Beginning June 5, 2024, find Qualia Coffee at Hellbender Brewery every Wednesday, 8:00 am-12:00 noon. Selling fresh, locally roasted beans along with hot and cold brew.
Hellbender is located at 5788 2nd Street NE.
From Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association
The June 2024 LRCA Community meeting will be held on Monday, June 3, 2024, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EST. Doors open at 5:45 PM.
This IN-PERSON meeting is scheduled to take place at the Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library, Meeting Room 1, located at 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20011.
Additionally, the meeting will be live-streamed via the Zoom webinar platform: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81557164483?pwd=1iTil07HLQxuadGGntSxgGv-WPKvlw.W-Z4KcYdZlFRws-m
Webinar ID: 815 5716 4483
Passcode: 727286
Or dial in by phone: 301-715-8592
Agenda Items include:
This will be the last meeting until the fall October 2024 meeting.
The seats for ANC 5A06 and 5A07 are officially vacant for the rest of the year. By law, if a vacancy occurs within six months of a general election, nominating petitions may not be made available and the seat will remain vacant for the remainder of the term. These two seats have been vacant for several months now. There are quite a few things happening in particularly ANC 5A07, so the rest of the ANC and the chair will have to pick up the slack and stay on top of things in these areas.
Not too early for people to start thinking about running for ANC in the fall!
ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on May 22, 2024. Commissioners present: Duvalier Malone (5A01); Karlus Cozart (5A02) – Parliamentarian; Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – Vice Chair & Secretary; Diego Rojas (5A04); Gordon Fletcher (5A08) – Chair; Shelagh Bocoum (5A09) – Treasurer. ANC 5A06 & 5A07 are vacant.
Commission Business
The ANC voted to approve spending $90 to get video recordings of the ANC meetings off zoom and onto the ANC website. Commissioner Cozart voted no.
ANC Public Safety Committee Update
Commissioner Cozart, who is heading up the ANC’s public safety meeting, stated the ANC will tentatively schedule a public safety summit on June 20, 2024, at 6:45 pm. Commissioner Cozart said he has invitations out to the DC Office of Attorney General, DC Department of Youth & Rehabilitation Services, and Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker.
Ward 5 Mayor Office Report (Ward 5 MOCR Anthony Black)
The Giant Barbecue Battle will be in September. Reach out to him for tickets.
Mr. Black has Ward days on Tuesday and Fridays when he can meet residents and commissioners around the ward to discuss any issues.
Mayor Bowser FY2025 Budget Presentation (Phil Thomas, Director, Office of the Clean City)
Director of the Mayor’s Office of the Clean City stated the mayor’s FY 2025 budget has three core principles: (1) public safety; (2) public education; (3) downtown investments.
Ward 5 Council Report (Carlos McKnight, Constituent Services Coordinator for Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker)
The Council is in the middle of budget season and is looking to reverse some of Mayor Bowser’s propsoed cuts.
Metro is installing permanent bus shelters at Fort Totten and Brookland stations
Metro is redesigning its bus network.
DDOT will be holding kickoff meetings for the South Dakota Avenue corridor safety project on May 30 (virtual) and June 1 (in person).
DDOT Riggs Road NE Cycletrack; Taylor Street Bike Lane Project (Christopher Berg, DDOT Bicycle/Pedestrian Program Specialist; Michael Alvino, DDOT Active Transportation Branch Manager)
See DDOT ANC 5A Riggs Road Cycletrack Presentation (May 2024)
DDOT plans to reissue a Notice of Intent (NOI) to install a two-way cycletrack on the south side of Riggs Road NE between South Dakota Avenue and 1st Place NE. The goal is to install the cycletrack this year.
In response to questions, Mr. Alvino noted that DDOT is aware of the need for an additional curb cut on 1st Place NE. He also noted that DDOT is still working with National Park Service on a multi-use path on Galloway Street NE near Fort Totten station.
The Taylor Street NE bike plan project is in the planning phase.
As noted, DDOT will hold two kickoff meetings for the South Dakota Avenue corridor safety project.
Food & Friends Expansion & Curb Cut Request (Carrie Stolzfus, Executive Director, & Casey Dyson, Director Government Affairs and External Relations)
See Food & Friends Presentation to ANC 5A (May 2024)
Food & Friends wants to expand their building at 219 Riggs Road NE in order to serve more individuals. They state that in order to do so, they will need to expand towards South Dakota Avenue. They have submitted an application to DC’s Public Space Committee for what they are calling a conceptual curb cut on South Dakota Avenue NE between Riggs Road and Kennedy Street. They gave a brief presentation to the ANC to request the ANC’s support of the curb cut. The ANC did not take a vote at the meeting.
