Artist Jay Hudson brings us another neighborhood mural – this one a “We are Riggs Park” statement on the side of Riggs Wine & Liquor. Funding for the mural was provided by The Parks Main Street, District Department of Small and Local Business Development, and Riggs Wine & Liquor owner John Yoo. Next up is restoration of the sign.
“We are Riggs Park” mural by Jay Hudson. Photo credit: Jay Hudson
Jay is well-known around the neighborhood. He installed a mural on the other side of the liquor store during the inaugural 2018 Riggs Park Art Crawl.
Mural at Riggs Wine & Liquor by Jay Hudson. Photo credit: Jay Hudson
He brought us this cool mural on the side of Hellbender Brewing Company’s building (though unfortunately that mural is no longer with us).
Mural at Hellbender by Jay Hudson. Photo credit: Jay Hudson
And he is the creator of the large mural inside of Culture Coffee Too.
Sharing from Meow Wolf. Note – due to space limitation, RSVP is highly encouraged:
Join Meow Wolf D.C. for two informal gatherings at the Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library! We want to hear from Fort Totten residents, community members, artists, students, and YOU about the challenges and opportunities the local arts community faces. You’ll also learn more about the ins and outs of Meow Wolf, hear about our upcoming DC project, and have the opportunity to ask questions and provide input.
We’re scheduled to open Meow Wolf D.C. in 2022 and we’re just getting started. Community Conversations will take place throughout the D.C. metro area throughout the coming years with more dates to be announced.
DATE Thursday, October 24
TIME There will be 2 sessions on October 24. Information presented will be the same Pick one to attend: 4:00pm – 5:30pm 6:00pm – 7:30pm
LOCATION Lamond-Riggs Library 5401 South Dakota Ave NE Washington, DC 20011
RSVP is not required, but helps us with planning. Kindly RSVP to DC@meowwolf.com Light refreshments will be provided.
If you frequent Culture Coffee Too, at some point you have probably seen Little Miss Sophia selling her candied apples and other treats. Check out this Washington Post feature by Courtland Milloy on Miss Sophia and her mentor Veronica “Ms. V.” Cooper, owner of Culture Coffee Too:
Sophia has a mentor — as all budding entrepreneurs should — who runs a coffeehouse in her Riggs Park neighborhood. Veronica Cooper, 68, is owner of Coffee Culture Too. She has a can-do attitude. When it comes to encountering obstacles, in business or life, she says, “You maneuver around them, or you go through them, and you get things done.”
You might have noticed the big sign on The Modern at Art Place on Galloway Street announcing that a new daycare center called Love & Care Child Development Center will be opening soon. I called the number on the sign and they said they anticipate opening in January 2020, but it is possible I did not hear them correctly. At any rate, they are currently accepting reservations for children 6 weeks to 3 years old. Call (866) 987-0667 for more information.
You know the museum is coming. You heard the development plans were approved. And, you still have questions. Well, in this edition of Next Stop Neighbors, Mark Mumm with Explore! Children’s Museum joins us and shares his insights into what’s to come for the project to be located between on South Dakota Avenue NE between Ingraham and Kennedy streets.
We’ll hear about the vision for the museum, projects to engage the community (such as their pop up festival on Saturday, August 24), and potential collaborations with other artistic endeavors. Want to hear how Explore! differs from the National Children’s Museum. Perhaps how local children learn about the solar system? Or even what a Mobile Outreach Manager does? We’ll explore all of that and more in this conversation.
Welcome to Next
Stop Neighbors where we get an opportunity to hear the voices behind the faces
and places in Lamond-Riggs and the surrounding communities. Through this
podcast series, you will meet some friendly neighbors and hear their
perspectives on the community through civil, casual conversations. From the
small business owner who just opened up, to the non-profit organization trying
to make a difference, to the community leader describing their vision for the
neighborhood, and the resident around the corner who has lived here for 50
years, we all have a story to tell. We welcome recommendations and, better yet,
your own 10-minute interviews too!
Can’t get enough Next Stop Neighbors?
Check out these past conversations:
August 5-30, 2019 DPR Toy Drive Lamond Recreation Center 20 Tuckerman Street NE DPR is collecting toys for children at Children’s Hospital. Drop off toys at the rec during the month of August.
Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Yard Sale 8:00 am-3:00 pm Link to map of participating homes. If you are interested in participating, email LRCAYARDSALE@gmail.com Rain date: August 18, 2019
All Hands on Tech 11:00 am-2:00 pm Lamond-Riggs Library 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE Free tech support for DC residents
SAVE THE DATE: Explore! August Community Festival August 24, 10:00 am-1:30 pm at The Modern (400 Galloway Street NE). Free RSVP on eventbrite
August 6, 2019 National Building Musuem Ward 4 Day 9:00 am-11:00 am National Building Museum 401 F Street NW Bring photo ID with zip code
MPD 4th District National Night Out 5:00 pm-9:00 pm Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center 501 Riggs Road NE
August 9, 2019 Fridays at Fort Totten Concert Series: The JoGo Band 6:00 pm-8:00 pm South Dakota Avenue & Galloway Street NE Bring a lawn chair for seating. Sponsored by The Modern at Art Place & On Tap Magazine
August 10, 2019 Bertie Backus Farmstand 10:00 am-2:00 pm UDC-CC Backus 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE
We previously reported that in fall 2020, Rocketship plans to open a new campus at 5450 3rd Street NE (near 3rd Street and Kennedy Street NE near Fort Totten metro station). Over the weekend, flyers were distributed to nearby homes with information on upcoming community engagement meetings. The first is tomorrow July 30 at Lamond-Riggs Library at 5:30 pm. If you have any questions about plans for the new school, these meetings would be a good opportunity to meet the leadership and have your questions answered.
July 30, 2019 5:30 pm-7:00 pm Lamond-Riggs Library 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE
August 1, 2019 6:00 pm-7:30 pm Culture Coffee Too 300 Riggs Road NE
August 8, 2019 6:00 pm-7:30 pm Library Tavern 5420 3rd Street NW
August 9, 2019 5:30 pm-7:00 pm North Michigan Park Recreation Center 1333 Emerson Street NE
Fridays at Fort Totten Concert Series South Dakota Avenue & Galloway Street NE 6:00 pm-8:00 pm Music by Pebble to Pearl (funk, rock, blues) Food by CapMac food truck Bring a lawn chair for seating. Sponsored by The Modern at Art Place & On Tap Magazine.
July 13
Bertie Backus Farmstand UDC-CC Backus 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE 10:00 am-2:00 pm
Veronica Cooper has become a strong force in Riggs Park, bringing us all together for coffee, cocktails, conversation, and community. In this edition of Next Stop Neighbors, we venture into Culture Coffee Too, located at 300 Riggs Road NE, and meet Ms. V. We’ll hear about the concept behind her local small business, what’s next, and her fondness for the student dancers from the Davis Center who performed outside Culture Coffee at the 2nd Annual Riggs Park Art Crawl. And, do you know what she did before starting the coffee shop? Maybe what her favorite thing to make for her customers? The story behind the table in the photo? Well, you will know that and more after listening to our conversation. Cheers!
Welcome to Next
Stop Neighbors where we get an opportunity to hear the voices behind the faces
and places in Lamond-Riggs and the surrounding communities. Through this
podcast series, you will meet some friendly neighbors and hear their
perspectives on the community through civil, casual conversations. From the
small business owner who just opened up, to the non-profit organization trying
to make a difference, to the community leader describing their vision for the
neighborhood, and the resident around the corner who has lived here for 50
years, we all have a story to tell. We welcome recommendations and, better yet,
your own 10-minute interviews too!
Can’t get enough Next Stop Neighbors?
Check out these past conversations:
Like many other families starting off with their first home, one of the reasons my family set our sights to purchase here in Riggs Park was its affordability in comparison to other neighborhoods across the city. Now, after being here for a couple years, I have wondered how home sales have changed over time for our little community tucked away in upper northeast Washington D.C. That meant I needed some data, and we all know I love me some numbers. (See here on Fort Totten metro ridership, here on crime, and here on the 2018 elections results).
I reached out to Harrison Beacher to help me address this burning data desire. He is a managing partner with the Coalition Properties Group and Keller Williams Capital Properties. Not only is he a former homeowner and current property owner in Riggs Park, he previously served on the board of the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) and is familiar with the neighborhood. His company also donated funds to defray costs to print the monthly LRCA newsletter too. Mr. Beacher and his lead buyer specialist Isaiah Hazward, ran a couple reports from the multiple listing service on home sales for me and I’d like to share some of the findings here with the community.
As shown in Figure 1, home sales in Riggs Park have steadily climbed from 88 properties in 2014 to 108 in 2018. The vast majority of homes sold in 2018 ranged in age from 60 to 72 years, with five less than 45 years old and two that were 75 years old (data not shown).
