Petworth News

Georgia/Upshur development

[from Joe Martin via the ANC4C09 listserv]

What do you want to see on Georgia Avenue?

SMD 4C07 Commissioner Shanel Anthony hosted a public meeting today with area residents from his SMD (mostly) and representatives of Petworth Holdings LLC, a company owned by John C. Formant, a Capitol Hill realtor. Mr. Formant has purchased the land at Georgia, Upshur & Kansas Avenue NW, where the Shell gas station sits.

While the company is months away from asking ANC 4C for any votes pertaining to the development, Mr. Formant is asking for residents' suggestions for what they'd like to see in the ground-floor retail space. the architect designed the building for three commercial establishments on the ground floor. Suggestions at today's meeting included a bank and sit-down restaurants. Some suggested big-chain restaurants like Friday's. Others asked for locally-owned restaurants.

Share your thoughts with Mr. Formant:
[email protected]
202-544-3900 ext 11 (voice) 
202-546-1771 (fax)

We already know that Yes! Organic Market, Results Gym and Mocha Hut are heading this way. Logan Hardware may want to open up a garden center. I know local restauranteurs who are looking at Petworth. The new building slated for Georgia and Upshur will have sidewalks wide enough for outdoor cafes. Mr. Formant also committed himself to placing attractive landscaping around the building.

What else?

Shanel noted that he will want to hear from area residents when we next hold our next ANC 4C monthly meeting on May 9th. Or, you can email him.

Temperance Hall patio open

[from Dan Searing]

Thanks to everyone who helped make our first three months so successful and so much fun. Please come and check out our back patio, located off of the Whiskey Bar in the basement (down the stairs past the main bar). It's open seven days a week starting at 5pm, weather permitting. Closing time on the patio will be determined by weather and business so if it's after 10pm you might want to call ahead at 202-722-7669. We'll be adding some decor and lighting in the coming weeks but it's already open so come on down and enjoy the spring weather. We're still hard at work on brunch so watch this space for further details soon.

Dan Searing
General Manager, Temperance Hall
email

Running group - take 2

[from Heather Schneider]

Now that it’s getting warm again, I’d like to try getting a running group started again. The thing is, in order for this to be successful, we need to always have more than one person running for safety and for motivation.

Why don’t we try to start with one morning a week (Mondays?) and go from there.
- Is anyone interested in a weekday morning run at 6:00 am (a little later?)
- What day of the week is best
- Who prefers evenings (perhaps we can have one morning and one evening run to start with)
- What distance are you interested in running
- What pace do you like to run…

The previous running group (which only lasted a few runs) started at around 7th & Upshur, but open to suggestions on other places to start. We also would need to come up with routes.

Thanks!
Heather
email

From the Publisher

Just want to say sorry I've been letting the homeless shelter thread take over the blog. For a while I was impressed at the number and quality of comments. Now it's really gotten a little out of hand, it feels compulsive and alarmist (and a little redundant) at this point.

Of course it's an important issue. I agree with the comment that basically said if you're against the shelter, by all means, organize against it. And use this blog as a tool. But please let's give the McLaughlin Group a rest for a bit.

I've been busy with a project in the last week or two, I admit I've been slacking on the blog. Send me stuff that's going on:

Whatever happened to that running group? Would anyone consider rallying their neighbors to use DC's adopt-a-block program? How could alleys be transformed into more attractive and functional public space? When is Temperance Hall's back patio going to open (is it open already?) Any groundbreaking date yet for Donatelli and Klein? Can DC actually arrest you for drinking on your front porch? Will the city ever come up with something to keep cars from crashing into the south side of Grant Circle (happens all the time apparently)? Ever been to Goins on Georgia Ave? Is Torta Bakery going to open or what? Where have you gone, Joe Martin? Why doesn't someone plan some kind of cool happy hour event upstairs at Sweet Mango? Anyone thinking about running for ANC??

Send photos from the 'hood if you want. If they're decent I'll run them.

