Columbia Heights

Mayorga Lounge Closes Its Doors

By Prince Of Petworth

Thanks to a reader for tipping me off to the sign. I went to check it out and was able to speak with the owner, Mark. And he confirms it – as of today Mayorga Lounge is no more. Mayorga of course was located at 14th and Park in the Tivoli complex in Columbia Heights. So this is what Mark tells me the future of the space will be: A Sushi restaurant. The new name effective as of today is “Asian Bistro”. He expects the remodeling downstairs to be completed in the next two weeks if all goes well with DCRA. It is actually a bit sad as Mark explained to me how difficult financially this has been.  Coffee just wasn’t cutting it so he’s going to give a go with “Asian Bistro”. For the moment the upstairs restaurant is still open and serving it’s new Korean menu. It wasn’t 100% clear if the whole restaurant will be sushi or just the downstairs. But the space will be more integrated. I certainly wish them the best of luck. And hey, Sushi could be cool, yeah?

Sweetime Bakery Coming to 14th Street

By Prince Of Petworth

A reader posted this great article from the Post yesterday. The article is titled “Changes on 14th Street NW Bring Challenges for Mom-and-Pop Shops” and starts:

“One of the Washington area’s oldest Central American commercial strips consists of about a dozen blocks of storefront pupusarías, beauty salons, check-cashing depots and Latin variety stores along 14th Street NW, north of Park Road. Many of these mom-and-pop businesses cater to the neighborhood’s immigrants, but that formula may have to change as the area rapidly gentrifies, business owners in the area say.”

We then learn at the bottom of the article:

“(Marleny Flores) plans to open a cafe called Sweetime Bakery on the bottom floor of her building in the fall. She plans to offer freshly baked Central American goods, Bolivian tea, health shakes and more. By next summer, she hopes to have a full patio up and running, she said.”

I think it sounds amazing, yeah?

Judging New Buildings

By Prince Of Petworth

What do you think of the Dance Institute on 14th Street in Columbia Heights? I think it’s pretty badass.

Allegro Development Watch

By Prince Of Petworth

The Allegro located at 3460 14th street is coming along nicely. You can see some of the red brick starting to go in. It looks pretty good from the alley as well:

We learned a while ago that this project is going to be rentals. So do you think these will rent out pretty quickly? Anyone know what the rent will cost?

Columbia Heights Streetscape

By Prince Of Petworth

A reader writes: “Have you seen the huge architectural model of the Columbia Heights “public realm” plan for streetscape improvements yet? It’s located inside the lobby of the BB&T Bank inside the Kenyon Square building, just outside the Columbia Heights Metro station. It’s a large model showing all the buildings in central Columbia Heights, with the proposed changes to the streets, sidewalks, and the design of the triangular plaza.”

For some reason the folks at BB&T Bank won’t let anyone take photos of the model. Fortunately, I was able to track down some PDF images that look pretty sweet. I didn’t know that a fountain will be going in! Nice. Anyway if you can’t see the image clearly as click below on “CH Streetscape” for a PDF version. Looks good, yeah?

CH Streetscape

On a side note, it looks like they put in some more bicycle locking stations:

More images of the planned streetscape after the jump. (more…)

Karen Attends Community Meeting on 14th and Fairmont Shooting

By Prince Of Petworth

So here’s the scoop on the Saturday night shooting at 14th and Fairmont from the Columbia Heights community meeting last night. The investigation into what happened is still ongoing, and thus not all information could be released, but it appears the shoot out involved two crews. Two individuals, both in their twenties, were apprehended at the scene and have been charged. They were both on foot—rumors of a car being involved are unsubstantiated. Police are also looking into an additional person as possibly being involved—a lot of evidence has been recovered that they’re following up on.

There was a problem with crowd control as and after the two individuals were arrested, and a few friends and family members of the perps did attack the police apparently in protest or to prevent the suspects from being taken away. The four people who were involved in that attack were arrested, and one of those people had a baseball bat. There was also a problem in terms of controlling the surrounding area—police had to prevent several people from returning home while they secured the area and it seems there was a bit of a pandemonium for a while.

Also, and this is very interesting, apparently members of a private security firm that works the Faircliff Plaza East at 1350 Fairmont St were the first on the scene.

