Pleasant Plains

Pleasant Plains, Park View and Lower Georgia Ave, NW Survey Results and Meeting Tonight

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user quigley_brown (Jim Hamann)

From an email:

The next Georgia Avenue Task Force meeting is, Wednesday June 23rd from 7-9pm at the GADGET Center which is at 2801 Georgia Avenue NW.

On the (tentative) agenda is:

– Results of the survey
– Remarks from vacant property owners
– A Presentation from Robert Moore of DCCH
– Updates on Bruce Monroe
– Committee Reports
– Preparation for a Community Review of Task Force Recommendations August 7th

Since we had a full agenda, we will postpone the presentation from the MPD on Georgia Ave. safety issues until July 12.

The survey results will be presented on the “I live here” respondents which can be viewed by going to:

http://sites.google.com/site/pleasantplainsdc/survey

and downloading the excel attachments. Click through the tabs at the bottom of the worksheet to advance through the questions in the “preferences” file. I will not be able to provide handouts for all of this so please view them online if you can. The full survey report will not be available until the first week of July.

Dear PoP – DC Caribbean Carnival Parade This Saturday!

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

The DC Caribbean Carnival takes place this coming wk/end – Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27. The Parade is on Saturday beginning at 11:00 a.m. from Missouri and Georgia Aves. and ends at 5:00 p.m. at Banneker Field. As in years past there will be significant traffic delays due to closed roads and crowds. MPD will probably start closing the roads from 10:00 am. Folks may want to plan accordingly. Hopefully there will not be too much complaining about the tremendous inconvenience to their Saturday routine, just come out and enjoy the Parade and the sweet Caribbean vibe. The vibe continues on Sunday with a Caribbean bazaar/concert in Banneker Park. Admission to the park on both days is $10.00.”

This is one of my all time favorite parades. It gets hot, it gets dirty, it gets loud and it is just a ton of fun. We talked about last year’s parade here. You can see reader photos from last year’s parade here and photos from two years ago here.

The official Carnival Web site (careful very loud music plays) says:

“The annual Extravaganza Parade will be staged along the Georgia Avenue corridor on Saturday, June 26, 2010 , and will commence at Missouri Avenue at 11:00 a.m. and terminate at the international marketplace at “DE SAVANNAH” – Banneker Recreation Park. DC Caribbean Carnival will host the international marketplace at “DE SAVANNAH ” from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m featuring food, craft and entertainment.”

Any advice for folks who’ve never seen this parade before?

Dear PoP – Real Estate and Development in Pleasant Plains

By Prince Of Petworth


View Larger Map

“Dear PoP,

I’m looking to buying a house in Columbia Heights, more specifically, the Pleasant Plains neighborhood (b/w Sherman and Georgia Avenues). Do you or any of your readers know if development in the area is non-existent or hurt by the recession? In particular, whether there has been any word on what will be built on the site of the now-demolished Old Bruce Monroe School, or if the proposed street car line up 7th/Georgia Avenue is still viewed as a possible route?”

You have asked the million dollar question. Yes that area like the city in general has been hurt by the recession. But I think Pleasant Plains will be a great neighborhood for a long term investment but my opinion is that you better like it a lot now too, because who knows how long it will take for the proposed projects to be completed. The old Bruce Monroe school will be a community space for the short term. The street car is still slated to come to Georgia Ave in the 2nd deployment but realistically that could be many years from now. Unfortunately there are many vacant storefronts along Georgia Ave at the moment.

What do you guys think about the prospects for development in Pleasant Plains over the short term and long term?

Wings and Ice Cream to Georgetown Plus Has Philadelphia Water Ice Closed on Georgia Ave?

By Prince Of Petworth

Georgetown Wing Co. has opened at 3291 M Street NW upstairs from Crepe Amour. 

And I feel like I’ve seen this sign for a while so I wonder if Georgetown Scoops is still coming to 2818 Wisconsin Ave, NW.

The last few times I’ve walked past the Philadelphia Water Ice at 2620 Georgia Ave, NW it has been closed. Since their phone is disconnected I’m assuming this as permanent. Anyone know when they closed?

Going – Books and Clothing

By Prince Of Petworth

The Christian Science Bookstore (I think it was a bookstore) has been vacated at 1405 Park Road, NW. It’s a small storefront so it’ll be interesting to see what will move into this space.

And Up Against the Wall clothing store has closed up at 2301 Georgia Ave, NW. Though I think they still have a Georgetown location at 3219 M St, NW. City Paper’s Housing Complex noted that retail on lower Georgia Ave was pretty sad. It really is amazing that having Howard University nearby wouldn’t support a more vibrant retail scene.

