Category Archives: Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

Quick Updates on Art Place Phase B Construction

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

By David Kosub (Contributor)

As you know, construction on Phase B of Art Place at Fort Totten project is underway. I had a couple of follow up questions related to construction activities and reached out to the team around Thanksgiving via the hello@fezartplace.com email address for answers. I encourage everybody to ask their questions via that email address as they are very responsive.

Regarding general construction status, the foundation for the buildings is proceeding with the completion of the construction documents.  The general contractor, L.F. Jennings, put out the project for competitive bid, with the process expected to be completed by January or February. They also noted that, “as with everything and everyone, Covid-19 has had an impact on our lives, our health and how we all work.” The general contractor has implemented strict guidelines at the site for its workers and visitors, going on to say, “So far, we have not had any outbreaks, or any significant delays related to an outbreak.” That said, it has been difficult to get District agencies and utilities to perform inspections, they admit.

The team also does not have any new updates to share at this time regarding the groups who have already signed leases (e.g., Meow Wolf, Explore! Children’s Museum and Aldi). However, announcements may be forthcoming in the spring about operators for the food hall.

I asked if they have received any concerns from the community about construction. They have not. I am taking that as a good sign that construction activities may not be interfering too much with our day-to-day lives. If any arise going forward, they are willing to address them. On a related note, the construction team is willing to participate in a community meeting to discuss construction related activities. A date and time needs to be worked out, but in the interim, please indicate in the comments section if you would like to join such a conversation and if you have any concerns or questions to share.

Social Justice School Charter Fully Approved

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten, Education, Uncategorized

On June 29, 2020, the DC Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB) voted to fully approve a 15-year charter for the Social Justice School, effective July 1, 2020. School officials have attended several ANC 5A meetings over the past year to inform residents about plans. The school will be located at 5450 3rd Street NE. The school has a three year lease agreement with Rocketship Public Charter School to co-locate at the site, with a one-year option to extend. Construction to renovate the old warehouses at this location to house school facilities is ongoing.

According to documents on file, Social Justice School will operate a middle school serving grades 5 through 8. For its first year of operation in school year 2020-2021, the school has a target enrollment of 65 students–maximum 75 students–in grades 5 and 6. Its goal is to grow the student population to a total of 300 students in grades 5 through 8 by school year 2023-2024. On June 16, 2020, the day after the school enrollment deadline, the school had 41 enrolled students. Because enrollment lags target, the DCPCSB required the school to develop a contingency budget. See the contingency budget here and the contingency budget narrative here. The DCPCSB determined that the school will be financially viable with an enrollment of 41 students and that the school will have sufficient resources to deliver its programs:

Based on the review of the contingency budget, DC PCSB staff concludes that, at an enrollment of 41 students:
● The school will be financially viable. The budget shows a positive net income of $59,558 and 112 days of cash on hand. To help offset decreased revenue, Social Justice PCS has secured a $500,000 credit enhancement from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and a $250,000 loan from CityBridge for facilities-related costs if required. Also, NewSchools Venture Fund has promised an additional $160,000-grant pending its full charter approval (see Attachment B).
● The school will have sufficient resources to deliver its program. The budget maintains appropriate levels of staffing, including one English language arts teacher, one math teacher, one science/wellness teacher, and one liberatory design thinking teacher. Some key personnel positions have been reimagined. For example, the executive director will assume the responsibilities of the principal, while the previously identified principal will serve as the founding math teacher. Also, the director of student supports with [sic] oversee both case management and service delivery for the projected four English learners and nine students with disabilities.

It is still too early to know what school will look like for DC students in the fall. If in-person classes are scheduled, with Rocketship, AppleTree, and Social Justice School at the campus at 3rd Street and Kennedy Street NE, we will have quite a few new students in this corner of the neighborhood.

Ramdass Pharmacy & Health Equity in Washington Post

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten, Uncategorized

Dr. Anthony Ramdass, owner of neighborhood pharmacy Ramdass Pharmacy, discusses his work assisting vulnerable residents during the COVID-19 pandemic in this column by Courtland Milloy in the Washington Post. Dr. Ramdass visits homes of seniors to deliver prescriptions and vaccinations. This is one column by Mr. Milloy that I am happy to promote. Learn a bit about our neighborhood pharmacist and why health equity is so important.

24 Hour Fitness out at Art Place (UPDATED)

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

Update 7/2/2020: The developer contacted me to let me know that 24 Hour Fitness has not rejected the lease and still might be coming to the Modern.

Original Post

At last night’s ANC 5A public meeting, ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) announced that 24 Hour Fitness has backed out of its contract to anchor the first phase of Art Place at Fort Totten due to the financial impact of COVID-19. The first phase, called the Modern at Art Place, was completed in fall 2017. As noted in this post, the company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy so this result is not too surprising, though disappointing. Notably HR Retail, the leasing agent for the development, has an updated brochure and site plan for Art Place that do not list 24 Hour Fitness (though 24 Hour Fitness is still listed as a confirmed tenant on HR Retail’s website). It looks like those marketing materials were updated on June 23, 2020.

With DC’s move into Phase Two of reopening on June 22, 2020, gyms are now permitted to reopen at reduced capacity. But this comes after months of being closed. Other gyms and fitness companies have also filed for bankruptcy or permanently closed locations.

I for one was really looking forward to having a decent gym in the neighborhood and I still am. I thought perhaps one benefit of not having the gym built out at Art Place at this point would be that by the time the gym finished building out the space, we would be further along in managing COVID-19, so we would have the benefit of time. It is unclear if the developer is now negotiating with another gym.