CAPITOL HILL CORNER

The Week Ahead….and Goodbye to Hello Cupcake – and Kraze Burger?

by Larry Janezich

Alia Khan posts on Newhilleast that the owner of Hello Cupcake is pulling the plug on the Barracks Row shop because “the numbers weren’t working out for them.”  The shop opened in May of 2011.  On Twitter, ANC6b Commissioner Phil Peisch, responding to a query from JD Land,  speculates that Kraze Burger on Barracks Row is going out of business. The restaurant’s door features a “Closed Until Further Notice” sign.  The restaurant opened its doors October 17, 2013.

Monday, March 24 – Saturday, March 29

Early voting.  For Ward 6, Sherwood Recreation Center at 640 10th Street, NE, will be open from 8:30am through 7:00pm Monday, March 24, through Saturday, March 29. On Primary Election Day, Tuesday, April 1, all 143 precinct polling places will be open from 7:00am until 8:00pm.

Tuesday, March 25

ANC6b Executive Committee meets at 7:00pm in Hill Center to set the agenda for next month’s full ANC6b meeting.

Wednesday, March 26

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

Thursday, March 27

CHRS spring members’ forum – “Boating and Preserving the Anacostia” with guest presenters from the Anacostia Watershed Society and the Anacostia Community Boathouse.  6:45pm membership meeting.  7:00pm – 8:30pm, Forum.  Northeast Library, 330 7^th Street, NE.  This event is open to the public.

Host Families Needed for English/Spanish Language Emersion Program in July

USA Connection, a family-run student exchange program focused on English/Spanish language emersion programs, is currently seeking host families in the DC Metro region who are willing to house students, ages 13 – 17, during the month of July. Students do not need to be enrolled in school, but rather need to be treated as part of your family. For more details, please visit our website at: http://www.usaconnection.org, or contact Christine McCoy, Program Coordintor, USA Connection,christinemccoy3@gmail.com, or 202.246.0163.

When ANC Commissioners Endorse Political Candidates….

Editorial by Larry Janezich

Non-partisan, elected ANC commissioners are exempt from the Hatch Act – the federal law proscribing the political activity of civil servants – which means they are NOT prohibited from posting “a comment to a blog or a social media site that advocates for or against a partisan political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group.”

Still, the guiding principle of the Hatch Act is an important one: the normal offices and services of government should not be politicized.  There are good reasons why neighborhood representatives should refrain from turning components of their formal office – especially their email lists – into political agents.  While their email lists are private and to some degree personal, their subscription and audience would not be what they are were it not for their position as an ANC Commissioner.  Those lists have the reach they do because of the office any given commissioner holds.

Also worth nothing is the fact that the political unit in question is so small – some 2,000 residents in a commissioner’s constituency.  It is understandable how residents who support one candidate can be made uncomfortable when their commissioner endorses another, especially if a resident places a sign or becomes vocal about their support. These things will be noticed, and perhaps noted.  Have some neighbors refrained from being more vocal about their political views because they do not want to tarnish their relationship with their commissioner?  How can a politically active resident have confidence that his/her concerns will be addressed if their political views differ from those of a commissioner?  If a commissioner has shown a willingness to politicize one component of their formal office, how can a resident have confidence that they will not do so in other areas, even if that “politicization” takes the form of a slow or lazy response to a resident’s concerns?

As a commissioner, it is tempting to endorse a candidate who one has worked with, or with whom one has a personal relationship – or even to curry favor with a likely winner.  Yet is also important to keep in mind that ANCs have been criticized throughout the city as being nothing more than cogs in the local neighborhood political machine.  When commissioners use the influence of their office to advance a partisan agenda, they validate that criticism.  ANC commissioners are our neighborhood representatives, not our political agents.

Last week, posters created by elusive graffiti artist Banksy, began appearing on Capitol Hill. The posters created to show solidarity with the rebels against the Syrian government, commemorate the third anniversary of the beginning of the Syrian conflict – March 15, 2011.

