Monthly Archives: November 2016

The Week Ahead….What’s Up with Reservation 13 (See Monday)

Monday, November 7

1. DC Council Committee on the Whole public roundtable on Reservation 13 – the “Hill East Redevelopment – Phase 1: Parcels F-1 and G-1 Extension Approval Resolution of 2016.” 12:30pm, Room 412, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.  According to ANC6B Commissioner Denise Krepp, who will testify at the hearing, DC agencies have not finished reviewing the permits for these parcels of land and the extension is needed to give them more time to review them.

2. ANC 6C Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee meets at 7:00 pm, Kaiser-Permanente, 700 2^nd Street, NE.

Among items on the agenda:

Driftwood Kitchen, 400 H Street, NE.  Window trial period check-in.

Wunder Garten, 131 M Street, NE, Stipulated License.

The Wydown, 600 H Street, NE, Settlement Agreement.

Whole Foods Market. 600 H Street, NE, Class D License Application.

Taqueria Rosticeria Fresca, 701 H Street, NE, Class C License Application.

3. CHRS Historic Preservation Committee meets at 6:30pm, 420 10^th Street, SE.

Tuesday, November 8

1. Election Day – Polls are open from 7:00am until 8:00pm.

2. PSA 104 meets at 7:00pm, Stuart Hobson Middle School, 410 E Street, NE.

Wednesday, November 9

1. ANC6B meets at 7:00pm in Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

Among items on the agenda:

Presentations:

Department of Behavior Health

Gas Meter Replacements: Cheryl Morse, Consumer Outreach Specialist, Office of the People’s Council & Doreen Hope, Community District Manager, Washington Gas

Anacostia Riverkeepers, Emily Franc

Cava Restaurant, protest of renewal of Class C Tavern license with summer garden and sidewalk café.  (Consent agenda.)

Tune Inn Restaurant, 331 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with sidewalk café.  (Consent agenda.)

Trusty’s Bar, 1420 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with sidewalk café. (Consent agenda.)

The Brig, 1007 8th Street SE, continuance of renewal of Class C Tavern license with entertainment endorsement.   (Consent agenda.)

Phase I, 525 8th Street SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with Cover Charge Dancing entertainment endorsement.  (Owner Allen Carroll is still “deciding what he wants to do” with Phase 1, and has mentioned the possibility the bar might reopen next year.)

Bachelor’s Mill/Back Door Pub, 1104 8th Street SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with cover charge dancing endorsement.

Report on the Status of ANC 6B License Renewal Protests: Good Stuff, Bearnaise, and We the Pizza; and Hank’s on the Hill.

415 14th Street, SE, curb cuts for new development (Safeway): Foulger-Pratt, developer.

709 8th Street, SE, projection into public space.

Appeal of Capitol Hill Partners I, LLC, regarding the decision of the Zoning Administrator not to enforce time limits regarding the expiration of building permit for 521 11th Street SE: Meridith Moldenhauer (counsel); Bernard Renard (property owner).

Wednesday, November 9

1. ANC6C meets at 7:00pm, Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE.

Agenda not available at press time.

Thursday, November 10

ANC6A meets at 7:00pm, at Miner Elementary School, 601 15^th Street, NE.

Among items on the agenda:

Presentations:

Joe Weedon, Ward 6 State Board of Education Member

Nikki D’Angelo Petty, Office of Family and Public Engagement, DC Public Schools

Marcus Lucas, Department of General Service, DC Public Schools liaison

Recommendation of the Community Outreach Committee that ANC6A approve $587.77 in support of the Ludlow-Taylor PTO request for books for two school kindergarten classroom libraries.

ANC6A protest of the CT license renewal of Nomad Hookah Bar (1200 H Street NE) if the ABL Committee recommends a protest at its November meeting, and authorize the ANC Chair and ABL Co-Chairs to represent the ANC in the matter.

Recommendation that ANC6A write a letter to BZA in support of the application by the owners of 1341 H Street, NE, for a special exception under the enlargement and design requirements to construct a mixed-use building, on condition that the design to be updated to bring it into conformance with the H Street Overlay, best efforts are made to get letters of support from neighbors, restrictions be included in sales documents prohibiting placing anything on the H Street balconies, including hanging or displaying anything, residential permit parking (RPP) restrictions written into the sales documents, and restrictions on amplified music on the roof deck to be included in sales documents.

Motion authorizing former ANC6A Chair David Holmes to join the existing authorized representatives on behalf of ANC6A in H St NE Overlay Amendment, Facade Preservation Density Bonus Zoning Regulation.

