Monthly Archives: November 2018

The Week Ahead…MPD updates on Oct 20 Homicide in 900 Block of 5^th Street, SE – Tuesday

Monday, November 26

ANC6A Community Outreach Committee meets at 7:00pm at Eastern High School, 1700 East Capitol Street NE in the Parent Center.

Among items on the draft agenda:

Presentation:  Marcus Roberson – WoodBox Farms.

Tuesday, November 27

ANC6B’s Executive Committee meets at 7:00pm at Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, to set the agenda for the December 13 meeting of ANC6B.

PSA 106 (Police Service Area) meets at 7:00pm at the Capper Community Center (5th & K streets, SE). 

Agenda:

MPD will give an update on the October 20 homicide and address other resident concerns.   (At approximately 3:53 pm, members of the First District responded to the report of an unconscious person in the 900 block of 5th Street, SE.  Police located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and found that the victim displayed no signs consistent with life. The decedent has been identified as 19-year-old Antonio Dixon, of Southeast, DC.)

Wednesday, November 28

Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) meets at 7:00pm in the North Hall, Eastern Market, 225 7th Street, SE.

Among items on the draft agenda:

Report on the Eastern Market Metro Plaza Community Meeting  of Thursday, December 13^th.

Market Managers Report.

Holiday Market plans.

Update on status of lease negotiations for the South Hall merchants.

Update on parking issues.

Thursday, November 29

Sustainable Waterfronts will show two short films on DC Waterfronts at 7:00pm at Hill Center:

On the Waterfront with Arthur Cotton Moore.  This film highlights the work that Moore did in the 1960s and 1970s to rescue the Georgetown Waterfront from the stinky slum that it had become.  Arthur Cotton Moore is a world-acclaimed architect for recently refurbished the interior of the Library of Congress.

Capitol Hill and Waterfront: A Bridge Across History.  This new film was made with grant support from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.  It traces the historic relationship of the Southeast waterfront with the Capitol Hill community since the Capital was founded in 1791.

Sustainable Waterfronts is a 5013c foundation that focuses on the historic development of parks and rivers in the District of Columbia and beyond. Its mission is to help preserve the heritage of the city by producing educational films which can be distributed for free to community groups and public schools in the District.  Washington is currently in the throes of great economic changes and social development.  By offering a historical documentary on a vital part of our capitol, Sustainable Waterfront hopes to preserve a visual memory of a past that is slowly disappearing.

Saturday, December 1

Community Litter Cleanup – Free Mimosas, Coffee & Donuts Will Follow.  Volunteers pick up bags and gloves at the following locations:

Fulcrum Properties – 1328 G Street, SE

Trusty’s 1420 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

7-11 – 1501 Independence Avenue, SE

Atlas Vet – 1326 H Street, NE

Chik-fil-A 1401 Maryland Avenue, SE (offering free breakfast sandwich to volunteers)

Volunteers return filled bags to any of these sponsors.  At 10:00am, Fulcrum Properties offers mimosas, coffee and donuts to volunteers.

Info on rain cancellation will be available by emailing here:  CleanCapHill@gmail.com

DC General Buildings on Track for Demolition by Next July

By Larry Janezich

The ANC6B Hill East Task Force (HETF) met last Monday night at St. Coletta, and some two dozen Hill East residents showed up to hear an update on the development of Reservation 13.

Department of General Services’ Jeff Licklider, project manager for DC General Campus Improvements, provided an update on the demolition of the six buildings comprising the campus.  The six buildings are the Core which includes Buildings 1 – 4, and Buildings 29, and 9 (See first photo above).

Building 9 is gone – already demolished.  Building 29 will be demolished by the spring of 2019 and the 4 Core Buildings will be demolished by July of 2019.  Licklider said the demolition would be done by a low-impact, methodical and safe procedure with the constant use of water cannons to reduce dust.  The sites will be graded and seeded as they are demolished.

Those in the audience hoping to hear from the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Development (DMPED) as to what happens next were disappointed.  Hill East Task Force Chair, Denise Krepp told residents that DMPED had informed her at 5:45am that morning that their top Reservation 13 people would not be able to attend.  Krepp’s efforts to secure the attendance of another DMPED rep – both through DMPED and the Mayor’s Office – were fruitless.  She told residents, “If we want DMPED in the room, it’s going to be on us.  We want to know what the city’s going to do with this property.”

