East City Bookshop – 645 PA Avenue, SE – welcomes Capitol Hill author Louis Bayard to discuss his book, The Wildes, tonight, September 21, at 6:00pm. Hybrid Event: Louis Bayard in conversation with WP and CBS critic Ron Charles.
ABOUT THE WILDES
“From the bestselling author of The Pale Blue Eye, Louis Bayard, comes Atonement meets The Paris Wife, a brilliantly original, profoundly empathetic story about Oscar Wilde’s wife Constance and their two sons in the aftermath of the famous playwright’s imprisonment for homosexuality, told against the backdrop of Victorian England and World War I.” East City Bookshop press release.
The Church of God’s stained glass will remain covered. Last Wednesday, residents living near World Mission Society Church of God at 701 A Street NE unhappy that the church covered up the stained glass windows, pressured ANC6C to continue the effort to restore the public visibility of the windows. Those windows, with the sanction of the city’s Chief Building Officer (CBO) are obscured from public view by opaque coverings which the CBO has deemed “storm windows.” As such, their installation does not require a building permit, thus avoiding review by the Historic Preservation Office (HPO). Last February, ANC6C appealed the CBO storm window definition, but the CBO confirmed the decision.
The neighbors wanted the ANC to appeal the CBO decision to the Office of Planning, claiming that covering the windows is in violation of the intent of the Mayor’s Agent who – earlier – had ordered the windows restored after the church had removed them claiming their faith prohibit religious imagery.
The protestations of Commissioner Jay Adelstein and of neighbors pushing to restore the character of the neighborhood were not enough to convince a majority of the commission to move to appeal the storm windows decision. A motion to ask the Office of Planning for an HPO review of the decision to defeated, 2 – 3 – 2.
The ANC then agreed to a motion by ANC6C Chair Mark Eckenweiler to send a letter to CBO and HPO asking them to close the regulatory loophole which permitted the opaque storm windows to be installed and asking that the regulations be clarified to make sure there is never a repetition. The vote was 7 – 0 – 0.
ICYMI – Frager’s Garden Center and Foliage by Frager’s are taking over the former Hype Café at 1129 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. They hope to open by the holidays.
Georgetown Optician at 660 Pennsylvania Avenue was robbed late Tuesday or early Wednesday morning. This is the scene circa 8:00am Wednesday morning.
ICYMI. Signage announcing Sahara Market and Café is “coming soon” to the space formerly occupied by The Cupboard Market at 1504 East Capitol Street.
This weekend, the National Museum of the American Indian hosted an event featuring artists creating folk art made in Mexico. Here’s an example of Alebrijes – folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures – a tradition which started in the 1930s in Mexico. Sculptures made in Oaxaca, Mexico, are carved from the copal tree. The pieces created by Oscar Becerra-Mora, one of which is shown here, are made from papier-mâché. For more, including a giant Alebrijes by Becerra-Mora, see here: https://mccdenver.org/alebrije-xolotl-dios-perro/
And here’s an image of a Yarn Painting by Cilao Valadez of the Wixarika tribe in Mexico, made by pressing brightly colored yarn onto resin-coated wood or papier-mâché. The works are created, adhering to an ancient Pre-Columbian tradition – and used as offerings sacrificed in ceremonies in which deified ancestors are asked to answer prayers. In the before times, colorful feathers were used instead of yarn. Cilao Valadez is a widely recognized master of the tradition who demonstrated the creation of pieces this weekend at the National Museum of the American Indian. See more here: https://cilauvaladez.com/
The Week Ahead…
Monday, September 16
ANC6A Transportation & Public Space Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
Florida Avenue NE Streetscape Project Update. The Florida Avenue NE Streetscape Project outreach team will provide updates to this project scheduled for completion in October 2024.
H Street NE Bus Priority Project. Mr. Zack Gambetti-Mendez, H Street Bus Priority Project Manager, and Mr. David Lipscomb, DDOT Curbside Manager will present data from Pick-Up/Drop-Off (PUDO) zone and short-term parking pilot projects as it relates to the H Street Bus Priority Project. Commissioner Gove has also requested an update on timing of the project as well as possibilities for added green space in the curb extensions.
