[Ed. Note: Neighbors near or interested in the 801 Buchanan Street NE project should join the distribution list for ANC Commissioner Emily Singer Lucio (5A03). That is the best way to get regular updates about this project. I am not following this project closely.]

From ANC Commissioner Emily Singer Lucio:

Now that the Conway Education Center is complete, the next project will be the demolition of the old Kennedy School building and the construction of the townhomes.  The developer has asked to meet with us to give us an update and share a proposed change to the plan. I have scheduled a meeting for Monday at 7:00 pm.

Please encourage all of those within 200 feet to attend the meeting.

ANC 5A Office (ANC 5A) is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: SMD 5A03
Time: Apr 20, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://dc-gov.zoom.us/j/85603064323?pwd=tOzlccIWelj3k4VbNTeOpvW7Ifg0Rb.1

Meeting ID: 856 0306 4323
Passcode: 422001

An open house for the Conway Child Development Center will be held on April 25, 2026, 12pm-3pm, at 801 Buchanan Street NE.

The Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) is now accepting applications for the 2026 Scholarship Award.

Deadline: Friday, May 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
Apply here: https://lrcadc.org/lrca-scholarship-application

LRCA will award Academic Excellence Scholarships of up to $2,000 to eligible graduating high school seniors and eligible college or trade school students who demonstrate academic achievement, financial need, and a commitment to community impact.

Thanks to reader Connor for passing along info about the upcoming closure of the 7-Eleven by Fort Totten station on May 6. This store has been around for close to 20 years. Another is not too far away at South Dakota and Kennedy.

Plymouth Congregational and New Hope Baptist United Churches of Christ host a food pantry 10am-12noon on the fourth Saturday of each month at 5301 North Capitol Street NE.

As a reminder, there are several other food pantries in and around the neighborhood.

DC Bilingual Public Charter School Family Food Market (1st Friday monthly, October through June)
33 Riggs Road NE
11:00 am-1:00 pm
Produce & shelf stable items
For more information, email uejimofor@dcbilingual.org
Sponsored by Capital Area Food Bank

Impact DMV Church (1st Saturday monthly)
5335 1st Place NE
11:00 am-1:00 pm
Groceries

Faith United Church of Christ (3rd Wednesday monthly)
4900 10th Street NE
9:00 am (food usually runs out by 11:30 am)
Produce market and diaper bank

For more information, contact faithuccdc@gmail.com or 202-635-7777.

LaSalle-Backus Elementary School Family Food Market (Typically 3rd Thursday monthly, October through June)
501 Riggs Road NE (enter on Madison Street side of campus)
3:30 pm-5:30 pm (people start lining up as early as 2:30)
Produce & shelf stable items

Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center (3rd Saturday monthly)
501 Riggs Road NE (enter on Nicholson Street side)
11:00 am
Fresh produce, canned goods, & fresh quarter chicken
Sponsored by Andre Lee (Lee Little League)/Feed My People Ministry

DC’s Office of Planning released a Draft Future Land Use Map (FLUM) for DC’s next Comprehensive Plan that OP is calling DC 2050. The FLUM is designed to provide a view of where different land uses are recommended or planned. The FLUM is important because it can be used to support changes to land use. (Recall that McDonald’s used their requested change to the FLUM to support its quest to upzone their parcel for the sole purpose of putting in a drive-thru as a matter of right. OP signed off on that).

OP is using an approach called Place Types that they say will help make it easier to understand how a property can be used.

Attend OP’s Phase 2 spring workshop on March 21 at Martin Luther King, Jr. Library at 11am to give input on the Draft FLUM.

Draft FLUM Changes

OP states the changes in the Draft FLUM are designed to do three things:

1. Increase opportunities for more housing along high-frequency bus routes and metro stations, to direct more housing to neighborhoods that haven’t had a lot of development;
2. Distribute housing opportunities across DC’s wards, to ensure fair and balanced housing development across the District; and
3. Allow more types of housing and amenities, to meet the diverse needs of DC’s current and future residents.

OP also provided an explanation of the considerations that went into the Deaft FLUM:

The current Future Land Use Map has an estimated capacity of 445,000 total households. In order to keep housing prices from rising relative to inflation, OP estimates that we will need at least 460,000 households by 2050. The DC 2050 Future Land Use Map proposes adding capacity to meet this new target by identifying new land use changes near transit, in areas that have grown less over the past twenty years, and with additional analysis in areas with the highest risk of displacement.

See OP explainer on Draft FLUM.

One thing to keep in mind is that Riggs Park has an approved Riggs Road/South Dakota Avenue Area Development Plan (sometimes referred to as a small area plan) for the commercial corridor. I previously asked OP reps how they intend to incorporate approved plans, which are consensus documents, into the new Comprehensive Plan. They said that for plans approved before a certain year, the plans would be incorporated into the Comp Plan through the FLUM. I do not remember the year OP stated, but it would cover our neighborhood plan, which was approved in 2009.

I do not remember what OP said about small area plans in progress or plans approved after a certain year. It would probably be helpful for OP to put all of this in the explanation.

