Zach Cutler returns to Eastern Market Metro Plaza on Friday night, July 1, with Ace Ono, Micah Robinson, Frank Javois and Biscuit Bynum. 5:00pm to 6:30pm. Free. Musicians are welcome to sit in.
Artist’s statement: I am a professional musician based in DC, mostly gigging on acoustic and electric guitars. I play mostly Funk/Soul/R+Bish stuff, but I’m captivated by anything with a groove, from metal to journeyman country. I’m also a devout funkateer and record collector, always out to discover new nibbletts of funk in any medium I can. People I have worked with include: Raheem DeVaughn, Melanie Fiona, The Impressions, Alison Carney, W. Ellington Felton, Zo!, Eastern Standard Time, Sy Smith, Kenny Wesley, Tamara Wellons, N’Dambi, Chuck Brown, Yahzarah, Ab, J.Hill, Terrence Cunningham, Green Tea, The Cornel West Theory, N’Digo Rose, MC Lyte, Jay Hayden, Tamika Jones, and too many other amazing musicians! – Zach Taylor
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J.O. Wilson Elementary School at 7th and I Streets, NE. Photo: O.J. Wilson School.Here’s a capture locating O.J. Wilson School vis a vis Whole Foods at 6th and H Street, NE. The corner of 8th and H is reputed to be a drug trafficking site. Image: Google Maps.This capture shows the relationship between MPD District 5 and MPD Distirct 1. District 5 includes the K Street corridor where residents complain about sex workers. District 1 has the 8th and H Street intersection which residents say is a drug trafficking site which correlates with sex worker activity on K Street. Image: MPD
Sex Workers Near J.O. Wilson School at 7th & K Streets NE Alarm Residents
by Larry Janezich
Posted June 30, 2022
Monday night, residents near the J.O. Wilson Elementary School at 7th and K Streets, NE, pleaded with city officials for help with problems associated with sex workers in the area. The school is on the 700 block of K Street, two blocks north of the Whole Foods on H Street NE. ANC6A’s Community Outreach Committee (COC) chaired by resident member Roni Hollmon, sponsored the virtual forum to discuss sex work issues. More than 40 attended or participated in the meeting.
Issue stakeholders spoke of their sometimes-conflicting approaches to dealing with the problem before the Committee unanimously agreed to send a letter to city officials requesting help. City officials who were present pledged varying degrees of assistance to address a long-standing neighborhood problem which has defied the city’s previous efforts to address.
The issue is not new. CHC reported similar complaints of a dozen residents at a Police Service Area 104 meeting in September of 2015. See here: https://bit.ly/3y9G83L
Resident Leo Godunov spoke on behalf of some of the K Street neighbors and said a recent increase in activity of and interactions with prostitutes has heightened concerns. He cited verbal and nonverbal intimidation of residents, drug activity, occasional violence against sex workers, gun issues, casually discarded used condoms and latex gloves, human waste, syringes and trash. He said the problem is complex and acknowledged that a solution requires empathy while appreciating that the impact on the quality of life for residents is severe.
CM Charles Allen attended the meeting and said he is concerned about reports of increased instances of conflict between residents and sex workers, adding, “There is not one thing that can be done and then all of the sex workers on K Street will just no longer be there.” He favors a holistic approach involving several city agencies and said he looks to MPD to see what their roles and strategies are. Regarding condoms and human waste, he suggested that the Department of Public Works could concentrate clean-up efforts on certain blocks. He said DPW could address illegally parked cars near 8th and H Streets that may be associated with the drug trafficking at that location and the area.
Celeste Duffie from DPW was also at the meeting responded, saying DPW would be happy to do that within the guidelines for handling bio hazards, but added that addressing these problems “was more than a simple 311 call.” She said she believed that DPW clean-up of bio hazards was explicitly prohibited. Allen said he thought DPW could implement a system based on its current method of dealing with animal waste.
MPD Captain Zdenek Fronek of the Fifth District called the 7th and K/8th and K area a “hot spot” and said 8th and K is known as transgender prostitute market: “Prostitutes come from Maryland, customers from Northern Virginia.” According to Fornek, the best way to address this issue is to detail officers to the area. “Unfortunately,” he said, “we are unable to do that as we have an unprecedented increase in violent crime in 5D. The prostitution problem is most prevalent 10pm – 5am during the weekend and that is also the busiest time for responding to violent crime.” Fronek has requested that the Narcotics and Special Investigations Division (NSID) conduct operations in area and is waiting to hear back. “We’re going to make several arrests,” he said, “but they’re going to be back the next day. So this is not the solution.” He hopes to have someone out there on a bike during the weekend “when we get the personnel.”
