DC North | June 2007 | Ward 1 News

Ward 1 News

by: Natasha Abbas

Columbia Heights Neighbors Meet to Discuss Area Shelter
A neighborhood meeting took place May 16 at the Spring Road Mental Health facility to discuss issues surrounding the Spring Road Family Apartments, a 28-unit transitional shelter, located at 1433 Spring Road, NW. SRFA is run by Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit providing services to the homeless that operates 13 program facilities across the District, including the nearby La Casa shelter located at 14th and Irving streets, NW.

Neighborhood residents, residents of SRFA, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham, Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser, SRFA Director Nola Dixon, and representatives from the mayor’s office, Councilmembers Graham’s office, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A, Department of Human Services and the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness were in attendance.

At the meeting, some area residents expressed concern that youth from SRFA were loitering out in the streets in front of the building at all hours and were hanging out in the alleys behind residents’ homes, throwing trash in neighbors yards and behaving inappropriately.

“I’m afraid to come out of my front door sometimes,” said Jerry Phillips, a neighbor who lives in very close proximity, adding that he was alarmed that youth would sometime come onto his property and litter. “This would never happen in Ward 3.”

Residents of SRFA who were in attendance responded to such concerns by saying that it wasn’t fair to criticize youth for loitering when they weren’t being offered any alternative ways to spend their time through recreational programs. “It’s not the kids’ fault,” said one SRFA resident, suggesting the neighborhood could be doing more to support the youth.

Part of residents’ concerns may be related to the slated temporary relocation of La Casa shelter, currently located at 14th and Irving streets, NW, to 1131 Spring Road, NW, a few blocks away from SFRA, said Ted Loza of Councilmember Graham’s office in an interview with DC North. The temporary relocation will last for approximately 12 to 18 months during which time a new facility is renovated for La Casa. The relocation will not take place for another 12-18 months, but neighbors have voiced concerns that the temporary relocation will become permanent without the community’s approval, said Loza. However, Loza said residents can rest assured “we are looking at a new state-of-the-art building that is 2 ½ years away.”

At the community meeting, SFRA Director Nola Dixon encouraged better communication between the SFRA residents and other neighborhood residents. “This is where they live, this is where they call home, too,” said Dixon, suggesting SRFA residents could benefit from neighborhood residents becoming more involved, giving the example of the need for life-skills building.

At the close of the meeting, ANC 1A Commissioner Jacqueline Arguelles reminded neighbors and city officials of the importance of building unity and not creating distinctions between different residents of the neighborhood. “Let’s go out of here recognizing that one is not any greater than the other, but all of us working together on an even keel can help everybody,” said Arguelles.

Community members suggested Dixon confer with SRFA residents and draft a list of needs and recommendations on how neighborhood residents could better support the shelter. Loza said that community members will meet again within the coming weeks to revisit the issue. No date has been set yet.

Design Plans for Lower Georgia and Sherman Avenue Outlined for Community
The District has designs on Georgia Avenue. City officials shared these designs at the final community workshop for the Georgia Avenue Transportation and Streetscape Project which took place May 22 at Bruce Monroe Elementary School on 3012 Georgia Ave., NW. The District Department of Transportation and Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham hosted what was the last of a series of ongoing community design workshops over the past year to discuss the future of lower Georgia Avenue extending from New Hampshire and Florida avenues and Fourth Street and Sherman Avenue, NW. The workshop brought together residents, advisory neighborhood commissioners, developers, architects and business owners to discuss $8 million in proposed infrastructure improvements and redesign for the two thoroughfares.

Mike Jelen, transportation planner for DDOT, said that the main purpose of the redesign is “to create a cohesive streetscape that will prioritize safety and the ease of traffic flow, while honoring the local history.” Of how the design plans would honor local history, Jelen gave the example of stamped markers at crosswalks which will honor African-American history on Georgia Avenue. Jelen said that a development company for the construction project will be selected once Parsons Brinckerhoff, an urban design company contracted to assess the streets, submits their final report. They expect to break ground on the project in the fall of 2008.

