“Replace the Emancipation Memorial with Stepping into his Shoes” is in a fire call box at 7th and East Capitol.
Laura Lyster-Mensh laura@lmwriter.com a local author and podcaster, is searching for the Fearless Girls 2020 artist(s) to interview them, anonymously or pseudonymously, for a podcast she hosts called the Auldton Laughing Club Podcast.
She says, “Something about these pieces speak to me almost personally, as their topics and energy feels very of this moment and this place. They have changed how I walk around and what I see, and I am grateful.
I would love to find others who are watching for these pieces, and to identify others, and if possible the artist(s).”
So far, protest sculptures have been spotted at 5th and Constitution, NE; 6th and Independence, SE; 7th and East Capitol; 4th and East Capitol; 2nd and E Streets, SE; and 3rd and Independence, SE.
The Week Ahead… And More Protest Art from Fearless Girls 2020
Monday, December 28
ANC6A Transportation Committee holds a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
Public Space Permit Application – Modernization of Goding Elementary School including paving, landscaping, fixtures, projections. Representatives from DCPS will present details of the project and discussion.
Traffic Safety Assessment Request for 1300 North Carolina Avenue, NE, and 1300 A Street, NE, including consideration of request for raised crosswalks and/or speed humps.
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The Duck and the Peach Cafe opened on Monday last – the Cafe and Dining Room will open on December 26. Owner Hollis Silverman (seen here in deep background) says, “I’m going to serve food that will taste really really good … healthy-ish … simple ingredients, seasoned well.”
The Duck and The Peach – New American Restaurant Near Eastern Market Is Open
by Larry Janezich
The Duck and the Peach at 300 7th Street, cattycorner from Eastern Market, opened its doors on Monday for a preview period leading into the Christmas holiday.
They are serving their day menu of breakfast and lunch items from the Cafe until 3:00pm today. Closed on December 24 and 25, the restaurant reopens on Saturday, December 26 at 10:00am with regular hours for Cafe and Dinner service with limited patio seating. Takeout and delivery will be available 5 days a week (closed Monday and Tuesday).
Regular Café hours will be 8:00 am – 3:00 pm, 5 days a week starting December 26 (except 10:00am open on the 26th). Dinner will be from 5:00pm – 8:00pm, starting December 26. The Duck and the Peach will be open on New Years’ Eve for regular business hours, and will open Jan. 1, 2021 at 10am.
Metropolitan Wellness Center – sign-less since last summer’s demonstrations – occupies the rear second floor office above the Barracks Row Popeyes.
Barracks Row Medical Marijuana Dispensary Will Move to Northwest
by Larry Janezich
ANC6B was notified last week of the pending move of Metropolitan Wellness Center (MWC) – Barracks Row’s medical marijuana outlet –to 433 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. The new location in Mt. Vernon Triangle was formerly occupied by a Le Pain Quotidion franchise which closed in June of 2019. The new MWC will provide cannabis flowers, cannabis concentrates and a line of edible products as well as home delivery services to registered patients in Washington, DC.
Capitol Hill Corner asked MWC co-owner Corey Barnette for comment. Barnette said the move had been in the works for a year because MWC had outgrown its current 850 square feet of retail space. “We’re still growing, he said, “but there are some customers we can’t serve.” Also, there’s competition from two dispensaries which have opened – one in Ward 7 and one in Anacostia. The company looked at M Street but zoning won’t allow them to open there; they looked at H Street, but found the same square footage problem they have on Barracks Row.
“Fortunately,” Barnette said, “we found a place on Massachusetts Avenue, NW, with 3,000 square feet on the first and second floors. It will be cleaner, allow a more robust inventory, and be less cramped and crowded.”
Asked when the move will take place, Barnette said “As soon and the city allows it – ideally in February.”
MWC was founded by co-owner Mike Cuthreill, the current co-managing director, in 2011. He met Barnette in 2011, a fellow applicant for a dispensary license. Barnette received a cultivator’s license, Cuthreill a dispensary license. During the early days of operation, MWC struggled with a limited patient and product base, and Barnette came in as a partner.
Barnette is an entrepreneur with extensive experience investing in small businesses with growth potential. He received an M.B.A from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University. He has lived in DC since 1999.
Councilmember Charles Allen mentioned last week that the new SW Libary would open soon, so CHC checked it out. The lights were on inside the building but you couldn’t get close enough to see what else was going on inside.
Approaching Bartholdi Park from the West on Pennsylvania Avenue, CHC discovered an additional botanical critter overlooked in last week’s Photos from the Past Week. This is a Travis Wevill, found just inside the NW entrance to the park.
Eastern Market was pretty quite around noon on Wednesday as the first snow of the season arrived.
