May 17: LRCA Scholarship Application Deadline

Posted by nextstoprp in Lamond Riggs Citizens Association

Please let your neighbors know about LRCA’s scholarship opportunity.

Apply for the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association Scholarship

Applications for the 2024 Scholarship Award Period are Due by Friday, May 17, 2024.

  • Are you a graduating High School Senior?
  • Will you be attending college this coming Fall, 2024?
  • Are you a resident of the Lamond-Riggs community?
  • Do you attend a DC public school (traditional or charter)? 

If you meet the requirements listed above, then consider applying for this great scholarship opportunity!

Go to lrcadc.org/scholarships for application details.

Map of LRCA boundaries

Art Place at Fort Totten Updates

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

A few updates about Art Place at Fort Totten.

Phase 1 – The Modern (Building A along South Dakota Avenue between Galloway and Ingraham streets NE)

  • Urban Garden Brewing has signed a lease for space along South Dakota Avenue.
  • An Italian restaurant is looking at space next to the brewery.
  • One Life Fitness is expanding with construction anticipated to finish up by end of this year.
  • A dentist office is looking at space.
  • One other sit-down restaurant has looked at space, but it is not at letter of intent stage just yet.

Phase 2 – The FEZ (Block B under construction along South Dakota Avenue between Ingraham and Kennedy streets NE)

  • Aldi plans to open on the corner of South Dakota Avenue & Kennedy Street NE around October 1, 2024. The store plans to hold three job fairs over the summer.
  • Kids Museum is looking at opening along South Dakota between Ingraham and Kennedy in 3rd or 4th quarter 2025. They are finishing up a feasibility study.
  • There is interest from a couple of retailers, but the development team is not ready to share details yet.
  • The development team is still looking at financing for the residential portion of this phase (294 rental units).
  • The team is sequencing construction and occupancy for the second phase.

Social Justice School Relocation

Social Justice School, a public charter middle school, is currently subleasing space from Rocketship Public Charter School at 5450 3rd Street NE. Recall that Rocketship signed a 35-year lease with the Cafritz Foundation for the 3rd Street property. After renovating and combining a couple of the older warehouses on the site, Rocketship opened its Infinity Prep preK/elementary school campus in August 2020. Rocketship decided to sublease to Social Justice School for a few years while Rocketship gradually expanded its grade offerings. Now it is time for Social Justice to vacate the space for Rocketship’s use.

Social Justice School wants to stay in the neighborhood and worked with the Cafritz team to find space nearby. They recently filed an application to amend their charter to relocate to 333 Kennedy Street NE, which is across the street from their current location.

The DC Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB) hearing on Social Justice School’s proposed relocation will be on May 20, 2024, at 6:15 pm. Instructions on how to submit testimony are in the hearing notice. The school’s application notes that they want to relocate in time for the 2024-2025 school year. The application states that the school will use prefabricated modular classrooms, which will be delivered and installed in the new location.

The application notes that the school contacted ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08), who is the chair of ANC 5A, as well as Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker. The school sits in ANC 5A09. ANC Commissioner Shelagh Bocoum (5A09) is the commissioner for that area.

The DCPCSB plans to vote on the planned relocation on June 24, 2024. If the request is approved at the time, I imagine we will start to see movement around the site pretty quickly so that the school can open in time for fall.

I am sure I am forgetting some updates, but more to come.

May 14: Info Session on Retail Opportunity – Riggs Crossing Senior Residences

Posted by nextstoprp in Riggs Crossing Senior Residences

Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH), developer of Riggs Crossing Senior Residences, is seeking interested local and unique retail tenants for under-market lease opportunity. The project is currently under construction at 307 Riggs Road NE on the southeast corner of South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road NE in Riggs Park. Project delivery expected first quarter 2025.

There will be a virtual information session on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 10:00 am.

Submit initial inquiries by May 23, 2024.

Click here for the Retail Brochure.
Click here for the Microsoft Teams invite to join during the scheduled informational session.

Send questions/inquiries to Joanna Ha Yean Shin at jshin@apah.org.

APAH is very interested in assistance from residents who have connections to unique, local retailers. Help APAH make this a great project.

