DC Government

Dear PoP – Newark Dog Park?

By Prince Of Petworth


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“Dear PoP,

I think this is worth debate. The city is spending 400 thousand dollars on a dog park going into a wealthy garden community in upper NW. McLean Gardens. Now I can see the city building dog parks in our dense inner city areas with few green places to walk dogs even on a leash, but there are ample places to do so in Mclean Gardens. But what really raises my brow is that at a time when the District claims to be struggling to come up with money for funding safety net programs they are spending 400 THOUSAND dollars on a dog park. Does it really cost 400k for a dog park? I could bulldoze my house and build a new one for 400k. If the residents really want their dogs to be able to run off leash can’t they just put up a chain link fence for 10k and call it a day? Isn’t that what the city did for a dog park in Adams Morgans’ Walter Peirce Park? And in addition to the 400k the city is spending the neighborhood raised 25k for amenities to add to the park after the citys investment. Will there be a pool and sauna? Does the city make public the break down for the costs associated with a project like this? I think we are getting ripped off. I’m picturing the invoice charging us 5000 dollars for a box of nails. and 30,000 dollars for a trash can sort of thing. Is this another no bid contract? I have an uncle that would gladly bid 50k to build McLean Gardens a sweet Dog Park.”

WTOP says:

“The 11,000-square-foot park will be located off Wisconsin Avenue at 39th and Newark Streets in Northwest.

The District is spending more than $400,000 on the park, and residents raised another $25,000 to pay for amenities, such as park benches.

The park is scheduled to open in August.”

Are New Tax Brackets a Good Idea?

By Prince Of Petworth

I saw this sign on 11th St, NW on Sunday and then this morning received the following email from Save Our Safety Net:

Wed, May 19, 2010
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

We’re in the final stretch of the DC budget process — and millions of dollars of funding for safety net services are at stake.

We’ve proposed that the City can save our safety net by creating new tax brackets for the highest-earning 5% of DC residents. Six Councilmembers have declared their support for progressive tax increases — but we need a seventh!

So on Wednesday May 19th, we’re going down to show City Council what a real safety net looks like. We’ll ask Councilmembers to join us in building the net that keeps our city healthy and stable.

And to do all this, we need you too! Come down to the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW) to join with us in this action.

Further explanation:

The top tax bracket in DC currently starts at $40,001. (That means everyone making more than that pays the same tax rate.) The city could raise approximately $50 million in revenue by creating additional tax brackets: 9% for DC residents earning more than $200,000 (a .5% increase), and 9.4% for those earning more than $1,000,000 (a .9% increase). Together, these increases would affect less than 5% of our population — but they would enable the city to protect safety net programs that keep our communities safe and strong.

Do you think creating additional tax brackets is a good idea or will it drive wealthy residents out of DC?

Friday Question of the Day – Soda Tax?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user gc-dc

I know we’ve been talking a lot about taxes lately but given the budget it looks like a lot of ideas are gonna be debated. I just received an email about a group called Support the D.C. Healthy Schools Act. They say:

The Healthy Schools Act is a landmark bill that will:

* substantially improve health, wellness, and nutrition in our schools
* raise the nutritional standards and improve the quality of school meals
* bring more fresh, local fruits and vegetables to schools
* triple the amount of and vegetables to schools
* triple the amount of physical and health education by adopting national standards
* create school gardens and support other environmental initiatives
* expand school-based health and wellness programs

The proposed Healthy Schools Revenue Act would fund this initiative by:

* adding a one-cent-per-ounce tax to sugar-sweetened beverages to fight obesity
* the tax WOULD NOT include diet soda, non-caloric beverages, juices, milk, and water
* the soda tax would be imposed on distributors – NOT our small, local businesses. It would not apply to concentrated syrup, which is primarily sold to restaurants and bars

Apparently there is some serious lobbying against this act. Given the fact that obesity is such a problem in DC’s schools (and the budget deficit) do you support a soda tax?

Dear PoP – Veranda’s Patio Targeted

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

There is someone at the DC Gov that wants to destroy the patio at the Veranda because it is six inches above the side walk. Why are there other patios in town that are higher than 6 inches?”

Interesting. Let’s check with @DCRA and see if they can confirm, deny or add some details. From the photo above it doesn’t look too treacherous. We judged Veranda (11th and P St, NW) here.

DDOT to Debut Barnes Dance at 7th and H Streets, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

This sounds pretty wild, from a press release:

“The District Department of Transportation is launching a new pilot program aimed at providing safer crossings for pedestrians at one of the District’s most traversed intersections: 7th and H streets, NW in Chinatown. The new traffic pattern, commonly called a “Barnes Dance,” allows pedestrians to cross in every direction, including diagonally, at the same time while vehicles on all four sides of the intersection are stopped at a red signal. The change is scheduled to be implemented on Wednesday, May 12 at 10 am.