Old Bruce Monroe Site Gets $1.5, $7 million for D.C. small businesses hurt by the streetscape projects

By Prince Of Petworth

We last spoke about the old Bruce Monroe site here and we last spoke about providing funds to small business hurt by streetscape projects here.

From a CM Jim Graham Press Release:

“I worked with Chairman Gray to put $1.5 million in to transform the old Bruce-Monroe site into the community use we need. The Mayor’s office said there was only $500,000 in the budget. That was not enough for the basketball courts, night-time lights, fencing, tennis court, programming and other beautification items. The stakeholders challenged me to find more. We did.

There will also be $7 million for D.C. small businesses hurt by the streetscape projects. This money will be placed in a fund for the sole purpose of providing tax relief for our small businesses. Earlier this year, several Col. Heights businesses showed me photos of the obstacles – diggers, brick piles, sand and all manner of debris – stopping their customers at the door. They also shared some of their financial books, all of which spurred me to act. We will be developing the process itself in the next few weeks. But we had to get the budget funding in place.”

Dear PoP – Concerns over former Bruce Monroe Elementary School

By Prince Of Petworth

Couple of Georgia Ave notes. First a reader reminds folks to take this survey about “Major development is on its way to Georgia Avenue between New Hampshire Avenue and S St. NW (from) the Georgia Avenue Community Development Task Force”

Second:

“Dear PoP,

Darren Jones, the president of the Pleasant Plains Civic Association, sent the following letter to our elected leaders last week. It was printed on the front page of the Pleasant Plains neighborhood newsletter this week. Thought it might be of interest.

A Neighbor”

Full letter after the jump. (more…)

What’s it Gonna Take for Lower Georgia Ave to Get Some Love?

By Prince Of Petworth

I’m gonna oversimplify this but in my mind U Street/14th Street, NW, Georgia Ave, NW and H St, NE were commercially decimated by the 1968 riots. U Street/14th Street, NW has had an amazing renaissance. H St, NE is slowly on it’s way to an amazing renaissance. Georgia Ave, especially lower Georgia Ave is lagging very far behind. [ DC Mud recently highlighted some of the avenue’s woes.] So I have a couple of questions – is it gonna take the installation of street cars for lower Georgia Ave to become an attractive investment? Is lower Georgia Ave not gonna be touched by investors until H St, NE gets saturated and/or becomes too expensive?

My mind is rambling so bear with me. I walked around H St, NE over the weekend and during the day, to me, it felt absolutely deserted (H St itself not the surrounding neighborhoods). I suspect that feeling/reality may change when some of the street rail construction is cleaned up. So an unrelated question is – do you think H St, NE will ever have some daytime attractions or do you think it will remain a nighttime only destination?

Ed. Note: I think the new H St, NE signs in the photo above look fantastic.

Dear PoP – What’s Going on with the Old Cluck U Chicken Space on Georgia Ave?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

I saw some workers repainting the former Cluck-U Chicken space at Georgia and Columbia. And the for-sale sign is gone. Do you know what is going in there?”

This is of course the Cluck U that had the famous mural which was painted over. Looks like it’s gonna be a nail salon and spa.  I’m also gonna have to file this under – it’s better than a vacant storefront…

Sherman Ave Streetscape Project will be held Tonight Thursday, April 8, from 6:30 to 8 PM

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

I came across a new DC Department of Transportation website that has tons of great new information on the Sherman Avenue Streetscape project (which, for those who are unfamiliar with the project, will reduce the number of traffic lanes from four to two and add a tree-lined median, wider sidewalks, new landscaping and traffic lights, and shared bike lanes). According to the website, the design is supposed to be finalized by mid-April, construction bidding should be finalized by June, and construction is slated to start this August and be completed by September 2011.
http://dashboard.ddot.dc.gov/ward1/ShermanAveStreetscapeW1/default.aspx

This document from the website also has lots of new design information and the latest depictions of the project. The plans still look great. As someone who lives on Sherman Avenue, I can’t wait.
http://dashboard.ddot.dc.gov/ward1/ShermanAveStreetscapeW1/Shared%20Documents/Progress%20Reports/Sherman_Ave_65pctDesign_2009-11_presentation.pdf

PS – The final DDOT community meeting on the Sherman Ave Streetscape Project will be held Thursday, April 8, from 6:30 to 8 PM at the DC Housing Finance Agency at 815 Florida Ave NW, according to a flyer I received yesterday at my house from the leader of the Pleasant Plains Civic Association.”

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