CM Lewis George Ward 4 Virtual Listening Sessions

Posted by nextstoprp in Ward 4

Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George is holding a series of virtual listening sessions for Ward 4 neighborhoods in the upcoming weeks. CM Lewis George held a series of listening sessions when she was running for office and I do think they were useful and productive for her team. I encourage neighbors to register and attend and to use these sessions as an opportunity to put forth ideas for legislation and focused action from the Councilmember’s office.

The listening session for Riggs Park is on February 10, 2022, at 6:30 pm. Ward 5 Riggs Park residents should also sign up to share ideas applicable to the neighborhood.

Register at janeeseward4.com/listen or (202) 724-8052.

Full schedule:

  • Thursday, Jan. 13 at 6:30pm: Shepherd Park, Brightwood & Walter Reed
  • Thursday, Jan. 20 at 6:30pm: Crestwood & 16th Street Heights
  • Thursday, Jan. 27 at 6:30pm: Takoma & Manor Park
  • Thursday, Feb. 3 at 6:30pm: Chevy Chase, Barnaby Woods & Hawthorne
  • Thursday, Feb. 10 at 6:30pm: Lamond, Riggs Park & South Manor Park
  • Thursday, Feb. 17 at 6:30pm: North Portal Estates & Colonial Village
  • Thursday, Feb. 24 at 6:30pm: Petworth & Brightwood Park

New Police Commander for MPD Fourth District

Posted by nextstoprp in Public Safety

Last week, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced that Carlos Heraud will take the reins as commander overseeing MPD’s Fourth District (4D) from Randy Griffin, who assumed a command position in MPD’s recently created Technical and Analytical Services Bureau. Riggs Park sits within the boundaries of the Fourth District. Below is the message Commander Heraud shared with residents on MPD 4D’s google group:

Good Afternoon 4th District Residents,

I’m very excited about my new assignment as Commander of the Fourth District. My time as a sector captain in the Seventh District and as Summer Crime Initiative (SCI) Captain in 2018 and 2019 gave me great insight into crime trends in different parts of the city. That experience, coupled with my earlier patrol assignments, gives me the tools I need to work with our community partners as we identify ways to use traditional and non-traditional methods to address and prevent crime in the Fourth District. I welcome community input and encourage you to contact me with any questions or concerns that may arise.

The Fourth District leadership team looks forward to working with the community during this transition.

Residents can always contact Commander Heraud about issues in the neighborhood. His email address is carlos.heraud@dc.gov. Riggs Park sits in Sector 2 of the Fourth District. The MPD captain for Sector 2 is John Terry. He can be reached at john.terry@dc.gov. Officer Robert Hamrick is the community engagement coordinator for the Fourth District. His email address is robert.hamrick@dc.gov. The full roster of Fourth District key personnel is available at https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/fourth-district-roster.

ANC 4B Community Safety and Support Committee – Call for Committee Members

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 4B

From ANC Commissioner Tiffani Nicole Johnson (4B06), Chair ANC 4B Community Safety & Support Committee

I am still on the lookout for additional members to join the ANC 4B Community Safety and Support Committee.  ANC 4B adopted my resolution establishing this Committee on Match 22, 2021. The committee has met a few times, but we need more members, a total of five (5), not including myself, in order to officially be constituted as a functioning Committee.  

So, while I am so grateful for the two constituents who have reached out to me and are on board (one still officially needs to be confirmed by the fully body of the ANC), we still need at least 3 more who will also need to be confirmed by the full body of the ANC.  

We are looking for individuals who live within the boundaries of ANC 4B, but also have an interest or background in holistic approaches to public safety. But our committee will also be focusing on the systemic issues related to public safety such as the need for quality social services (addition/recovery, employment/employment readiness/job training, mental health).  

The committee will also review and make recommendations regarding proposed police reforms, audits, etc. 

The full resolution is [here]. If interested, please reach out to me at 4b06@anc.dc.gov.

Thank you.

Ward 4 ANC Redistricting Task Force

Posted by nextstoprp in Ward 4

From Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George newsletter:

The Council is set to finalize DC’s redistricted Ward boundaries on Tuesday, which will move us to the next step of the process: redistricting ANC boundaries. As part of this process, each ward Councilmember appoints a ward task force to make recommendations for how the Council should adjust the ANC and single-member district (SMD) boundaries. The Chairman of the Council and each At-Large Councilmember also get to appoint one person to each ward redistricting task force.  If you are a Ward 4 resident and a registered voter who is interested in serving as part of this task force, please email your name, contact information, and street address for consideration to my Legislative Director Joanna Blotner at jblotner@dccouncil.us. To prevent the potential of a conflict of interest, I plan for the Ward 4 task force to be independent from ANC-level elected office; please do not apply if you are a current ANC Commissioner or if you are considering running for an ANC position next year. Task force members will be dedicating a significant amount of time and serve without compensation. Their service will continue until the task force files its final report with the Council. ANC redistricting task forces will be finalized in early January, begin meeting on January 16, and submit their recommendations on ANC and SMD boundaries by April 2022.

Neighbor Profile: Grammy-Nominated Devin Walker

Posted by nextstoprp in Riggs Park
Devin Walker shown with his cabasa

One Riggs Park neighbor can add Grammy-nominated to his profile. Devin Walker, creator of The Uncle Devin Show, recently received news that he was nominated for a Grammy award for his contributions to a children’s album called All One Tribe by the 1 Tribe Collective. Neighbors might be familiar with Mr. Walker from his performances at neighborhood children’s festivals hosted by Explore! Children’s Museum. Or maybe neighbors tune into his WEE Nation Radio show on WPFW FM 89.3.