Once DC General is gone, Reservation 13, now in Ward 7, is one of the city’s most valuable undeveloped properties, assuming the likely relocation of the DC Jail.

Developers Chris Donatelli and Blue Skye’s Scottie Irving were on hand, and Donatelli said the developer has completed excavation of the first building – 262 apartments, 13,000 square feet of retail, and 115 underground parking spaces.  Pouring concrete will begin shortly and continue for six months with completion of the first building expected in 18 months.  The developer has not broken ground yet on the second building which will be constructed in tandem.  That building has 91 apartments and 10,000 square feet of retail. (For project details announced in October 2014 see here:  https://bit.ly/2OZ8fKj )   Scottie Irving fielded questions from community members about the company’s hire-locally commitment.  ANC6B Commissioner Chander Jayaraman urged the company to intensify efforts to hire and train residents from the community.

Much of the discussion concerned the impact of construction traffic on Hill East residents.  Donatelli said he was fully aware of concerns and pleaded with residents to give him until the next HETF meeting to solve the problem of truck drivers making individual decisions about how to get to the construction site rather than following the traffic plan.

ANC6B Commissioner and Chair Dan Ridge urged DDOT’s Amada Stout and MPD to explore the possibility of using Water Street which runs along the Anacostia River as an alternate route for construction vehicles going to and from the construction site.  Ridge said that the 2010 earthquake left some $10 million in damage to reinforced masonry construction in Hill East, and vibrations from trucks exacerbate the unrepaired damage.  The two agencies agreed that the suggestion “looks good on paper” and pledged to look at the possibility and follow up at the next HETF meeting.

For their part on enforcement of construction traffic violations, MPD officials said they need help from residents to narrow down when and where violations occur “so we can witness them.”  In response to some residents who expressed a desire to take more aggressive and direct action, officials discouraged them, saying “We don’t want a situation where poor decisions are made out of frustration.  We need a safe way to engage construction workers” suggesting action similar to that of the Orange Hat Patrol activity.

Krepp has tentatively scheduled the next Hill East Task Force meeting for December 10.

City Agency officials who attended Monday night’s meeting included:  Jeff Licklider, DGS ; Amanda Stout, DDOT; Chris Donatelli, Donatelli Development; Scottie Irving, Blue Skye Development; Richard Jackson, DOEE; Michelle Garcia, Office of Victims Services and Justice Grants;  Lt. Ron Wilkins and Officer Lee Nobriga, MPD.

Brainstorming Capitol Hill’s Public Space Issues – Part II – Another Perspective

by Larry Janezich

In Part II, Capitol Hill Corner asked retiring ANC6B06 Commissioner and Planning and Zoning Committee Chair Nick Burger about his thoughts on the Thursday night Public Space Forum.  The following summarizes that conversation.

Burger said he was glad that the forum had been organized and glad see a civil discussion of these issues.  He said he’d not thought of some of the topics, like private streets, and that he would have taken a different tack on some topics.

He agreed with the consensus on scooters, i.e., if we force them off the sidewalks, where do they go, and stressed the need for adequate parking infrastructure.

He supports four way stops at intersections and says that the issue should be reframed by making all intersections four way stops and then asking DOT for justification as to why they need to be changed.  He also supports more technology-based enforcement, saying that cameras on four-way stops would need to be cost effective and wonders if maybe the revenue generated by cameras can cover the cost.  He agrees that Allen’s plan to deputize residents to help with enforcement using photos or video has potential.  And he sees Alpert’s idea about how we structure the lower-fine-but-more-frequent tickets generated by camera enforcement makes sense – as a way to change behavior without being punitive.

Regarding PUD community benefits, Burger sees the ability to add more housing to the community as the real benefit conferred by PUD negotiations, rather than other benefits exacted from a developer.  He wants more guidance for ANCs from the Office of Planning -or alternatively the DC Office of ANCs -on negotiating community benefits.  Given the choice, he said, he would prefer getting guidance from the Office of Planning, drawing on the experience of that agency.  The list of public benefits per project maintained by the city has been helpful in providing guidance, and the PUD process itself is an important way for the community to raise specific concerns.