Letter to BZA in support of the application of the owners of 600 9th Street, NE, for variances from the non-conforming structure requirements , the lot occupancy requirements, and the rear yard requirements, to permit the location of multiple decks over an existing rear-attached garage, on the condition that owners supply letters of support from neighbors.

Letter to BZA to oppose the application of the owners of 1336 H Street, NE, for lot occupancy relief for the residential levels, as well as court width relief for the residential levels, and rear yard relief.

2. CHRS Zoning Committee meets at 7:30pm, 510 10^th Street, SE

Saturday, November 19

Second annual charity pig roast to support men’s’ health issues – The Movember Foundation (www.movember.com). Tickets on sale now at https://lmw.ticketspice.com/movember-pig-roast-111916.

$60 all you can eat and drink, full pig and all the sides provided by The Queen Vic beverages and DC Brau, proceeds to Movember.  Cash raffle with hundreds of dollars in prizes!  Limited tickets available.

Every November the Movember Foundation challenges men to grow a moustache and challenges both men and women to get active and MOve, all of this while focusing on raising vital awareness of men’s health issues. Since inception in 2003 Movember has raised over $710M and helped fund 1,200 break through programs in 21 countries.  Programs typically focus on Movember’s core issues which are Prostate Cancer, Testicular Cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.

Developer Says SE Safeway To Be Closed for Two Years

by Larry Janezich

Tuesday night, the Foulger-Pratt development team appeared before ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee, chaired by Commissioner Nick Burger, to support their public space application for curb cuts in connection with the proposed development of the SE Safeway.

During the discussion, the following points emerged regarding the development:

• Construction will take 24 months. During that time, Safeway will be closed.
• Ground breaking is anticipated in 18 – 24 months.
• The current Safeway will be demolished. The new Safeway will be 60,000 square feet – 10,000 square feet larger than the current store.  The developer said that the new store will be “bigger, better, fresher.”
• Foulger-Pratt hopes to close on the deal with Safeway by the end of the year, and become partners and owners with Safeway of the new project.
• The dry cleaning service and the dog grooming shop at 14^th and E Streets are not part of the project. One member of the development team remarked, “We have tried.”
• There will be two levels of below grade parking. The upper level will have 194 spaces for Safeway customers – up from the current 145 spaces.  The lower level will provide parking for residents, at a rate of .5 spaces for the each of the anticipated 325 – 330 apartments.
• The alley behind Safeway will be widened to 30 feet to accommodate 67 foot delivery trucks and two way traffic to accommodate residents’ access to the ramp for resident parking.
• The 24 foot wide entrance to Safeway parking will be off 14^th Street, one foot south of the southern entrance to the current Safeway parking lot.

The Committee voted 5 – 1 with 2 abstentions to recommend the full ANC6B approve the public space permit.  Opposition/abstention on the motion came from commissioners who had reservations about language included by Chair Burger to flag for the city the ANC’s concern about the appropriateness of the 67 foot tractor trailer trucks being used on residential streets.  Those with reservations about the truck size language felt that the issue should be addressed further along in the review process and/or were concerned that the language was a “back door way” to get at the long-standing issue of truck traffic routes on Capitol Hill.

The full ANC6B will take up the issue next Wednesday (instead of Election Day Tuesday), November 9, at Hill Center.

For previous CHC post on Safeway development, see here:  http://bit.ly/2eDM6lq

 

Opening near Eastern Market: New Spanish Restaurant and Bike, Box, Build Fitness Studio

by Larry Janezich

Two new ventures in the 700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, are set to open soon.

Joselito – opening mid-December at 660 PA Avenue in the space formerly occupied by Sona, will be “a small and intimate Spanish restaurant reminiscent of those found throughout Spain at the turn of the century” with a menu “showcasing classic Spanish dishes with an innovative and playful twist.”   The arrival of the new restaurant was first reported by CHC last August, here:  http://bit.ly/2aqjri0.  Washington Business Journal reported additional details on October 19, here:  http://bit.ly/2feaQyw.

The restaurant has started a kickstarter campaign “to raise additional funds for décor and a handicap ramp, among other things.”   http://kck.st/2frYVCa

Also, across the street, OffRoadDC (see their website here http://bit.ly/2fe28Ak) is opening a biking, boxing, strength building fitness training facility upstairs at 637 C Pennsylvania Avenue, in the space formerly occupied by Remington’s.  The first floor is occupied by a 7-11 and Sprint outlet.  The Eastern Market location is an expansion of the company’s fitness studio at 905 U Street, NW.  The fitness program, according to Offroad’s website, is based on a philosophy of “affordability, sustainability and attainability.”  They will offer training in boxing techniques, including punches, kicks, and footwork; strength building including working out with suspension straps and kettlebells, and cycling.