Traffic calming on 11th Street NE from East Capitol Street to Florida Avenue NE. Commissioners Gove and Shapiro have requested an update from DDOT on plans for traffic calming installation that are over a year old. This is following a third collision with a parked vehicle affecting the same neighbor on the 700-block of 11th Street NE.
Intersection of 11th Street NE/East Capitol Street/Massachusetts Avenue NE. Commissioner Gove has requested an update from DDOT on signage plans to clear up the confusing lane assignments on westbound East Capitol Street at the northwest corner of Lincoln Park turning south onto 11th Street NE.
Request for an all-way stop sign at the intersection of Tennessee Avenue NE and 14th Street NE. Commissioner Wethington has requested an ANC letter of support for an all way stop sign at this intersection. DDOT’s TSI 2.0 Dashboard indicates 5 TSIs for Future Consideration dating from June 2022 through March 2024 related to traffic speed and volume. NOTE: DDOT has paused TSI prioritization for this quarter (July September 2024) to refine the TSI program with a goal of resuming an improved program on October 1, 2024.
New Business.
Request for an all-way stop sign at the intersection of Tennessee Avenue NE & E Street NE. Commissioner Dooling has requested an ANC letter of support for an allway stop sign at this intersection. DDOT’s TSI 2.0 Dashboard indicates 11 TSIs for Future Consideration dating from January 2023 through August 2024 related to traffic speed, poor field of view at the intersection, and bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Consideration of converting 1400-block of G Street NE to one-way. Commissioner Dooling has requested a letter of support for converting the 1400-block of G Street NE to a one-way street, following discussion of specific direction among the community.
Restoration of raised crosswalk at 14th and E Streets NE. Commissioners Gove and Wethington have requested an update from DDOT on the status of the restoration of this crosswalk following repaving that occurring in 2023.
Public Space Permit application #453622.
ANC6B Parks and Public Spaces Taskforce will hold an in person meeting at 7:00pm.
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Second Floor, Conference Room 3 (Main Entrance Adjacent to Trader Joe’s)
Agenda: TBA.
ANC6D Transportation Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
EDZ Recommended / ANC Supported / BZA Approved Zoning Adjustment Application for 813 7th Street, NE. To construct a detached, two-story accessory garage with accessory dwelling to an existing, attached, two-story with cellar, principal dwelling unit in the RF-1 zone.
EDZ Suggested /ANC Supported /BZA Approved Zoning Adjustment Application for 1252 H Street NE. To construct a rear addition to an existing, attached, two-story with basement, principal dwelling unit in the RF-1 zone.
New Business:
910 12th Street, NE. Zoning Adjustment Application to construct a third story with roof deck and a three-story with cellar rear addition, to an existing, attached, two-story with cellar, principal dwelling unit in the RF-1 zone.
Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:
Monday, September 16th
7:30pm. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Capitol Hill.
The Capitol Hill Chamber Music Festival returns with Renaissance Psalms, Irish Baroque & Folk: 1630, 1730 & 1830 featuring guitar and flute. Suggested donation: $20-30. 18 and under free. More details available at https://chcmf.org/dc.html
Wednesday, September 18th, 7:30 pm
7:30pm. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Capitol Hill.
Piano duo SONET, featuring two of Armenia’s best pianists, will be performing works by Mozart, Schubert, Poulenc, Tchaikovsky, Faure, & Khachaturian. For more info or to purchase tickets ($45, also available at the door), visit eventbrite.com https://bit.ly/4gjhouW
Saturday, September 21st, 7:00 pm
7:30pm. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Capitol Hill.
The Washington Bach Consort performs Bach’s masterful Saint Matthew Passion. Considered by many to be the composer’s greatest surviving work, it displays a meticulous formal symmetry in addition to being a work of deepest emotional expression. Both performers and audiences are profoundly affected by this work long after first experiencing it. Tickets: $45-99, $20 for those under 40, $10 for those 18 and under. Limited seats available. https://bachconsort.org/events/bach-st-matthew-passion/
Sunday, September 22nd, 7:30 pm
The final performance of the Capitol Hill Chamber Music Festival is titled Songs Without Words: 1550-1750 and features flute and viola da gamba. Suggested donation: $20-30. 18 and under free. More details available at https://chcmf.org/dc.html
Saturday, September 21.