Jelen noted that much of the far stretch of the lower Georgia Avenue portion of the project has not yet been clearly outlined as it is subject to coordination with the Howard Town Center plan- a $60 million mixed-use residential and retail development project slated to be built adjacent to the university campus. Thus, the outlined improvements focused on the section of Georgia Avenue extending from Gresham Street to New Hampshire Avenue, NW. Improvements will include widening the street and sidewalks, eliminating curb cuts to make the street more pedestrian friendly, adding tree boxes and adding traffic circles for the northern and southern portion of the lower Georgia Avenue plan.

Dramatic changes will take place on Sherman Avenue as well. One such change that has been outlined is the addition of a median strip – heavily planted with trees – to be added to the length of Sherman Avenue. Jelen also noted that currently many of the curbs along Sherman Avenue do not meet standards of the American Disabilities Act and redesign plans will ensure ADA compliance. Other improvements outlined for Sherman Avenue include widening sidewalks and adding bicycle lanes and left-turn lanes.

Some residents at the meeting voiced concern about the city’s capacity to maintain all the additional trees proposed for both Georgia and Sherman avenues. ANC 1A Commissioner Lenwood Johnson, who was in attendance, expressed concern that the city hadn’t dealt with trees that Johnson said were in danger of blowing over in a storm. “The city has always done a poor job taking care of trees and green space, and I'm not sure we need more trees if they can't take care of the existing trees,” said Johnson.

DDOT's Lower Georgia Avenue Transportation and Streetscape Project is part of the District’s “Great Streets Initiative” – a multi-year, multi-agency effort to transform underinvested corridors into thriving neighborhood centers.

For more information contact Karina Ricks, DDOT, Great Streets project manager, 202-671-2542, karina.ricks@dc.gov, or Derrick Woody, Great Streets project coordinator, 202-727-2981, derrick.woody@dc.gov.

----------------------------

Ward 1 News Briefs
by Natasha Abbas and Susan Ruether

ANC 1A – Columbia Heights, Pleasant Plains
According to Commissioner Anne Theisen, ANC 1A passed resolutions supporting DC voting rights legislation before Congress and supporting a loan applied for by Cavalier Apartments for renovations. A subcommittee of economic development committee was created to explore the possibility of neighborhood improvement districts for commercial corridors in 1A, said Commissioner Theisen. Theisen also said that ANC members held a special meeting to review the liquor license application for Acuario Restaurant on 11th Street, and members passed a resolution to petition against the liquor license due to committee concerns surrounding Acuario’s hours of operation and the restaurant’s refusal to enter into a voluntary agreement with ANC 1A at that time. Theisen said members are hoping there will be more communication about the issue at the June 13 meeting.

ANC 1A invites residents to attend its next meeting, which will take place at 7 p.m. on June 13 at Tubman Elementary School’s cafeteria at 3101 13th St., NW.
- NA

ANC 1B – Pleasant Plains, U Street, Ledroit Park
Resolutions: The commission moved to protest the new Alcoholic Beverage Regulations Administration license application of the Flamengo Restaurant & Café on the basis of peace, order and quiet. The commission moved to protest the new ABRA license of Town on the basis of peace, order and quiet.

The commission voted to support the renewal licenses for the following Northwest, DC, establishments: Asmara Cafe, 900 Florida Ave.; Zula Restaurant, 1933 Ninth St.; Sala Thai, 1301 U St.; Twins Jazz, 1344 U St.; Ulah Bistro, 1214 U St.; Delicatessen Judy, 2212 14th St.; Dynasty Ethiopian Restaurant, 2210 14th St.; Creme Cafe, 1322 U St.; Al Crostino, 1324 U St.; Bar Pilar, 1833 14th St.; Islander Caribbean Restaurant, 1201 U St.

Grant requests: The commission approved the grant request from the Mid-Town Academy in the amount of $1,000. A grant request in the amount of $1,000 was approved for the LeDroit Park Civic Association for a security camera.

A motion was adopted to write a letter of support to the DC Council and the mayor to set aside $500,000 in support of the Martin Luther King Memorial.

The commission adopted a motion to write to the council and the mayor requesting new regulations regarding dog parks.