On Thursday, Director of the DC Department of Health Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, led a host of DC officials in getting athe Covid 19 Pfizer vaccine on live television.
And a new protest sculpture appeard in the fire call box at 2nd and E Streets, SE. No indication who the artist is. (Thanks, Bob Gellman)
This looks interesting. I know. It’s not the best time to be out and about. Fortunately, you can see the exhibit on line here: https://www.caphillartleague.org/
The Week Ahead … and Some Photos from the Past Week
by Larry Janezich
Posted December 20, 2020
The Week Ahead…
It’s pretty quiet heading into the holidays.
Best wishes for the holiday season and the New Year from Capitol Hill Corner.
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ANC6B Lawyers-Up to Protest Liquor License for Sports Betting on Pennsylvania Ave SE
by Larry Janezich
Posted December 20, 2020
ANC6B has authorized the expenditure of up to $14,000 in attorney fees for representation before the Alcohol Beverage Regulatory Administration’s (ABRA) scheduled protest hearing on a liquor license for a proposed sports betting outlet on Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. The hearing will probably take place next February.
ABRA doesn’t have anything to do with the gambling license which is governed by DC Lottery. The owners of Handle-19 – the city’s first retail sports gambling venue – correctly say they can open a gambling house without a liquor license.
But, the rules say you can’t just open a gambling joint – you have to have something else there as well, like a restaurant or a bar. And if you want to serve alcohol – which often goes hand in hand with betting – you need a liquor license.
Residential neighbors near 319 Pennsylvania Avenue – the planned future home of Handle 19 – are fighting tooth and nail to prevent the place from opening. They urge protesting the liquor license on the grounds of peace, order, and quiet, including the noise and litter provisions of the DC Code as well as residential parking needs,vehicular and pedestrian safety, and the effect of the establishment on real property values. They stress the outlet’s proximity to several schools and day care centers.
They hope that denying a liquor license will make the location so unattractive the owner will look elsewhere. The attorney says, not, that they will open retail sports betting with or without alcohol.
ANC6B voted 6 – 2 – 1 in November to join the protest, with Commissioners Waud and Holman in opposition. ANC6B’s Alcohol Beverage Control Committee Chair Chander Jayraman told the ANC on December 17, this is a high profile, precedent-setting case involving the first retail sports betting establishment in the city. He said that the neighbors and the ANC had not been able reach agreement with the owners regarding neighbors’ concerns in mediation required by ABRA, and the matter will go forward to the protest hearing. He outlined three possible outcomes:
ABRA could deny the liquor license
ABRA could approve the liquor license
ABRA could approve the liquor license with operating conditions
When the city council approved sports betting for the city, it did not put any restrictions on where they could be located. Maybe they didn’t anticipate they would open on commercial strips adjacent to residential areas, and maybe they did, but didn’t care.
Last Thursday night, the ANC authorized up to $14,000 for attorney fees for the protest hearing on Handle 19, pending an agreement between other protestants clearly delineating the decision making hierarchy. That motion passed 7 – 0 – 0.
The design team says the concept they are proposing maximizes the available expansion options.
The concept envisions adding underground space which would benefit from skylights in the expansion toward South Caroling and a light well at the peak of the building which would spill light to all three lower stories. See below.
Ths sectiopn view shows the top current main floor, the lowered street level floor, and the new below grade lower floor.
Layout for the new below grade Lower Floor
Upper Floor
Here’s a bird’s eye view looking Northwest showing the Southwest corner entry. The current main entrance would remain a public entrance. Also shown is skylight on the roof and skylight on the south side of the building at berm level.
First Look at Concept Designs for Renovation of SE Library
by Larry Janezich
DC Libraries Executive Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan hosted a virtual community meeting Wednesday night on the plan to rehabilitate, renovate, a preserve SE Library. He opened the meeting saying that the design team had come up with a great solution to preserve the historic framework of the SE Library while also expanding it.
CM Charles Allen joined the meeting, calling the effort “an amazing opportunity and a challenging opportunity”. Allen said, “One thing we’ve learned during the pandemic is how important community anchoring spaces in our lives are”, and cited both the library and the Eastern Market Metro Plaza across the street (currently under reconstruction). He said, “My job is to make sure the dollars are there,” noting that the new SW branch of DC Libraries would open soon.
With a goal of increasing library space from its current 8,292 square feet to 18,500 square feet, the concept design anticipates dropping the existing street level floor a few feet and adding a new lower level floor below that and expanding that floor toward South Carolina Avenue. This floor will have considerable space for children and family activities.
The street level floor will have conference rooms and meeting spaces.
The main floor will continue to serve adults.
