DC Government - PoPville

Dear PoPville – Are Afterhours Construction Permits Legit?

Published July 17, 2012 at 2:30PM

Dear PoPville,

I just had to bang on my neighbor’s door at 12:30 because he was doing construction, hammering on the party wall, table saws, the whole bit.

I said “Come on, you can’t do construction after midnight” but he said he had an after hours permit. And that they were finished.

I’ll talk to him tomorrow when I’m less exhausted and less angry, but does an after hours permit really trump noise regulations and allow you to do make that much noise after midnight?

I couldn’t find anything on the dcra website.

Friday Question of the Day – Should Mayor Gray Resign?

By Prince Of Petworth

Published July 12, 2012 at 10:22PM | Updated July 13, 2012 at 9:07AM

Mayor Gray with former Council Chairman Kwame Brown during happier times. Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

The Washington Post has reported:

“A secret $653,000 effort funded by one of the District government’s most prominent contractors corrupted the 2010 mayoral race and helped Vincent C. Gray get elected, the city’s top federal prosecutor said Tuesday.”

Many have already called for his resignation, most notably Council Members Mary Cheh, David Catania and Muriel Bowser. One of the few dissents I’ve seen was from an opinion piece in NBC Washington by political analyst Chuck Thies:

There are skilled investigators probing the campaign and related matters. They have already claimed three scalps. Others are sure to follow. No one knows if Gray will be one of them.

In the meantime, the city is doing fine. Gray has been a solid mayor.

So what do you think – should Gray resign immediately or let the investigation run its course?

Dear PoPville – Is the 311 App Actually Improving Efficiency?

By Prince Of Petworth

Published July 11, 2012 at 1:30PM

Photo by PoPville flickr user johnmcochran2012

Dear PoPville,

A few weeks ago I used the 311 iPhone app to schedule a bulk trash pickup. My wife and I just moved in together and I was getting rid of some of my old furniture. Using the app, I submitted my request and I received an email immediately with my scheduled pickup date – July 9th. Nearly two weeks went by and we finally moved the bulk items to the front curb (we don’t have an alley on our block). On Monday morning (our regular trash day, for what it’s worth) DPW came and took approximately half of the bulk items. Frustrated, I called 311. The rep claimed that DPW probably ran out of space in the truck and she rescheduled another pickup for the next morning. Today, DPW either didn’t come or they came but didn’t take the rest of the items. I called 311 again, and discovered that my address had been entered into the system incorrectly.

The problem, it seems, is that the 311 system and the 311 app are not in sync when it comes to recording addresses. For example, my request was submitted through the app with my actual address – it even has my exact address in the comment of the service request; but the 311 system recorded it as the address two doors down. Did DPW show up at the neighbor’s house, not see any trash out front, and decide not to take our trash because it didn’t match the address on file? I suppose it’s possible. In any case, with the 311 app out of sync with the 311 system, it’s hard to imagine that this is actually an improvement in efficiency.

Sorry to my neighbors who have had to deal with this eyesore for the past 2 days – I sure hope DPW comes through tomorrow (on attempt #3).

Anyone else have problems with the 311 app? Anyone have success with the 311 app?

What the Helen of Troy is Going on in the Omnibus Alcohol Beverage Regulation Amendment Act!?!?!?

By Prince Of Petworth

Published July 11, 2012 at 10:30AM

Page 2 of the Omnibus Alcohol Beverage Regulation Amendment Act Legislation 2012

So, this is odd. Please note the last sentence from page 2 of the Omnibus Alcohol Legislation 2012 in the image above. Yesterday someone sent me a link to CM Tommy Wells page to look into the Omnibus Alcohol Legislation 2012. It was posted June 26th and explains:

Earlier today, Councilmember Jim Graham introduced the “Omnibus Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Amendment Act of 2012.” The legislation has a wide variety of amendments to the city’s alcohol laws and policies. It includes items related to noise in the neighborhood, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions’ voluntary agreements, Sunday alcohol sales, and much, much more. We’d love to hear your thoughts and reactions to the legislation.