The Week Ahead…..

by Larry Janezich

Monday, March 17

Rescheduled for March 24.  ANC6A Transportation and Public Space Committee meets at 7:00pm in Maury Elementary School, 1250 Constitution Avenue, NE, (enter from 13^th Street, NE)

ANC6A Community Outreach Committee meeting CANCELLED

Tuesday, March 18

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

ANC6A ABC Committee meeting CANCELLED

Wednesday, March 19

ANC 6B Outreach & Constituent Services Task Force meets at 7:00pm in Hill Center.  Chair Brian Pate has announced that a representative from DC Department of Tax and Revenue will be present to take questions.

Wednesday, March 19

ANC6A Economic Development & Zoning Committee meets at 7:00pm in Sherwood Recreation Center (640 10th Street, NE), 2nd Floor Community Room

Among items on the agenda:

Murry’s Redevelopment (616 H Street, N.E.) – Trent Smith of Insight Property Group will give a brief presentation on the current status of this project.

R.L. Christian Library Site (1300 H Street, NE) – Developer will present regarding efforts to address parking issues arising out of changed plans for development of the site.

Wednesday, March 19

CHRS Preservation Café – 6:30pm to 7:15 pm, Ebenezers Coffee house, 2nd and F Streets, NE.  Money saving preventive house maintenance.

Thursday, March 20

PSA 108 meets at 7:00pm, Liberty Baptist Church, 527 Kentucky Avenue, SE.  Meeting will feture MPD Lt. J.B. Dykes.

10th and South Carolina, Monday night, 10:50pm

Armed Robbery at 10th and South Carolina Avenue, SE, Monday Night, 10:30 pm

by Larry Janezich

A woman was the victim of an armed robbery involving a gun-wielding assailant at about 10:30pm on Monday night.  The victim was unharmed, but lost personal property.  The assailant, described by police as a black male dressed in black, fled the scene traveling north on 10th Street.  Two police cruisers and an unmarked vehicle with at four officers responded to check out nearby streets and alleys.  The woman was unharmed, and police were reluctant to release additional details.

Last Saturday’s dog adoption at Howl to the Chief on Barracks Row

On Saturdays from 12 – 3 Howl to the Chief has dog adoptions from Rural Dog Rescue www.ruraldogrescue.com  and Sundays from 12 -3 we have cat adoptions through Capitol Cats – www.capitalcats.petfinder.com  Howl to the Chief is at 733 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003  (202) 544-8710

Ugly conditions in the trash dumpster area at Starbucks at 3rd and Pennsylvania, SE, on Saturday afternoon.

The Week Ahead……

by Larry Janezich

Monday, March 10

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

Among items on the agenda:

DC SEU Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Services DC

DDOE Anacostia River Sediment Toxins Project

ABC Committee Update

Monday, March 10

Southeast Neighborhood Library reopens to the public at 9:30am.

Tuesday, March 11

ANC6B meets for its monthly meeting at 7:00pm in Hill Center.

Among items on the agenda:

Public Space application for unenclosed sidewalk café for Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar

Update:  This presentation will occur at the April 2 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Committee)  Presentation (no action required) on phase one of a Cohen Companies proposal for a 673 residential unit building at 1333 M Street, SE.  The first phase will be a 10-story, 218 unit residential building.

Projects for Performance Parking Zone Community Benefits Program

Letter to Mayor Gray regarding 6B’s September 2013 comments on Virginia Avenue Tunnel Reconstruction Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Letter to Department of General Services Regarding Request for offers for Eastern Branch Building

Wednesday, March 12

ANC6C will meet for its regular monthly meeting at 7:00pm, Heritage Foundation,

214 Massachusetts Avenue NE

Update:  Among items on the agenda:

H Street truck loading zones

H Street performance parking community benefits

Discussion of Douglas Development plans for 501 H Street, N.E.

Wednesday, March 12

Barracks Row Main Street’s Annual Meeting celebration, 6:00pm, at Capital Teas, 731 8th Street, SE, will highlight the arrival of spring as well as the 13 new businesses to the corridor in 2013. The party will include tasting samples from many Barracks Row restaurants.  (Barracks Row MainStreet invites all to attend)

Thursday, March 13

ANC6A meets for its regular monthly meeting at 7:00pm, Miner Elementary, 601 15th St., NE.

