In light of recent developments regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus) and as a measure of precaution and concern for the health and safety of our residents, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B is canceling its public meeting scheduled for Monday, March 23, 2020.
Due to the legal requirement that Commissioners be physically present at meetings, we are unable to offer a completely virtual option at this time. We are working with the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, government agencies, and Councilmembers regarding measures that would allow future virtual meetings, should they be necessary.
The Commission plans to hold an additional meeting to satisfy our requirement of holding 9 meetings per year. We will provide details regarding the timing of that meeting as soon as they are available. You can visit our website at anc4b.com for the latest updates and information on Commission meetings.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to your individual Commissioners regarding any Advisory Neighborhood Commission issues during this time.
The DC Zoning Commission has finally issued a written order approving the second phase (Block B) of Art Place at Fort Totten. The conditions of the approval are outlined in the order beginning on page 28. The order will become effective upon publication in the DC Register on March 20, 2020. (Disclosure: I served as president of the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) during the Zoning Commission’s review of Block B and represented the LRCA before the commission. I no longer serve on the board of the LRCA).
The commission voted to approve the project at a commission meeting way back in June 2019. The DC Council and mayor have approved the closure of 4th Street NE between Ingraham Street and Kennedy Street for the project. As noted in this pre-pandemic post, residents should expect to see a uptick in activity around the site in the next several weeks. Fencing has already gone up around some of the legacy Riggs Plaza Apartment buildings. ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) will be the point of contact responsible for distributing construction information to the community.
On a recent swing through New Mexico to see some friends, we stopped in to visit the House of Eternal Return. This is Meow Wolf’s interactive, immersive art experience that started it all in Santa Fe. What better way to get our heads wrapped around what’s coming to Riggs Park as part of Block B of the Cafritz Foundation’s Art Place at Fort Totten development, than to experience their first installation up close and personal. We had a blast. Here’s a sampling of what you may experience too…and don’t forget your 3-D glasses…
Meow Wolf, Santa Fe, NM
You start, as you would any time you come home, by getting the mail, but this is no ordinary mailbox…there are clues!
David Kosub at Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return
….upon entering the house, you see a scene, probably one pretty familiar to us all…
…while exploring the house, looking for more insights on what this family is up to, you find yourself being sucked into a portal…in the bathroom when nature calls nonetheless …
…going through the portal, you naturally find dinosaur bones, but not just any normal bones, these make music when you tap them. Yabba Dabba Doo!
…coming out the other side, you’re under water….
….traveling further, you begin to enter a magical forest world
…complete with a treehouse to play in.
…You stumble upon a bus…a tad askew, that probably has seen better days….
….and then, of course, you dance like you’ve never danced before to some deep electronic beats in the strobe light room ….
… portaling back from whence you came, you reanimate inside a cake, because, why not…
…other worlds exist to explore here with Meow Wolf, but you will need to go and experience it yourself. Before you leave though, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses
We reported on ramp-up of activity on the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten in this post on ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher’s (5A08) February 2020 SMD meeting. Since then, the Washington Business Journal has run a couple of reports on the second phase. The first article (subscription required) is a feature on Sean Cahill, the development manager hired for the second phase. Mr. Cahill attended Commissioner Fletcher’s SMD meeting.
The second report (subscription required) notes that construction on the second phase is gearing up while the developer continues to lease up the first phase.
Phase one retailers include T-Mobile, ShiningStars Pediatric Dentistry and Ramdass Pharmacy, all of which opened in 2018. Still to open are a Love & Care Daycare, which is expected to open in the fall of 2020, and Rocketship Public School charter school, which will open in August for the 2020-2021 school year.
Another anchor, a 40,000-square-foot 24 Hour Fitness gym, is projected to open in The Modern by the end of the year. 24 Hour Fitness replaces the previously announced XSport Fitness, which fell through for the development.
While Cafritz declined to comment on why retail leasing has been such slow-going for phase one, the spokesperson said that the retail in phase two is already 40% pre-leased, mostly with entertainment tenants. That number doesn’t include a planned 25,000-square-foot Aldi grocer store at the development.
Phase two will consist of three multi-story, mixed-use residential buildings with 272 units, 30 of which will be accessory dwelling units, and the FEZ (family entertainment zone), which will house a food hall, the 30,000 square foot Explore! Children’s Museum and the 80,000-square-foot Meow Wolf multimedia museum. Phase two is projected to deliver by late 2021 or early 2022.
The Foundation says it intentionally sought to incorporate more experiential retail in phase two, which will also include flexible event space, studio space and maker spaces intended for community rental and to support local arts and culture programming.
As reported on the blog over the past several months, Rocketship Schools is in the process of opening a campus near Fort Totten metro station, known right now as simply Rocketship Fort Totten. Rocketship has two other campuses in DC, Rocketship Legacy Prep in Ward 7 and Rocketship Rise in Ward 8. Rocketship Rise has been in the news for a couple of terrible incidences in the past few months. We previously covered the lack of communication around an attempted kidnapping at Rocketship Rise, reported by Fox 5 DC news back in October 2019, right around the time when Rocketship was going before the DC Public Charter School Board seeking approval to open the Rocketship Fort Totten campus. This incident led community members to question Rocketship’s commitment to transparency and the safety of students (see minutes of ANC 4B’s November 2019 meeting). Rocketship leadership acknowledged it should have handled that situation in a better manner and stated its commitment to restoring parent trust.
