From Office of Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George
Please join AARP DC, DPR, and Councilmember Lewis George on Thursday, September 8 at 1pm at Lamond Recreation Center to celebrate the new Fitness Park (Fitlot) donated by AARP DC to our community. And please let your neighbors know about this event and this excellent fitness resource.
Ed. Note: Passing along information I was asked to share about an upcoming event benefitting Calvary Women’s Services. Find Calvary Women’s Services on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
Calvary Women’s Services’ upcoming In This Together Community Walk will be held in person for the first time, on Saturday, September 24, at 10 a.m. at Anacostia Park.
For over 20 years, Calvary Women’s Services (CWS) has worked to end homelessness, inspire hope and transform the lives of women in the District of Columbia. CWS ensure women throughout DC have access to the proper trauma-informed healthcare and educational support they need to take positive steps toward independence. These programs include transitional and permanent housing, personalized case management, life skills and education opportunities, job training, health and wellness services, on-site therapy, and daily addiction recovery meetings. At Calvary, we believe every woman has the strengths and gifts she needs to be successful. Each woman in our programs identifies and builds on her strengths, meeting her goals for safe housing, good health, and financial independence.
Details and registration at the link.
A virtual public hearing for McDonald’s rezoning application is scheduled for November 28, 2022, at 4:00 pm (Zoning Commission case no. 22-19). McDonald’s is requesting a map amendment to change the zoning of its property located at 4950 South Dakota Avenue NE (Square 3786, Lot 0001) from MU-3A to MU-7B so that a new McDonald’s with a drive-thru can be built as a matter of right to replace the existing restaurant that does not currently have a drive-thru. The Zoning Commission will need to determine whether the requested map amendment is “not inconsistent” with the DC Comprehensive Plan.
The hearing notice contains instructions on how to sign up to participate in the virtual hearing and how to submit written comments.
McDonald’s states in its application and prehearing report that this upzoning request is consistent with the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and General Land Use Map (GLUM), both of which were recently updated in the most recent Comprehensive Plan Amendment.
The DC Office of Planning (OP) issued its setdown report on July 20, 2022. In that report, OP stated the requested map amendment is generally not inconsistent with the Comp Plan, but that there is some inconsistency with the Transportation Element of the Comp Plan.
The ANC 5A report is sparse as expected, given that they relied on counsel for McDonald’s to provide the language for the resolution generally stating that the ANC supports McDonald’s application for a map amendment.
I will not rehash everything I have written about this matter, but as I noted previously I was curious to see how OP would handle the fact that paving the road for a drive-thru in this location, as District officials did by changing the FLUM and GLUM without explanation, is wholly inconsistent with the District’s moveDC plan for this area and with the District’s sustainability goals. OP does at least acknowledge several pages into its report that allowing a drive-thru as a matter of right here is not totally consistent with the Transportation Element of the Comp Plan. This whole exercise just shines even more of a light on how bizarre the Comp Plan Update process was where OP decided to throw the gates wide open, decided that they were only going to listen to ANCs, and then decided that OP did not have to explain the rationale for any of their decisions at all. So now the result is discussing a supposed reality in which permitting upzoning solely for the sake of a drive-thru somehow promotes community vitality and racial equity. It is bizarre and irresponsible.
Update 6/22/2022: I should have said these are preliminary results. Apparently, there are thousands of dropbox ballots that still need to be counted by the Board of Elections.
Yesterday, Zachary Parker won the most votes for the Ward 5 Council seat in the June 2022 Democratic primary election. As for citywide races, Mayor Muriel Bowser, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson, and At Large Councilmember Anita Bonds are one step closer to reelection after winning their respective races.
I do not talk overtly about politics on the blog because I cannot say too much publicly on Al Gore’s Internet, but I do want to give a shout out to the campaigns mounted by Faith Gibson Hubbard for Ward 5 and to Erin Palmer for Council Chair. I think it is always a good thing when thoughtful people run thoughtful campaigns for elected office because all of us benefit from their presence and ideas. And we often see some of those thoughtful ideas taken up by people who did not originally think of or champion them.
The only other thing I will say is that I do hope that this election reminds us that we actually can do better as a city. So many challenges that were brought to the fore by the COVID-19 pandemic actually existed prior to the pandemic. They were just ignored and the pandemic made it so that they could no longer be ignored. I often marvel at how DC is not that big of a city. But we sometimes act as if certain things are just so so hard, like fully educating roughly 100,000 school-age children in decent facilities, having safe neighborhoods, timely providing supports to people experiencing challenges, discouraging antisocial and anti-community behavior, and generally doing the work to have a thriving city.