Figure 1 shows a line graph of properties sold in Riggs Park from 2014 to 2018
As of mid-June 2019, 47 homes were sold this year in Riggs Park. This is a slower pace than in 2018, with 7.8 homes sold per month on average in 2019 compared to 9 homes per month in 2018. A follow-up post will be shared after the final 2019 numbers are available.
Moving on, Figure 2 displays average (blue line) and median (orange line) closed sale prices for homes in our neighborhood between 2014 and 2019. Averages represent total closed sale prices for all properties divided by the total number of properties. Median closed sale prices are also shown to get a sense of home sales without potential outlier property sales skewing the overall distribution.
We can see that average home sold prices have risen from $342,000 in 2014 to $505,000 in 2019. Median sold prices also rose from $339,000 to $508,000 over the same time period. Mr. Beacher noted to me that “the overall pricing trends really do tell the story of how attractive our . . . single-family homes are in the DC housing landscape.” He went on to add that “we are still below the city median price of around $575,000.”
Figure 2 shows a line graph depicting average (blue line) or median (orange line) sold price in Riggs Park from 2014 to 2019.
Finally, the table below shows the lowest and highest sold price for properties in Riggs Park between 2014 and 2018 as well as by mid-June 2019.
Year
Low
High
2014
$200,000
$519,900
2015
$223,500
$650,000
2016
$275,000
$750,000
2017
$249,000
$759,000
2018
$287,000
$930,000
2019
$300,000
$840,000
Mr. Beacher informed me that the homogenous nature of our housing stock further highlights the “value opportunity” of our neighborhood. This stock represents primarily single family, 3 bedroom semi-detached homes. He added that “median sold price for attached, 3 bedroom townhomes in DC was approximately $662,000 in 2018 and [is] $697,000 in 2019 to date. Simply put, we have a lot of the type of homes that buyers in DC want, at a great value opportunity compared to the same kind of house in the majority of the rest of the city.”
Art met life, or at least neighbors and businesses in upper Northeast Washington D.C., as artists and artisans created art to depict local small businesses and engage the community at the 2nd Annual Riggs Park Art Crawl. Originally created and sponsored last year by Veronica “Ms. V.” Cooper, owner of local small business Culture Coffee Too, and muralist and creative director Jay Hudson, this year, The Parks Main Street and Culture Coffee Too partnered on the event, held on June 14 and 15, 2019.
The Parks Main Street, formerly known as the South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road Main Street, is the newest member of the District’s Main Street program aimed at retaining, revitalizing and recruiting small businesses in traditional historic business districts across the city. The Parks Main Street is a community-based organization that utilizes public-private partnerships and community volunteers to build on neighborhood assets and implement strategies to support and improve the business corridors in the Riggs Park and Manor Park neighborhoods.
The 2019 event kicked off on Friday June 14 with artisans stationed at Culture Coffee Too presenting their creations, such as jewelry, for sale. In the evening, a lively discussion was held during an artist panel at the Bilingual School located on Riggs Road NE.
On Saturday June 15, live painting by artists was a howling success under the gaze of the silver wolf sculpture located at the intersection of South Dakota Ave NE and Ingraham St NE.
Sculpture at the Modern at Art Place
This is where the Modern at Art Place apartment community resides and is also the future site of the famed arts collective Meow Wolf, a children’s museum, and a Family Entertainment Zone. In addition to this site, painters were stationed at a total of 10 participating small businesses in the Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue NE corridor. When the paint dried, the muralists then handed off their completed masterpieces to the small business who inspired them, which we can also enjoy as a community for a long time to come.
Let’s meet
some of the artists who shared their art and views about the Art Crawl now.
Nessar Jahanbin
Artist Nessar Jahabin creating a piece for T-Mobile
“I like painting natural and organic imagery,” says Nessar Jahanbin, also known as JAH One. He created a flower bud suspended in a dewdrop to represent the T-Mobile Store at 5210 South Dakota Avenue NE. Using the company’s logo colors and a creative vibe inspired by graffiti street artists, the muralist deftly free formed the image, twisting and turning aerosol spray paint cans with a finesse usually reserved for paintbrushes.
Trained in the fine arts and a painter since childhood, this was Nessar’s first year participating in the Riggs Park Art Crawl. His T-Mobile inspired piece paid homage to the environment and graffiti street artists like Jay Hudson.
“It’s important to remind people about the artwork that comes from graffiti,” he says of the art form. “People appreciate murals but look down on street graffiti because what they generally see are tags and letters written on walls. They never get to see the beautiful art hidden away in places under bridges, or understand there is no way I could have done this (mural) without learning graffiti.”