The commission adopted a motion to write to the mayor, council and Washington Metro Area Transit Authority asking them to delay any final selection of buyers of WMATA parcels on Florida Avenue until the ANC has had a chance to view the proposals and make a recommendation.

The commission moved to send a letter in support of all five NIF Target Area Project Grants previously presented to the ANC.

For more information about ANC 1B call 202-822-4529 or visit www.anc1b.org.
- SR

ANC 1C – Adams Morgan, Kalorama Heights, Lanier Heights
ANC 1C passed a motion to support a $1,500 grant request from the Reed Cooke Neighborhood Association to support the H.D. Cooke Elementary School’s band trip to Kings Dominion for a band competition. A motion was made to protest the license renewal for the Left Bank for the reason of peace, order and quiet. ANC members passed a resolution opposing the Sale of the Jelleff Boys and Girls Club and urged the District government to take steps to ensure that Jelleff Boys and Girls Club and other Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington currently slated for closure and private development remain open to all youth of this city.
- NA

ANC 1D – Mount Pleasant
ANC 1D members held two monthly meetings in May and passed the following resolutions: advising the DC Council to upgrade the mayor's budget with sufficient funds for the Department of Parks and Recreation to hire a full time bilingual facilitator and $2 million to restore and upgrade Lamont Recreation multi-use facilities; advising the council and mayor to reform the administration of historic preservation to assure transparency in policy; advising DDOT to arrange for electronic notification of permit applications where construction or dumpster location blocks sidewalks, streets or public amenities; advising the Alcohol Beverage Control Board of ANC 1D’s protest of liquor license renewals for eight Mount Pleasant restaurants on the grounds of improving and not decreasing the peace, order and quiet of the neighborhood; advising the council to adopt basic principles for stewardship of public property in order to preserve public property for public needs; allocating up to $500 for initial expenses to explore best practices for handling alcohol licenses and voluntary agreements; advising DDOT to arrange for payments in kind whereby disruptions caused by dumpsters and other construction obstacles to sidewalks and streets would be compensated by longer-term improvements to area streetscape; advising the DC Metropolitan Police Department to reinstate handling the Police Service Area 301 meeting via joint sponsorship with ANC 1D's committee on Public Security.
- NA


