Category Archives: Neighborhood Development

Flexiposts installed in 400 block Galloway Street NE

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten, Transportation
Flexiposts installed 400 block Galloway Street NE near the Modern

After years of 311 service requests, email exchanges, pictures, and letters to the Council during performance oversight season, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) informed me on March 25, 2021, that they approved installation of flexiposts behind the crosswalk in the 400 block of Galloway Street NE near the Modern at Art Place. DDOT installed the flexiposts earlier this week. This is great news for those of us who have been nagging DDOT about the crosswalk near The Modern and the fact that drivers continuously parked in a way that blocked the sightline of pedestrians and drivers (see this post, for example).

The story of this particular crosswalk is a 3.5 year saga. Before the Modern was built in 2017, 4th Street NE used to be a through street between Galloway and Kennedy. There were marked crosswalks at the intersection of 4th and Galloway. This is important because there is not a sidewalk on the south side of Galloway Street across from the Modern. Some residents choose to walk up the inclined, wooded path on the south side of the street, but many also choose to use the sidewalk on the north side and cross at 4th Street to walk to Fort Totten Metro station.

View of dirt path on south side of Galloway Street NE

During construction of the Modern, the crosswalk that was at 4th and Galloway was removed. After the Modern was built, 4th Street was permanently closed between Galloway and Ingraham, basically becoming the apartment community’s private driveway. Immediately after the building opened in fall 2017, we asked that the crosswalk in the 400 block of Galloway be reinstalled because again there is not a sidewalk on the other side of the street, and just because 4th Street was now closed, that did not mean that the crosswalk had to be removed.

At first, DDOT wanted us to submit a service request for a new crosswalk. We all know how long it takes the agency to install a new crosswalk though. We argued that it was not a new crosswalk, and we had already submitted a service request to restripe the crosswalk. The developer should have been required to reinstall the crosswalk that had previously been there. In the interim, we were also told that DDOT in fact instructed the developer not to reinstall the crosswalk for reasons, but who knows. Anyhow, thanks to Google street view and intervention by Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie’s office, we were able to send DDOT photographic evidence showing that we were not making it up that a crosswalk existed there for many years. So DDOT ordered the developer to install a crosswalk. But then no curb cut was installed because remember neither the developer nor DDOT intended for there to be a crosswalk. So drivers would literally park in the crosswalk all the time because I guess they thought it was an option to do so.

Car parked in crosswalk 400 block of Galloway Street

So we took pictures of cars parked in the crosswalk and asked that a curb cut be installed so that drivers would not park in the crosswalk. That took some time. Even then, some drivers still parked in or partially in the crosswalk (very strange behavior).

In any case, the result ended up being that there was then a crosswalk between two parked cars because there was just enough space for one car behind the crosswalk. So sometimes drivers would still park partially in the crosswalk.

The bigger issue though was that drivers could not see a pedestrian waiting to cross in the crosswalk between two parked cars and a pedestrian would have to walk out into the street to see around the car parked behind the crosswalk. None of this made any sense. We requested “no parking” signage, which DDOT put in front of the crosswalk after many months of requests, but it was placed right in front of a tree so no one could see it unless people knew to look for it.

DDOT installed high visibility pedestrian crossing signs pointing to the crosswalk so that motorists would know the crosswalk was there. For a while, DDOT told us there was only one signmaker or something so that is why it took a while to get the signs done apparently. DDOT refused to install signage indicating that no parking was allowed behind the crosswalk though because according to them the existing signage was adequate. According to them, the space behind the crosswalk was not a legal parking space because it was so close to the crosswalk and the driveway to the Modern. I suppose people were supposed to know that, but every day people would park behind the crosswalk. DDOT said it was a parking enforcement issue. And to be fair, some days DPW would ticket a car parked behind the crosswalk. I told DDOT it did not make sense to keep issuing tickets when it was clear that people thought they were allowed to legally park behind the crosswalk.

