Petworth News

In Other News

[In Other News - occasional dispatches from transitioning DC neighborhoods]

According to an article in The Hill, the Rock and Roll Hotel bar over on H Street is haunted.

Greener Pastures

[from Arlus Stephens via the afrhdevelopment listserv]

Washington Business Journal
March 30 - April 5, 2007

Greener Pastures

Crescent Resources has a new retirement plan.

The company beat out two other firms to build a 4.5 million square-foot mixed-use project on 77 acres owned by the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Northwest DC.

The plan includes 3,300 apartments and condominiums, 950,000 square feet of office space, retail space and 77 units of transitional housing for military veterans. As part of the plan, nine historic buildings will have to remodeled, and 20 acres of green space will be opened up as a public park.

Clark Realty Capital and The JBG Cos. also bid on the $1 billion project.

Crescent and the retirement home still need to negotiate final agreements before the deal closes. The Armed Forces Retirement Home also will submit a final version of its master plan for the entire campus to the National Capital Planning Commission in the next few months.

The project represents the first time the federal agency has brought in a private developer. The agency made the decision because of depleting financial resources and a need to find income from new sources such as underused real estate assets.

The agency chose the 77 acres from its 272-acre Washington campus on North Capitol for private development. The arrangement allows the federal agency to own the land and collect rent from a long-term lease.

How much Crescent will pay and the terms of the lease rate are still to be negotiated.

Cherry tree reminder

[from Carol Herwig]

The cherry tree planting is this Sunday, April 1 at the Petworth Public Library. We begin at 10am. Planters should arrive a little early.

But you don’t have to plant to enjoy the event. We will have activities for children. The Japan Embassy and cultural association has donated several kite-making kits plus coloring packets for kids. The National Cherry Blossom Festival people are bringing origami kits and instructions. We will have Japanese music. We will have a book signing with Ann McClellan. Her book is "The Cherry Blossom Festival Sakura Celebration,” and a copy of it is being donated to the Petworth Library on Sunday.

We hope to see you there! Any questions, please contact Carol Herwig at 202-722-4385 or by email.

Muriel Bowser meet & greet

[from Robb LaKritz & Josh Adler]

Hi everyone. We wanted to invite all our neighbors to a meet and greet we're hosting for Muriel Bowser at Temperance Hall this Friday night from 7:00-8:30pm. Please feel free to stop by.

Great Streets mtg 3/27

Tonight (Tues 3/27) DDOT is hosting their second public meeting about city plans to improve Georgia Avenue. Click here for the full flyer.

6:30pm-8:30pm
Israel Metropolitan Church, 557 Randolph

[Ed. note - the first flyer sent out had only 'Middle Georgia Avenue' as the name of this segment of the Great Streets project. I saw an email from the head of the project, asking that it be changed to 'Middle Georgia Avenue/Petworth'. Guess Petworth is more and more on the radar screen. - Bill]

Petworth 1907

[Tim Stutz sent a newspaper clipping, from almost exactly 100 years ago today, about the real estate boom in Petworth. He wrote:]

At the bottom of the page is an ad [shown below] for housing lots, including the one that I live on now. It apparently was going for $800.00 - pretty good price. The photo it has of the houses for sale at 703 and 705 Randolph are (I guess) homes that were destroyed for the Metro. Pretty neat stuff.

Click on the image to see it full size, or here for the PDF of the whole page.

February home sales

[from Lesley Aranha]

Address    List Price    BR/BA    Sold Price

5300 Illinois Ave    $375,000    3/2    $375,000
4607 Georgia Ave    $296,000    3/1    $279,000
4908 3rd Street    $399,000    4/1.5    $399,000
921 Hamilton St    $499,999    3/3.5    $450,000
323 Allison St    $350,000    3/2.5    $350,000
4115 8th Street    $325,000    4/1    $305,000
412 Farragut St    $424,900    3/2    $425,000
5216 Illinois Ave    $449,990    3/2    $440,000
5031 7th Street    $379,000    3/1.5    $383,000
713 Hamilton St    $332,900    3/2    $340,000
5215 2nd Street    $390,000    3/3    $399,000
4301 Kansas Ave    $600,000    8/4    $550,000
4705 9th Street    $569,000    3/2.5    $546,700
5310 8th Street    $498,000    3/1    $498,000

Condos

5501 8th St #2    $265,000    2/1    $263,000
5501 8th St #1    $275,000    2/2.5    $275,000

Sweating a Petworth Home Purchase

[from Wayan]

Since back in the day, when all my Dupont Circle friends moved to Petworth and I headed to Mt. Pleasant, I've thought about the homes in this neighborhood. It’s a Mt Pleasant writ large, and for me, still affordable. A dual income couple can afford a home in Petworth, unlike say Mt Pleasant or even Columbia Heights. Yes, banking home a half million dollar mortgage is gut-checking, but its also promising.

More space than Shaw, more neighborhoody than Capitol Hill, I would love to be a homeowner here soon. A Petworth homeowner with room for friends, family, children.

Yet I wonder. Is the buy right for me? Is it what I want right now? To give up my sunny, spacious, rent-controlled apartment for quadruple the monthly payment? It's a risk, a big risk, and I don't like risk.