Anyways, hats off to all those who ran thoughtful campaigns and congratulations to those who won.
Take the survey!
From DC Office of Planning
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DC Build Back Better Infrastructure Task Force Wants Your Input
Mayor Bowser’s Infrastructure Task Force’s Transportation Innovation Subcommittee is requesting community input on what transformational transportation changes they would like to see in the District, especially in the North Capitol corridor and along the neighborhoods touching I-295. Please join us on WebEx on June 22 from 4:00-5:00 PM or send us your thoughts on the survey at DC Build Back Better Infrastructure Task Force.
WebEx Meeting Details
Attendee Link: rebrand.ly/TransformationalTransportation
Webinar number: 2317 669 7209
Webinar password: June22!
Join by phone: +1-202-860-2110 United States Toll (Washington D.C.)
Access code: 231 766 97209
Webinar Numeric Password: 5863220
Note: Posting will be light the next few weeks as I get back up to speed. There likely will not be an ANC meeting recap for this month’s meeting.
This week, DC’s Office of Campaign Finance (OCF) will be hosting debates for candidates running in the upcoming DC primary election. Watch the debates at https://dcdebates.com.
OCF Debate schedule
DC Mayor
May 16, 2022
7:00 pm-8:30 pm
DC Attorney General
May 17, 2022
7:00 pm-8:30 pm
DC Council At-Large
May 19, 2022
7:00 pm-8:30 pm
A couple of Earth Day events in the neighborhood
April 23, 2022
9:00 am-1:00 pm
UDC Bertie Backus Campus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE
Register at bit.ly/UDCEARTHDAY
April 23, 2022
9:00 am-11:00 am
Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center
501 Riggs Road NE
From DC Public Library
DC Public Library is hosting a virtual community workshop for D.C. residents to provide feedback on the Library’s Space and Program Naming Policy.
Join us on Thursday, Apr. 28 at 6:30 p.m. DC residents can discuss and make recommendations about the Library’s Space and Program Naming Policy.
Registration is required. A link to the virtual session will be emailed an hour prior to the event. This event is for DC residents only.
Update #2: Hellbender has reopened.
Update: There is a gofundme to support Hellbender. Visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-hellbender.
Original post
Hellbender has been closed for the past couple of weeks. On Hellbender’s facebook page, owner Ben Evans shared an update about what is going on with trying to get their license reinstated. I think they have been good neighbors in this community so I am hoping for the best.
From ANC 4B
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B’s Housing Justice Committee will meet on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, beginning at 8:00 p.m. The Committee will be meeting virtually. Details about participating in the meeting are included below:
ANC 4B – Housing Justice Committee (April)
Hosted by ANC 4B
https://dcnet.webex.com/dcnet/j.php?MTID=m98b0184b8ceeb9e78565f61ec2851637
Meeting number: 2310 962 8531
Password: pkMFiRuV247
Join by video system
Dial 23109628531@dcnet.webex.com
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.
Join by phone
+1-202-860-2110 United States Toll (Washington D.C.)
1-650-479-3208 Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
Access code: 231 096 28531
Additional information is available on the Commission’s website at https://anc4b.com/committees/housing-justice-committee/.
Chick-fil-A will apparently have a grand opening at 220 Riggs Road NE tomorrow March 31 (I believe a ribbon cutting will be held in the morning). At the February 2022 meeting of the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA), Ward 4 MOCR Anthony Mitchell gave a brief update about DDOT’s plan for the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road NE intersection regarding the opening of what is generally considered a popular restaurant with a drive-thru. As we all know, that intersection is already challenging, especially during rush hour. Mayor Bowser had a meeting with DDOT, ANC Commissioner Alison Brooks (4B08), and LRCA president Barbara Rogers back in February to discuss the issue. I reached out to Mr. Mitchell for confirmation of a plan for ensuring safety for road users, particularly pedestrians. He provided the information below.
District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Plan:
Chick-fil-A (CfA) Plan:
· Operating hours:
· Projected Surge Times:
· Staffing plan for operations:
Mr. Mitchell also said he is also in touch with DDOT “to investigate extending the median as well as removing parking spaces that are immediately adjacent to the 3rd Street NE Walmart entrance/exit.”