We caught up with Mr. Walker, chatting by phone and also getting written responses to questions. Born in DC, Mr. Walker spent his formative years in Prince George’s County, taking drum lessons during his youth. He went on to attend college at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and eventually worked for Metro for 20 years investigating discrimination complaints. He moved back to DC in 1997, choosing to settle in the Riggs Park neighborhood in 2000 because it was close to a Metro station and close to things happening in DC.

It was his love for his nieces and nephews that really inspired him to start making children’s music. He produced his first CD in 1997 and from there kept making music for children. He taught himself how to play other percussion instruments such as the congas and bongos. He keeps a recording device handy to record lyrics and ideas as they come to him. Once he comes up with lyrics, sometimes children help him structure the song. His wife and manager of The Uncle Devin Show, Lolita Walker, also assists in his creative process.

The Grammy award ceremony will take place in Los Angeles. The event will be streamed online on January 31, 2022. While the children’s music awards will not be part of the main stage ceremony, Mr. Walker will be able to attend all of the ceremonies. One of his goals in attending the ceremonies is to recruit more musicians into children’s music, even if that means just putting one children’s song on their album. Mr. Walker shared that this year’s children’s music nominees are a diverse group, reflecting the diversity in the genre. After observing that previous award nominees were all white, he and others formed a group called Family Music Forward and worked with Harvey Mason, Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, to better support diversity in children’s music.

In the new year, Mr. Walker looks forward to the launch of the Black Children’s Network with his other co-founders.

Find Mr. Walker online at The Uncle Devin Show and WEE Nation Radio and on social media: FB/IG/Twitter/YouTube — @uncledevinshow and @weenationradio

Read on for the written responses we received to our questions.

1. Tell us about yourself, how long you have lived in Riggs Park, and how you got started in music and specifically making children’s music.

I moved to Riggs Park in 2000 and have lived at the same house on Oneida Street ever since. I got started in music early in life when I took over my older brother’s drum set when I was about 4 years old. My parents told me I was always beating on the table, floors, and so they fed my desire by keeping me involved in music all throughout school.

2. In what category are you nominated for a GRAMMY award? Have you ever been nominated for a GRAMMY award before?

I was nominated as part of the “1 Tribe Collective,” for a GRAMMY Award in the Best Children’s Music Album of the Year for our album, “All One Tribe”.  This is my first time being nominated for a GRAMMY.

3. What is the nomination process like? Walk us through it. How were you notified? What were you feeling/what thoughts went through your head when you received the news that this album on which you participate was nominated for a GRAMMY?

The nominations are made by voting members including artists and producers of the Recording Academy, which owns the GRAMMY’s.  I have been a Recording Academy voting member since 2014.

There are two different rounds of voting. Only members of the Recording Academy can submit an album for consideration. The top five albums with the most votes are nominated. The second round of voting, which started on December 6 and ends on January 4, 2022, will determine the winner.

We were notified via an announcement ceremony on November 23 via the Recording Academy’s website.  Actually, Jon Batiste who is also nominated for 11 GRAMMY’s himself, made the announcement for our category among others which you can see on my Facebook page (click Here).  What an honor it was to have the multi-talented musician, band leader and tv personality announce our project as a GRAMMY nominee.

I had already planned to spend the day with my parents and was running errands with my dad when my phone began blowing up with congratulatory texts and calls.  We couldn’t believe this was happening. When we returned to the house, my mom was so happy she began crying.  I attempted to call my wife several times to share the good news, but she was busy doing laundry at the time and missed my calls.  It was unbelievable, we laugh about it now, but she was ecstatic.  So, when I got home, we shared a celebratory toast.

4. Tell us about the 1 Tribe Collective.

I am a member of the 1 Tribe Collective, a group of 25-black children’s artists who came together after the death of George Floyd to address the issue of the lack of diversity within the children’s music genre. We all come from different backgrounds and music genres, including R&B, Hip-Hop, Folk, Country, African World Music, Funk, Reggae, Go-Go and more.  It was truly a Black Lives inspired project.

5. Tell us about the All One Tribe Album and why this album is important to you. What is the significance of the song “A Go-Go Fun Day” that you contributed to this album?

One of the important aspects of this album is that we did not wait for anyone else to give us permission to do for our community what we knew was our responsibility. We let the world know that not only do we exist, but that Black voices in children and family music matter.

A Go-Go Fun Day uses the official music of DC, “Go-Go Music,” to document the resistance movement by Black residents in the Nation’s Capital against racism when Blacks were not allowed to attend the Easter Egg Roll at the White House.  Instead, they were permitted to go to the National Zoo, and it became an unofficial holiday over the years.  It shows our ability to turn an adverse circumstance into a positive outcome that has lasted for over one hundred years in a city where DC residents are taxed without representation. It is about community control of everything we do.

6. What’s next for The Uncle Devin Show?

I will be releasing one of the first ever children’s Go-Go albums in early 2022 entitled, “Little Kangaroo in the Pocket.”  Additionally, I will continue conducting workshops, residencies and concerts for schools, libraries, museums, and other venues for children and families.

Also, as a DC Certified Business Enterprise (CBE), we look to develop short and long-term contracts with schools, parks and recreation and the DC Public Library where we will conduct professional development courses for their staff. I offer six different training programs including, “Racism in Children’s Music: Liberating Music for the Black Child,” “Think Local, Crank Global: A Go-Go Workshop for Educators!” and “A Family Involvement Workshop.”

We will also continue providing the only children’s music radio program catering to the Black community entitled, WEE Nation Radio. WEE stands for Watoto Entertainment & Education, and Watoto is a Swahili word that means, “Children.”  We provide the best in family-friendly global beats for little feet and is a 24/7 online music radio station that streams R&B, Hip-Hop, Funk, Jazz, Go-Go and World music specially created for kids.