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Ward 1 News

by: Natasha Abbas
Columbia Heights Neighbors Meet to Discuss Area Shelter A neighborhood meeting took place May 16 at the Spring Road Mental Health facility to discuss issues surrounding the Spring Road Family Apartments, a 28-unit transitional shelter, located at 1433 Spring Road, NW. SRFA is run by Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit providing services to the homeless that operates 13 program facilities across the District, including the nearby La Casa shelter located at 14th and Irving streets, NW. Neighborhood residents, residents of SRFA, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham, Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser, SRFA Director Nola Dixon, and representatives from the mayor’s office, Councilmembers Graham’s office, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A, Department of Human Services and the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness were in attendance. At the meeting, some area residents expressed concern that youth from SRFA were loitering out in the streets in front of the building at all hours and were hanging out in the alleys behind residents’ homes, throwing trash in neighbors yards and behaving inappropriately. “I’m afraid to come out of my front door sometimes,” said Jerry Phillips, a neighbor who lives in very close proximity, adding that he was alarmed that youth would sometime come onto his property and litter. “This would never happen in Ward 3.” Residents of SRFA who were in attendance responded to such concerns by saying that it wasn’t fair to criticize youth for loitering when they weren’t being offered any alternative ways to spend their time through recreational programs. “It’s not the kids’ fault,” said one SRFA resident, suggesting the neighborhood could be doing more to support the youth. Part of residents’ concerns may be related to the slated temporary relocation of La Casa shelter, currently located at 14th and Irving streets, NW, to 1131 Spring Road, NW, a few blocks away from SFRA, said Ted Loza of Councilmember Graham’s office in an interview with DC North. The temporary relocation will last for approximately 12 to 18 months during which time a new facility is renovated for La Casa. The relocation will not take place for another 12-18 months, but neighbors have voiced concerns that the temporary relocation will become permanent without the community’s approval, said Loza. However, Loza said residents can rest assured “we are looking at a new state-of-the-art building that is 2 ½ years away.” At the community meeting, SFRA Director Nola Dixon encouraged better communication between the SFRA residents and other neighborhood residents. “This is where they live, this is where they call home, too,” said Dixon, suggesting SRFA residents could benefit from neighborhood residents becoming more involved, giving the example of the need for life-skills building. At the close of the meeting, ANC 1A Commissioner Jacqueline Arguelles reminded neighbors and city officials of the importance of building unity and not creating distinctions between different residents of the neighborhood. “Let’s go out of here recognizing that one is not any greater than the other, but all of us working together on an even keel can help everybody,” said Arguelles. Community members suggested Dixon confer with SRFA residents and draft a list of needs and recommendations on how neighborhood residents could better support the shelter. Loza said that community members will meet again within the coming weeks to revisit the issue. No date has been set yet. Design Plans for Lower Georgia and Sherman Avenue Outlined for Community The District has designs on Georgia Avenue. City officials shared these designs at the final community workshop for the Georgia Avenue Transportation and Streetscape Project which took place May 22 at Bruce Monroe Elementary School on 3012 Georgia Ave., NW. The District Department of Transportation and Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham hosted what was the last of a series of ongoing community design workshops over the past year to discuss the future of lower Georgia Avenue extending from New Hampshire and Florida avenues and Fourth Street and Sherman Avenue, NW. The workshop brought together residents, advisory neighborhood commissioners, developers, architects and business owners to discuss $8 million in proposed infrastructure improvements and redesign for the two thoroughfares. Mike Jelen, transportation planner for DDOT, said that the main purpose of the redesign is “to create a cohesive streetscape that will prioritize safety and the ease of traffic flow, while honoring the local history.” Of how the design plans would honor local history, Jelen gave the example of stamped markers at crosswalks which will honor African-American history on Georgia Avenue. Jelen said that a development company for the construction project will be selected once Parsons Brinckerhoff, an urban design company contracted to assess the streets, submits their final report. They expect to break ground on the project in the fall of 2008. Jelen noted that much of the far stretch of the lower Georgia Avenue portion of the project has not yet been clearly outlined as it is subject to coordination with the Howard Town Center plan- a $60 million mixed-use residential and retail development project slated to be built adjacent to the university campus. Thus, the outlined improvements focused on the section of Georgia Avenue extending from Gresham Street to New Hampshire Avenue, NW. Improvements will include widening the street and sidewalks, eliminating curb cuts to make the street more pedestrian friendly, adding tree boxes and adding traffic circles for the northern and southern portion of the lower Georgia Avenue plan. Dramatic changes will take place on Sherman Avenue as well. One such change that has been outlined is the addition of a median strip – heavily planted with trees – to be added to the length of Sherman Avenue. Jelen also noted that currently many of the curbs along Sherman Avenue do not meet standards of the American Disabilities