On Feburary 24, 2020, Fox 5 DC news reported that the assistant principal at Rocketship Rise was charged with felony sex abuse in April 2019. The charges were not related to his duties as a school official, did not take place on the campus, and did not involve children. The news report made it sound as if the school knew about the charges but did not notify parents, and allowed the assistant principal to remain at the school until the media reported on it and only then placed him on leave.
I reached out to Angel McNeil, Founding Principal of the Rocketship Fort Totten campus, to get a sense of whether something was awry with Rocketship’s corporate leadership, whether they were not providing enough support to their schools in general, or if something was going on with leadership at Rocketship Rise where these problems were occurring. She asked to meet in person to share what Rocketship’s leadership is doing to address the situation and to share updates about the forthcoming campus.
She explained that neither Rocketship leadership at the school level nor at the corporate level actually knew about the charges until they were reported in the media. The reporter received a tip from someone. Once the school found out, the school placed the employee on leave and notified parents. According to Ms. McNeil, Rocketship school employees are supposed to self-report charges of the nature involved to their school. If the employee does not do so, though, then the school can easily remain unaware of serious charges involving the employee. If the arrest is not reported in the news or if the school does not peruse public arrest records on a regular basis, then the arrest and any subsequent charges could go undetected for some time. I looked up the court case. While the allegations are serious, they are not necessarily something that would be reported in local news, and as far as I can tell, the incident was not reported by local media when it happened.
On March 3, 2020, DC At-Large Councilmember Robert White introduced the Reporting Sexual Misconduct in Schools Amendment Act of 2020 (B23-0700). Reports on the bill described it as a bill that would require schools to notify parents when school employees are charged with sexual misconduct offenses. The bill proposes a number of reporting requirements to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) of sexual misconduct incidences between school staff and students. The specific provision on notification states,
“OSSE, in consultation with schools, direct service providers, community partners, mental heatlh professionals, governmental and community-based sexual abuse experts, the Metropolitan Police Department, parents, and students shall develop a model policy for how LEAs report to the school community in a timely manner criminal investigations of sexual misconduct involving school staff.”
So the bill directs OSSE to develop a model notification policy, presumably for any criminal sexual misconduct investigation involving school staff, not just for a criminal investigation of sexual misconduct between school staff and students. But unless there is some means by which the schools themselves would timely become aware of such criminal investigations involving an employee, it is not clear how this bill would address a situation such as the one involving the assistant principal at Rocketship Rise. According to Ms. McNeil, in California, where Rocketship headquarters is located, there is a law that schools are automatically notified when school employees are arrested for certain crimes. No such law exists in DC, according to Ms. McNeil.
I went down the rabbit hole of looking at state laws on this issue. Lots of states have parental notification laws requiring schools to notify parents when a school employee is under investigation for certain offenses, but it looks like fewer states have notification laws in which the schools themselves are notified when school employees are arrested for certain offenses. In California, police are supposed to notify a school district when a school employee is arrested for a sexual offense. Even there though, the law simply says police notification is required if the police knows that the individual is a school employee. I do not know if people are regularly asked for employer information or if they are a school employee when they are arrested; perhaps they are. Closer to home, Virginia requires police and other individuals with the power to arrest, to report the arrest of an individual for certain offenses to the school superintendent if it is known or discovered that the individual is a school employee or adult student. In a few states, teachers are required to self-report and if they do not, it is a separate felony. In other states, courts or police use fingerprinting to do a search or otherwise must determine if the person arrested or charged is a teacher and notify the school system. Perhaps owing to different balances accorded to due process rights or perhaps what is allowed under collective bargaining agreements, there is a distinction in the states that require some sort of notification to the school system based on whether the person is actually charged or convicted or merely arrested.
Councilmember White’s recently introduced bill would amend the School Safety Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018. That law was enacted after an issue arose with background checks of employees of a widely utilized aftercare provider by DC schools. According to Ms. McNeil, due to the school safety omnibus law, employees who work with certain populations must undergo a background check annually, not just when they are hired. This includes school employees who work with children under 18 years of age. That will certainly be helpful in picking up criminal arrests and charges, but there could still be a problem if an employee is arrested for a serious crime in between background checks and fails to self-report.
Rocketship’s team is investigating its handling of the incident involving the assistant principal at Rocketship Rise and evaluating its policies to determine what more can be done to avoid similar situations in the future.
Rocketship Fort Totten
Turning to the forthcoming campus here in the neighborhood, Ms. McNeil shared that the new campus is on pace to reach target enrollment for its first year of operation beginning in fall 2020. Ms. McNeil estimates that a majority of the students will be Ward 4 or Ward 5 residents. There will be hard hat tours for families by appointment beginning this spring. Over the summer, the school plans to host community activities for neighbors and families to interact with the school. Last year, Ms. McNeil spent several months on the ground opening a Rocketship school in California. She is excited about opening the Rocketship Fort Totten campus and for the school to be an integral part of the larger community.