Police have been targeting the areas near where the shooting occurred, and it’s comforting to know that the security firm that apprehended the suspects is there every Saturday night. But violent crime has been up in the neighborhood in the past few weeks. I know it puts me, at least, on edge.

Pretty Weak Park

By Prince Of Petworth

This park in Columbia Heights makes me very sad. For I’ll say it, it is sketchy. I wonder if it would be so sketchy if it had a beautiful lawn and was well cared for. I feel like this is something we should rally around. Let me know if you want me to start a campaign of some sort to improve the quality of this park. It is pretty beat, yeah?

Even the sign is ganked…

Good Deal or Not? (And It’s Not Even A Million Dollars)

By Prince Of Petworth

So while I am very interested in knowing whether you think it’s a good deal or not, I’m also curious to know what you think of the layout, rooms, details etc. The flyer says:

“New Construction Modern Finishes Chefs Kitchen, Parking 2 cars, Exposed Duct, Master Bedroom boasts 30ft Vaulted Ceilings & Loft with ladder. 6 bathrooms Amazing Detail Must See it to believe it. Owner said No Condo Conversion here!!. Cute 2br rental wih C of O in the basement for income!!Real Estate Broker is the owner.”

There are lots more details and photos here. It was origninaly listed for $1,100,000 but is now on the market for $999,999. So what do you think about the house and of course is it a good deal or not?

Terrible Shooting at 14th and Fairmont

By Prince Of Petworth

Yikes, I hadn’t heard about this until a reader sent in some photos and video. What an insane scene. The reader writes:

“They are photos of the immediate aftermath of the gun battle/scuffle that happened on Fairmont Street on Saturday. I counted at least a dozen shots. MPD/USSS responded en force pretty quickly. I counted at least three people who were carted away.”

Another reader writes in to let folks know about a meeting on Wed. to discuss the shooting:

“I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind mentioning the next meeting of the South Columbia Heights Neighborhood Association Meeting in your blog. It will be this Wednesday, 8/20 at 7pm at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St, NW. Ward 1 CM Jim Graham will be there to discuss this incident, as will MPD Police Chief, Cathy Lanier and Neicy Jones, who will represent the Faircliff Apartments, an epicenter of neighborhood trouble.”

Check out the disturbing video footage caught by a reader:

Thankfully suspects were apprehended. Did anyone else witness this event?

A Note From The Organizers of Columbia Heights Day

By Prince Of Petworth

As the festival planning committee of the Columbia Heights Day Initiative, a non-profit 501-(c)(3) entity, it is our job to ensure we have reached out to all components of our booming neighborhood to join our annual festival. As you know, the central location of the festival is Harriet Tubman Elementary, just one block away from “downtown” Columbia Heights, but the celebration encompasses far more.

Our central aim is to build an impactful, sustainable community festival that celebrates one of the finest neighborhoods in the District of Columbia: Columbia Heights. After last year’s festival, one which Mayor Fenty called the “most organic festival” he had the privilege of attending, we want to make sure we grow at a reasonable pace, to keep up with our dynamic neighborhood.
We just wanted to make sure that you were given the opportunity to participate and help our fledgling festival by:

  • Attending the festival on 10/4/2008, outdoor morning yoga lesson, listening to live music, letting the kids play in the “moon bounce” and other activities, walking with the community dog walk, shop with local artisans & vendors, and visit with local officials….and lots more, with your help!
  • Dining or shopping at select neighborhood restaurants/businesses that will be offering festival day discounts and specials.
  • Supporting Columbia Heights’ fledgling festival with a monetary donation, tax deductible. (By the way, we’re not getting paid to do this, it’s all for the community!)
  • Helping mobilize our community by getting the word out to your neighbors.
  • Volunteering and planning for Columbia Heights Day and other community activities.
  • Buying a festival t-shirt at our website, attending a fundraiser, or even sponsoring your own fundraiser to help sponsor our community festival!

Your support will not only help make this year’s festival a success, but lay the groundwork to expand the festival in years to come and undertake other events promoting our community’s well-being. We will continue to seek the small donations from local fundraisers and small donors, but it is your support that will make the Columbia Heights Day Festival a success for years to come and a weekend our community will look forward to each year!
Please visit us on the web at www.columbiaheightsday.org to learn how you, your friends and neighbors can be a part of the fun. Please do not hesitate to contact us via email at [email protected].
Sincerely,  
The 2008 Columbia Heights Day Planning Committee

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