South Dakota Avenue Development in Express's FreeRide

I should really outsource my link hunting to Mike Grass at Express. Today he posted a comprehensive update of the new development that affects those of us along the South Dakota Avenue corridor from top to bottom, including:

• The ongoing construction of condos around the Fort Totten Metro
• Mixed-use at Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue
• Vincent Orange's promised land of big-box retail, "Washington Gateway," in the Fort Lincoln-New Town area (not to be confused with his dream of a "New Town" at the Capital City/Florida Market) near the intersection of New York and South Dakota Avenues.


All of these drive home the importance of tonight's meeting and our ongoing input into the South Dakota Avenue Transportation & Streetscape Study. We need to counterbalance pedestrian-unfriendly developments like the Washington Gateway (why would we welcome folks to our CITY with a suburban sprawl-style strip mall with 2,000 parking spaces, and how many more will Ward 5 tolerate?!) with our input/demands to improve safety and accessibility on our primarily residential corridor.

» Sharlene Reed, Ward 5 Transportation Planner (sharlene.reed@dc.gov; 202.671.2407)
» Deborah Crain, Ward 5 Neighborhood Planning Coordinator, (deborah.crain@dc.gov; 202.442.7615)

ANC-5B Monthly Meeting - Thursday, February 1st

What: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5B Monthly Meeting

When: Thursday, February 1st, 2007 at 7:30pm

Where: Washington Center for Aging Services, 2601 18th Street, NE

Agenda: TBA

South Dakota Avenue Transportation & Streetscape Study - Wednesday, January 31st

What: Nearly a year after the first public meeting, residents are invited to attend a community forum to discuss transportation and streetscape issues along South Dakota Avenue.

When: Wednesday, January 31st, 2007, 6-8 pm

Where: Taft Special Education Center Auditorium, 1800 Perry Street, NE

Agenda: The meeting format will be an open house review of maps indicating preliminary recommendations for the first 30 minutes (6-6:30 pm), followed by a presentation at 6:30pm of the study process and findings. There will be a question and answer period after the presentation and time to review maps and complete comment forms prior to the 8pm closing.

Etc.: If you have any questions about this meeting, please contact Emanuel Briggs at 202.478.1470 or at emanual.briggs@dc.gov. Visit the project website for additional information, including an online survey, study documents, and comments (pdf) from last year's meeting.

12th Street NE Commercial Corridor Vandalized

Both the Brookland CDC (the site is still under reconstruction) and Richard Layman have brought to my attention the tagging of 12 buildings along Brookland's main street this past Wednesday, including our new Yes! Organic Market and the Historic Newton Theater/CVS. I also noticed a few weeks ago the back of the Long & Foster at the corner of Monroe and 12th had been tagged pretty heavily.


Many thanks in advance to Richard, the Brookland CDC, Alice Thompson - Ward 5 Neighborhood Service Coordinator, and DPW for cleaning this up in a timely fashion.

Brookland/CUA Small Area Plan Community Walking Tour - Saturday, January 27th

What: Community walking tour covering the Brookland/CUA Small Area Plan site.

When: Saturday, January 27th, 10am-12pm

Where: Brookland/CUA Metro station near the underground information booth

Upcoming Community Workshops:
• Land Use and Market - Thursday, February 22nd, 6:30-8:30pm
• Urban Design and Transportation - Thursday, March 8th, 6:30-8:30pm
• Master Plan Workshop - Saturday, March 31st

For additional information please contact Ward 5 Planner Deborah Crain at 202.442.7615 or Deborah.Crain@dc.gov

Cardinal's Nest Now Open!

(or, the post I should have made over a week ago)

The Cardinal's Nest is up and running! Though I haven't yet had the chance to go myself, a number of folks in the area have posted primarily positive experiences on both on the Brookland listserv and their blogs.

A message from the Cardinal's Nest MySpace page (I know some of you out there are on MySpace - don't be shy now - make them your friend!):

Dear Friends and Neighbors of Brookland, I would like to welcome you to The Cardinal’s Nest coffee house, internet café, and lounge. We strive to give you the best products, prepared with fresh ingredients and with the strictest quality control. We aim to prepare food that will satisfy vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike! We are proud to serve coffee and tea from Orinoco Coffee & Tea, a private, family-owned company that provides gourmet coffee and tea exclusively to specialty stores and gourmet coffee and tea shops. Guests will have access to wireless DSL free of charge. In addition, we also have Ethernet ports and cables available for guest without wireless capabilities. Over 200 power ports are located throughout the establishment available to charge any electronic device you will need! We would like to remind our patrons of the near proximity of neighboring houses on Perry Place. In an effort to minimize noise and disturbances to our neighbors, we would kindly request that patrons keep the noise down when leaving the establishment and refrain from parking on Perry Place at all times. Your help is greatly appreciated. We are proud to serve all our guests and neighbors and look forward to becoming part of the Brookland neighborhood. Call us at (202) 269-NEST or drop us an email at cardinalsnestdc@yahoo.com.