Cheers, Bill.

Central Union Mission

[Here is an email from Jason Glance to David Treadwell, executive director of the Central Union Mission, with Mr. Treadwell's comments in red]

The 3600 block of Georgia Avenue has been a troubled area for at least as long as I have lived in Petworth, now 14 years. You will find liquor stores, strip clubs, illegal drug trade, prostitution, assaults, robberies, etc., probably comparable to 14th and R St before it became such a lucrative and desirable location. However, in the past few years there has been a lot of effort to improve the Georgia Avenue corridor, to return it to the viable business location it once was, and to improve safety and quality of life for the surrounding neighborhoods.

The news of your planned relocation has started a lot of discussion. There is concern about whether such a large shelter would be a good neighbor. Among the comments I have heard are these:

Georgia Ave. is a bad environment for anyone with a history of drug / alcohol / sex addiction problems.  We are a counter force to these problems. For 122 years we have worked against drunkenness and more recently against drug addiction. We take men off the street, not put them on it.

A large shelter is a bad addition for an area already plagued with dysfunction and crime. Will a homeless population of 250 make matters worse?  250 is an incorrect number. That would be more than our homeless and recovery men combined. Our men are "locked" inside and closely supervised at night. We are frequently victims of misbehavior but our men are not the source.

Is this a done deal? Why was the community not consulted? Should we try to block this now?  We have chosen this site, among many reasons, because it is zoned for our use (C3A) as a community based residential facility. We went to the city planners early and have designed our building to meet their ideas. Our plans were to share all of this with the community when we had a developed plan (this is a work in progress) but Councilmember Graham was alerted to some of our preliminary plans before we were able to share them with the community.

How have you addressed such concerns with your current neighborhood?  I would invite you to speak with our neighbors, especially the lady who runs a bed and breakfast across the alley and probably knows us best. She will affirm my responsiveness to her every concern. We are dedicated to being good neighbors as part of our ministry. Please come down for a tour.

Also, I looked on your website, but did not find information about your operating procedures. Can you give me the basics?

1) When are you open and when do you close your doors for the night?  We're open 24 hours a day at our front desk but our men are locked in by 10:00pm but only men in our recovery program are allowed out after they come in at 4:00pm.
2) Are there restrictions on admission?  Yes. They must behave to enter, no drunkenness or high on drugs, no profanity, no smoking, courtesy to each other and to staff, no dangerous objects and so forth. We also use internal and external cameras and have proven to help serve as the eyes of our current neighborhood.
3) How do you keep drugs, alcohol, and illegal activity out of your facilities?   Inspection on entry and we do drug testing. My supervisors have a great deal of experience and not much gets past them. I think we're on par with Reagan National and probably more thorough.
4) What programs / opportunities for constructive daily occupation are provided?  You need to check out www.Missiondc.org  to answer that. Our overnight guests head downtown or to daytime programs for the most part and our recovery program men are working, being trained, attending classes and doing other positive activities all day long. The days of standing on the corner are over for our men.

Again, we would love to have you visit, then share your remaining concerns.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Jason Glance

PSA meeting

[from Jenna H. Ben-Yehuda]

I'd like to encourage folks to attend Wednesday's PSA meeting (April 19th at the Emery Rec Center, beginning at 7:30pm). Good neighborhood attendance at such meetings is one of the most effective ways to make our concerns known. Please take an hour out of your evening to tell MPD how they can better serve you and keep our streets safe. Thanks!

Cheers,
Jenna

Garden District

[from E. Cooper]

http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/04/17/story3.html

Garden District in DC is looking for a second location. The owner is considering Petworth and H Street NE. What can we do to bring him here?

Group yardsale

[from Charmaine Torma]

Our little family is moving out of DC on May 12th and we were thinking of having a yardsale (everything must go) on the 5th and 6th. Some of us were talking about making it a neighborhood yardsale to bring in more people, and I was wondering if anyone is interested.