Lieutenant Araz Alali of the MPD 1st District which abuts the 5th District nearby said he would increase the level of law enforcement and create a more visible presence – “the Crime Suppression Unit will run more enforcement and sting ops there…double down on people soliciting, facilitating and seeking sex services.” But, he allowed, every district is challenged with man power.
Chelsea Ricker, Board Member of HIPS (a sexual and reproductive rights advocacy group) said, “I can’t overstate how strongly I advise you against this approach which further criminalizes very marginalized people and places them at further risk of harm,” adding, “It will only escalate the situation.” HIPS believes the best way to protect sex workers is to decriminalize sex work.
ANC6A Commissioner Keya Chatterjee asked Alali if officers were trained to deal with sex workers and how MPD assures these women are not being victimized by police. She cited recent reports of an allegation that a police officer forced a sex worker to have sex at gun point.
Alali said such allegations result in officers being put on non-contact with the public status. He couldn’t talk about pending cases and said that such allegations are handled by MPD Internal Affairs. He offered that officers involved in enforcing sex trafficking laws take classes and are trained – and asserted that they are skilled officers.
Ricker of HIPS pointed out the confusion of terminology between adults having consensual sex and sex trafficking and said it was not clear that sex trafficking was occurring in the community: “If you’re concerned about sex trafficking your best ally in preventing that are sex workers” who otherwise would work with police to eliminate trafficking.
Alali said his point is, that MPD is here to enforce the law and prostitution and sex solicitation in DC is still against the law.
Ricker, who lives in the neighborhood, said the sanitation issues were unfortunate and asked the focus be placed on sex worker problems: poverty, the pandemic, survival tactics, economic health, and mental health. She said, “If you’re concerned about sex workers, we have mobile outreach staffed by volunteers and residents are welcome to raise issues with HIPS.” HIPS provides services to sex workers, including a drop-in center, medical services, OD prevention, laundry, a closet, and showers. They connect sex workers with affordable housing and have a decriminalize campaign.
Resident Marc Friend suggested a letter to DPW asking for additional clean ups, a needle drop for the area, and that 8th and H be included in a just-started public restroom pilot program. In addition, he suggested the community increase its efforts to work with HIPS, consider giving them an ANC6A grant, and urge volunteers to help.
Commissioner Keya Chatterjee said she was sympathetic with the plight of sex workers, but “sex work around schools is intolerable and the hazardous waste is very concerning.” She moved the Committee recommend the full ANC6A send DPW a letter asking them to establish an easy process to request removal of used condoms and human waste, provide a needle drop, and provide public restrooms at 8th and H Streets. The motion passed unanimously.
In addition, Jasmine Colton, a Ward 6 representative of the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations, said she would schedule a walkthrough of the area with DPW, the ANC, neighbors, HIPS, and the MPD to point out specific areas of concern.
Ricker said that HIPS said is in a position to ask sex workers to move away from schools. She said she was “not sure it will come to anything, but we will see what we can do. Through building relationships you get change you want. We will see what we can do.”
The Renwick is the Smithsonian Museum dedicated to American craft. This year marks the museum’s 50th anniversary. A fabulous anniversary show, The Present Moment, is on view now through April 2, 2023. The show is remarkable. More about that later (next week).
I’m posting this today so you can read it before the Fourth of July. This particular object is full of meaning related to the freedom and independence we celebrate with the American flag on July 4.
Yes, it is a dish towel. This dish towel was hung as a flag of truce by Confederate troops during Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. General George A. Custer was there and preserved it for the future. His widow, Elizabeth Custer donated it to the Smithsonian.
Monumental by Sonya Clark
I was so stunned by the intensity of Sonya Clark’s installation that I failed to note its dimensions.
Hanging on the wall above it is a quotation from Sonya Clark: “Why do we know the Confederate Battle Flag instead of the Confederate Truce Flag that marked surrender, brokered peace, and was a promise of reconciliation? What would it mean to the psychology of this nation if the Truce Flag replaced the flag associated with hate and white supremacy?”
Defining Craft
Craft is a hard term to define. What separates it from fine art? Monumental is a good example It would look out of place at the National Gallery or the Museum of American History. Before the Renwick you might have found it in an anthropology museum. The aesthetics of craft include humility and the artist’s fingerprint (surely there must be at least one thread out of place in this weaving), and even humor.
Monumental recognizes the meaning of that dish cloth but it also talks about the symbolism we can attach to a piece of cloth.
