City’s Historic Preservation Plan Cites Major Ward 5 Changes
by Jenny Johnson

The District’s historic preservation plan released last month says Ward 5 has many places of significance to preserve and warns that many of those resources are under threat.

The plan acknowledges that “extraordinary” redevelopment pressures throughout the District target Ward 5 in particular. Many valuable resources in neighborhoods that are currently undesignated as historic are being lost to demolition and “character-destroying alterations,” the report states. The report names Brookland, Bloomingdale, Eckington and Deanwood as having lost and continuing to lose historic resources. The report names “pop-ups,” oversized additions, demolition and neglect as some of the main threats.

For instance, proposed redevelopment at the Armed Forces Retirement Home raises “complex issues with regard to identification of resources, conveying the significance of these sites to owners, developers and design teams” that will preserve its unique characteristics, according to the report. The planned development at the Old Soldier’s Home includes 4.5 million square feet of condominiums, restaurants, stores and over 5,000 parking spaces on 77 of 272 acres of currently undeveloped land. The city is slated to review the proposed development for approval under historic preservation laws next year.

The city will be improving its preservation planning and integrating it into development efforts, specifically at Catholic University, Trinity College and the Armed Forces Retirement Home – major development plans that it says will impact the District’s historic resources. At press time, the city’s small area plan for Brookland, which includes planned projects at Catholic University, is under public and mayoral review. A group of residents has organized to stop the plan, in part on the grounds that it would destroy the historic character of the neighborhood.

Section 106 reviews are required of all development projects that use federal money, to ensure they conform with historic preservation mandates. And a recent change to the historic preservation law requires such review “for all projects undertaken by District government agencies” even if they do not involve federal funding, the report notes. The Historic Preservation Office draft work plan for fiscal year 2009 lists the Armed Forces Retirement Home as one of about 100 Section 106 reviews it will be undertaking. The preservation office will also be involved in reviewing uses of the newly closed public schools, according to the draft work plan.

On the issue of protecting historic landscapes and open space, the city says it is working to “accommodate reasonable demands” for new development at the Armed Forces Retirement Home and McMillan Reservoir. Both projects planned for the sites would turn vacant land into high-density, mixed-use development that residents have opposed in part based on arguments about the need to preserve the historic open spaces. But the city plan makes clear its historic preservation goals are “compatible with and supportive of new development” that it says is essential to economic growth.

The new DC Preservation Plan encompasses 2008 through 2012 and is an update from 2000. Neither the new preservation plan nor the draft work plan for 2009 mentions planned development at the Florida Avenue Market – a property widely renowned for its historic contribution to the District and where major development is in the works.

Dubbed New Town by its backers, the proposed development is meeting stiff resistance from many landowners. Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas is trying to move legislation to slightly shrink the footprint of the project in an attempt to gain the support from a majority of landowners that it needs to go forward.

The work plan also says the city plans to target Eckington as a priority area for a community survey and inventory of historic buildings, because it is one area that is “responding to development pressure.” In one example of such pressure, Thomas in July proposed a bill to give tax exemptions to the Eckington One Residential development at Eckington Place NE and Harry Thomas Way, a mixed-use project with 600 units of residential condominiums and apartments housed in three buildings with 1,000 square feet of retail.

Community Celebrates Rebuilding of YMCA Anthony Bowen
by Natasha Abbas

Despite the rain, a 200-person crowd huddled together under a covered tent at W and 14th streets NW on Sept. 26 to commemorate the groundbreaking of the new YMCA Anthony Bowen.

Mayor Adrian Fenty, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham and community leaders joined the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington (YMCAMW) to celebrate the rebuilding of the first African-American Y in the country.

The new Y will be part of Perseus Realty’s 263,000-square-foot mixed-use residential and retail complex located at 14th and W streets NW. The $97 million development, dubbed 14W, will include the construction of 231 rental apartments, the new 46,000-square-foot YMCA and 12,200 square feet of retail space.

Also on hand to celebrate the occasion were representatives from the Royal Bank of Scotland, who will be financing the project.

Community leaders at the groundbreaking noted the role that the Y has played throughout the history of the neighborhood and in the revitalization of the U Street corridor. YMCA Anthony Bowen was named in honor of a Prince George’s County slave who relocated to Washington after purchasing his freedom, said Angie L. Reese-Hawkins, chief executive of the YMCAMW. Bowen later cofounded the nation’s first African-American YMCA in 1853. The YMCA named in his honor first opened in 1912, relocating several times, but standing at its present location at 1325 W St. NW since 1978.