Met Branch Trail – Blair Road to Piney Branch Road Meeting Documents/Survey

Posted by nextstoprp in Met Branch Trail

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) now has a webpage for the part of the Metropolitan Branch Trail that will run from Blair Road to Piney Branch Road, available at https://metbranchtrail.com/blair-rd-to-piney-branch. This is the final section of the trail. DDOT states they expect construction to be complete by 2024/2025. The presentation on initial design/concepts from the December 7, 2021, meeting is available on the site.

For those interested, there is also a survey on design and alternatives for this part of the trail.

Art Place at Fort Totten: Documents Submitted for Phase Two Public Hearing

Posted by nextstoprp in Uncategorized

On December 13, 2021, the DC Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on the Modification of Significance application submitted by the Cafritz Foundation for the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten (known as Block B). The case number is 06-10G. To sign up to testify or to submit written comments, follow the instructions in the hearing notice. Written comments must be submitted at least 24 hours before the hearing.

Block B will sit on South Dakota Avenue NE between Ingraham Street NE and Kennedy Street NE. We have covered the modification process extensively on the blog the past several weeks. The proposed changes, resulting from the loss of Meow Wolf from the project, were previously submitted as part of a Modification of Consequence application in case number 06-10F. The Zoning Commission determined that a limited scope public hearing was necessary and withdrew case 06-10F. The development team resubmitted the proposed changes in the Modification of Significance application.

A few updates on what has happened in late November/December, as documents are being submitted on a weekly basis.

Developer’s Supplemental Statement

Previously, in the withdrawn Modification of Consequence case (06-10F), DC’s Office of Planning (OP) and the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) submitted filings requesting additional information from the development team. On October 1, 2021, OP requested the team to submit information about the proposed color palette changes, clarifications on the architectural details of some of the uses, and information regarding negotiations with the new operator for the family entertainment zone (FEZ), grocery store, and children’s museum. OP also strongly urged the developer to consider making some of the additional 23 housing units dedicated below market-rate units, even though the developer is not legally required to do so. On October 11, 2021, LRCA requested information about changes to 3rd Street NE and pedestrian safety measures and also requested that certain conditions from case 06-10F apply to the new case.

The developer submitted an initial statement in support of the new application on October 19, 2021.

On October 26, 2021, the Office of Planning submitted an updated report for this matter. In the updated report, OP also evaluated the proposed changes through a racial equity lens, again requesting more dedicated affordable units.

On November 22, 2021, the developer submitted a supplemental statement to address the issues raised by OP and LRCA. It looks like the team has abandoned its plan to change the color palette. The developer proposes to reserve 3 of the 23 additional housing units as Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) units (dedicated below market-rate units).

In response to OP’s question about the FEZ, the developer stated:

The Applicant has signed an operating agreement with the Venue Group to manage and program the food hall and performing arts spaces. The Applicant is finalizing its lease negotiations with Explore! Children’s Museum. The Applicant continues to meet with numerous groups/organizations that will lease the immersive arts space(s). However, the Applicant is not yet in a position to definitively state which of these groups/organizations will be coming to Block B. Pursuant to the terms of the lease with Aldi, the Applicant is required to provide the grocery store space to Aldi by January 2024. In order to meet that deadline, the Applicant will be starting Foundation to Grade work on the site in January, 2022.

As part of its filing, the developer also submitted a racial equity analysis. The developer also provided an updated trip generation analysis and analysis of the 3rd Street connection, stating the new road segment will have a de minimis impact.

DDOT Report

On December 3, 2021, DDOT submitted a report stating the agency does not object to the application for a modification, with two conditions: (1) Conditions related to transportation demand management, loading, and transportation improvments remain in effect. (2) The developer will fund and construct the 3rd Street segment, subject to DDOT approval.

Office of Planning Final Pre-hearing Report

On December 6, 2021, the Office of Planning submitted a final pre-hearing report. In that report, OP encouraged the developer to make more than 3 of the additional 23 units IZ units. In addition, OP has requested a description of the type and distribution of the IZ units. OP’s final report contains a handy chart comparing what was previously approved to what is being proposed now.

Here are the proposed changes at this point (as reflected in OP’s final report):

  • Add a northern extension to the wing on the west side of the former 4th Street, to contain an additional 23 residential units. 20 would be market rate and, as of November 22, 2021’s filings, 3 have been proffered as Inclusionary Zoning units;
  • Change the interactive entertainment provider from Meow Wolf to the Venue Group and reduce the square footage and volume of the venue;
  • Reduce the height of the glass “drum” enclosure in the FEZ area by about 22 feet while maintaining the approved maximum height for the wings containing residential units;
  • Modify the internal layouts and space allocations for the entertainment, retail and cultural components;
  • As of the November 22 filings, the applicant is no longer proposing changes to the previously approved colors of the façade of the western “residential” wing;
  • Relocate the planned dog park to the corner of 4th and Kennedy Streets;
  • Eliminate an open-air, stone-faced gazebo (a.k.a the “fort”), expanding both the FEZ footprint and enlarging the adjacent plaza;
  • Add a terrace level above the South Dakota Avenue retail;
  • Reduce parking spaces from 717 to 494, a 34% reduction for this phase, consistent with what the applicant states is the changed parking demand resulting from the change in the FEZ’s interactive entertainment provider;
  • Add a loading berth to the east wing, accessed from of[f] the closed 4th Street;
  • Reduce FAR by 0.32.

There are a lot more details in all of the documents, updated renderings, and the like, available on the Zoning Commission’s website, case number 06-10G, for anyone interested.

ANC 4B Report

The development team attended ANC 4B’s public meeting on November 22, 2021. The ANC voted to submit a resolution in support of the modifications to Block B, with recommendations.