Painting
letters with spray paint and then learning to manipulate their shapes and textures
to create new images inspires Nessar’s career as a muralist who shares stories and history on city walls.
“We live
in a society where people want instant gratification,” he says. “But spray
painting takes time” to record the times of our lives.
Orange Clockwork
Piece created by artist Orange Clockwork for Shining Stars Pediatric Dentistry
The mocking feline from Alice in Wonderland found a place on South Dakota Avenue during the 2nd Annual Riggs Park Art Crawl. “When I got here they told me the business I was to represent was the dentist office,” Shining Stars Pediatric Dentistry, located at 435 Ingraham Street NE.
The camera-shy
aerosol artist calling himself “Orange Clockwork” says he focused on “creating a kid friendly street
scape, something with a big smile,” to present the message “stay fresh,” adding
stars to make it pop. “That’s how I came up with the Cheshire Cat.”
J’nell Jordan
Artist J’nell Jordan working on a piece for Ramdass Pharmacy
“I love people and figurative work; a smile, body language,” says artist J’nell Jordan, a newcomer to the Art Crawl thanks to muralist Jay Hudson, who helped recruit the participating artists.
Painting for more than a decade, the Northern Virginia
native said she moved to the District five years ago after studying art at Adelphi
University in New York. She represented Ramdass
Pharmacy, located at 475 Ingraham Street NE, creating a piece
depicting a child clutching a lollipop and the hand of an adult to convey her
message of a friendly, neighborhood community. Learn more about Dr. Ramdass and
his pharmacy by listening to a podcast here
with David Kosub, Vice Chair of The Parks Main Street.
“It’s nice to do something in your own neighborhood and have
art uplift the businesses and get people involved.”
Matt Riegner
Artist Matt Riegner in front of his piece for the Modern at Art Place
“Originally
I had some grandiose ideas” of how to interpret the Modern
at Art Place apartment
community, says muralist Matt Riegner. See how grandiose
his work can be. Eventually the elegant simplicity of the building’s logo won
out, inspiring Matt to create a bold, abstract art piece.
“The arts scene in DC has blossomed and grown dramatically
over the past 10 years,” he says. “It comes and goes with who is in office,
idea exchanges, and social media.”
Recruited by Jay Hudson for the project, Matt said he has worked on
projects with the legendary street artist for the past seven years.
“The arts draw attention. Attention brings money. Money
brings development,” he mused. “I think DC has done a good job of defining the
District’s art culture. They’re using the arts in a constructive way that I
think people can appreciate and engage.”
Rhythm Bowers
Artist Rhythm Bowers working on her piece for Riggs Dry Cleaner
Even mystical, purple-hued, fairylike beings need their garments dry-cleaned. At least that’s the playful message Rhythm Bowers, a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, wanted to communicate while painting her animated street art outside Riggs Dry Cleaner at 5585 South Dakota Avenue NE.
“The Art
Crawl has been amazing,” she said of her debut experience with the second annual
event. “I’ve been wanting to paint outside and do something like this for a
while.”
“I feel it
will give my work more publicity and, hopefully, bring my pop culture style
into the city. It’s nice seeing art in
the city that has an animated style, like the art I create.”
Will Watson
Artist Will Watson in front of his work for Riggs Wine & Liquor
“I didn’t
know how to represent a liquor store in a positive light, admits Will
Watson
The recent graduate of a MFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art represented Riggs Wine & Liquor at 5581 South Dakota Avenue NE. He rose to the challenge, using spray paint to create an image of friendship and celebration.
“I wanted
to show something that wouldn’t encourage alcohol abuse but light heartedness
and fun, with a diverse group of colors. Cheers to friends,” says Will. “I hope
the work ends up in a place where people can look at it and smile.”
The young artist says his first time participating in the Art Crawl resulted from his patronage of the Art Crawl’s co-sponsor, Culture Coffee Too.
“I come to Culture Coffee Too often for lunch. I overheard Jay Hudson and [Edwin
Washington, (the Executive Director of The
Parks Main Street)] planning this event and I slipped them my business card.”
*Joann Stevens is a board member of The Parks Main Street. Edwin Washington is the executive director of The Parks Main Street. To learn about sponsorship and engagement opportunities, contact Edwin Washington at (202) 774-5542 or info@theparksmainstreet.org.
