[Ed. Note: DPW is now requiring registration for special waste collection events. Be sure to register to secure your desired time slot if you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity to get rid of household waste.]
Copied and pasted from the Ward 5 MOCR Team
Join us for the DC Department of Public Works (DPW) Special Waste Collection Events, where you can safely dispose of or recycle your household hazardous waste, electronics, and secure documents. To accommodate everyone safely and in a timely manner, DPW now requires registration to participate in the Special Waste Collection Events. Sign up below for a 15-minute arrival slot. You may arrive anytime during this period, and a DPW staff member will assist you. Your arrival period is not a reservation. If there is a line when you arrive, please join the line, and DPW will work to process everyone quickly. Only one ticket is required per vehicle. Entry is not allowed before 10:00 a.m. or after 2:00 p.m. Open to DC residents only. Please bring proof of residency (e.g., driver’s license, utility bill, lease agreement) and the Eventbrite registration. Have your ID and registration ready upon arrival. A DC resident must be present in every vehicle that arrives. Absolutely no commercial waste will be allowed.
Have your ID and Eventbrite registration ready upon arrival.
Join the line when you arrive and remain in your vehicle at all times
Remove personal items from your trunk when dropping off special waste.
Follow the instructions from all DPW crew members.
Put away electronic devices to avoid distractions while driving.
Leave No Trace
Plan Ahead
Dispose of your waste properly
Be considerate of others
Our team will be on-site to help you unload and answer any questions you may have. Let’s work together to keep our community clean and green. See you there!
The application period for DDOT’s e-bike voucher program will be open February 1-21, 2025. District residents may apply for a voucher worth up to $1,500 to help purchase an e-bike. To participate in the Program, individuals must:
Be a District resident;
Be over 18 years old;
If applying as a Preferred Applicant, be enrolled in SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, or the DC Healthcare Alliance.
Not have received an e-bike voucher from this program in 2024.
Note, this year’s program will not include vouchers for cargo e-bikes. District residents must apply for a voucher in advance and be approved before buying an e-bike or other items
Aldi will be opening at 5300 South Dakota Avenue NE on December 5, 2024. Sneak peek on December 4. Workers were handing out coupons this morning at Fort Totten Metro station.
We’re stocking our shelves with aisle after aisle of products you’ll love, and we can’t wait to meet you! The grand opening for our new grocery store in Washington is right around the corner, and so are your savings. We’ve got everything from fresh produce delivered daily to everyday essentials you can never have enough of. Circle the date December 5th and come experience a better way to shop. You can find us at 5300 South Dakota Ave NE, Washington, DC 20011. Swing by and don’t forget your ALDI quarter!
Get a Sneak Peek Starting on December 4th
Get a Sneak Peek of the new ALDI store starting on December 4th. Fully shop the store and find all your favorite ALDI products. We are so excited to see you!
Join the Ribbon Cutting
Our grand opening is right around the corner! We will be hosting a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on December 5th at 9:00 a.m. The ceremony will take place about 30 minutes before the store opens. Customers will be allowed to enter the store immediately following the ceremony. We look forward to being your go-to grocer!
Enter for a chance to win a $500 Gift Card!*
Look for the signs inside the store to scan the code and enter your details for a chance to win a $500 ALDI Gift Card!* Enter between December 5 – 8.
* NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER/WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING. Open to legal residents of 50 US or DC, 18+ and at least age of majority. Subject to full Official Rules available via our website Grand Openings Terms & Conditions or at the ALDI Store. Begins 12/05/2024 and ends 12/08/2024 local time during store hours. Limit 1 entry per person/household. Prize: One $500 ALDI gift card. Odds depend on number of eligible entries. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: ALDI, Inc., 1200 N. Kirk Rd., Batavia, IL 60510.
Receive a Golden Ticket
The first 100 customers on December 5th will receive a Golden Ticket that could be worth up to $100.** An ALDI employee will hand out laminated numbered cards.
** NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Valid only at ALDI Store at 5300 South Dakota Ave NE, Washington, DC 20011 (“Store”). Begins when Store opens on 12/05/2024; ends when Store closes that day or when all prizes are claimed, if earlier. Open to US residents age 18+ who live within 50 miles of Store. Void where prohibited. Subject to full Official Rules available via our website Grand Openings Terms & Conditions or at the ALDI Store. Odds depend on total # of participants and time of arrival. Total ARV of all prizes: $2200. See rules for full prize details and odds. Sponsor: ALDI, Inc., 1200 N. Kirk Rd., Batavia, IL 60510.