ANC 4B is an affected party in this matter. The project sits across the street from ANC 4B. The boundary between ANC 4B and ANC 5A is Kennedy Street NE east of South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road NE west of South Dakota Avenue. ANC 4B had previously chosen not to participate in proceedings regarding the second phase.

ANC 4B’s Housing Justice Committee reviewed the project at a meeting on November 8, 2021. The Committee submitted a number of questions requesting information from the development team. See the development team’s responses here.

ANC 4B’s resolution builds upon OP’s and LRCA’s previous submissions and makes several recommendations:

  • Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B supports the proposed Modification of Significance, but asks that the Zoning Commission and the developer improve the project as to both affordability and stree safety.
  • Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B supports the reduction in parking for the Block B Planned Unit Development.
  • Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B generally supports the additional 23 units of housing with the addition of at least three income-restricted Inclusionary Zoning units, but the Commission urges the development team to consider additional income-restricted Inclusionary Zoning units in light of the length of time that has transpired since the original Planned Unit Development; the increased need for affordable housing, particularly in this area; and the overall legacy of racial discrimination as to affordable housing and home ownership.
  • Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B requests the development team and the Zoning Commission require that the additional Inclusionary Zoning units be family-sized, as the thirty artist units will not support families who need affordable housing.
  • Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B requests the development team and the Zoning Commission require that the additional Inclusionary Zoning units be at the 50% Median Family Income level, the most deeply affordable level in the Inclusionary Zoning program.
  • Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B requests the development team and the Zoning Commission require that the 84 Riggs Plaza leaseholder apartments be permanently designated as affordable, senior housing in perpetuity.
  • Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B requests that the Zoning Commission and the developer significantly improve the physical traffic calming on 3rd Street, NE and adjoining streets beyond just paint and signage to include street treatments, chicanes, raised crosswalks or other physical treatments designed to reduce vehicle speeds and create a shared space for vulnerable road users.
  • Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B requests that the Zoning Commission and the developer require the creation of a comprehensive school zone safety plan developed in cooperation with the District Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School program for the schools located in the Planned Unit Development. The plan should at a minimum include pick up and drop off planning for students; crossing guard placements; flashing school zone speed limit signs; an examination of crosswalks and intersections for additional treatments including raised crosswalks, rapid flashing beacons, pedestrian hybrid beacons, and flashing stops signs; and consideration of speed humps and speed tables.

By family-sized units, the ANC means units with three or more bedrooms.

ANC 5A

ANC 5A previously supported the Modification of Consequence application in case 06-10F in a resolution with one condition requesting protected bike lanes on 3rd Street. At a public meeting on November 17, 2021, the ANC did vote to support the new Modification of Significance Application. I do not see an ANC report in the record for 06-10G and I do not know if the ANC plans to submit a report.

Aside on the discussion regarding income-restricted units

It is interesting to me that in its October 26th report, OP referenced a 2018 analysis of dedicated affordable housing by ANC when ANC/SMD boundaries are political boundaries that do change (ANC 5A’s boundaries for example did change after the 2010 Census). I know this project is sometimes treated as if it is on an island by itself separate and apart from an existing neighborhood, but it really is not. And if one looks at the income-restricted units in the neighborhood, such as the Milestone Apartments on 2nd Street NE, less than a half-mile north from this project that just happen to be located in ANC 4B, one gets a different story. But that is just an aside.

Also, when this project was first considered way back when, LRCA at that time requested that the income-restricted subsidized units be income-restricted subsidized in perpetuity and submitted testimony to that effect at a public Zoning hearing in 2009. With respect to the Riggs Plaza tenants, citing project economics, the developer instead offered an affordability covenant that would last for the life of the tenant or 20 years, whichever is longer. For the other income-restricted units, the affordability covenant would run 20 years. In 2010, the Zoning Commission approved the entire multi-phase project with the affordability commitments proferred by the developer at that time (Order No. 06-10). (This is one of the documents I was referring to in a previous post talking about the history behind wanting to connect some of the disconnected streets; it includes reference to connecting 3rd Street to Riggs Road). The Zoning Commission could have ordered stronger commitments then.

Fast forward to today and similar conversations about income-restricted units are taking place again, now with respect to the new units being proposed for Block B. The developer could of course agree to revisit its previous affordability commitment.

Again all just an observation.

Statements Regarding Building A

At the ANC 4B meeting on November 22, the development team addressed the amount of space still available for leasing in Building A, the first phase that was completed in 2017. Sean Cahill, a consultant on the project, stated that the development team is looking at ways to activate the old warehouses near 4th and Kennedy Street NE, as well as some of the retail space in Building A.

(And of course, finally having an anchor in place for Building A should help a lot).

Chick-fil-A anticipates March 2022 opening

Posted by nextstoprp in Chick-fil-A

The new Chick-fil-A under construction at the corner of 3rd Street and Riggs Road NE is anticipated to open in March 2022. Representatives shared an update with the leadership of the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association in late November:

  • Site Construction at 75% complete
  • Building Construction at 25% complete
  • Forecasted Opening March 2022

After the new year closer to the opening date, representatives will attend a meeting to provide more information about operations (such as operating hours and hiring) and to answer questions from residents.

Chick-fil-A under construction, 3rd Street & Riggs Road NE, December 8, 2021

Fence Erected on Pedestrian Path; Congresswoman Norton NPS Quarterly Meeting December 9

Posted by nextstoprp in North Michigan PArk
Galloway Street NE view
Gallatin Street NE view

As expected, the National Park Service (NPS) has once again erected fencing near the informal pedestrian path between Galloway Street NE and Gallatin Street NE to prevent people from traveling along the path. This time though it is not quite the full enclosure that was erected last year, and I saw two people casually strolling through the area yesterday. The fencing on the Gallatin Street side has been knocked down for a few days now, so not much of a deterrent. It looks like NPS is trying to restore the area to something other than a mud pit, so it is probably helpful if people do not walk in that area. NPS representatives stated at a single member district meeting of ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) that they would likely have an update about the status of the path after the new year.