The Parks Main Street (TPMS) is proud to share that your very own local small business Riggs Liquor is a nominee for the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) Small Business Retailer of The Year!
Riggs Liquor, located at 5581 South Dakota Avenue NE (across from Walmart), has been serving Riggs Park and the surrounding communities since 2002.
Owner John Yoo is excited to serve you and our community with a fine selection of quality beers, wines and spirits.
John offers a variety of wine, beer and spirit tastings. John has consistently been a friend to our community by:
Providing turkeys and other food fixings for the 2019 Homeless Thanksgiving Dinner held by Culture Coffee Too
Being supportive of local artists through the Riggs Park Art Crawl
Working side-by-side with DSLBD and TPMS to recognize the historic Riggs Park community with the mural proudly proclaiming “We Are RIGGS PARK”
Take a moment to vote for Riggs Liquor.Click theVOTE NOW link. Tell your family, neighbors and friends to vote. Last day to vote is Friday March 6, 2020.
*Edwin Washington is the executive director of The Parks Main Street, a program of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement.
ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on February 26, 2020. Commissioners present: Grace Lewis (5A02), Emily Singer Lucio (5A03), Ronnie Edwards (5A05), Claudia Barragan (5A06), Sandi Washington (5A07)
DC Fire & EMS
The ANC recognized DC Fire Engine 14, which responded to a fire in the 4800 block of 10th NE in which an elderly resident unfortunately lost her life. The crew was returning from refueling when they saw smoke coming from the residence and went to investigate. The fire department stated the fire started because of a portable space heater that was plugged into a defective extension cord. The home did not have any apparent working smoke detectors. Reminder: Space heaters should only be plugged into a wall socket. Same for major appliances. Never plug a space heater into an extension cord or surge protector. Homes should be equipped with working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
DC Fire provides free smoke detectors to DC residents in need. You must own and live in the property where the smoke detector will be installed. Contact 311 to make an appointment. Only one free smoke detector per home is available. DC Fire also planned to be in the community around 10th Street the morning of March 4 to speak with residents about smoke detectors.
MPD Report
Here are the latest MPD stats for the neighborhood. Thefts from autos remain a problem. Do not leave anything in your car. It will be taken and you will have a busted car window. Car tires have also been taken. Consider getting a guerilla lock for tires, especially if you own a Honda Accord.
Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie Report
Silas Grant, Senior Advisor to Councilmember McDuffie, stated the councilmember planned to submit his budget priorties letter to the mayor soon. You can see the letter here.
Metro Transit Police Department
Stephen Deveaux, District Commander for MTPD’s Fort Totten station district, stated that the district covers Northeast, Northwest, Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County. There is always at least one MTPD officer at Fort Totten metro station, usually two. There has been an uptick in robberies/snatches on the green line from Prince George’s Plaza to Gallery Place.
The supervisor responsible for the competition that was reported by the Washington Post is no longer assigned to the district. Mr. Devaux stated MTPD conducted a four-day invvestigation, the results of which are not publicly available. Expect to see more of Mr. Deveaux at future meetings.
Providence Health System
Providence returned with a presentation about the services offered at the Providence campus. Providence is attempting to “right-size”the system. They did that mainly by eliminating the emergency department. They hope to open the diagnostic center this fall. View the handout for more details.
Veteran Retirement Tax Exclusion Amendment Act of 2019 (B23-0129)
A group of military veterans is lobbying the DC Council to pass legislation to exempt retirement military pay from personal income taxes. The presentation was a bit strange because their argument was that veterans are choosing not to settle in the District because DC taxes military retirement pay and that veterans are instead choosing to settle in Maryland and Virginia. According to the presentation though, Maryland does not tax military retirement pay while Virginia does. That seems to suggest there are perhaps other reasons that veterans are not settling in DC. View the handout for more details.
Catholic University
Catholic is building a new dorm, which will help the university achieve its goal of having students spend the first three years of their study in on-campus housing. Also, Catholic wants to open the Bates Road gate when there are events so that patrons will have easier access to a nearby parking lot. That led to protracted discussion of parking issues residents near Catholic University’s field experience when there are events. Commissioner Washington (5A07) was not in favor of opening the gate. Catholic strangely made it seem as if the university cannot do anything about how and where guests attending these events are parking in the neighborhood. They will continue the conversation with the affected commissioners, Commissioner Washington and Commissioner Barragan (5A06).
2020 U.S. Census
The commission supported (with one opposition) the spirit of a resolution encouraging ANC commissioners to help promote participation in the 2020 U.S. Census. Census data affects how resources are allocated, so please participate.
Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie submitted a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser with his Ward 5 budget priorities. The letter incorporates feedback from residents in response to his budget engagement survey. I hope you had a chance to fill it out.
There are generally applicable items that would benefit large areas of the ward, such as around housing, public safety, and support for small businesses. One item in the letter specific to the neighborhood is a request for funding to assess the environmental impact of a paved trail around Fort Circle Park (formally known as the Civil War Defenses of Washington) at South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street NE.
