2500 Georgia Avenue, NW
Per previous years – the outdoor pools should start opening the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, which is May 27th this year. Mark it. Updates when the official DPR announcement is made.
DC Government
Thanks to a reader for sending and summing it up perfectly: “Justice.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Erin
“Dear PoPville,
I live on a one-way block of 4th street NW (between M and N). It’s surrounded by a few very busy streets (New York Ave and New Jersey) and people very frequently cut down the street in the wrong direction at high speeds to bypass traffic. This is obviously super dangerous, and frustrating (we recently bought a house here and primary motivation was the relatively quiet, traffic-free street). We have seen many near misses where pedestrians don’t think to check for traffic coming in the wrong direction. Is there a way to submit a complaint to DDOT or to ask for additional enforcement of traffic laws?”
Ed. Note: Last year more than 16,500 were filled. Difference because of our milder winter?
From DDOT:
“The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has wrapped up its 9th annual Potholepalooza. Mayor Muriel Bowser kicked off this year’s campaign on April 3, 2017, and the numbers are in.
More than 7,600 potholes were repaired during the four-week initiative thanks to engagement from District residents across all eight wards via 311 and Twitter. District residents generated more than 1,200 service requests. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr.TinDC
Thanks to all who sent links to the Washignton Post story Second mayoral appointee identified in school-lottery scandal:
“Two appointed officials working for D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) received preferential treatment from the former schools chancellor, who directly placed their children in schools and allowed them to bypass the notoriously stressful and competitive lottery system, according to an investigation by the District’s inspector general.”
The IG’s investigation has not been released to the public, yet, but if it is I’ll be sure to post.
Read the full Post story here.
…but damn it, I was too late to get an egg.
And check out this awesome photo from Brookland in 1919 via DC Backyard Chicken’s website:
Stephen Boone sends this morning from Cleveland Park:
“Greta and Tilly won’t stand for Mayor Bowser’s executive overreach.”
Photos courtesy Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs
From an email:
“This week, the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, Downtown BID and the DC Department of Housing & Community Development unveiled new trash receptacles in Chinatown. We plan to add more around the area.”
Also after the jump info on the Mayor’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration Monday at the Lincoln Theatre: (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Victoria Pickering
“Dear PoPville,
To anyone that might shed some light on what “with ease” means.
Long story short, DCRA and I went through a series of incredibly confusing missteps this morning trying to get the inspector in for an early morning rental unit inspection. They apparently will just knock on the door and leave if you don’t answer unless you specifically ask for a courtesy call. Since I already have a tenant in there and it’s a secure access building, I mistakenly thought that common sense and necessity would require them to call me to access the unit so I waited in the courtyard. Nope. They left a door hanger with a message. The funny thing is that I was on the phone with the DCRA inspection office for almost 45 min trying to figure out where the inspector was and during this exact time he had already come and gone.
Longer story shorter, they were kind enough to reschedule to have the inspector come out again this afternoon, but only after a lot of back and forth including telling me that the person I spoke to on the phone this morning doesn’t exist. Okay.
So the inspector comes back and looks through the apartment unit. Our condo building was built in 2009, is completely compliant in every way and I have never had any complaints from our tenant. The inspector failed us, however, due to “the windows not opening with ease.” When I asked what that meant, he kept repeating “well, it doesn’t open with ease…WITH EASE.” I watched this man try to open aluminum, construction grade windows with one hand unsuccessfully. So then I went and opened all the windows in question for him albeit with two hands, but not with an excessive amount of effort. He said that they were heavy and failed us on that technicality.
I understand if this is a safety issue for windows that are the only means of egress other than the door. However, there is a Juliet balcony door that I opened for him that could be used in emergency situations in this 700sq ft unit. But the crazy things is that I opened all the windows anyways, in front of him!
So my questions are: (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
Historically, of course, a large percentage of English basement rental units were not technically legal, because the landlord did not have a Certificate of Occupancy for two units (unsurprising, given how onerous that process seems to be). My question is whether the Accessory Apartment Zoning rule which was passed last fall obviates that requirement, as long as your basement unit meets all the requirements of that rule.
This website certainly seems to suggest that to be the case, particularly when it notes that “Prior to renting an accessory apartment in any zone, the property owner shall obtain a Residential Rental Business License from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and the property shall be inspected for relevant housing code compliance.” To me, the omission of any CoO requirement is significant.”