Budget Amendment – to Establish a Public Safety Committee Operations Budget – Commissioner Fletcher will develop a proposed budget for consideration.
ABRA-121427 – Retailer’s Class “C” Tavern – Expansion of Previously approved Class “B” Application Trinity Grill & Social Marketplace, LLC 200 Michigan Avenue NE
Riggs Rd NE Connector Cycle Track DDOT (added August 27, 2022)
Ed. Note: Last year’s Art All Night by The Parks Main Street was a good time. Looking forward to this year’s event.
From The Parks Main Street
SAVE THE DATE
Art All Night @ The Parks Main Street is ONE MONTH away!
Join us Friday September 23, 2022 from 7p – 11p
The Parks Main Street (TPMS) is excited to bring to the communities of Riggs Park and Manor Park a live, in-person end of year celebration. Private spaces throughout our business corridors transform into galleries, vending booths and performances for an evening of art in all its forms.
Grab your lawn chair and hang out with us all night (well most of the night)! Come visit small businesses, shop, dine, see local art, and experience live performances by artists from Riggs Park, Manor Park, and surrounding communities in Wards 4 and 5.
Art All Night is the perfect stimulant for Art, Community, and Commerce!
Register FREE to attend! All registrants will automatically be entered in drawing for gift certificates from local small businesses in Riggs Park and Manor Park!
Art All Night @ The Parks Main Street Art venue schedule:
Budget Amendment – to Establish a Public Safety Committee Operations Budget – Commissioner Fletcher will develop a proposed budget for consideration.
ABRA-121427 – Retailer’s Class “C” Tavern – Expansion of Previously approved Class “B” Application Trinity Grill & Social Marketplace, LLC 200 Michigan Avenue NE
I was informed yesterday evening that there will not be a Bertie Backus farm stand tomorrow August 27, 2022. UDC intended to reopen the stand tomorrow but their produce vendor fell through. I am getting mixed messages about whether the farm stand will return at all this season, but I do have confirmation that there will definitely not be a farm stand tomorrow. Should know more next week about plans for the rest of the season.
Calling all families to join in on the fun at the Explore! Children’s Festival located at The Modern at Art Place Fort Totten. On Saturday, August 13th, 20th, 27th and September 3rd, guests can enjoy free face painting, balloon twisting, magic shows, arts and crafts, sweet treats and snacks.
Each festival will also include live performances or demonstrations from local organizations and artists.
On Saturday, August 20th, guests enjoyed live music from The Uncle Devin Show, an interactive musical experience for children that uses percussion instruments to cultivate their minds – a dynamic cross between DC’s Trouble Funk and Schoolhouse Rock.
This coming Saturday, August 27th, guests can enjoy free face painting, balloon twisting, magic shows, arts and crafts, sweet treats and snacks.
Guests for the September 3rd event will be announced soon.
Each event is FREE to attend and has every kid’s dream activities for a fun-filled weekend
Ward 5 Open Streets, hosted by the District Department of Transportation, will take place on 12th Street NE between Franklin Street NE and Monroe Street NE on August 27, 2022, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
There is a full schedule of events for all ages and abilities. Should be a fun time. Check the website for details.
Note: 12th Street from Franklin to Monroe will be closed to vehicle traffic from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm on August 27 for people to enjoy the open street. Drivers will not be able to cross 12th Street from Franklin to Monroe during this time. No street parking will be allowed on 12th Street from Franklin to Monroe from 3:00 am to 2:00 pm on August 27. Plan accordingly.
Ward 5 Open Streets MapWard 5 Open Streets Schedule
The Washington Post has a lovely article on the renaming of the neighborhood library in honor of Lillian Huff. The rebuilt neighborhood library is now known as the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library. Ms. Huff was a longtime Ward 5 resident in the Riggs Park neighborhood and was active in neighborhood life as well as in local DC politics. She is largely credited with getting the first library built in the neighborhood in 1983. The article nicely captures the reflections of Ms. Huff’s family as they recount her significance to her family and community.
I have said it before and I will keep saying it. It would be great to have a marker outside of the library with information about Ms. Huff as well as the Bryantbrothers, the architects of the first Lamond-Riggs neighborhood library. People passing by the new library should be able to readily read about the contributions of these individuals and understand the history of the library. Seems simple enough.
