DC Government

Adams Morgan’s Line Hotel $46 Million Tax Abatement Appears in Jeopardy after AG Ruling unless “specific D.C. hiring requirements” met

By Prince Of Petworth


1780 Columbia Road, NW

From Councilmember Silverman’s office:

“In response to a request from two D.C. Council members, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine has issued a legal opinion concluding that the Bowser Administration does not have authority to waive specific D.C. hiring requirements put in law in order for the Line Hotel to qualify for a taxpayer subsidy worth up to $46 million. Earlier this month, the Department of Employment Services (DOES) found that the hotel had not met two of seven specific requirements legislated by the Council but said the agency had the ability to create an alternative compliance plan.

“The Adams Morgan Hotel Real Property Tax Abatement Act of 2010 (“Abatement Act”) grants the Line Hotel a tax abatement if the Hotel meets seven statutory conditions. You asked whether the Department of Employment Services (“DOES”) may waive those conditions. We conclude that it may not,” Racine wrote. (more…)

“Bowser Administration Asks Residents to Provide Feedback on DC Values”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Ted Eytan

From a press release:

“Over the past three years, Mayor Bowser and the DC Office of Planning (OP) have collected community input to understand what residents care about most as the District continues to thrive, grow, and prosper. Eight DC values – accessibility, diversity, equity, livability, opportunity, prosperity, resilience, and safety – aim to express the essence of what makes DC home for a diverse, inclusive community. Feedback on these values will help guide OP through the remainder of the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) Amendment process.

OP has launched a new DC2ME campaign featuring the values and a community survey. Residents are asked to complete the survey by Sunday, June 30, at dc2me.com/survey. In addition to the website and survey, OP will conduct a series of outreach activities in May and June to share the key values emerging from the Comp Plan update process and seek feedback in creative ways.  (more…)

Shooting at the Brentwood Recreation Center exposes Rift between Police and Parks Department

By Prince Of Petworth


via MPD

From MPD:

“Greetings Fifth District Community members,

The Fifth District is investigating a shooting that occurred on Sunday, May 19, 2019 at approximately 12:54 AM at the Brentwood Recreation Center, located in the 2300 block of 14th Street, NE.

Members of the Fifth District were on patrol in the area and heard numerous sounds of gunshots. Upon responding to the scene, the members observed dozens of people running from the scene in a panicked state. One juvenile male victim was subsequently found in the 2300 block of 15th Street, NE, suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries at this time. (more…)

“The DC Health Care Alliance is a model public insurance program. But its burdensome requirements cause many eligible residents – and their health – to lose out.”

By Prince Of Petworth

The following was written by Nina Yamanis1, Taryn Morrissey1, Lisa Bochey2, and Cristiana Little2 (1Faculty and 2students at American University.) “As accomplished professors and graduate students at American University, we have been collecting stories and data about the effects the re-certification process has on the immigrant population and on DC’s overall public health outcomes.”

“The DC Health Care Alliance is a model public insurance program. But its burdensome requirements cause many eligible residents – and their health – to lose out.

The DC Alliance is a Model

DC has a public health insurance program — the DC Health Care Alliance — its residents should largely be proud of. Since 2001, the Alliance has provided health insurance to low-income District residents not eligible for Medicaid, including many immigrants. But there is one glaring problem that should be a source of embarrassment.

It’s far too easy for people enrolled in the program to lose coverage, even while they’re still eligible. Every 6 months, Alliance beneficiaries must recertify their eligibility in person, typically standing in long lines at crowded service centers. For well-meaning reasons — because they have to work or care for children, for example — many cannot do this and lose coverage.

Last month, Ricardoa, an Alliance recipient for eleven years, took time from work to see a doctor about a mouth infection and learned his Alliance coverage had expired. Because he couldn’t miss work again, his infection worsened, and he ended up admitted to the hospital with a much more severe condition. (more…)

“Councilmember Grosso introduces progressive property tax to fund equitable public investments”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user John Goucher

From Councilmember Grosso’s office:

“Today Councilmember David Grosso, chairperson of the Committee on Education, introduced legislation to generate new revenue for the District of Columbia’s budget priorities with a progressive tax on high-value properties.

