This tour is more of an opportunity to learn about what is happening in the neighborhood.  Plenty of agency officials will be on hand.  CSG’s policy director Cheryl Cort will lead the tour.  A representative from WMATA will discuss plans to develop the parking lot parcels at Fort Totten metro station.  A representative from DDOT will discuss the streetscape improvements in the neighborhood and the reconfiguration of the South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE intersection.  A representative from JBG will discuss the vision for Fort Totten Square as a placemaking development.  A representative of the tenants of the Riggs Plaza apartments will discuss the Art Place at Fort Totten development.  Finally, a representative from the Office of Planning familiar with the neighborhood will tie it all together.  Hopefully residents were able to sign up because registration is now full.

Building Permit Issued for Fort Totten Square

Posted by nextstoprp in Fort Totten Square, Neighborhood Development and tagged with , , ,

A representative from JBG shared updates on the progress of Fort Totten Square, the mixed-use development anchored by Walmart with approximately 345 rental apartment units.  Final building permits were issued on May 30, 2013.  Digging will soon end and the concrete will start to pour.  Once the digging is done, many more contractors will be working on the site.  Clark Construction, the general contractor on the project, will set up a trailer office near the site.  Residents are encouraged to report problems with trash and other issues.

The construction job fair on March 23, 2013, yielded over 900 applications.  Qualified applicants will be contacted directly by the subcontractors.  In addition, the Fort Totten Square website contains information about hiring for the Walmart store.  A hiring center will open three to four months before the store opens.  More information about the hiring center will be posted on Walmart’s Washington DC website.

As mentioned in another post, JBG will pay for installation of a bikeshare station at 3rd Street & Riggs Road NE once the development is complete in spring 2015.  Walmart has also agreed to pay for a bikeshare station at Fort Totten metro station.  The developers anticipate having transit information screens in the residential buildings.  These are part of the developers’ effort to promote a walkable, bikable neighborhood.

Renderings of the development are available on the site of the development’s architects Hickok Cole.  The blue paneling seen in the online rendering is supposed to be more of a muted blue color.  The renderings provide views of both the residential and retail portions of the development.

The development has space for three to four additional retail tenants on the ground level at Chillum Place & Riggs Road NE.  In addition, a separate ground level retail space will be available at 3rd Street & Riggs Road NE.  There is hope that a major coffee shop will be interested in leasing the 3rd Street retail space.  Luring such a tenant will partly entail convincing DDOT to have 30-minute parking meters for the 16 spaces that line Riggs Road in front of the development.  It is still a little early to approach tenants for an anticipated delivery of spring 2015, but residents should use the time to think about what they would like to see at Fort Totten Square.

ANC 5A-08 SMD Community Meeting Wrapup

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten, Neighborhood Development, Zoning and tagged with , ,
Guest Post

ANC-5A SMD 5A-08

Community Meeting Wrapup

On Thursday evening, May 16, ANC 5A-08 Commissioner Angel Alston held her first SMD 5A-08 Community Meeting of 2013 at the Backus Campus of UDC’s Community College. The meeting included a report from Officer Lucas on police activity in the Fourth District, plus information on the following topics.

Fort Totten Park

Due to years of foot traffic, unauthorized dirt-path shortcuts to the Metrorail Station have developed in Fort Totten Park, between Gallatin and Galloway Streets NE.

As a result of several recent meetings that Commissioner Alston had with the National Park Service (NPS) and other stakeholders, the NPS began improving the safety and security of the paths on Friday, May 17. Overgrown shrubbery is being trimmed, and the portable flood lights will be repaired.

Cafritz’s ArtPlace at Fort Totten Project

Background Information: The ArtPlace at Fort Totten Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a multi-building, multi-phase construction project that includes rental apartments, retail space, and cultural facilities on 16+ acres. The ArtPlace Project will be built over a period of several years on the west side of South Dakota Ave., NE, near the Fort Totten metrorail station.

Since the 1950’s, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation has owned the land on which the ArtPlace Project will be built. The Foundation is a private, independent non-profit organization, and its overall mission is to improve the quality of life for residents of the Washington, DC, area.

The ArtPlace Project has been in the planning stages for years; the DC Zoning Commission first approved it in 2009.

Presenters for Cafritz: Several representatives for the ArtPlace Project attended the SMD 5A-08 Community Meeting to discuss the status of “Building A,” the first to be constructed in the multi-year ArtPlace Project. Presenters included Dennis Hughes, from the law firm Holland and Knight, and architects from the Washington, DC-based architectural firm Shalom Baranes Associates.

Pre-Construction for Building A: Five Riggs Plaza Apartment buildings (50+ years-old) that occupied part of the site for Building A have already been demolished. Mr. Hughes said that the construction of Building A is currently “out for bid by general contractors.”

Regarding the schedule for the next phase of the project, Mr. Hughes said that work on Building B will not begin until Building A construction is “well underway.”

Mr. Hughes said that he is not at liberty to discuss potential stores and businesses that might use Building A. Confidential occupancy negotiations are in-progress for the retail components of the building.

Public-Space Plan In-Progress: Mr. Hughes and the other ArtPlace Project representatives gave a presentation on the landscape plans for the perimeter streetscape of ArtPlace Building A. They said that Cafritz has submitted the Public-Space Plan for Building A for discussion at DDOT’s Public-Space Committee Meeting on Thursday, June 27th, 2013.

The Public Space Committee meets monthly to review requests for the use and occupancy of the public right-of-way, ensuring that those areas conform to DC’s public-space laws and engineering standards.