The ground floor would be entered through a new universally accessible entrance from South Carolina Avenue at the SW corner of the building. The current main entrance would remain a public entrance as well.
The new concept, designers say, will significantly increase incentives for people to spend time in the library. The expansion will provide:
30% more meeting/conference space
50% more computer space
50% more space for books
Triple the space for adult seating
Quadruple the space for children and families
Currently, the plan is in the Design/Regulatory Approval stage which will last into 2022. Construction will start in late 2022 and the library will reopen in the spring of 2024.
Next steps: builders will continue discussions with regulatory staff, finalize the concept design and start schematic designs, and continue community engagement. The next community meeting will be scheduled in the spring.
As part of the holiday display, the Botanic Garden is exhibiting large-scale animals made entirely from botanicals. This Swallowtail Butterfly is at the entrance to Bartholdi Park. Signage next to the exhibit tells you what plants were us(Thanks to Carole Green for the tip.)
A Ruby Throated Hummingbird is at First and Independence on the Botanic Garden grounds.
There are three more. This model of a Lesser Long’nosed Bat is front and center on the plaza in front of the main building.
Tucked away on the west side of the plaza and close to the building is this remarkable Bumblebee.
And in the mirror position on the east side of the plaza is this colorful Blue-tailed Day Gecko.
The plaza of the Botanic Garden at dusk.
The Week Ahead…Community Meeting on SE Library & Photos from Last Week
Monday, December 14
ANC 6A Community Outreach Committee holds a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
1608 East Capitol Street, NE. Zoning Adjustment Application for a special exception from the minimum vehicle parking requirements to convert an existing, detached, two-story, carriage house to a principal dwelling unit .
229 8th Street, NE. Historic Preservation Application concept review for a new twovstory accessory structure/garage. The accessory structure will have a green roof to take advantage of the DC Riversmart Incentives for rainwater collection on site.
1101 H Street, NE. Informational presentation on a new construction project of a six story and basement building with 57 residential units, ground floor retail and basement parking. An existing façade on H Street NE, that was constructed prior to 1958 will be preserved. The applicant will be seeking special exception for construction on a lot in excess of 6000 sf., and also seeking Zoning relief for residential and retail loading as project does not have adequate alley access to meet these requirements.
240 11th Street, NE. Historic Preservation Application for a a third story roof addition and three-story rear addition.
Community Meeting on Renovation of Southeast Library. DC Public Libraries will hold a virtual meeting at 6:30pm.
The design team will present concept designs and gather community feedback.
This meeting will take place on WebEx. Please use this link to join: https://bit.ly/2KgqJJv If prompted, use password “library2020”.
Thursday, December 17
ANC6B will hold a virtual Special Call meeting to consider a letter to DDOT on the Kentucky Avenue Advisory Bike Lane Project and an Executive Committee Meeting to set the agenda for the January full meeting of the ANC. The virtual meetings will begin at 7:00pm.
The Department of General Services (DGS) will host a virtual briefing on the renovation of Eastern Market Metro Plaza Park at 1:30pm.
Community participation is invited during the discussion of artist Jay Coleman’s “Joyful Hands,” the public art concept selected for Parcel 4 (Metro Entrance) of park.
Below are both the link to the web conference and dial-in number.
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone
Here’s the 11th Street, SE,/695 Off Ramp Intersection from the SW corner of 11th and the 695 On Ramp
Here’s a screen shot of DDOT/HNTB Presentation illustrating proposed changes to the Off Ramp for vehicles
DDOT Unveils Plan to Re-Do the Dangerous 11th Street SE/695 East Off-Ramp
by Larry Janezich
Posted December 12, 2020
Last week, DDOT and its HNTB contractor explained its concept for redoing the intersection which has been problematic for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The occasion was ANC6B’s Transportation Committee, chaired by Commissioner Kirstin Oldenburg.
A new study of the intersection has resulted in proposed changes to reduce vehicle accidents and improve bicycle and pedestrian safety. DDOT and HNTB are proposing these changes:
Add one more through lane to the off-ramp for access to the Southeast Boulevard
Lengthen the right and left off-ramp turn lanes to provide more space for vehicles to wait for the lights at 11th Street
Add a two-way protected bike lane from I Street to O Street to replace the current west side bike lane, extending from K Street down 11th Street to connect with the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail
Add a lighted bike/pedestrian path through Virginia Avenue Park from 9th to 11th Streets, SE
Add Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) signaling on 695 East to warn drivers of congestion on the off-ramp
The planning is in its early stages, and pedestrian safety improvements were not part of the presentation. The projected cost of the project is $6 million. If funded, construction could occur in 2023 – 2024.
