Catching up on news. A few articles mention that Metro will consider recommendations for service changes that would affect frequency of rush hour service on several lines. According to WAMU, “Rush Plus service on the Yellow Line would be eliminated, and the number of rush hour trains on the Green and Yellow tracks would drop from 26 to 15 per hour in each direction, which may lead to crowding on those two lines north of downtown D.C. between Fort Totten and Mount Vernon Square stations.” Service on the orange, blue, and silver line trains would also be affected by the recommendations. Metro will survey riders and hold public hearings before approving any service changes, so stay tuned for opportunities for input.
Category Archives: Transportation
Route/schedule adjustments coming to E Line Metrobuses serving Fort Totten/Riggs Park
According to Metro’s planning blog, permanent service adjustments to E line buses will become effective June 21:
- Route E2 will be revised as the Ivy City-Fort Totten Line. The route will operate between Ivy City and Fort Totten station only, and will no longer connect to Friendship Heights station.
- Extra “short trips” on Route E4 will be added, which will connect Fort Totten and Friendship Heights station (bypassing Riggs Park).
- The E3 weekend designation will be eliminated, because the new E2 and E4 will operate seven days a week.
More on MBT extension (on tonight’s ANC 5A meeting agenda)
MBT proposed extension map
If you did not make it to the open house for the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) extension, there will be another chance to learn about the proposed design from DDOT at ANC 5A’s public meeting on March 25. Information about the trail is available on the project website. The WashCycle also has a nice post about the extension.
The new section will run from Brookland to Takoma, so that means that our neighborhood will finally be connected to the existing off-street trail. The new section will run along the railroad tracks from Bates Road to Fort Totten metro station, then along First Place NE, Riggs Road NE, First Street NE, and Blair Road NW. There will also be a new sidewalk on 1st Place NE by the metro station, which is a nice bonus.
The trail experience for the new section will be a bit different from the existing off-street trail because the new section will traverse three major intersections (Riggs Road, New Hampshire Avenue, and Kansas Avenue) and will not run completely alongside the train tracks as the existing off-street trail mostly does. But, we love that progress is happening to finish the trail.
The proposed design is just a preliminary design. The final design is anticipated to be complete in 2016 and optimistically construction will begin in 2017. Comments may be sent to jim.sebastian@dc.gov.
If you support the trail or have questions, please consider coming out to ANC 5A’s meeting tonight (March 25) at 6:45 pm at UDC-CC’s Backus campus.
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- John McCormack Drive NE to Fort Totten
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- 1st Place and Riggs Road NE
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- Oglethorpe Community Garden
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- Blair Road NW
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- Van Buren to Aspen Street NW
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- Sandy Spring Road NW
March 21 & 23: Learn about the proposed Fort Totten extension to the MBT
Two opportunities are coming up to learn about the Fort Totten extension to the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) and give feedback. Design is underway to extend the MBT from Brookland to Takoma. The new section will run along the railroad tracks from Bates Road to Fort Totten metro station, then along First Place NE, Riggs Road NE, First Street NE, and Blair Road NW.
1. March 21, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm DDOT and ANC 4B are hosting a public open house on the extension.
Location: MPD 4th District Headquarters (6001 Georgia Ave NW)
2. March 23, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm DDOT and ANC 4B team up again before ANC 4B’s regular public meeting to give the public a chance to view the plans.
Location: MPD 4th District Headquarters (6001 Georgia Ave NW)
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) is also hosting an informal happy hour on March 19 at Simple Bar & Grill in Brightwood to build community support for the extension. RSVP here.
More information about the MBT and the proposed design is available on the MBT website. Comments and requests for information may be directed to jim.sebastian@dc.gov.
March 21: Save the date for public open house on the MBT
We anticipate there will be a meeting in ANC 5A, but in the meantime save the date for March 21 in ANC 4B. The meeting will be open to everyone.
A message from the MBT Facebook page:
DDOT and ANC4B will host a public open house on Saturday, March 21 to discuss the preliminary design trail from Ft. Totten to Takoma. 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the 4th District police station at Georgia and Peabody, NW. More details to come.