H Street Festival from noon until 7 pm.
Capitol Hill Montessori School Launches First Ever On Line Auction
Ongoing: – now through October 25th.
“We currently have donations from more than 100 local businesses and CHML families, and more items are being added daily. Bidding is open on gift cards for a variety of restaurants, fitness classes, photography sessions, sports and theater tickets, apparel, camps, music lessons, and more. Exciting offerings include dinner for two at a Michelin starred restaurant, a weekend in the Shenandoah, an educational tour with Anacostia Riverkeeper, sleepaway camp, and private soccer sessions. Bidders can also score gift cards for local casual dining great for families.
The auction runs through CHML’s Fall Festival on October 25th, where things will really heat up with a *live auction* for some seriously amazing prizes—think suite box tickets for Capitals games, a chance to see Cyndi Lauper, and *just in time for Christmas*… Mariah Carey tickets! We will also be hosting a silent auction featuring incredible classroom-wide projects that our students will be working on between now and the Fall Festival.”
Here’s a schematic showing the location of the two new proposed correctional facilities on Reservation 13. The boundary marked in blue approximately corresponds to the schematic and locates the area on the aerial photo where the new buildings will be built. On the diagram, the red X designates the current Central Detention Facility (CDF}, the DC Jail. The grey building below the blue buildings is the current Central Treatment Facility (CTF). The blue building on the left is the new CDF and on the right, the new CTF. They will front Massachusetts Avenue, SE.
Update & 10 Year Timeline for New DC Jail and the Correctional Treatment Facility
by Larry Janezich
Posted September 13, 2024
Last Monday, ANC6B heard Michelle Wilson, Deputy Director of the DC Department of Corrections (DOC) deliver a presentation on the plan to replace both the DC Jail and the associated Correctional Treatment Facility with two new buildings on Reservation 13. Currently both facilities face serious sanitary, health, and infrastructure issues. At present there are over 2000 residents being held at the two facilities.
Wilson told the ANC that their data shows that 60% of the population suffer from some form of mental illness and that 30% have serious mental illness. Also, 90% of the individuals coming in to the facility have or have previously suffered from PTSD.
She said, “…we are very mindful that we are a correctional institution, we’re not a psychiatric institution or anything of that nature…we’re a jail – we need to address the needs of the individuals coming in to our care and custody…. Our goal is as soon as you enter we are preparing you for release and reentry into the community.” While the new facilities are for men, the DOC is also renovating the Women’s’ Center.
Construction of the new buildings will proceed in two phases; first will be replacement of the existing Central Treatment Facility for residents with mental and behavioral health issues at a cost of $463 million spread over six years which the Mayor has requested in the FY 25 budget. The second building would replace the DC Central Detention Facility (DC Jail) and has not been funded yet, as costs are still being estimated. The buildings will be located at 1901 Massachusetts Avenue., SE. The DOC says that they are taking the approach that the buildings should not look like a jail.
Here’s the tentative timeline:
Groundbreaking for building 1 – first quarter 2027
First new building occupied – third quarter of 2030
Construction of Building 2 starts – first quarter 2031
NE/SE Library Book Sale Saturday, 9/14, 10am – 3pm
by Larry Janezich
Posted September 13, 2024
The Friends of the Southeast Library (FOSEL) together with the Friends of the Northeast Library (FONEL) will hold a joint book sale this Saturday, September 14, 2024. The sale will be at the Northeast Library at 7th & Maryland Avenues NE.
The sale begins when the library opens at 10:00 am. We begin to pack up around 2:45 pm and are done by 3:00 pm. The sale is on the lower level of the library.
Entrance to the sale is through the library (and down the stairs or elevator).
In general, we have new and mostly used books of all types, including children’s books, fiction, best sellers, non-fiction, cookbooks mysteries, science, science fiction, romance, religion, history, biography, self-help, classics, travel, etc. We still have some CDs, but we are moving beyond that technology.
Proceeds benefit local libraries, especially the Southeast Library, the Northeast Library, and the DC Library.