“We’ve come a mighty long way,” said Reese-Hawkins, referring to both the impact the YMCAMW has made in the community and the changes that the neighborhood itself has undergone since the YMCA Anthony Bowen first opened its doors there.

“Buildings do not define us, it is what we do in those buildings,” said Reese-Hawkins, reminding the community about the importance of the services the Y offers area young people.

The new $15 million facility will include 44,000 square feet of child care, wellness and community space; an internet café; a rooftop terrace for community gatherings; a full range of fitness equipment; a museum honoring founder Anthony Bowen; and a 25-meter indoor pool.

“During the construction, the YMCA Anthony Bowen will continue to be there for the members of this community,” said Ronald Hawthorne of the YMCAMW Anthony Bowen’s board of directors, committing to providing continued programming throughout the construction period. However, Hawthorne noted that the programs and services “may be spread out” at borrowed sites at different locations throughout the city.

Above the YMCA building will be 231 rental apartments, 19 of which will be designated as community housing for residents earning up to 60 percent of the area median income. The 12,200 square feet of retail space will be located behind the restored historic townhome facades.

Mayor Fenty applauded the project and reminded the community that the emphasis must be on servicing young people.

“It really is the young people we should have at the focus, at the front of this project,” he said while standing before the audience with a number of YMCA youths at his side.

The project is currently slated to take 18 to 24 months.

For more information about the new YMCA Anthony Bowen call 202-232-6700 or e-mail bowen@ymcadc.org. To request a survey on programs and services you would like to see at the new Y, contact gene.jones@ymcadc.org.

A New Vision for Chinatown
by Selina Musta

Walk outside of the Chinatown Metro exit, and you will see only a handful of ethnic Chinese-owned and other Asian small businesses. Instead, national chains like Pot Belly Sandwich Works and Bed, Bath, and Beyond outnumber businesses that often characterize Chinatowns in other cities like New York and San Francisco. However, the District is developing a plan to encourage investment from Chinese and other Asian businesses. The plan known as the Chinatown Cultural Development Strategy was initiated by DC Council Chair Vincent Gray more than a year ago. One goal of the plan is to preserve the cultural history of DC’s Chinatown by attracting entrepreneurs that want to invest in cultural economic development.

Other goals include raising awareness and coordination of cultural programs, services and events; standardizing the branding and marketing of Chinatown as a destination; developing innovative and effective ways to attract visitors to Chinatown; enhancing urban design to further articulate Chinese/Asian character; and to guide the community, policy-makers, planners and private sector stakeholders in sustaining Chinatown as an attractive destination.

Drawing Community Input
The DC Office of Planning, in partnership with the DC Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA) is spearheading the Cultural Development Strategy for Chinatown. With OAPIA, the DC OP held the first of a series of community meetings concerning the Chinatown Cultural Development Strategy on Sept. 10. Thor Nelson, an urban designer for OP, has been working on the city’s strategy. He says that the city is still in the “visioning phase” and that before the city can outline a detailed strategy, they must hear from the major stakeholders within Chinatown.

Nelson estimates that it will take six to nine months to gather that community input. OP and OAPIA are organizing three other public meetings plus a symposium in order to get a sense of what community members want. “At the symposium, there will be invited lecturers including out of town experts to explain what’s happening in other Chinatowns currently in the United States,” says Nelson. So far initial meetings have included property owners in the area, residents including seniors at the Wah Luck House, and leading community groups like the Chinatown Steering Committee and the Chinatown Revitalization Council. Most meetings will take place at the Chinatown Community Cultural Center. A second community meeting is set to be held the third week of October.

Facelift for Chinatown Park?
At the Sept. 10 meeting, community members identified the lack of, or underutilization of, public space in the area as one of the top weaknesses to Chinatown‘s cultural development. That included an extended conversation concerning the park that is bordered by Fifth, Sixth and I streets, and Massachusetts Avenue NW. “The park was highlighted as an opportunity site,” says Nelson. “[Community members] felt that it could represent Chinatown more explicitly and give it a sense of identity. It could be a place where programming could occur.”