Update on Fort Totten section of the MBT
WashCycle provides an update on the Fort Totten section of the MBT:
DDOT is planning to have a public meeting some time this spring at which they will present the preliminary design of the Metropolitan Branch Trail’s Fort Totten Section. This is the section in the Takoma and Brookland neighborhoods, from Bates Road at the trash transfer station to the Maryland boundary at Eastern Avenue. They hope to have a draft 30% design completed by this summer and a final version of that completed by the end of the year. That would allow for a final design to be funded in FY 2016 and construction in 2017.
Speaking of clearing sidewalks
Developers are not the only offenders when it comes to not clearing sidewalks after wintry weather. District government tends to be a big offender. See this picture we took on Monday evening of the sidewalk in front of the DOES building on Hamilton Street.
Hamilton Street sidewalk in front of DOES building
Around the corner on South Dakota Avenue, the sidewalk has been cleared in front of UDC-CC, but for some strange reason, the sidewalk on Hamilton is a problem.
Absentee property owners are also offenders. There is a corner house being renovated on Hamilton Street and the owner never clears the sidewalk. Further up Hamilton Street is a group house with one diligent tenant who clears the walk when he is around, but if he is not, the others in the house do not do so. It might be too much to ask neighbors to clear the sidewalk for an absentee owner, but maybe that is the neighborly thing to do.
Generally though, people have been pretty good about clearing the sidewalks and helping each other out.
Comment on proposed metro path by February 19
There is one week left to comment on the National Park Service’s environmental assessment of construction of a formal path between Gallatin and Galloway Street NE to improve access to Fort Totten metro station. Currently, no funding plan exists to construct a path. However, it is an easier sell if 100 comments are received as opposed to 25. Let neighbors who do not use computers know how they can comment or invite them over to use yours. Comments do not have to be elaborate. Just let the Park Service know where you stand on having a formal path to get to the metro station.
Ways to comment:
- Online (NPS preferred method): Go to the Fort Totten-North Michigan Park Pedestrian Access Improvement Project EA website and click on the “Open for Comment” link on the left-hand side of the screen
- By mail:
Rock Creek Park
Attn: Fort Totten-North Michigan Park Pedestrian Access Improvements EA
3545 Williamsburg Lane, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Comments must be submitted or postmarked by February 19, 2015.
Metrorail service changes for Tuesday morning
Metrorail service information for Tuesday, January 13
Updated: 4:55 a.m. / January 13, 2015
Metro is advising rail customers of the following service changes for Tuesday, January 13, following today’s incident at L’Enfant Plaza:
All Yellow Line service will be replaced with additional Blue Line trains operating between Huntington and Largo Town Center, via Rosslyn. Trains on this route will depart every 12 minutes. Use Green Line trains for service between Greenbelt and Downtown DC.
Blue Line trains between Franconia-Springfield and Largo Town Center will operate every 12 minutes.
Orange Line trains will run every 8 minutes between Vienna and New Carrollton.
Silver Line trains will run every 12 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and Largo Town Center, with many trains expanded to 8-cars long to provide additional capacity.
Green Line trains will run normal service every 6 minutes between Branch Avenue and Greenbelt.
Red Line service is unaffected and will operate on a regular weekday schedule.
A limited shuttle bus option is available between Pentagon and L’Enfant Plaza, running every 20 minutes. Board shuttle buses from Pentagon on the lower level of the Pentagon bus bays; from L’Enfant Plaza at 7th & Maryland St SW.
FOR UPDATED SERVICE INFORMATION, PLEASE CHECK OUR ALERTS PAGE.
Regular Metrobus and Circulator bus service may provide a good alternate travel option for some riders. To check, use the Trip Planner at wmata.com and select the “bus only” option.
Proposed Capital Bikeshare price increase
Capital Bikeshare is hosting an open house on January 28, 2015, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library (901 G Street NW) to discuss proposed price increases, future expansion plans, and rider policy. The price for an annual pre-paid membership would increase $10 to $85. Usage fees for trips over 30 minutes would remain the same. The entire proposed fee schedule is printed in the chart below. Written comments on the proposed fee schedule may also be submitted via email by February 15, 2015.
Proposed price increases (source: Capital Bikeshare)
Register for a 2015 Visitor Parking Pass
In order to receive a 2015 Visitor Parking Pass, registration is required. Register online on DDOT’s website or contact DDOT at (202) 673-6813 (business hours are Monday – Friday, 8:15 am – 4:45 pm). For a list of FAQs about the new procedure, visit DDOT’s website.