In December 2019, following multiple email exchanges among myself, the ANC, DDOT, and CM McDuffie’s office, DDOT installed a micromobility corral in front of the crosswalk to provide a buffer. Interestingly enough, that corral is actually not as big as it should be because there was a car parked behind the “no parking” sign when DDOT went to install the corral.

View of micromobility corral in 400 block of Galloway Street NE

Still DDOT did nothing about cars parked directly behind the crosswalk. So I asked the ANC to draft a resolution requesting signage and flexiposts so that cars could not be parked behind the crosswalk. DDOT dragged its feet for many more months and told me they could not put flexiposts behind the crosswalk because it was too close to the driveway or something. So I took pictures of flexiposts installed near intersections and also sent them pictures every day of cars parked behind the crosswalk blocking the sightline of pedestrians and drivers. Finally, on March 25, 2021, DDOT informed me that installation of flexiposts was approved.

I recount all of this just because there has been a renewed focus on Vision Zero, given the completely reckless driving taking place during the pandemic. To me, it seems that DDOT would want to take care of low-hanging fruit like this situation fairly quickly while the big fights about the big projects go on. There is also this sense of urgency from the mayor’s office in getting people to return to school and office buildings, meaning soon enough there will be more pedestrians traveling along this street to get to work and school. We noted to DDOT that this crosswalk is right next to a daycare center that would be opening at some point. But it took them almost four years to adequately resolve the issue of a crosswalk that should have been reinstalled after construction of a new building. The transportation plan for this new building should have included provision for replacement of the crosswalk. Residents should not have to take pictures every day and take time out of their day to send repeated communications to DDOT, the mayor’s office, or the councilmember’s office for something that should already be in a construction plan and monitored by DDOT. There is a sort of dismissiveness from the agency that becomes really grating after a while that sometimes results in residents saying “forget it,” and that is not a good result for anyone.

I will say the one bright spot in this saga was the support of DDOT’s Ward 5 liaison Kelly Jeong-Olson, who is always awesome, and Ty’on Jones before her. They deserve kudos for actually listening to residents.

We can now finally stop talking about this crosswalk and move on to other things, like that missing sidewalk on the other side of the street.

Press Release: Two New Retailers Join Cafritz’s Art Place at Fort Totten

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

From the Cafritz Foundation

ONELIFE FITNESS AND PHENIX SALON SUITES JOIN ART PLACE’S GROWING LIST OF RETAILERS

National Fitness and Beauty Retailers to Open in Fort Totten in Q1 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C — MAY 4, 2021 — The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation (Cafritz Foundation) today announced Onelife Fitness and Phenix Salon Suites are joining its growing list of retailers at their mixed-use development, Art Place at Fort Totten, with 16- and 10-year leases respectively. 

“As we continue with the second phase of construction at Art Place, Onelife Fitness and Phenix Salon Suites will bring valuable amenities to the growing Fort Totten community,” said Jane Cafritz of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. “Onelife and Phenix will add to the character of Art Place and further enrich the lives of our residents and neighbors.”

Onelife Fitness will open its first location in the District, joining 16 nearby locations in Maryland and Virginia, in the retail area below The Modern apartments at Art Place. This opening will bring 40,000 square feet of cutting-edge equipment and facilities to the neighborhood. The premium fitness center will be a unique, modern design, with two spacious, open levels and floor to ceiling natural lighting, and will feature three boutique studios, an indoor saltwater pool, cutting edge cardio and strength equipment, functional turf training, and more.

“We are incredibly excited to open a new Onelife Fitness Sports Club in Fort Totten, and to provide this active and growing community with health and wellness solutions to live a healthy and happy life. As we have been reminded during this challenging time that our personal health, both mental and physical, has never been more important,” said Ori Gorfine, Chief Operating Officer. “We need to keep moving and stay active, and we need to maintain bonds and connectivity to one another.”

