quality of life

Columbia Heights Public Realm Plan Finally to Kickoff?

By Prince Of Petworth

It seems like ages since the beautification projects at 14th and Park have supposed to get started. Mayor Fenty had a press conference this morning and sent out the following press release. Do you think they’ll actually stick to this timetable? A public park and fountain does sound pretty sweet though, yeah?

“News Release for Immediate Release
July 16, 2008
Fenty Announces Implementation of Columbia Heights Public Realm Plan

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and city officials unveiled a plan to begin
preliminary work on the Columbia Heights Public Realm plan. The project,
developed by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), represents a
culmination of several years of community meetings that centered on a
framework of landscape and transportation improvements in public areas
surrounding recent neighborhood development. The plan will focus on
coordinating high-quality improvements to foster a unified community
identity for Columbia Heights.

We are extremely excited to finally begin work in Columbia Heights, said
Mayor Fenty. We recognize the vast amount of time the community has
invested in this project and we look forward to implementing the public
realm plan and our continued partnership with the community.

The project will be rolled out in two phases. Phase One will focus on the
area surrounding the intersection of 14th Street and Park Road, NW. The
centerpiece of Phase one involves the completion of a public park featuring
a unique fountain and public gathering venue. (PoP’s emphasis) The plan also calls for
reconstruction and paving of roads and sidewalks, and the installation of
new lighting and street furniture. Phase two of the project will focus on
infrastructure and streetscape improvements on 14th Street, NW between
Columbia Road and Newton Street, NW. Release continues after the jump. (more…)

Bicyclist Injured on 11th Street Wed. Morning

By Prince Of Petworth

Be careful if you are biking down 11th Street even if you are in the designated bike lane.  From a reader:

“8:10 this morning I came upon a bicyclist sprawled on the street, unconscious on the block South of Florida.  About 6 people were around him directing traffic away.  A white Aspire car was in the street, probably involved in the accident.  I was told an ambulance had been called. The bicyclist was not bleeding from the mouth.

It is my thought that the car forced the bike into a parked car.  That corner is quite dangerous (11th at the block South of Florida) because bikes are forced into parked cars as the lanes squeeze down, losing the bike lane that is present on the blocks North of Florida.  Also if the light is green, bikes enjoy quite a fast run down that stretch and cars are irritated by the bikes’ presence as the lanes constrict.”

Murals DC Kickoff – Super Cool Murals and Breakdancing

By Prince Of Petworth

Murals DC “has been created to replace illegal graffiti with artistic works, to revitalize sites within communities in DC and to teach young people the art of aerosol painting.” This great program had its kickoff on Saturday at 2407 Georgia Ave. The event featured DJ Kool (who was amazing), some fresh breakdancing and of course some mural prepping and painting. What an awesome program, yeah? I got tons of cool photos after the jump.

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Friday Question of the Day

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Kyle Walton

hanks to a reader for sending the following update about the New Hampshire Ave beautification project.

“As a result of a unanimous vote last night, ANC 4C will be sending a letter to DDOT asking that the block of NH Avenue NW between Randolph and Shepherd be maintained without a traffic island, allowing First Baptist congregants to continue parking in the middle of the street during Sunday and special services. As part of traffic-calming measures, DDOT has already started the installation of traffic islands that will contain trees and other plantings on New Hampshire Avenue NW between Sherman Avenue NW and Grant Circle.”

There was also a bit of discussion on this topic over at Petworth News.

So the Friday question of the Day is: If a Church has been here for many years and has come to count on parking in the middle of the street on Sunday, then is it fair to create a beautification project that removes this parking? Personally, I’m very conflicted on this issue so I’ll be interested to hear what you guys think.

I Choose To Believe There is Beer in those Bottles

By Prince Of Petworth

But it reminds me of a funny story. My father is a very proud New Yorker. So one day he sees a cab driver pull over to the curb and throw out a bottle of questionable content. So my dad bombs over to the guy and says “this is New York City! We don’t do that in New York City!”. And the guy apologizes and throws out the bottle in a garbage can. There have been so many times when I’ve wanted to bomb over to cars or people who are littering and say – this is Washington, DC! We don’t do that in Washington, DC!

Drive By Shooting on Harvard Between 13th and 14th

By Prince Of Petworth

Good lord. I sometimes wonder if it is ever going to end. Right? It can’t be a normal way of life to have a drive by shooting around 4pm on a Sunday. I had gotten complacent about these shootings in the past but this one just turned my stomach. Thankfully, I don’t think anyone was hit but I’m not sure. I saw loads of MPD walking up and down the street presumably looking for shell casings. Not that this behavior is acceptable in the late evening hours but I find it particularly egregious that it can and does occur during the day. I mean this should be plastered across the front page of the Washington Post. Mayor Fenty and Chief Lanier should be hosting a press conference to discuss how this behavior will not be tolerated. Could you imagine if there was a drive by shooting at 4pm on a Sunday off of Connecticut Avenue?

How long is it going to take before this activity stops? Will I be able to look back five years from now and say to myself, “wow, I can’t believe there was a drive by shooting in the middle of the day right off 14th Street”? Ten years?

The Aftermath

By Prince Of Petworth

This is taken on July 5th outside Cardozo High School on 13th Street.

Overall, I’d say it was a good 4th of July (check out the video a few posts below). I must’ve passed dozens of “local” shows walking between 11th Street and Petworth. There was a great community feel as well with people gathered on their porches and street corners to watch some impressive displays. And many of the folks did a terrific job cleaning up after they were finished. Sadly, some folks were not as responsible. This year I heard fireworks well after two in the morning which was fine with me but I’m sure folks with little kids may have been a bit perturbed. And actually, I’m getting to see a pretty decent show right now (July 6th at 9:42 pm)… I’m cool with all the local shows but after a while it tends to get a bit boring for me. I like Oreo cookies but I only eat 2-4 at a time. Sometimes the fireworks, particularly on July 6 and after, makes me think that some folks really enjoy eating boxes and boxes of Oreo cookies.

King Me

By Prince Of Petworth

Sweet, a checkers club! Too cool. I was never any good at Chess but I never thought there were others that shared my passion for checkers. Oh, it’s on now…

Ancillary Benefit of Target’s Opening?

By Prince Of Petworth

There’s something slightly less offensive to hanging plastic bags that have the Target bullseye on them, yeah? Don’t get me wrong I’d still prefer a proper garbage can but in their absence these are a bit better.

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