Friendly reminder that Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is holding her quarterly NPS town hall on December 9 at 7:00 pm. Register to receive the meeting link by sending an email to RSVP@NortonEvents@mail.house.gov.

Onelife Fitness anticipates January 2022 opening, now hiring

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

Onelife Fitness, the new gym located at 5198 South Dakota Avenue NE, anticipates opening in January 2022. The gym is preselling memberships as interior construction continues. Check out rates and amenities at https://www.onelifefitness.com/gyms/fort-totten. Monthly payments do not begin until the gym opens. Individuals can also go to the preview center located on the corner of South Dakota Avenue and Ingraham Street NE by appointment to check out the offerings. Email forttotten@onelifefitness.com or call (202) 459-4664.

The gym is offering hard hat tours to new members. I took at look at the progress of the interior buildout over the weekend. The gym looks to be quite spacious with high ceilings and great light. There are zones for cardio, strength training, group fitness classes, spin, and boxing. There will be a saltwater pool, sauna, whirlpool tub, and hydromassage (kinda cool to see what a pool looks like as it is being built). During the tour, they did mention that certain things like the sauna might not be available immediately when the gym opens (COVID and all). The general manager, Chris Barrett, also mentioned that the gym will have a hospital-grade air filtration system that will run 24/7.

Probably not an issue for neighborhood residents, but the gym will offer three hour validated parking. The gym will open at 5:00 am on weekdays for the early birds and later on the weekends. One thing people have asked about is onsite childcare. Right now there are no plans to offer childcare onsite, but keep asking.

The gym is hiring for a number of positions. Fitness and non-fitness related positions are open. Check them out at https://www.usfitnesscareers.com. Let your neighbors know. It would be great to have local residents fill these positions.

December 8: DC for Democracy DC Council Chair & Mayor Candidate Forum

Posted by nextstoprp in Uncategorized

From DC for Democracy

Topic: DC Council Chair and Mayoral Candidate Forum
Description: Please join DC for Democracy for two events in one:

1) DC Council Chair candidate forum with Phil Mendelson and Erin Palmer (7-8pm)
2) Mayoral candidate forum with Robert White (8-9pm)

Moderator: Kimberly Perry, Executive Director of DC Action.

All incumbents, as well as challengers who have filed to run in the Democratic primary using the Fair Elections (public financing) program, were invited to participate.

Both segments will include questions from the audience.

Registration link here 

Submit Comments on the MBT Fort Totten to Takoma Segment Design by December 14, 2021

Posted by nextstoprp in Met Branch Trail

On November 30, 2021, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) presented the full design of the Fort Totten to Takoma segment of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT). View the meeting materials on the project website at https://metbranchtrail.com/met-branch-trail-fort-totten-to-takoma. It is worth taking a look at the presentation if you care about the trail at all.

DDOT is accepting comments on the design of this trail segment until December 14, 2021. Submit comments to metbranchtrail@dc.gov.

Status of other segments of MBT & Other Nearby Trails

DDOT representatives briefly covered the status of other parts of the trail during the meeting. The Brookland to Fort Totten segment is on track to be completed by the end of this year (!). The project website for that segment is https://www.metbranchtrail-forttotten.com. The site includes lots of photos and information regarding that part of the trail.

DDOT will hold a virtual workshop presenting draft concept designs for the segment of the trail that will run from Blair Road to Piney Branch Road on December 7, 2021.

Construction of the trail segment along Eastern Avenue between Piney Branch Road and Baltimore Avenue was completed in June 2021.

In response to a question regarding a trail from Fort Totten to Avondale (this is the trail that is supposed to run along Gallatin Street NE to connect to the MBT), DDOT stated they do not have a status update about planning for that trail.

Interim measures for Fort Totten to Takoma Extension

A full traffic signal at 1st Street NE and Riggs Road NE is technically part of the Fort Totten to Takoma phase of the project. Recall though that DDOT expedited the installation of an interim traffic signal at that intersection. That work is currently underway, and DDOT expects the light to be operational by the end of this year. The interim signal will not include a bike signal. That will be added later.

There are still plans to conduct an environmental assessment of a potential realignment of the planned on-street portion of the trail in Manor Park along 1st Street NE and along McDonald Place NE offstreet closer to the tracks along National Park Service (NPS) land.

Fort Totten to Takoma Extension

A few residents aired grievances about overarching issues that DDOT is not going to change at this point of the project. DDOT rejected alternative locations of this trail segment along North Dakota Avenue NW and along 3rd Street NW. So despite grumblings from a couple of folks that Blair Road NW is not an optimal location for the trail given the amount of traffic and the amount of curb cuts along Blair, this part of the trail will run along Blair and DDOT is taking a number of steps to minimize conflicts as much as possible. See the design roll showing a number of proposed marked crossings and other features here.

A couple of residents chimed in to repeat concerns about the planned on-street portions of the trail, especially on 1st Street NE. One resident noted that DC Bilingual is currently undergoing plans to expand enrollment at the school. The resident thinks that there will be a lot more traffic along 1st Street that will not necessarily be mitigated by expedited installation of a traffic signal at 1st Street and Riggs Road.

Other than that, there was a lot of detail presented about the key intersections along Blair Road, including on impacts to parking. Northbound Blair Road will be reduced to one travel lane north of Peabody Street NW, which will be interesting. Also, DDOT stated more than once that they cannot close curb cuts as part of this project. To minimize conflicts, DDOT will install signage and markings along the trail. The median on Blair just north of Kansas will be extended so that drivers cannot turn left out of the 7-Eleven onto Blair. In response to a question about the bike lanes on Kansas Avenue approaching this portion of the planned trail from the east and west, DDOT stated they will look at filling in the gap.

