CAPITOL HILL CORNER

 

8^th Street District Doughnuts Offers Free Gourmet Donuts Fridays Throughout August

Soft Opening Begins Tomorrow, August 8

by Larry Janezich

District Donuts, the new gourmet doughnut shop at 749 8^th Street, SE, will hold the first of its Friday soft openings tomorrow, August 8.  CEO Greg Menna said that 500 doughnuts will be given to the first 500 patrons visiting the shop (one per customer) starting in the evening at 6:00pm.  The soft openings will continue every Friday through August until the hard opening on Monday, September 8.  The menu anticipates five or more flavors at $2 – $3 each.  The two flavors offered for free tomorrow:  Brown Butter Cinnamon and Dulce de Leche Vanilla Bean.  For more on these and other doughnuts, go here:  http://www.districtdoughnut.com/

Asked what makes DD’s donuts special, Menna said that the dough for every variety of donut is made from scratch – a unique creation of executive pastry chef, Christine Schaefer.  Schaefer learned baking at Le Cordon Bleu and ran a gourmet bakery in Buffalo, NY.  DD’s goal, he said, was to “make the flavor experience more powerful – unique.”  The doughnuts are the traditional shape, but slightly smaller in size than what we’re accustomed to – Menna says, “not an indulgence, a treat.”

Until now, District Doughnuts has been a catering business and this is the first of what Menna and his partners Schaefer and Juan Pablo Segura hope will be many.

The Week Ahead….And Election Update – Candidates Emerge for All Seats in Capitol Hill’s Four ANCs

by Larry Janezich

The Week Ahead….. (not so much)

Monday, August 4

ANC6B holds a community meeting, 7:00pm – 9:00pm, to discuss status and outcomes of the Office of Planning’s Barney Circle-Southeast Boulevard Planning Study, at Hill Center.

ANC Election Update

The deadline for filing a petition to run for ANC Commissioner is Wednesday, August 6.  To become a candidate, a nominating petition signed by 25 registered voters in a candidate’s Single Member District (SMD) must be filed with the DC Board of Elections by that date .  These nominating petitions will be posted in the Board’s office for a ten-day challenge period during which any registered District voter may challenge the validity of any petition by a written statement signed by the challenger and filed with the Board.  The statement must specify concisely the alleged defect(s) in the petition.  Petitions are declared invalid most frequently because residents who are ineligible to sign them are disqualified, which takes the number of signatures below the required 25.

Following is a list of the Single Member Districts in the four Ward Six ANCs which comprise Capitol Hill, the current commissioner for each SMD, and the potential candidates who have picked up nominating petitions as 5:53pm on August 1 (according to the DC Board of Elections) to get their names on the ballot in the general election in November.

ANC6A

ANC6A01 – (J. Omar Mahmud, incumbent)  Candidates:  Raphael V. Marshall, Andy Clark, J. Omar Mahmud.

ANC6A02 – (Gloria Nauden, retiring)  Candidates:  Phil Toomajian

ANC6A03 – (Chris Ward, incumbent)  Candidates:  Chris Ward

ANC6A04 – (Nick Alberti, incumbent)  Candidates:  Nick Alberti, Matt Levy, Joyce West

ANC6A05 – (Jay Williams, retiring)  Candidates:  Dan Allen, Patrick A. Malone, Hassan Christian

ANC6A06 – (Andrew Hysell, retiring)  Candidates:  Todd Sloves, Stephanie Zimny

ANC6A07 – (Sondra Phillips-Gilbert, incumbent)  Candidates:  Sondra Phillips-Gilbert

ANC6A08 – (Calvin Ward, incumbent)  Candidates:  Calvin Ward

A map of ANC6A’s SMDs can be found here:  http://www.anc6a.org/map.html

ANC6B

ANC6B01 – (Vacant, Dave Garrison resigned)  Candidates:  Jennifer E. Samolyk

ANC6B02 – (Ivan Frishberg, retiring)  Candidates:   Gerald Sroufe, Diane Hoskins

ANC6B03 – (Phil Peisch, retiring)  Candidates:  James M. Loots, Kelly Vielmo, Claudia Howell