When DDOT eliminated the slip lanes on South Dakota Avenue way back when, a contiguous parcel of land was created in front of Food & Friends. That parcel of District-owned land is slated for park space so that is why Food & Friends say they are now looking to expand towards South Dakota. Because of the property lines, Food & Friends would need a bit of public space for a driveway that they want to install (in addition to the curb cut) to access this planned addition.
(I asked if Food & Friends could share information from their public space application, such as vehicle count. It was a bit hard to follow from the presentation exactly what the plans are for having two separate vehicle entrances).
Commissioner Bocoum (5A09) stated she will arrange a meeting with Food & Friends and stakeholders about the expansion and driveway plan before the ANC takes a vote on the public space application.
Miscellaneous
I mentioned that Social Justice School has applied to relocate to 333 Kennedy Street NE (as noted in this post). A DC Public Charter School Board hearing was held on May 20, 2024. The school notified Chair Fletcher but the commissioner for the area, Commissioner Bocoum, was not aware and the ANC did not participate. Councilmember Parker submitted a letter in support of the relocation in advance of the hearing.
The ANC received notification Aldi’s application to obtain a beer/wine license.
The next ANC meeting will be June 26, 2024.
Heads up. Due to Metro’s upcoming three-month partial red line closure, parking will be restricted on Galloway Street from South Dakota Avenue to 7th Street NE to make room for a bus bridge. No parking will be allowed at any time from June 1 to August 31, 2024.
Below is a bus service map for Fort Totten station June 1-August 31, 2024.
Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker invites residents to join his next Monthly Public Safety Call on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at 3:00 p.m.
Guests will be MPD 4th District Commander Nikki Lavenhouse and MPD 5th District Commander Sylvan Altieri.
Register to receive the meeting link at ward5.us/monthlycall. The meeting will be livestreamed on CM Parker’s YouTube channel. It will be recorded, and slides will be shared afterwards.
The popular Fridays at Fort Totten summer concert series kicks off next Friday May 31, 2024. The series, sponsored by The Modern at Art Place & DC Fray, features a different artist 6pm to 8pm each Friday through August.
Bring a chair, hang out with neighbors, and enjoy live music, a food truck, and games.
Fridays at Fort Totten Free Concert Series
May 31 – August 23, 2024
6:00 pm-8:00 pm
The Modern (corner of South Dakota Avenue NE & Galloway Street NE)
2024 Lineup
Metro will be doing construction on a good chunk of the red line starting June 1, 2024. Takoma station will be closed June 1 – June 29, 2024. Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, & Silver Spring stations will be closed June 1 – Aug 31, 2024. Plan accordingly.
Reason for closure from Metro:
The three-month closure will allow the Maryland Transit Administration Purple Line project to build a new mezzanine at Silver Spring which will improve the connectivity between the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center and the future Purple Line Station with Metro.
The outage will also provide Metro with an opportunity to complete maintenance, repairs, and customer experience improvements on the Red Line, condensing eight months of weekend closures and disruptions into the summer months.
SERVICE INFORMATION
June 1 – June 29, 2024
June 30 – Aug. 31, 2024
TRAVEL ALTERNATIVES
Free Shuttle Service
Free local, limited-stop, and express shuttles available during Metrorail operating hours. Shuttles will be available at all closed stations for customers with accessibility needs. To request an accessible shuttle, please ask a Metro team member onsite.
Saturday, June 1 to Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024
Shuttle bus locations: Glenmont 
, Wheaton , Forest Glen , Silver Spring , Takoma , Fort Totten , Metro Center
Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing is constructing Riggs Crossing Senior Residences, an income-restricted, affordable senior housing building on the corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE. Individuals interested in leasing who are 62+ and who have an income at or below 50% of median family income should fill out the interest form.
Now that Metro has approved its Fiscal Year 2025 budget, the agency is turning its attention towards its bus network redesign initiative known as Better Bus. Metro recently released its proposed 2025 Bus Network redesign proposal. The proposal includes changes to routes, route names, service frequency, and hours of operation.
Review and provide feedback on the proposed 2025 Network by using Metro’s interactive comment map, taking a survey, submitting written comments, or uploading a document at https://betterbus.wmata.com/share by 5:00 p.m. on July 15, 2024.
