Petworth News

Car-sharing & Harewood Rd

[from Rick Rybeck, Deputy Associate Director, Transportation Policy and Planning Administration, District Department of Transportation]

Dear Commissioner Martin:

DDOT Director Dan Tangherlini asked that I respond on his behalf.

The Ward 4 Transportation Planner, Ms. Samira Cook, provided a full presentation of the Carsharing pilot program at the Ward 4 Transportation Policy Committee meeting in November, 2004. Representatives from all of the ANCs in Ward 4, including your predecessor, were present. When  specific carsharing parking space locations were finalized, notification letters were sent to the affected ANCs. However, when the Upshur Street spaces were identified, these spaces were mistakenly identified as being located in ANC 4B. Therefore, ANC 4C did not receive a notification letter prior to the installation of the orange poles.

DDOT regrets this mistake and thanks you, Commissioner Martin, for bringing this to our attention. We are willing to meet with ANC 4C and business representatives to discuss this situation and to relocate the carsharing spaces if there are nearby locations that would be more appropriate.

Regarding changes at North Capitol Street and Harewood Road, our Ward 4 Transportation Planner was unaware of this work until after it had been completed.

Let me conclude by apologizing for our failure to coordinate with ANC 4C regarding the Upshur Street carsharing spaces and the work at North Capitol Street and Harewood Road. Director Tangherlini has requested that all DDOT staff be reinstructed about the importance and essential nature of this coordination.

Regards,

Rick Rybeck
Deputy Associate Director
Transportation Policy and Planning Administration
District Department of Transportation

Grant Circle

I've heard that in separate incidents in the last few days, two cars have crashed into Grant Circle. When will the Park Service consider some kind of barrier or reflective signage, at least for northbound traffic on New Hampshire Avenue?

Bill Crandall

PSA 404 officers

[letter from Joe Martin to MPD Chief Ramsey]

Dear Chief Ramsey:

I am writing to request that Officers Phillip Burgraff and Sean Hill be returned to the roster of PSA 404. I learned tonight that they have been re-assigned to other PSAs within MPD-4D.

I strongly object to this move, and I plan to ask my colleagues on ANC 4C to support a resolution at our November meeting in support of the officers being returned to PSA 404. Incidentally, I understand Officers Hill and Burgraff would prefer staying in PSA 404.

Officers Sean Hill and Phillip Burgraff are key figures in the outstanding group of officers we have  working here in PSA 404 under the superior leadership of Sgt. James Black. It makes little sense to me to move officers out of PSA 404 as they become better and better acquainted with a set of neighborhoods and itsresidents. I know a lot of residents who hold these officers in extremely high regard.

While I do not claim to be an expert on community policing, common sense suggests to me that having officers know an area well and having a community get to know those officers equally well are essential to effective community policing. Now's not the time to disrupt an effective team.

Chief Ramsey, I hope you will reconsider, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Joseph Martin
ANC 4C Acting Chair

Thanksgiving donations

[from Joe Martin]

Shirley Saunders, who chairs the Senior Citizens Club of the 1200 Block of Shepherd Street NW, asked me to let people know the Club is looking for donations for the Thanksgiving Day Project. 

The Project, now in its 14th year, prepares food baskets for over 30 needy families and seniors in our neighborhood. Please consider donating what you can to the effort.

Shirley Saunders leads this effort notwithstanding her limited mobility caused by a stroke in 2002. She's a familiar presence and powerful voice at ANC 4C meetings. I am impressed with her dedication, effective leadership and inspiring drive.

For more information, call Shirley Saunders directly at 202-545-0118.

Her address is:
1229 Shepherd Street NW
Washington, DC 20011

Thanks for your consideration.

Great Streets meeting

[from DDOT]

"Great Streets" are coming to your community. 

The District Department of Transportation has targeted $100 million to improve six Great Streets identified by Mayor Williams, but you need to tell us how. 

Where do you need new sidewalks, lights, trees or public art? Do you want a typical streetscape? Something historic? Something completely different?

Meeting for the Georgia Avenue corridor:
Tuesday, Oct 25, 6:00-8:30pm          
Raymond Elementary School
915 Spring Rd NW

http://www.greatstreetsdc.com

Soldiers Home meeting

The second Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) "master plan" meetings for Petworth residents is tonight.

Development plans will be discussed and community input is being solicited. You can register to attend by calling 202-558-7029 (M-F, business hours) or through the AFRH website.