April 24, 2024 ANC 5A Meeting Recap

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on April 24, 2024. Commissioners present: Karlus Cozart (5A02) – Parliamentarian; Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – Vice Chair & Secretary; Diego Rojas (5A04); Tyeron Boston; Gordon Fletcher (5A08) – Chair; Shelagh Bocoum (5A09) – Treasurer. ANC 5A06 & 5A07 are vacant.

This meeting was focused on public safety so there is not much to recap.

No public safety updates from Commissioner Cozart, who heads up the ANC’s public safety committee.

Former ANC Commissioner Sandi Washington noted there was a shooting on North Capitol Street NE. A five-year-old was shot. Former Commissioner Washington asked the ANC for attention on that area of the ANC given that both ANC 5A06 and 5A07 have been vacant for several months now.

Ward 5 Mayor’s Office Report (Anthony Black, Ward 5 MOCR)

Ward 5 MOCR Anthony Black addressed individual questions raised by residents, including mowing/tree care/dumping mitigation needed along public land near Puerto Rico Avenue & Taylor streets NE. As a reminder, Mr. Black is able to meet with residents and commissioners on Tuesdays and Fridays in person to address any issues. Contact Mr. Black at anthony.black@dc.gov.

MPD 4D Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) (Neena Murphy Martin)

Each police district has a citizens advisory council (CAC). Neena Murphy Martin chairs MPD 4th District’s CAC. Commissioner Lucio and Ms. Murphy Martin discussed ways to get more outreach in the Ward 5 part of MPD’s 4th District. For example, they might have punch with a cop. For more info on the CAC, visit https://4dcac.org or contact Ms. Murphy Martin at 4dcacdc@gmail.com.

Ward 5 Council Report (Carlos McKnight, Constituent Services Coordinator to Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker)

Councilmember Zachary Parker held his monthly Ward 5 public safety call on April 24. Neighbors were encouraged to testify during budget oversight hearings.  

The next ANC 5A meeting will be on May 22, 2024.

May 17: LRCA Scholarship Application Deadline

Posted by nextstoprp in Lamond Riggs Citizens Association

Apply for the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association Scholarship

Applications for the 2024 Scholarship Award Period are Due by Friday, May 17, 2024.

  • Are you a graduating High School Senior?
  • Will you be attending college this coming Fall, 2024?
  • Are you a resident of the Lamond-Riggs community?
  • Do you attend a DC public school (traditional or charter)? 

If you meet the requirements listed above, then consider applying for this great scholarship opportunity!

Go to lrcadc.org/scholarships for application details.

Map of LRCA boundaries

May 6: LRCA Public Meeting (Hybrid)

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten, Uncategorized

From Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association

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.

Additionally, the meeting will be live-streamed via the Zoom webinar platform:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88351773574?pwd=NkNwOHpvVzhxNERjclJSamFucklkUT09

Webinar ID: 883 5177 3574
Passcode: 324968
Or dial in by phone: 301-715-8592

Agenda Items include:

  • Welcome/Invocation
  • Officers Report, Minutes, Treasurer Report
  • Updates from Elected Officials & PSA
  • Sean Cahill, Cafritz Enterprises (Art Place at Fort Totten)
  • 2024 Fiscal Budget
  • 2024 LRCA Scholarship Competition
  • Community Concerns/Closing

DDOT Advisory: Traffic Pattern Change on Blair Road NW from Kansas Avenue NW to Aspen Street NW Beginning May 6, 2024

Posted by nextstoprp in Met Branch Trail, Transportation

From DDOT

Traffic Pattern Change on Blair Road NW from Kansas Avenue NW to Aspen Street NW Beginning May 6, 2024

(WASHINGTON, DC) — The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is advising all stakeholders to continue to expect intermittent lane closures and traffic pattern changes on Blair Road NW from Kansas Avenue NW to Aspen Street NW in the Northbound Direction. Please see the following information for updated lane closures and traffic pattern changes:

Utility Upgrade Construction

As part of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) Fort Totten to Takoma Project, this area’s utility upgrades will begin on Monday, May 6, 2024. These utility upgrades will improve drainage and pedestrian safety along the new MBT trail section. Vehicle traffic flow of two travel lanes, one in each direction, will be maintained during peak hours (before 9:30 AM and after 3:30 PM). A two-way traffic pattern on Blair Road NW will be maintained during off-peak hours (between 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM). Coordination with the impacted individual locations will be performed by the project public outreach team to accommodate access to these facilities.