Get a Bag of ALDI Goodies
On December 5th the first 100 customers will receive a bag of ALDI goodies. An ALDI employee will hand out a free eco-friendly bag stuffed with ALDI products!
Free Shopping Tote
On December 5th look for an ALDI employee to receive your Free ALDI Shopping Tote! Quantities are limited, so make sure you get to the store early to enjoy all of the festivities!
ALDI Gives Back
ALDI is proud to donate $1,000 to a local Feeding America affiliate as part of this grand opening. ALDI is committed to ending food insecurity by working with Feeding America and its network of affiliates to increase the access local communities have to quality nutritious foods required for a healthy and active lifestyle. In addition to this donation, ALDI will also work to ensure food that is no longer sellable, but is still edible, is available to the local community through the Feeding America network.
On December 4, 2024, the DC Council Committee on Recreation & Community Affairs will hold a roundtable regarding DC’s park system and challenges and opportunities for collaboration with the National Park Service.
Requests to provide oral testimony must be made by 5:00 pm on November 26, 2024. Individuals may provide oral testimony in person or virtually. For more details and to register to testify, visit the hearing page.
Written testimony will be accepted until 5:00 pm on December 11, 2024.
On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, Councilmember Matt Frumin will hold a public roundtable to discuss matters pertaining to the District of Columbia’s park system and collaboration among DC government agencies and the National Park Service (NPS). Subjects for discussion include equitable use of, and access to, locally and federally managed parks in the District, and the current state of collaboration among local agencies and the NPS.
From DC Department of Housing and Community Development
The DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is hosting citywide Housing Listening Sessions to provide information on the District’s housing resources and programs and so residents can share their housing needs and concerns. DHCD is hosting the Ward 5 Housing Listening Session on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 5:30 pm at Woodridge Library (1801 Hamlin Street NE). For more information, visit Ward 5 Housing Listening Session.
DHCD’s Ward 5 Housing Listening Session
Thursday, November 14, 2024 5:30 pm Woodridge Neighborhood Library 1801 Hamlin Street NE, Washington, DC
Food & Friends is requesting a curb cut on South Dakota Avenue just north of Kennedy Street NE. The so-called conceptual curb cut request will be the subject of a DC Public Space Committee meeting on August 22, 2024 (application #445416).
Food & Friends is looking to expand its building on the corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE in order to serve more clients. Because the land to the north of the property is District-owned land slated for park space, Food & Friends is looking to expand east towards South Dakota. Food & Friends reps have been to a few meetings, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. They are calling this a conceptual curb cut project because they contend that their expansion is years away. So apparently the Public Space Committee is going to decide on whether the organization can get a curb cut on South Dakota Avenue in the absence of any information about their building expansion plan.
Conceptual curb cut diagram provided by Food & Friends.
Curb Cut Design
Residents do not have access to public space applications in the city’s online permitting system, which is known as TOPS. What we do know is that they are requesting a pretty sizeable curb cut (leading to a driveway) that looks to be about 33 feet wide on a block that currently has none. In an email to me, they said, “The design includes a 6-foot-wide pedestrian safety island, increased turn radii to alleviate off-tracking, and right-in/right-out movement.” We also know that curb cut access will likely require some amount of public space beyond just sidewalk access because of the way the property lines are drawn. But it is not clear to me based on the one diagram we have exactly how much public space they are requesting.
They say they are requesting this curb cut because they are thinking about building an expanded kitchen facility closer to South Dakota Avenue. So, they will want to reroute food delivery (via 18-wheeler trucks) to the South Dakota side in the future. My understanding is that DDOT is requesting that they close one of their two curb cuts on Riggs Road if they want a curb cut on South Dakota. My understanding is that staff and volunteers would continue to use Riggs to access the parking lot. But it’s a pretty large parking lot, so who knows if that space would be reconfigured as well as part of an expansion plan.
In an email to me, Food & Friends said:
Sixty-five staff, 80 kitchen volunteers, 10 Food & Friends delivery vans, 30 volunteer delivery cars and several vendor delivery trucks (including semi-sized) currently travel to our location daily to prepare and home-deliver 6,000 meals a day to the region’s most vulnerable neighbors. We encourage use of Metro and cycling (we had a cycling team in the 2000s!) and routinely shuttle our staff and volunteers to the Metro station to encourage less vehicles.
Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker submitted a letter in support of the conceptual curb cut to the Public Space Committee.
My thoughts
I do not think anyone has done a really good job of explaining what is really happening here and we’re being asked to comment on something on which we lack full information, specifically impacts to public space. Obviously, Food & Friends plans to build on their property and may even want more public space than what is being publicly discussed. Residents do not have access to applications in TOPS and the ANC is not doing anything regarding this matter. I’m sure most support Food & Friends in their goal to serve more clients around the region.
(Fun fact about me: I served in Americorps in DC before continuing my education. One team member was placed at Food & Friends, and we would have team service days at Food & Friends at their old location in Southeast DC. I’m a big fan and supporter of Food & Friends).
We already know that curb cuts introduce vehicle/pedestrian conflicts. I think a really useful conversation would be how to maximize the amount of public space available to the community, how to minimize harm introduced by installing a new curb cut on the block, and how to safely and most efficiently accommodate the multiple uses that the property owners in the immediate area wish to put in that one little area.
I think it would be super useful for the property owners in the area to talk to one another, particularly the Cafritz Foundation (and their tenants) and Food & Friends. This conversation could also include Metro, National Park Service, and Impact DMV Church. I get the impression they don’t really communicate about their plans and how they are connected to an actual neighborhood, and I think that lack of communication at an institutional level makes it way more difficult than it needs to be to get things done.
Anyways, submit comments to the Public Space Committee at public.spacecommittee@dc.gov by August 20 and send a copy of your comments to CM Parker.
Sharing a couple of development updates further from the neighborhood but within or adjacent to ANC 5A
Providence Campus
In his Ward 5 newsletter, Councilmember Zachary Parker shared a letter he sent to DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb regarding the Providence campus redevelopment project. Recall that AG Schwalb’s office is investigating the sale of the property for redevelopment. CM Parker’s letter notes that the property is slated to be redeveloped with approximately 250-300 townhomes and 120 rental units, with 20 percent designated as income-restricted, below market rate housing. CM Parker writes that he is “concerned about the extended review process and delays in moving the Providence redevelopment project forward.”
North Capitol Crossroads
In its July 2024 newsletter, the DC Office of Planning shared updates about the North Capitol Crossroads initiative. The update states:
North Capitol Crossroads is the District’s initiative to envision a transformational future for the area surrounding the intersection of North Capitol and Irving Streets. The project is centered around Catholic University and Trinity Washington University, the Irving Street NW hospital complex, the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and McMillan Reservoir.
OP has identified four opportunities to reimagine North Capitol Crossroads as a more open, well-designed, and multi-modal area anchored by places to live, work, visit, and heal. Each of the opportunities aim to create more interconnected neighborhoods while elevating the area’s cultural heritage.
UPDATE: DC Water Lifts Boil Water Advisory For All Affected Customers – Effective 7:30 AM July 4, 2024
July 04, 2024
All DC Water customers under the precautionary boil water advisory can use tap water for all purposes after it was confirmed that drinking water provided by the Washington Aqueduct never deviated from U.S. EPA established water quality standards as had been anticipated.
Under advice from the Washington Aqueduct, DC Water issued the precautionary boil water advisory as a conservative measure to protect public health, and we sincerely appreciate our customers’ patience while we took necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the tap water we deliver.
The advisory affected all customers in the District of Columbia, as well as the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery and Reagan National Airport. Arlington County customers were also impacted.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this public notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
DC Water will work with customers to answer questions and respond to additional issues following the Boil Water Advisory. Questions can be directed to DC Water Customer Service at 202-354-3600 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) or the 24-Hour Command Center at 202-612-3400. Information is also available at dcwater.com and Bilingual FAQs are provided at http://www.dcwater.com/boilwaterFAQ.
Now that Metro has approved its Fiscal Year 2025 budget, the agency is turning its attention towards its bus network redesign initiative known as Better Bus. Metro recently released its proposed 2025 Bus Network redesign proposal. The proposal includes changes to routes, route names, service frequency, and hours of operation.
Review and provide feedback on the proposed 2025 Network by using Metro’s interactive comment map, taking a survey, submitting written comments, or uploading a document at https://betterbus.wmata.com/share by 5:00 p.m. on July 15, 2024.