And remember, NO text books, NO casebooks, NO magazines, NO foreign language books, NO outdated computer books, NO encyclopedias. We are no longer taking CDs or DVDs.
We hope to continue with book sales on the Second Saturday of each month
Got the ability to recirculate this message on other lists? That would be much appreciated.
Reminder: Tonight’s Live Concert at Eastern Market Metro Plaza features The Love Station at 5:30pm.
by Larry Janezich
Posted September 13, 2024
The Love Station launched in 1975 to create music and tell love stories and has been on the DC soul music scene since the 80s. The concert series comes to Eastern Market Metro Plaza through the efforts of Barracks Row Main Street and the Department of Parks and Recreation. CM Charles Allen secured funding in the current FY DC Budget to program the performance space at the Plaza. Here’s a link to some of Love Station’s music. https://soundcloud.com/the1lovestation
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List of ANC Candidates for ANCs on or Near Capitol Hill
by Larry Janezich
Posted September 9, 2024
Here’s a list of the candidates seeking seats on the five ANCs regularly covered by Capitol Hill Corner: ANCs 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, and 7D. There have been a few surprise developments.
Commissioner Edward Ryder, commissioner and current Chair of ANC6B (after announcing his retirement in June) launched a write in campaign for his seat since no candidate emerged.
In 6C03, incumbent Commissioner Jay Adelstein was being challenged but on September 3, the DC Board of Elections ruled to deny ballot access to his challenger – Rasheedah Hasan – for not having the required number of valid petition signatures.
Over in ANC6D, longtime head of the DC Office of ANCs Gottlieb Simon is running unopposed for the seat currently held by long-serving commissioner Ron Collins, who is retiring.
Four seats are being contested:
6B06 (incumbent Commissioner Chander Jayaraman is retiring)
6D01 (incumbent Commissioner Bob Link is being challenged)
7D01 (incumbent Commissioner Sirraj Hasan is retiring)
7D07 (incumbent Commissioner Brett Astman is being challenged)
Four seats have no candidates: 6B04, 6B05, 6C01 and 7D02.
Incumbents on the list are marked with an asterisk.
ANC6A
6A01 Paul Spires (Commissioner Keya Chatterjee is retiring)
6A02 Mike Velasquez *
6A03 Roberta Shapiro*
6A04 Amber Gove*
6A05 David Wethington*
6A06 Jeff Giertz (Commissioner Robb Dooling is retiring)
6A07 Stephen Kolb (Commissioner Steve Moilanen is retiring)
ANC6B
6B01 Tyler Wolanin (Commissioner Frank Avery is retiring)
6B02 Gerald Jerry Sroufe*
6B03 David Sobelsohn*
6B04 (NO CANDIDATE – (Commissioner Frank D’Andrea is retiring)
6B05 (NO CANDIDATE – (Commissioner Kasie Durkit is retiring)
6B06 Burl Haigwood (Commissioner Chander Jayaraman is retiring)
6B06 Anna Krebs (Commissioner Chander Jayaraman is retiring)
6B07 Vince Mareino*
6B08 (Commissioner Edward Ryder* has launched a write in campaign)
6B09 Karen Hughes (Commissioner Matt LaFortune is retiring)
ANC6C
6C01 (NO CANDIDATE – Commissioner Cristy Kwan is retiring)
6C02 Karen J. Wirt (Commissioner Leslie Merkle is retiring)
6C03 Jay Adelstein*
6C04 Mark Eckenwiler*
6C05 Daniela Kelley McInerney (Commissioner Joel Kelty is retiring)
6C06 Andrew R. Hayes (Commissioner Patricia Eguino is retiring)
6C07 Tony T Goodman*
ANC6D
6D01 Bob Link*
6D01 Marquell Merlin (challenging candidate)
6D02 Gottlieb Simon (Commissioner Ron Collins is retiring)
6D03 Gail Fast*
6D04 Andrea M. Pawley*
6D05 Chearie Phelps-EL*
6D06 Bruce Levine*
6D07 Fredrica (“Rikki”) Kramer*
6D08 Rhonda N. Hamilton*
ANC7D
7D01 Charles Boston (Commissioner Sirraj Hasen is retiring)
7D01 Joshua Taborn (Commissioner Sirraj Hasen is retiring)
7D02 (NO INCUMBENT, NO CANDIDATE)
7D03 Artilie Wright (Commissioner Wendell Felder is retiring)
7D04 Mike Davis*
7D05 Ebony Payne*
7D06 Marc Friend*
7D07 Brett Astmann*
7D07 Ivory Gaskins (challenging candidate)
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Here’s an update on the Palestinian House of Freedom at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. According to their website, “We are a new Washington-based non-profit organization dedicated to educating Americans on Palestine.
