3145 Mt. Pleasant St, NW burned down on March 13th, 2008. I took the photo above on April 13, 2012.
DC Government
Yesterday the Washington Post published a story titled Gray, Issa consider relaxing D.C. building height limits:
Issa, Gray and Norton said they primarily envision minor modifications to the height restrictions, perhaps an additional story onto some projects. But even a small change could make District buildings sleeker, raise ceiling heights and provide more opportunity for green space, architects said.
Issa said he’s also exploring whether the District should have greater flexibility to consider even taller buildings in areas away from downtown, a change that could one day remake parts of Northeast and Southeast and help the city absorb new residents and businesses.
Under the Height Act, a building on a commercial street can not exceed 20 feet greater than the width of the facing street, to a maximum of 130 feet. There is an exception on Pennsylvania Avenue between 1st and 15th streets NW, where buildings can rise to 160 feet.
Back in Jan. 2009 after polling PoPville about this 62% said it should not be lifted and 38% should be lifted. I’m wondering if folks still feel the same way? If you think they should be lifted – should there be any limits at all? If so, what should the new limit be? Do you think the restrictions should only be limited to downtown?
Photo by PoPville flickr user AWard Tour
The Examiner reports:
“The DC Taxicab Commission on Wednesday raised the rate to $2.16 per mile, up from $1.50 per mile. It also increased the wait-time rates, which kick in any time the cab is going slower than 10 mph, to $25 per hour, up from $15 per hour.”
At least the $1 surcharge for extra passengers is being removed unless the taxi is a van…
Now available for free at the Itunes Apple Store:
“For those pesky potholes, damaged street signs, and other local problems that get you down, the DC311 app makes reporting a problem easier than ever. This iPhone, and iPad compatible, app uses GPS to recognize your location and gives you a menu of common quality-of-life conditions to select from. The app allows you to upload pictures to accompany your request. The mobile app can also be used for a variety of other issues such as graffiti, street maintenance, street light issues, damaged trees, parking meters, and bulk collection. Residents can track the status of reports they or other members of the community have submitted.”
Dear PoPville,
I am floored by progress that I see on new constructions like the one across the street from me (I live at City Vista on L and there is a building that has gone up in less than a year.) Why is it that buildings can go up, get furnished and be done what seems like 100 times faster than road fixes (i.e. Military road 1 block, Sherman ave: the whole thing.) Who do we need to complain to?
Anticipated completion is not until July 8, 2012. I think it takes so long because the have to block traffic and do it one small section at a time as opposed to a building that doesn’t face the same obstacles. Hopefully it’ll be done by July!
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Photo by PoPville flickr user rjs1322
Back in March a reader was curious about the status of this year’s Caribbean Festival given the violence of last year. Last night the Georgia Ave Task Force heard a presentation about the festival. ANC1B09 rep Lauren McKenzie tweeted:
“Caribbean Carnival pres & exec dir stated that unless something changes in 24-48 hrs there will NOT be a carnival this year.
They owe the city $210K from last yr. City officials arent responding to letters, calls etc to request help make this yr possible.”
A reader who attended the meeting sent the following summary:
Looks like carnival is dead, if no financial help in 48 hours. Need over 200k to pay security and clean up to carry on. Howard University impact study says it’s a benefit to community, says bring in 4 million in revenue. Not clear on tax revenue… Mr Graham still supports festival, but unrelated homicide last year has caused mayor office to remain silent in support. City said in Jan that it would not support if money can’t be raised, which was last meeting festival had with mayor.
By the end of meeting it became clear that if the money isn’t raised and a clear plan presented to city by end of April, then that doesn’t leave enough time to get the word out.
This is a failure and disappointment on many many levels. I stand by my final thoughts from last year.
Update from DC Caribbean Festival’s Facebook page:
This morning the DC City Paper wrote an article that states DC Carnival is Cancel. This is not true. We attended a meeting last night with the lower Georgia Avenue Business Community to provide an update on DC Carnival 2012. We express the financial challenges the Carnival is facing with respect to City services and that we are exploring alternatives to Georgia Avenue this year. We never mentioned canceling the Carnival but I guess this makes for bigger and better news. This confirm to us that we are facing an uphill battle to sustain our culture in this ever changing DC community. We no longer can depend on the City to help us. This is a wake up call for us to help ourself. If we do not mobilize as a community and show the City that we are important and we do make a difference then the headlines might prove to be true.