I've attached a comment about last Friday's meeting. Seems like so far the AFRH folks aren't delivering a high degree of confidence in the sincerity of their community outreach.

Monday, October 24, 7pm
St. Gabriel's Church
26 Grant Circle NW

Student request

[from Peter Curley]

I am a candidate for a Masters of Science at the New York University Real Estate Institute. I am currently enrolled in an Urban Development class, and for a final project my group has selected the request for proposal (RFP) from the National Capital Revitalization Corporation for 3910 Georgia Avenue. We will present a mock proposal for this site according to the NCRC criteria.

Currently we are contemplating a mixed-use property similar to the redevelopment plan for the Petworth Metro station, with first floor retail/restaurants and condominiums or apartment rentals on the higher floors. A portion of the residential units would be set aside as affordable housing.

I am coming down to DC this Thursday, 10/20 to take a look at Petworth and the surrounding neighborhoods, and I wanted to make sure I saw all that the neighborhood has to offer. I would appreciate some feedback about any businesses or neighborhood amenities you thought I should see.

In addition to this, any thoughts you had on what kind of retail/restaurant space you would like to see there would also be helpful. I have reviewed the older Petworth News thread when the RFP was initially issued, but continued dialog would be great.

Thank you very much for any input you have. Feel free to comment here or send me an email.

Diabetes study

[from Michelle Harris]

I am a Petworth resident and am working to complete a research project for my Ph.D. in Nutrition at the University of Maryland. The African American Women’s Health Study is seeking US-born black American women 38 to 57 years of age who have type 2 diabetes to participate in a survey - one visit/one hour.

So far, nearly 330 women have enrolled in this important study. I need to enroll 70 more participants to meet a November 20 deadline. Because African Americans are underrepresented in research studies, policies and programs that are developed based on research literature often miss the mark of relevancy for our community. I ask that any reader of Petworth News please spread word about the African American Women’s Health Study.

Contact me at 202-291-1798 or email me to volunteer or for more information.

Psychotherapy Services

My name is Wanda Wheeler. I am a resident and business owner in Petworth. I run Gilead (gil-ee-ad) Family Services, a private psychotherapy practice located in the Northwest Medical Building on the corner of Kennedy Street and Illinois Avenue, NW.

We provide individuals with someone they can talk to when facing some of life's difficulties like stress, depression, school problems or family problems.

Our counseling services are affordable, confidential, and conveniently located in the community. Some insurances are accepted and sliding scale is available.

Wanda Wheeler
Gilead Family Services
930 Kennedy Street NW, WDC 20011
Tel: 202-723-1515  Fax: 202-723-1505
[email protected]
www.gilead-dc.com

The High Signs at Wonderland

[from Tim Stutz]

Petworth's own The High Signs will be bringing their rock n' roll extravaganza to The Wonderland Ballroom in Columbia Heights, this Thursday, 10/20 at 9:30pm.

Come on out...Thursday is the new Friday!

Car-sharing

[from 'evc', edited for space]

(Washington, DC) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) today announced the designation of 50 new on-street parking spaces for carsharing vehicles throughout the city, including Petworth, Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant and Historic Anacostia.

The spaces are marked with orange poles, special signage and stencils outlining the parking space and are in addition to 150 spaces already in use. They were picked in consultation with the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission, businesses and community leaders. Zipcar and Flexcar are the two companies working with DDOT on this endeavor.

Carsharing allows members to use a car while only paying for the time and mileage that they actually use.

Carsharing can be especially advantageous for low-income persons because their transportation needs are not fully met by transit, taxis or traditional rental cars. The contract with Zipcar and Flexcar requires that cars be available in all wards of the city.

For more information please visit ddot.dc.gov/carsharing.

Location of the Petworth Flexcar space will be 9th and Upshur.

Torta Bakery articles

Here's a link to Marc Fisher's Post column this week, about Torta Bakery. Bravo to all those who rallied to help owner Ken Rubotzky by hammering the city with calls and emails. Thanks to your efforts Ken may actually be able to open soon.

Also, click here for a related Common Denominator piece.

Bill Crandall.

Soldiers Home meetings

[from Joe Martin]

The Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) has scheduled a series of "master plan" meetings for Petworth residents.

Development plans will be discussed and community input is being solicited. You can register to attend by calling 202-558-7029 (M-F, business hours) or through the AFRH website.

