Park View

Medical Marijuana Clinics a Good Fit for Lower Georgia Ave, NW?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user JosephLeonardo

A reader forwards the issue as posed by an ANC commisioner from the Columbia Heights Listserv:

“Over the last several weeks ANC1A commissioners have been getting calls and emails from persons interested in opening Medical Marijuana Clinics in the area. One spot of interest was near Georgia Ave. and Kenyon. In general commissioners are very leary of having the first clinics open in our area, primarily because of fear they could have a negative impact on the current drug trade. The current drug trade involves both illegal drugs and prescription drugs, the clinics may spawn spinoff trade. Comparisons have been made to the methadone clinics which have impacted the area. There are also concerns about the clinics being overseen by ABRA instead of DOH, locations next to schools and etc..

There has not been much community dialogue on this issue.

William Jordan, ANC1A05”

ANC commissioner, 1A08, Cliff Valenti was able to send me the recommendation ANC1A passed at its last meeting.

“Regarding the location of dispensaries, ANC1A recommends that they be located in medical facilities such as
Washington Hospital Center. Section (g) of the law states that a dispensary or cultivation center shall not be located
within any residential district or within 300 feet of a preschool, primary or secondary school, or recreation center.
ANC1A believes that the radius in the law should be changed to 500 feet. Additionally, the rules need to state that
dispensaries:
• Are not located within 500 feet of a substance abuse treatment center.
• Are not located within 500 feet of a halfway house
• Are not located within 500 feet of a day care center”

You can read the full recommendation below:

ANC1A MM Recommendation

Cliff writes:

“I knew when this law passed that Georgia Avenue would be a contender for this “experiment”, and sure enough its the first location they have chosen for consideration. I think a more stable area, like Wisconsin Avenue, would help insure success of the program and the law. There is too much addiction, criminal behavior, and mental illness on Georgia Avenue for something new and controversial. The law is written without much consideration to the Pandora’s box it opens for law enforcement.”

What do you guys think – would lower Georgia Avenue be a good spot for a medical Marijuana dispensary? If not Georgia Ave, where do you think would be a more appropriate location?


Lower Georgia Ave at Euclid looking north

Update on Georgia and Lamont St, NW Development

By Prince Of Petworth

I forgot to post this big update from CM Jim Graham from last week:

Dear Friends, I am pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached between the Fenty administration and the developers of the Heights on Georgia Avenue that will allow the project to begin construction in the next 60 – 90 days.

The Council of the District of Columbia was also instrumental in advancing the project by passing crucial legislation I authored to provide a tax relief for the affordable housing portion of the project and to realign the public alley to the rear of the property.

The building, to built at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Lamont Street (the current site of a vacant lot and a pawn shop) will consist of a mix of 50% market rate and 50% affordable one, two and three bedroom rental units constructed on top of 10,000 square feet of neighborhood serving retail. The building will comply with The Green Community Initiatives (roughly equivalent to LEED Certified standard) and the District’s Green Building Code. It will feature an accessible green roof with fourteen different types of vegetation, photovoltaic panels, passive solar heating and cooling, a central water system and water conserving / Energy Star appliances and fixtures among many other environmentally friendly attributes.

The project is being developed by a partnership between MiCasa, Inc., a local non profit, and the Neighborhood Development Company, another locally based company. The companies have developed numerous award-winning projects in Ward 1 and the Georgia Avenue corridor.

Another solid step forward for lower Georgia Avenue…joining the senior wellness Center (opens tomorrow!), CVS, Park Place Apartments, Bruce Monroe interim Park, New Community on the way for Park Morton…

Hadiya Cafe Closes at 3118 Georgia Ave, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while but kept forgetting. Well, I don’t think this’ll be too big a surprise to folks as their hours seemed to be rather irregular. When I spoke to the owners back in April ’09 they were super nice and my hopes were high. The space inside wasn’t overly luxuriant but it was quite comfortable. Not really sure what went wrong because I know many neighbors who were excited to patronize the spot but became frustrated by the irregular hours. What is interesting to note is that there is a new construction permit in the front window so perhaps it’ll get fixed up and become a proper restaurant with proper hours. I’ll be sure to update when more info becomes available.

Top Spanish Restaurant Opens at 3541 Georgia Ave, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

Speaking of Tex-Mex…

“Dear PoP,

Check out the Top Spanish Cafe on Georgia Ave in Park View (right across from the ‘House’). They apparently just opened last week and are working with a soft opening menu but offer both Spanish and Tex/Mex. The sangria and paella were great as well as the service!”

