CAPITOL HILL CORNER

Book Talk on Capitol Hill’s Legendary Ruth Rappaport – Northeast Library, Thursday, Oct 10

by Larry Janezich

Capitol Hill resident Ruth Rappaport had a remarkable life and career.  Author Kate Stewart – a third-generation librarian – will discuss her book, A Well-Read Woman: The Life, Loves, and Legacy of Ruth Rappaport at 7:30pm on Thursday, October 10, at Northeast Library.

Rapport’s story spans from her childhood in Germany where she was a witness to the devastation of Kristallnacht and a Leipzig book burning to her death in 2010 after retiring from the Library of Congress in the early 1990s.  She worked as an editor of Seattle’s Jewish Transcript, a press photographer for Acme News, and as photo archivist for the Foreign Press Office for the fledgling state of Israel.  She managed libraries for the U.S. Air Force in Okinawa and for the U.S. Army in Saigon.  In 1970 she quit working for the military and went to work for the Library of Congress.

Her first job at the LOC was cataloging the FBI’s collection of confiscated books deemed pornographic or erotic.  Rapport spent a life time fighting censorship and supporting human rights.  She was one of the organizers behind the Library of Congress Professional Guild, a task undertaken when workers felt unfairly burdened by management quotas for cataloging books.  The “loves” in the sub-title refer to details from Rappaport’s journal – which also tells a larger story of gender inequality in a world where the double standard was the standard.

Rappaport continued to be active in the community after retirement, becoming a founding member of Capitol Hill Village and of Hill Havurah on Capitol Hill.  She died in 2010 and her memorial bench is located in Congressional Cemetery.

Everyone Home DC (formerly Capitol Hill Group Ministry) awards the Ruth Rappaport Wisdom Award annually to recognize an individual who “has displayed remarkable warmth, wisdom, and commitment to the Capitol Hill Community.”

Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing.

Emilie’s – A Trendy New Capitol Hill Restaurant – Opens Tuesday, October 10

by Larry Janezich

Emilie’s, Chef Kevin Tien’s upscale eclectic restaurant coming to the new Frager’s Building at 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, is set to open next Tuesday.  The 5,175 s.f. restaurant will seat 110 in the dining areas and 48 in the lounge/bar.  An application for an 80 seat sidewalk café comes up before ANC6B this month and will likely open later in the year.  The main dining room will include at 10 seat communal table and an open kitchen layout with chef’s counter.

In recognition of Tien’s culinary imagination combining Asian, Latin American, and Southern flavors, his first restaurant – Himitsu – was named Eater’s Best New Restaurant in America in 2017 and one of America’s Best New Restaurants in 2017 by Bon Appetit.  Patrons of Emilie’s can expect the same bold approach to his cuisine.

The menu will feature large, family style plates and smaller a la carte menu choices.  In addition, diners will be offered small plate daily specials circulating through the dining area on carts – “tableside” dining.  The menu will change regularly, and feature products from a local community of producers, farmers and ranchers.

Capitol Hill’s latest celebrity chef, Tien is a veteran of Iron Chef Gauntlet and a Finalist in the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year, 2018.  He has cooked for chef Aaron Silverstein’s Pineapple and Pearls and chef Jose Andres’ Oyamel, among others. Tien, until recently, was the co- owner of the highly acclaimed Himitsu in Petworth and earlier this year, opened Hot Lola’s, a restaurant specializing in spicy chicken, in Ballston Quarter’s food hall, Quarter Market.

For his new restaurant concept, Tien partnered with the same restaurant group behind JINYA Ramen Bar, Sheesh Grill, and Hot Lola’s: Sam Shoja, restaurant expert;  developer Arris Noble, and inKind’s Johann Moonesinghe.

Initially, Emilie’s will be open for dinner service from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Lunch and brunch services will be added at a later date.  Reservations may be made at https://resy.com/cities/dc/emilies.

Status Report on Eastern Market Metro Park Development

By Larry Janezich

Last Wednesday, the Eastern Market Park Advisory Committee met at Southeast Library where the Department of General Services reported on the status of the $15 million plan to re-do the Metro Plaza and turn it into a community gathering space – activate it as a “town square.”  The session was directed by DGS former project manager Cassidy Mullen. The meetings are held monthly to brief the committee on progress and to receive feedback.