Check out the presentation for details about each focus area of the trail.

Timeline

DDOT anticipates that construction on the Fort Totten to Takoma segment will start in summer/fall 2022 and will be completed in fall 2024.

December 2, 2021 ANC 5A Special Meeting Recap: New DDOT Dashboard & Ward 5 Liaison; MPD Reward Program

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

ANC 5A held a special public meeting on December 2, 2021. Commissioners present: Damion McDuffie (5A01); Charles Lockett (5A02); Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – Secretary; Ronnie Edwards (5A05) – Chair; Sandi Washington (5A07) – Treasurer.

Note: District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Acting Director Everett Lott was scheduled to attend this special meeting. Getting DDOT to a meeting was the reason the ANC was having a special meeting in the first place, but Director Lott had to cancel again. The ANC notified residents on November 30 that DDOT Deputy Director Sharon Kershbaum would attend to represent DDOT.

ANC Business

Catholic University first-year undergraduate student Diego Rojas has met the requirements to be ANC Commissioner. Once he is sworn in, he will officially join the Commission to represent single member district (SMD) 5A04.

DDOT

Former DDOT Ward 5 Community Engagement Specialist Kelly Jeong-Olson is now DDOT’s Community Engagement Manager, overseeing all of DDOT’s ward liaisons. The new Ward 5 liaison is Dalando Baker. He can be reached at dalando.baker@dc.gov.

DDOT Deputy Director Sharon Kershbaum, who is only five weeks into her job at DDOT, did her best to answer questions. She highlighted DDOT’s new dashboard for traffic safety investigations, available at https://ddot.dc.gov/featured-content/traffic-safety-investigation-tsi-dashboard. You can search the dashboard by ANC area and find out the status of various requests.

Because of Ms. Kershabum’s limited DDOT experience, the meeting ended up turning into the ANC Commissioners spelling out a list of issues in their respective areas. If you have attended a few ANC meetings, the issues should be familiar.

  • Oversize trucks improperly using neighborhood roads
  • Speeding along the South Dakota Avenue NE corridor
  • Difficulty crossing South Dakota Avenue and Decatur Street NE
  • House vibrations when vehicles cross the raised stop bar at Sargent Road and Emerson Street NE
  • Installation of 5G cell towers on residential streets (Note: Verizon just installed one on Galloway Street NE and one on Hamilton Street NE last week).

Catholic University General Counsel Matthew Dolan also chimed in to ask for something to be done about speeding on the streets surrounding Catholic University.

A couple of residents complained about bike lanes and reducing vehicle travel lanes and parking. One resident said all of the flexiposts popping up across the city can be confusing for elderly drivers.

A couple of commissioners and residents raised process questions. For example, if DDOT closes a matter stating that no work is warranted, even though work clearly is warranted, what happens next. There should be some way to request reconsideration of that decision. And in order to do so, DDOT should have to provide the reasoning for its initial decision. Another example: DDOT is seeking to streamline requests with the new traffic investigation process. Part of that involves reducing the number of circumstances in which ANC support and lots of documentation are necessary. But Commissioner Lucio stated that there may be some instances in which the ANC would want to be involved, such as when residents on a block disagree about installing a sidewalk where there is none. In that case, Commissioner Lucio said she would want the ANC Commissioner to be notified and involved, understanding that DDOT would ultimately determine whether a sidewalk is installed.

All that said, DDOT’s processes and policies are still unclear to me. Ms. Jeong-Olson stated that DDOT will be releasing a simple one-pager about the traffic safety investigation process in the next week or so.

MPD Police Report (MPD 4D Commander Randy Griffin)

MPD Fourth District Commander Randy Griffin made an appearance to let residents know about MPD’s reward program for tips on illegal gun possession. Individuals may be eligible for a cash reward for tips leading to arrest and seizure of an illegal gun. Through a partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), an additional cash reward may be available for recovery of a ghost gun or gun with a conversion device. Call (202) 727-9099 to make an anonymous report or text anonymously to 50411.

Mayor’s Office Report (Ward 5 MOCR Nokomis Hunter)

Mayor Bowser will be holding a Senior Holiday Celebration on December 15, 2021, at the Convention Center. Registration, proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and masks are required.

DMV’s ticket amnesty program ends December 31, 2021.

The next ANC 5A meeting is scheduled for January 2022.

December 7: MBT Blair Road to Piney Branch – Virtual Workshop

Posted by nextstoprp in Met Branch Trail

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will host a public meeting to discuss The Metropolitan Branch Trail (Blair Rd to Piney Branch Rd NW). DDOT will present an overview of the project, draft concept designs, next steps, and get feedback from the community.

WHAT: Metropolitan Branch Trail Virtual Workshop
WHEN: Tuesday, December 7, 2021
TIME: 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm
TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING:

Attendee Link: https://rebrand.ly/MBTTakoma
Meeting Number: 2302 624 1146
Meeting Password: December7!
Dial-in Option (audio only): Call +1-202-860-2110. Access Code: 2302 624 1146. An Attendee ID is not required; press # to join.

Can’t Make a Meeting?
Materials from this meeting will be made available at www.metbranchtrail.com within 48 hours of the conclusion of the meeting. For more information, contact Project Manager Michael Alvino at michael.alvino@dc.gov or 202-497-7153.