Based on feedback from residents, we can accomplish this through additional funds to activate a historic trail for the Trinidad community, and for an environmental impact assessment to examine the possibility of a paved park around Fort Circle Park at South Dakota Ave & Galloway Street, NE, and invest funds for upgrades to play surfaces for all Ward 5 playgrounds. I am also requesting funds to preserve green space and pocket parks in neighborhoods with limited green space such as the Brookland Green.
A trail and play areas around the perimeter of the park is an item in the neighborhood’s area development plan, which was approved by the DC Council in March 2009. In 2016, a nine-year-old Riggs Park resident named Lucas collected signatures for a petition to National Park Service (NPS) and testified at NPS townhalls in support of a playground and trail at Fort Circle Park. Blog contributor David Kosub has beenwriting about efforts to consolidate community action in support of amenities at the park. The Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association has a community benefits agreement with developer EYA to assist with visioning for activation of Fort Circle Park (as well as the District-owned green space in front of Food & Friends). So there is widespread support for a trail at the park, at a bare minimum. I think a two-phase approach might make sense: (1) get a trail; (2) get other stuff. We know anything involving NPS takes time. Funding for an environmental impact assessment would be a really good start and it is something we as a community should actively support.
Metro has extended the comment period for the FY 2021 proposed budget to March 9, 2020. View the details of the proposed budget, including changes to service and fares for metrorail and metrobus, at wmata.com/budget.
At ANC 4B’s meeting on February 24, 2020, DDOT shared updates about a couple of projects that have been on the backburner.
Rehabilitation of Eastern Avenue NE
DDOT Eastern Avenue NE Rehabilitation Project Fact Sheet
The long-awaited rehabilitation of Eastern Avenue NE between New Hampshire Avenue NE and Whittier Street NW has been delayed. DDOT tweaked the design to add a few items to the scope of the project. Construction is now anticipated to start in summer 2021. The project website is https://ddot.dc.gov/page/rehabilitation-eastern-avenue-ne. View DDOT’s handout here.
Metropolitan Branch Trail Fort Totten to Takoma
DDOT is working on the design for the extension of the Metropolitan Branch Trail from Fort Totten to Takoma. According to DDOT’s handout, DDOT expects to complete the design in spring 2021 and for construction to start in summer 2021.
DDOT will be back to visit ANC 4B to give fuller updates on both of these projects later this year.
Chick-fil-A (CFA) presented its preliminary traffic analysis at ANC 4B’s public meeting on February 24, 2020. You can find the presentation here and the draft comprehensive transportation review (CTR) here.
As previously reported, Chick-fil-A plans to demolish the existing Taco Bell/KFC building located at 220 Riggs Road NE and the vacant Dakota Liquor building next door and build a new building. Because this will be a new build, they must comply with the District’s Green Area Ratio regulation. Accordingly, they plan to have bioretention on site.
They scrapped their plan to have only drive-thru at the location. The new plan is for a 3,900 square foot building with 42 interior seats and 20 exterior seats. There will be 9 vehicle parking spaces and 6 bicycle spaces. There will be a dual drive-thru lane for ordering. They anticipate having space for 10 vehicles to queue in the drive-thru order lanes (5 vehicles per lane), space for 9 vehicles to queue for the payment and pickup window, and space for approximately 6 vehicles to circulate and queue on site if the drive-thru lanes are full. Commercial deliveries will be made outside of business hours.
The project is a matter-of-right project, but they will have to go through DDOT’s public space permit process because they plan to eliminate two curb cuts–the curb cut closest to the 3rd Street/Riggs Road intersection and one of the two curb cuts by Dakota Liquor. That will leave one curb cut on Riggs Road, which they will realign, and one curb cut on 3rd Street.
Proposed site plan
Site access and circulation
Turning to the details of the CTR, they anticipate that most drivers will approach the site from either South Dakota Avenue or Riggs Road. The biggest issue I see in the CTR is that CFA and DDOT know that for inbound trips, drivers will be making U-turns all over the place and apparently DDOT is fine with that.
Inbound trips
Drivers approaching from South Dakota Avenue will either decide to turn left on Riggs to enter the access point there or continue straight onto 3rd Street only to have to make a U-turn because of the median on 3rd Street to access the site from 3rd Street. DDOT does not want to remove the median. Drivers traveling eastbound on Riggs will either make a U-turn to access the site off Riggs or turn left onto 3rd Street to then have to make a U-turn to access the site from 3rd Street. Drivers traveling west on Riggs would be able to access the site from Riggs without making a U-turn. CFA stated DDOT anticipates only 5% of vehicles will approach the site from the 3rd Street/2nd Street NE intersection, which would require no U-turns at all.
The CTR states the site will be able to accommodate all queueing on the site without spillover onto public streets. In the case that there is spillover, they plan to have additional staff to assist with order taking, delivering orders, and directing vehicles to move to the overflow queue lane.