In summary, the community stakeholders comprising the committee, as well as residents who attended the meeting, learned:

• Construction will proceed in two phases, with phase 1 (playground and preliminary work around the metro entrance on Parcel 4) starting in the winter of 2020 and ending by Memorial Day 2020. Phase 2 will launch in October of 2020, with completion forecast for April of 2021. The final design is not complete, but that should have no impact on the construction schedule.
• The project design was presented to the DDOT Public Space Committee last week for preliminary review and will be back for a final review in late October.
• “Big George,” the landmark evergreen on Parcel 4 which commemorates the community contributions of George Didden of National Capital Bank, is on life support and will need to be replaced.
• An entertainment pavilion, fought for by the advisory committee, is in the plan for Parcel 4 (Metro entrance) but has not yet been designed.
• The Commission on Fine Arts has ok’d a shade structure as part of the playground on Parcel 1.
• DDOT has not yet approved a traffic study, but when it does, a Notice of Intent (NOI) will have to be issued, followed by a period for public comment.
• Project Manager Cassidy Mullen is turning over the project to a new manager, Diego Martinez, as Mullen takes on greater responsibilities in managing DGS’ project portfolio.

Advisory Committee member  Commissioner Jerry Sroufe, who represents ANC6B on the committee, distributed copies of a letter to city officials detailing ANC6B’s  concerns on behalf of the community.  Chief among these are 1) the lack of a finalized traffic study 2) the refusal of DGS to engage directly with the residents most affected by the reversal of traffic flow on D Street on the north side of the plaza, and 3) DDOT’s refusal to relocate the Starbucks’ bus stop to the eastern edge of Parcel 4 (Metro entrance).  Other concerns listed included the need to relocate the WMATA bike lockers currently at the northwest corner of Parcel 4, and implementing a photo metric study prior to finalizing the lighting plans in conjunction with reevaluating lighting plans for parcels 1, 3, and 4.

 

The Week Ahead…& a few photos from the Barracks Row Fall Festival

by Larry Janezich

Monday, September 30

CHRS Historic Preservation Committee meets at 6:30pm, Kirby House, 420 10th Street, SE.

Agenda not available at press time.

Tuesday, October 1

ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee meets at 7:00pm, at St. Coletta of Greater Washington, 1901 Independence Ave, SE.

Among items on the agenda:

1309 E Street, SE; Update existing MOU between 6B and Opal Development. [Proposed Changes Will Be Posted Before Meeting]

[Tentative] Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E Street, SE; Historic Preservation Application – One-side porch addition and associated paving.

328 Kentucky Avenue, SE; Application for Zoning Adjustment Application – Variance: special exception to construct a two-story, principal dwelling unit addition on an existing retail use building.

1421 D Street, SE; Zoning Adjustment Application – Special Exception; construct a rear and third-floor addition on an existing, attached principal dwelling unit.

333 9th Street, SE; Zoning Adjustment Application – Special Exception; construct a two-story rear addition.

339 9th Street SE; Historic Preservation Application – Rear 2-story addition and interior renovations.

411 New Jersey Avenue, SE; Historic Preservation Application for construction of two, three-story new townhouses, brick with mansards. [Plans to be updated before meeting]:

138 11th Street, SE; Zoning Adjustment Application – Special Exception: construct a two-story accessory structure at the rear of the existing detached principal dwelling unit.

138 11th Street, SE; Historic Preservation Application – New two-story garage on alley.

Emilie’s at 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Public Space Application for new sidewalk café.

716-718 L Street, SE; Zoning Adjustment Application – Special Exception; construct an addition to the existing detached building, and to convert it into a 18-unit apartment house.

& Pizza, 405 8th Street, SE; Zoning Adjustment Application – Minor Modification to extend fast food use for 10 additional years to 2029.

Eastern Market Metro Plaza Parks. Public Space Application.  Permanent improvements. Hearing Date: 10/15/2019 [Plans to be posted before meeting].

Zoning regulation amendments: short-term rentals – Petition from the Council of the District of Columbia proposing text amendments to authorize short-term rentals in residential zones as permitted under DC Law 22-307.

ANC6C Environment, Parks and Events Committee is scheduled to meet at 7:00pm at Capitol Hill Medical Center/Kaiser Permanente, 700 Second Street, NE

Agenda not available at press time.

Wednesday, October 2

ANC6B Transportation Committee will meet at 7:00pm, in the Conference Room, Ground Floor, The Yard 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE – entrance to 700 Penn is to the left of the Trader Joe’s entrance.

Among items on the agenda:

Update on Pennsylvania Avenue Bike Lane Study (Mike Goodno, DDOT Bicycle Program Specialist).

Resumption of discussion on 17th Street, SE Bike Lane & potential connections to Anacostia River Trail.

Traffic Calming/Control Requests for ANC 6B support.