Burger said that the Residential Parking Permit (RPP) system never felt equitable and the current system is not well structured.  When developers agree to make residents of high rises ineligible for RPPs that penalizes them for coming to the neighborhood second.  He agrees with Fascett’s point that there are ways to make it fair – maybe by charging a hefty price for RPPs with a rebate for residents with lower incomes.  He was hesitant to go to a smaller zone for parking within the ward.  He was sympathetic to the parking plight of small businesses and suggested an equitable allocation of RPPs to businesses for $300 or $500 a year.

A better discussion of dump trucks and construction sites, he said, would have included the use of public space for construction vehicle staging and parking for construction workers.

Asked what other topics he would like to have seen discussed, Burger suggested the following:  a debate and discussion of historic preservation which he sees as “public use of private space, sort of the opposite of private use of public space,” pocket parks and their repurposing, opening up of playgrounds and recreation centers, and a discussion of how to decide how much public space should be allocated in the development of the Southeast Boulevard project.

Hill Rag managing editor Andrew Lightman said that Thursday night’s forum was the first in a series of panel discussion of issues related to urban living and design.  Lightman expects the next forum to be held in February; the topic to be announced.  The Forums are sponsored by the The Capitol Hill Community Foundation and supported by The Hill Rag, The Ward Six Democrats, and The Hill Center.

Brainstorming Capitol Hill’s Public Space Issues – Part I

by Larry Janezich

Last Thursday night, The Hill Rag pulled together five panelists at a Hill Center community meeting to brainstorm ideas about how public space on Capitol Hill could be or should be used. The panelists included Charles Allen, Ward 6 Councilmember; Matthew Marcou, DDOT Public Space Regulations Division; Meredith Fascett, ANC6D Chair; David Alpert, Greater Greater Washington; and Historic Preservationist Nancy Metzger. Andrew Lightman, managing editor of the Hill Rag, moderated.

The discussion covered a range of topics, most of them related to the operation and parking of vehicles: scooters on sidewalks, enforcement of traffic laws and pedestrian safety, the Resident Parking Permit System, the proliferation of private streets, dump trucks, and the public benefits from Planned Unit Developments. CM Allen summarized the scope of the discussion: “Think about the volume of public space were reserving for cars – parking, storage, travel. We’re fighting over a small scrap of what’s left. How we move forward is our opportunity to have the ability to shape with this looks like for all spaces and all uses.”

Capitol Hill Corner’s takeaway from the discussion:

Scooters – speeds need to be lower than the current 15mph. If we force them off sidewalks, we need to have safe bike lanes for them. Enforcement of scooter regs on sidewalks is difficult if not impossible. The question is how to balance needs of pedestrians and with the desire to reduce the use of cars.

Traffic and pedestrian safety – CM Allen and Alpert found themselves at odds with DDOT’s Marcou. The former say “do whatever it takes” to make the road safe, including four way stops and rebuilding intersections to prioritize pedestrians. Allen had just come from a memorial for one of the ten pedestrians killed by vehicles in DC this year. Enforce traffic regs with more cameras and smaller fines, and deputize residents as enforcers. Allen said DOT “drives me crazy,” in part because they prioritize vehicles over pedestrians. Marcou cited the danger of unintended consequences and adverse reaction from drivers. Allen replied he would “take the heat” for driver reaction in Ward Six and that we should “try things our if – if it doesn’t work, come back and try again.

Public benefits from Planned Unit Developments – There was wide agreement that the most important community benefit for allowing greater height (air space is public space) and density is affordable housing. Also, that there is need for more transparency in the PUD process and more information and help for ANCs from DMPED or the city when they negotiate community benefits with developers. Fascett stressed the need for the establishment of best practices. Alpert urged making affordable housing the highest priority while Metzger said she was nervous about making that a goal for all ANCs. Marcou said that benefits require generational assessment in that they should be long lasting.

Resident Parking Permit System (RPP) – this discussion snuck in as part of the PUD benefits question. Most panelists agreed the RPP system is broken. You can get parking for as many vehicles as you own for $35 a year for each. One proposed solution was mini-parking zones, but Allen said suggesting that at a community meeting resulted in the only time he’d been booed in a meeting. Allen says it’s time to take a big step and look at RPP and acknowledge it’s not working. Fascett pointed to the lack of guest parking for residents of many ANC6D high rise residents who are not eligible for Visitor Parking Permits since their right to an RPP was bargained in the PUD process.