Or, provide testimony at an in-person or virtual Public Hearing. To view the full schedule of in-person events, visit https://betterbus.wmata.com/events.
Take a look at Metro’s handy Resource Page, which includes documents that make this gigantic proposal manageable to understand. One thing to keep in mind is that when Metro initially rolled out the Better Bus initiative in spring 2023, it was premised on receiving about 35 percent more funding to create a “better bus” route redesign. Metro is not getting that additional money but wants to proceed with a redesign based on current resources, so you will notice some of the proposed frequency levels are not great.
Proposed Route Name Changes
As part of its network redesign, Metro is proposing new route names. Metro explained that, decades ago, it inherited route names from a bunch of jurisdictions so it is now taking the opportunity to make the routes easier to understand. The proposed naming convention makes enough sense to me. Read the explainer.
The first character will be one of six letters:
“D” or “C” for DC routes.
“D” for routes traveling downtown.
“C” for crosstown routes.
“M” for Montgomery County routes.
“P” for Prince George’s County routes.
“F” for Fairfax County, Fairfax City, or Falls Church routes.
“A” for Arlington County or Alexandria routes.
The second character will be a number based on the corridor or neighborhood in which the route runs.
The third character will be another number to distinguish it from other routes in the area, or an “X” to represent a limited-stop route.
Neighborhood Impacts
Neighbor Gavin and I took a quick look at the 2025 Network proposal. In theseposts, we described changes Metro contemplated during the initial Better Bus rollout in spring 2023. Some of the routes Metro initially contemplated did not make it into the 2025 Network proposal. Metro created a handy comment/response summary document that provides a bit of the rationale for how it got to the proposal that is now open for public comment.
Let’s take a look at some of the neighborhood routes in the proposed 2025 Network.
E2 –> C71 Fort Totten – Union Station E4 –> C81 Sibley Hospital – Fort Totten E4 –> C83 Friendship Heights – Fort Totten 80 –> D30 Fort Totten – Federal Triangle via North Capitol Street 64 –> D44 Fort Totten – Federal Triangle via 11 Street NW K6 –> M62 White Oak Medical Center – Fort Totten via New Hampshire Avenue K6 –> M6X White Oak FDA – Fort Totten R1, R2 –> P13 White Oak Medical Center – Fort Totten via Riggs Road E4, F6 –> P32 Fort Totten – College Park F6 –> P35 Fort Totten – New Carrollton K2 –> P42 Takoma – New Carrollton
The one big change we commented on last spring was Metro’s preliminary proposal to cut crosstown service to the neighborhood along Chillum Place NE. One E4 crosstown route operates between Friendship Heights and Fort Totten station and another operates between Friendship Heights and Riggs Park. Last spring, we noted that Metro did not include a comparison crosstown map for the E4 terminating in Riggs Park for comment, and we asked Metro to keep one of the terminal points in Riggs Park, terminating at Eastern Avenue.
Those comments do not show up in the discussion for proposed crosstown routes C81 and C83. Instead, Metro took the comments saying, “Please keep the crosstown route to Riggs Park” and decided to treat those comments as a request for a connection from Fort Totten station to Chillum Place. So, Metro continues to propose shortening the crosstown route so that it ends at Fort Totten station.
And then, Metro is proposing to provide service along Chillum Place via a different route, Proposed Route P32. Metro states Proposed Route P32 will provide more frequent service along Chillum Place because according to Metro, current Route E4 serves Chillum Place every 40 minutes. Transferring from the crosstown bus to Proposed Route P32 at Fort Totten would add time though. Also, it is hard to tell from the map exactly what direction of travel Proposed Route P32 would take through the neighborhood (the arrows look like Metro is proposing to reverse the direction of travel), so it would be good to have clarity from Metro about this. And I kind of think it would be nice to keep a crosstown route as it exists now traveling along Chillum Place to Eastern Avenue.
It seems like service frequencies are not great on many of the proposed routes. I think we need better frequencies for daytime and weekend service if we are really serious about getting people out of private cars and using public transit.
Metro is proposing to continue providing 24-hour service on certain routes such as Proposed Route D30 (equivalent to existing Route 80).