6th & A Street all way stops (6B02) tentative.

11th & North Carolina Avenue signal timing (6B05) tentative.

11th & D Streets traffic calming (6B04).

11th & 395 traffic calming (6B07).

100 block North Carolina hump (6B01).

14th & A Streets SE all way stops (6B08).

17th & D Streets SE traffic calming (6B09).

Other:

Use of curb space at hydrants for bike racks.

Oversized truck camera for eastbound corner of 8th Street & Independence Avenue, SE.

ANC6C Planning Zoning and Economic Development committee is scheduled to meet at 6:30pm, Northeast Library, 7^th and D Streets, NE.

Among items on the draft agenda:

19 4th Street, (rear) NE; Zoning Adjustment Application –  Application of Hillsdale College for a two-year time extension of a special exception to permit a one-family dwelling unit in an existing structure on an alley lot.

Zoning regulation amendments: short-term rentals – Petition from the Council of the District of Columbia proposing text amendments to authorize short-term rentals in residential zones as permitted under DC Law 22-307.

Thursday, October 3

ANC6B’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee meets at 7:00pm in the Conference Room, Ground Floor, The Yard, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE – entrance to 700 Penn is to the left of the Trader Joe’s entrance.

Agenda:

UPDATE: District Soul Food Restaurant & Lounge, 500 8th Street, SE; Class “CR” Restaurant License Renewal.

Wisdom; 1432 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Class “C” Tavern License Renewal.

ANC 6C Transportation and Public Space Committee is scheduled to meet at 7:00pm, Kaiser Permanente Capitol Hill Medical Center, 700 2nd Street, NE.

Agenda not available at press time.

Friends of Southeast Library (FOSEL) meet at 5:30 in Southeast Library, lower level.

Agenda not available at press time.

Update on Eastern Market and Southeast Library

by Larry Janezich

Eastern Market – Speculation on the winner of the bid for the $300,000 grant from office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Development study on the future of Eastern Market is focusing on Nil Buras, principal at the Washington, DC firm of Urban Cloud – Classic Planning.  A decision has been made but not an announcement.  According to Eastern Market Manager Barry Margeson, the Department of General Services is in the process of finalizing the grant agreement for an October project start.  The purpose of the study is how to address the declining vitality of Eastern Market as a community center and resource, in the face of competition from new destinations such as Union Market, The Wharf, numerous farmers’ markets, as well as changing demographics and shopping habits.

Nir Buras is a Washington, DC, based PhD architect and planner with over 30 years of in-depth experience in strategic planning, architecture, and transportation design.  He has worked on the Washington DC Dulles Metro line, the US Capitol, and the Senate and House Office Buildings.  He is the author of “The Art of Classic Planning”– a critique of modern urban design and planning.  For more, see here:  https://classicplanning.wordpress.com/author/classicplanning/

More Eastern Market – Last Wednesday, the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) decided by a vote of 6 – 0 – 2, that the recently-incorporated Eastern Market Development and Preservation “Organization” does not represent “reconstitution” or revived” Eastern Market Preservation and Development Corporation (a duly incorporated entity now defunct) which under statute is entitled to a seat on EMCAC, thus denying the application of the newer organization for a seat on the board.  The vote was 6 – 0 – 2.  The motion to accept a committee recommendation that the application be denied, was made by EMCAC Chair Donna Scheeder, and included language recommending that EMCAC undertake a review of the statute governing Eastern Market to address how certain membership and process issues can be remedied legislatively.

Southeast Library – The selection committee for the new design for Southeast Library, headed up by DC Public Libraries Executive Director, Richard Reyes-Gavilan, heard am hour long presentations from each of four finalists on September 10^th and 11th.  The meeting was closed to the public, and participants had to sign non-disclosure agreements.  The selection committee will decide on the winner in late September or early October.  The winning design/build team will subsequently launch a period community involvement and hold a series of community meetings to solicit input from residents on the final design.

Construction on the $23.5 million renovation and the 2 year closing of the Southeast Library is scheduled to begin at the end of in 2021.  As of now, there is no plan for an interim library and some of the current programming will likely be held at the Northeast and Southeastwest Libraries.

The community is represented on the selection committee by ANC6B Commissioner Jerry Sroufe and Friends of Southeast Library President Neal Gregory.  The rest of the dozen or so members of the selection committee are DC Public Libraries personnel.

Trickling Springs Ceases Production – Will Close Outlets

by Larry Janezich

The Record Herald newspaper published in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, broke the news that Trickling Springs Creamery located in Chambersburg, PA, will close down plant operations today.