After finishing an invigorating workout at Onelife Fitness, Art Place visitors can experience the luxury suites at Phenix Salon, a boutique concept that offers beauty and wellness professionals the opportunity to own and operate their own business. Phenix’s 10,000-square-foot Art Place location is anticipated to open in early 2022 in the retail area below The Modern.

At full build out, Art Place will include nearly two million square feet of mixed-use space, including multi-family residential, retail, cultural, art, public, educational and entertainment spaces. The Modern, which is the first phase of the Art Place development, includes 520 apartments and almost 100,000 square feet of retail space. Retailers at the Modern, in addition to Onelife and Phenix Salon Suites, include Love and Care Development Center, Ramdass Pharmacy, ShiningStars Pediatric Dentistry and T-Mobile. Art Place’s second phase, anticipated to open in 2024, will include hundreds of new apartment homes as well as more than 300,000 square feet of retail, arts and cultural spaces occupied by D.C’s largest Aldi Grocery store, a food hall, a performance venue, interactive art exhibitions, community spaces, and Explore! Children’s Museum. Infinity Prep, a Rocketship Public School, also opened at Art Place in September 2020. 

For more information on the Cafritz Foundation please visit http://www.cafritzfoundation.org.

For Retail Leasing, please contact H&R Retail or visit https://hrretail.com/properties/art-place-at-fort-totten/

About The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation is the largest private, independent, local foundation dedicated exclusively to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Foundation is the legacy of Morris Cafritz–one of Washington’s leading commercial and residential builders from the early 1920’s to the mid-60’s–and is committed to improve the quality of life for residents of the area. Since 1970, the foundation has granted awards totaling more than $447 million. In just the last ten years, $185 million has been awarded to more than 961 organizations in Community Services, Arts & Humanities, Education, Health and the Environment.

Meow Wolf out at Art Place at Fort Totten

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

A lot of residents have asked questions about the status of the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten, also known as the “FEZ at Art Place” or” Block B.” I have confirmed with the development team from the Cafritz Foundation that Meow Wolf (which was to anchor the second phase) will no longer be part of the project. The good news is that the development team is looking at another experiential tenant for this phase, and they will be making an announcement about that in the near future. The remainder of the previously announced tenant mix for Block B (children’s museum, food hall, Aldi grocery store, arts/maker spaces) remains the same at this point. The development team will likely submit a modification of consequence with the D.C. Zoning Commission at some point in the future to reflect the updated tenant mix. The expectation at this point is that the design of the buildings for this phase will largely remain the same as previously approved. (They previously filed a modification in spring 2020 to reflect some minor design changes. The Zoning Commission voted to approve those changes in June 2020, effective September 2020 (zoning case number 06-10E). We discussed that process here.)

The team is currently working through obtaining permits from DCRA to fully begin construction on the second phase. Meow Wolf’s departure from the project should not impact construction work/permits needed in the short term.

Daycare Construction

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

As noted in this post, Love & Care Child Development Center expects to open soon at The Modern at Art Place on Galloway Street NE. The daycare applied for a certificate of occupancy on January 12, 2021. Residents might have seen construction taking place outside the building this week. I have been told that is being done to install a wheelchair access ramp for the daycare center.

Installation of wheelchair ramp at 402 Galloway Street NE

Love & Care Daycare Opening Soon at the Modern

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

A couple of neighbors passed along information they received from Love & Care Child Development Center indicating that the daycare will be opening soon at the Modern at Art Place with COVID-19 precautions in place. It has taken a long time to get to this point, so I am sure some families will be happy to have another option for daycare in the neighborhood soon. Excerpt from Love and Care communication to families below:

Greeting Families!

We are excited to announce that Love and Care is almost ready to open its doors!  

We will be hosting an open house over the course of 4 days, February 10-13th, with guided tours occurring at … each day. Love and Care is located in the Modern at Art Place, at 402 Galloway St. NE just steps away from the Fort Totten Metro. Please swing by at any of the listed times to see the new space!  

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.