Mission: We will embark on an aggressive educational campaign targeting everyone from lawmakers, staffers, the media, to the general public to show how dismantling apartheid and establishing a free democratic Palestine from the River to the Sea with equal rights, is the path to peace and will benefit all parties involved.”
Among the board members, the website lists Andy Shallal, best known according to Wiki as founder and CEO of the chair of restaurant-bookstore-performance venues, Busboys and Poets. He was a candidate for DC mayor in 2014. He came in fifth. For more, go here: https://www.daralhurriya.org/
Tuesday night, Michael Skinner (left) President of Mott’s Market Neighborhood LLC and Payton Sherwood, the vendor and operator of the new Capitol Hill’s Mott’s Market, appeared before ANC6B’s Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Committee in support of a Tavern License that would allow Mott’s Market to serve beer, wine, and spirits at the proposed backyard summer garden and the sidewalk café. The Market is owned by 90 community members and the liquor license application received overwhelming support from the community. The committee approved the application unanimously and placed it on the consent agenda for the full committee’s meeting on Monday, September 9.
“Joey’s on Barracks Row” at 527 8th Street abruptly closed its doors on Friday. The restaurant opened last January. The sign in the window says “Closed for Vacation.” A reliable source tells CHC this – as the legacy media would say – is a developing story. More later.
District Doughnut at 749 8th Street, Barracks Row, has temporarily closed all three of its District Outlets (Barracks Row, TheWharf, and Union Market). The sign on the door says,
“To our customers:
District Doughnut has some exciting news to share in a few weeks.
We are taking a break till then!! Thank you for your patience and understanding while we get ready for the next chapter of District Doughnut!”
This, too, is a developing story.
Miel Medical Marijuana Dispensary at 727 8th Street, SE, opened for business on Friday. They are offering a 20% discount on first visit purchases. Here’s their website: https://mielwellness.com/
Here’s a photo of a piece in the National Museum of American Art: American Voices and Visions, Modern and Contemporary Art. It’s by Firelei Baez, Untitled, 2022. From the label: “Beneath the swirling streams of paint lies an image of the Atlas Historique, a map created in 1718 to document the recently conquered European colonies. Charting the farthest reaches of human knowledge at that time, the Atlas joined the earth, the solar system, and the constellations into one view.”
The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week
by Larry Janezich
Posted September 8, 2024
Monday, September 9
ANC6B will hold a hybrid meeting at 7:00pm
The meeting location will be 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE; First Floor (entry adjacent to Trader Joe’s).
Submission of Suggested EV Charging Locations to DOEE.
Letters Regarding School Pickup/Dropoff Issues on 11th Street, SE.
DDOT
Digital Pioneers Academy
Letter to DDOT Requesting Resident-Only Parking on the 1300 Block of Ives Place, SE
Community & Commission Announcements and Speak Out.
Anacostia River Watershed Society 6B Tour
Presentations
Presentation from the Anacostia River Watershed Society
Eric DeBear, Department of Corrections Hill East Planned Correctional Building
Mott’s Market, 233 12th Street SE, new Retailer Class “B” Beer & Wine Store license.
Mott’s Market, 233 12th Street SE, new Retailer Class “C” Tavern license.
Saint Georges, 301 7th Street SE, new Retailer Class “C” Restaurant license.
Bud Love, 1221 Pennsylvania Ave SE; New Medical Cannabis Retailer license.
High Demand, 511 11th Street SE; New Medical Cannabis Retailer license.
Radici Market, Substantial Change application to change the location of the liquor license to 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE; Request for approval of a stipulated license.