Trickling Springs has a dedicated customer base, attracted by the quality ice cream, milk and butter.  The 18 year old company has 100 employees and three retail outlets, including a stall at Union Market and a shop in the Hine Project across from Eastern Market.   These two will remain open for a short but indefinite time, presumably to dispose of inventory.

While a spokesman declined to comment on the reason for the closure, it may have been related to fraud allegations that stem from a lawsuit filed in late 2018.  See here:  https://www.dobs.pa.gov/For%20Media/Pages/Issued-Enforcement-Orders.aspx

Owners of Pennsylvania Avenue Building Move to Close In Arcade Housing Homeless – Part II

by Larry Janezich

Yesterday, workers began closing up the arcade that fronts the Bernstein Building (Citibank) at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.  The extension will come at the expense of a number of homeless who sleep under the arcade that will be filled in to extend the store fronts to the sidewalk.  The US Postal Service occupies one of the commercial spaces and will be enlarged by the construction.

In September of 2017, Porter Page, Senior Vice President of Commercial Property Management for Bernstein Management, told ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee that the project was proposed “to address the homeless issue.”  She cited the number of homeless people sleeping under the arcade makes rental of the several vacant offices there difficult.  Page said the company had tried using video cameras to monitor the space but “the problem is way bigger that that”.

Homelessness was the topic of an informal discussion among members of ANC6B’s Executive Committee last Tuesday night, especially a number of homeless-by-choice who have taken up residence in Seward Square.

There are several reasons for homelessness, including mental illness, substance abuse and domestic violence.  A high proportion of the homeless are men, black Americans and Veterans.

According to a September 17, Washington Post article by Andrew Van Dam, homelessness on DC streets rose from 2016 to 2018, while the overall number of homeless in shelters and transitional housing has fallen in recent years.  Social institutions prioritize moving families into permanent housing, and that might help explain why the number of “sheltered homeless” has fallen.  But why the number of “unsheltered homeless” has risen is not clear.  See here:  https://wapo.st/2nzdbgM

At the ANC’s executive committee meeting, there was no consensus about what could be done about the unsheltered residents of Seward Square, which one commissioner said was in danger of being lost to the community.  No consensus that is, except to appeal to a higher authority – in this case the City Council – for assistance.  A Washington Post article by Peter Jamison from May 10, 2017, numbered the city’s homeless at 7,473.

Community Connections Puts Its Building at 8^th and Penn Avenue SE Up for Sale

by Larry Janezich

As first reported by Daniel J. Sernovitz of The Washington Business Journal on Tuesday, Community Connections at 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, has put its building on the market.  According to Sernovitz, the commercial real estate broker Avison Young has listed the 65,000 square foot property which is currently assessed by the city at $18.8 million.

Community Connections, founded by Helen Bergman, MSW, and Maxine Harris, PhD, in 1984 is the largest not-for-profit behavioral health provider in the city, serving more than 3,000 annually.  In addition to behavioral health, they provide homelessness/housing and outpatient addiction services. They acquired the former furniture store for their headquarters in 2006 for $12.5 million.

The WBJ reports that a spokesman for Avison Young told them that the gentrification has caused many low-income residents who were clients of the non-profit to relocate, which led the company to seek an outlet in another part of the city.  Or maybe they just decided to cash in on one of the most valuable properties on Capitol Hill.

The WBJ article reports Avison Young got 50 inquiries within 90 minutes of hinting the property was coming to market.  There is substantial ground floor retail space which, in addition to Community Connections, includes a Dunkin’ Donuts as well as a Yes! health food store, the latter fronting on Barracks Row.

Given the trends of investment and development in the area, odds seem to favor mixed use residential/retail for the building’s future, though there are other options.

One nearby group of businesses which some say will benefit from a new owner for the building are the those in the 400 block of 8^th Street, which – rightly or wrongly – point to Community Connections as a source of a diverse collection of street loungers and panhandlers which has contributed to the perception of this part of Barracks Row as a “troubled block.”  Community Connections has sought to participate actively in the community to engage any of their clients who might be a habitué of the block.

The building is directly across 8^th Street from the Eastern Market Metro Plaza – scheduled for a $21 million makeover due to break ground in December.

The Week Ahead…Eastern Market Park Planning Committee Meets Wednesday

by Larry Janezich

Monday, September 23

ANC 6A Community Outreach Committee meets at 7:00pm, Eastern High School, Parent Center, 1700 East Capitol Street NE (Enter from East Capitol Street).