ANC6B04 – (Kirsten Oldenburg, incumbent)  Candidates:  Kirsten Oldenburg

ANC6B05 – (Brian Pate, retiring)  Candidates:  Carl B. Reeverts, Steve Hagadorn, Ellen Opper-Weiner

ANC6B06 – (Nichole Opkins, retiring)  Candidates:  Nick Burger, Anthony Cassillo

ANC6B07 – (Sara Loveland, retiring)  Candidates:  Daniel Chao

ANC6B08 – (Chander Jayaraman, incumbent)  Candidates:  Chander Jayaraman

ANC6B09 – (Brian Flahaven, incumbent)  Candidates:  Brian Flahaven

ANC6B10 – (Francis Campbell, retiring)  Candidates:  Kathryn Denise Rucker Krepp, Peter Gould

A map of ANC6B’s SMDs can be found here:  http://www.anc6b.org/?page_id=20

ANC6C

ANC6C01 – (Daniele Schiffman, incumbent)  Candidates:  Daniele Schiffman

ANC6C02 – (Karen Wirt, incumbent)  Candidates:  Karen Wirt

ANC6C03 – (Scott Price, incumbent)  Candidates:  Scott Price

ANC6C04 – (Mark Eckenweiler, incumbent) Candidates:  Mark Eckenweiler

ANC6C05 – (Mark Kazmierczak, incumbent)  Candidates:  Mark Kazmierczak

ANC6C06 – (Tony Goodman, incumbent)  Candidates:  Tony Goodman

A map of ANC6C’s SMDs can be found here:  http://anc6c.org/map.html

ANC6D

ANC6D01 – (Sam Marrero, incumbent)  Candidates:  Marjorie Lightman

ANC6D02 – (Stacy Cloyd, incumbent)  Candidates:  Stacy Braverman Cloyd

ANC6D03 – (Rachel Carroll, incumbent)  Candidates:  Rachel Reilly Carroll

ANC6D04 – (Andy Litsky, incumbent)  Candidates:  Andy Litsky

ANC6D05 – (Roger Moffat, incumbent)  Candidates:  Roger Moffat

ANC6D06 – (Rhonda Hamilton, incumbent)  Candidates:  Rhonda Natalie Hamilton

ANC6D07 – (David Garber, retiring)  Candidates:  Josh Hart, Meredith Fascett

A map of ANC6D’s SMDs can be found here:  http://www.anc6d.org/map.html

Nomination petitions can be picked up here:

DC Board of Elections

441 4th Street, NW, Suite 250 North

Washington, DC 20001

Tel: (202) 727-2525 | TTY: (202) 639-8916 | Tollfree: 1-866-DC-VOTE

The DC Board of Election’s Candidate Guide to Ballot Access can be found here:  https://www.dcboee.org/home.asp

Eastern Market To Permit Political Petitioning Pending Implementation of New Policy

Issue Exposes Tension Between Petitioners and Vendors

by Larry Janezich

Wednesday night, Eastern Market manager Barry Margeson told the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC), that a draft policy regarding the rules and regulations for “everybody who is on our space” was currently under review by ​city lawyers and the new policy takes effect, Eastern Market will permit political petitioning​.  It was unclear whether petitioners will be restricted to a certain area or areas under the Market’s control.

Until the draft policy is made public, it is also unclear what other changes will be made and how it will address the complaints of the sellers of the newspaper Street Sense,​ who in recent months have been banned from vending on 7th Street between Pennsylvania and North Carolina Avenues. SE.  One seller who was present Wednesday night, Conrad Cheek, Jr., complained he sold Street Sense near Eastern Market until he was “kicked off the corner.”  Cheek claims the restrictions have cost him one-third of his income, and vowed to appear on his old corner near the market this weekend; “I will be here selling my paper​,​”​ he told the EMCAC meeting, hinting that he has consulted a lawyer.​

Broadening the policy to permit – (at least) political petitioning – will not come without some grumbling by the Eastern Market street vendors who view the petitioners and other vendors as problematic because they interfere with access to their businesses.  Artist Joe Snyder who operates a stand on 7th Street on weekends said petitioning is a distraction for vendors.  Vendor Anita Jefferson said petitioners impede traffic and thus impede public safety.

The petitioning issue illustrates some of the multi-dimensional tensions that exist between Eastern Market and the community which are being addressed in a piecemeal fashion, speaking to the need for a new stronger market governing structure to better coordinate the resolution of problems as the Market moves forward in a more competitive environment which is characterized by a changing demographic.

The outside vendors contribute substantially to the financial stability of the market, but often fail to acknowledge the sacrifices the community makes in order to provide them with space to operate – e.g., the closing of 7th Street – and the parking difficulties nearby residents encounter on weekends as the market becomes more of a destination rather than a walk-to food outlet.  And although a more rigorous enforcement of the parking policy in the spaces between the market and the natatorium has made more parking available to shoppers on weekends, the inside merchants are not convinced that the closing of 7^th Street to accommodate street vendors has worked to their benefit.  ANC6B is currently working with DDOT to develop a parking policy to help protect weekend parking for residents close to Eastern Market.

ANC6B Commissioner Ivan Frishberg said that the petitioning issue went beyond leaving it up to lawyers who can find a way to defend anything, noting “this is our town square.”  He said “we don’t want anything promulgated without EMCAC and ANC(6B) review.”  Frischberg said he would like to see the draft policy at the next meeting (which won’t come until near the end of September).  Margeson agreed to refer the draft policy to the ANC.

The petitioning issue received city-wide attention owing to a recent news report by WRC/NBC TV reporter Tom Sherwood who witnessed the prevention of political petitioning on space controlled by Eastern Market.

Sherwood not only tweeted about it but called the Mayor’s Office, Council Member Tommy Wells’ office, and the Department of General Services.  He subsequently received assurances from DSG that they had no intention of banning political petitioning at the market.

You can see Sherwood’s report here: http://bit.ly/1pjFIMx  and CHC’s post on the issue here:  http://bit.ly/1oRvLEC

DC Auditor Finds Financial Mismanagement in DGS Operation of Eastern Market

Low Sales Volume Apparently Puts Inside Merchants In Bind – Raises Questions About Business Model Going Forward

by Larry Janezich

A required biennial audit of Eastern Market operations by the DC Auditor found substantial financial mismanagement and raised questions about the future of Eastern Market which will soon face competition from two area Whole Foods and a possible Rodman’s Discount Gourmet in the future Hine development.

The audit for the period October 1, 1010 to June 30, 2012, revealed that the double rents which South Hall Merchants are required to pay until they agree to new leases (the current leases expired in June and December of 2008) were not collected by the Department of General Services (DGS).  Since the expiration of the leases, the audit found, no South hall merchant has entered into a new lease agreement.  Merchants continue to operate under the double rent penalty, but DGS is not collecting double rents because, according to the report, DGS believes it unrealistic. Presumably, the actual amount owed the city by merchants is much higher, given the figures apply only to the audit period.  Negotiations to increase the rent and enter into new lease agreements have been unsuccessful.

The current South Hall Merchants, their monthly rent, and the amount which DGS has said is owed the city for the 21 months covered by the audit period between October 1, 1010 and June 30, 2012, is as follows:

1. Blue Iris Flowers                                                           $672.80           $14,128.50

2. Bowers Fancy Dairy Products                                $716.10           $15,038.10

3. Calomiris Fruits & Vegetables                                $1411.20         $29635.20

4. Canales Delicatessen                                                  $1310.40         $27,518.40

5. Canales Quality Meats                                               $724.50           $15,214.50

6. Capitol Hill Poultry & Park Produce                  $1413.30         $29,679.30

7. Eastern Market Grocery                                          $659.40           $13,847.40

8. Eastern Market Pottery                                           $806.00           $16,926.00

9. Fine Sweet Shop                                                          $1638.00         $34,398.00

10. Market Lunch                                                            $2883.30         $60,549.30

11. Market Poultry                                                          $850.50           $17,860.50

12. Southern Maryland Seafood                               $2306.40        $48,434.40

13. Union Meat                                                                  $2137.80         $44,893.80

14. National Capitol Bank ATM                                 $875.00           $18,375.00

The auditor, deferring to DGS’ judgment regarding the collectability of the outstanding rents, recommends only that merchants be assessed some $3,500 in unpaid late fees.  The audit also found a lack of complete records of events in North Hall during the audit period, as well as incomplete records for outside vending.

In a written response to the report, dated July 11, 2014, DGS Director Brian Hanlon addressed its recommendations, agreeing to execute “best efforts” to enter into new lease agreements after a market rent appraisal, but warned, “It is not clear that sales volume for Eastern Market South Hall merchants can support market rents.”  Hanlon also agreed to send collection letters to merchants by August 30 regarding payment of late fees – under threat of enforcement of collection of the double rent provision.  Hanlon noted regarding two other recommendations – a standard contract for rental of North Hall and monthly accounting provisions – that remedies have already been put into effect.

If Hanlon’s speculation about the low sales volume for South Hall merchants is borne out, it would not augur well for Eastern Market’s future unless​ radical changes​ are made to the composition of vendors and/or marketing​.

​Along those lines, in ​May of this year the South Hall merchants floated a plan to open 7th Street to parking on weekends to boost business, saying that current market policies were “strangling” them.  The move would have displaced 34 outside weekend vendors, ​who ​responded with opposition to the proposal. See CHC post from May 4, here:  http://bit.ly/RiV60I

Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) board member Chuck Burger is spearheading an effort within EMCAC and the local business community to develop a marketing plan for Eastern Market.  It is unclear what the status of the plan is.

EMCAC met Wednesday night, but though the Auditor’s report had been released that day, the matter was not brought up, either in the Market Manager’s report, or by any member of the Committee.  EMCAC serves as an advisory board regarding market operations.  Legislation to restructure the Eastern Market governing board to provide decision making management authority proposed by Councilmember Tommy Wells last year, fell victim to opposition by Mayor Gray, and despite rumors to the contrary was not revived last January.

Pret a Manger Opens PA Avenue, SE, Location on Friday, August 1

by Larry Janezich

The new Pret A Manger (formerly Cosi) at 3rd and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, is scheduled to open Friday, August 1.  The high-end sandwich shop will offer sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit, wraps, soups, baguettes, as well as pastries, bagels, muffins and hot oatmeal.

From their website:  “We make our stuff fresh so we can sell it fresh (it’s old fashioned but works well).  We donate our sandwiches to charity instead of keeping them over to sell the next day.  Because we make our food by hand in each store throughout the day, you won’t find “shelf life” dates and “display until” messages on our salads and sandwiches.  We simply don’t need to sell old food.”  The new location will host a soft opening today, Thursday, July 31, 2014.  Their menu can be viewed here:  http://www.pret.com/us/our_food/

According to the building’s owner, Douglas Development, the restaurant will occupy 4,300 square feet and offer two floors of indoor dining space as well as the outside patio.

The London-based restaurant chain has numerous east coast locations in NYC, Chicago and Boston.  This location will be its eighth in DC – another Capitol Hill Pret a Manger is located in Union Station.

 

The Week Ahead….Who’s Running for Commissioner In The Four Capitol Hill ANCs?

by Larry Janezich

The Week Ahead

Monday, July 30

Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) meets at 7:00pm, in the North Hall, Eastern Market. Among items on the agenda is an update on Eastern Market’s policy on solicitations, petitioning etc., on Market property.  The Committee will also consider Resolutions of Appreciation for two Market vendors who passed away last week –  Becky Mensah and Bob King.

Thursday, July 31

12:00noon – 2:00pm.  Mayor Gray kicks off the latest iteration of “Murals DC” and DC’s fight against illegal graffiti at the “carnival” celebration of the completion of a mural on the entrance of the Rumsey Aquatic Facility (next to Eastern Market) by artist Aniekan Udofia.  The announcement of the event calls it a carnival festivity, featuring a trapeze school, face painting, animal balloons, cotton candy, sno-cones, music and free giveaways.   Murals DC is a DPW project that combats illegal graffiti with original innovative murals throughout DC.

Aniekan Udofia is the artist who created the mural “American Express” on 8th Street, just below the freeway.  CHC’s post on that and more information on the artist can be found here:  http://bit.ly/1s0mI9y

ANC6B and ANC6D Still Shy of Sufficient Candidates – Deadline Looms

There are still three seats – one in ANC6B and two in ANC6D – which currently have no candidates for the fall election.  To become a candidate, a nominating petition signed by 25 registered voters in a candidate’s Single Member District (SMD) must be filed with the DC Board of Elections by August 6.  These nominating petitions will be posted in the Board’s office for a ten-day challenge period during which any registered District voter may challenge the validity of any petition by a written statement signed by the challenger and filed with the Board. The statement must specify concisely the alleged defect(s) in the petition.  Petitions are declared invalid most frequently because residents who are ineligible to sign them are disqualified, which takes the number of signatures below the required 25.

Following is a list of the Single Member Districts in the four Ward Six ANCs which comprise Capitol Hill, the current commissioner for each SMD, and the potential candidates who have picked up nominating petitions as of 5:53pm on July 25 (according to the DC Board of Elections) to get their names on the ballot in the general election in November.

ANC6A – Three Commissioners Retire – But Candidates Emerge for all SMDs

ANC6A01 – (J. Omar Mahmud,  incumbent)  Candidates:  Raphael V. Marshall, Andy Clark, J. Omar Mahmud.

ANC6A02 – (Gloria Nauden, retiring)  Candidates:  Phil Toomajian

ANC6A03 – (Chris Ward, incumbent)  Candidates:  Chris Ward

ANC6A04 – (Nick Alberti, incumbent)  Candidates:  Nick Alberti, Matt Levy

ANC6A05 – (Jay Williams, retiring)  Candidates:  Dan Allen, Patrick A. Malone

ANC6A06 – (Andrew Hysell, retiring)  Candidates:  Todd Slover

ANC6A07 – (Sondra Phillips-Gilbert, incumbent)  Candidates:  Sondra Phillips-Gilbert

ANC6A08 – (Calvin Ward, incumbent)  Candidates:  Calvin Ward

A map of ANC6A’s SMDs can be found here:  http://www.anc6a.org/map.html

ANC6B – Seven Commissioners Retire – One Seat Currently Has No Candidate

ANC6B01 – (Vacant, Dave Garrison resigned)  Candidates:  NONE YET

ANC6B02 – (Ivan Frishberg, retiring)  Candidates:   Gerald Sroufe, Diane Hoskins

ANC6B03 – (Phil Peisch, retiring)  Candidates:  James M. Loots

ANC6B04 – (Kirsten Oldenburg, incumbent)  Candidates:  Kirsten Oldenburg

ANC6B05 – (Brian Pate, retiring)  Candidates:  Carl B. Reeverts

ANC6B06 – (Nichole Opkins, retiring)  Candidates:  Nick Burger, Anthony Cassillo

ANC6B07 – (Sara Loveland, retiring)  Candidates:  Daniel Chao

ANC6B08 – (Chander Jayaraman, incumbent)  Candidates:  Chander Jayaraman

ANC6B09 – (Brian Flahaven, incumbent)  Candidates:  Brian Flahaven

ANC6B10 – (Francis Campbell, retiring)  Candidates:  Denise Rucker Krepp, Peter Gould

A map of ANC6B’s SMDs can be found here:  http://www.anc6b.org/?page_id=20

ANC6C – All Commissioners Will Seek Re-Election – Currently Have No Opponents

ANC6C01 – (Daniele Schiffman, incumbent)  Daniele Schiffman

ANC6C02 – (Karen Wirt, incumbent)  Karen Wirt

ANC6C03 – (Scott Price, incumbent)  Scott Price

ANC6C04 – (Mark Eckenweiler, incumbent) Mark Eckenweiler

ANC6C05 – (Mark Kazmierczak, incumbent)  Mark Kazmierczak

ANC6C06 – (Tony Goodman, incumbent)  Tony Goodman

A map of ANC6C’s SMDs can be found here:  http://anc6c.org/map.html

ANC6D – Two Commissioners Retire – No Candidates Yet for Two Seats

ANC6D01 – (Sam Marrero, incumbent)  NONE YET

ANC6D02 – (Stacy Cloyd, incumbent)  Stacy Cloyd

ANC6D03 – (Rachel Carroll, incumbent)  Rachel Carrol

ANC6D04 – (Andy Litsky, incumbent)  Andy Litsky

ANC6D05 – (Roger Moffat, incumbent)  Roger Moffat

ANC6D06 – (Rhonda Hamilton, retiring)  NONE YET

ANC6D07 – (David Garber, retiring)  Josh Hart, Meredith Fascett

A map of ANC6D’s SMDs can be found here:  http://www.anc6d.org/map.html

Nomination petitions can be picked up here:

DC Board of Elections

441 4th Street, NW, Suite 250 North

Washington, DC 20001

Tel: (202) 727-2525 | TTY: (202) 639-8916 | Tollfree: 1-866-DC-VOTE

The DC Board of Election’s Candidate Guide to Ballot Access can be found here:  https://www.dcboee.org/home.asp

The Week Ahead …. And ANC6B – Who’s Running?

by Larry Janezich

Six Five FOUR ANC6B Seats Currently Have No Candidates

Here is a list of ANC6B’s Single Member Districts (SMDs), current commissioner, and the potential candidates who have picked up petitions (according to the DC Board of Elections) to get their names on the ballot in the general election in November.  Petitions must be signed by 25 registered voters in the potential candidate’s SMD and filed with the DC Board of Elections by Wednesday, August 6.  Nominating petitions will be posted in the Board’s office for a ten-day challenge period during which any registered District voter may challenge the validity of any petition by a written statement signed by the challenger and filed with the Board. The statement must specify concisely the alleged defect(s) in the petition.  Petitions are declared invalid most frequently because residents who are ineligible to sign them are disqualified, which takes the number of signatures below the required 25.

ANC6B01 – (Vacant, Dave Garrison resigned)  Candidates:  NONE YET

ANC6B02 – (Ivan Frishberg, retiring)  Candidates:   Gerald Sroufe, Diane Hoskins

ANC6B03 – (Phil Peisch, retiring)  Candidates:  NONE YET

ANC6B04 – (Kirsten Oldenburg, seeking re-election)  Candidates:  Kirsten Oldenburg

ANC6B05 – (Brian Pate)  Candidates:  NONE YET

ANC6B06 – (Nichole Opkins, retiring)  Candidates:  Nick Burger, Anthony Cassillo

ANC6B07 – (Sara Loveland, retiring)  Candidates:  Daniel Chao

ANC6B08 – (Chander Jayaraman, seeking re-election)  Candidates:  NONE YET

ANC6B09 – (Brian Flahaven, seeking re-election)  Candidates:  Brian Flahaven

ANC6B10 – (Francis Campbell, retiring)  Candidates:  UPDATE:  Candidates:  Denise Rucker Krepp, Peter Gould

A map of ANC6B’s SMDs can be found here:  http://www.anc6b.org/?page_id=20

Petitions can be picked up here:

DC Board of Elections

441 4th Street, NW, Suite 250 North

Washington, DC 20001

Tel: (202) 727-2525 | TTY: (202) 639-8916 | Tollfree: 1-866-DC-VOTE

The DC Board of Election’s Candidate Guide to Ballot Access can be found here:  https://www.dcboee.org/home.asp

https://www.dcboee.org/newsroom/index.asp

 

The Week Ahead….

The rush to depart Washington for summer holiday has begun, with the result that little is happening on the political scene in the coming week.

Monday, July 21

ANC 6A Transportation & Public Space Committee Meets at 7:00pm in Maury Elementary School (1250 Constitution Avenue, NE) – Note location change.

Among items on the agenda:

Consideration of support for renaming of 11th Street NE and Florida Avenue NE as “Ruby Whitfield Way”

Request by residents to install stop sign at 11th Street NE and F Street NE

Monday, July 21

ANC6A Community Outreach Committee Meeting CANCELLED

Wednesday, July 23

ANC6A Economic Development Committee Meeting CANCELLED

 

 

City Agency Backs Down On Eastern Market Petitioning Ban

by Larry Janezich

The Department of General Services (DSG)  has reversed a policy of prohibiting political petitioners from collecting signatures at Capitol Hill’s Eastern Market on weekends.  The original policy appeared to be part of enforcement of a ban on unapproved vending which was included in the mayor’s order providing for weekend closing of 7^th Street, SE, between Pennsylvania and North Carolina Avenues, SE.  The closing was done in part to provide space for expansion of Eastern Market’s outdoor vending operation, much of which used to take place inside the building’s North Hall before the building’s destruction by fire and reconstruction.

In recent months, patrons of the market had noticed the banishment of the Street Sense newspaper vendors from spaces adjacent to the Market, but the issue became public  in late June when petitioners were prevented from gathering signatures for an initiative to put the legalization of marijuana on the ballot.  The following weekend, petitioners – including ANC6B Commissioner Brian Pate – gathering signatures for District Congressional Representative candidate Tim Krepp were allowed to operate in the same location from which the MJ petitioners had been banned.  Once Pate was made aware of the disparity in policy, he suggested this might be a First Amendment issue and contacted Barry Margeson, Eastern Market Manager.  Margeson directs the operation of the Protective Services Division which provides security at the Market on weekends and enforces the closing of 7^th Street.  Pressed on the legitimacy of the policy by Capitol Hill Corner, Margeson said that there was no written policy, and he would seek to have the issue placed on the agenda of Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee at its July 30 meeting.  In the meantime, he said, he would seek clarification from DGS legal counsel.

On July 12, Margeson emailed Capitol Hill Corner, “…in regards to petitioning at Eastern Market… I’m sure you have heard it from Brian Pate and perhaps others. We are currently working on a policy regarding usage of the entire space managed by Eastern Market/DGS (roughly 7th from Penn to NC, the North Hall Plaza and the Natatorium). It will encompass vendors, farmers, solicitors, petitioners, musicians, etc. It will tie together some of the disparate permits and applications that we already have.

Until this policy has been put in place, we have asked Protective Services Division to stand down in their enforcement of petitioning. This went well last weekend. We had a small hiccup this weekend because the word did not get out to everyone. But we are back on track… I hope that we will have a draft of the policy for the EMCAC meeting if not before.”

The “small hiccup” referred to above apparently involved political petitioners again being prevented from collecting signatures, but this time it was observed by local WRC/NBC TV reporter Tom Sherwood.   Sherwood not only tweeted about it but called the Mayor’s Office, Council Member Tommy Wells’ office, and the Department of General Services.  You can see his report here: http://bit.ly/1pjFIMx

The upshot, Sherwood reports, was that DSG has clarified the policy to insure there are no restrictions on political petitioners at the Market.  Sherwood quotes DSG spokesperson Kenneth Diggs as saying “We want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to sign petitions.”

There Are Neighbors, Then There Are “Neighbors”

Re-creation of “Carriage House” Angers South Carolina Avenue Residents

by Larry Janezich

A recent Historical Preservation Application by a resident of the 1000 block of South Carolina Avenue, SE discloses that the resident wants to build a 15 foot “shed” in the middle of a land-locked block, based on the claim that a similarly sized carriage house existed on the property in the 19th century.

Some 16 immediate neighbors object to the plan.  It’s not as though it would be across the alley; there is no alley.  The structure would loom over the backyards of six or seven neighbors whose properties surround the oddly-shaped lot, and, they claim, it would decrease their property values and interfere with their enjoyment of their yards.   In addition, neighbors fear – citing the height of the 16 foot by 14 foot structure – the owner’s ultimate goal is to construct a rental property, which would impinge upon their backyard enjoyment still further.

When the case came before ANC6B in June, the Commission voted 9-0 to oppose the application, citing insufficient information, the fact that the applicant’s plan did not conform to the applicant’s verbal statement, and the applicant’s lack of outreach to the neighbors.

When HPRB got the case, they dismissed ANC6B’s concerns out of hand, and despite reservations on the part of several Board Members who thought the height should come down to 10 feet, handed the case off to the Historical Preservation Office (HPO) staff to resolve and make a final determination.  After the HPO staff had signed off on the 15 foot height, one of the nearby neighbors wrote to HPO:

“I am very disappointed that the neighbor’s input was not considered during this process to date. I have reviewed the video [of the hearing] several times and it does appear to me that the Chair wanted the staff to be ‘a bridge between [the owner] and the ANC and neighbors.’  The video shows that the Chair intended that [the owner] enter into a dialog with us regarding the height of the shed and its function. The Chair also stated that the staff discuss a minimum height that would be functional as a shed.”

The response from HPO staff member Sarah VanLandingham reads in part:  “We met with [the owner] earlier this week to talk through some of the details. He is committed to remaining at the 15’ height. After going back and listening to the hearing again and then double-checking the intention with the Chair, Gretchen Pfaehler, the board’s ruling is not strong enough to require him to reduce the height if he claims that he needs it.

From here, [the owner] will need to get together drawings for permitting that meet the zoning and code requirements regarding setbacks, etc. Our office will work with him on detailing the aesthetics of the design but, unfortunately, many of the concerns expressed by the neighbors are not under the purview of the HPRB or HPO.

I’m happy to provide you with plans when [the owner] is ready for permitting but, at this point, the Board has ruled in his favor and the project will be moving forward. I encourage you to talk with your ANC about this issue and any other concerns in your community and I am happy to provide you with contact information if you need it.”

One of the neighbors told CHC, “What infuriates all of us is that the Historic Preservation Office ignored ANC and comments from CHRS.  He’s building an apartment house.”  Another said, “[the owner] has still made zero effort to reach out to neighbors and the staff memo to the historic preservation head was a very, very slight rewrite of [the owner’s] own claims.”

The Past Week and the Week Ahead….Frager’s Update and ANC Elections

by Larry Janezich

Frager’s Scales Back Plans for Pennsylvania Avenue Outlet

City storm water regulation issues have forced Frager’s to scale back plans for construction of a planned 5800 square foot temporary structure on the lots surrounding 1230 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, as first reported by Capitol Hill Corner (see here: http://bit.ly/1gTO5J6).  Frager’s is reported to have downsized the operation intended for that location and intends to erect a temporary structure within what regulations permit without addressing the issues associated with a larger structure.  Details of the new plans are not yet available, but the fence with murals which once fronted Pennsylvania Avenue has been replaced by a ten foot iron gated fence and the land is being improved to facilitate the hardware and gardening outlet’s expansion.  Owner John Weintraub intended to move much of the hardware operation currently located at 1323 E Street, SE, as well as the gardening center now located across from Eastern Market to the Pennsylvania Avenue location.  Frager’s will lose the Eastern Market pad if a pending court decision is in favor of the developer – that decision which will allow the demolition of the Hine building to begin.  Frager’s has reportedly bought the building on E Street and no longer has to worry about operating there under a short term lease. Meantime, there has been no visible progress on reconstruction of the original location at Frager’s at 11^th and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

1230 Pennsylvania Avenue and the surrounding lots are owned by Larry Quillian, author of a controversial plan to demolish the historic Shotgun House which backs up to to lot and faces E Street, SE.  CHC posted on that plan here:  http://bit.ly/1qAicMC

Election Update

Last week, ANC6B 10 Commissioner Francis Campbell became the seventh ANC6B commissioner to announce retirement at the end of the current term.  The announcement of the 12 year veteran came as a surprise to many who had expected him to run  again..

As of close of business on Friday, only three candidates for ANC6B had picked up petitions necessary to have their names appear on the ballot in the general election in November:

ANC6B04 Kirsten Oldenburg (re-election)

ANC6B06 Nick Burger  (Nichole Opkins’ is not seeking re-election)

ANC6B09 Brian Flahaven  (re-election)

The Week Ahead…..

Monday, July 14

ANC6D meets at 7:00pm, DCRA Meeting Room, 1100 4th Street, SW, 2nd Floor

Agenda not available at press time.

Tuesday, July 15

CHRS Board of Directors meets at 6:30pm in Capitol Hill Townhomes, 750 6th Street, SE.

Wednesday, July 16

ANC6B Outreach and Constituent Services Task Force meets a 7:00pm in Hill Center.

On the agenda:

Neglected and blighted properties

Thursday, July 17

PSA 108 meets at 7:00pm, Liberty Baptist Church, 527 Kentucky Avenue, SE.