» View the yummy and reasonably priced menu.
» Visit our newest neighborhood hang-out at 3748 10th Street, NE, just two blocks from the Brookland Metro station.

ANC-5A Monthy Meeting - Wednesday, January 24th

What: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5A Monthly Meeting

When: Wednesday, January 24th, 2007 at 7pm

Where: North Michigan Park Recreation Center, 1333 Emerson Street, NE

Agenda: TBA - though I imagine part of the meeting will include election of officers and formulation of committee structure.

Department of Parks and Recreation Summer Job Fair - Saturday, January 20th

On Saturday, January 20, 2007, DC Parks & Recreation will host a Summer Job Fair at Turkey Thicket Community Center, 1100 Michigan Ave., NE, 10am-4pm. This is their first job fair of the new year, and each summer they have people join their summer staff to assist with implementation of DPR's discovery, overnight, sports, and aquatics camps. Last summer, more than 200 people were hired to fill numerous positions throughout all facilities. Bring your resume; qualified applicants will receive an interview. For more information contact the Human Resources Office at 202.673.7603 or visit DPR's website.

Washington Gardener Photo Contest and Seed Exchange

I met Kathy from The Washington Gardener at last week's Blogger Summit. Though I'm a bit late, she wanted me to pass along this information:

You’ve seen those gorgeous garden photos published in magazines and newspapers. Enter this year’s competition and have a chance of getting your winning images published, too! Whether your take the photos in your own backyard, a nearby public garden, or while visiting friends and family in their local gardens, there are so many photographic opportunities to be found. Let’s show off the best in DC-area gardening!

This contest offers an opportunity for all photographers to present their best shots of gardens in the greater Washington, DC area. Contest entries will be judged on technical quality, composition, originality, and artistic merit. More than $500 in prizes will be awarded!

The first annual Washington Gardener Photo Contest entries will be accepted until midnight on January 22. For the full details, go to the Contests page on http://www.washingtongardener.com/, send an email to editor@washingtongardener.com to have a PDF version emailed to you, or see page 13 in the Jan/Feb 07 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine.

Also see the info on their main page about the Washington Seed Exchange at the National Arboretum, January 27th, 12:30-4pm.

Carver Terrace Peace March - Wednesday, January 17th

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5B, Single Member District 5B10


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kathy Henderson
JANUARY 16, 2007
PHONE: (202) 397-2777
(202) 489-7100 (c)


Community Rocked by Recent Violence Calls for Help

(Washington DC) – A contractor, working to rehabilitate a building located at 1229 18th Street, NE was shot nine times on January 13, 2007, after asking a group of youths to get off of his car. The victim, a law-abiding and peaceful family man is in stable condition following the shooting. The victim’s ten-year old child witnessed the shooting. The community was shaken again, the very next day by a shooting occurring at Yums Carryout, located at 1023 Bladensburg Road, NE. Two quadruple shootings and other shootings have resulted in four homicides within the last four months, shaking the very foundation of the Carver Terrace community.

Commissioner India Henderson and former Commissioner Kathy Henderson will lead a peace march with citizens, Police Chief Cathy Lanier, 5D Commander Jennifer Greene and the Guardian Angels to denounce the violence in this community. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mayor Adrian Fenty, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor, Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. and all At-Large Councilmembers and clergy are invited to participate in the peace march. Fourteen Carver Terrace youth were recruited for neighborhood patrols as a direct result of the first Carver Terrace/Guardian Angels community march on January 10, 2007.

Underscoring the peace march is a demand for the immediate installation of a surveillance camera for the 18th and M Streets area and heightened police patrols to restore law and order in the this community. The march will begin at the corner of 17th and M Streets, NE, at 7:00 p.m.; on January 17, 2007. An emergency community meeting will convene at the DC Developing Families Center, located at 801 17th Street, NE, prior to the march at 5:30 p.m.

“We are tired of the violence in our neighborhoods and we want the police to step up and do a better job of protecting this community, stated longtime resident S. Harris”.