If you want to participate, please contact me via email so that I can add you to the list. Since many yardsale people get more of a crowd in the morning, we were thinking of doing a 9-2 thing... thoughts?

Upper NW Community Group

The Upper Northwest Community Group is meeting on Wednesday, April 19th @ 7:30pm at Rudolph ES, 2nd and Ingraham Streets, NW. Our guest speaker will be Captain Jacobs from the 4th District to give up an update on crime in the community.

We are reaching out to attract new members and revitalize our group. The Group was founded in 1960 and many of the officers and members are long time residents of the neighborhood who are ready to pass on the mantle to others who are interested in working and to our new residents moving into the neighborhood.

Members should live in the following boundaries: North Capitol Street on the east, Farragut Street on the south, Fifth Street on the west and Madison Street on the north. Annual membership dues are $5.00.

I hope to have some of you join us on Wednesday. With your help we can make a difference.

Our June meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 21st @ 7:30 pm at Rudolph ES. Guest speaker to be TBA. We are trying to secure mayoral candidate Marie Johns as our speaker. This past year we have heard from Linda Cropp and Adrian Fenty at our monthly meetings.

For more information, please email me.

Terri Carter, Recording Secretary

Domku article

Article about Domku in today's Washington Times, also added to the In the Media section.

Neighborhood

[from Scott Stone]

My girlfriend and I have been really impressed with what we've learned about the Petworth neighborhood from the Petworth News blog, and we're hoping to bid on a house in the next few days.

Above all, we were drawn to the area for what looks like a very active and dedicated community that seems to be working hard to enhance the neighborhood by attracting development and improving safety.

I'm eager to learn more about the community and some of its activities, and to get a better sense of whether other businesses like Domku, Temperance Hall, and others are on their way to Georgia Avenue and its offshoots.

I'd also like to learn more about the everyday experiences of local residents, especially in terms of safety and how accessible some of the public transporation is at night and etc. (Incidentally, we are currently renting in the Adams Morgan/Woodley Park area, and have really enjoyed taking the stunning drive down Rock Creek Parkway to get to the Petworth area.)

Thanks, Scott

Homeless shelter

Thread on the Georgia Avenue listserv about the possibility of a large homeless shelter moving from 14th and R St to the 3500 block of Georgia Avenue:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/georgia_avenue/message/71

Youth violence followup

[from Joe Martin]

Ronald Moten of Peaceaholics and others who've been working to counter youth violence will host a meeting this Wednesday, April 12, at 7pm at the ROC North (Regional Operations Command building), 801 Shepherd Street NW.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss recent events in Petworth and to review recent efforts.

For newcomers and people who've never been there, the ROC North is the Metropolitan Police-managed, red brick, schoolhouse-looking building on Shepherd Street NW at 8th Street NW, a block east of Georgia Avenue. (The building somehow lacks numbers on it indicating its address - odd for a public building.)

For more information, call Ronald Moten at 202-437-5330 (cell).

Joseph Martin
ANC 4C Chair / SMD 4C09 Commissioner

311

[from Joe Martin]

For all the naysayers out there, I am constantly pointing out that over time there are increasingly smart, capable, professional, dedicated people working for the District government, being put in place, and there are some who've been around the city government for a while.

I got an email from a constituent who wrote about a car that had been blocking his alley since 11:00 this morning. He called 311. A ticket was placed on the windshield, but a 311 operator told our neighbor on Webster Street that the car probably could not be moved until Monday.

I pointed out to our neighbor that a car blocking an alley presents potentially a life-threatening situation if an emergency vehicle could not get down that alley (the very long one that runs along the north side of Webster Street NW, the 100-200 block, backing up to Rock Creek Cemetery.)

I immediately emailed Michael Latessa, the director of the Unified Communcations Center, the 311 & 911 people. Within about 2 minutes, Mr. Latessa emailed me back to tell me he was looking into this IMMEDIATELY... on a Saturday late afternoon at 6pm.

Now that's what I call service.