It also has the full PDF of the legislation. So a reader asked that I look into growler sales and whether or not stores like D’Vines will be able to sell them again. Anyway, right as I got to page two I noticed some very odd language:

“(2) Paragraph (34) is amended by replacing the word “buttocks” with the word “anus”.”

So, uh, what exactly are we legislating here… Staffers having fun?

Oh yeah, back to the original request, if anyone wants to comment on whether stores like D’Vines should be able to sell growlers again, you can do so here. The current language looks like only full-service grocery stores and brew pubs will be able to sell growlers.

You can see the full legislation below:

Omnibus Alcohol Legislation 2012 (PDF)

“DC Council is voting tomorrow to prevent Uber from lowering rates”

By Prince Of Petworth

Published July 9, 2012 at 5:06PM

Photo by PoPville flickr user Nikoo’s Photos

Thanks to all who forwarded the notice from the Uber car service:

On Independence Day, Uber announced a roll out of a lower cost service that we call UberX. A less expensive Uber option on an all-hybrid fleet. We’re pretty excited about it and think it’s a great idea for cities across the country. What some of you probably noticed is that there was no roll out of this service in the District. That is because, only days earlier, the DC City Council informed us that they intended to pass an amendment to the taxi modernization bill that would make it illegal for Uber to lower its prices or to offer a low cost service in any form.

The Council’s intention is to prevent Uber from being a viable alternative to taxis by enacting a price floor to set Uber’s minimum fare at today’s rates and no less than 5 times a taxi’s minimum fare. Consequently they are handicapping a reliable, high quality transportation alternative so that Uber cannot offer a high quality service at the best possible price. It was hard for us to believe that an elected body would choose to keep prices of a transportation service artificially high – but the goal is essentially to protect a taxi industry that has significant experience in influencing local politicians. They want to make sure there is no viable alternative to a taxi in Washington DC, and so on Tuesday (tomorrow!), the DC City Council is going to formalize that principle into law.

For obvious reasons, Uber is seriously concerned about punitive government intervention in a well functioning marketplace. Because of this we felt it was our responsibility to let our riders know about the issues at hand.

Take Action
THE COUNCIL VOTES ON THE UBER AMENDMENT TOMORROW!
If each of us writes or calls our DC Council people, we could make an impact on this law. What are we asking for?

Strike down the MINIMUM FARE language from the Uber Amendment.

Here are the City Council members’ contact info. Call/write as many of them as possible!

Phil Mendelson (Chairman), (202) 724-8064, [email protected]
Mary Cheh, Ward 3, (Chairperson of Committee on the Environment, Public Works and Transportation), (202) 724-8062, [email protected], @marycheh
Michael Brown, at-large, (202) 724-8105, [email protected],
@cmmichaelabrown
Jim Graham, Ward 1, (202) 724-8181, [email protected], @jimgrahamward1
Jack Evans, Ward 2, (202) 724-8058, [email protected], @jackevansward2
Muriel Bowser, Ward 4, (202) 724-8052, [email protected], @murielbowser
Kenyan McDuffie, Ward 5, (202) 724-8028, [email protected], @kenyanmcduffie
Tommy Wells, Ward 6, (202) 724-8072, [email protected], @tommywells
Yvette Alexander, Ward 7, (202) 724-8068, [email protected], @cmyma
Marion Barry, Ward 8, (202) 724-8045, [email protected], @marionbarryjr
David Catania, at-large, (202) 724-7772, [email protected], @cataniapress
Vincent Orange, at-large, (202) 724-8174, [email protected], @vincentorangedc

Proposed New Taxicab Smart Meters. New Meters Include Credit Card Readers; Will Be Installed by End of Year

By Prince Of Petworth

Published July 6, 2012 at 2:30PM

Photos courtesy of the Mayor’s office

From a press release:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray today announced that he is sending to the D.C. Council a proposed contract with VeriFone Systems, Inc., to install a Taxicab Smart Meter System in all of the District’s licensed cabs before the end of the year. The system will allow payment of fares by credit cards, driver verification, safety-response mechanisms, GPS tracking and other advanced features.