Proliferation of private streets – Fascett called this a very exciting development providing the opportunity to adapt the street to community needs, citing Wharf Street and its “great pedestrian experience.” Another example of a private street is the Hine Project’s reopening of C Street between 7th and 8th Streets, originally intended to be home to the weekend flea markets, a process which is still being worked out. Challenges include managing and enforcing parking and – according to Marcou – maintaining standards which would allow DDOT to take over control of the street if necessary.

Dump Trucks – In overtime after the meeting was scheduled to end, the panel briefly discussed traffic problems caused by the routing of dump trucks at construction projects in Southeast and Southwest.

Among those in the audience were Peter May, Associate Regional Director for Lands and Planning at National Park Service, (who calls the shots on everything that happens in Capitol Hill’s National Park Service Parks: Lincoln, Stanton, Folger, and Marion), as well a number of ANC commissioners and representatives of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society.

In Part II, Capitol Hill Corner asked one attendee – retiring ANC6B06 Commissioner and Planning and Zoning Committee Chair Nick Burger – for his thoughts on the meeting. A following post will summarize that conversation.

The Week Ahead….

By Larry Janezich

Monday, November 19

The Hilleast Taskforce will host a community meeting at 7:00pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington, 1900 Independence Avenue, SE.

Agenda:

The on going construction and deconstruction on Reservation 13.

ANC6D meets at 7:00pm at 1000 5^th Street, SE, Capper Community Center.

Among items on the draft agenda:

Public Safety Report- First District MPD (PSA 105 & PSA 106) Capt. Pulliam, Lt. Queen.

Presentation: Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC) .

Presentation: Amidon Park Environmental Restoration.

Hatoba, 300 Tingey Street, SE: new CR Restaurant license with Summer Garden.

Buzzard Point Fish House, 2100 2nd Street, SW: new CR Restaurant license with 3 Summer Gardens, all with live entertainment, dancing and cover charge.

Cambria Hotel/69 Q Street, SW.

Forest City/Yards Parcels preview presentation.

Tingey Square Naming.

200-999 Block of L’Enfant Promenade, Public Space Application – new construction.

1251 First Street/Roti, Public Space Application – adding furniture/equipment to café.

1221 Van Street/Walters, Public Space Application – new unenclosed sidewalk café

Letter to CM Mendelson RE Bill 022-965 – Designate 300 Block of E St SW as Hidden Figures Way.

Letter to Congresswoman Norton RE CSX VAT Vibrations Monitoring.

ANC 6A Transportation & Public Space Committee Meets at 7:00pm at Capitol Hill Towers, 900 G Street, NE.  

Among items on the draft agenda:

Consideration of request from Events DC for letter of support for 2019 Rock N Roll Marathon.  Race route has been changed significantly since last year.

Proposals for Urban Farms on Kramer Street NE – in response to https://dgs.dc.gov/event/dgs-urban-farming-rfp-2018-03

Marcus Roberson, co-owner of WoodBox Farm.

Thomas Langan, owner and founder of Apogee Farms.

Bobby Akines, Ditto Development, public space concepts, 201 8th Street, NE.

Proposed regulations for E-bikes & E-scooters.

Tuesday, November 20

ANC6A Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee meets at 7:00pm at Sherwood Recreation Center, 10^th and G Streets, NE.

Among items on the draft agenda:

1402 H Street, NE, S-Square, LLC trading as Cheers DC, application for a new license for a Retailer Class A Liquor Store.

Capitol Hill Restoration Society Board of Directors meets at 6:30pm at Capitol Hill Townhomes, 750 6^th Street, SE. 

Agenda not available at press time. 

 

Two Ward Six ANCs Say DDOT’s Proposed E-Scooter & E-Bike Regs Are Too Harsh

by Larry Janezich

Companies providing those multi-colored dockless bikes have left the city after a pilot program which started in September of 2017, citing regulations too burdensome to make business possible.  In the aftermath, residents have turned to electric scooters and e-bikes as their preferred alternative mode of urban travel.