Out and About is an occasional photo feature by artist, photographer, gardener, and Capitol Hill resident Elizabeth Eby. She finds vignettes while out and about on or near Capitol Hill.
Tuesday was DC’s Primary Election Day but a lot of the 108,000 residents who voted cast mail in ballots. This was the scene at Eastern Market Polling Station about 10:00am. Results: Mayor: M. Bowser 48.95%, R. White 40.51%, T. White 8.86%; Ward 6 CM: Charles Allen (unopposed) 96.33%; Chair of City Council: P. Mendelson 53.25%, E. Palmer 46.39%; U.S. Representative: Eleanor Norton 86.8%Friday morning, the Supreme Court handed down its decision overturning Roe vs. Wade. It didn’t take long for the US Capitol Police Board to close off the East Plaza of the US Capitol to the public. Demonstrators opposed to the decision and those who supported it filled First Street in front of the Court.
Here’s the scene on First Street about noon on Saturday as demonstrators returned to the street and opponents of the decision interacted with supporters. Sunday afternoon about 4pm, supporters of the Supreme Court decision had pretty much left the field to the opponents.
And here’s some video of what it was like.
The annual Barracks Row July 4th Parade is on….
And so is Silent Disco on C Street by Eastern Market Friday night.
The Week Ahead…
ANC6A Community Outreach Committee meeting will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm
To set the agenda for the ANC6B July meeting on July 12
Friday, June 29
Friday Night Live Jazz at Eastern Market Metro Plaza from 5:00pm – 6:30pm, featuring Zachary Cutler – Guitar. For more info, go here: https://www.facebook.com/zachcutler
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Abe Mamet, Jazz and the French Horn. Photo: Abe Mamet
Friday Night Jazz at Eastern Market Metro features Abe Mamet – Jazz and the French Horn
by Larry Janezich
Posted June 23, 2002
Arriving from Denver in 2017, Abe Mamet is one of the rare major musical artists playing jazz on the French Horn. He’s this week’s featured artist at tomorrow’s Friday Night Live Jazz at the Eastern Market Metro Pavilion, from 5:00pm until 6:30pm. For more, go here: https://wapo.st/3xNKe13 and here: https://www.abrammamet.com/
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Brian Ready, new Executive Director of Barracks Row Main Street. Photo Steve HoltzmanWinfield Sealander, Barracks Row Main Street Board Chair, welcomes attendees at last night’s BRMS annual garden party fundraiser.CM Charles Allen took time from his tour of Ward 6 polling places on election day to speak to the assembled and thanked BRMS for “helping us reimagine what the Eastern Market Metro Plaza could be” and for supporting his vision for the plaza as place to walk-to-not-through destination. Some of the supporters of Barracks Row Main Street. L-R, Roger Tauss, MaryLynn Quernell, Mo Moriarty, Mary Cole, Patricia Cleves, and ANC6B Commissioner Steve Holtzman.
6B ANC Commissioner Brian Ready Named Executive Director of Barracks Row Main Street
by Larry Janezich
Last night and the annual BRMS fundraising garden party at Little Pearl, Board Chairman Win Sealander announced the selection of Brian Ready as the new Executive Director for BRMS. The position has been vacant since the departure of Martin Smith earlier this year.
Ask to comment on his appointment, Ready said, “I’m looking forward to working with BRMS to provide new programming for Eastern Market Metro Plaza and working with Eastern Market Main Street partners to enhance the standard holiday events for the Barracks Row and Eastern Market commercial corridors. Ready is the former chair of the ANC6B Capitol Hill Business Interest Working Group created to increase communications with business/property owners and other stakeholders to ensure the long-term sustainability of the businesses on Capitol Hill. He stepped down from the committee after BRMS hired him this spring to create programming for the pavilion at Eastern Market Metro Plaza. Ready has a degree in hospitality from the University of Las Vegas and a degree in law. He worked in hospitality at MGM resorts where he was responsible for booking all the entertainment at Primm Valley Resort’s 6000 seat arena and their 500 seat showroom and three entertainment lounges.
He has announced he will not seek re-election to the ANC, citing the demands of his new job as Executive Director. He said leaving the ANC is “bittersweet – I didn’t want to leave and enjoyed the job. But being Executive Director of BRMS takes so much time.” He was elected to the ANC in 2019 and began a two year term as chair in 2020.
Sealander told some 75 plus attendees that the event had generated $50,000 which would be leveraged into improving the BRMS business model – especially promotions, including aggressive marketing, enhancing the web page and social media platforms.