These lane closures and traffic pattern changes are necessary to complete utility upgrade work efficiently as part of the Metropolitan Branch Trail Fort Totten to Takoma Project.

Sidewalk and Trail Construction

As part of the planned Metropolitan Branch Trail work in the abovementioned area, intermittent temporary sidewalk closures will be taking place to replace curb/gutter sections at driveway entrances, replace ADA access ramps, upgrade utilities, and place additional traffic signal poles for various locations at the intersections. Due to safety concerns and spacing limitations, pedestrian detours will be put in place, where possible, to move pedestrians to the opposite side of the roadway at the closest accessible crosswalk. Each impacted location will be contacted directly to coordinate a location-specific pedestrian egress plan through that specific section of the sidewalk.

Traffic controls, including signage, will be in place to guide motorists and pedestrians safely through the work zone. All roadway users are advised to stay alert and be observant of signage and work zones while traveling in this area.

Once complete, the Metropolitan Branch Trail Fort Totten to Takoma Project will include improvements such as a new multi-use trail section, sidewalks, streetlights, green area revitalization, and other streetscape elements.

For more information about this project and to stay up to date on traffic-related impacts and construction progress, please visit mbt-forttotten-takoma.ddot.dc.gov.

May 1: North Michigan Park Civic Association Meeting (Virtual)

Posted by nextstoprp in Uncategorized

From North Michigan Park Civic Association

North Michigan Park Civic Association Monthly Meeting
Wednesday,  May 1, 2024
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

VIRTUAL ONLY

Virtual Meeting

Meeting ID 882 7345 2110

Pass code 930240

Call In 1-301-715-8592

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88273452110?pwd=dmZ3R1liOTRKY1FyS3hlYlBqWnBWUT09

Meeting Agenda 

·         Call to Order
·         Opening Prayer – Silent
·         Roll Call of Officers

Meeting Protocol

  • Meeting Protocol is Robert’s Rules of Order
  • Phone call should remain on mute unless asked to un mute. 
  • Respect others when speaking
  • Respect our guest.
  • Raise your hand if you have a question and wait to be acknowledged.

Community Update 

  • Position filled on the NMPCA Executive Board 
    • 2nd Vice President – Anthony Hood
    • Swearing In of Board Member
  • NMP Recreation Center – Storm Water Retrofit Project
  • Community walk through 
  • Scholarship Applications
  • Bike Station at South Dakota Ave and Decatur St 
  • Coming Soon – Punch with a Cop

Guest Speakers:

  • Phil Thomas, Director, Mayors Office of the Clean City

Community Leader Reports

  • Mayor’s Office – MOCR – Anthony Black 
  • Ward 5 Council Member’s Office –  Carlos McKnight
  • ANC Commissioners 5A02, 5A03, 5A08, 5A09
  • Faith United Church – Rev. Joseph K. Williams, Sr. (New Pastor)

Community Concerns:

Open to residents

Adjourn

April 29: ANC 4B Public Meeting (Virtual)

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 4B

From ANC 4B

Regular Public Meeting Agenda

Monday, April 29, 2024, 7:00 p.m.

Virtual Meeting Details:

For video participation via Zoom on a computer or mobile device, click this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81112727502?pwd=T1QycGMwcWhhQW5lRU4wTGUvY1Frdz09.

For voice-only participation on a telephone, dial (301) 715-8592.

Meeting ID: 811 1272 7502. Passcode: 431896.