Now the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) has proposed regulations to permit e-scooter and e-bikes to operate in the city during 2019, and two companies – Bird and Lime – say the regulations make doing business impossible for companies providing dockless vehicles. See here: https://bit.ly/2RVrZjY

Currently, five private dockless vehicle companies operate in the city.  Jump (owned by Uber) operates electric pedal assist bicycles but is developing an e-scooter to tap into that market.  Four other companies – Skip, Bird, Lime, and Lyft – currently operate up to 400 e-scooters each.  Another company, Spin (which was just bought by Ford Motors), launched as a bicycle operator, but is moving toward e-scooters, provides scooter service 13 cities.  (Muving, a company that offers two-person mo-peds is reported to be negotiating with the city to provide service here.  The company is already in operation in Atlanta.)

E-scooter companies are pushing back on the proposed regs, calling them too burdensome – objecting especially the 600 cap per company on initial deployment of e-scooters and/or e-bikes (i.e., 600 each) and the proposed 10mph speed limit on scooters.  (The scooters are capable of 15 mph while e-bikes can travel at 20 mph.  Muvings’ mo-peds have a top speed of 30 mph.)

On Tuesday night, ANC6B weighed in on the regs, and voted 9 – 0 – 0  to recommend that DDOT raise the cap on the 2019 dockless vehicles launch in January from the proposed 600 to 1,000, to oppose the 10 mph speed limit on scooters, and to require scooters to use bike lanes wherever they exist, rather than the sidewalk.  Currently, it is legal to ride an e-scooter or bicycle on sidewalks, except in the central business district. (See map here: https://bit.ly/2PqK4sr)

Likewise, on Wednesday night, at its November meeting, ANC6C agreed with two main objections to the proposed regulations, voting 5- 0 to recommend that DDOT eliminate the speed limit on e-scooters and raising the initial cap of 600 e-vehicles.  The ANC acknowledged that a faster speed limit for e-scooters presented a danger on sidewalks, but noted that a lower speed limit was a disincentive to use streets and bike lanes.

The city invites feedback on the plan before November 26.  To submit written comments go to https://ddot.dc.gov/release/public-comment-period-opens-new-permit-process-dockless-vehicles

 

 

Exclusive:  Concept Images & Menu for Emilie’s – The Upscale Eclectic Restaurant Coming to Capitol Hill – and a Sample Menu

by Larry Janezich

Two Emilie’s c0-owners – Arris Noble and Sam Shoja (the third co-owner is Chef Kevin Tian) – showed up at ANC6B’s November meeting last night to show off some concept illustrations of their forthcoming addition to Capitol Hill’s hot culinary landscape.

Here’s a first look at the concept for Chef Kevin Tien’s upscale eclectic restaurant coming to the new Frager’s Building at 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.  The 3,300 square foot restaurant will seat 100 – 70 dining seats and 30 bar seats.

The restaurant is designed around the concept of dim sum and shared plates.  Guests may order from a menu or from the carts of small plate daily specials circulating through the dining area on carts – “tableside” dining.  The menu will rotate daily, and feature products from a local community of producers, farmers and ranchers.  The owners hope to open the restaurant in the spring of 2019.  (The Frager’s Building is on track for completion in March, 2019.)

Here’s a sample menu:

Tien is partnering with restaurant veterans Sam Shoja (Jinja Raman Bar) and Arris Noble in this new venture.  Tien is current co-owner of the highly acclaimed Himitsu in Petworth.  Capitol Hill’s latest celebrity chef, Tien is a veteran of Iron Chef Gauntlet and Finalist in the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year, 2018.  He has cooked for Chef Aaron Silverstein’s Pineapple and Pearls and Chef Jose Andres’ Oyamel, among others.

American Legion Kenneth H. Nash Post 8 Veterans Day Observance.  November 11, 2018

The Week Ahead….

by Larry Janezich

Monday, November 12

DC Government observes Veterans Day.  No trash or recycling pickup.  ANC6D, normally scheduled for today, will meet next Monday, November 19.