From DDOT:
To prevent the notoriously unpleasant odor of the popular ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) from overtaking city streets, the District Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Administration (DDOT Trees) will begin spraying the unsavory smelling female ginkgo fruits tonight. DDOT Trees will use the same spray that has been used for the past several years, Shield-EC (also known as sprout nip).
The spraying will begin in Wards 1, 2 and 6, where female ginkgo trees are most prevalent, and continue through Wards 4, 5, 3, 7 and 8. Spraying will occur overnight for the next few nights and there is no need to move vehicles parked on streets.
A map of the female ginkgo trees to be treated is available online here.
Photo by flickr user JamesCalder
Dear PoPville,
My friends and I are particularly enraged by the most recent comments from Marion Barry about Asian business owners during his victory speech. Would be great for readers to see this and help start a movement that makes it clear that this kind of bigotry is not acceptable in any form in the District of Columbia – especially from elected officials. These unacceptable comments need to be addressed by the Mayor and the rest of Council…
Quote from Fox 5: “We’ve got to do something about these Asians coming in, opening up businesses — those dirty shops” Barry said Tuesday night after winning the Democratic primary for the City’s Ward 8 Seat and effectively securing a third council term.
Barry went on to say “They ought to go. I’ll just say that right now, you know. But we need African American Businesspeople to be able to take their places, too.”
Ed. Note: Sorry I was unable to post this yesterday, I was away from my computer in the afternoon.
Fox 5 has since posted that CM Barry has apologized:
“In a statement, he says he is “deeply apologetic for any harm that I have caused.”
On Tuesday night in the hours after securing another primary victory for City Council in Ward 8, Barry told his supporters this:
“We got to do something about these Asians coming in and opening up businesses and dirty shops. They ought to go. I’m going to say that right now. But we need African-American businesspeople to be able to take their places too.”
But until about 4 p.m. Thursday, Barry refused to back down, telling reporters in his office the Asian merchants needed a new attitude. Barry criticized the merchants for not reinvesting in the community and suggesting the ward would be better off with merchants from Ethiopia.
Photo by PoPville flickr user pjcoleman
On March 23rd, we spoke about the possibility that bars may soon be able to stay open later. Council Member Jim Graham writes:
Dear Friends, I want to have maximum public comment on the recent budget proposal to extend the hours of service of alcohol in the bars from 2 AM to 3 AM, weekdays, and from 3 AM to 4 AM on weekends. This proposal will have significant impact on businesses and on the residents of our neighborhoods.
For that reason, I have set up a hearing just on this issue, scheduled to begin in the early evening so as to enable persons to voice their opinions on this.
I welcome public testimony at this hearing. I have requested, and expect to receive, a detailed impact statement from ABRA as part of the hearing.
Please contact Malcolm Cameron at (202) 724-8191 if you wish to sign up to testify. It is also very helpful if you bring 15 copies of your written testimony to the hearing. The Hearing will be held on Tuesday, April 17 at 5:00 p.m. in room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW as part of the FY 13 Budget Oversight process.
Back in Oct. 2011 we learned D’Vines was no longer allowed to sell growlers.
A readers sends this petition to sign to remedy that situation:
“This legislation will allow brewpubs in Washington, DC to sell beer to go in growlers. Having the ability to sell beer in reusable containers with a Class-C Tavern/Brewpub license has the potential of adding a great deal of revenue to local businesses and add to the growing craft beer scene in the District.
A number of key restaurant professionals have been working diligently for the past few years to turn Washington, DC into one of the great beer cities of the United States. With DC based breweries like DC Brau, Three Stars and Chocolate city in operation and great beer bars like Pizzeria Paradiso, Brasserie Beck, Churchkey, etc. doing record setting business the only thing the District needs now is great
brewpubs.
Selling house-brewed beer in reusable containers, aka “growlers” is a cornerstone of brewpub culture in the United States. Passing the Sustainable Bottle Amendment Act of 2011 would allow brewpubs to expand their market and be the final step in making Washington, DC a city know for great beer.”
You can sign here.