Or, provide testimony at an in-person or virtual Public Hearing. To view the full schedule of in-person events, visit https://betterbus.wmata.com/events.
Take a look at Metro’s handy Resource Page, which includes documents that make this gigantic proposal manageable to understand. One thing to keep in mind is that when Metro initially rolled out the Better Bus initiative in spring 2023, it was premised on receiving about 35 percent more funding to create a “better bus” route redesign. Metro is not getting that additional money but wants to proceed with a redesign based on current resources, so you will notice some of the proposed frequency levels are not great.
Proposed Route Name Changes
As part of its network redesign, Metro is proposing new route names. Metro explained that, decades ago, it inherited route names from a bunch of jurisdictions so it is now taking the opportunity to make the routes easier to understand. The proposed naming convention makes enough sense to me. Read the explainer.
Neighborhood Impacts
Neighbor Gavin and I took a quick look at the 2025 Network proposal. In these posts, we described changes Metro contemplated during the initial Better Bus rollout in spring 2023. Some of the routes Metro initially contemplated did not make it into the 2025 Network proposal. Metro created a handy comment/response summary document that provides a bit of the rationale for how it got to the proposal that is now open for public comment.
Let’s take a look at some of the neighborhood routes in the proposed 2025 Network.
Crosswalk: Existing Route –> Approximate Proposed Route
E2 –> C71 Fort Totten – Union Station
E4 –> C81 Sibley Hospital – Fort Totten
E4 –> C83 Friendship Heights – Fort Totten
80 –> D30 Fort Totten – Federal Triangle via North Capitol Street
64 –> D44 Fort Totten – Federal Triangle via 11 Street NW
K6 –> M62 White Oak Medical Center – Fort Totten via New Hampshire Avenue
K6 –> M6X White Oak FDA – Fort Totten
R1, R2 –> P13 White Oak Medical Center – Fort Totten via Riggs Road
E4, F6 –> P32 Fort Totten – College Park
F6 –> P35 Fort Totten – New Carrollton
K2 –> P42 Takoma – New Carrollton
Crosstown Route (Current E4; Proposed C81, C83; Proposed P32)
The one big change we commented on last spring was Metro’s preliminary proposal to cut crosstown service to the neighborhood along Chillum Place NE. One E4 crosstown route operates between Friendship Heights and Fort Totten station and another operates between Friendship Heights and Riggs Park. Last spring, we noted that Metro did not include a comparison crosstown map for the E4 terminating in Riggs Park for comment, and we asked Metro to keep one of the terminal points in Riggs Park, terminating at Eastern Avenue.
Those comments do not show up in the discussion for proposed crosstown routes C81 and C83. Instead, Metro took the comments saying, “Please keep the crosstown route to Riggs Park” and decided to treat those comments as a request for a connection from Fort Totten station to Chillum Place. So, Metro continues to propose shortening the crosstown route so that it ends at Fort Totten station.
And then, Metro is proposing to provide service along Chillum Place via a different route, Proposed Route P32. Metro states Proposed Route P32 will provide more frequent service along Chillum Place because according to Metro, current Route E4 serves Chillum Place every 40 minutes. Transferring from the crosstown bus to Proposed Route P32 at Fort Totten would add time though. Also, it is hard to tell from the map exactly what direction of travel Proposed Route P32 would take through the neighborhood (the arrows look like Metro is proposing to reverse the direction of travel), so it would be good to have clarity from Metro about this. And I kind of think it would be nice to keep a crosstown route as it exists now traveling along Chillum Place to Eastern Avenue.
Maps of Proposed Routes C81, C83, and P32
Service Frequencies & Hours of Operation
It seems like service frequencies are not great on many of the proposed routes. I think we need better frequencies for daytime and weekend service if we are really serious about getting people out of private cars and using public transit.
Metro is proposing to continue providing 24-hour service on certain routes such as Proposed Route D30 (equivalent to existing Route 80).
Ward 5 Engagement Forum
Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker is hosting a Ward 5 Bus Network Engagement Meeting with Metro on June 3, 2024, at 6 pm. Register at ward5.us/busmeeting. Councilmember Parker’s feedback to Metro last year did not address issues in this part of the ward so the scorecard that his office prepared for this proposal likewise does not address issues in the neighborhood. But residents should certainly feel free to share comments with his office and that of Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George.