Chinatown Revitalization Council Chair Alex Chi agrees that including the park in the cultural revitalization of Chinatown is key, but he thinks improvements should go beyond putting up new benches or planting more trees. Chi would like the city to turn the park into an open plaza by extending its property. That would mean “closing the south side segment of I Street between Sixth and Fifth streets for Chinatown residents, as well as pedestrians.” Chi adds that the advantages to closing that part of the street are better than keeping it open. “You can simplify the traffic pattern because right now it is confusing. You can probably add more parking spaces,” says Chi. “And with those changes, the public can use the park for activities like tai chi, the martial arts or performances.” In the meantime, as part of their Park Revitalization Program, the Downtown Business Improvement has allocated funds to make some improvements to Chinatown Park.  

For details on the Chinatown Cultural Development Strategy, call Dory Peters from the DC Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs at 202-727-9646 or Thor Nelson from the DC Office of Planning at 202-442-7600. On the Web, visit www.planning.dc.gov/planning/cwp for more information.

Colorado Avenue Doughnut Hole
by Tanya Snyder

Maybe you showed up, bleary-eyed, one recent Sunday morning at Colorado Kitchen for some signature homemade doughnuts and found a rude awakening awaited you. Or maybe you stopped by for the famous buffalo wings and were in for a shock.

You found the place closed. Forever.

You sure weren’t the only one to be caught by surprise. Just a few short months ago, when asked point-blank whether Colorado Kitchen was closing, chef and owner Gillian Clark said emphatically that they were not.

Colorado Kitchen was a Brightwood Park neighborhood institution for seven years – a notoriously overpriced but treasured local gem, tucked away on an unassuming street, a secret for Ward 4 denizens. Its homemade doughnuts, more than anything else on its down-home menu, were the talk of the town.

Frío Frío, the ice cream store next door to CK, has closed its doors as well. It had been having trouble making rent and had already closed temporarily. The barbershop moved to a nearby location on Kennedy Street.

The property the three businesses used to occupy is now owned by the Colorado Avenue Investment Group, according to development consultant Carlos Iglesias. The group, however, is just one person, whose name is not public information. Iglesias says he’s a Hispanic man who has lived in Ward 4 for 15 years on Nicholson and Kansas.

Speaking through Iglesias, the man behind the group said he knows the character of the neighborhood and doesn’t plan on changing it. Iglesias’ company – Bello, Bello, and Associates – has been retained to help develop the property. Iglesias says the plan is to build eight residential units with two retail spaces on the ground level. They don’t yet know what retail establishments will move in, but they are hoping to attract a new restaurant, since people in the area are accustomed to having a nearby eatery.

However, they’ll be tearing down the old kitchen and building a new one. The part that used to be Colorado Kitchen will now be the apartment building lobby.

Iglesias says that with 30-unit apartment buildings on either side of the new development, the small building will not significantly increase the residential density. He also says that they are planning to build units in keeping with the tone of the area. They’re not planning on installing high-priced condos to attract a different demographic.

Construction on the property is underway and should be completed within six to eight months. The property was purchased in November 2005, and Iglesias says the businesses had ample notice about the transition. The option was open for Colorado Kitchen to stay, though according to Iglesias, they “didn’t see eye to eye on certain things.” CK’s lease ran out last year, and the restaurant stayed on a month-to-month basis until the summer.

Meanwhile, for those craving Colorado Kitchen’s trademark flavors, Gillian Clark is reportedly in negotiations with developers about opening a new restaurant at the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road. Silver Spring may also get a taste later this fall, with yet another new Clark dining establishment.

Community Members Meet at All Soul's Church to Discuss the Impact of Immigration Enforcement
by Natasha Abbas

Community members recently came together for a discussion on the impact of immigration enforcement. The community dialogue, titled "Night of 1,000 Conversations," was held at All Souls Unitarian Church at 15th and Harvard streets NW, on Sept. 25 and was sponsored by the All Souls Unitarian Social Justice Ministry, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Casa de Maryland, Rights Working Group (RWG), South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) and the Virginia New Majority.

The event began on a welcoming note as over 200 attendees from a range of backgrounds shared an Iftar dinner for the breaking of the daily Ramadan fast. The evening also included a panel presentation and smaller breakout group discussions on issues affecting local immigrant communities, including immigration raids, detention conditions and backlogs for citizenship applications.

