Georgia Avenue projects

[from Joseph Martin, ANC 4C Chair]

A recent posting from the Petworth Yahoo Group by Mr. Derrick Woody, manager of the DDOT's "Great Streets," Georgia Avenue planning project.

From Mr. Woody:

Someone had asked earlier today: "Whatever happened to the Great Streets Initiative for Petworth/Middle Georgia Avenue?"

The short answer is: "Many things are still happening in response to all the community input that we have received in the various agencies working on Great Streets." The Executive Branch is working very closely with Councilmember Bowser on a number of fronts to revive Georgia Avenue in Petworth and overall. Here is a listing of Great Streets related government actions that are ongoing in Petworth:

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:

3700 Block of Georgia Avenue (Park Place ) - Donatelli Development has this project successfully under construction over the Metro entrance. Donatelli purchase the property from the District and is developing 148 units of housing and 17,000 square feet of retail.

3813, 3815, and 3825-29 Georgia Avenue NW - DMPED currently announcing the selection of a development team to produce retail, restaurants and housing on these currently vacant sites. [Update from J.M. - The bid proposed by Donatelli Development (Bethesda-based) & Mosaic (a DC company) was accepted by the city. Petworth's Neighborhood Development Company is the only other company that bid on this Request For Proposal.]

3910-12 Georgia Avenue NW (Georgia Commons) - Jair Lynch selected by the District to develop 110 rental units and 20,000 square feet of retail. 

Safeway Site - DMPED currently working with Safeway Real Estate Division to redevelop this highly underutilized site to produce a bigger, better grocery store with mixed income housing above and parking below the surface. We are working with Safeway to resolve a potential financing gap in the project. 

4100 Georgia Avenue NW - DMPED worked with Neighborhood Development Company to fill a financing gap with property tax abatements in this 100% affordable housing project (over 70 units) with an 11,000 square foot Yes! Organics as the retail tenant. Project is under construction.

Petworth Neighborhood Retail TIF - DMPED authorized up to $10 million to provide assistance to fill retail financing gaps along the Georgia Avenue Great Streets corridor in Petworth and Park View/Pleasant Plains. One application was received in this district and is being evaluated.

STREETSCAPE / INFRASTRUCTURE:

DDOT has hired Precision Systems, Inc. to design the Middle Georgia Avenue/Petworth section and this should be completed within 10 months. Construction is expected to begin late 2009. In addition to Georgia Avenue from Otis to Webster, the design and construction will include the 800 block of Upshur. Streetscape work on New Hampshire Avenue at Georgia Avenue has already begun.

LAND USE PLANNING:

The District has been work in Petworth for quite some time now. Community input was actively sought and incorporated into both the Georgia Petworth Great Streets Plan and the District' s Comprehensive Plan. Both documents have been adopted by DC Council and are serving as "guidance" to the actions which the District has made on the Economic Development and Infrastructure fronts. Disposition of public lands in Petworth have been issued to be consistent with the implementation of these plans.

Please feel free to direct specific questions as follows:

Economic Development to [email protected]

Streetscape/Infrastructure to [email protected]

Land Use Planning to [email protected] 

Thanks all!

Derrick Lanardo Woody

Coordinator - Great Streets Initiative

www.greatstreets.dc.gov

Comments

[GforGood]

"Construction is expected to begin late 2009."

Lol.. so here we go again.. I was in a public hearing/info event last year, in which they said that detailed technical and engineering designs would be done over the winter and that construction would begin FALL OF 2008!! So they are about a year behind _already_/again. Phhhhh....

[sarah]

"Safeway Site - DMPED currently working with Safeway Real Estate Division to redevelop this highly underutilized site to produce a bigger, better grocery store with mixed income housing above and parking below the surface. We are working with Safeway to resolve a potential financing gap in the project. "

Let me take this opportunity to point out yet again that the neighborhood at large has heard NOTHING on this since the last public meeting in February. Safeway continues to be a poor neighbor, and I fear that the deputy mayor's office is going to push this through and impose it on us. The plan as presented in February was not good for the blocks immediately surrounding the store, and with the way that Safeway has always treated its customers and neighbors, I do NOT support tax breaks, city financing or zoning concessions for this project.

Safeway NEEDS to bring the plans to the neighborhood, along with concrete information on how they plan to mitigate the damage that this development will cause and how those plans will be implemented, monitored, and enforced.