Among items on the draft agenda:

Ludlow Taylor Grant

Community Comments

Coffee & Conversation at Southeast Library, 2 – 3 pm. 

Coffee & Conversation brings together users from all walks of life in informal conversation focused on relevant and engaging topics discussed over a cup of coffee. Through this exchange of ideas, Coffee & Conversation promotes the library as a place to meet your neighbors and focuses on what people have in common rather than their differences.

Tuesday, September 24

ANC6B Executive Committee meets at 7:00pm in Hill Center, to set the agenda for the October meeting of the full ANC.  

Wednesday, September 25

DGS Eastern Market Metro Park Advisory Group meets at 1:30pm, Southeast Library, lower level, do discuss the plans for the redesign of Eastern Market Metro Plaza. 

Agenda not available at press time.

Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee meets at 7:00pm in the North Hall of Eastern Market.

Among items on the draft agenda:

Election of Officers: Chuck Burger

Capital Improvements Report on Eastern Market Signage

Market Managers Report

• • Status of the HVAC system
  • Marketing and Promotion
  • Lease update
  • Parking
  • Business/ Strategic plan update

Eastern Market Metro Plaza Update

Membership Report: Chuck Burger

Capitol Hill Restoration Society Community Forum – Swampoodle – 7:00pm, at Hill Center.

Agenda:

History buff Matthew Gilmore will give a talk entitled “Making Washington’s ‘Swampoodle’: Irish Neighborhood in the Tiber Valley.”  Mr. Gilmore will explore questions of the origin of the name “Swampoodle,” of the northern Capitol Hill neighborhood’s reputation, and of its place in Washington DC and Irish-American history.  Swampoodle in 19th Century was nationally known as a dangerous place; it was also the center of the Irish-American community in Washington.  At that time, Swampoodle became shorthand for the Government Printing Office (similar to Foggy Bottom standing in for the State Department).

The talk will be preceded by an organizational business meeting at 6:30 pm, at which the CHRS FY2019 budget will be approved.

The event is free and handicapped-accessible and the public is encouraged to attend.

Department of General Services’ Plan for Redesign of Eastern Market Metro Plaza Hits Snag

by Larry Janezich

Wednesday night, ANC6B voted 6 – 0 to ask for a delay in the Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Public Space Committee (PSC) hearing on the Department of General Services’ (DGS) plan for redesign of the Eastern Market Metro Plaza.  The action seems to be in keeping with a conclusion DDOT and other city agencies have reached independently.

The Public Space meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 26th and as of this writing, the DGS application is currently on the tentative agenda.  Wednesday night’s meeting was a “Special Call” meeting of the ANC to hear from residents and to submit comments before that meeting.  (It is possible that PSC will hold the hearing regardless of the request, but circumstances seem certain to require a second appearance before the agency at their October meeting.)

Asked for comment, on the Commission’s action, ANC6B Chair Chander Jayaraman said, “Over the course of a two hour meeting, the community was clear that without the release to the public of the Transportation Study and a Maintenance Plan, the PSC should not go forward with a hearing on DGS’s application.  Attendees and commissioners developed a list of critical elements that are missing in the current design to make the plaza function and manageable.”

In laying the ground work for Wednesday night’s meeting, ANC6B Commissioner Steve Holtzman whose single member district abuts Parcel 1 on the north, found through conversations with city officials that the DDOT has not accepted the Transportation Study for the project.  That study was done for the city by a private contractor.  Holtzman said that a city official had told him the study was flawed and will require an additional month for review.  One issue about which residents expressed most concern is the reversal of traffic flow on D Street on each side of the Metro Plaza.  Without a clear idea of what to expect, residents and the ANC are unable to weigh in owing to the lack of a Transportation Study.

In addition, Holtzman said there were other concerns being raised after review by other city agencies which would seem to require additional time to resolve.

One of the most serious critiques came from the Department of Urban Forestry, which recommended relocation or resurfacing of the playground, moving the proposed splash pad on Parcel 1, banning the use of heavy equipment in all critical root zones, and dealing with the likelihood all of the trees planned for the bio-retention area will die.

Holtzman cited the lack of transparency in the process and the unwillingness of DGS and other agencies to consult with the community as being responsible for a number of concerns.  Some of the issues which remain unresolved include a performance pavilion for Parcel 4 (nearby neighbors have noise concerns), lack of a photometric study of the lighting, and infrastructure plans for supplemental electrical and water outlets.

DGS will hold a meeting of the Eastern Market Metro Park Advisory Team on Wednesday, September 25, at 1:30pm, in Southeast Library, lower level.  More information may be available then.  The meeting is open to the public.