December 6: LRCA Public Meeting (Virtual)

Posted by nextstoprp in Lamond Riggs Citizens Association

Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) Monthly Public Meeting
December 6, 2021
7:00 pm

Agenda

1. Welcome / Invocation
2. Officers Report, Minutes, Treasurer Report
3. Updates from Elected Officials and PSA
4. Guest Speakers
• Chris Barrett, Onelife Fitness
• Greg and Howard, Lamond-Riggs Boy & Girls Recreation Reunion Community Welcoming
5. Closing

To view the meeting online
https://zoom.us/j/97545548070?pwd=SThHU2k3SFBIZG1lOWlQeXJHM0FtQT09
Meeting ID: 975 4554 8070
Passcode: 911798

To listen to the meeting by phone
Dial-in Phone Number: (301) 715-8592
Meeting ID: 975 4554 8070
Passcode: 911798

View the LRCA December 2021 newsletter here. To view a map of LRCA’s boundaries click here.

Reminder: MBT Fort Totten to Takoma 100% Design Meeting Tonight

Posted by nextstoprp in Met Branch Trail

WHAT: Public Meeting for the Metropolitan Branch Trail Fort Totten to Takoma Design Project
WHEN: November 30, 2021
TIME: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING: Please use this link to join the meeting:
https://rebrand.ly/MetBranchTrail_FortTottentoTakoma

How to Join via Phone:
• Dial the US Toll – Washington D.C. Phone Number: +1-202-860-2110
• Dial the meeting’s Access Code: 2314 363 2000, followed by the # key.
• The Webex system will prompt you for an Attendee ID, this is not required. Press the # key to
join the meeting.

Can’t Make a Meeting?
Materials from this meeting will be made available at https://www.metbranchtrail.com within 24 hours of the conclusion of the meeting.

December 2: ANC 5A Special Public Meeting (Virtual)

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

Updated: Acting Dir. Lott will not be in attendance. Instead Dep. Dir. Sharon Kershbaum will attend to represent DDOT.

ANC 5A Special Public Meeting
December 2, 2021
6:45 pm

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89195458896pwd=Q3M4ZTV3N3g2RTBHOHkvd213dEZHQT09

Meeting ID: 891 9545 8896    
Passcode: 053154
Dial In: 301 715 8592

Agenda

District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Acting Director Everett Lott Deputy Director Sharon Kershbaum

November 17, 2021 ANC 5A Meeting Recap: Catholic Solar Project; Art Place at Fort Totten; Trees

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on November 17, 2021, a week earlier than usual due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Commissioners present: Damion McDuffie (5A01); Charles Lockett (5A02); Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – Secretary; Ronnie Edwards (5A05) – Chair; Derrick Holloway (5A06); Sandi Washington (5A07) – Treasurer; Gordon Fletcher (5A08) – Vice Chair. ANC single member district (SMD) 5A04 covering Catholic University is vacant.

Note: District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Acting Director Everett Lott was scheduled to attend, but he cancelled. The ANC will look to reschedule his attendance at the next ANC meeting.

Also, this meeting turned out to be super long, almost three hours, so I might be forgetting something.

Request for one-way streets in ANC SMD 5A07

Commissioner Sandi Washington (5A07) requested the ANC’s support for her request to convert four two-way streets into one-way streets.

  • Unit block of Buchanan Street NE for one-way travel westbound
  • Unit block of Crittenden Street NE for one-way travel eastbound
  • 4900 block of Rock Creek Church Road NE for one-way travel northbound
  • Unit block of Farragut Street NE for one-way travel eastbound

Commissioner Washington noted that DDOT has changed the requirements for submitting traffic safety investigation requests and she still has questions about the process. Commissioner Washington said she is requesting these one-way conversions to address traffic congestion on these narrow streets and to address incidences of car mirrors getting knocked off. She said residents in the area support this request, and one resident chimed in to offer her support as well. The commission voted unanimously to support the request. DDOT will need to conduct a traffic study before approving any of the conversions.

Student nominee for vacant ANC 5A04 seat

As noted in a previous recap, Catholic University first-year undergraduate student Diego Rojas has submitted paperwork to fill the vacant ANC 5A04 seat covering Catholic University. The ANC anticipates that Mr. Rojas will be able to formally join the commission by the next ANC meeting.

MPD Police Report (Lt. Patrick Schaut)

MPD Fourth District Lt. Patrick Schaut stated he had no further information regarding a homicide that took place on Taussig Place NE.

MPD continues to see theft of vehicles that are left running. In addition, individuals sitting inside unlocked cars with the car running are being robbed of the car keys. Lock your car doors if you are sitting in your vehicle and do not leave your vehicles running unattended.

Lt. Schaut said there has been a significant increase in package thefts in the Sligo Mill NE area. There has also been an increase in burglaries in that area as well. As a reminder, the holiday season is a season of package thefts and thefts from autos. Lt. Schaut recommended that if you are going out of town and traveling with suitcases, try not to get a ride hail directly in front of your home. Individuals may be casing your home and see that you will be away for a period of time. If you are traveling for the holidays, you can let MPD Fourth District know and they can put your home on a “special attention” list. Also, you should alert your alarm company to immediately call police if your house alarm goes off so that the alarm company does not spend time trying to call you while you are out of town.

There has been an increase in thefts of vehicle parts such as airbags around the Varnum Street NE area.

Lt. Schaut stated if you know someone who is having mental health issues, reach out to DC’s Department of Behavior Health (DBH). Also, if you know someone who is having issues with animals, reach out to DC’s Animal Control. Best to reach out before more episodes arise so that police are not the ones being called on to assist residents in need.

If you have video evidence of possible crimes that you would like to share with MPD, Lt. Schaut said it is best to send it from a desktop to him. His email address is patrick.schaut@dc.gov.