Ward 5 Engagement Forum
Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker is hosting a Ward 5 Bus Network Engagement Meeting with Metro on June 3, 2024, at 6 pm. Register at ward5.us/busmeeting. Councilmember Parker’s feedback to Metro last year did not address issues in this part of the ward so the scorecard that his office prepared for this proposal likewise does not address issues in the neighborhood. But residents should certainly feel free to share comments with his office and that of Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George.
For voice-only participation on a telephone, dial (301) 715-8592.
Meeting ID: 821 0059 5853. Passcode: 975068.
1. Call to Order & Roll Call
2. Administrative Items:
A. Instructions for Participation in Virtual Meeting
B. Consideration and Approval of May 2024 Regular Public Meeting Agenda
C. Approval of April 2024 Regular Public Meeting Minutes
D. Treasurer’s Report
3. Commissioner Updates
4. Community Concerns
*Please use the “Raise Hand” button via Zoom or *9 via telephone to speak during community concerns. The Commission will provide additional details regarding how to present community concerns via the virtual meeting at the start of the meeting. This is the time for questions or statements from members of the public about issues on the agenda or other areas of concern. Please limit your statement or question to one minute. You may also contact members of the Commission before and after Commission meetings.*
5. Reports:
A. Representative, Metropolitan Police Department (3 minutes)
B. Sophia Tekola, Mayor’s Office on Community Relations and Services(3 minutes)
C. Barbara Rogers, Office of Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George(3 minutes)
D. Frazier O’Leary, Ward 4 State Board of Education (3 minutes)
E. Housing Justice Committee(2 minutes)
F. Vision Zero Committee(2 minutes)
G. Youth Advisory Committee(2 minutes)
H. Community Safety & Support Committee (2 minutes)
6. Presentation: Delano Hunter, Director, District Department of General Services, Mayor Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Proposal (20-minute presentation; 15-minute discussion)
7. Presentation: Samer Alhawamdeh, Project Manager, District Department of Transportation and Shaun Davis, PE, Construction Manager, Mid-Atlantic Construction Services, Metropolitan Branch Trail Fort Totten to Takoma Construction Project (10-minute presentation; 10-minute discussion)
8. Presentation: Spiro Gianniotis, Lee Peterson, and Shiri Subbar, Project Consultants, Alphatec, Removal and Replacement of Communications Towers at Metropolitan Police Department 4th District Station (6001 Georgia Avenue, NW) (10-minute presentation; 10-minute discussion)
9. Consent Calendar:
Letter: Detailing Procedural History of Proposed Development at 6928 Maple Street, NW, and Highlighting Continued Concerns re Petra Development (Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Yeats, and Commissioner Smith)
Resolution 4B-24-0501: Noting History of Requests and Calling for Installation of Meaningful Traffic Safety Infrastructure at the Intersection of South Dakota Avenue, NE, and Riggs Road, NE, and the Intersection of Missouri Avenue, NW, and New Hampshire Avenue, NW (Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Yeats, Commissioner Palmer, and Commissioner Smith)
10. Adjournment
The next ANC 4B Planning Meeting is scheduled for June 11 at 6:30 p.m.
The next ANC 4B Regular Public Meeting is scheduled for June 24 at 7:00 p.m.
The next ANC 4B Housing Justice Committee Meeting is scheduled for June 5 at 7:30 p.m. (Pease check the Commission’s website as this meeting date is likely to change.)
The next ANC 4B Youth Advisory Committee Meeting is June 22 at 7:00 p.m.
The next ANC 4B Vision Zero Committee Meeting has not yet been scheduled.
The May 2024 LRCA Community meeting will be held on Monday, May 6, 2024, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EST. Doors open at 5:45 PM.
This IN-PERSON meeting is scheduled to take place at the Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library, Meeting Room 1, located at 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20011.
Hellbender Brewery is hosting a record fair on Saturday, May 4 from 1pm to 7pm. In addition to numerous vinyl, CD, and music memorabilia vendors, there will be multiple food trucks and live DJs! This is a free, all ages event and fun for the whole family.
MPD 4th District Commander Nikki Lavenhouse will hold a community walk today April 17, 2024, at noon. Meet in the 400 block of Riggs Road NE. If you are interested in participating, please feel free to join them.
Wingstop is opening soon at 300 Riggs Road NE. The Department of Employment Services (DOES) will host a job fair at DOES headquarters on April 12, 2024.
Wingstop Job Fair April 12, 2024 10:00 am-2:00 pm Department of Employment Services 4058 Minnesota Avenue NE
Next Stop...Riggs Park 