530 5th Street SE Project: Zoning Adjustment Application to construct a two-story plus cellar rear addition, to an existing, attached, two-story with cellar, principal dwelling unit in the RF-1/CAP zone.
530 5th Street SE Project: Historic Preservation Application to construct a two-story plus cellar rear addition, to an existing, attached, two-story with cellar, principal dwelling unit in the RF-1/CAP zone.
Discussion Item: Strategies for Increasing Committee and Task Force Resident Member Participation.
Bylaw Amendment #1: Proposal to Remove Resident Member SMD Residency Requirement for ANC Committees & Task Forces.
Bylaw Amendment #2: Proposal to remove the term limit for the Chair of the ANC.
Discussion Item: Request for Authorization of Commissioner Mareino to Conduct a “Clean Up” Review of the ANC Standing Rules for Commission Approval at a Future Meeting.
Mayor’s Office of Community Relations & Services (MOCRS) Ward 7 Representative.
Office of Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray Casework Representative.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Representatives (THRIVE, 1D, 5D, 6D all invited).
Plenary session:
Missed Alley Trash Collections by DC DPW. Proposed Motion: Commission to send a letter to DPW concerning missed collections.
Rosedale Recreation Center Malfunctioning Alarm. Proposed Motion: Commission to send a letter to DC DGS requesting prompt repair of malfunctioning alarm.
Notice of Intent: East Capitol & 16th Street NE Proposed Motion: Commission to send a letter to DDOT to support & recommend further traffic safety improvements at East Capitol and 16th Streets, NE.
622 Massachusetts Avenue, NE. Historic Preservation Application. Opposition.
Plenary Matters
Transportation and Public Space Committee
TBD
Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee
700 A Street, NE. Proposed letter to DOB, cc to HPO. (World Mission Society Church of God.)
627 A Street, NE. Bureau of Zoning Adjustment Application. (BZA 21163).
Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:
Thursday, September 12, 7:00pm.
Rachel Louise Snyder, Women We Buried, Women We Burned.
East City Bookshop 645 Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast 7:00pm.
East City Bookshop welcomes Rachel Louise Snyder to discuss her book, Women We Buried, Women We Burned, for its paperback release. Kirkus Best Nonfiction Title of 2023.
Note on Format: This hybrid event will have both an in-person component with limited seating as well as a virtual broadcast via Zoom Webinar. Both in-person and virtual attendees will be able to pose questions to the authors during audience Q&A.
ANC6B Commissioner and ANC6B Chair Edward Ryder. Photo: Edward Ryder
ANC6B Chair Edward Ryder Reconsiders – Will Run After All
By Larry Janezich
Posted September 6, 2024
Edward Ryder, Chair of ANC6B announced in June that he would not seek reelection, citing his likely relocation outside of his Single Member District (SMD). After the deadline passed for candidates to file papers to get on the ballot for the November election, and no candidate emerged, Ryder reconsidered and at the end of August announced he would launch a write in campaign to continue to represent SMD 6B08.
CHC asked Ryder why he changed his mind.
“At the end of the day there are a few reasons I decided to run a write in campaign. While I am still planning to move, I’m still hopeful that I find something in my SMD (though that’s not guaranteed). I was hoping to find someone willing to run for 6B08 in case I didn’t find something in 6B08, and I thought it was better to find someone willing to run than run and have to step down if I moved out of the SMD. Since I’ve not found anyone willing to run, I’m thinking it’s probably better to run myself than have a vacancy. There are few reasons for that – firstly I want to ensure our neighborhood still has an active voice in 6B. I also want to ensure resident members are appointed to our committees. I really don’t want there to be a lapse in any of the progress that has been made on a number of things in my neighborhood, especially the inroads I’ve made with DCHA and getting Potomac Gardens and Hopkins some needed attention. Another big reason is the very high turnover of 6B commissioners and current lack of any administrative support. I felt that being on the commission I could help with continuity and help new commissioners start out on the right foot.
Even if, down the road, I do move out of the SMD and have to step down (which would then necessitate a special election), I felt it better to keep 6B08 represented in the meantime. It also might buy me some time to encourage others to step up and run if a special election is going to happen at some point.”