October 18 & 19: Free shuttle buses replace Fort Totten red line trains
From 12:01 am Saturday to closing time Sunday, free shuttle buses replace red line trains between Rhode Island and Silver Spring. From WMATA’s website:
Stations Closed: Brookland, Fort Totten (Red Line platform) & Takoma
Last Train Time Change: The last Red Line train of the night from Glenmont to Silver Spring will depart 40 minutes earlier than normal to allow for shuttle bus connections. On Friday and Saturday nights, the last train will leave Glenmont at 1:57 a.m. On Sunday, the last train will leave Glenmont at 10:57 p.m.
Free shuttle buses will replace Red Line trains between Rhode Island Ave & Silver Spring. Shuttle buses will operate on two routes:
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Express buses will operate between Rhode Island Avenue and Silver Spring with no intermediate stops. Please add up to 25 minutes of travel time.
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Local buses will operate between Rhode Island Ave and Silver Spring, making intermediate stops at Brookland, Fort Totten and Takoma. Please allow 15 minutes of travel time for each station stop.
September 20: WABA Walking Tour of Northern Phase of MBT
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is hosting a 2.2 mile walking tour of the planned northern phase of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) on Saturday, September 20, 2014. The tour starts at Fort Totten metro station at 1:00pm and will end at Takoma metro station around 3:30 pm. Click here for more information and to register.
Updates from SMD 5A08 Meeting: Art Place and Metro shortcuts
Art Place at Fort Totten
At last night’s SMD 5A08 meeting, we heard a few updates regarding Building A at Art Place at Fort Totten. The construction team is waiting for final approval of the traffic control plan to start construction. The entire site will need to be fenced off before they begin relocating the utilities underneath Hamilton Street NE, which will be permanently closed. Once construction starts, there will be jersey barriers along the north side of Galloway Street NE so that pedestrians can access the metro station. That means there will no longer be a parking lane for cars on the north side of Galloway. The bus stops on both sides of Galloway should remain accessible during construction.
The architect mentioned one change that they are proposing to the residential parking. As approved, the residential building is to have around 344 residential parking spaces in a structured garage. The team proposes to reduce that amount by 80 spaces, dropping 1.5 floors of parking, to reduce costs. That leaves around 264 spaces for 520 units. The building will have 141 affordable units (of which 98 will be reserved for seniors), enough to relocate the residents of the Riggs Plaza apartments. The residential apartment building is slated to have a senior work room/quiet area for seniors, rooftop pool and barbecue area, and fitness room. In adidtion to retail tenants, Building A will have space for an ANC 5A office, and possibly a daycare center. They are still working on executing leases with retailers.
National Park Service Environment Study on Improvements to Paths between Gallatin and Galloway Street NE
The deadline to comment on the National Park Service options for improvements to the paths between Gallatin and Galloway is May 2, 2014. Visit the project website by clicking here. In addition to commenting on the specific options, individuals can share anything they wish about the paths. The official from the NPS emphasized that this is an environmental study, so when they evaluate the comments, they will do so with an eye towards the impact any proposed action would have on the native plants and trees and experience of the park. He also noted that the NPS does not yet have funding to implement any particular plan, but this environmental study is the first step in determining what they want to do and how much to budget for it. Commissioner Angel Alston noted that there might be an opportunity for partnership to fund implementation and maintenance of any proposed plan. The commissioner asks that people print out their comment so that the ANC has a record of the comments (a “print this page” tab will appear once a comment is submitted). The ANC will vote on a recommendation at the next ANC 5A meeting.
Reminder: NPS will be at tonight’s ANC 5A meeting to discuss metro shortcuts from Gallatin to Galloway Street
- What: ANC 5A monthly public meeting
- When: Tonight, March 26,2014 at 6:45 pm
- Where: UDC-CC, Backus, Room 129 (5171 South Dakota Ave NE)
- Why: The National Park Service is doing an environmental study on improvements to the shortcuts people are taking through the parkland between Gallatin and Galloway Streets to access the metro station and bus bays. NPS representatives will be at tonight’s meeting to discuss options.
Can’t make tonight’s meeting? Visit the project website and submit comments by May 2, 2014.