» News on the January 6th murder of 17-year-old Lovell Harrison in the 2100 block of I Street NE from MPD and WaPo.

UPDATE: Frozen Tropics has a roundup of the event and media coverage.

ANC-5C Monthly Meeting - Tuesday, January 16th

What: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5C Monthly Meeting

When: Tuesday, January 16th, 2007, 7-9pm

Where: Harry L. Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Road, NE

Agenda:
• Election of Officers; formulation of Committee structure; consideration and approval of 2007 meeting schedule; consideration and approval of ANC priorities, projects, and speakers for 2007; etc.
• MPD-5D, Public Safety Report
• Patricia McGuire, President, Trinity University Master Plan
• Kelly Cornell, Metropolitan Branch Trail
• Larry Williamson, WASA

UPDATE: Notes from the meeting at bloomingdale (for now).

Happy New Year...and a Short, Civic Sabbatical

Here's to a safe, healthy, and proseperous new year! I, along with seemingly every one else, have been summoned for federal jury duty. That, combined with an increasing workload, means posting will be sporadic at best for the next week or two. After that, I should be back in the mix, and I hope to incorporate more back-and-forth from readers (that's an overt wink-wink for comments).

Holiday Weekend Murders in NE

So far, two have posted to MPD's site...here's hoping that's the final tally:

Homicide in the 700 Block of 16th Street, NE

At approximately 7:30 pm, on Friday, December 22, 2006, Metropolitan Police were called to the 700 block of 16th Street, NE, for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located 17-year-old Antonio Jenkins, of the 1700 block of Gales Street, NE, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the body. He was taken to the Howard University Hospital and admitted in critical condition. At 7 pm, on Saturday, December 23, Mr. Jenkins was pronounced dead.

The case is under investigation by members of the department’s Violent Crimes Branch. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099.

The department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia.

- - -

Homicide in the 2000 Block of 3rd Street, NE

At approximately 9:48 pm, on Monday, December 25, 2006, Metropolitan Police were called to the 2000 block of 3rd Street, NE, for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located 29-year-old David E. Watkins, of the 2000 block of 3rd Street, NE, inside of a vehicle and suffering from apparent multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body. He was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia and pronounced dead.

The case is under investigation by members of the MPDC's Violent Crimes Branch. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099.

The department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia.

ANC-5C Monthly Meeting - Tuesday, December 19th

What: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5C Monthly Meeting

When: Tuesday, December 19th, 2006, 7-9pm

Where: Edgewood Terrace, 635 Edgewood Terrace, Crawford Hall 9th Floor

Agenda:
• St. Martins’ Update, Zoning Commission Case # 06-14
• MPD-5D
• Grant Applications

Fire Destroys Home in Woodridge - 7 People Left Homeless

This is terribly sad...please be careful not to overload outlets and extension cords, particularly this time of the year with heaters, holiday lights, and decorations. From WTOP:

An overloaded extension cord being used in a rear bedroom is being blamed for a fire that destroyed a home in the Brookland [Woodridge] section of the District.

The fire broke out around 4:45 a.m. on Saturday in the 2100 block of Monroe Street, Northeast.

D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department spokesman Alan Etter says the fire destroyed the single family home, and left seven people homeless.

Etter says two men, 19 and 34 years-old and a 17-year-old woman were taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment of burns and smoke inhalation.

A woman took three boys, ages 12, ten and four to Children's Hospital to have them checked out for possible smoke related injuries.

Firefighters estimate the damage at $450,000.

Additional information can be found on dcfire.com. If anyone knows the family and what assistance/items they may need at this time, please leave a comment.

Emergency Legislation on MLK Library - Sign the Petition to Preserve It

Mayor Williams has scheduled a(nother) vote on an emergency library bill next Tuesday - despite others not passing. Williams believes "all the issues have been ventilated." Wow. Interestingly enough, many of us don't agree. In addition to contacting your and others' Councilmember [see Council contact information in previous posting here], you can sign this petition to save the MLK Library. And, honestly, if you're for building a new library on the old convention center site, that's a valid option, but at the very least demand more accountability from the current and incoming Council, as well as the DCPL Board of Trustees and Ginnie Cooper. Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space goes into more detail on DC residents' MLK Catch-22.

Oh, and it looks like the Council will also be making a final reading and vote Tuesday, December 19th on temporary legislation on the Florida/Capital City Market (scroll down their schedule for "New Town at Capital City Market Revitalization Development and Public /Private Partnership Temporary Act of 2006"). Read some of Richard and Elise's comments on the proposal and search their sites for more.