Queue operations
Overflow queue operations
They used data from a CFA location in Olney to support the assumptions in the traffic analysis. The CTR identified afternoon peak and Saturday peak as two periods in which vehicular travel around the site at the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road intersection could be impacted. The CTR states adjustment to traffic signal timing should mitigate the issue a bit. They are aware that other projects will come online in the next couple of years that will affect travel around the site, including the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten and EYA’s Riggs Park Place townhome project. Also, the owner of the properties at 5642-5650 3rd Street NE has applied for a map amendment, so those properties will be redeveloped as well (though the owner has previously stated he has not identified an intended use yet). Once built out, more signal timing changes may be necessary.
I asked about the 3rd Street/2nd Street intersection because I did not see any reference to it in the presentation. Because of the assumption that only 5% of vehicles will approach the site from that intersection, I guess DDOT will not worry about it even though something clearly needs to be done about that intersection. Plenty of motorists use 3rd Street to avoid Riggs and so while they might not be going to CFA, there will be plenty of action happening between vehicles exiting the Walmart parking lot, vehicles making a U-turn on 3rd Street to enter the CFA, and vehicles traveling along 3rd to other destinations.
Interestingly, in the CTR, CFA identified three intersections that have higher than expected crash rates and anyone who lives in the neighborhood would not be surprised by the results: (1) South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road/3rd Street; (2) Riggs Road and 1st Place NE; and (3) 3rd Street/2nd Street NE.
Chick-fil-A’s recommendations
CFA identified several recommended safety improvements primarily to address the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road intersection. DDOT does not have to undertake these improvements, but doing so would help to improve travel around the site. They include restriping, removal of two parking spaces next to the Walmart driveway on 3rd Street to improve sightlines, enforcement of no parking zones near intersection, better signage, and adjustments to signal timing.
Potential safety improvements
The South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road intersection was reconfigured in 2011 to remove the slip lanes. Even reconfigured, it is poorly designed and really does need to be fixed. The one good thing that may come out of the CFA project is that residents have previously requested a traffic study of the corridor (which has not been done). Many of CFA’s recommended safety improvements are things that residents have requested for a long time so now that a business is recommending these safety improvements, maybe they will get done. Notably the CTR identifies that existing pedestrian facilities around the site are sorely lacking, again something for which residents have previously requested action. Perhaps those missing and deficient sidewalks and missing crosswalks will be addressed.
Existing pedestrian facilities around site
After looking at the traffic analysis, I am a bit skeptical about how all of this will work. Of course my big wish to get rid of the drive-thru entirely is likely not an option. This project is still about a year out so there is still time for CFA to make refinements. The project is located in ANC 4B, so if you have any thoughts, please share them with ANC Commissioner Alison Brooks (4B08) at 4B08@anc.dc.gov.
There is still time to fill out Mayor Bowser’s budget survey. Visit budget.dc.gov to let the mayor know what you believe DC’s budget priorities should be.
Sign up to clean up! Join your neighbors for a Spring Cleaning Day. The event will bring neighbors together to make our community beautiful.
Your neighbors are hosting a Spring Clean Up Day on March 21. Volunteers will pick up trash in the woods around where New Hampshire Ave crosses over the metro tracks. The event will bring neighbors together to make our community more beautiful and healthy through trash pickup.
Litter is a pervasive problem in our community, and we hope that a highly visible clean up event will help to foster behavior change and encourage new attitudes around littering so that it becomes socially unacceptable to litter or to allow litter to accumulate on our streets and natural areas.
The first 20 people to sign up to clean up will get a free pint from Hellbender Brewery!
At the November 2019 Lamond-Riggs Citizens Asociation meeting, I asked Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie’s staff if the boundaries of the District’s Great Streets program can be expanded so that our small and local businesses in Riggs Park could apply for the resources. After a few follow-up discussions with his staff, they invited me to provide testimony at an upcoming oversight hearing on the topic. Below is what I submitted in writing in my capacity as a resident of Riggs Park.
—
From: David Kosub Resident, Riggs Park, Ward 5
To: D. Justin Roberts Committee Director Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5
Dear Mr. Roberts,
Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to share written testimony for consideration at the Committee on Business and Economic Development performance oversight hearing of Destination DC and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), scheduled for February 24, 2020.
I am submitting this testimony in my capacity as a resident of Riggs Park and as a passionate advocate for our small and local businesses. I believe they all, and especially the people behind the storefronts, deserve the same support as others receive from the district whenever and wherever possible.
DMPED’s Great Streets program represents one such opportunity for equity. This program, as the website explains, is the “District’s commercial revitalization initiative designed to support existing small businesses, attract new businesses, increase the District’s tax base, create new job opportunities for District Residents, and transform emerging corridors into thriving and inviting neighborhood centers.”
Unfortunately, as we are located in upper northeast Washington D.C., our neighborhood businesses currently fall outside the existing program boundaries and are ineligible to apply for Great Streets resources (see the map generated from the Great Streets Look-up page). For reference, Riggs Park businesses are principally located along:
Riggs Road NE from the CSX/metro tracks to Chillum Place NE
South Dakota Avenue NE from Riggs Road NE to Galloway Street NE
3rd St NE/2nd Street NE, from Riggs Road NE to New Hampshire Avenue NE, along the CSX/metro tracks
“The character of the area,” as described in the 2009 Area Development plan, is “primarily residential, anchored by the Fort Totten Metro and supported by small scale commercial and retail shops.” I appreciate the role our small and local businesses have played in supporting our community and want to return the favor. Let me take a few moments to introduce some of them to you.