No bidders for Fort Totten metro development
The Washington Business Journal brings us news that there were no submissions to WMATA’s solicitation for joint development at Fort Totten metro station. The solicitation to develop the large park-and-ride lot went out in November 2013. Submissions were due March 7, 2014. Stan Wall, WMATA’s director of real estate and station planning, presented on the project at an ANC meeting in January 2014. From the WBJ article:
There were no submissions for Fort Totten. At that site, Metro offered a relatively small parcel and required the replacement of roughly 400 commuter parking spaces. The cost of the project would be more than the value of any new development, Wall said, but he expects interest to grow over time.
“It’s not quite ready but I think it’ll be back in a year or two,” he said of Fort Totten.
Essentially, the cost of replacing the 400 or so parking spaces alone is a pretty high financial barrier to development of the property right now. In addition, potential developers were wary about the two developments already in the pipeline, Fort Totten Square (which will bring 345 apartments to the area) and Art Place at Fort Totten (which is estimated to bring close to 900 apartments). Once Fort Totten Square is completed in spring 2015 and Art Place is further along, developers will be able to see more clearly the level of investment in the area.
It is not clear if any of this will impact DDOT’s accessibility project around the metro station. While DDOT is coordinating with WMATA because some of the potential changes will affect WMATA’s property, DDOT’s project is completely separate from WMATA’s solicitation for joint development of the large parking lot.
Heads Up: Changes to metrobus routes effective March 30
On March 30, 2014, a number of Metrobus routes will change. For the immediate area:
Route 80 – North Capitol Street
- Every other trip departing Fort Totten will end at McPherson Square at most times of the day on weekdays.
- Near Potomac Park, southbound buses will use the Virginia Avenue underpass at 23rd Street and no longer serve stops on Virginia Avenue at 22nd and 25th Streets NW. Alternate bus stops are available along Virginia Avenue NW at 21st and 24th Streets NW.
Route 60 – Fort Totten-Petworth
- A new schedule will reflect trip time adjustments.
- Time between buses during weekday, midday hours will increase to every 45 minutes to improve on-time performance.
View other bus route changes on Metro’s website.
Comments due May 2nd on improvements to metro shortcuts between Gallatin and Galloway Street NE
The National Park Service has posted online documents related to potential improvements to the paths between Gallatin Street and Galloway Street NE that North Michigan Park residents use as shortcuts to access Fort Totten metro station. The documents can be found on the NPS Planning, Environment, & Public Comment website (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/rocr) under the project title Prepare Environmental Assessment for Improving Fort Totten-North Michigan Park Pedestrian Access and clicking on “Document List”. The comment period closes May 2, 2014. There are a few ways to submit comments:
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At ANC 5A’s meeting on Wednesday, March 26, 2014, at 6:30 pm at UDC-CC (Backus), Room 129
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Electronically through the project portal site by clicking on the “Open For Comment” link
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Fax to (202) 895-6015
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Mail (postmarked by May 2, 2014) or Hand deliver to:
Superintendent
Rock Creek Park
Fort Totten North Michigan Park Pedestrian Access Improvements Environmental Assessment
3545 Williamsburg Lane NW
Washington, DC 20008-1207
The NPS is proposing four options:
(1) No Action: The NPS notes current management is in effect, mowing the unofficial trail from South Dakota Avenue to Galloway Street. Under this proposed option, there would be no NPS maintenance of the trail between Galloway and Gallatin at 6th Place NE. The temporary light towers would not remain.
(2) Improve Street Side Pedestrian Access: The NPS proposes to fence the project area to protect park resources. Possibly construct a sidewalk on the north side of Gallatin Street (DDOT is already considering constructing a sidewalk on the south side of Galloway). Possibly install lighting around the perimeter of the project area.
(3) Provide a direct path to provide the greatest unobstructed line-of-sight as possible from the beginning to the end of the trail. The NPS could formalize one of the existing short trails that residents currently use and could also provide trail lighting.
(4) Construct a trail system with amenities that allows for unobstructed line-of-sight. Amenities could include benches, lighting, and picnic tables. The area could be cleared of invasive plants, resulting in appearance similar to the park areas east of South Dakota Ave.
Below is the document handed out at the March 19, 2014, meeting.
We have bikeshare
At last. This morning DDOT installed a new Capital bikeshare dock at Fort Totten metro station. The dock is located in the median just west of the tracks by the taxi queue.