Public Meeting Notice: South Dakota Avenue Corridor Safety Project
(WASHINGTON, DC) —The District Department of Transportation (DDOT), in partnership with Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker, invites you to attend public meetings for the South Dakota Avenue Corridor Safety Project from Riggs Road NE to Bladensburg Road NE. DDOT will be hosting two meetings: a virtual meeting on Thursday, May 30, 2024, and an in-person meeting on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
The meetings are an opportunity for community members to share their feedback on ongoing issues, challenges, and opportunities for the corridor. DDOT staff will also provide information on existing conditions and will be available to answer questions and gather comments.
Virtual Meeting:
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 2024
TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
WHERE: Virtual on WebEx
Meeting Link: tinyurl.com/SouthDakotaAve
Webinar number: 2313 130 1091
Webinar password: EkRtRsdg673 (35787734 from phones and video systems)
Dial-in option (audio only):
1-202-860-2110 United States Toll (Washington D.C.)
1-650-479-3208 Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
Access code: 231 313 01091
In-person meeting:
Date: Saturday, June 1, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Where: The Sojourner Truth School (1800 Perry Street NE)
For questions about the meetings, please email: sayra.molina2@dc.gov
From ANC 4B
ANC 4B Regular Public Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, May 28, 2024, 7:00 p.m.
Virtual Meeting Details:
For video participation via Zoom on a computer or mobile device, click this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82100595853?pwd=ODVJQUFTVVZCQjFrMklMRUVReHZsQT09.
For voice-only participation on a telephone, dial (301) 715-8592.
Meeting ID: 821 0059 5853. Passcode: 975068.
1. Call to Order & Roll Call
2. Administrative Items:
A. Instructions for Participation in Virtual Meeting
B. Consideration and Approval of May 2024 Regular Public Meeting Agenda
C. Approval of April 2024 Regular Public Meeting Minutes
D. Treasurer’s Report
3. Commissioner Updates
4. Community Concerns
*Please use the “Raise Hand” button via Zoom or *9 via telephone to speak during community concerns. The Commission will provide additional details regarding how to present community concerns via the virtual meeting at the start of the meeting. This is the time for questions or statements from members of the public about issues on the agenda or other areas of concern. Please limit your statement or question to one minute. You may also contact members of the Commission before and after Commission meetings.*
5. Reports:
A. Representative, Metropolitan Police Department (3 minutes)
B. Sophia Tekola, Mayor’s Office on Community Relations and Services(3 minutes)
C. Barbara Rogers, Office of Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George(3 minutes)
D. Frazier O’Leary, Ward 4 State Board of Education (3 minutes)
E. Housing Justice Committee(2 minutes)
F. Vision Zero Committee(2 minutes)
G. Youth Advisory Committee(2 minutes)
H. Community Safety & Support Committee (2 minutes)
6. Presentation: Delano Hunter, Director, District Department of General Services, Mayor Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Proposal (20-minute presentation; 15-minute discussion)
7. Presentation: Samer Alhawamdeh, Project Manager, District Department of Transportation and Shaun Davis, PE, Construction Manager, Mid-Atlantic Construction Services, Metropolitan Branch Trail Fort Totten to Takoma Construction Project (10-minute presentation; 10-minute discussion)
8. Presentation: Spiro Gianniotis, Lee Peterson, and Shiri Subbar, Project Consultants, Alphatec, Removal and Replacement of Communications Towers at Metropolitan Police Department 4th District Station (6001 Georgia Avenue, NW) (10-minute presentation; 10-minute discussion)
9. Consent Calendar:
10. Adjournment
The next ANC 4B Planning Meeting is scheduled for June 11 at 6:30 p.m.
The next ANC 4B Regular Public Meeting is scheduled for June 24 at 7:00 p.m.
The next ANC 4B Housing Justice Committee Meeting is scheduled for June 5 at 7:30 p.m. (Pease check the Commission’s website as this meeting date is likely to change.)
The next ANC 4B Youth Advisory Committee Meeting is June 22 at 7:00 p.m.
The next ANC 4B Vision Zero Committee Meeting has not yet been scheduled.
By Gavin Baker (Contributor)
The Metropolitan Branch Trail is a multiuse path for people to walk, bike, jog, and scoot. The trail is being built in stages between Washington Union Station and Silver Spring, roughly parallel to the Metropolitan Branch railroad tracks and the Metrorail Red Line. The trail’s Brookland to Fort Totten section opened in 2022.
The next section under construction is the Fort Totten to Takoma segment. Construction started last year and is expected to continue through 2025.