Tuesday, November 13

ANC6B meets at 7:00pm in Hill Center, 922 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

Among items on the draft agenda:

Consent Agenda (items which will pass en bloc with one vote unless any commissioner objects)

Dae Ah LLC trading as Capitol Supreme Market, 501 4th Street, SE, Retailer’s Class B liquor license – Grocery; Updating the existing Settlement Agreement (SA) from 2014 and consider expanded hours with regards to Hours of Operation and Sales of alcohol. Requested Hours of OPERATION are: Mon-Sun 7 am – 11 pm; and the requested Hours of SALES of Alcohol are: Mon-Sun 9 am – 11 pm

Public Space Permit: New Sidewalk Cafe Un-Enclosed at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

816 Potomac Avenue SE:  Zoning adjustment application – special exception to construct a four-story addition to an existing apartment house.

329 16th Street, SE: Zoning adjustment application – special exception to construct a third-story and rear addition to a principal dwelling unit and convert the dwelling into a flat.

710 E Street, SE:  Historic Preservation application – concept/three-story rear addition.

423 4th Street, SE: Historic Preservation application – concept/rear three-story addition.

712 5th Street, SE:  Historic Preservation application – concept/rear and rooftop additions.

304 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE – Historic Preservation Review – owner: Air Line Pilots Association International.

Resolution on Resident Only Parking for ANC 6B04.

Proposed Regulations on New Permit Process for Dockless Vehicles.

Comments on Notice of Intent on Short Term Calming Measures at Kentucky, Potomac, G, and 15^th.

Presentations

MPD, crime and community concerns:  Sergeant Maurice MacDonald & Captain Knutsen, Metropolitan Police Department.

Resolution Supporting Daytime Loading Zone on C Street SE at 11th Street, SE.

Wednesday, November 14

ANC6C meets at 700pm, Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE. 

Among items on the draft agenda:

Presentations:

MPD, crime and community concerns: Captain John Knutsen, 1st District.

Office of People’s Counsel update, Cheryl Morse.

Consent Calendar (items which will pass en bloc with one vote unless any commissioner objects)

Streets Market, 51 M Street NE, Class B and CR grocery and restaurant liquor license.

Café Fili, 701 Second Street NE, class C restaurant liquor license.

NoMa Parks Foundation update.

Rock n Roll Marathon, Saturday, March 9, 2019, new route.

Capital Bikeshare Station, New Jersey and F Streets, NW.

400 M Street, NE, Public Space application – driveway and patio modification at private residence.

Fancy Radish, 600 H Street, NE, Public Space application – unenclosed sidewalk café.

Louisiana Avenue bike lane.

Proposed rulemaking and legislation: RPP, dockless vehicles, solid waste collection.

Patterson Street, NE—update on RFP request, nonvoting item.

1200 Third Street NE, Zoning application – modification to previously approved PUD.

Thursday, November 15

Public Space Forum, 7:00pm, Hill Center, 922 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE:  Ward 6 Matters: Putting the “Public” in Public Space.

“Be it the use of the curbside for parking or food trucks, pocket parks, increased density awarded as a result of a Planned Unit Development, the ubiquitous sidewalk cafes that dot our urban landscape or the provision of new roadways, the organization and administration of Public Space impacts the lives of District residents. “Public Space” is all horizontal space outside private property lines as well the air rights above the limit that property owners can develop as a matter of right.

On November 15 between 7 and 9 p.m., a public panel will discuss the manner in which the District of Columbia both administers public space as well as the means in which it is transferred permanently or leased to the private realm. Is the current system of public space administration adequate? Should it be reformed? Should there be more citizen involvement analogous to what occurs in zoning matters? The Hill Rag, The Ward 6 Democrats and Hill Center have selected a knowledgeable panel to discuss the current arrangements and brainstorm ideas for the future:”

Panelists:

Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen.

Associate Director for the Public Space Regulations Division (PSRD) Matthew Marcou.

The Chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D Meredith Fascett.

Former Historic Preservation Board Member Nancy Metzger.

Founder and President of Greater Greater Washington and Executive Director of DC Sustainable Transportation (DCST) Dave Alpert.

Questions for the panelists will be taken both by email prior to the event at ward6matters@hillrag.com and in writing at the event itself.

Join our panelists and neighbors for a lively discussion of the hows and whys of Public Space.

Sponsored by The Capitol Hill Community Foundation.

