July 13, 2025 · 8:21 pm

The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week

The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week

By Larry Janezich

Posted July 13, 2025

Update on St. Georges Boulangerie.  Saturday morning, July 5, at the prospective French bakery across from Eastern Market, a French flooring installer puts down a base maybe for a tile floor.  The contractor on site says he hopes for completion in two months.  Photo and content credit:  Paul and Eileen Dougherty

Here’s another angle.

Sharon Kershbaum, Director DC Department of Transportation (far left), meets with ANC6B last Tuesday night to discuss DDOT projects and programs.

Commissioners had questions related to Capitol Hill traffic concerns and Kershbaum shared her thoughts regarding those concerns.

  • Traffic safety concerns around Lincoln Park? – Lincoln Park is not in a high injury corridor upon which DDOT has to focus.  We can tweak conditions and signage to address problems but can’t address concerns in a comprehensive way. 
  • Preparation for increased traffic related to redevelopment of RFK site? – We will have lots of engagement on RFK traffic issues but it’s early in the process and DDOT is just getting started. 
  • What’s the best way for ANC to interact with the kinds of things you need to hear from us? – Continue being our eyes and ears and boots on the ground in the micro environment.
  • Open Streets? – (CM Allen’s legislation is closing down the Open Streets Program).  DDOT is planning for enacting the legislation’s vision for closing select streets in the city for up to 24 hours each week to become pedestrian plazas to create more places like the downtown Holiday Market and Eastern Market in hopes of replicating the Eastern Market’s success in activating street life. 
  • Kershbaum also defended DDOT’s record on sidewalk repairs saying the 270 day repair wait time is a meaningless service level because DDOT responds on the basis of how hazardous the sidewalk conditions are and aims to fix very hazardous conditions within days and less hazardous within 60 to 90 days, whereas much fixing less hazardous conditions can stretch into months. 
  • She also cited development of a pilot program to replace brick sidewalks with stamped concrete sections.  She was uncertain about the Historic Preservation aspects of that proposal.  

Brent School Renovation.  And so it begins.  Last week, this heavy equipment was photographed demolishing the playground at Brent School – apparently the first step in the forthcoming renovation.  The school is located at 3rd and North Carolina SE. Photo credit:  Bob Gellman

Here’s an architect’s rendering of the finished project.  Demolition will be complete by the end of the year and construction of the new building will begin thereafter.  The raze-and-construction timeline anticipates that the new building will be ready to open in the fall of 2027.

Elbows Up is an expression used in sports like ice hockey and boxing generally meaning someone should be ready for a fight and be prepared to hit back.  This message is being displayed at a house on 10th Street, SE.  There are plenty of applications, it seems. 

This is worthy of your attention.  Miracle Theater on Barracks Row is showing what many consider one of the greatest films ever made – Citizen Kane.  7:00pm, Wednesday and Friday night,  July 16 and 18. 

The Week Ahead…

Highlight:  Monday:  ANC6B Parks and Public Service Task Force discusses Dogs off-leash in parks and Rumsey Pool rebuild.  See below.

Monday, July 14

ANC6B’s Parks and Public Service Task Force will hold an in person meeting at 7:00pm.

The meeting will be held on the second floor of 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.  The entrance is next to the Trader Joe’s. 

Among items on the draft agenda: 

  • Dogs Off-leash in Parks.
  • Open Public School Playgrounds.
  • Park Identification Process (and “adoptions” by committee members).
  • Adoption of Mission Statement, Working Procedures.
  • Rumsey Pool Rebuild.
  • Throne Restroom on Eastern Market Metro Park.
  • Garfield Park and Underpass Update.
  • Signage in Garfield Park.
  • Open Streets Review.
  • Future agenda items?   Thoughts on furthering work of the Committee?