MEETING DATES, TIMES & LOCATIONS:

Saturday, October 22, 3pm
St. Paul's Parish Hall
Rock Creek Cemetery
Rock Creek Church Road NW

Monday, October 24, 7pm
St. Gabriel's Church
26 Grant Circle NW

Thursday, November 3, 7pm
Sweet Mango Cafe
3701 New Hampshire Avenue NW

September home sales

[from Lesley Aranha]

Hello all,

Here is the list of what sold in Petworth in September. There are about 70 properties on the market today, more than we've seen in months. If you'd like a list of what's on the market and/or more info on the sold properties just email me. Please keep me in mind for sales or listings in DC.

Best,
Lesley Aranha, Long and Foster realtor
202-327-4502

Address - list price / sold price

4208 3rd St - $349,000 / $315,000
5320 Illinois Ave - $300,000 / $301,000
434 Emerson St - $349,000 / $349,000
504 Buchanan St - $439,500 / $445,000
18 Farragut Pl - $380,000 / $370,000
5408 9th St - $355,000 / $355,000
239 Farragut St - $399,000 / $399,000
58 Farragut Pl - $359,900 / $365,900
12 Farragut Pl - $250,000 / $250,000
4530 9th St - $375,000 / $375,000
4702 8th St - $395,000 / $371,000
813 Webster St - $524,950 / $525,000
4603 9th St - $378,000 / $378,000
4705 9th St - $325,000 / $335,000

Yoga House Classes/Schedule

[from Elizabeth Greathouse]

New Classes/Schedule at Yoga House Studio
3634 Georgia Ave NW (just south of the Petworth Metro)

- Pregnancy Yoga (0–40 weeks) on Saturdays, Mama & Baby classes Friday afternoons. Both with Nikki Plaskett, certified in Vinyasa Yoga and the Khalsa Way Pregnancy Training.

- Kundalini/Vinyasa classes available daily - all levels

- Workshops:

10/21 - with Gahl Sasson, author of “A Wish Can Change Your Life”
11/5 - Para Darin Somma

Visit us at www.YogaHouseStudio.com for details on classes and workshops

Thank you!

Columbia Heights update

[from the Columbia Heights DC blog]

So far it looks like the promised construction on 14th is off at break speed. Buildings along Park and 14th crumble to make way for a bond-funded parking garage to support the DC USA Target project. The Madison group posted the new site plan for the Tivoli complex. It includes Kudo Beans, Rumba Cafe, and Ruby Tuesday. Wachovia and Giant are open. Two spaces are up for lease and two appear under negotiation.

Running group update

[from Heather Schneider]

We are now set with five people (of varying speeds) to go for our first run on Wednesday Oct. 12th at 6:00am. We'll be meeting at 7th & Upshur, please feel free to join us!

Heather

AFRH update 10/6

[from the AFRH listserv]

From "bcitrus":

At last night's UNC meeting our guest speaker was the Director of Community Relations who gave us an update on the AFRH development. A series of "Armed Forces Retirement Home Master Plan Meetings" are being held in the Petworth area over the next few weeks. Details are on the AFRH website: www.afrhdevelopment.com. Please get the word out by telling everyone in your neighborhood that these meetings are occurring. You can also enroll by phone at 202-588-7029.

It is critically important that these meetings are well attended and that our voices are heard. Current dates are Oct. 22, 24 and Nov 3.

From John Hughes:

The gentleman from AFRH in his remarks to the group said:

-- The four community meetings are being held to gather "community input'' and will be "well advertised'' through mail drops.

-- The AFRH plans to "take down the barbed wire'' and integrate better with the community.

-- The AFRH takes in about $65 million a year and spends $78 million, hence the need for development. The objective of this development is to keep the home solvent for 60 to 100 years.

-- "There will be development on that particular site.''

Afterward, I had a chance to visit with the gentleman. Perhaps one or two others listened in to portions of the conversation. I have seen no plan, or have no official document, to confirm the following details. I also wasn't taking notes during our conversation. But this is what I took away from our conversation:

-- The fence along Park Place will be moved back, behind what will be a townhouse/rowhouse development for 55-year-old or so retired and semi-retired military personnel and families.

-- The idea of six-story or so buildings is no longer under consideration, at least in part because of the community response at the public meeting this summer. The plan is now for a townhome/rowhouse development that will be in character with the surrounding neighborhood.

-- There is no green space for community use in the development plans at this time.

-- There will be access to the grounds of the Soldiers Home for the people that live in the development. Basically, this will be an extension of military housing inside the complex, except it will be more independent, and outside the fence, and aimed at younger military retirees. The folks who live in this development will have access to the AFRH grounds through a gate, and be able to walk on the trails, play golf, etc. This access will not be extended to the surrounding neighborhood, and there will be no new recreation or green space for the community.