“D.C. has experienced tremendous economic growth in the past decade, but not everyone has shared in that prosperity,” said Grosso. “Instead, the income and wealth gap has widened in that period and is starkest along racial lines.”

The wealthiest 20 percent of households in D.C. make 7.5 times as much income annually compared to the poorest 20 percent. The average wealth of white households is now 81 times that of the average Black household.

“Every budget cycle, investments in educating our students, ending homelessness, and preventing violence in our communities fall short. A high-value property tax would address racial inequity by raising resources from those most well off to fund public investments to lift up those who have been left behind,” said Grosso.

Currently, residential property is taxed at 85 cents per $100 of value, prior to deductions for principal residences and for senior citizens. Residential Real Property Taxes Equitable Alignment Act of 2019 would create two additional marginal rates for high-value properties, taxing $1.25 for every $100 of value over $1.5 million and $1.50 for every $100 in value over $5 million. (more…)

“Are other schools having this problem too?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.

“Dear PoPville,

My daughter is a kindergartener at a DC public school. My husband and I went in to drop off snacks for the class, and the teacher asked if we could do her a favor. She said they don’t have enough toilet paper or paper towels. She said that they never have enough. (I guess this shouldn’t have surprised me since the last couple times my daughter needed to use the bathroom when I picked her up, there was no toilet paper to be found.) (more…)

“An Open Letter from District Bicycle Shops regarding Vision Zero”

By Prince Of Petworth

From an email:

“Dear Mayor Bowser,

As DC bike shop owners, we’re committed to keeping our customers mobile and active. Your administration has made this more difficult. We are demanding that you implement policies and practices that make Vision Zero a reality, not just a campaign promise.

Dave Salovesh was not just a customer, but a good friend, loyal supporter, and vocal critic of the DC government’s sluggish pace when it came to Vision Zero. We will miss his tireless advocacy. We now have to attend to his unfinished business.

People from every Ward and all walks of life use bikes as their primary mode of transportation, their means of making a living, and their gateway to a healthy life. We are committed to making sure that these customers, friends, riding partners, and neighbors have safe and connected infrastructure to ride on. Some of our customers use the roads and parks for recreation and training, things that make living in this city and region enjoyable. Some of our customers use their bikes to get to work or do their job. These DC residents and visitors are no less important but far more vulnerable than a car user and should be prioritized in planning decisions. (more…)

“I kind of saw it like gentrification of the weed market.”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I came across a really interesting event Wednesday night in Adams Morgan. Basically a DC grey-market cannabis entrepreneur called for an open meeting in the community to discuss the new cannabis legalization proposal by Muriel Bowser. There were about 100 grey-market cannabis entrepreneurs in the house and they picked apart the bill and the overall consensus was that they thought the bill was bad for LOCAL DC entrepreneurs and favored big money and cronyism. (more…)

Council Members “Request Attorney General’s Opinion on $46 Million Tax Abatement for Line Hotel After D.C. Hiring Requirements Not Met”

By Prince Of Petworth


1780 Columbia Road, NW

From a press release:

“D.C. Councilmembers Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) and Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) sent a letter earlier this week asking D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine to give his legal opinion on whether the executive branch has authority to waive District resident hiring requirements put into law as conditions for the Line Hotel receiving a $46 million tax abatement. The D.C. Council passed special legislation in 2011 requiring the hotel to meet specific hiring targets beyond the District’s First Source hiring law in order to receive the subsidy. The Line Hotel opened last year in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Ward 1 and is still in the process of being deemed eligible for the tax abatement.

The request to Attorney General Racine was made in response to a recently released Department of Employment Services (DOES) determination that, even though the hotel did not meet the hiring targets for D.C. residents clearly outlined in law, the agency had the authority to create a “substitute compliance” that would allow the Line Hotel to qualify for the $46 million in property tax abatements. (more…)

Gotta be a typo right?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

Got a ticket the other day parked on this side of the road, Wednesday at 10:22 A.M. Had to think about this one for awhile but to me, this sign means no parking from Wednesday at 9:30 P.M. to Thursday at 11:30 A.M. However, after the ticket, I believe this sign is misprinted and should say A.M. instead of P.M. (more…)

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