Wednesday, July 16

ANC6A Economic Development and Zoning Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

Among items on the draft agenda: 

  • 828 12th Street, NE; The scope of the project is to construct a penthouse with roof deck to an existing, semi-detached, two-story plus basement, principal dwelling unit in the RF-1 zone. The proposed project would remove a turret to allow for the remodeling of the residential property. The relief requested is for a Special Exception. 
  • 628 15th Street NE; The scope of the project is to construct a new, detached, two-story, accessory dwelling unit in the RF-1 zone. The proposed 2-story accessory structure would accommodate a 2bedroom secondary dwelling at the rear of the property. The relief requested is for a Special Exception Pursuant To The minimum vehicle parking requirements.
  • 916 D Street NE; The proposed project is to add a front porch to an existing single family dwelling in Zone RF-1. The potential applicant is pursuing zoning relief as a Special Exception re Lot Occupancy. The stated maximum lot occupancy is 60%; the potential applicant is requesting 66%. 

ANC7D Transportation and Public Space Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 6:30pm. 

Among items on the draft agenda:  TBA

Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:

Monday, July 14

Mayor Bowser to Cut Ribbon on Eastern Market Store at Reagan National Airport.

On Monday, July 14 at 11 am, Mayor Muriel Bowser and District leaders will be joined by partners to officially open the first-ever, government-owned Eastern Market retail store at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.  This event is not open to the public.

The DC Office of Cable Television will provide a live feed of this event. To view the event, visit mayor.dc.gov/live, tune in on Channel 16 (DCN), https://bit.ly/4lzgJrK

Tuesday, July 15

Opening:  Capitol Hill Art League Holds Flora & Fauna Show

The Capitol Hill Art League (CHAL) presents its latest Art Exhibition, themed “Flora and Fauna”, at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) located at 547 7th Street, S.E. Washington, DC, 20003. The show will be on display in the CHAW Gallery, from July 15 through August 22, 2025.  The selected works of art include a wide range of media, including painting, photography and mixed media.

There will be an opening reception from 5:30-7:00 pm, on Saturday, July 19, at CHAW, where juror Sondra N. Arkin, will discuss the selected artist works and award prizes.

Washington D.C. artist, Sondra Arkin’s work explores space, connections, and boundaries in both paintings and sculpture. Her work is exhibited in galleries, museums, private, corporate and public collections here and abroad. http://www.sondranarkin.com 

Ongoing:

Actions to Fight for a Better RFK Stadium Deal

  • RFK: Fight for a Better Stadium Deal

2 Comments

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2 responses to “The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week”

  1. Daniel Buck
    July 15, 2025 at 12:13 pm

    Just noticed this graf: “Open Streets? – (CM Allen’s legislation is closing down the Open Streets Program). DDOT is planning for enacting the legislation’s vision for closing select streets in the city for up to 24 hours each week to become pedestrian plazas to create more places like the downtown Holiday Market and Eastern Market in hopes of replicating the Eastern Market’s success in activating street life.”

    Something is missing here. “Allen’s legislation is closing down the Open Streets Program,” and “DDOT is planning for enacting the legislation’s vision for closing select streets . . . .”

    Allen is closing the program and DDOT is expanding it, or what?

    (Ed. note: Details here https://bit.ly/466zs94 It appears the replacement plazas would replace the mile long street closures like the one a couple of weeks ago that stretched from 6th Street and Independence to 17th and Massachusetts.)

    • Daniel Buck
      July 16, 2025 at 9:33 am

      The posted link is to a Charles Allen press release written in arcane jabberwocky. Does anyone speak English out there?

      For example: “The PLAZA Act (Public Life and Activity Zones Amendment Act) would require DDOT to identify three stretches of road the District could open to pedestrians and close to traffic for a total of 24 hours over the course of a week. DDOT would then hold community meetings and solicit feedback. The first street would begin this modified closure after Oct. 1, 2026, with DDOT providing grants to assist in the implementation. The remaining two streets would be incorporated into DC’s long-term multimodal planning document, moveDC. If the change proves popular, the bill includes a way to permanently close the street.” 

      I would prefer we make the sidewalks safe for pedestrians, which are now moped raceways, before we smother ourselves in a “long-term multimodel planning document.”