“The Taxicab Smart Meter System will make Washington’s taxicabs among the most advanced taxi fleets in the country,” said Mayor Gray. “It is another step toward bringing the District’s taxicab fleet into the 21st century. I ask the Council for a speedy approval of this contract, which will benefit drivers, riders and the general public.”

Under the $34.9 million contract, the District will lease the system for five years from VeriFone, which will install, maintain and operate it. Details of the system were developed by technical consultants for the D.C. Taxicab Commission.

The cost for installing the system as well as the operating costs of the D.C. Taxicab Commission will be paid for from a trust fund supported by a 50-cent-per-ride surcharge. The only cost to drivers will be a small installation fee. Under this user-fee system, general tax revenues will no longer be used for any Commission costs. This will save almost $4 million from the District’s general fund. It also means that the approximately 50 percent of riders who are not District residents will now be able to pay a share of the costs of administrating the taxicab industry and no longer ride on the pocketbooks of our residents.

The Mayor also pointed out that this is the second major step in the District’s comprehensive taxi-modernization program. The first was the adoption by the Taxicab Commission of a vehicle-modernization regulation to phase out all vehicles more than seven years old by 2018.

Additional changes to the District’s taxicab fleet to be phased in over the next few months include a one-color scheme and a substantial increase in the number of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

“Mayor Gray and District Delegation Return from China Trade Mission, Highlight Investment in District Project”

By Prince Of Petworth

Published July 5, 2012 at 2:30PM

Market at O Street

From a press release:

This week, Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins returned to the District of Columbia along with other members of the District delegation who participated in a seven-day economic development mission to the People’s Republic of China. The trip ended on Saturday in Shanghai with the announcement of a sizeable Chinese investment in the City Market at O Street project managed by District-based Roadside Development, LLC. A ceremonial check in the amount of $40 million was presented to Roadside’s co-founder Armond Spikell. The funding will support future phases of this important development.

“We are delighted to return home from China with the knowledge that our work is already proving successful,” said Mayor Gray. “I want to congratulate the Roadside Development team on securing a major funding component for City Market at O Street, which is a critical component of the revitalization of the District’s Shaw neighborhood. In order to remain the best real-estate market in the country, we must continue to attract, entice and support such investments in the District. By launching the D.C. China Center in Shanghai, we will do that work and more, bringing more business to D.C. and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with D.C. businesses as they compete in China and create good, high-paying jobs here at home. I also want to thank the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou for the spirit of hospitality and friendship with which we were received. The relationships we developed will increase economic opportunity for District residents and our Chinese partners.”

“Roadside Development was pleased and proud to be a part of the Washington, D.C.’s trade delegation to China,” said Richard Lake of Roadside Development. “We saw immediate opportunities to attract new capital sources and form new partnerships for future developments in the District. Through Mayor Gray’s leadership and vision, our City Market at O project is well under way. During this mission, City Market at O received an additional $40 million (through EB-5 financing) for future phases of this exciting project.”

DDOT Issues Request for Information (RFI) for 22-Mile Priority Streetcar System

By Prince Of Petworth

Published June 26, 2012 at 12:45PM

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

From DDOT:

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is exploring the potential of privatizing the District’s non-regional bus service and a 22-mile priority streetcar system as a means to accelerate delivery. As part of this process DDOT is asking for the private sector’s perspective and feedback in a Request for Information (RFI) issued this week. The RFI is an inquiry only, not a procurement, but the responses will help the District advance planning and development efforts for the project, which may result in the launch of a formal procurement.

The scope of the proposed project includes a combination of the following activities to support transit service within the District:

· Design, construction, financing, and on‐going operations and maintenance of a 22‐mile minimum priority streetcar network;

· Operations and maintenance of the DC Circulator bus system;

· Operations and maintenance of “non‐regional” bus service within the District currently operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (“WMATA”) ; and

· Purchase of vehicles as necessary to operate the above services.

The District anticipates a public-private partnership (PPP) could accelerate the delivery of the DC Streetcar system. Other potential benefits include allowing appropriate risk sharing; maximizing competition and leveraging available public funds; providing greater cost and schedule certainty for the District over the long‐term; and allowing for a more favorable payment profile for the District.