Public Space Committee meetings are open to the public; DDOT encourages citizens to attend.

For More Information

To see the ArtPlace Project documents online, go to the DCOZ link below. Also, reference copies of some of the ArtPlace Project documents are on view at the Lamond-Riggs Library.

For ArtPlace Project documents on the DCOZ website, go to:

http://app.dcoz.dc.gov/content/search/Search.aspx

In the “Search By” list, select “ZC or BZA Case Number.” In the “Search Term” box, enter: 06-10.

Note that as of this writing, the ArtPlace at Fort Totten project website is content free–that is, a blank white screen.

 

Free June Backyard Habitat Workshops

Posted by nextstoprp in Uncategorized

The District Department of the Environment & Audubon at Home will host two June workshops on gardening with native plants, attracting pollinators and beneficial insects, and using edible native plants.  The first is on Saturday, June 1, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, in partnership with City Blossoms at the Marion Intergenerational Farm in Shaw (1517 Marion St. NW).  The second is on Saturday, June 8, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, in partnership with Common Good City Farm in Ledroit Park (V St. b/w 2nd & 4th St. NW).  Attendees receive a book, a native plant guide, a birdhouse kit, a gardening tool set, & live plants.  Register by sending an email to backyardhabitat@dc.gov with either “City Blossoms Workshop” or “Common Good City Farm Workshop” in the subject line & names of attendees in the body of email.

Online registration ending for MBT 5k

The Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) 5k will take place Saturday, May 11, at 9:00 am, starting and ending at 4th & S St NE.  Online registration closes tonight at 11:59 pm.  In-person registration will be available on packet pickup day (May 10) and the day of the race as long as bibs are available.  Visit the registration site here for more information.

May 10 -12 Metro work on red line

Red line trains will share a track between Rhode Island Ave & Takoma, beginning 10 pm, Fri May 10 – closing, Sun May 12.  Trains will operate every 28 minutes between Shady Grove & Glenmont.  Additional trains will provide service about every 10 minutes between Grosvenor & NoMa during daytime hours.

Local retail and Walmart

Posted by nextstoprp in Fort Totten Square and tagged with , ,

The Washington Post has an article about Walmart’s solicitation for local businesses to co-locate with the Georgia Ave. Walmart, which lies approximately 1.5 miles from the Walmart planned for Riggs Park.  Walmart’s spokesperson Steve Restivo stated that if the retailer cannot find sufficient local businesses to occupy one or two spaces for lease, it will find a national chain.  Links to the square footage and design of the space are provided within the article.  It will be noteworthy to see which local business, if any, ends up leasing space at the Georgia Ave Walmart.

In community meetings with respect to the Walmart planned as an anchor for Fort Totten Square in Riggs Park, Walmart representatives have stated that they would be open to providing space to a local business.  It was unclear at the time (and still unclear now) precisely where that space would be–whether in the interior of the store with no access to the frontage along the street or whether there would be signage on the street promoting the interior tenant.  A point has been raised about making sure the design would accommodate a local business by providing adequate street frontage.  Construction continues apace and full financing for Fort Totten Square has been secured.

Now’s a good time to revisit the design as JBG & Lowe reach out to retailers to fill out FTS and continue discussions with the city to secure the south site to begin work there.  The Lamond Riggs Citizens Association has certainly made local retail a priority in discussions with JBG, Lowe, & Walmart.  Let’s hope local and aspiring business owners will be ready to take advantage of an opportunity to open up shop in 2015.

Site selected for new Brookland middle school

Posted by nextstoprp in Uncategorized and tagged with

DGS held a community meeting on April 20 to provide updates about the final site selection for the new Brookland foreign language and arts middle school to serve Ward 5.  DGS originally presented a few options for locating the school in close proximity to Turkey Thicket Rec Center.  DGS has now decided to build on the site of the old Brookland Elementary School.  Currently, the plan is for the school to be built in time for the 2014-2015 school year.  The presentation and FAQs provided by DGS can be viewed here and here.

DPR hiring summer lifeguards and other positions

DC’s Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR) is hiring summer staff for aquatics, camp, operations, and headquarters positions.  The agency is hosting Aquatic One Stop Fairs for lifeguard and other pool positions, including an upcoming fair at Turkey Thicket Aquatic Center on May 5 and June 2 and a fair at Takoma Aquatic Center on May 18 (see flyer here for complete list of all fair locations, dates, & time; application requirements; and other information).

For a complete list of all DPR summer job descriptions and instructions on how to apply, see DPR’s website here.

Become a Muralist Apprentice

Youth ages 14-23, EARN up to $125 per Day! Words Beats & Life (WBL) is looking for young artists (14-23) to work alongside Lead Artists, gaining professional experience creating murals and contributing to the community through art. Young Artists (14-23) interested in being apprentices must attend a MuralsDC INFORMATIONAL SESSION.  Words Beats & Life (WBL) offers Hip Hop and arts-based educational programming for youth and young adults in DC. EARN UP TO $125 per day! Email MuralsDC@wblinc.org for more information.

Washington City Paper sponsoring at-large debate April 15

Posted by nextstoprp in Council and tagged with ,

Washington City Paper is sponsoring a debate for the vacant at-large city council seat at Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW) on Monday, April 15, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm.  Send questions to lldebate@washingtoncitypaper.com or tweet them using hashtag #LooseLips between now and April 15.  The moderators will be Loose Lips reporter Alan Suderman, NBC4’s Tom Sherwood, and Washington Examiner columnist Jonetta Rose Barras.  The special election takes place April 23.