The latest in Mama Joon’s restaurant/carryout chain is opening at 404 8th Street, Barracks Row, “soon.” The former Sweet Lobby is being renovated for Persian carryout.
From the Maman Joon website: “We take pride in creating authentic Persian food that reflects our heritage. Our ingredients are always fresh, most of our spices come from Iran, and our menu is lovingly prepared using our treasured family recipes.”
Maman Joon translates to “Dear Mom” – a familiar and respectful form of address in Farsi..
This will be the sixth outlet for the chain, owned by Peter Tabibian and Kevin Ejtemai. The other locations are in Columbia Heights, Tenleytown, Mclean, Tyson’s Corner, and Olney.
New Jersey Avenue, SE, with the US Capitol at the end of the street, is a prime location for illegal use of residential properties. Last September, on a community walk of the area with CM Charles Allen, Commissioner Frank Avery said that he and neighbors have identified at least 22 corporate owned properties located on New Jersey Avenue, 1st Street, D Street, and 2nd Street, SE. See here: https://bit.ly/45p2pJv ANC6C submitted a list of 29 residences to DOB in close-in NE which they say are being used for commercial purposes. Here’s the list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IBief7ir5EwNahtjvkTxY6CUc2Y7cq4mV1Ht5XvigNs/edit#gid=0
Mayor’s Order Stops Enforcement of Illegal Commercial Use of Residences
by Larry Janezich
Posted Wednesday, September 4
At a community meeting on June 17th, Department of Buildings Director Brian Hanlon told CM Charles Allen, ANC6B Commissioner Frank Avery, Commissioner Jerry Sroufe, and some ten concerned community members that DOB had been instructed directly by the city administrator to cease enforcement actions against use of residences for commercial purposes.
The problem is acute in neighborhoods near the Capitol in both Southeast and Northeast. Here, corporations, non-profits, and lobbyists use residences for offices and fund raising events, changing the character of the neighborhoods and disrupting the quality of life for neighbors bringing in unwelcome issues like extra traffic, scarce parking, excessive noise, and post-party trash sitting on the curb waiting – sometimes for days – to be picked up. Zoning laws generally prohibit use of residential properties for commercial purposes.
Asked to comment on Director Hanlon’s statement, CM Allen replied, “I appreciate the candor and honesty from Mr. Hanlon, but I am deeply frustrated that he’s been ordered by the Mayor to stand down and stop enforcement of these illegal uses. We continue to see residential properties in our neighborhoods snapped up and used for commercial and business uses. That’s not just eroding the residential character of a neighborhood, but it’s also allowing businesses to cheat the District out of tax revenue. With these schemes, they pay lower residential property tax and skip out of the required licensing and registration that we ask of every other local business. It violates the law and it’s simply not fair. Since the Mayor has ordered her staff not to enforce the law, that leaves neighbors and ANCs to fend for themselves with one hand tied behind their back. I’ve talked with Commissioners and neighbors about ideas ranging from bringing in the Attorney General or using the Courts, but without enforcement actions from the Mayor’s office, everything will be much harder than it should be.”
The meeting, which was held at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, was organized by ANC6B Commissioner Frank Avery whose single member district lies closest to the Capitol in SE.
Avery says, “I offered the Director the meeting only after he/the agency failed to adhere to DC law requiring an acknowledgement and response to letters from ANCs 6B an 6C to the agency asking for a response on the issue regarding the multitude of addresses (in violation of the regulations) previously provided, and the director personally committing to assisting.
It seems the agency, based on Director Hanlon’s address to neighbors, is operating under a misguided view that enforcement of any kind – from voluntary compliance to issuing basic notices of infraction – are a threat to statehood and congressional relations in ‘the current environment.’ This could be true, except many of these complaints and concerns go back years and years, well before the recent concerns about the political environment on the Hill.”
ANC Commissioner Jerry Sroufe reported after the meeting that “there was considerable agitation about the lack of action or even a plan for action, (with Hanlon) being forced to talk much about resources, structures, and processes. There was also considerable agitation for a community mobilization or legal challenge to the city.”
ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee will discuss the issue at its virtual meeting Thursday night – September 5th – at 7:00pm. Here’s a link with info on how to join the meeting: https://anc6b.org/
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 