Panelists described current legislation around these issues, such as the Anti-Racial Profiling Act, which prohibits law enforcement officials from engaging in racial profiling. Currently, several neighboring counties in Maryland and Virginia have enacted varying forms of legislation that allows for police profiling of individuals based on perceived or real immigration status. Some community members expressed concern that DC could adopt similar policies.

Attendees also shared their own experiences and examined the effects of current immigration enforcement policies on different communities locally.

“I went to the event because I am really concerned about the growing anti-immigrant sentiment in Virginia and because I was frustrated with the lack of information surrounding the [Immigration and Custom Enforcement] raid at Dulles,” said one local resident who asked to remain anonymous. “I work for an organization that serves Asian survivors of Domestic Violence in the DC metropolitan area, and news of the ICE raids and local ordinances being passed that target immigrants has created widespread fear and made it harder for women in abusive relationships to come forward for help.”

Priya Doshi of the Rights Working Group, one of the organizers of the community dialogue at All Souls Church, said the event was held with the hope of being a catalyst for members of different communities to share their experiences around these issues.

"DC is an extremely diverse city with a huge immigrant population and our hope is to really bring them together and get them to work across their communities to address these issues," said Doshi in an interview with DC North.

Doshi said that the coalition’s hope is that DC community members will sign a National petition for restoration of due process, ensuring that government officials respect a person's legal rights and give individuals an ability to enforce their rights in the face of government violations.

But Doshi emphasized that the biggest success of the night was people from different backgrounds and communities in the District creating a dialogue around the issue.

For more information on the Rights Working Group contact 202-296-2300.

Franklin School Shelter Closed?
by Selina Musta

The historic Franklin School Shelter closed this September despite organizing attempts by homeless rights advocates and shelter residents to stop the mayor's office from closing the building that has housed more than 300 long-term shelter residents. The closure was moved five days ahead of the Oct. 1 schedule that was previously proposed by Mayor Fenty.

Resident Tommy Bennett, who has been calling Franklin home for three months, wants to stay at the shelter because it is close to his job downtown and his Narcotics Anonymous. Now he will have to live in the Martin Luther King Shelter at St. Elizabeths hospital. “I like Franklin because it is closer, for everything. Everything is here. Over in Southeast, there is nothing there,” says Bennett.

The day before the shelter officially closed, Bennett joined over 100 closure opponents at Franklin Square, the park across from the shelter, to voice their anger over what they see as a rush to close a facility right before it is most needed – during the winter season.

D'Juan Bean, president of the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter, is demanding that the city keep the shelter open until April 30. "Open the shelter back up. Give residents N/A and A/A meetings from the inside. Give them some type of job training,” says Bean. “That way in six months, after the winter, you can get them cleaned up with some job training. That way when the building closes in six months, they will have something under their belt.”

Plans for Franklin Shelter Residents
In order to fast track the closure of the shelter, the Fenty Administration started a housing placement program for low-income to no-income homeless people called Housing First.   According to city officials, the plan would place about 2,500 homeless people into a program that provides permanent housing with support services by the end of fiscal
2009. This included placing over 50 people from the shelter into apartments. However, Bean says that the city did not adequately prepare to transition former residents to permanent housing.  “The guys that they are putting in these apartments are losing them as we speak. It's been 20 guys that have already lost their apartments because they still have drug problems, alcohol problems and also some have mental problems,” continues Bean. “Some of them can't go into the facilities that they were assigned to because they are on parole, and that would violate their parole because of activities in front of their house.”

In mid September, the DC Council passed emergency legislation to stop closure of Franklin Shelter until the Fenty administration fulfilled the housing needs of the 300 plus people who are served by the shelter. Fenty promised a summary outlining his plans but by Sept. 29, the mayor had not sent the council a summary nor had Fenty signed or vetoed the legislation.

At press time, Franklin Shelter supporters filed motions for a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction to stop the closing of Franklin Shelter. A hearing was held Sept. 29.

‘S’ Bus Riders Give an Earful
by Tanya Snyder

Last month DC North reported on an ongoing study of pedestrian safety on 16th Street and new measures being considered for improvement. In honor of Car-Free Day (Sept. 22), we now turn to another car-free transit method: the almighty bus.