Couple more shots after the jump including a taste of the menu. (more…)

Senior Center Opens at 3531 Georgia Avenue, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

From a press release:

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, joined by Councilmember Jim Graham, DC Office on Aging (DCOA) Executive Director Clarence Brown, Department of Real Estate Services (DRES) Director Robin-Eve Jasper and Ward 1 community members and seniors today celebrated the grand opening of the first senior wellness center in Ward 1.

Located at 3531 Georgia Avenue, NW, center provides programming and activities that promote the health and wellness of the District’s 100,000 senior residents. Situated along Georgia Avenue, the $4.35 million, 3-story building was made with environmentally construction materials and is tracking LEED Gold certification.

The 15,000 square foot facility features the following:

* Nutrition Counseling and teaching classrooms
* Intake Room
* Health Education Seminar Rooms
* Exercise and Fitness Area
* Massage Room
* Computer Training Center
* Multipurpose Rooms
* Offices for Staff
* Roof top terrace with walking space

It’s been fun watching this building go up. Sounds like it is just as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.

Slow Down if Your are on Rock Creek Church Road, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

Take a close look at that red SUV in the photo. That’s MPD just waiting for you to speed down Rock Creek Church Road over by the Solider’s Home. And good for them! RCCR is a speedway with drivers breaking the speed limit with no regard for Park View residents. Here is hoping that the police arrest all the too-fast drivers with their cool undercover speed enforcement vehicles.”

They’ll probably just get tickets but hopefully this will act as a deterrent because it seems every year or so a car will lose control and smash into a section of the Soldier’s Home fence…

Dear PoP – What Neighborhood Do I Live in?

By Prince Of Petworth


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“Dear PoP,

I have a strange question, what neighborhood do I live in? I live on Morton St NW between Sherman and Georgia. Park View doesn’t seem to want to claim us, and I think we’re a distinct neighborhood East of Columbia Heights (Sherman is a veritable DMZ, while I find Georgia to be a more porous border…) My real estate agent says Columbia Hts, but, I feel he doesn’t really know and that CH is the profitable label. I live closer to the GA Ave Metro than I do the CH Metro, and I know I’m not remotely Petworth… Do I qualify for Pleasant Plains?

Morton Street West of GA, represent…”

In my mind this is Park View. Park View (and Pleasant Plains) is technically a sub-neighborhood of Columbia Heights like Logan Circle is a sub-neighborhood of Shaw so it’s not incorrect to say Columbia Heights (though it can be misleading). Even if you technically fall just within Pleasant Plains borders or within a block of the border in my mind I think of this area as Park View. I understand some Park View residents can be fanatical in protecting their neighborhood boundaries. However, this is one of those questions where you ask three different people who live on the block and you’ll get three different answers. In my experiences people who live on border blocks often merge easily between neighborhood names. So you have your pick, but like I said, in my mind this is Park View.

Mon. Afternoon Rental Option – Park View/Pleasant Plains

By Prince Of Petworth

This rental is located at Columbia Road, NW at Warder Street, NW:


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The Craigslist ad says:

“This magnificent basement studio apartment with waterfront view has a kitchenette, washer and dryer, fridge, and full bathroom. The basement has a separate entrance than the rest of the house, and is pretty spacious. Not your typical DC basement apartment. It has a lot of beautiful exposed brick and plenty of space. It would work well for a couple or Howard University students.

One fairly large room. There is off street parking available for an extra $75.00 per month. We’re a half mile to the Columbia Heights Metro (about a 10 minute walk) and close to U Street. We are also less than a five minute walk to Howard University, and a block from Georgia Avenue and major bus lines.”

Does $1050 sound reasonable for this studio basement apartment?

Car Flipped on Sherman Ave, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

I wanted to share this photo with you of a flipped car on Sherman Ave. This happened at about 9:30 this morning in front of my house as I was taking the dog out for a walk. Amazingly, no one was hurt and fire fighters are breaking the windshield to free the driver.”

Yikes! Glad to hear no one was hurt.

Good Deal or Not? “fill you with rapture” edition (Reader Request)

By Prince Of Petworth

This home is located at 3221 6th St, NW:


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The flier says:

“City Chic & Oh So Affordable! This one will fill you with rapture, there’s NO condo fee to factor. Renovated through & through once you’re inside you’ll know it’s for you. Living & Dinning areas an open space waiting for you to add your stylish grace. Friends & family will rally from the patio to the extended kitchen’s galley. 2 bedroom & 2 full Baths just blks from subway, believe me it won’t last”

You can find more info here and photos here.

The reader writes:

“I know people will slam the Park Morton projects near there but I think those are getting taken away and replaced with mixed use housing?”

And this wins the award for, uh, most creative description. Are you filled with rapture after viewing the photos? Well, it’s been a while since we’ve looked at a “minihouse”. Do you think $299,000 sounds reasonable for this 2 bed/2bath?

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