Restaurant liquor license application for Halftime Sports Bar at 1427 H Street NE

Retailer liquor license application for Andy Lee Liquor, Inc. at 914 H Street NE

Historic Preservation Application for conversion of the Way of the Cross Church of Christ at 819 D Street, NE and two adjoining row houses into a 30 unit residential development,

Friday, March 14

Concert- Joe Craven on fiddle, mandolin, saz, cuatro , and percussion instruments, 8:00pm, The Corner Store.  $20 Advance/$25 Walk-in

“Not Perfect” by Decoy. Oil and acrylic on wood, 48”X54” – $850.

The Fridge:  Opened this weekend –  “LADIES FIRST” is a gallery showcase examining the strong voice of women in modern street art and graffiti.   17 featured female artists from across the globe bring their street-smart imagery to the gallery.  Decoy, whose work is featured above, is one of the leading female street artists in Washington, DC.  Born near Brussels, Belgium, she spent most of her childhood in Europe. Her work explores the relationship and interaction of figures – be they pop icons or everyday – with color and space.  Many Capitol Hill residents saw her work in the John Phil:lips Sousa mural on the east side of the bar Wisdom before it was hidden by the construction of Douglas Development’s mixed use building at the corner of 15^th and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.  She has exhibited her work in a wide range of galleries.   The Fridge, 516 8th Street, Southeast, rear.

The Week Ahead………

by Larry Janezich

Tuesday, March 4

ANC6B Planning & Zoning Committee Meeting meets at 7:00pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington.

Among the items on the agenda:

Presentation (no action required) on phase one of a Cohen Companies proposal for a 673 residential unit building at 1333 M Street, SE.  The first phase will be a 10-story, 218 unit residential building.

Public space permit for paving, driveways, walks, and ADA access for multi-unit residential building at 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

Storefront alteration for Remington’s at 639 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

Unenclosed sidewalk café for Sonoma Wine Bar at 223 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

Wednesday, March 5

ANC6B Transportation Committee meets at 6:30pm at Hill Center.

Items on the agenda include:

A letter to Mayor Gray reaffirming the ANC6B September 2013 comments and position on the CSX tunnel project.

Proposals for funding under DDOT’s Performance Parking Zone Community Benefits Program.  There is $1.4 million available for community projects and ANC6B will recommend projects to DDOT in March.  For a copy of the application for funding, go here:  http://bit.ly/1hUpw0W

and for details on the evaluation and selection process, go here:  http://bit.ly/1fTP9QT

ANC6B is seeking worthy projects from 6B residents for projects in areas affected by the Performance Parking Program.  Contact your ANC6B commissioner for additional information.  A list of commissioners is here:  http://www.anc6b.org/ (click on “About the ANC”)

Wednesday, March 5

Groundbreaking ceremony at 10:00am for the Lofts, a 195 unit rental building at 7^th and L Streets, SE.  Mayor Gray, Tommy Wells, others will attend.

Thursday, March 6

ANC6B ABC Committee.  No meeting this month.

Thursday, March 6

Ward Six Candidates forum focusing on education, 6:30 – 8:00pm, at Stuart-Hobson Middle School, 410 E Street, NE.  The moderator will be Emma Brown, education columnist for the Washington Post.  The forum will be sponsored by CHPSPO (Capitol Hill Public School Parent Organization), Future Civic Leaders, and the DC Urban Debate League.

Friday, March 7

8:00pm Concert- Megan McCormick at The Corner Store, 9^th and South Carolina Avenue, SE.  $20 Advance/$25 Walk-in

Saturday, March 8

Tyler Elementary School Fundraiser 7:00pm to 11:00pm at Eastern Market’s North Hall

Food from local restaurants paired with a range of beers and wines “geared toward all tastes.”  Tickets $50 in advance and $60 at the door.  More info and tickets at http://www.tylerelementary.net/greattaste/