I am not sure why it is taking so long to block parking near Walmart’s driveway. That should have been done years ago. It is obvious that the parking dangerously obstructs sightlines. Also, when Fort Totten Square was built in 2015, there were indications that only right turns would be permitted out of the 3rd Street Walmart exit, but of course that never happened. These are just a couple of basic things on a long list of outstanding items long pre-dating Chick-fil-A’s arrival in the neighborhood that need to be done along the corridor. Drivers repeatedly park like this, run the red light at South Dakota Avenue to turn westbound onto Riggs, block the box, make sudden U-turns in the middle of the street that end up turning into three-point turns in traffic, and basically do all manner of ridiculous things. Alas, things move slowly around here for some reason.
Anyways, that’s the plan so far.
Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George’s office shared information about the upcoming temporary closure of the Fort Totten Transfer Station.
After April 2, 2022, Fort Totten Transfer Station will close for approximately six months of repairs to improve the quality of the stormwater runoff generated at the site. During this period, bulk and residential drop-will be moved to Benning Road Transfer state (3200 Benning Road NE) on Wednesday-Friday from 10:00 am-2:00 pm.
Read DPW’s full announcement below:
https://dpw.dc.gov/service/fort-totten-transfer-station
As the DC Department of Public Works (DPW) strives to improve our facilities, April 2, 2022, will be the last day the Fort Totten transfer station will be open for bulk and residential drop-off until the completion of our capital improvement project.
DPW has received a stormwater management grant to improve the quality of the runoff stormwater generated by the bulk trash and citizens’ drop-off areas exposed to the weather at the Fort Totten Trash Transfer Station. Based on the required renovations, this location will not be available for residential drop-off until the Fall of 2022.
Operations will be moved to the Benning Road Transfer station located at 3200 Benning Road, NE. Beginning April 6, 2022, bulk and residential drop-off will take place Wednesday through Friday from 10 am until 2 pm. Residential drop-off is an alternative to scheduled bulk pick-up. DPW recommends that residents use 311 to schedule a bulk pick-up at a time convenient for the resident. Residents can schedule up to seven items per service request. Pick-ups are collected within 14 days of a scheduled service request.
Household Hazardous Waste drop-off will continue Saturdays from 7 am until 2 pm. Shredding will take place on the first Saturday of every month from 7 am until 2 pm.
The Fort Totten transfer station renovations are extensive and will take approximately six months to complete. Please follow us on social media for updates on the project. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact our office at clearing.mayor@dc.gov.
Spring Vendor Event
March 26, 2022
10:30 am-4:30 pm
Culture Coffee Too
300 Riggs Road NE
For more information contact Nik McCoy at 202-682-9365, Veronica Cooper at 301-518-6637, or email info@1eclecticheart.com
Chick-fil-A is hiring for the new Riggs Park location opening at 220 Riggs Road NE.
Via the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association
Chick-fil-A is now hiring, come join our Grand Opening team!
Starting pay for all positions is $17/hr. Positions available include the Drive Thru, Front Counter, Kitchen and Delivery. Potential benefits include health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, paid time off, scholarships and employee meals. For additional details about these positions go to www.cfafttotten.com.
All applicants must be at least 16 years old and 18 years old for the kitchen. For those interested in learning more about opportunities with Chick-fil-A, online information sessions will take place on March 4th at 2:00pm and March 8th at 5:00pm. To sign up for an information session please send an email to 04529@cfafttotten.com, with your name along with date preference and the event details will be provided. We look forward to hearing from you.
As expected, Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie has introduced a bill to “symbolically” rename the Lamond-Riggs Library the “Lillian J. Huff Lamond-Riggs Public Library.” Silas Grant, Senior Advisor to Councilmember McDuffie, noted during the February 2022 meeting of the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) that Councilmember McDuffie planned to introduce the bill in March.
Lillian Huff was a longtime Riggs Park resident and activist. She played a critical role in getting the neighborhood library built in 1983. Councilmembers Mary Cheh, Trayon White, Janeese Lewis George, and Brianne Nadeau joined Councilmember McDuffie in introducing the bill.
On January 26, 2022, ANC 5A voted to send a letter to DC Public Library in support of renaming the library after Ms. Huff. On February 28, 2022, ANC 4B voted in support of renaming the library after Ms. Huff.
A couple of days ago, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office issued a press release regarding her recent letter to leadership of the National Park Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and WMATA requesting a joint meeting to discuss the ordnance that was found in Fort Totten Park over a year ago. We discussed this issue in this post.
From Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office
Norton Requests Meeting to Discuss Unexploded Ordnance Found on Fort Totten Trail
Feb 15, 2022
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Last week, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) wrote the Director of the National Park Service, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the General Manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to request a meeting to discuss the discovery of an unexploded ordinance on the Fort Totten Trail in the District of Columbia.
“I have been working to clean up the Spring Valley Formerly Used Defense Site since ordnance were first discovered there, in 1993, and this new discovery is extremely concerning,” Norton said. “I am committed to ensuring that residents across the District of Columbia are safe from such ordnance, chemical weapons and soil and groundwater contamination.”
February 10, 2022
Charles F. Sams III Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon
Director Chief of Engineers and Commanding General
National Park Service U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
1100 Ohio Drive SW 441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20242 Washington, DC 20314-1000
Paul J. Wiedefeld
General Manager and CEO
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
600 5th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Dear Director Sams, Lieutenant General Spellmon and General Manager Wiedefeld:
I write to request a meeting next week with the appropriate officials from the National Park Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to discuss the discovery of an unexploded ordnance on the Fort Totten Trail in the District of Columbia and the scope of the investigation of the trail and surrounding areas for ordnance and soil and groundwater contamination. It appears the ordnance may be linked to the Spring Valley Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS).
I have been working to clean up the Spring Valley FUDS since ordnance were first discovered there, in 1993. I am committed to ensuring that residents across the District of Columbia are safe from ordnance, chemical weapons and soil and groundwater contamination.
My office will contact your offices to schedule the meeting.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Holmes Norton
###
WTOP is reporting that there may in fact be a connection between the munition found on the planned Gallatin/Galloway Street NE pedestrian trail previously under construction and the Spring Valley WWI munitions site in Northwest DC. Metro used fill dirt from Spring Valley to remediate National Park Service (NPS) parkland in Fort Totten Park during construction of Metro’s green line. Recall that in December 2020, I posted about this possible connection. I raised the issue again at one of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s quarterly NPS meetings on March 25, 2021. The Congresswoman’s staff did not get to my questions during the meeting, but I followed up directly with NPS the next day.
I asked Rock Creek Park Superintendent Julia Washburn by email:
1. What is the timeline for getting test results and action regarding the unexploded ordnance found on the pedestrian trail under construction in Fort Totten Park near Fort Totten metro station. On Dec. 16, 2020, NPS informed ANC 5A that “[t]he contractor has just recently notified us that all test results are expected later this winter, no later than mid-January 2021.” It is now approaching April 2021. Is work actually being done to address this issue. It seems as if the timeline keeps getting pushed back.
I would also add that I am concerned about the possibility that the ordnance may have resulted from contamination from soil brought in from Spring Valley during remediation of the parkland during Metro construction. I know that NPS notified the ANC in 2017 about this issue and stated in 2018 that there were no concerns, but I do not believe the ANC received any official report and I question whether NPS knows the scope of the spread of the soil from Spring Valley in the park. Can NPS provide comment on that?
Rock Creek Park Deputy Superintendent Frank Young responded by email on April 1, 2021:
We anticipate having the testing done soon. The park is consulting with the Army this week or next on the testing results. We will follow up with the ANCs when this consultation is completed.
There is no evidence that there are any soils from Spring Valley present in the area between Gallatin and Galloway Streets NE. All soils from Spring Valley on the west side of Fort Totten (along Farragut Street NE) were removed by WMATA several decades ago.
After discovery of the ordnance in July 2020, NPS halted construction of the trail and hired a contractor to do testing. I asked at that time if the contractor was only testing the soil where the pedestrian trail was going to be located or if they were taking samples elsewhere in the park as well. Unclear. In any case, NPS restarted construction in July 2021 after “negative test results.” NPS then paused construction again in September 2021 after “discovering” infrastructure associated with the green line tunnel where the path was under construction. NPS hired a contractor to survey the area (again) to find a more suitable location for the trail. NPS stated at ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher’s 5A08 single member district meeting in November 2021 that they would get back to ANC 5A after the new year likely in January with updates about where the trail will be located. NPS was not on the agenda for the ANC’s January 2022 meeting.
So now today February 9, 2022, we have reporting that there may be a connection between the munition found on the trail and the Spring Valley site, NPS giving the media the same comments they gave me last year, and Congresswoman Norton belatedly calling for a joint meeting of the Army Corps of Engineers, NPS, and Metro. Interesting
Another opportunity to chime in on the DC budget. This one with Mayor Muriel Bowser. Submit your budget requests at https://mayor.dc.gov/fy2023-fairshot-budget.
Budget Engagement Forums
Senior Virtual Budget Engagement Forum
Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 12 pm
Dial in: 844-881-1314 *No passcode required*
Watch live on DCN 16 and Mayor Bowser’s Social Media Accounts
For more information and to RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/FairShotBudgetSenior
District-Wide Budget Engagement Forum
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 6 pm
View and participate at budget.dc.gov
For more information and to RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/FairShotBudget