Norovirus at CUA

No fun - it's been determined that norovirus is behind the recent surge in gastrointestinal "issues" at CUA (I tried really hard to avoid any puns there...oh well). Those of us off campus, but in contact with CUA students at the Metro and in the neighborhood, should take extra precautions as well.

Students at Bunker Hill Elementary Among Those Who Broke World Record

Now this is a wonderful way to get students excited about reading, from WTOP:

About 80 fourth, fifth and sixth graders at Bunker Hill Elementary in Northeast made history Wednesday, as they broke a world record for reading.

The Bunker Hill schoolchildren were among the 547,826 students from 28 countries worldwide who broke the Guinness World Record for the "Most People Reading Aloud Simultaneously in Multiple Locations."

Their book of choice? The students all read from the same chapter of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web.

At 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the reading began. When the chapter was over, cheers erupted from the halls of Bunker Hill.

Incoming D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier and Howard University Assistant Vice President Raymond Archer were among the official witnesses.

The previous record was from 2004, when 155,528 students from 737 schools throughout the United Kingdom read William Wordsworth's poem "Daffodils," according to Guinness World Record.

Ralph Bunche House for Sale?

** Yup - looks like the realtors caught wind of their address mistake - updates below....

I follow an RSS feed of a ZipRealty real estate search within 1 mile of my house, and MLS# DC6260757 DC6264005 at 1510 Jackson Street, NE caught my eye at $1,750,000 (you can view it by creating a login at ZipRealty and putting in the MLS, or without a login on HomesDatabase). The address isn't correct - the Bunche House is at 1510 Jackson Street, NE - but the details, like year built and style, not to mention the astronomical price, match. I drove past yesterday, but neither 1510 nor 1514 had a sign in the front yard, and 1514 looked far more occupied and maintained than the Bunche House.

History of the Ralph Bunche house, designed by architect Hilyard R. Robinson in the International Style, and more about Dr. Bunche:
» DC Preservation League (2001 Most Endangered Places List): "...this DC and National Register listed landmark designed by architect Hilyard Robinson in the International Style has been inappropriately altered and turned into a residential facility." Does that mean it has served as a group home? The listing does mention a ramp on the main level.
» National Park Service: "Among Robinson's notable works in Washington are Langston Terrace, and several campus buildings at Howard University."
» Cultural Tourism DC: "Bunche was one of the first African Americans to move into the formerly segregated Brookland neighborhood."
» Nobel Foundation's bio of Ralph Johnson Bunche: "From June of 1947 to August of 1949, Bunche worked on the most important assignment of his career - the confrontation between Arabs and Jews in Palestine....Bunche returned home to a hero's welcome. New York gave him a ticker-tape parade up Broadway; Los Angeles declared a "Ralph Bunche Day."
» Ralph Bunche on Wikipedia: "[Bunche] received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation in Palestine in the late 1940s that led to an armistice agreement between the Jews and Arabs in the region. He was the first African-American to be so honored in the history of the Prize."

NE DC Historical Society Meeting - Sunday, December 10th

What: Join the NE DC Historical Society as they continue to explore the history of our Northeast Washington communities - past, present, and in years to come. This month's community history focus will be the John T. Rhines Funeral Home, a thriving DC enterprise celebrating its centennial year.

When: Sunday, December 10th, 2006, 2-4pm

Where: John T. Rhines Funeral Home, 3015 12th Street, NE - at the corner of 12th and Hamlin Streets

Presentations will include: "The John T. Rhines Funeral Home—Our 100th Year" by Gretchen Shorter Roberts, Historian, and more.

Etc.: For those unable to attend this meeting, don't miss next month's meeting to be held from 2-4pm on Sunday, January 14th, 2007. We will again reach out beyond NE DC to discover more of Washington's historic neighborhoods — this time, Georgetown! Our community host for this event will be the Mount Zion United Methodist Church at 1334 29th Street, NW. Our presenters will include Carter Bowman (historian) on "The Mount Zion United Methodist Church And Community: One Hundred Ninety Years of Institutional Building"; Ida Jones (Howard University's Moorland-Spingarn Research Center) on "We Have Come This Far By Faith—Methodism in Georgetown"; and C.R. Gibbs (author, lecturer, and historian) on "Facing The Rising Sun: Washington, DC's First Black Vote." Contact queenstowndc@yahoo.com for furhter information.