The asphalt is now open north from the Fort Totten trailhead along 1st Place NE and west along Riggs Road to 1st Street NE. There will probably be some finishing touches, such as striping, when all is said and done, but it’s open for use now.
During the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J Huff Community Library “Heritage Wall” dedication event and artist talk last year, many attendees expressed an interest in an “index” to complement the artwork. Artist Michelle Lisa Herman and Stephanie Mills Trice have been awarded a Humanities DC grant to develop a printed publication to serve as both an “index” of the Heritage Wall and to highlight the history of the Lamond-Riggs and Fort Totten area. Copies of the final publication will be distributed to neighborhood organizations and the library.
Michelle and Stephanie are now asking for previous participants and contributors to tell the story of their contributed materials and their connections to the Lamond-Riggs and Fort Totten neighborhoods so they may include them in this publication.
They would love for you to fill out this form to supply information about your contributions, or if you prefer, provide contact information so they can conduct a short oral history interview.
Please fill out the form by July 31 here https://forms.gle/WR314Cn938STy5E48
From Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing
Retail space is delivering 1st Quarter of 2025 in Riggs Park near the Fort Totten metro station. Seeking local and unique tenants for exclusive under-market lease. Tenant improvements available. Flexible retail split option may be considered (similar concept to Black & Forth).
Offers received by May 23, 2024, will be given priorty.
Send questions and proposals to Joanna Ha Yea Shin at jshin@apah.org.
A few days ago, DDOT contractors started work to install a roundabout at the 2nd/3rd Street NE intersection.
We described what the final product will look like in this post. People in cars exiting Walmart’s garage will have to turn right. No more abrupt U-turns in the middle of the road. Two new crosswalks are being installed.
I have seen people driving the wrong way as installation progresses, so exercise caution over the next few days while workers are in the road.
Hopefully once all the signs and arrows are installed, people will understand it’s pretty easy to navigate. Drive on the right around the circle and yield to traffic in the circle.
DDOT still needs to address the intersection at South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE that was poorly reconfigured in 2011 to eliminate the slip lanes. The intersection is too wide. All of the turning radii are completely off. People think they can make U-turns when they cannot. People always block the intersection during the morning commute. And people are still parking right up to the crosswalk and intersection on the corner where Wing Stop will be opening. A few days ago a driver of a large truck got stuck for over 10 minutes trying to make the turn with parked cars in the way.
It would be nice to have the parking addressed, at a minimum. Something tells me it will continue to take years for simple stuff to be addressed though.
In any case, pack some patience as people get used to the new traffic pattern at 2nd & 3rd streets.
From ANC 5A
ANC 5A May 2024 Meeting
DATE: Wednesday, May 22, 2024
TIME: 6:45 pm
Meeting will be held virtually
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86210460261?pwd=NnF5RElVd0orWWppd3FPRGlPMjRPZz09
Meeting ID: 862 1046 0261
Passcode: 869469
Agenda
I. Call Meeting to Order 6:45 pm
II. Quorum
III. Agenda Review/Acceptance
IV. Commission Business
A. Minutes (April 2024)
B. Treasurer: 2nd Quarter Financial Report
C. Website Payment for Zoom Recordings
D. Public Safety Committee Update
V. Commission Action Items/Updates
VI. Community Updates
A. MPD
B. Mayor’s Office
C. Councilmember Parker’s office
VII. Reports & Presentations
A. Christopher Berg DDOT Bike Lanes on Riggs and Taylor Street NE
B. Sayra Molina, Transportation Specialist, South Dakota Ave NE Safety Project
C. Casey Dyson, Government Relations and Public Funding Director Food & Friends
VIII. Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 22, 2024
IX. Adjourn
Advisory Effective: 5/18/24 – 5/19/24
Hours: Sat 7 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Sun 7 a.m. – Midnight
| Red Line | Free shuttle buses replace trains between Takoma and Rhode Island Avenue. Normal Service frequencies with trains operating between Shady Grove and Rhode Island Avenue and between Glenmont and Takoma. No Red Line service at Brookland and Fort Totten stations. |
| Green Line | Trains single track between Naylor Road and Branch Avenue. Trains run every 8 minutes between Greenbelt and Southern Avenue and every 16 minutes between Southern Avenue and Branch Avenue. |
| Blue Line | Normal Service |
| Silver Line | Normal Service |
| Orange Line | Normal Service |
| Yellow Line | Normal Service |
Next Stop...Riggs Park 