He pointed to the organization’s $1 million contribution to the redesign and improvements of Eastern Market Metro Park and Plaza and lauded the work of CM Charles Allen in securing $15 million for the project. He said the first installation of the public art projects commissioned for the park and plaza is nearly ready for placement on the Northwest quadrant near the playground. The piece entitled “Found You” by Beth Nybeck and funded by BRMS is a whimsical trio of six foot aluminum rabbits. See here: https://bit.ly/2Mt479K
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Naomi Mitchell – longtime community liaison for Councilmembers Charles Allen and Tommy Wells is retiring at the end of June. Last Monday night, at ANC6D’s virtual June meeting, commissioners were effusive in praise for Mitchell’s work in their community. Commissioner Andy Litsky was eloquent: “How do you say thanks? I’ve been on the ANC a long time. Naomi has served Ward Six for almost 16 years. I was astounded when I heard of her retirement. Naomi Mitchell has been to me and all present and past commissioners a political resource – the go-to person when we needed something done immediately. Someone we all go to when it hits the fan in a real bad way. Her contribution has been incalculable. She has been by far the most important official working with the ANC and Southeast. It will be rough not having you around – thank you.” After tributes from other commissioners, Mitchell said she was “truly humbled. I never thought I’d be able to give what you say I’ve done. It’s emotional for me to leave – it’s been so much a part of my life. At some point you have to say it’s time to go home, and so I will. Keep on doing what you’re doing and I’m so grateful you would have those thoughts.” She pledged to still be around – a presence in the community. She is a resident of Capitol Hill in ANC6B. Mitchell will be succeeded as community liaison by staffer Kimberly Kennedy.
Later on Monday night, ANC6D continued its war with DDOT over the proposal to install protected bike lanes on I Street, SW-SE; 4th Street SW, and M Street. The committee got huffy with DDOT for not providing the ANC with a report on their update prior to the meeting, and cut their scheduled 25 minute presentation short and dismissed them. This didn’t sit well with a number of bikers who had joined the virtual meeting to learn more about new bike lanes in SW. ANC6D is the only Commission among the four which includes or abuts Capitol Hill which operates without committees (except for its ABC Committee). They probably could use more committees – say, a Transportation Committee – and more resident commissioners. On Tuesday night at ANC6B’s virtual June meeting, the owners of Café 8 at 424 8th Street on Barracks Row announced that they had purchased the adjacent building to the north and would be expanding the restaurant into the two retail spaces. The restaurant has been on Barracks Row for 15 years. While the buildout is underway, Café 8 will expand its sidewalk café in front of those retail spaces – 28 additional seats. The ANC voted to support renewal of Café 8’s liquor license and to support the public space application for the expanded sidewalk café, both by a vote on 9 – 0.Also from the ANC6B meeting, an update on Paraiso: As reported in a posting last week, Tahmina Ghaffer, owner of Paraíso Taquería y Mezcalería at 1101 PA Ave, has been butting heads with condo owners above the restaurant who complain that the noise from inside and outside the restaurant is intolerable. The ANC’s Alcohol Beverage Committee recommended protesting renewal of the liquor license given the residents plea for help in resolving their problems which they say is destroying their quality of life and affecting their property values. Ghaffer defended his operation, inviting the ANC for dinner or lunch to see his operation for themselves. Eyebrows were not visibly raised, and the ANC did not acknowledge the invitation. One resident said, “We need the noise to stop – we need sound abatement.” Ghaffer said he had engaged a sound engineer for a consultation later in the week, to which he invited residents. Notably, the operation of the sidewalk café is not referenced in the Settlement Agreement defining the terms of the operation of the restaurant, because the public space permit for the outdoor café was a late addition. The ANC voted to protest renewal of the liquor license on the basis of peace, order, and quiet and the loss of property values. The effect will be to delay the renewal and potentially raise a legal hurdle for the renewal if the neighbors formally protest the license before ABRA. Chair Corey Holman said he supported the protest, but indicated that he hoped the delay would encourage both sides to agree on terms that would mitigate neighbor’s concerns. The vote was 7 – 1 – 1. You can’t find ostrich meat everywhere, but Market Poultry at Eastern Market carries it. According to the American Ostrich Farm Website, “ostrich tastes similar to grass-fed beef but resembles low-fat game meats like venison. The USDA classifies ostrich meat as technically poultry, but it looks and tastes almost exactly like beef…. Ostrich meat is very lean – the ground steak is typically 95% lean and filets can be up to 98% lean.”Triple Candie’s sixth “curatorial riddle” – this one a collage – is on display in the space in the front of the former Li’l Pub at 655 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. The first puzzling assemblage appeared in the space in December. The curious can find details on the first four pieces in the archive at the link below. Triple Candie is a research-oriented curatorial agency run by art historian co-founders Shelly Bancroft and Peter Nesbett. Their purpose is to create alternative exhibition methods making that the object of critical focus rather than what is displayed (which for the most part does not include original artworks). This is a heavy lift – part postmodern, part deconstructionism, part Burning Man Festival. Go deeper here: http://www.triplecandie.org/
Primaries in DC are closed primaries. To vote in the party primary, you must be registered with the Democratic, Republican, Statehood Green, or Libertarian parties. However, all voters, including independents and those registered with other parties, may vote on initiative and referendum measures. Everything else you want to know is here: https://dcboe.org/PrimaryElection2022
ANC6A Transportation and Public Space Committee holds a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
School Parking Zone (SPZ) Program Applications for Maury Elementary School and School-Within-School @ Goding. Haley Peckett, Associate Director, Curbside Management Division, DDOT along with school officials.