Bikeshare at Fort Totten metro station
Recap of ANC 5A meeting: Zoning, Library, Fort Totten metro station
Highlights from the January 29th ANC 5A public meeting:
Miscellaneous items
- The commission elected the same slate of officers.
- The commission is looking for an office assistant available to work around 20 hours per week. Direct inquiries and leads to your commissioner.
- Ward 5 Councilmember McDuffie said that the Ward 5 Industrial Land Transformation report is still under review, but he hopes that the task force can have that out to the public in the next couple of months.
- Art Place at Fort Totten: The Cafritz team will likely have to file for a PUD extension.
- Path between Gallatin & Galloway Street NE: Expect notice of a meeting for SMD 5A08 regarding the National Park Service environment study.
- Hotel: Developers presented on a new Marriott brand hotel proposed for a site at Michigan Avenue NE and Irving Street NE. A parking lot currently sits at this site. The area was part of ANC 5C prior to revision of the ANC boundaries. Now it is in ANC 5A. The developers believe the area, with several hospitals and universities, will be well-served by a hotel and they plan to provide discounted community rates on rooms and hotel facilities. They also emphasized the importance of hiring from the community.
- McMillan Sand Filtration Site: The commission plans to draft a resolution in support of ANC 5E’s resolution on the first phase of the McMillan project.
Zoning
The ANC plans to draft a resolution requesting more time to review the zoning update. The Ward 5 hearing on the zoning update is 9:00 am on Saturday, February 8, 2014, at Dunbar High School. The Ward 4 hearing is at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, at Wilson High School. The Office of Zoning will accept written testimony after today’s deadline for written submission, but might not have time to review it before scheduled hearings. Individuals can also testify in person. Early sign up is encouraged since testimony will take place on a first come, first serve basis. Instructions and more information are available on Zoning’s site.
Lamond Riggs Library
The ANC plans to draft a resolution requesting the full modernization and renovation of Lamond Riggs Library at its current location. Recall that the Cafritz project potentially includes a new, state-of-the art neighborhood library in a later phase of the development. However, since there is no indication of when the project will actually break ground on the first phase, the ANC believes it does not make sense to make the update of the library contingent on the Cafritz project. Recall from this post that the FY 2014 budget included zero funding for renovating the library, but there is proposed funding for FY 2015 & 2016. The budget summary noted that DC’s chief librarian was in communication with the Cafritz team about the libary. We look forward to seeing the resolution the commission draws up at a future meeting.
WMATA Joint Development for Fort Totten Metro Station
Stan Wall, WMATA’s real estate development director, presented on WMATA’s joint soliciation for proposed development of the park-and-ride lot (west parcel) at Fort Totten metro station. As mentioned in previous posts, WMATA anticipates that this project will be all or primarily residential, with possibly a very small retail component. Below is a 4 pager that was distributed at the meeting showing conceptual designs of circulation pattern, massing, potential development concepts, and a timeline for the project. A developer can propose a concept not shown as long as it meets the requirements in the solicitation.
Mr. Wall said that WMATA’s chief concerns with this project are that it enhance the community and have good placemaking and design elements. He noted that Aventine Fort Totten (and even Rhode Island Row), while transit-oriented in the sense that they abut a metro station, are not so great in terms of looking like they fit, enhancing the community, or having good placemaking elements. In addition, with this project, they hope to add more eyes to the street around First Place NE, thereby making it safer for those accessing the station from west of the tracks.
WMATA plans to hold community meetings after proposals have been submitted. They plan to have boards for each proposal so that residents can say which elements of each they like. That way, WMATA can work with the developer they ultimately select to incorporate certain things the community found favorable even if those elements were not originally in the proposal.
Submissions are due March 7, 2014. The total time for selection of a developer and negotiating an agreement is expected to be one year. If the project needs to go through the planned unit development (PUD) process (for example if the developer wants to do something not currently permitted under zoning laws), then expect additional time. All told, the project is expected to be completed in the 2017-2018 timeframe.
For those interested in learning more about the project before the community forums begin, it’s worth taking a look at the 13 pages from the solicitation pertaining just to Fort Totten station: Full WMATA Fort Totten Development Section (source: WMATA Joint Development Solicition November 2013 (pdf)).