-- AFRH doesn't view the area bordering North Capitol or Irving as suitable for this kind of townhouse/rowhouse development. People wouldn't want to live on North Capitol. Irving is one-way road without suitable access or entry for residents of a rowhouse development.

My take away from the evening is that AFRH is doing exactly NOT what many in the community have asked for. I have heard many neighbors say they are opposed to any development near Park Place/Rock Creek Church. I have also heard many neighbors who welcome development but suggest that there should be some community green space in an area that is sorely lacking for such space.

The larger point is, no matter what your view is, please participate in this process! Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, and please attend these community meetings. Make your voices heard before it is too late!!

Upshur St sidewalk

[from Joe Martin]

Neighbors who've been reading this board since last spring may remember several of us (Petworth News included) in sounding the charge for the city to fix a messed-up sidewalk on the 200 block of Upshur Street NW.

This week, the sidewalk got repaved.

That's a block a lot of us are working to help including my ANC 4C colleague Commissioner Joey Henson. Ken Rubotsky plans to open a bakery a few doors away, and a lot of us have talked about having a little outdoor coffee spot on the block.

Councilmember Adrian Fenty, DDOT's Muhammed Khalid, Ayana Rockett, the Ward 4 Neighborhood Services Coordinator, and Merrit Drucker of the Clean City Office have all played a helpful role. My thanks to each of them. Through word spread via this board and various other Petworth Yahoo Groups, several residents took action by calling 727-1000 or emailing DDOT offices and keeping the pressure up.

The results are there to see this week: A new sidewalk replacing a dangerously broken patch of sidewalk on the 200 block of Upshur. I learned the sidewalk is considered partly privately-owned, part city-controlled and owned. The city cited the owner for his part. He fixed his part of the sidewalk this week. The city's efforts came as a direct result of our neighborhood pressure. That sidewalk had been broken apart for years, sadly.

Once again, as was the case of the Grant Circle lights last winter, as was the case with Domku, as was the case with the recent arrest of a suspected drug dealer who initimated residents on Emerson Street NW about five weeks ago, we are seeing example after example where we are getting things done through collective, community effort. No one of us can do it alone. My thanks to my many neighbors who helped out.

The large grocery store on that block is for sale. A building next to it is also on the market and may be owned soon by a couple who live on the same block as Minnie Green. Duke's recently settled in. The attractive prospect of that block being busy with neighborhood businesses, achieving its full potential as a neighborhood commerical spot, looks better all the time.

Now let's keep the pressure up to help Ken Rubotsky with his plans for a bakery at 225 Upshur so that someday soon we can raise a cup of java and a freshly-baked muffin and celebrate another neighborhood success.

Just yesterday, when I was looking at the sidewalk, an older gentleman from nearby chatted with me to complain about the city. "The city doesn't do anything. Nothing gets done."

Pointing to the sidewalk, I said, "Sir, you're talking to the wrong man. See this new sidewalk. You can thank several of your neighbors, Commissioner Joey Henson and me. It didn't just happen. We made it happen."

Another small victory.

Joseph Martin
ANC 4C09 Commissioner / ANC 4C Vice Chair
202-309-1817 cell

Dog park

[from Joe Martin]

Matt Broxterman, one of my favorite neighbors, has started a Yahoo Group for people who have dogs and would like to join him in getting a dog park established somewhere in Petworth. He has a specific place in mind.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PetworthDogs/

If you have a dog and want to consider working with him on the dog park issue, please join the group.

Get to know Matt and Bandit, who hails from Petsmart over on the Potomac Yards Mall, the same place I picked up HRH Harry, my cat.

Tell your ANC commissioners what we can do to be helpful.

Joseph Martin
ANC 4C09 Commissioner / ANC 4C Vice Chair
Petworth
202-309-1817 cell

Running group

[from Petworth listserv]

Any runners out here in Petworth? I'm interested in getting a group together to go running either in the mornings or evenings. I'm new to the area so don't know much about good routes, but I'm sure if we have a group of people we can figure out some good, safe runs. I've posted this on the Petworth Yahoo! Groups too so hopefully we can get a nice size group.

Thanks,
Heather

Dry cleaner

[from Robert Richey]

I thought everyone would like to know that a dry cleaner, Kilroy Cleaners, has opened on Upshur. It's right across from Domku and a welcome addition.