Updates on completed Traffic Safety Investigations, pending work orders, and new DDOT guidance on vertical traffic calming. DDOT Ward 6 Community Liaison Abraham Diallo.
“Punch list” for Maryland Avenue Project. Additional requests to DDOT post project completion.
Della Barba Pizza: Plans for outdoor seating, trash management, and other issues of interest to the public.
Friday, June 24
Chess in the Park at Eastern Market Metro Plaza from 1 to 4pm, sponsored by the U.S. Chess Center.
Friday Night Live Jazz at Eastern Market Metro Plaza, 5:00pm – 6:30pm, weather permitting. (Info on the featured artist was not available at press time.)
Trouble for Spike Mendelsohn’s Restaurants. On Thursday, ANC6B Alcohol Beverage Control Committee voted unanimously to protest the liquor license renewals for Spike Mendelsohn’s three PA Ave restaurants: We the Pizza, Good Stuff Eatery, and Santa Rosa Tacquereia. Nearby residents raised a litany of concerns about trash, rodents, and noise and the indifference of restaurant management to their repeatedly expressed complaints. Members of the 6B’s ABC Committee noted longstanding concerns with similar issues with the Mendelsohn restaurants dating back to 2014. Representatives of the restaurants failed to show up at the meeting which one committee member took as an affront. The full ANC will take up the recommendation to protest the license renewal at its meeting on Tuesday, June 14.Likewise, the folks over at Paraíso Taquería y Mezcalería at 1101 PA Ave have alienated some of the owners of condos above the restaurant by what the latter claim are gross violations of the settlement agreement governing the restaurant’s operations. Residents complain about excessive noise from inebriated customers in the sidewalk café as well as noise from inside the restaurant. The restaurant management, they say, has dismissed their entreaties to install soundproofing and to find ways to ameliorate outdoor noise. Residents feel aggrieved that DCRA and ABRA have not been responsive to complaints they say have been filed. The restaurant, unwisely, failed to send a representative to the meeting. The Committee voted unanimously to protest renewal of the liquor license. The full ANC will take up the recommendation to protest at its meeting June 14.Barracks Row’s Ginza Karaoke and Barbeque Lounge – planning to open on the second floor at 526 8th Street, SE, took a step closer to that opening when the ANC6B Alcohol Beverage Committee gave preliminary support to the their request for a new Tavern liquor license (contingent on receipt of a signed settlement agreement governing operations). Total capacity is set at 157 people plus 49 at the rooftop summer garden. The karaoke will be confined to eight rooms inside. Congress Market, the been-there-forever mom and pop corner market at 421 East Capitol, will close its doors for good this week. According to staff, the move comes with the retirement of the owner. On Tuesday, June 7, the City Council gave its final approval to a Ward 7 ANC map which keeps the four single member ANC districts in Hill East, plus Kingman Park and Rosedale as part of a sprawling ten single-district-ANC7D stretching from the District line in Northeast to Potomac Avenue, SE, and includes RFK Stadium. The map also extends Ward 7 ANC7F west of the river to include Phase I and II of Reservation 13 (the Park Kennedy Apartments and low income housing at The Ethel) and the DC Jail. Here’s what early voting looked like at Capitol Hill’s Sherwood Recreation Center at 640 10th Street, NE, on Saturday afternoon. Early voting started on Friday and like other early voting centers around the city, Sherwood has experienced a light voter turnout. For the first time the city mailed a ballot to every registered voter for a primary election and those ballots may be dropped in ANY Ballot Drop Box at ANY time beginning Friday, May 27 until 8:00pm on Election Day, Tuesday, June 21. Here are the locations of Ballot Drop Boxes on Capitol Hill: Northeast Library, 330 7th Street, NE; Southwest Library, 900 Wesley Place, SW; Eastern Market, 225 7th Street, SE; and Payne Elementary School, 1445 C Street, SE. For more