Check out OP’s DC 2050 website. It has lots of resources to help residents understand how OP is approaching the Comp Plan rewrite.

If you would like to give feedback on the Draft Flum, attend tomorrow’s workshop or stay tuned for OP’s survey.

Mayor Bowser announced 5 pop-up salt distribution locations Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

Bring a bucket, a wagon, a box—anything to come pick up salt to address icy and hazardous conditions near your home.

Pick-up times:

• 9-11am
• 12-2pm
• 3-5pm

Locations:

• Deanwood Rec
• Greenleaf Rec
• Kennedy Rec
• Turkey Thicket
• Wilson Aquatic

Edited to add: Availability is offered in designated time windows, and advanced sign-up is recommended.

ANC Commissioner Danielle Geong (4B09) passed along the following press release from DPW.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 30, 2026

CONTACT:

Nancee Lyons (DPW) – (202) 368-7622; nancee.lyons@dc.gov

DPW to Begin Frontside Household Trash and Recycling Collections this Weekend

Residents Should Expect More Updates on Sunday Evening Based on Progress Made Clearing Pathways through Alleys

(Washington, DC) – The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) has announced that sanitation collections, which were delayed this week due to the winter weather, will resume on Saturday, January 31.

Residential collections will also resume this weekend for households that normally receive frontside trash and recycling collection on Mondays and Tuesdays.

• Households that normally receive Monday frontside collection are asked to put their trash and recycling bins out front by 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 31 for pickup on Saturday.
• Households that normally receive Tuesday frontside collection are asked to put their trash and recycling bins out front by 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, February 1 for a Sunday pickup.

Starting today, the District is bringing on additional bobcats that will start clearing pathways through the alleys. These pathways will allow DPW collections teams to walk into the alleys. Throughout the weekend, teams will prioritize clearing pathways in alleys that normally get Monday and Tuesday collection.

The goal is that by Monday, DPW can resume household collections on the regular schedule for alleys and frontside. For this coming week, the same trucks will take trash and recycling; households with space in their recycling cans may choose to wait for regular recycling collections to resume before putting their recycling out.

Based on the progress that the Snow Team is able to make in clearing pathways through alleys over the weekend, DPW will provide another collections update on Sunday evening.

DPW teams have also been out doing two 12-hour shifts per day to collect waste from public litter cans. Those two 12-hour shifts will continue throughout the weekend. 

For more information regarding DPW services, visit dpw.dc.gov. To report a concern or request service, residents can call 311, visit 311.dc.gov, or use the DC 311 mobile app.

Join Metro Transit Police Department for their annual Holiday Bus event at Fort Totten Metro station on December 18, 2025, 5:30 pm-7:30 pm. Enjoy festive bus decorations, music, and holiday treats.

Update 10/27/2025: Beginning the week of October 27, World Central Kitchen food trucks will distribute meals to federal workers. For more info, visit https://wck.org/news/first-alert-shutdown-25.

• Federal Worker Solidarity Fund, hosted by the Community Services Agency of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, provides up to $500 in emergency financial assistance for eligible federal workers in the DC region impacted by the government shutdown. Donations may also be made at the link.

• My Fed Benefits Shutdown Assistance Map of Nationwide Resources lists available resources locally and nationally for federal workers impacted by the government shutdown.

• Beginning the week of October 20, Capital Area Food Bank will distribute food boxes of produce and shelf stable items to federal workers impacted by the government shutdown on the following days/times. Visitors will need to show government ID.

Anyone in need of food assistance can find the times and locations of additional food distributions among the Capital Area Food Bank’s partner network by visiting the Get Help page. If you have any questions about food assistance or these distributions, please call the Hunger Lifeline at (202) 644-9807.

Neighborhood Food Distributions

DC Bilingual Public Charter School Family Food Market (1st Friday monthly, October through June)
33 Riggs Road NE
11:00 am-1:00 pm
Produce & shelf stable items
For more information, email uejimofor@dcbilingual.org
Sponsored by Capital Area Food Bank

Faith United Church of Christ (3rd Wednesday monthly)
4900 10th Street NE
9:00 am (food usually runs out by 11:30 am)
Produce market and diaper bank

For more information, contact faithuccdc@gmail.com or 202-635-7777

LaSalle-Backus Elementary School Family Food Market (Typically 3rd Thursday monthly, October through June)
501 Riggs Road NE (enter on Madison Street side of campus)
3:30 pm-5:30 pm (people start lining up as early as 2:30)
Produce & shelf stable items
Sponsored by Capital Area Food Bank

Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center (3rd Saturday monthly)
501 Riggs Road NE (enter on Nicholson Street side)
11:00 am
Fresh produce, canned goods, & fresh quarter chicken
Sponsored by Andre Lee (Lee Little League)/Feed My People Ministry)

Plymouth Congregational Church Community Festival

October 4, 2025

Noon-5pm

5301 North Capitol Street NE

Join Plymouth Congregational Church & New Hope Baptist Church for their annual community festival.

Moon bounce, fresh produce giveaway, arts & crafts, music & more.