1.   Call to Order & Roll Call

2.   Administrative Items:

A. Instructions for Participation in Virtual Meeting

B.  Consideration and Approval of April 2024 Regular Public Meeting Agenda

C. Approval of March 2024 Regular Public Meeting Minutes

D.  Treasurer’s Report and Quarterly Financial Report for the Second Quarter of FY 2024

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. Sophia Tekola, Mayor’s Office on Community Relations and Services(3 minutes)

B. Barbara Rogers, Office of Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George(3 minutes)

C.  Frazier O’Leary, Ward 4 State Board of Education (3 minutes)

D. Housing Justice Committee(2 minutes)

E. Vision Zero Committee(2 minutes)

F. Youth Advisory Committee(2 minutes)

G. Community Safety & Support Committee (2 minutes)

6.   Presentation: Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Proposal (20-minute presentation; 15-minute discussion) [Tentative]

7.   Presentation: Seth Charde, Senior Manager & Eric Lienhard, Deputy Program Manager, DC Clean Rivers Project, DC Water, Rock Creek Green Infrastructure Project C Permeable Alley Installations (10-minute presentation; 10-minute discussion)

8.   Presentation: Joel Conlon, Lead Urban Forester, Urban Forestry Division, District Department of Transportation, Mission and Work of the Division (10-minute presentation; 10-minute discussion)

9.   Presentation: District Department of Energy and Environment, RiverSmart Homes Eligibility and Program Details (10-minute presentation; 10-minute discussion)

10. Consent Calendar:

  • Resolution 4B-24-0401: Supporting Application for Special Exception at 902 Butternut Street, NW (BZA 21126) and Noting Presumption of Support for Personal Use Cases with No Articulable Impact on Neighbors (Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Yeats, and Commissioner Smith)
  • Resolution 4B-24-0402: Providing Recommendations to the District Department of Transportation on Scoring System to Prioritize Addressing Sidewalk Gaps (Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Yeats, and Commissioner Smith)
  • Resolution 4B-24-0403: Noting History of Neglect and Calling for Dedicated Maintenance of District Land at the Intersection of North Capitol Street, Kennedy Street, and New Hampshire Avenue, NW (Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Yeats, and Commissioner Smith)

11. Resolution 4B-24-0404: Providing Feedback on District Department of Transportation Proposal for Intersection of Georgia Avenue, Alaska Avenue, and Kalmia Road, NW (NOI 24-821-TESD) (Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Yeats, Commissioner Colson, Commissioner Palmer, and Commissioner Smith)

12. Resolution 4B-24-0405: Providing Clerical Correction and Reiterating Support for Proposal for 71 Kennedy Street, NW and Application for Zoning Special Exceptions (BZA 21103) (Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Yeats, and Commissioner Smith)

13. Adjournment

The next ANC 4B Planning Meeting is scheduled for May 14 at 6:30 p.m.

The next ANC 4B Regular Public Meeting is scheduled for May 28th at 7:00 p.m. Please note change in date to Tuesday to accommodate a holiday.

The next ANC 4B Housing Justice Committee Meeting is scheduled for May 1 at 7:30 p.m.

The next ANC 4B Youth Advisory Committee Meeting is scheduled for May 5.

The next ANC 4B Vision Zero Committee Meeting is scheduled for May 15 at 7:00 p.m.

agenda-29apr2024-websiteDownload

Neighborhood Parks & Recs Updates

Posted by nextstoprp in Recreation

Both Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George and Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker provided parks and recs update in their newsletters a couple of weeks ago that are of interest to the neighborhood.

From Councilmember Lewis George on planned summer repairs:

  • Lamond Rec Center will have a new swing set designed and installed.
  • Riggs-LaSalle will have a new shade structure designed and installed over the 2-5 playground and will have new vertical netting installed around portions of the football field. 

From Councilmember Parker on green space at southwest corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE:

  • Park at the corner of Riggs Rd NE and South Dakota NE: DGS Hunter also confirmed that the agency is taking action on money I secured last budget season to establish a park at the intersection of Riggs Rd NE and South Dakota NE. Per the Director, DGS is in the process of leasing the land next to Food and Friends. The hope is to bid a contract by the end of FY24 (September 3[0]) and begin community engagement. Neighbors have been asking for this park for 10 years, and I’m proud to finally be able to deliver it for them sometime next year.