information, go here: https://earlyvoting.dcboe.org/ and here: https://www.dcboe.org/Voters/Where-to-Vote/Mail-Ballot-Drop-BoxesPupatella announced in September of 2021 they were opening a new pizza restaurant at 3rd and Massachusetts Avenue, NE, in the former Romeo & Juliet’s. For months, it appeared as though nothing was happening, but now the owners have filed a public space application for outdoor seating including an enclosed sidewalk café. Last week ANC6C considered the application and balked at supporting the request in response to concerns from neighbors about noise from outdoor seating affecting their quality of life. The plan would provide for additional new outdoor seating along 3rd Street. The ANC voted 4 – 0 with two abstentions to oppose the application but held off on filing a letter of opposition in order to encourage an agreement between the restaurant in the neighbors. The full ANC will resume consideration of the case at its meeting in July. Pupatella has five outlets locally. Here’s a link to the Dupont Circle restaurant’s menu: https://bit.ly/31mgIDy
Liquor license renewals: ZOCA & Crush by ZOCA, 319 Pennsylvania Ave SE; Newland, 327 7th Street SE; Harvest Tide Steak House; La Casina DC, 327 7th Street SE; Chiko Capitol Hill, 423 8th Street SE; Ambar, 523 8th Street SE; Las Placitas, 1100 8th Street SE; Belga Cafe, 514 8th Street SE.
1609 G Street, SE. Special Exception to construct a third story and three-story rear addition, with cellar, to an existing, attached, principal dwelling unit.
274 Kentucky Avenue SE. Variance to construct a second story rear addition, to an existing, attached, three-story principal dwelling unit.
Letter to DDOT in support of 17th Street/19th Street project.
Letter to DDOT on Southeast Blvd Design.
Presentation: DC Public Charter School Board – Executive Director, Dr. Michelle Walker-Davis – tentative.
Liquor license renewals: Taco City DC, 1102 8th Street, SE; Trattoria Alberto, 504 8th Street, SE; Little Pearl, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Ted’s Bulletin, 505 8th Sreet, SE; We, The Pizza, 305 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Good Stuff Eatery, 303 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Santa Rose Taqueria, 301 Pennsylvania Ave SE; Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street, SE; Joselito – Casa de Comidas, 660 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Bullfrog Bagels, Pesce, 317 7th Street, SE; Eat BRGZ, 250 7th Street, SE; The Duck and The Peach/The Wells/La Collina, 300 7th Street, SE; Tunnicliffs Tavern, 222 7th Street SE; Café 8, 424 8th Street, SE – and DDOT Public Space Request to Extend Outdoor Sidewalk Patio Space; Paraiso, 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.
New liquor license applications: Fight Club Restaurant, 633 Pennsylvania Ave SE; Request for Stipulated and New License; Ginza BBQ Lounge and Karaoke Spot, 526 8th Street, SE, Request for a new Tavern license.
Appoint New Chair for Capitol Hill Business Interest Working Group
Letter to DC Council to Support Violence Interrupters and Similar Programs at Potomac Gardens and Hopkins – introduced by Commissioner Ryder.
Wednesday, June 15
ANC6A Economic Development & Zoning Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
647 16th Street, NE. Zoning Adjustment Application – request for special exception zoning relief to construct a third story and rear addition, and convert to a flat, an existing, attached, two-story with cellar, principal dwelling unit.
Friday, June 17
Friday Night Live Jazz at Eastern Market Metro Plaza, 5:00pm – 6:30pm, weather permitting. (Info on the featured artist was not available at press time.)
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The newly open Ledo Pizza at 415 8th Street, SE, formerly the home of EAT BAR. Ledo Pizza Barracks Row General Manager Jon Dibartolomeo says “Our location on 8th Street is happy to be open and serving the community.”
The Barracks Row Ledo Pizza Is Open
by Larry Janezich
Ledo Pizza on Barracks Row opened its doors on Wednesday after waiting eight months for the necessary permits to work their way through the city bureaucracy.