On July 19, 2022, Ronald Mason, Jr., president of the University of the District of Columbia, held a community meeting at UDC-CC Bertie Backus Campus, located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE. The meeting took place before President Mason publicly announced that he planned to step down as president of UDC in 2023. In any case, he said he wanted to get out to the campus because he does not get out this way often enough, so he was interested in meeting nearby residents in an informal setting. An elderly neighbor mentioned that she would like to see the university offer programs free to seniors at the Backus campus. She said that 10 to 20 years ago, seniors could take all kinds of classes at the Van Ness campus free of charge.
President Mason shared just a few details about a planned expansion of the Backus campus. UDC no longer occupies a campus on North Capitol Street for its community college programs. The Backus campus will house most or all of the community college programs. Most of the workforce development programs have been moved from Backus to UDC’s Congress Heights campus. The first three focus areas for the community college will be teacher training, nursing, and technology. To accommodate the community college programs at Backus, a new wing will be built on the grounds of the existing parking lot on the Galloway Street NE side of the campus. The new wing will be about 60,000 square feet spread over 3 floors. The main Backus building will also undergo renovation (about 100,000 square feet). Some surface parking will remain. Design will take about one year and construction about 1.5 years.
In the interim, neighbors should start seeing a few small improvements to the campus. A neighbor and I worked on getting some money in the budget to spruce things up just a bit because this campus is a really great civic asset in the neighborhood.
Window repair/replacement, removal of mesh window covers, and installation of new window blinds
Painting of rails and exterior doors
Replacement of fence
Repair of masonry, concrete, and steps
New signage
(Also, this post discusses the renovations taking place at the Bertie Backus Food Hub).
My understanding is that UDC will have more community meetings in the coming months to provide more information about the Backus campus expansion.
Hibiscus Medical, a primary care practice by Dr. Debralee Frederick, will be opening September 1, 2022, at Art Place at Fort Totten, located at 430 Galloway Street NE. Visit the website to learn more and schedule an appointment. See press release below.
Calling all families to join in on the fun at the Explore! Children’s Festival located at The Modern at Art Place Fort Totten. On Saturday, August 13th, 20th, 27th and September 3rd, guests can enjoy free face painting, balloon twisting, magic shows, arts and crafts, sweet treats and snacks.
Each festival will also include live performances or demonstrations from local organizations and artists.
This coming Saturday, August 20th, guests can enjoy live music from The Uncle Devin Show, an interactive musical experience for children that uses percussion instruments to cultivate their minds – a dynamic cross between DC’s Trouble Funk and Schoolhouse Rock.
Guests for the August 27th and September 3rd event will be announced soon.
Each event is FREE to attend and has every kid’s dream activities for a fun-filled weekend!
Randy Clarke, the new general manager of Metro, will be at Fort Totten Metro station today August 15 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm to talk with riders.
It appears the new GM is taking outreach seriously. I have submitted a few comments on Metro’s online comment form regarding Fort Totten station over the past few weeks, primarily about trash around the station and about fares. Someone from Metro actually called me about my comment on fares.
I had commented that I do not understand why Metro is charging peak fares while not providing peak service during peak hours. If Metro is running 6-car trains on the red line with 10-12 minute headways throughout the day, including during supposed peak hours, why is Metro charging extra money during peak hours. Riders are not getting peak service even though we are paying peak fares. I doubt Metro will actually do anything about this, but it was still interesting that someone called me and I had a chance to give my feedback.
And I think they are trying to be a bit better about cleaning up the litter on their grounds. With a 7-Eleven on station property, I am not necessarily surprised by the trash, but it might require a more frequent cleaning schedule. I had also asked if they considered adding recycling cans around the station, given the amount of empty bottles I see on the ground. In any case, I do think maintaining clean grounds is important for Metro not just from the standpoint of being a good neighbor but also its own mission. After all, those of us who ride Metro know all too well the hazards that trash on the tracks poses to service and the trash can clog storm drains.
I also have thoughts about Metro’s joint real estate development program. Aventine Fort Totten is a joint development project. Also Metro has tried a couple of times now to develop the long term parking lot at Fort Totten station. Metro officials plan to try again soon according to their most recent joint development strategic plan.
Edited to add: On my way to Metro this morning, I saw that they have apparently decided to start fixing the road in front of the fire hydrant by the 7-Eleven that has been buckled for several years now. The quick fix-its over the years have not held up.