The Phillips family started Troka Insurance in 2007, providing various insurance products and services, in both English and Spanish, and training for neighbors to become future agents. When not organizing the next Riggs Park Art Crawl or asking how my daughter is doing, Ms. V serves up a tasty black bean burger and peanut butter/banana smoothie at Culture Coffee Too. Hellbender Brewery is our neighborhood watering hole. Our pharmacist, Dr. Ramdass, will bring prescriptions right to a senior’s door. Shining stars makes going to the dentist for our kids welcoming and pleasant. Riggs Wine and Liquors proudly show their neighborhood pride with a beautiful mural on the side of their building. The CHILD Center, a legacy business here for nearly two decades, received a city-wide Robust Retail grant in 2019. And, I could go on and on with these stories, especially as new businesses like Meow Wolf open in coming years and are excited to be woven into the fabric of the community.
These businesses help keep Riggs Park thriving and economically viable. They need our support in return. Allowing them the opportunity to apply for Great Streets funding could lower the hurdle faced when trying to expand their business, create jobs, experiment with new services, redesign their facades, or enhance their online presence. After all, when their business succeeds, Riggs Park succeeds.
Furthermore, in a 2019 Retail Market analysis, The Parks Main Street (TPMS) was encouraged to help attract potential small and local businesses to help enliven the neighborhood. By having the District’s Great Streets corridor boundaries expanded, I feel this strengthens TPMS’ ability to demonstrate growth potential in retail viability in Riggs Park, while also aiding “existing businesses accommodate rapid change in the area.” For disclosure, I serve as a community member on the Board of Directors for TPMS. However, the views represented in this testimony, as noted earlier, reflect my own as a Riggs Park resident.
Finally, the Upper Northeast element of the District’s Comprehensive Plan also recognized the value of expanding the Great Streets program to benefit business corridors currently residing outside the existing boundaries. As noted in action UNE-1.2.C, it recommends that businesses along Rhode Island Ave NE be considered for Great Streets funding. I requested the Office of Planning, as part of my family’s comments on the plan submitted in December 2019, to consider Riggs Park businesses within TPMS’ area to be eligible as well to have funding for transportation, streetscape, and façade improvements. ANC 5A heard this recommendation too and agreed to support the idea earlier this month.
I appreciate your time and consideration of this request to expand the Great Streets boundaries, so our businesses have an equal opportunity to apply for these resources.
ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) held a single member district (SMD) meeting on February 18, 2020. A few highlights below:
Art Place at Fort Totten
Regarding the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten (Block B), a lot of activity is anticipated over the next several weeks. The developer is removing the final items from the remaining Riggs Plaza apartments and will then disconnect utilities. Demolition of existing buildings, installation of a bike path and utilities on 3rd Street NE, and undergrounding of utilities on South Dakota Avenue are expected.
Traffic control plans for Block B are being coordinated with DDOT in conjunction with traffic control plans for construction of Lamond-Riggs Library as well as the Riggs Park Place townhome project on the southeast corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE. Construction vehicles for Block B will park at The Modern.
Commissioner Fletcher will be neighborhood point of contact to distribute construction notices.
The developer is still awaiting a final written order from the Zoning Commission, so some of this activity will be contingent on receiving that order and also relocating the last few tenants remaining at Riggs Plaza apartments. The developer anticipates receiving the order soon.
Regarding the first phase (Building A), the 24 Hour Fitness is working on interior construction and hopes to open by the end of 2020. Roll-down gates have been installed at T-Mobile and Ramdass Pharmacy to address security issues.
A meeting for just the residents of The Modern and the Cafritz Foundation will be arranged to address resident concerns.
Rocketship & Social Justice School
Renderings of exterior view of Rocketship School and Social Justice School. Photos courtesy Rocketship
Interior work on the two warehouses at 5450 3rd Street NE (3rd and Kennedy) that will be the site of Rocketship Public Charter School is ongoing. The school is finalizing drive aisles with DDOT for dropoff and pickup and working with DOEE on stormwater retention plans. In fall 2020, only the North Building will be open; the South Building will open in fall 2021.
Rocketship, with AppleTree, will open with grades preK3-2 and add 100 students each year to reach full capacity. Social Justice will start with grades 5 and 6. Registration is ongoing through March 2, 2020, through My School DC.
Rocketship holds weekly information sessions at Lamond-Riggs Library. There will be an information session on February 25, 2020, at 6:00 pm where some of the faculty/staff will be present. Rocketship is still hiring for a few faculty positions. Interested candidates should contact Principal Angel McNeil.
Rocketship will have a naming ceremony on April 25, 2020. The purpose of naming ceremony is to reflect desired values of the school. Currently the school is simply known as Rocketship Fort Totten.