General Manager Jon Dibartolomeo says, “Community response has been amazing.” Asked how he found his way to management of the popular pizza franchise, Dibartolomeo referenced his father who emigrated from Italy and established a successful restaurant in Detroit – “He was my hero.” Dibartolomeo says he joined the Ledo team after meeting the franchisee and being impressed by his commitment to the DC area. The Ledo Pizza chain was founded in 1955 in Maryland and has become a staple in the DMV tri-state area.
Here’s a link to their website and menu: https://locations.ledopizza.com/ll/US/DC/Barracks-Row/415-8th-St_-SE The menu offers both a traditional gluten free crust as well as a gluten free cauliflower crust. In addition to providing carryout to Capitol Hill residents, the restaurant caters parties and events.
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The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, D.C.’s central library, has undergone a complete $211 modernization. MLK Library is the only building in DC designed by architect Mies van der Rohe and the only Mies Library in the world.This 1968 bronze bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Joseph Stein, is the first representation of the Library’s namesake one encounters entering the MLK Memorial Library. The Library was named after King in 1971, two years after the death of designer Mies van der Rohe.A restored mural greets visitors in the MLK Library Lobby. The mural was painted by artist and Civil Rights Activist, Don Miller (1923 – 1993). For more info, go here: https://www.dclibrary.org/exhibits/kingmuralThe two-story Main Reading Room with a spectacular ceiling by noted artist Xenobia Bailey. Bailey’s astral ceiling with galaxial and planetary mobiles evokes the cosmos and perhaps the creation myths of the African and Native American people whose patterns Bailey often references in her art.The expansive roof terrace and green space – with views of downtown DC are especially captivating at dusk – is one of several event spaces available for rent throughout the Library.
The Week Ahead & Photo Essay: MLK Library Part I
by Larry Janezich
Monday, June 6
ANC6C ABC Committee holds a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
An In-Person Convo with CM Charles Allen on His Goals for Ward 6, Monday, June 6
CM Charles Allen will participate in an in-person conversation on the future of Ward 6 on Monday, June 6, at 7:30pm in the covered outdoor Town Square Towers Pavilion, 700 7th Street, SW, Rear. The event will provide an opportunity for residents to ask questions about his goals for the next four years, assuming he is re-elected. (Allen is the only candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Ward 6 City Council, so the odds are good.) Allen has represented Ward 6 for two terms.
1609 G Street, SE. Zoning Adjustment Application. Special Exception to construct a third story and three-story rear addition, with cellar, to an existing, attached, two-story with cellar, principal dwelling unit.
274 Kentucky Avenue, SE. Zoning Adjustment Application. Variance to construct a second story rear addition, to an existing, attached, three-story principal dwelling unit.
321 D Street, SE. Historic Preservation Application. Concept: Construct a rear three-story addition; add a partial third floor on the existing house and renovate the existing house.
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AnC6C Environment, Parks and Events Committee holds a virtual meeting at 7:00pm
Public Announcement: Public Restrooms Pilot – Marcia Bernbaum.
New ABRA license, Washington Marriott Capitol Hill Hotel, Class C Hotel and Class B 25 percent licenses.
ABRA liquor license renewals: Phoenix Park Hotel, 50 North Capitol Street, NW; Café Berlin, 332 Massachusetts Avenue, NE; Junction Bistro Bar & Bakery, 238 Massachusetts Avenue, NE; Nando’s Peri-Peri, 411 H Street, NE; Carving Room NoMa, 130 M Street, NE; Courtyard by Marriott Washington D.C./U.S. Capitol, 1325 2nd Street, NE; Fancy Radish, 600 H Street, NE; Hyatt Place Washington, D.C./U.S. Capitol; Indigo-Indian Food on the Go, 243 K Street, NE.
1005 First Street, NE. Public Space Application. Projection on the corner along First Street NE and L Street NE for a new restaurant entrance and façade.
301 Massachusetts Ave NE, Public Space Application. Pupatella Neapolitan Pizza, Outdoor seating, including enclosed sidewalk Café on Third Street, NE.
Bike parking corral at 6th and K Streets, NE, and general discussion of bike corrals in ANC 6C.
DDOT discussion: H Street, NE, bus priority; Massachusetts Avenue, bike lane improvements.
Stanton Park traffic signals
301 K Street, NE. Zoning Adjustment Application. Special exception from lot occupancy requirements to construct two rear decks to an existing three-story flat.
663 Maryland Avenue, NE. Historic Preservation Application. Concept approval for a two-story rear addition.
301 Florida Avenue, NE. Zoning Application. Consolidated PUD to construct a new 12-story plus penthouse mixed-use building with 115 dwelling units, all affordable to income levels at or below 50 percent AMI and ground space dedicated to nonresidential use.