A virtual public hearing for McDonald’s rezoning application is scheduled for November 28, 2022, at 4:00 pm (Zoning Commission case no. 22-19). McDonald’s is requesting a map amendment to change the zoning of its property located at 4950 South Dakota Avenue NE (Square 3786, Lot 0001) from MU-3A to MU-7B so that a new McDonald’s with a drive-thru can be built as a matter of right to replace the existing restaurant that does not currently have a drive-thru. The Zoning Commission will need to determine whether the requested map amendment is “not inconsistent” with the DC Comprehensive Plan.
The hearing notice contains instructions on how to sign up to participate in the virtual hearing and how to submit written comments.
McDonald’s states in its application and prehearing report that this upzoning request is consistent with the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and General Land Use Map (GLUM), both of which were recently updated in the most recent Comprehensive Plan Amendment.
The DC Office of Planning (OP) issued its setdown report on July 20, 2022. In that report, OP stated the requested map amendment is generally not inconsistent with the Comp Plan, but that there is some inconsistency with the Transportation Element of the Comp Plan.
The ANC 5A report is sparse as expected, given that they relied on counsel for McDonald’s to provide the language for the resolution generally stating that the ANC supports McDonald’s application for a map amendment.
I will not rehash everything I have written about this matter, but as I noted previously I was curious to see how OP would handle the fact that paving the road for a drive-thru in this location, as District officials did by changing the FLUM and GLUM without explanation, is wholly inconsistent with the District’s moveDC plan for this area and with the District’s sustainability goals. OP does at least acknowledge several pages into its report that allowing a drive-thru as a matter of right here is not totally consistent with the Transportation Element of the Comp Plan. This whole exercise just shines even more of a light on how bizarre the Comp Plan Update process was where OP decided to throw the gates wide open, decided that they were only going to listen to ANCs, and then decided that OP did not have to explain the rationale for any of their decisions at all. So now the result is discussing a supposed reality in which permitting upzoning solely for the sake of a drive-thru somehow promotes community vitality and racial equity. It is bizarre and irresponsible.
Ed. Note: Message below is from National Park Service regarding the North Michigan Park-Fort Totten Metro Station Pedestrian Trail received on August 11, 2022.
From Kym Elder
Thank you for writing and/or contacting us. We understand the frustration with this closure and project.
The National Park Service (NPS) is finalizing the redesign of the trail, which includes protection of the WMATA Metrorail tunnels directly below the trail, which were uncovered when we re-started construction last year.
As previously noted, we have completed all our munitions testing and have not found any issues of concern.
The re-design work should be completed by late November with construction to resume early spring 2023 and completion in the 2023 summer/early fall season.
We are asking the neighbors refrain from moving the fencing or putting materials on the trail surface. Rather, we ask that users utilize the trail just to the east of the construction site, or walk around the block to get to the Metro.
If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact me, Kym Elder, Program Manager, Civil War Defenses of Washington at kym_elder@nps.gov.
We thank you for your patience.
Kym Elder Program Manager Civil War Defenses of Washington National Capital Area
Ed. Note: The message below is from Stefan Templeton, Senior Market Manager for the Van Nesss Farmers Market & Bertie Backus Farm Stand. The application form linked in the message below references April 2022 Van Ness Market deadlines and fees. Interested vendors for the Bertie Backus Farm Stand should still complete the application form. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Questions may be directed to vannessfarmersmarket@udc.edu.
By R. Stefan Templeton
Firstly, on behalf of UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), I would like to apologize for the cancellation of the Bertie Backus Farmers Market on the past two Saturdays, July 30 and August 6. Frankly, we have been searching for a reliable produce vendor to commit to servicing the market after 11th-hour cancellations by produce vendors.
We are very pleased to announce that Gray Lane Farms, a local woman & minority-owned farm has committed to maintaining the produce stand starting August 27 going forward until November 26. I should note that Gray Lane has been certified as a Produce Plus provider and will be able to accept DC’s Produce Plus cards.
We humbly request that community members come out to support our endeavor to bring quality produce and local vendors every Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at UDC’s BertieBackus campus located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20017 (near the Fort Totten Metro station on the Red, Yellow, and Green lines).
In the interim period of the next 2 weeks, we will be working to collaborate with community members to better market this reopening. We have reached out to the local ANC members and hope to promote this opportunity to all comers.
Please note that any community members who are interested in becoming vendors, may complete the application here. We are actively recruiting vendors for the remainder of this season and for the next season of 2023. Please feel free to email me any questions or comments. We look forward to seeing you at the market.