This is a free event:  Register here: https://www.instantseats.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=buy.event&eventID=2399A72D-90BC-E87D-9FD63B0586D81E1C

Capitol Hill Restoration Society Zoning Committee meets at 7:30pm at Kirby House, 420 10^th Street, SE.

CM Allen/MPD Officials Respond to NE Resident Fear on Homicides

by Larry Janezich

There was a standing room only crowd at ANC6A’s November meeting Thursday night to hear CM Charles Allen and MPD 1^st District Commander Morgan Kane and MPD 5^th District Commander William Fitzpatrick address concerns about the recent homicides a few blocks northeast of Lincoln Park and a spate of gunshots in the community as well as a number of shootings near 15^th and Benning Road, NE.  This area saw the shooting of eight people in five incidents in a two week period spanning October and November.

Of most concern were two homicides a few blocks apart on D Street, NE, which occurred within a nine days of each other in mid-October.  The killings were not related, according to 1^st District Commander Kane.  The latest occurred on October 16, in the 1300 block of D Street, NE.  Neighbors described the victim – Ezequiel Jimenez Pinto, 59 – as a valued and loved member of the community.  Jimenez died after being shot multiple times at 1:15pm in front of his house. There are no suspects in what police believe was a targeted shooting; a car pulled up, they said, and shot directly into the victim’s car.

That killing in the 1300 block of D Street followed an October 7^th homicide at 5:30pm, a few blocks away at 15^th and D, near the home of CM Allen.  Walter Baylor, 32, died after suffering a gunshot wound.  In this case, a suspect was arrested almost immediately after running a stop sign while fleeing.  The arresting officers did not know a shooting had occurred.  The suspect remains in custody.

5^th District Commander Fitzpatrick explained that a number of shootings around 1500 Benning Road were related to a turf war between youths who are residents of the Pentacle Apartments near the starburst intersection.  He said that they were unrelated to a nearby stabbing homicide nearby which had occurred Thursday morning.  (Police subsequently made an arrest in the stabbing case on Friday.)

Allen said the shooting at 15^th and D, occurred literally outside his house.  He attributed the quick closure of the case to the beefed up police presence in the neighborhood following the earlier homicide.  Regarding that shooting in the 1300 block of D, he said MPD had really good video from cameras of residents participating in MPD’s private security camera rebate system and urged residents to take advantage of the $250 rebate for purchase of a camera. (See here:  https://ovsjg.dc.gov/service/private-security-camera-system-incentive-program)

As to how officials are responding to concerns about the violent crime, Allen cited his policy and budget efforts to put resources in the hands of MPD and reminded the audience that addressing violent crime is not just up to officers.  Kane and Fitzpatrick both cited the MPD’s hard work to take guns off the streets.

When a neighborhood experiences a serious violent crime what usually happens is that police react to resident concerns and deploy resources borrowed from other jurisdictions to bolster police presence in the area.  Things calm down and those resources have to be deployed to another hot spot.  The departure leaves residents feeling less safe and frustrated.

Community pressure then results in a community meeting to discuss public safety.  All four of the ANCs which touch Capitol Hill have had several of these meeting over the past ten years, and typically run to form.  The standard procedure unfolds as follow as officials 1) reassure the community, 2) explain what measures are being taken to respond to concerns, and 3) remind residents that prevention of violent crime depends on residents taking steps to make themselves less vulnerable and to build an alert and engaged community.

More specifically, with respect to prevention, officials have some recommendations.  They urge residents to participate in MPD’s security camera program, which provides benefits after criminal activity occurs, and maybe helps to reduce overall crime by taking miscreants off the street.  In addition, residents can help make the streetscape less conducive to crime by reporting to CM Allen’s office poor lighting on dimly lit blocks because of poor lighting or because they are shadowed by overhanging tree limbs.  Finally, residents’ best defense against violent crime is what the police call “situational awareness” – if something doesn’t look right don’t hesitate to call 911.

In reality and too often, any neighborhood is subject to the random violent crime of opportunity, the unexplained homicide, or the violent interaction of rival community factions.  Our streets are generally safe, but residents need to behave as though they are not.  And heed CM Allen’s final piece of advice:  “Hold elected leaders accountable – tell us when we’re not doing enough.”

2018 Year-to-Date Crime Comparison*

As of November 9, 2018