Continues with some history after the jump. (more…)

DC Council vote on gym membership tax?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user *tinadelarosa

I’m getting a lot of emails from readers (usually forwarded on from gym owners) like:

“The DC Council will assemble tomorrow, Friday May 7th to vote on whether to impose a 6-8% tax on gym memberships and other fitness related services.

This will likely result in an increased cost in fitness-related services across the board.”

I also got some from Yoga studios.

But Council Member Jim Graham’s tweets only confused the issue for me, first he writes:

“This may be the most unpopular budget-revenue-generating suggestion in history.”

then

“There is NO PROPOSAL to tax health club memberships. The Fair Budget Coalition has proposed that not the Council or the Mayor. It is a hoax”

So firstly, does anyone know if this for real or a hoax? Secondly, I heard soda might be taxed more as well. So my questions are – do you think either of these taxes would be reasonable considering current DC budget woes?

How Strong is DC’s “fondness for weed”?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo from PoPville flickr user JosephLeonardo

This morning The Post writes:

“The D.C. Council is set to vote Tuesday on legalizing medical marijuana, thereby allowing the chronically ill — including those with HIV, glaucoma or cancer — to buy pot from dispensaries in Washington.

Yet marijuana is already ubiquitous in many parts of the city, as demonstrated by federal surveys showing that Washingtonians’ fondness for weed is among the strongest in the country — and growing.”

I’m just curious if your experiences support this article. In my experiences weed was much more prevalent in Cincinnati, Ohio than DC. But, I’m just curious what you guys think.

Also I’m not really sure what the point of this front page article is but if DC passes the medical marijuana bill do you think it will lead to a greater “fondness for weed” in DC? Will it de-stigmatize pot? Is pot even stigmatized at the moment? Do you think this is the first step in the ultimate decriminalization of marijuana?

Friday Question of the Day – Should Businesses be in a tax free zone during streetscape construction?

By Prince Of Petworth

Above is a photo of what Sticky Fingers endured during the Park Road Streetscape improvement (across from the Giant Grocery store in Columbia Heights.) And of course many businesses on H St, NE are enduring similar sights while the streetcar rails are installed.

Here is some legislation being considered:

Streetscape Construction Small Business Relief

Do you think this is a reasonable request from Small Business owners given the current financial situation the city is in?

First Modern Streetcar to Debut in the District May 5th

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo courtesy of DDOT DC

Those who follow DDOTDC on twitter have eagerly been awaiting their “big streetcar news” that they said was coming this morning. Well here it is:

“District residents, workers and visitors will soon get their first opportunity to step aboard one of the District’s new modern streetcars. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will host the DC Streetcar Showcase from Wednesday, May 5 through Saturday, May 8, 2010 at City Center DC, the site of the old convention center.

“We are getting closer and closer to putting streetcars back on the streets of the District, and we know there are a lot of people who are just as excited about their return as we are,” said DDOT Director Gabe Klein. “This will be a great opportunity for them to see a modern streetcar up close, inside and out, and to learn more about how they will operate in the District.”

After a 50 year hiatus, streetcars will once again operate in the nation’s capital in 2012, and at the showcase next week Mayor Fenty and city officials are expected to make some significant announcements about the program and other transit services in the District. In addition to the Streetcar program, DDOT also operates the DC Circulator bus system and a bikesharing network.

Showcase Details

The District owns three streetcars, which are currently stored at Metro’s rail yard in Greenbelt, Maryland. For the showcase, DDOT will transport one of the vehicles downtown where it will be set on temporary tracks in Lot B of City Center DC. The public will be able to access the lot from the intersection of 9th and H Streets, NW, which is just north of the Gallery Place Metro station on the Green and Yellow lines.

Admittance to the Showcase is free. The event schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday, May 5, 11am – 7pm
• Thursday, May 6, 11am – 7pm
• Friday, May 7, 11am – 7pm
• Saturday, May 8, 11am – 5pm

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Zoning Commission approves raising cap for Arts Overlay to 30 percent

By Prince Of Petworth

A few weeks ago there was concern that the U and 14th Streets, NW area had reached its cap of 25% for eating and drinking establishments. On twitter @dcra reports, “Zoning Commission approves raising cap for Arts Overlay to 30 percent immediately – agrees to consider further increase at June”. While we heard that the cap could’ve increased to 50% an initial increase to 30% should at least allow a few more new places to set up. Presumably the percentage will increase a bit more in June.

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