Union Station Expansion Project and other Union Station issues.
Discussion of Grant Application: Story of Our Schools – Montessori Project.
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ANC6B Transportation Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm
Presentation: Shared Responsibility for Our Urban Tree Canopy – Alexander Grieve, Urban Forester, District Department of Transportation (DDOT).
Presentation: Introduction and Status of Vacant Properties in ANC 6A – Isaac Boateng, Ward 6, Account Manager, Office of the Director, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA).
Letter to DDOT reiterating its previous requests for traffic calming measures on H Street, NE, and requesting their implementation by February 1, 2023, including a westbound speed camera on the 1300 block; sidewalk extensions/bulb-outs at 14th Street, 10th Street, 8th Street, and 6th Street; a midblock crosswalk in the 1300 block of H Street NE; and a red painted bus-only lane similar to other installations.
Letter to DDOT supporting the project to increase safety on 17th Street and 19th Street for all users, and provide the opportunity for ANC 6B and ANC 7D to join the letter.
Letter to each DC Council Member in support of the Safe Routes to School proposed legislation. In particular, the ANC supports the bill’s requirement to install vertical safety features in proximity to schools, given DDOT’s recent refusal to install raised crosswalks near Maury Elementary on 13th Street NE.
Letter to DDOT urging coordination between the annual repaving projects and the installation of speed humps/speed tables, including a list of currently open TSIs on blocks scheduled for repaving.
Letter of support to BZA for special exception zoning relief occupancy requirements, special exception zoning relief and an area variance at 1252 H Street, NE
Letter of support to BZA for special exception zoning relief from the minimum vehicle parking requirements to construct a front, rear, and third floor addition with penthouse, and to convert to a mixed-use, nine-unit apartment house with first floor retail, an existing, attached, six-unit, two-story with cellar, mixed use building at 1447 Maryland Avenue, NE
Letter of support to HPRB for historic review of the construction of a rear addition at 1320 North Carolina Avenue, NE.
Letter of support to BZA for special exception zoning relief from the lot occupancy requirements from the rear addition requirements to construct a third story and rear addition, and convert to a flat, an existing, attached, two-story with cellar, principal dwelling unit at 647 16th Street, NE.
Motion to approve the Ludlow Taylor Elementary School Food Print grant for $2,500 dollars.
Motion to approve the Eliot-Hine Middle School Band grant for $2,000 dollars.
Motion to approve a proposals that 501(c)3 and non 501(c)3 organizations that demonstrate a public benefit to the ANC6A community be eligible for grants.
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ANC6B will hold a Special virtual meeting and ANC6B Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee will hold a virtual meeting both beginning at 7:00pm. **Please Note: These renewal cases will be discussed, and a vote taken in the Special Meeting preceding the ABC Committee Meeting.
**Taco City DC, 1102 8th Street, SE: Class “CR” Restaurant License:
** Trattoria, 504 8th Street, SE. Class “CR” Restaurant License.
**Little Pearl, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. Class “CR” Restaurant License.
The ANC6B will then consider the following new liquor license request and the following renewal requests.
New liquor license: Ginza BBQ Lounge and Karaoke Spot, 526 8th Street, SE. Request for NEW Retailer’s Class C Tavern;
Renewal of liquor licenses: ZOCA & Crush by ZOCA, 319 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Santa Rose Taqueria, 301 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street, SE; Newland, 327 7th Street, SE; Harvest Tide Steak House, 212 7th Street, SE; Casa de Comidas, 660 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; La Casina DC, 327 7th Street SE; Bullfrog Bagels/Pesce, 317 7th Street, SE; Eat BRGZ, 250 7th Street, SE; The Duck and The Peach/The Wells/La Collina, 300 7th Street, SE; Tunnicliffs Tavern, 222 7th Street SE; Chiko, 423 8th Street SE; Ambar, 523 8th Street SE; Las Placitas, 1100 8th Street, SE; Café 8, 424 8th Street, SE AND DDOT Public Space Application to Extend Outdoor Sidewalk Patio Space; Paraiso, 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Belga Cafe, 514 8th Street SE.
Friday, June 10
Friday Night Live Jazz at Eastern Market Metro Plaza, 5:00pm – 6:30pm, weather permitting. (Info on the featured artist was not available at press time.)
Saturday, June 11
Southeast Library Book Sale, 10:00am – 3:00pm. 403 7th Street, SE.
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