Fellow ANC 4C Commissioner Joey Henson and I toured the Unified Communications Center last summer. During the tour, Mr. Latessa mentioned that he had to let go some people who were not doing their jobs well enough and he sent back for re-training people who needed it. He also made it clear to me and Joey Henson that he wanted to hear about problems.

The 311 and 911 people are not the police, by the way. They are trained civilians working out of a building that's very high-tech inside just south of us by the McMillian Reservoir next to Howard University.

I am pleased that Mr. Latessa is in charge down there.

By the way, the owner of the car blocking the alley suddenly appeared as these emails were flying back and forth. The car was moved to Webster Street, a half day after he blocked an alley. That car's owner should be made to spend time with a family who lost a loved one due to a situation like that.

Petworth news

[from Adrian Fenty's online newsletter]

- I am very pleased that a District/Federal partnership will allow a $9 million renovation of the Petworth Branch Library during fiscal year 2007.

- NCRC has selected the Jair Lynch Company to develop a neighborhood-oriented retail development at 3910 Georgia Avenue in Petworth.

- The Armed Forces Retirement Home Draft Master Plan is available for download (as a 94-page PDF file) through this link. I testified against the draft plan before the Historic Preservation Review Board and the National Capital Planning Commission. Click here to read my testimony.

- The Lofts at Brightwood, a condominium project at the old Ibex building under construction by the Neighborhood Development Corporation, is on schedule to open this Fall, complete with a sit-down restaurant.

- Two charter schools are expected to move from Ward 1. The Academy Bilingual (ABC) Public Charter School, currently at 15th Street and Columbia Road NW, is moving to 209 Upshur Street NW, and the Latin American Youth Center's Youth Build Public Charter School (Adult Ed), currently at 14th Street and Columbia Road NW, is moving to the top floor of 4110 Kansas Avenue NW. I will share more information on these developments as I receive it.

Rec Center update

[from Lee Edgecombe, in response to a recent inquiry from Petworth News]

[...] Our scope has been changed which includes a consolidation of the spray park with the playgrounds. While the playground drawings have been completed for some time now, we are currently working with another landscape architect to receive their design drawings for the spray park and coordinate additional electrical and irrigation work. If this coordination with the spray park is not done now, then subsequent construction can destroy a considerable amount of work in place. We are expecting that these design changes will be completed within the next two weeks. A lot of work and coordination has taken place over the past two (2) months.

The spray park is a water feature that provides opportunities for kids to play and keep cool during the summer months. This feature will replace the existing spray park. The word "park" may be a misnomer, since it is not really a very large area, but it is all we have available with regard to this featured space at Petworth.

Unfortunately, at the moment, we do not have a start or completion date. DC DPR will be the best source for this information.

Lee Edgecombe, AIA, ASLA
The Edgecombe Group, Inc.
Landscape Architecture / Architecture

Orange Hat kickoff

[from Alicia Rucker]

Saturday, April 8, 12:00pm–1:30pm
Fourth District Police Station
6001 Georgia Avenue, NW
Community Meeting Room 

The warm weather is coming and the Orange Hat Patrol Groups are ready to get started. If you are interested in starting a patrol group or you are already with a group please come out and join us. 

We will use this time to meet and exchange ideas for having a successful patrol group. This is a time for you to get involved and help make your community a cleaner and safer place to live and work.

For more information contact Alicia Rucker, 4D Community Outreach Coordinator, at 202-576-7247 (office) or by email.

Dog Park

[from Scott Kubly]

When I first moved to the neighborhood I used the ballfield at the Upshur Recreation Center as a dog park. There were a number of us who used the field, and it was a great way to build community, meet the neighbors, and exercise the dogs.

We always cleaned up after ourselves and the litter of others. At some point the Department of Parks and Recreation locked it up. I understand the tension of sharing a field with kids and dogs (messy feet and whatnot). Given that, I'm interested in bringing a legitimate dog park to the neighborhood. Are there any other people who are interested in the same?