The saga that is the Fort Totten South project, a mixed-use townhouse development proposed by a partnership of EYA and JBG Smith for the southeast corner of South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road NE, moved forward on Tuesday June 18 when the DC Council approved the closure of the slip lanes at South Dakota and Riggs that took place in 2011.
This project was actually supposed to break ground some time ago but it was held up by a bureaucratic snafu. The project dates back to at least 2006. We have been reporting on this since 2014 (the blog was created in December 2013), so this project has been around in some form or fashion for a long time. You can read posts about the project here, here, here, and here.
In 2011, DDOT reconfigured the intersection at South Dakota and Riggs into a standard four corner intersection by closing two slip lanes at the southeast and southwest corners of South Dakota & Riggs. Development of Fort Totten South was predicated on that closure and the creation of a contiguous parcel of land for the development. Closing the slip lanes technically constituted a road closure, and road closures require Council (and Congressional) approval.
Part of the land to be developed for the project belonged to the District (known as the Fort Totten triangle). The above image shows the southeast corner of South Dakota & Riggs where the District parcel was located and the adjacent parcel owned by developer JBG Smith/EYA. A slip lane used to separate the two sites before the intersection was reconfigured by closing the slip lane. Previously the site was to be developed by a partnership of JBG and Lowe Enterprises as multifamily rental units. JBG Smith formed a new partnership with EYA to develop townhomes instead. Over a period of years, the District and the developer negotiated a purchase price, eventually coming to agreement on the final purchase price in 2016. When it came time to officially close the deal and prepare to break ground, officials realized that the Council had not approved the closure of the slip lanes (the road closure) when it actually happened back in 2011. That part of the process just fell through the cracks for whatever reason. Legislation was repeatedly introduced over the ensuing years to approve the closure. Now after the Council’s Tuesday vote approving the emergency legislation to close the slip lanes, it looks like financial closing on the sale of the District parcel can take place in the next few months and the project can finally break ground.
In the interim, the developer has tweaked the project. Recall that the original plans called for 160 townhomes, the majority at grade and around 65 stacked townhomes above a podium with retail on the ground floor. Now, the developer is proposing to replace the stacked townhomes on the podium with around 60 to 80 rental units for seniors, with the goal of providing as much affordable senior housing as possible. At grade, there will still be around 90 traditional townhomes. Retail square footage remains the same, sufficient for about seven retail spaces. Not clear what prompted this latest change, but given the ever-present concern in the community about seniors, this seems like it will be a welcome change.
The developer hopes to break ground by the fall and certainly no later than the end of the year.
Another Explore! FREE Community Festival is coming for everyone to enjoy. Learn about Explore Children’s Museum of Washington, D.C. while you enjoy arts and humanities activities with your friends and neighbors.
From 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. The Explore! Mission Mobile bus brings Sounds of the Solar System a musical composition program
Performance Schedule: 10:15 – 10:45am: Story Time with Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library Children’s Librarian
11:15 – 12:00pm: A Mad Science of DC Show: Spectacular Science of Fire and Ice!
12:30 – 1:30pm: Sarah Stardust: Science, Music and Movement! Stardust will play a science-y music set about microbes and supernovas from 12:30-1 p.m. followed by low gravity Space Yoga appropriate for all ages.
From 10:00am – 1:30pm:
The Uncle Devin Show – A Percussion Petting Zoo! Cowboy Barry’s Farm Petting Zoo Color with Luna from Adventures with Luna and Friends Face Painting by Fairy Jennabelle Makerspace with District Dance Arts
** Supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, these festivals are free to the community. The Modern is an ADA compliant, indoor/outdoor space donated in kind for these community events. Due to the free nature of the events, please only take as many tickets as needed, and cancel so others may attend if you are no longer able.**
Last night, the Zoning Commission voted 5-0-0 to approve the second phase of the Art Place at Fort Totten planned unit development (Block B). As a reminder, below are the key features of the second phase and the phasing plan for the remainder of the project.
Family Entertainment Zone (FEZ): Meow Wolf arts collective, children and adult programming
24,000 square foot Aldi grocery store
Food Hall
Explore! Children’s Museum
Subsidized ground floor artist studios & maker spaces
270 apartments with subsidized artist housing throughout – mix of studios (20%); 1 bedrooms (40%); and 2 bedrooms (40%)
Ground floor artist studios similar to Brookland Arts Walk
Other cultural uses
35,000 square feet additional ground floor retail
4th Street closed to provide shared vehicular/pedestrian walkway
Green roofs
Plazas and dog run
Proposed phasing plan
1st quarter 2020: Block B construction begins, expected to take 30 months
3rd quarter 2022: Block B construction completed
December 31, 2024: Developer will file PUD application for either Block C or Block D
December 31, 2030: Developer will file PUD application for final block
The Fridays at Fort Totten free concert series kicks off tomorrow with the Jimi Smooth Band! The concert series, hosted by The Modern at Art Place, features a different band and food truck every Friday 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the corner of South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street NE. Bring a lawn chair for seating.