So current Petworth homeowners, I ask you for advice. How did you make that leap into homeownership? And are you happier now?

WCP meeting

[from Reyn Anderson]

Thanks to all of you who attended our March 11 Fort Totten Walk - the weather cooperated wonderfully, and Mary Pat Rowan provided an interesting and informative tour of this overlooked jewel. Keep your eyes open for follow-up events at Fort Totten and elsewhere in the WCP system. You can see pictures of the March 11 walk here.

In the meantime, please join us THIS THURSDAY, March 22nd at 7:30pm at 801 Shepherd Street, NW (the "ROC") to:

- learn more about the Washington Central Parks concept and where the project stands
- hear about the status of development plans at the Armed Forces Retirement Home and McMillan Park
- find out how to become involved in this exciting initiative

We hope to see you all there. If you have any questions, please e-mail me.

Fox News report 3/18

[from Brian Kampel]

There was a great report on Fox News on Sunday (3/18) showcasing Temperance Hall and the surrounding neighborhood. My fiancé and I who moved to Petworth 2.5 years ago and live on the 400 block of Randolph St were interviewed for it. We are the couple sitting in the booth.

Click here to view the video.

ANC 4D March meeting

ANC 4D monthly meeting
Tuesday March 20 (third Tuesday of every month)
7:00pm-9:00pm
4th District Police Station
6001 Georgia Avenue NW
202-722-6830

Mayorga

On Monday (3/19), Mayorga Coffee will be holding a 'soft opening' for what will be their new cafe in the Tivoli. This will be in the large corner space at 14th and Park. This is not the official grand opening, apparently a lot of stuff is not finished (and no alcohol yet) but this will be sort of a test run.

Click here for the full story on Columbia Heights News.

Dog found

[from Robin Scott]

Hey dog owners - a young black lab followed some joggers from Rock Creek Park and entered my back yard on Shepherd Street today (Friday at noon). He's got a blue collar but with no tags or address. I had to call animal control to pick him up because I'm going to work and have two other dogs in my house. If he's yours - go get him. Keep in mind that you'll probably get a lecture.

Farmers Market update

[from Kera Carpenter]

I finally heard back from Fresh Farms about the possibility of having a farmers market in Petworth. We were not selected for this year, unfortunately. However, they are definitely interested in Petworth for next year. The Food & Wine Institute is partnering with Roosevelt HS on a cooking and nutrition program, and they are hoping to hook up with that in some way, too.

I know everyone will be disappointed, but given that it is already mid-March, next summer is probably a more realistic timeframe with all the permits and approvals that would have to be obtained.

ANC 4C March meeting

[from Joe Martin, ANC 4C Chair]

ANC 4C monthly meeting
Tues 3/13, 7:00pm-9:00pm
ROC-North, 801 Shepherd St NW

Among agenda items:
- Sweet Mango Cafe Voluntary Agreement Status Report
- Metropolitan Police Report
- Expenditure for pilot project of ANC-wide newsletter
- Proposal for ANC 4C yard signs for meeting notices (in each SMD)
- Resolution appointing Ms. Kelita Boyd as the new Commissioner for SMD 4C06 (currently vacant)
- Emergence Arts Collective presentation by Ms. Sylvia Robinson 
- Establishment of ANC committees (Legislative, Public Safety, Finance/Grants)
- Community comment periods (8:15pm and 9:15pm, 2 mins. per person)

Ft Totten tour

Washington Central Parks and landscape architect Mary Pat Rowan led a walking tour Sunday (3/11) of Fort Totten Park and the remains of its Civil War fortifications.

For more photos of the tour see the new gallery in the right sidebar.

Petworth DC t-shirts

[from the Editor]

I just found a small stash of Petworth DC t-shirts that I didn't know I had [for those new to this site, I used to make and sell the shirts, shown here at last year's Taylor Street Halloween party].

I've got six large and three small, all short-sleeve. If anyone's interested, they're $20, just send me an email.

More cherry trees

[from Carol Herwig]

The Cherry Blossom Festival would like to plant three more cherry trees in Petworth in March or April. The first three (planted in April 2005) are in the triangle south of Grant Circle.

Casey Trees, which will supervise the plantings for the festival citywide, has asked me to prepare the application. I need 3-4 people/households who can commit to be available to water the trees at Petworth Library this summer in times of drought (July-August-September). The library has water and hoses. Basically, what we’d do is create a calendar and assign volunteers each week. If it rains, no work. No rain, then it probably takes about 30 minutes to fill the gator bags for three trees. Please email me if you’re able to help out.

Once we get this part of the process completed, we will get a planting date and invite people to come dig.

Police survey

[from Alicia Rucker, Community Outreach Coordinator, Fourth District]

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of the District of Columbia, under the new leadership of Acting Chief of Police Cathy Lanier, is committed to reducing crime and the fear of crime by establishing "customized community policing" strategies to address individual neighborhood problems. As part of this, the Department is conducting a citywide survey to identify ways to improve services to all community members. Please take a moment to participate by going to the following link:

www.mpdc.dc.gov/communitysurvey