In the ensuing discussion following the presentation, Committee members had concerns:
whether the expansion would increase traffic and/or reduce accidents on the ramp
safety at the intersections for bikers
Commissioner Corey Holman took DDOT and HNTB to task for failure to consult and communicate with the community.
Chair Oldenburg moved, with a second by Commissioner Holman, that the Committee recommend the full ANC indicate the need for additional information and urge that DDOT meet in January 2021 at the ANC Single Member District level for more discussions. The Committee approved the motion unanimously as did the full ANC at its December 8th meeting.
Mayor Bowser Situational Briefing: How the Pfizer Vaccine Roll Out will Unfold in DC
by Larry Janezich
Mayor Bowser held a Situational Briefing today to describe how the Pfizer Vaccine roll out will unfold.
DC’s first allocation of the vaccine will be 6825 doses. Delivery of additional allocations will be on a weekly or every-other week basis, and it is uncertain how many doses will be in those allocations.
People will be vaccinated in stages.
It’s not clear how soon those in the first phase will start getting vaccinated because two things have to happen first after the Pfizer vaccine receives Emergency Use Authorization , regardless of when DC gets the vaccine and it’s not clear how long that will take:
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) must issue recommendations for vaccine distribution.
Vaccinators must be fully trained.
Six sites (those that have the necessary equipment to store the Pfizer vaccine) will receive DC’s initial allotment.
Medstar Washington Hospital Center
Howard University Hospital
The George Washington University Hospital
Children’s National Hospital
Kaiser Permanente
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
These six sites will partner with health care providers across the city.
DC Fire & EMS and DC frontline public health workers
HSC Pediatric Center
National Rehabilitation Hospital
Psychiatric Institute of Washington
Saint Elizabeths Hospital
Sibley Memorial Hospital
United Medical Center
For example: Children’s National will partner with United Medical Center and Kaiser will partner with DC Government to vaccinate FEMS and other frontline public health workers.
In line with CDC guidance, DC is using a phased approach for distribution.
Phase 1A – Healthcare workers and first responders (There are 85,000 in this category)
Phase 1B – Essential workers and at risk residents
Phase 2 – The rest of Phase 1 and the general public
Phase 3 – General public
Who is included in Phase 1A?
Full and Part Time Hospital Staff (33,850)
Nursing and Residential Care Facility Employees (14,810)
Outpatient Providers and Ancillary Care Providers (11,445)
Home Health Providers (8,115)
Health Care Providers in Long-Term Care Facilities (7,860)
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians (5,300)
Emergency Services & Public Safety, e.g. Fire and EMS (3,170)
Frontline Public Health Personnel (550)
Who is included in Phase 1B?
Persons 65 years and older (84,960 )
Adults 19 – 64 with High Risk Conditions (163,000)
DC Government Critical Infrastructure Personnel (3,800)
Law enforcement and Public Safety (10,500)
Department of Corrections Residents and Staff (2,921)
Residential Care Community Residents (1,220)
Nursing Home Residents (1,260)
Residents Experiencing Homelessness and
Transitional Housing Residents (6,521)
Grocery Store Employees (9,590)
Childcare Providers and Staff (7,000)
School Teachers and Staff (20,000)
Dr. LaQuandra Nesbittt, Director of the DC Department of Health, urged residents to take the vaccine as it become available as opposed to waiting for a specific vaccine, warning that the federal government may decide that certain allocations may go to different parts of the country.
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The future home of The Boilng Crab, at 400 H Street, NE. The site was formerly home to the problematic and TruOrleans (2011-2013), and Driftwood Kitchen. And before that, WOL-AM radio, which grew into the radio station empire, Radio One.
The Boiling Crab Looks to Open H Street NE Location in January
by Larry Janezich
Posted December 9, 2020
Wednesday night, ANC6C will consider a recommendation by its Committee on Alcohol Beverages to support a liquor license for The Boiling Crab, which expects to open at 400 H Street, NE, in January. A motion to support is likely to sail through the committee.
Representatives of The Boiling Crab informed commissioners at last Monday night’s ABC Committee meeting that serving spirits is not in their business plan, nor is providing service beyond 10:00pm. ANC6C Commissioner Joel Kelty raised concerns about the plan to make the main entrance on 4th Street, since the city requires it to be on 8th Street, and about noise on summer nights from the second story retractable windows. These and other concerns, including trash management seemed likely to be worked out in a Settlement Agreement placing conditions on the restaurant’s operations before Wednesday’s meeting of the full ANC. The ANC’s support is conditioned on the Settlement Agreement being reached before the vote.
The Boiling Crab is a casual, family-friendly restaurant specializing in Louisiana-style Cajun seafood. The chain has locations in California, Texas, Las Vegas, South Miami, Honolulu, and Shanghai, with plans to expand domestically and internationally.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 