I neglected to publish a recap of the Zoning Commission hearing for Art Place at Fort Totten Block B (it’s sitting in my draft box), but now is a good time to give an update since the developer has submitted its post-hearing statement. The public hearing was held on April 4. The Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association was granted party status in support of the project and raised a number of issues for the developer to address. (Disclosure: I currently serve as president of LRCA). You can read LRCA’s testimony here. Two residents presented testimony, primarily concerning traffic and transportation issues (read those here and here), and Casey Trees testified, requesting that the developer keep a number of trees that are slated to be removed for construction. The Zoning commissioners also raised a number of issues, which you can read below and in the developer’s post-hearing statement.
Design adjustments to the planned pedestrian bridge.
Consider addition of balconies in residential buildings.
Provide samples of all building materials.
Either incorporate solar panels in the design or show why solar panels cannot be accommodated on the green roofs.
Consider whether some design elements are too busy. In particular, the commission recommended facade guidelines for retailers so that they can still be customized but also look like they are part of the same project.
Investigate using darker colors for the exterior of the residential buildings because lighter colors tend not to age well over time without extensive maintenance to keep the colors clean and fresh.
Make sure consideration is given to how seniors can benefit from the project.
Commit to relocating the dog run in the project site as future phases are constructed and Kennedy Street is realigned.
Work with community on a retail plan.
Consider deeper affordability (both in number of units and income limits) in future phases if total number of housing units exceed the number approved in the original PUD order (around 929).
Resolve various issues with DDOT related to the new light signal, and whether the developer can in fact make crosswalk, right of way, and sidewalk improvements near the project site, in particular on 3rd Street, and where Hamilton, Ingraham, and the public alley meet.
15% discounted admission fee for DC residents for Meow Wolf
25% discounted admission fee on quarterly basis for Ward 4 & 5 residents to Explore! Children’s Museum
Commitment to relocate dog run in future phase of project after Kennedy Street realignment
For artist/maker spaces, will lease at subsidized rate no more than 50% per square foot what other retail tenants will be charged
Commitment to having 3 employment open houses for Aldi grocery store in the 4 months prior to opening
Providing deeper affordability for artist housing to 60% of median family income
Will pay for installation of bikeshare near site
The circular hub that is the prominent feature of the FEZ design will no longer feature the much discussed “kinetic” facade. Ever since the developer revealed its plans, there has been discussion about what exactly is going on, what materials will be used, whether it would be lit, whether it would disturb nearby residences. So in response the developer has gotten rid of the kinetic elements. Below are updated and more detailed renderings. The Zoning Commission will review the project on May 20.
Fridays at Fort Totten free outdoor concert series hosted by the Modern at Art Place is back! Starting June 7, each Friday evening, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm, there will be a band and food truck at the corner of South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street NE. Check out this summer’s lineup.
June 7 – Jimi Smooth Band June 14 – Jarreau Williams Xperience June 21 – Jah Works June 28 – Allthebestkids July 5 – The Monster Band July 12 – Pebble to Pearl July 19 – Sol Roots July 26 – Cecily August 2 – Oh He Dead August 9 – The JoGo Project August 16 – Feel Free August 23 – Deacon Izzy & The Congregation August 30 – Rain Date
The Washington, DC Economic Partnership released the 2019 Neighborhood Profiles. View the profile sheet for Riggs Park here. It is exciting to see some new additions to the neighborhood’s profile, including mention of the tenants secured for the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten (Meow Wolf and Aldi) and 24 Hour Fitness for the first phase of the project. The profile also highlights the extension of the Metropolitan Branch Trail from Brookland to Fort Totten and the forthcoming EYA mixed-use townhome project, which will feature roughly 160 townhomes and approximately 25,000 square feet of retail. It even has the contact information for the new neighborhood Main Street. The only thing missing from the profile is the neighborhood library’s upcoming $20 million rebuild! All in all, this profile sheet provides a cool, compact visual of the development on deck and a snapshot of the demographics in the neighborhood.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 