The Barracks Row Working Group met Tuesday night. Chair Brian Ready is at center. To the right, co-chair Gaynor Jablonski and co-chair Tom Johnson.
Barracks Row Working Group – A Progress Report
by Larry Janezich
ANC6B’s Working Group on Barracks Row – formed to address the challenges facing commercial/retail outlets on Barracks Row and Chaired by Commissioner Brian Ready – met at Hill Center on Tuesday night. The major portion of the meeting was devoted to advancing a marketing plan to promote the Southeast Capitol Hill commercial corridors. Group co-chair Gaynor Jablonski (The Ugly Mug) reported initial support for such a plan from Barracks Row Main Street (BRMS), who indicated financial support might be available to supplement contributions from the business community. Jablonski said that a plan would be circulated to Working Group members later in the week, in anticipation of presentation to the BRMS Board of Directors.
With respect to other issues, Nichole Opkins from CM Charles Allen’s office explained an on-going effort by the Mayor’s office to bring city agencies to bear on solving some of the problems on the 400 block of 8th Street. Jennifer McCahill from the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife and Culture pledged cooperation of her office to help liaison the hospitality community with city agencies. Other ideas which emerged from the brainstorming session included Fridge owner Alex Goldstein’s suggestion to paint additional murals on Barracks Row as an attraction. There was considerable enthusiasm for seeking a special exemption to allow establishments serving alcohol to open early on July 4th, to accommodate parade goers. A representative from the Marine Barracks was on hand to participate in a discussion about how the business community could encourage attendees at the Marine’s Friday night Barracks parades to visit the hospitality venues after the event. And Chair Brian Ready pointed to the recent success of a Barracks Row alley clean up with volunteers from the business community. He suggested making this a regular occurrence and endorsed the suggestion of another participant to enlist the Marines to help the community during monthly cleanups of Barracks Row. He also reported that DDOT has scheduled early August as a start date for repairing the hazardous sidewalks on both sides of Barracks Row, from M Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Week Ahead…
by Larry Janezich
Tuesday, June 25
ANC6B Executive Committee meets at 7:00pm, Hill Center.
Agenda:
To set the agenda for the July 9 meeting of the full ANC.
CHRS Community Forum: Andrew Trueblood, the new director of DC Office of Planning. 7:00pm, at Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.
Andrew Trueblood, the new director of DC’s Office of Planning, will discuss the framework that guides economic development, housing, environmental protection, historic preservation, transportation, etc. He holds a Masters in City Planning from MIT and a B.A. from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and is a resident of Ward 6.
The event is free and handicapped-accessible, and the public is encouraged to attend. No reservations needed.
The presentation will begin at 7 pm and will be preceded, at 6:45 pm, by a brief CHRS membership meeting to announce the result of elections for the CHRS Board of Directors.
Wednesday, June 26
Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee meets at 7:00pm, Eastern Market, North Hall.
Agenda:
Not available at press time.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 
If merchants want more customers on Barracks Row, they are going to have to take the initiative and clean it up. It’s dirty. Getting sweepers, either human or mechanical out there several times a day to sweep and spray the sidewalks would make it far more inviting than wading through food wrappers and waste. And merchants aren’t going to hide what’s keeping customers away by painting murals that few people care about. If I’m going to Barracks Row it’s because I want to buy something or for lunch or dinner. Dirty sidewalks make it uninviting and a place to avoid. The city isn’t going to do it because they’re reserving funds for Bowser’s pet projects. Forget the city hall – DIY.
Getting really tired of the “on-going effort by the Mayor’s office to bring city agencies to bear on solving some of the problems on the 400 block of 8th Street.” It’s complete BS. I’ve already moved on to other neighborhoods, like Navy Yard, that have developed without the problems of the 400 block.
I walk between 7/11 and Starbucks every day and there has been no improvement despite meeting after discussion after meeting. If you were opening a restaurant or something similar, why would you consider Barracks Row right now? The problem is obvious and getting worse.
The other problem spot is the corner by the Southeast Library. My teen won’t visit the library on her own, which I find understandable but extremely sad.
I live on Capitol Hill and refuse to shop on the 400 and 500 blocks of Barracks Row unless I have to, it is far too cringey.
You can shop on 8th? I haven’t shopped there since Homebody left because there seems to be little in the way of non-food establishments with a few hair/nail places thrown in. What reasons are there to go other than to eat?
Add to that, when I go I have to bob and weave though other people walking and the outdoor tables that in some cases seem about 2 feet from the curb.
On 6/25/19 at approximately 4:52 a.m., officers from the First District responded to the 7-Eleven located at 407 8th Street NE for a report of a robbery. An employee of the store reports that a suspect armed with hammer entered the store and forced that employee to open the cash register. The suspect stole money from the cash drawer and other property from the store before fleeing on foot. That suspect is described as a black male, wearing a gray sweatshirt and blue jeans.
This case is being actively investigated by First District detectives. If anyone has information or video related to the incident, please contact the First District Detectives Office at (202) 299-2025, or the Metropolitan Police Department’s Command Information Center at (202) 727-9099.
First District Detectives are currently investigating a Robbery of Establishment which occurred Tuesday afternoon in the 700 Block 8th Street SE at approximately 12:30 PM.
A male employee was inside the location when he heard noise and went to investigate. He subsequently encountered two subjects – one of which produced a dark colored handgun. The employee was ordered to the floor where one of the subjects stole U.S. currency. The second subject broke into an office area and stole a business laptop. The subject next went to the bar area and stole several bottles of liquor. Both subjects fled out a rear window. The employee was not injured during the incident.
Subject Look-Outs:
#1 Black male, middle aged, medium height, light colored shirt, dark colored pants, Nike tennis shoes, dark colored ball cap, wearing sunglasses. Armed with a crow bar.
#2 Black male, middle aged, medium height, dark colored shirt, light colored shorts, dark colored belt, dark colored belt, dark shoes, light colored ball cap, wearing sunglasses. Armed with a dark colored handgun.