Ward 5 Mutual Aid grant request

There was another long discussion about the grant request from the Ward 5 Mutual Aid group. There are now three commissioners involved with this grant request (Commissioners Holloway, Fletcher, and Lucio), plus the ANC’s treasurer Commissioner Washington. The commissioners will have a meeting with the group to figure all of this out. (Commentary: I do not know why this is so hard. This group has been trying to figure out how to request grant money for over two years now, and the ANC just cannot get it together. It is as if the commissioners are not looking at the ANC website that the ANC has once again paid a bunch of money to someone to update. So they do not know what their own guidelines say or what they are supposed to say. They only updated the website with the correct grant application at the beginning of this month after an exchange of a bunch of emails between myself and the commissioners. It is very strange.)

Art Place at Fort Totten Block B Modification

Representatives for the Cafritz Foundation returned to provide additional updates regarding the modification for Block B (the second phase) of Art Place at Fort Totten. Recall the Zoning Commission requested that the modification be processed as a Modification of Significance requiring a public hearing. The hearing is scheduled for December 13, 2021 (case number 06-10G). The modifications were previously described in these four posts. One of the modifications is the addition of 23 housing units to Block B for a total of 294 housing units. DC’s Office of Planning requested that the developer consider making some of the additional 23 units below market-rate, even though the developer is not legally required to do so. In response, the developer is proposing to make three of the additional 23 units below market-rate units (inclusionary zoning units). This is in addition to the 30 affordable artist housing units that were already planned for Block B.

The development also stated that with respect to connecting the road on 3rd Street NE, DDOT has agreed to put up school zone signs and to lower the speed limit to 15 miles per hour.

Commissioner Lockett again raised the issue of a lack of a grocery store or sit-down restaurants in the project to date. An Aldi grocery store is planned for Block B. According to the development team, if everything proceeds smoothly at the December 2021 hearing, they anticipate construction will begin after the new year and the grocery store will open sometime in 2024. Mr. Lockett suggested having a sit-down restaurant or food vendors in Building A, which still has a lot of vacant retail space. The development team said they have been looking at putting fresh fruit/vegetable vendors in a vacant space there. A resident raised the point that UDC’s Bertie Backus Hub across the street hosted a farmstand (a couple of summers ago) and recommended that the development team work with the food hub.

The ANC voted unanimously to support the modification.

Catholic University Solar Project

There was another long discussion about Catholic University’s plan to install a solar farm on their west campus. A hearing on the project is scheduled for January 6, 2022. Catholic presented on the plan last month and the ANC told them to come back this month in order to give the commissioners time to get a resolution prepared for a vote. Commissioner Holloway talked about parking issues with respect to Catholic University events and requested that there be a special meeting about the solar project. Commissioner Washington reminded her colleagues that they told Catholic they would be prepared to vote on the project at this meeting and suggested proceeding with a vote. She recommended keeping the event parking issues separate from consideration of this solar project.

Commissioner Lockett again raised a point about the energy being produced being sold back to the market and stated that he believed neighborhood residents should benefit from that energy production. Catholic University representative Matthew Dolan explained that residents are able to purchase energy at a lower rate. Mr. Dolan stated that this project specifically is a way for the university to reduce its utility costs and use the savings to support the university’s mission.

Commissioner McDuffie reiterated concerns about job training opportunities and specific scholarship opportunities for ANC 5A students. Then Commissioner Holloway said he too wanted to hear more about opportunities for DC residents. Mr. Dolan stated the university will talk to their general contractors to make sure they are communicating with the ANC about job training and job fairs. They will give the ANC information to be placed on the ANC’s website. He also highlighted the university’s various scholarship programs, including one that is exclusive to Ward 5 students. The ANC voted to support the solar project, with Commissioner Holloway voting to support with (undetermined) conditions and Commissioner Lockett voting no.

Ward 5 Mayor’s Office Report (Ward 5 MOCR Nokomis Hunter)

Commissioners Lucio and Washington expressed their concern about Mayor Bowser’s decision to lift the mask mandate. The commissioners asked what was the basis for the decision. Mr. Hunter did not have a response.

Ward 5 Council Report (Senior Advisor Silas Grant)

Silas Grant, Senior Advisor to Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, stated that while the ANC meeting was happening, the majority of the DC Council signed onto a letter by Council Chair Phil Mendelson with concerns about the mayor’s decision to lift the mask mandate.

Mr. Grant noted again the Council’s support of Councilmember McDuffie’s baby bonds bill. The goal of the initiative is to decrease the racial wealth gap.

DDOT Urban Forestry

Although DDOT Acting Director Lott could not make the meeting, a DDOT Urban Forestry representative stayed on the meeting to address street tree issues. Commissioner Holloway had a lot to say about Robert Corletta, a supervisor within the urban forestry division, and wants him to come to an ANC meeting to address impact of trees on plumbing in residents’ homes. Commissioner Lockett mentioned there are a lot of street trees that were planted years ago that are too big for the space where they were planted and he suggested that DDOT do a hard pruning of trees that overhanging peoples’ homes. Commissioner Washington requested an update regarding her 311 requests for street trees. Commissioner Lucio brought up the trees planted along Puerto Rico Avenue NE that are supposed to act as a sound barrier. Commissioner Lucio noted that the trees are dying and the grass in the area is always overgrown. She said that Mr. Corletta told her that there is not regular maintenance of the grass in that area. It appears there should be though, so Commissioner Lucio asked for the team to do regular maintenance of the grass and to also conduct regular review of tree growth in public spaces.

Stay tuned for the next ANC meeting date.

November 21: Uptown Craft District Launch

Posted by nextstoprp in Uncategorized

Uptown Craft District Launch
November 21, 2021
12:00 pm

Launch of the Uptown Craft District, DC’s newest destination for craft beverages. Featuring local music acts and prize drawings for people who get stamps at multiple stops. Media sponsor: TakomaRadio.org, WOWD 94.3 fm.

Locations: