CAPITOL HILL CORNER

The Week Ahead….

By Larry Janezich

Monday, November 14

1. ANC6D meets at 7:00pm at 200 I (Eye) Street, SC.

Among items on the draft agenda:

Presentation – Update from DPR on Amidon sidewalk; SW Duck  Pont

Presentation – New Farmer’s Market partnership, 1917 :  FRESHFARM and Capitol Riverfront BID

11^th Street Bridge Park Update

New alcohol beverage license for Takorean

Renewal of alcohol beverage license for Ziegfeld’s/Secrets

Renewal of alcohol beverage license for The Bulpen I and II

Renewal of alcohol beverage license for Penthouse

Update on The Wharf

Tuesday, November 15

1. ANC6A Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee meets at 7:00pm, at Sherwood Recreation Center, 10^th and G Streets, NE.

Among items on the agenda:

Renewal of alcohol beverage license for Nomad Hookah Bar, (1200 H Street NE)

Renewal of alcohol beverage license for The Haymaker (1015 H Street NE)

Discussion of request for Entertainment Endorsement by Ben’s Chili Bowl/Ben’s Upstairs (1001 H Street NE)

2. CHRS Board of Directors meets at 6:30pm, Capitol Hill Townhomes, 750 6^th street, SE.

Wednesday, November 16

1. ANC6A Economic Development & Zoning Committee meets at 7:00pm, Sherwood Recreation Center, 10^th and G Streets, NE.

Among items on the agenda:

Kingman Park Historic District: Request by residents to make Kingman Park and surrounding areas a historic district

1401 Maryland Avenue, NE: Informational presentation on the new Chic-Fil-A restaurant that is being built at the location of the old Checkers on Maryland Avenue.

2. Police Service Area (PSA) 106 meets at 7:00pm, at 200 I (Eye) Street, SE.

Residents are invited to provide input to police on illegal activity in their neighborhoods.

Thursday, November 17

1. Police Service Area (PSA) 108 meets at 7:00pm, Liberty Baptist Church, 527 Kentucky Avenue, SE.

Residents are invited to provide input to police on illegal activity in their neighborhoods.

American Legion Kenneth h. Nash Post No. 8 sponsored a Veterans Day Observance – “Courage” – honoring all those who served, on Friday, November 11, in Folgers Park.  The annual event featured The Marine Drum and Bugle Corps “The Commandant’s Own” who, over the years have supported Post No. 8 in numerous military ceremonial observances.

Restaurants and the Community – the Bad, the Good, and the Recalcitrant

Being Well Connected Can Help You Get Away With It

by Larry Janezich

When & Pizza opened up last month, it set the standard for best operating practices for restaurants on Barracks Row, and perhaps in the city.  As Barracks Row became a dining destination and the number of restaurants and patrons increased, nearby neighbors whose homes back up to the restaurants experienced increasingly noisome quality of life issues and took their complaints about rodents, trash, noise and odors to ANC6B.

ANCs have limited authority – city agencies are required to give their opinions “great weight.”   But, with the leadership of the ANC6B Alcohol Beverage Committee chaired by Commissioner Chander Jayaraman, the full ANC began requiring best operating practices as a condition for those receiving a new liquor license in ANC6B.  Those requirements are spelled out in a Settlement Agreement between the restaurant and the ANC, acting on behalf of the community.  For existing restaurants whose only oversight comes from a sometimes indifferent set of agency inspectors, the ANC used the every-three-year license renewal to encourage adoption of better practices through updated Settlement Agreements.

The new restaurants have accepted the increased costs of best practices as part of the already high cost of doing business on Barracks Row, where some rents in dollars per square foot are among the highest in the city.  However, other, restaurants with existing licenses have resisted upgrading the rodent, trash, odor, and noise controls in their Settlement Agreements.  Some have lawyered-up to fight the ANC and the neighbor’s efforts.

Take the Spike Mendelsohn’s three restaurants in the 300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, for example.

The Mendelsohns have been at odds with their adjoining neighbors for more than four years over poor trash management and rodent abatement practices.  See here: http://bit.ly/1SVuqMU   The restaurants have alternately been deaf to complaints – including those backed by ANC Commissioners – and making half-hearted attempts to address the issues.  Jayaraman says that the terms of the existing Settlement Agreement with the three restaurants are so lax, that any interpretation allows the establishments to be in compliance.  When the liquor license came up for renewal in September, ANC6B voted to protest the renewal of the license in an attempt to pressure Mendelsohn to agree to tougher standards.

Mendelsohn hired attorney Andrew Kline, whose practice includes liquor license renewals, to fight the ANC’s protest.  The Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) – which often gives restaurants the benefit of the doubt in disputes with neighbors or the ANC – held a hearing on the matter on October 19.

Attorney Andrew Kline argued that the liquor license has nothing to do with rats or trash and that the ANC is exceeding its authority by linking them to the license. (Jayaraman has stated that he believes operating practices are intimately tied to the serving of alcohol and the issues of rodents, noise, odors and trash are directly related to the number of patrons drawn to these restaurants.)

The ABRA investigator, Earl Jones, Jr., submitted a report of his 15 site visits between June and September.  In sum he found no ABRA violations but he did note the presence of rodents on the visits made after dark.  Jones stated he was impressed with the cleanliness of the alley, especially compared to some other sites he’d seen.  Jayaraman says that the restaurants, having been given a heads up by the inspector that an inspection would occur the following day, took extra care to clean up prior to the visit.  (In February, 2015, Mayor Bowser appointed Spike Mendelsohn to Chair the District’s newly created Food Policy Council.)

Jayaraman made the case that the Mendelsohns had not taken adequate measures to address on-going trash management issues and related rodent infestation in and around the rear alley of these three establishments.  He questioned the ABRA investigator’s report since so many neighbors and he, himself, had recorded violations of order, defined as good trash management.  He urged the ABRA inspector’s report be rejected stating that there is no evidence that the Mendelsohns were living up to their verbal commitment to twice-a-day trash pickups and power washing their trash storage area twice a day.

Jayaraman asked ABRA to attach specific conditions to the license renewal: either 1) limit the hours of operation and sales until the applicant can demonstrate effective trash management practices, or 2) require the applicants to take specific measures to address the trash management issues.  ABRA has 60 days to render a decision.

So much for the bad.

On the other hand, take &pizza at on Barracks Row.  Restaurateur Michael Lastoria is credited by neighbors for the “best practices that are needed if DC is to ensure healthy, pleasant mixed-used neighborhoods as it continues on its apparent trajectory to becoming a restaurant destination.”

After a rocky start, (See here: http://bit.ly/1S0XANC) Lastoria pulled out all the stops to make his place the gold standard on Barracks Row:  a completely sealed, air conditioned, indoor trash storage room containing a trash compactor for recycling, a power washer in the trash room with an exterior hook up for outside power washing, a drain in the trash room floor for interior washing – a pollution control unit to eliminate rodent attracting odors with filters for grease and food particulate and vents to 8^th Street.

Now for the recalcitrant.  ANC6B seems committed to continue pressuring restaurants regarding the quality of life for neighbors, but are getting some push-back.  At last week’s ABC committee meeting, the committee heard that rather than moving ahead to address neighbors’ complaints, some restaurants on Barracks Row and Pennsylvania Avenue are resisting adoption of better practices.  Restaurants feeling pressure to clean up their act include Cava, Indo-Pakistani Grill, Ambar, The Brig, and Hank’s on the Hill.  At Tuesday night’s monthly meeting, the full ANC6B voted to protest Cava’s license renewal because the restaurant had failed to appear before the ANC in support of its renewal application and had failed to return numerous calls by the ANC commissioner in whose district the restaurant resides.

There will be some readers who will suggest that community activists supporting higher standards stop complaining – that they live in the city and they bought a house backing up on a commercial corridor.  But that presumes an engaged city government that efficiently and impartially administers regulations.  We have one that does neither.

The Week Ahead….What’s Up with Reservation 13 (See Monday)

Monday, November 7

1. DC Council Committee on the Whole public roundtable on Reservation 13 – the “Hill East Redevelopment – Phase 1: Parcels F-1 and G-1 Extension Approval Resolution of 2016.” 12:30pm, Room 412, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.  According to ANC6B Commissioner Denise Krepp, who will testify at the hearing, DC agencies have not finished reviewing the permits for these parcels of land and the extension is needed to give them more time to review them.

2. ANC 6C Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee meets at 7:00 pm, Kaiser-Permanente, 700 2^nd Street, NE.

Among items on the agenda:

Driftwood Kitchen, 400 H Street, NE.  Window trial period check-in.

Wunder Garten, 131 M Street, NE, Stipulated License.

The Wydown, 600 H Street, NE, Settlement Agreement.

Whole Foods Market. 600 H Street, NE, Class D License Application.

Taqueria Rosticeria Fresca, 701 H Street, NE, Class C License Application.

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

Tuesday, November 8

1. Election Day – Polls are open from 7:00am until 8:00pm.

2. PSA 104 meets at 7:00pm, Stuart Hobson Middle School, 410 E Street, NE.

Wednesday, November 9

1. ANC6B meets at 7:00pm in Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

Among items on the agenda:

Presentations:

Department of Behavior Health

Gas Meter Replacements: Cheryl Morse, Consumer Outreach Specialist, Office of the People’s Council & Doreen Hope, Community District Manager, Washington Gas

Anacostia Riverkeepers, Emily Franc

Cava Restaurant, protest of renewal of Class C Tavern license with summer garden and sidewalk café.  (Consent agenda.)

Tune Inn Restaurant, 331 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with sidewalk café.  (Consent agenda.)

Trusty’s Bar, 1420 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with sidewalk café. (Consent agenda.)

The Brig, 1007 8th Street SE, continuance of renewal of Class C Tavern license with entertainment endorsement.   (Consent agenda.)

Phase I, 525 8th Street SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with Cover Charge Dancing entertainment endorsement.  (Owner Allen Carroll is still “deciding what he wants to do” with Phase 1, and has mentioned the possibility the bar might reopen next year.)

Bachelor’s Mill/Back Door Pub, 1104 8th Street SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with cover charge dancing endorsement.

Report on the Status of ANC 6B License Renewal Protests: Good Stuff, Bearnaise, and We the Pizza; and Hank’s on the Hill.

415 14th Street, SE, curb cuts for new development (Safeway): Foulger-Pratt, developer.

709 8th Street, SE, projection into public space.

Appeal of Capitol Hill Partners I, LLC, regarding the decision of the Zoning Administrator not to enforce time limits regarding the expiration of building permit for 521 11th Street SE: Meridith Moldenhauer (counsel); Bernard Renard (property owner).

Wednesday, November 9

1. ANC6C meets at 7:00pm, Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE.

Agenda not available at press time.

Thursday, November 10

ANC6A meets at 7:00pm, at Miner Elementary School, 601 15^th Street, NE.

Among items on the agenda:

Presentations:

Joe Weedon, Ward 6 State Board of Education Member

Nikki D’Angelo Petty, Office of Family and Public Engagement, DC Public Schools

Marcus Lucas, Department of General Service, DC Public Schools liaison

Recommendation of the Community Outreach Committee that ANC6A approve $587.77 in support of the Ludlow-Taylor PTO request for books for two school kindergarten classroom libraries.

ANC6A protest of the CT license renewal of Nomad Hookah Bar (1200 H Street NE) if the ABL Committee recommends a protest at its November meeting, and authorize the ANC Chair and ABL Co-Chairs to represent the ANC in the matter.

Recommendation that ANC6A write a letter to BZA in support of the application by the owners of 1341 H Street, NE, for a special exception under the enlargement and design requirements to construct a mixed-use building, on condition that the design to be updated to bring it into conformance with the H Street Overlay, best efforts are made to get letters of support from neighbors, restrictions be included in sales documents prohibiting placing anything on the H Street balconies, including hanging or displaying anything, residential permit parking (RPP) restrictions written into the sales documents, and restrictions on amplified music on the roof deck to be included in sales documents.

Motion authorizing former ANC6A Chair David Holmes to join the existing authorized representatives on behalf of ANC6A in H St NE Overlay Amendment, Facade Preservation Density Bonus Zoning Regulation.

Letter to BZA in support of the application of the owners of 600 9th Street, NE, for variances from the non-conforming structure requirements , the lot occupancy requirements, and the rear yard requirements, to permit the location of multiple decks over an existing rear-attached garage, on the condition that owners supply letters of support from neighbors.

Letter to BZA to oppose the application of the owners of 1336 H Street, NE, for lot occupancy relief for the residential levels, as well as court width relief for the residential levels, and rear yard relief.

2. CHRS Zoning Committee meets at 7:30pm, 510 10^th Street, SE

Saturday, November 19

Second annual charity pig roast to support men’s’ health issues – The Movember Foundation (www.movember.com). Tickets on sale now at https://lmw.ticketspice.com/movember-pig-roast-111916.

$60 all you can eat and drink, full pig and all the sides provided by The Queen Vic beverages and DC Brau, proceeds to Movember.  Cash raffle with hundreds of dollars in prizes!  Limited tickets available.

Every November the Movember Foundation challenges men to grow a moustache and challenges both men and women to get active and MOve, all of this while focusing on raising vital awareness of men’s health issues. Since inception in 2003 Movember has raised over $710M and helped fund 1,200 break through programs in 21 countries.  Programs typically focus on Movember’s core issues which are Prostate Cancer, Testicular Cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.

Developer Says SE Safeway To Be Closed for Two Years

by Larry Janezich

Tuesday night, the Foulger-Pratt development team appeared before ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee, chaired by Commissioner Nick Burger, to support their public space application for curb cuts in connection with the proposed development of the SE Safeway.

During the discussion, the following points emerged regarding the development:

• Construction will take 24 months. During that time, Safeway will be closed.
• Ground breaking is anticipated in 18 – 24 months.
• The current Safeway will be demolished. The new Safeway will be 60,000 square feet – 10,000 square feet larger than the current store.  The developer said that the new store will be “bigger, better, fresher.”
• Foulger-Pratt hopes to close on the deal with Safeway by the end of the year, and become partners and owners with Safeway of the new project.
• The dry cleaning service and the dog grooming shop at 14^th and E Streets are not part of the project. One member of the development team remarked, “We have tried.”
• There will be two levels of below grade parking. The upper level will have 194 spaces for Safeway customers – up from the current 145 spaces.  The lower level will provide parking for residents, at a rate of .5 spaces for the each of the anticipated 325 – 330 apartments.
• The alley behind Safeway will be widened to 30 feet to accommodate 67 foot delivery trucks and two way traffic to accommodate residents’ access to the ramp for resident parking.
• The 24 foot wide entrance to Safeway parking will be off 14^th Street, one foot south of the southern entrance to the current Safeway parking lot.

The Committee voted 5 – 1 with 2 abstentions to recommend the full ANC6B approve the public space permit.  Opposition/abstention on the motion came from commissioners who had reservations about language included by Chair Burger to flag for the city the ANC’s concern about the appropriateness of the 67 foot tractor trailer trucks being used on residential streets.  Those with reservations about the truck size language felt that the issue should be addressed further along in the review process and/or were concerned that the language was a “back door way” to get at the long-standing issue of truck traffic routes on Capitol Hill.

The full ANC6B will take up the issue next Wednesday (instead of Election Day Tuesday), November 9, at Hill Center.

For previous CHC post on Safeway development, see here:  http://bit.ly/2eDM6lq

 

Opening near Eastern Market: New Spanish Restaurant and Bike, Box, Build Fitness Studio

by Larry Janezich

Two new ventures in the 700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, are set to open soon.

Joselito – opening mid-December at 660 PA Avenue in the space formerly occupied by Sona, will be “a small and intimate Spanish restaurant reminiscent of those found throughout Spain at the turn of the century” with a menu “showcasing classic Spanish dishes with an innovative and playful twist.”   The arrival of the new restaurant was first reported by CHC last August, here:  http://bit.ly/2aqjri0.  Washington Business Journal reported additional details on October 19, here:  http://bit.ly/2feaQyw.

The restaurant has started a kickstarter campaign “to raise additional funds for décor and a handicap ramp, among other things.”   http://kck.st/2frYVCa

Also, across the street, OffRoadDC (see their website here http://bit.ly/2fe28Ak) is opening a biking, boxing, strength building fitness training facility upstairs at 637 C Pennsylvania Avenue, in the space formerly occupied by Remington’s.  The first floor is occupied by a 7-11 and Sprint outlet.  The Eastern Market location is an expansion of the company’s fitness studio at 905 U Street, NW.  The fitness program, according to Offroad’s website, is based on a philosophy of “affordability, sustainability and attainability.”  They will offer training in boxing techniques, including punches, kicks, and footwork; strength building including working out with suspension straps and kettlebells, and cycling.

The Week Ahead….

by Larry Janezich

Tuesday, November 1

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

Among items on the agenda:

415 14th Street, SE, curb cuts for new development (Safeway): Foulger-Pratt, developer.

320 9th Street, SE, new curb cut and parking pad.

709 8th Street SE, projection into public space: 1330-1338 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, modification of BZA Order, now requesting special exception relief under the parking requirements and the loading requirements, and variance relief under the lot occupancy requirements to construct a mixed-use building at premises 1330-1338 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

Appeal of Capitol Hill Partners I, LLC (re 521 11th Street, SE): Meridith Moldenhauer (counsel); Bernard Renard (property owner), from a July 15, 2016 decision by the Zoning Administrator, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, to not issue a stop-work order on Building Permit in the R-4 District at 521 11th Street SE.

1436 Ives Place, SE: Todd Sheppard and Partners LLC, for a special exception from the nonconforming structure requirements and the side yard requirements to add a third-floor rear addition at premises 1436 Ives Place SE.

2. ANC 6C Parks and Events Committee 7:00 p.m. Kaiser-Permanente Capitol Hill Medical Center, 700 Second St. NE (2nd & G NE)

Agenda not available at press time.

3. ANC 6C Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee 7:00 pm Capitol Hill Medical Center/Kaiser Permanente 700 Second St. NE (2nd & G NE)

Among items on the agenda:

625 E Street, NE – Application of Danuta Otfinowski for concept approval for the construction of a third-floor roof addition and roof deck.

108-110 8th Street, NE – Application of Utka Aslanturk for concept approval for the construction of a three-story addition and new two-story carriage house.

434 3rd Street, NE – Application of Adeniyi Talabi & Bellview Development Inc. for concept approval for the construction of a new two-unit building on a vacant lot.

111 Mass. Avenue, NW  – Application of Jemal’s Darth Vader, LLC requesting approval of a modification to a previously-approved planned unit development (“PUD”) and related map amendment for property located at 111 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.”). The Property has a land area of approximately 35,336 sf and is currently improved with an existing eight-story office building constructed pursuant to a PUD approved in ZC Order No. 324. The Property occupies the entirety of Square 563 and is bounded by H Street NW to the north; New Jersey Ave, NW to the east; Massachusetts Ave. NW to the south; and 2nd Street NW, to the west.

Applicant proposes to undertake significant renovations to the existing building in order to update and improve the building’s architecture and street presence. The renovated building will continue to be devoted to office use, with ground level spaces designed to provide up to 14-foot ceiling heights to accommodate potential retail users. Applicant will add approximately 95,400 square feet of gross floor area to the existing building, such that the renovated building will have an overall density of approximately 9.2 FAR and a maximum height of 130 feet. The PUD will continue to provide 230 on-site parking spaces located within the building’s existing cellar and vault space, plus three loading berths on the ground floor.

Wednesday, November 2

1. ANC6B Transportation Committee meets at 7:00pm, Hill Center.

Among items on the agenda:

DDOT Alley and Sidewalk priority process: Suzette Robinson, DDOT

Letter to DDOT and DOEE on Lead Paint on DC Infrastructure (in cooperation with the Outreach & Constituent Services Task Force)

Discussion on time limits for temporary public space permits (Emergency No Parking)

Thursday, November 3

1. ANC6B ABC Committee meets at 7:00pm, Hill Center.

Among items on the agenda:

525 8th Street, SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with Cover Charge Dancing entertainment endorsement.

Cava Restaurant, 527-529 8th Street, SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with summer garden and sidewalk café.

Tune Inn Restaurant, 331 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with sidewalk café.

Trusty’s Bar, 1420 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with sidewalk café.

Bachelor’s Mill/Back Door Pub, 1104 8th Street SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with cover charge dancing endorsement.

The Brig, 1007 8th Street SE, renewal of Class C Tavern license with entertainment endorsement.

Report on the Status of ANC 6B License Renewal Protests: Good Stuff, Bearnaise, and We the Pizza; and Hank’s on the Hill.

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

Agenda not available at press time.

3. PSA 107 meets at 7:00pm, Southeast Library, lower level.

4. Friends of Southeast Library (FOSEL) meet at 5:30pm, Southeast Library, lower level. Those interested in joining FOSEL, the main activity of which is to hold nearly monthly used book sales to benefit Southeast Library, are welcome to attend.  The group meets once a month for about half an hour.  There are no dues.

Editor’s Note:

Capitol Hill Art League is having its sixth annual open call exhibition.

The deadline to apply for the show is December 18th, 2016.

Find all the details about the juror and for applying to the show here. http://www.caphillartleague.org

Capitol Hill SE Safeway Development – Up to 320 Apartments Planned

By Larry Janezich

Representatives of Safeway and Foulger-Pratt, the developer they selected for the SE Safeway project, began to unveil the details of the proposed development Monday night at Hill Center.

Foulger-Pratt, who will purchase part of the site from Safeway, plans up to 320 apartments on three floors above the Safeway which will be relocated to occupy the entire north end of the ground floor.  60 to 70% of the units will be studio or one bedroom, following the trend toward smaller single tenant units evident in the nearby Capitol Courts in the 1200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, which plans 120 micro apartments.  The Safeway project will rise to fifty feet, with a penthouse setback.  Two additional retail spaces will occupy portions of the ground floor on the south end of the project.

The tentative time frame is to break ground in about 18 months with an 18 – 24 month construction time frame.

Two floors of underground parking will provide 194 spaces for Safeway (up from 150 now) and .5 parking spaces per unit of residential.  The latter will be accessed via the alley behind Safeway; the former from a ramp off 14^th Street, SE.  The pedestrian entrance for the new Safeway will be at the corner of 14th and D Streets.

More details may be available when the developer’s public space application comes before ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee at its November 1 meeting.  The developer plans to eliminate the two curb cuts closest to the corner of 14^th and D Streets, and move the other curb cut on 14^th Street farther south.  The reduction in curb cuts is designed to mitigate the traffic impact on the neighborhood.

The developer will not seek a Planned Unit Development (PUD) designation to increase density for the project.  Even though the project is being built by right, the city requires a “Large Tract Review” (LTR) process for projects with more than 50,000 square feet of commercial space.  This process involves review by multiple city agencies and the ANC to identify issues prior to the developer filing for a building permit.  Foulger-Pratt hopes to submit the LTR to the Office of Planning in April, 2017.

The Planning and Zoning Committee will be chaired by Commissioner Nick Burger.  Burger told CHC, “I thought the meeting tonight was constructive. There was a great turnout by engaged, constructive neighbors. The neighbors had a lot of questions, and the development team seemed ready to listen.  To me it was an encouraging start to the larger process.”

For previous CHC post on the development of the SE Safeway, see here:   http://bit.ly/2edWeUd

 

The Week Ahead…Community Meeting on SE Safeway Development on Monday

by Larry Janezich

Monday, October 24

1. Southeast Safeway/developer team holds the first of multiple public meeting to introduce the redevelopment of the Southeast Safeway. 7:00pm, Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

According to ANC6B Commissioner Nick Burger, the site will be redeveloped into a by-right mixed use building, which will include a Safeway store, additional retail, and residential units on the upper stories. Because of the large retail space(s), the project will go through a “large tract review” process.  For more info on the large tract review process, see Burger’s blog post here:  http://bit.ly/2elPm85

For a previous CHC post on this subject, see here:  http://bit.ly/2edWeUd

2. ANC 6A Community Outreach Committee meets at 7pm at Maury Elementary School, Multi-Purpose Room, 1250 Constitution Avenue, NE.

Among items on the agenda:

Review of grant application from Ludlow-Taylor ES PTO

Review of grant application from Eliot-Hine MS PTO

Tuesday, October 25

1. ANC6B Executive Committee meets at 7:00pm 8:15pm in Hill Center, to set the agenda for the November meeting of ANC6B.

2. Capitol Hill Village is sponsoring a series of symposia to explore challenges and options as the Hill population ages, from 9:00 to 3:30pm at Hill Center. Registration is free, but call 202 543 1778 to register.  For more information about the meetings, see here:  http://www.capitolhillvillage.org/

Wednesday, October 26

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

Among items on the agenda:

Market Managers Report by Barry Margeson

Leases

Hilloween

New website

Hine Update: Jonathan Page and Diane Hoskins

Friday, October 28

1. Annal Hilloween event at Eastern Market, 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Hayrides, bouncy farm obstacle course, face painter, truck touch – construction vehicles and fire trucks.  Costumes are encouraged.

2. 17 top ceramic artists participate in “Pottery on the Hill” from October 28 – October 30.

Friday night – Preview Reception p- 6:30pm.  Tickets: $30/advance, $35/day of.  Tickets are available at potteryonthehilldc.org or by calling (202) 549-4172

On Saturday and Sunday, a free show and sale is open to the public.

Potters in the 2016 shows include: Mary Barringer (Shelburne Falls, MA), Bob Briscoe (Harris, MN), Bulldog Pottery-Bruce Gholson & Samantha Henneke (Seagrove, NC), Kyle Carpenter (Asheville, NC), Trista Depp Chapman (Fredericksburg, VA), Naomi Dalglish (Bakersville, NC), Dan Finnegan (Fredericksburg, VA), Ryan Greenheck (Philadelphia, PA), Rick Hensley (Floyd, VA), Michael Hunt (Bakersville, NC), Matthew Hyleck (Baltimore, MD), Matthew Metz (Alfred Station, NY), Ronan Peterson (Chapel Hill, NC), Donna Polseno (Floyd, VA), Stacy Snyder (Arlington, VA) and Catherine White (Warrenton, VA).

Editor’s Note:

Capitol Hill Art League is having its sixth annual open call exhibition.

The deadline to apply for the show is December 18th, 2016.

Find all the details about the juror and for applying to the show here. http://www.caphillartleague.org

 

Free Charging Station/WiFi at Eastern Market Metro Plaza – “Soofa Bench”

Pilot Program Draws Cheers …and Questions

by Larry Janezich

Last Tuesday, night, John Stokes, Deputy Director of DC Department of Parks and Recreation, briefed ANC6B’s Constituent Services Task Force on the new free charging station and WiFi service installed at the NE corner of 8th and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.  The Task Force, chaired Tuesday night by Co-chair ANC6B Commissioner Jennifer Samolyk, greeted the prospect of broader free community WiFi with enthusiasm.

The station doubles as a park bench, under the brand name “Soofa Bench” after the fledgling MIT Media Lab spin-off company, launched to develop smart furniture for the urban environment. Stokes said the installation is part of a six to twelve month pilot program to determine whether the public will use the service – as well as if the location is right – before deciding whether to expand the program throughout the city.  A second bench has been installed in Columbia Heights.  According to Soofa, there are over 200 Soofa Benches in the U.S. in 21 states and 65 cities

The bench seats three and the services are powered by battery charged by a solar panel.  There are two usb ports (you’ll need your own usb cord) for charging devices.  The free WiFi can accommodate up to 64 log-on’s at one time and speeds of up to 50 Mbps. The WiFI service range is 75-100 feet from the bench.

This version of bench costs $7,500 each, as opposed to $2,100 for a regular bench.  Soofa Benches can be upgraded with sensors to track air quality, noise levels, light levels and nearby pedestrian foot traffic, but benches currently installed in the pilot program are not equipped with those features.

Soofa characterizes it’s product as “…a straightforward technology that is meant to serve as a civic amenity.”  Stokes told ANC6B commissioners in a follow-up email, “This WiFi will hopefully encourage more teens and adults to enjoy the city parks as they are meant for everyone. This is a sustainable element in this day since this is something that will encourage wider use of our parks and allow people to stay more connected and involved with our programs.”

ANC6B6 Commissioner Daniel Ridge, though not at the meeting, reviewed the minutes of the meeting  and raised potential possible difficulties.  Ridge, an informational systems analyst formerly with NASA, noted several concerns in an email to his fellow commissioners and to Stokes.  Among them:

1. Eastern Market Metro Plaza has several other sources of free WiFi, making it difficult to gauge true demand for Soofa Bench Wi-Fi.
2. The coverage range for WiFi is poor compared to coverage from Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts both of which are located hundreds of feet away. He suggested relocating the WiFi router in a better place than under the bench.
3. Sharp edges on the solar panel are a safety problem.
4. The hazard potential of the battery powering the bench’s electronics has not been assessed.
5. There are concerns regarding FCC certification for the electronic components.

Finally, Ridge questioned the premise of the entire Soofa Bench project, saying that benches should just be benches because they’re cheaper and safer and “free from the tangle of regulatory machinery that comes with internet enabled benches.“

Ridge concluded, “I would like to do anything I can to span the digital divide. I am concerned that this particular product may do more harm than good to that end and that this trial could actually set back the cause of ubiquitous WiFi.”