Metro is soliciting feedback on the 16th Street bus lines: the S1, S2 and S4. The combined S bus lines are the third most heavily used line in the Metrobus system, with 16,000 weekday passengers. The S buses serve seven Metro stations and 11 federal office buildings. More than 81,000 people live within a quarter mile of the line, and more than 290,000 jobs are located along the line. Meanwhile, rider fares account for just over a quarter of the funding for the bus line’s operations and maintenance. The remainder comes from subsidies.

Metro has received more than a thousand responses to a rider survey, and two public meetings have brought together frequent riders for input.

The most common complaint about the line is crowding at all hours. Riders also complain about poor adherence to the schedule and “bus bunching,” when many buses come all at the same time, often after a long wait. Long wait times at stops also contribute to a longer ride.

Participants don’t lay all the blame at Metrobus’ feet. Sixteenth Street’s geography poses its share of complications, like on-street parking, double parking and traffic.

Riders do not indicate significant concerns about safety or security, either on the bus or at bus stops along the line.

One idea that seemed to gain traction with the survey and the meetings is to institute limited-stop or express service, to help people get to and from popular stops without making all the stops in between. The mayor and the DC Council have provided $2.4 million to make the idea a reality. Metro is studying options.

Artists Seek Use of Closed Ward 5 School
by Jenny Johnson

A partnership between the folks from Washington Project for the Arts, Warehouse Theater and Artomatic has produced a proposal to turn the closed JF Cooke Elementary into a collaborative arts center called FLUX. The project would partner “the visual performing arts, arts administration, community arts programming, artist studio space and a design workshop under one roof,” according to the center's initial proposal.

The proposal was recently submitted under the city's Request for Expressions of Interest in the reuse of closed public schools, but the city's request was later withdrawn “to maximize the right of first offer to Public Charter Schools,” according to the Office of Property Management website.

But the arts project may get a second chance under the city's “refined” solicitation process, under which it is now inviting applicants to submit Request for Offers on the potential reuse of the buildings. JF Cooke is among the schools listed as eligible for RFO submissions, in addition to other closed Ward 5 schools, including Backus Middle School, M.M. Washington High School, Slowe Elementary School, Taft Center and Young Elementary School. RFOs are due Oct. 27, with notification by Nov. 11.

The FLUX proposal cites a substantial lack of studio, performance and arts administration office space throughout the city and says the building is well suited to fill the need for studio and exhibit space as well as classroom and rehearsal space.

The proposal envisions open studios where residents can talk with and purchase art directly from artists and engage in arts programming like gallery openings, exhibitions and artist talks. Regular theater performances, music and spoken word will be available at the proposed space, in addition to weekly art markets. The space would also provide administrative space for Artomatic.

“The reuse of the property as a visual and performing arts center, arts administration offices and a design workshop will allow it to provide a haven for some of our city’s hardest working residents – our artists – and a cultural haven for area residents and their families,” the proposal states.

Single Sales Ban Challenged
by Tanya Snyder

A DC Superior Court judge struck down Ward 4’s singles ban on alcohol sales Sept. 15. Single sales bans are all the rage in the city, as more and more wards and ANCs are lining up to outlaw the sale of single containers of beer and spirits. The challenge to Ward 4’s ban is not expected to have lasting implications for the ward or for other bans around the city.

The judge’s reason for overturning the ban was a simple technicality. DC law requires bills to have two readings before the council before being voted on. The judge ruled that enough changes were made between the first and second readings of the ban that a third reading was warranted.

The law in question was not a new ban on singles but an extension of a moratorium that has been in place since 2004. The 2008 law simply made the ban permanent.

Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser introduced the Targeted Ward 4 Single Sales Moratorium Emergency Act of 2008 along with Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham in response to the court decision. The measure passed unanimously and took effect immediately.

Neighbors report positive impacts of the ban. Thomas Black, president of the Coalition 4 Public Safety and president and founder of the Voice of Upper Georgia Avenue, has been quoted as saying that public nuisance violations like littering, public drinking and prostitution have gone down by 80 percent since the onset of the ban.

Bloomingdale Hosts ‘Haitian Invasion’
by Jenny Johnson

Bloomingdale hosted for the second year in a row the singing group Les Petits Chanteurs, a group of young boys from Haiti who are touring the United States. The group performed at the Sept. 14 farmer’s market, in front of the Big Bear Café at First and R streets NW. The celebration included drummers, a hog roast and the celebration of the one-year anniversary of the Big Bear Café.