You're Invited to VIP Opening of Black and Orange

Please click on to the graphic on the left to see the invitation details. Join us to meet and welcome Raynold and his wife, Caroline, who own and manage Black and Orange. Visit their website at www.blackandorangeburger.com to see and order from the menu which I have posted on the right.

See you at the opening!

Matchbox Coming to 14th and T

I attended the U Street Neighborhood Association meeting on Thursday evening and listened to a presentation by Perry Smith of the Matchbox restaurant management team. The Arena Stage building is being renovated as an open concept restaurant that will seat 250 people with an outdoor sidewalk cafe that will seat 50 people.

The restaurant chain has several other locations in Capitol Hill and Chinatown. You can visit their website to view their menus.

Questions from nearby residents centered on parking issues and hours of operation. Perry assured residents that the restaurant will seat its last customers at 10:30 p.m. on weeknights and 11:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The outdoor cafe will close at 11 and 12 midnight, consistent with others in the neighborhood.

We look forward to the grand opening later this summer.

PSA 208 becomes PSA 301 with New Boundaries

Effective immediately the Police Chief has assigned new Police Service Area boundaries for our neighborhood. We are now in PSA 301...we used to be PSA 208. We have been returned to the jurisdiction of the Third District (after being under the Second District since 2004 when the Police Chief moved us). Our ANC offered alternative boundaries that would have kept us in the Second District but the Chief proceeded with her plans to revise the boundaries. To read more about the changes please click here.

Third District Station
1620 V Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202) 673-6815
Fax: (202) 673-2154

Embassy Protest Yields Results

I am pleased to report that the Republic of the Congo has responded to orders from the District Government and requests by the ANC and the Dupont Circle Citizens Association to remove the concrete covering of the public space in front of the former Toutorsky Mansion. The Embassy felled trees, uprooted shrubs and paved over the building’s front yard.

The Congo recently purchased the Toutorsky Mansion, a local landmark and contributing structure of the 16th Street Historic District, for use as its Embassy. The building is a graceful brick structure built in the 1890s for Justice Henry Brown of the Supreme Court. Later it was a music school and then a Bed and Breakfast. Under DC law, front lawns are city property, but Embassy properties are considered foreign soil and exempt from District law. Knowing this, neighborhood officials, including the ANC, had specifically requested that no changes be made to the historic greensward. The sale was approved by the Board of Zoning Adjustment’s Foreign Missions Department only after the Congo agreed.

DDOT has asked the Embassy to restore the landscaping after removing the concrete surfacing. When you walk past the property you will notice the removal of the concrete, so it is now ready for restoration of the landscaping.

I want to thank my fellow Commissioners, the Dupont Circle Conservancy, and the Dupont Circle Citizens Association for preserving our public space along 16th Street, otherwise known as the Avenue of the Presidents.

Happy Holidays to One and All!

Just a quick note to wish all of my constituents a Happy Holiday season. Please be safe and I wish all of you a happy and healthy 2012!

I advise everyone to be on the lookout for crime. There is traditionally a spike in "crimes of opportunity" in the neighborhood during the holidays. The Police have told us at our recent ANC meetings that this is the time of year that they see an increase in the number of car breakins, package thefts, muggings, and burglaries. So enjoy the holidays but be aware of crime!

And remember to report any crimes that you witness along with accurate descriptions in order to help the Police catch the criminals!

Postal Service Committed to Keeping Post Office

I am pleased to report that Postmaster Roane announced at tonight's community meeting that Temple Heights and Kalorama Post Offices will remain open. They have been taken off the study list. Over 3,000 surveys were returned by residents.

The 14th and T Street Post Office will continue to operate until the end of the lease (2/12). It was originally scheduled to close on Dec. 31. The Postmaster is committed to locating a new post office in the 14th and U neighborhood and is reviewing several proposals, including the Reeves Center.

I want to thank Councilmember Jim Graham who responded to our outcry and has worked with the Postmaster and the community to achieve this outcome.

Postal Service Meeting 12/15

The Postal Service will be discussing the closure of several local post offices at a meeting on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 5:30 p.m. at the Rita Bright Family and Youth Center located at 2500 14th Street. This is a follow up meeting to the one held in Cleveland Park on November 29. Councilmembers Graham and Evans plan to attend since their constituents are affected. Please join us to learn the USPS plans for our 14th and T Street Post Office.