Shaw-Dupont Citizens Alliance Hosts Inaugural Membership Meeting

Last night I attended the inaugural membership meeting of the newly formed Shaw-Dupont Citizens Alliance which was held at its new meeting place, the Thurgood Marshall Center on 12th Street NW. Council Member Jim Graham was represented by staff person John Detaeye and the meeting room was full of members and interested neighbors.  The board members, headed by Joan Sterling (President), discussed a variety of community issues and concerns, including the proposed moratorium, parking, arts overlay district, and development in the neighborhood.  Refreshments were provided and everyone had a chance to mingle at the end of the evening.  Also attending was Christina Parascandola, President of the Meridian Hill Residents Association.  If you are interested in joining SDCA, please visit their website to learn more about their mission and boundaries.

DC Council Approves Budget with Limited Extended Alcohol Sales Hours

On Tuesday, May 14, the Council members discussed the Budget Supplement Act which contains a number of amendments to the Budget Request Act. The budget request includes a proposal by Council Chair Brown that extends hours of alcohol sales for 19 days (11 Federal holidays that also include 4 three-day-long-weekends). This is a compromise proposal to close a funding/revenue gap of $1.5 million in the District's budget. This was the first reading of the BSA after the Council approved the BRA. Council Member Cheh introduced an amendment that would require reporting on the effectiveness of the extended hours on raising the funds and any impacts on MPD and neighborhoods after a year of operation.

Currently VA's limit operating hours for approximately 25% of licensees in the District and many licensees that will be eligible to be open late will elect to close at their regular closing time. So it is not clear how much revenue will actually be raised by implementing this proposal.

The next Legislative Meeting of the Council is scheduled for June 5. Council Member Graham commented that he hopes the Council can find the $1.5 million to fill the gap without having to extend alcohol sales hours.

Taqueria Nacional and BakeHouse Coming to Old Post Office

As many of you know, there are two new businesses that are coming to our Old Post Office.  I recently met with Johnny Fulchino and his partner Ann at Johnny's Half Shell at 400 North Capitol Street to discuss his plans.  He indicated that he wants to serve lunch and dinner and he will also sell takeout meals.  The new eatery is based on his current operation, Taqueria Nacional, which I toured, located behind his Half Shell restaurant.  He would like the neighbors to support the business by purchasing their homemade tacos and agua frescas as a convenience food in addition to dining in the former post office space.  He hopes to have a moderately-priced menu.  Also coming to our neighborhood is BakeHouse which will be located in the new building that will be constructed in the small lot next door that used to serve as the driveway for the postal delivery trucks.  Owner Niall Cooper tells us that "our menu will consist of house-made baked goods and high quality coffees and teas. We’ll serve updated classics with modern flavor profiles."  We welcome both new businesses!

CM Graham's Committee Rejects Mayor's Proposal to Extend Alcohol Sales Hours

Today CM Graham's Committee on Human Services which oversees ABRA voted 2-3-0 to reject the Mayor's Proposal to Extend Alcohol Sales Hours til 3 and 4 a.m.  Voting in favor were Councilmembers Barry and Alexander.  Joining Graham and Wells in opposition was Councilmember Brown.  The Committee proposed a six cent increase in the excise tax on alcohol which would generate approximately $20 million.  The Mayor's proposal would have raised $3.2 million in revenue.  To view the news media coverage click here.

Bikeshare Rack Moved to T Street Park

This past week we saw the Capital Bikeshare station moved from its current location at the point of the 16th and New Hampshire intersection (on the sidewalk) to the north side of the T Street Park (on the pavement).  When DDOT recently asked us about expanding the rack because it has become the 8th busiest in the region, I recommended and the ANC concurred that this move would reduce the possibility of accidents and  make the station more accessible to subscribers who live mostly to the south of U Street.  And we thought that the park could use more activity, too!

JBG Unveils Plans for Residences at Former Hotel Site

Last week the JBG design and management team unveiled plans for a residential building at the former 13th

and U hotel site. They cited community opposition to the height and massing of the proposed hotel as one reason for switching to a residential building that will contain 135 one and two bedroom apartments with 72 parking spaces for residents. Loading and unloading for the building and Rite-Aid will be inside an enclosed docking area off of the 13th Street side of the building. Trash will be kept inside the building and there will be a roofdeck for residents to enjoy.

The project is slated to be a Planned Unit Development (PUD) since the building will need special zoning treatment to allow the 90 foot height (with an 18 foot mechanical override) that JBG is seeking. The DC Zoning Commission defines a PUD as “a planning tool which allows a developer greater flexibility in site planning and building design. This flexibility permits the developer to incorporate amenities in the project that exceed those that could have been achieved under the general provisions of the Zoning Regulations.” There will be some Inclusionary Zoning units required by law for this size project in order to provide some affordable housing to the community.

Community leaders will have to learn the details of what a PUD entails  and decide what community benefits they will seek from JBG for approval of their proposed project. Stay tuned for more upcoming information about this project. JBG will design and launch a website dedicated to this project soon...the project manager is Brook Katzen and he can be reached at bkatzen@jbg.com.

To learn more about the PUD process go to: http://tinyurl.com/PUD-Process-Fall-2011-ANC-1C

DDOT Discusses Tools to Address Parking Issues

Below are notes from the meeting held last night at the Hotel Dupont.

"The purpose of the meeting was for DDOT to describe what types of parking systems have and have not worked elsewhere in the city, and for Ward 2 residents to explain the parking challenges they face and ask questions about the parking regulation system and what the options are.

Damon Harvey with DDOT (damon.harvey@dc.gov, 202.671.350) described the various ways in which neighborhoods can perfect their residential parking permit (RPP) system. He urged us to think about a comprehensive approach, so that non-resident parkers don’t simply shift from one block to the next in search of laxer rules. Attendees described the types of parking problems they encounter, such as spaces being taken by patrons and employees of nearby commercial establishments, and inability of the elderly and handicapped to find parking.

The default RPP option is a 2-hour grace period for non-permit holders 7:30am-8:30pm Monday-Friday. That can be changed in certain ways by regulation upon the recommendation of the ANC, but other changes would require enactment of a new law by the City Council. Examples of changes that can be made by regulation include changing the hours of the RPP system, imposition of resident-only parking (that is, no grace period at all) on one side of the street during certain hours/days, and changing the hours and costs of meters. We should also carefully consider side effects – for example, if resident-only parking is instituted, the city will supply each household with a visitor parking pass, but there is danger that those passes can be counterfeited and sold. DDOT works hard to prevent that, by monitoring Craigslist and EBay and using water marks on the permits, but it could be an issue. Could be less of an issue if DDOT is successful in development and rollout of an internet-
based system for visitor passes.

One option that was discussed would be to have RPP in place during the day, say from 8:00am to 4:00pm, then resident-only from 4:00pm to midnight. This would allow guests, tradesmen and deliverymen to park for up to two hours during the day, then give residents priority by the time they come home from work.

There are more nuances than many of us realized. For example, an RPP system that operates until 6:00pm, after which anyone can park for any length of time, really only limits parking until 4:00pm, because a non-resident can park at 4:00pm, stay for the 2-hour grace period until 6:00pm and stay further overnight until the RPP kicks in again the following morning.

Mike Feldstein, Chair of the ANC Zoning Committee, will organize a second meeting in a month or so, which will be devoted to discussion of issues specific to Ward 2, and suggestions by DDOT as to how to address them."

Thanks to those of you who attended last night. We look forward to developing some recommendations for our ANC to consider to address parking issues in our neighborhoods.