Act and redesign plans will ensure ADA compliance. Other improvements outlined for Sherman Avenue include widening sidewalks and adding bicycle lanes and left-turn lanes. Some residents at the meeting voiced concern about the city’s capacity to maintain all the additional trees proposed for both Georgia and Sherman avenues. ANC 1A Commissioner Lenwood Johnson, who was in attendance, expressed concern that the city hadn’t dealt with trees that Johnson said were in danger of blowing over in a storm. “The city has always done a poor job taking care of trees and green space, and I'm not sure we need more trees if they can't take care of the existing trees,” said Johnson. DDOT's Lower Georgia Avenue Transportation and Streetscape Project is part of the District’s “Great Streets Initiative” – a multi-year, multi-agency effort to transform underinvested corridors into thriving neighborhood centers. For more information contact Karina Ricks, DDOT, Great Streets project manager, 202-671-2542, karina.ricks@dc.gov, or Derrick Woody, Great Streets project coordinator, 202-727-2981, derrick.woody@dc.gov. ---------------------------- Ward 1 News Briefs by Natasha Abbas and Susan Ruether ANC 1A – Columbia Heights, Pleasant Plains According to Commissioner Anne Theisen, ANC 1A passed resolutions supporting DC voting rights legislation before Congress and supporting a loan applied for by Cavalier Apartments for renovations. A subcommittee of economic development committee was created to explore the possibility of neighborhood improvement districts for commercial corridors in 1A, said Commissioner Theisen. Theisen also said that ANC members held a special meeting to review the liquor license application for Acuario Restaurant on 11th Street, and members passed a resolution to petition against the liquor license due to committee concerns surrounding Acuario’s hours of operation and the restaurant’s refusal to enter into a voluntary agreement with ANC 1A at that time. Theisen said members are hoping there will be more communication about the issue at the June 13 meeting. ANC 1A invites residents to attend its next meeting, which will take place at 7 p.m. on June 13 at Tubman Elementary School’s cafeteria at 3101 13th St., NW. - NA ANC 1B – Pleasant Plains, U Street, Ledroit Park Resolutions: The commission moved to protest the new Alcoholic Beverage Regulations Administration license application of the Flamengo Restaurant & Café on the basis of peace, order and quiet. The commission moved to protest the new ABRA license of Town on the basis of peace, order and quiet. The commission voted to support the renewal licenses for the following Northwest, DC, establishments: Asmara Cafe, 900 Florida Ave.; Zula Restaurant, 1933 Ninth St.; Sala Thai, 1301 U St.; Twins Jazz, 1344 U St.; Ulah Bistro, 1214 U St.; Delicatessen Judy, 2212 14th St.; Dynasty Ethiopian Restaurant, 2210 14th St.; Creme Cafe, 1322 U St.; Al Crostino, 1324 U St.; Bar Pilar, 1833 14th St.; Islander Caribbean Restaurant, 1201 U St. Grant requests: The commission approved the grant request from the Mid-Town Academy in the amount of $1,000. A grant request in the amount of $1,000 was approved for the LeDroit Park Civic Association for a security camera. A motion was adopted to write a letter of support to the DC Council and the mayor to set aside $500,000 in support of the Martin Luther King Memorial. The commission adopted a motion to write to the council and the mayor requesting new regulations regarding dog parks. The commission adopted a motion to write to the mayor, council and Washington Metro Area Transit Authority asking them to delay any final selection of buyers of WMATA parcels on Florida Avenue until the ANC has had a chance to view the proposals and make a recommendation. The commission moved to send a letter in support of all five NIF Target Area Project Grants previously presented to the ANC. For more information about ANC 1B call 202-822-4529 or visit www.anc1b.org. - SR ANC 1C – Adams Morgan, Kalorama Heights, Lanier Heights ANC 1C passed a motion to support a $1,500 grant request from the Reed Cooke Neighborhood Association to support the H.D. Cooke Elementary School’s band trip to Kings Dominion for a band competition. A motion was made to protest the license renewal for the Left Bank for the reason of peace, order and quiet. ANC members passed a resolution opposing the Sale of the Jelleff Boys and Girls Club and urged the District government to take steps to ensure that Jelleff Boys and Girls Club and other Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington currently slated for closure and private development remain open to all youth of this city. - NA ANC 1D – Mount Pleasant ANC 1D members held two monthly meetings in May and passed the following resolutions: advising the DC Council to upgrade the mayor's budget with sufficient funds for the Department of Parks and Recreation to hire a full time bilingual facilitator and $2 million to restore and upgrade Lamont Recreation multi-use facilities; advising the council and mayor to reform the administration of historic preservation to assure transparency in policy; advising DDOT to arrange for electronic notification of permit applications where construction or dumpster location blocks sidewalks, streets or public amenities; advising the Alcohol Beverage Control Board of ANC 1D’s protest of liquor license renewals for eight Mount Pleasant restaurants on the grounds of improving and not decreasing the peace, order and quiet of the neighborhood; advising the council to adopt basic principles for stewardship of public property in order to preserve public property for public needs; allocating up to $500 for initial expenses to explore best practices for handling alcohol licenses and voluntary agreements; advising DDOT to arrange for payments in kind whereby disruptions caused by dumpsters and other construction obstacles to sidewalks and streets would be compensated by longer-term improvements to area streetscape; advising the DC Metropolitan Police Department to reinstate handling the Police Service Area 301 meeting via joint sponsorship with ANC 1D's committee on Public Security. - NA