I listened to a recording of the budget oversight hearing for DGS, and it clarifies conflicting information we were receiving about the green space (discussion starts at roughly the 01:41 mark). The green space sits in DDOT’s portfolio. Instead of pursuing a transfer of jurisdiction to DPR, DGS Director Delano Hunter stated that they will go through DDOT’s public space permitting process to program the space. (DDOT has stated for a while that this is their preferred option). DDOT wants to keep the space in its portfolio in case of transportation needs.

Director Hunter stated that the plan is to have a designer on board before the end of this fiscal year (so before September 30, 2024) with the goal of having initial community engagement by then as well. Director Hunter stated that there is about $440,000 in the budget. We know this is not a ton of money to create an actual park, but it will be a start for some landscaping, maybe some benches, and generally making the space more useable.

Park space here is included in the neighborhood’s area development plan. A team of neighbors (myself included) has been working on getting this funded for several years now. That is the reason for all of the surveys. In my formal and informal conversations with District agencies on this, I pointed out that this space could feature any number of things, such as a neighborhood sign, neighborhood history park, an art park, native plant demonstration garden, walking path, and limited recreation (think seasonal ice/skate rink). To bolster our funding request, a team of us worked with EYA to draw up initial concept plans with the goal of providing a more concrete idea of what we have in mind for agency officials (shoutout to EYA for this).

The limited amount budgeted for this space for Fiscal Year 2024 is not going to get us anywhere close to 100% of what we want, but it is a small start. And we continue to work to identify other sources of funding for things like neighborhood history markers in the space. We also know that there is still a third phase for Art Place at Fort Totten that will eventually get started at some point (this is the space on the northwest side of South Dakota Avenue/Kennedy Street NE). If the timing were better, it would have been nice to be able to conceive of these spaces together.

Bus Shelter Replacement Project at Fort Totten Station

Posted by nextstoprp in Transportation
Images from Metro.
Fort Totten Phase 1 bus shelter replacement map

Metro is replacing the bus shelters at Fort Totten Metro station. The first phase will take place April 22 to May 10, 2024 (residents might have noticed preliminary work happening in the area already). The second phase is scheduled to take place May 13 to May 28, 2024.

Below copied from Metro’s website

Fort Totten

The following bus bays at Fort Totten will be receiving new shelters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K
The installation of new bus shelters will occur in two phases at Fort Totten:

Phase 1 – April 22, 2024 – May 10, 2024
Bus bays A, B, C, and K will temporarily close from April 22nd to May 10th to install the new bus shelters. During this timeframe, customers will board their regularly scheduled buses at temporary stop locations:

Phase 1 Relocation Table

Bus bays D, E, F, G, H and J will not be impacted during Phase 1 of the temporary bus stop relocations at Fort Totten.

Customers should be aware that the Kiss & Ride shelter will close temporarily on Wednesday, April 10th and will reopen at the end of Phase 1. Additionally, four parking spaces at the Kiss & Ride will be temporarily unavailable during Phase 1. Sidewalk accessibility will be maintained outside of the Kiss & Ride shelter construction area.

For more information on temporary bus stop locations and accessibility during phase 1, see map.

Fort Totten Vinicity Map_ENGLISH_Phase 1

Phase 2 – May 13, 2024 – May 28, 2024
Bus bay D, E, F, G, H and J will temporarily close. The Kiss & Ride will also be closed during this period. Customers may board buses at temporary stop locations:

Phase 2 Relocation Table

Bus routes serving temporary bus stops T1, T2 and T3 during Phase 1 will be relocated to new temporary bus stop locations during Phase 2. Customers may board buses at temporary stops locations:

Phase 2 Relocation Table_2

Bus bay K and the shelter at the Kiss & Ride will not be impacted during Phase 2 of the temporary bus stop relocations.

Customers should be aware that the Kiss & Ride will be closed during Phase 2.

For more information on temporary bus stop locations and accessibility during Phase 2, see map.

Fort Totten Vinicity Map_ENGLISH_Phase 2

Please plan on additional travel time to access these temporary locations.

Station entrances and exits will not be impacted during construction.