Totten Mews
There has been an uptick in crime along 6th Street and at Totten Mews, the new townhome community near the Capital Area Food Bank. Issues inclue car and home break-ins, older youth smoking weed on the playground at Totten Mews, non-residents loitering on benches at Totten Mews, abandoned/stolen cars, and drug activity along 6th Street. The nearby Emerson Park townhome community has also seen an uptick in crime with a shooting nearby in the past month.
Officer Bonilla noted that MPD’s Fourth District is down 11 officers due to a police-involved shooting in Petworth a couple of weeks ago. Those officers have to be cleared before they can return to duty.
Several residents volunteered to assist Commissioner Fletcher on a plan for North Michigan Park. Silas Grant, Senior Advisor to Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, also recommended getting an overhead map and highlighting the streets that need better lighting. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Commissioner Fletcher.
Culture Coffee Too and Fearless Threads are teaming up to give away a few custom made prom dresses to students in need. If you are interested in donating to the effort, visit this link.
For students in need, please visit the online application link. The application is simple: must be a student at a DC high school, have a minimum 2.5 GPA, and submit a 50 word statement about why the student deserves a free prom dress.
ANC 5A submitted comments on proposed amendments to DC’s Comprehensive Plan. The submission incorporates comments submitted by myself and a couple of other residents. The ANC also repeated its request for more time for residents to respond to the proposed amendments.
One item that did make it into the ANC’s submission is “Preserve the historical single-family style homes, with No apartments in North Michigan Park.” There was a bit of discussion on this topic at ANC meetings. The North Michigan Park residents in attendance felt strongly about this. It is a point of pride for them to say there are no apartments in North Michigan Park. I have always found this curious. I have mentioned before, the wholesale pushback against apartments is really puzzling because the same residents are fine with adding a drive-thru at the McDonald’s in that neighborhood. Adding a drive-thru where there was none before seems way more problematic than building one apartment building, but I do not live there so it does not have to make sense to me.
At the ANC’s special meeting on February 12, ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) stated that North Michigan Park has always been a neighborhood of single family homes so it should stay that way and should not have to change. This sentiment is why I simply listen when people talk about affordable housing, inequity, and gentrification in DC because actions often do not match the narrative, which is a little more complicated than we often treat it. Zoning laws have historically been used to keep out people who are viewed as undesirable, whether that be based on race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomics, or other characteristics. In this case, desire to keep out housing voucher holders is clearly the motivating factor (though certainly voucher holders can also rent single family homes).
There is a discussion in this city right now about adding more housing. The mayor’s goal to add 36,000 units by 2025 is slogan-y and not super realisitic, but the point remains that the city does need more housing. The narrative is that it is residents west of the park who are going to be the big obstacle to getting more housing, including affordable housing. That may be true, but it is also single family homeowners generally all across the city who do not want their neighborhoods changing at all. People like what they like and they don’t like what they don’t like.
There are legitimate issues with increasing density. Without attendant upgrades to infrastructure, there are going to be problems. A firefighter who lives in the community noted that a whole new community has been created in Fort Lincoln and no new firehouses have been built so the response time to get to that part of the city could be better. Schools that are seen as desirable are already overcrowded. In addition, simply throwing up cheap housing or putting housing in ill-conceived places is going to create problems for residents who live in that housing.
Our public officials now have the uneviable task of reconciling competing priorities and interests in this planning document. One of their clear goals is getting something approved to address the delay in projects held up in litigation. I am pretty sure whatever the final document looks like, there will be plenty for people to like and dislike and many inconsistencies will remain.
Last week, the Washington Post reported on pretty gross behavior by the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD). According to the report, an MTPD supervisor based at Fort Totten metro station came up with a really terrible idea in which MTPD officers would get points leading to prizes for different enforcement actions, such as an arrest or citation.
There have long been complaints about the actions of MTPD officers. According to WAMU, DC At-Large Councilmember Robert White and Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen are introducing a resolution to request establishment of an MTPD civilian complaint board, among other measures.
There is a lot to say about this that I am finding difficult to put in a post. The one thing I will say is that I often hear people clamoring for more and more police in this community and I think we need to be a little more thoughtful and very specific and intentional in what we ask of public safety and elected officials.
MTPD Chief Ronald Pavlik, Jr. has been invited to the next ANC 5A meeting.
Catching up on posts, starting with a few updates from the DDOT Ward 5 Open House held on February 8, 2020.
Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) Fort Totten Extension
MBT Extension Brookland to Fort Totten Construction Phases. Source: District Department of Transportation
DDOT’s Metropolitan Branch Trail Project Manager Nannette Bowles shared a few updates about the MBT extension from Brookland to Fort Totten metro station (see handout here). DDOT has finally gotten the necessary easements and rights-of-way from various property owners (Metro, National Park Service, Aggregate Industries) in order to proceed with work on the middle portion (Phases C-D) of the extension, which is also the most complicated part.
As spring approaches, there will be more activity along 1st Place NE by Fort Totten metro station. Replacement of the existing trail alongside the Mamie D. Lee garden and Mary’s Center/Briya/Bridges is nearly done.
After a long pause in posting updates after March 31 of last year, DDOT has started updating the two-week look ahead reports (the weekly progress reports are still a work in progress). They have also revised the timeline again so projected completion is now expected in winter 2020 rather than September 2020. It is entirely possible that this date will change again, but at least it sounds like progress is being made.
Sidewalk on South Side of Galloway Street NE
DDOT’s Ward 5 liaison Kelly Jeong-Olson shared that DDOT and NPS are working to finalize an MOU to construct a trail on the south side of Galloway Street NE between South Dakota Avenue and 4th Street (where there is not a sidewalk). NPS is responsible for design, which DDOT will need to approve. DDOT hopes to have a design finalized by the middle of this year. Once the design is done, DDOT will present it to the community for feedback, likely at an ANC meeting.
This project has been delayed because the original trail NPS designed was not done to proper specification, with NPS designing a 6-foot wide trail rather than a 10-foot wide trail. There will need to be a retaining wall. The design team was also working out how to work around all of the deep tree roots. Stay tuned for an update from your ANC.
Also, folks probably noticed the sidwalk leading from South Dakota Avenue to the bus stop on the south side of Galloway Street was repaved. In addition, the broken sidewalk on Galloway leading to the metro station was finally repaired last week, thanks to attention from two residents, Deborah Grimstead and Robert Oliver.
Crosswalk 400 block of Galloway Street NE
View of crosswalk 400 block of Galloway Street NE pre-corral installation and post-corral installation
In December 2019, DDOT installed an off-sidewalk parking corral in a portion of the no parking zone near the crosswalk in the 400 block of Galloway Street NE. People still park cars directly behind the crosswalk though so visibility of pedestrians attempting to use the crosswalk is still a problem. At the open house, DDOT said they would investigate placing a second corral behind the crosswalk so that cars are not parked there.
This has been an ongoing issue since fall 2017 when The Modern at Art Place opened. The crosswalk was removed during construction of The Modern. Once the building was completed in 2017, no one thought to put the crosswalk back in and there were conflicting reports about whether DDOT expected the crosswalk to be replaced. It took months for the crosswalk to be replaced and then cars were being parked in the crosswalk and directly surrounding the crosswalk because there was not a curb cut. It took another couple of months for a curb cut to be installed. DDOT piecemealed improvements and repeatedly declined to put in additional signage to indicate that cars should not be parked directly behind the crosswalk.
This is one example of why there needs to be a better method to address the pedestrian safety impacts of development (see also the Ingraham Street NE hawksignalsaga). When development projects are completed, there needs to be a more effective way to ensure that the developer has addressed issues in its transportation demand management plan instead of making residents jump through unnecessary hoops to have basic things addressed that should have been addressed during the development and construction process.
The other issue that will need to be addressed here is that a daycare center is scheduled to open in the 400 block of Galloway later this year. Children will undoubtedly be dropped off in cars so there will need to be some accommodation to handle dropoff and pickup around this area that also gets a lot of bus and vehicle traffic.
Path between Gallatin and Galloway Street NE
The saga that is the informal trail between Gallatin Street and Galloway Street near Fort Totten metro station is not something I spoke with anyone about at the open house, but I am putting information about the path here that was shared in a comment by resident (and blog contributor) Robert Oliver on my post with 2020 development updates. Construction of a paved, lit path is scheduled for spring of this year.
Assaults have occurred from time to time on the existing informal path. For decades, residents have requested Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to get NPS to do something about this informal trail. When the paved path is finally installed, people should still be aware of their surroundings. After all, there is a fully paved trail just west of Fort Totten metro station and people still complain about assaults happening there (not to mention the muggings that happen on sidewalks across the city in broad daylight).
Presentation: Request for Special Exception to Lot Occupancy Requirements to Allow Construction of Accessory Dwelling Unit, 7521 9th Street, NW (BZA 20209) (Commissioner Yeats – 5 minute presentation; 5 minute discussion)
Consent Calendar:
Resolution 4B-20-0201: Supporting Metro Transit Police Adopting Metropolitan Police Department General Order 305-1 re Interacting with Juveniles (Commissioner Johnson)
Resolution 4B-20-0202: Expressing Concern with Metropolitan Police Department Use of NextDoor for Reporting (Commissioner Johnson)
Resolution 4B-20-0203: Expressing Lack of Confidence in Chief Ronald A. Pavlik, Jr. and Calling for Reform of Metro Transit Police Department (Commissioner Johnson and Commissioner Yeats)
Resolution 4B-20-0204: Noting Lack of WMATA Engagement and Opposing Fare Increases and Cuts to Metrobus Service (Commissioner Yeats and Commissioner Palmer)
Community Concerns: 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.
Adjournment
Please Note: Anyone in the audience may speak on any subject during “Community Concerns.” You may also contact members of the Commission before and after Commission meetings. Discussion on other agenda items will generally be limited to Commissioners. Finally, the meeting may not last beyond 9:00 p.m. unless extended by a two/thirds vote of the Commission.
Next Regular Public Meeting: Monday, March 23, 2019, 7:00 p.m., MPD, 4th District Station, 6001 Georgia Ave., NW
Next Stop...Riggs Park 
