CAPITOL HILL CORNER

Edmonds Building from 9th Street, Showing Site of Three Future Townhouses

The Edmonds Building from D Street, with Site of Future Duplex Townhouse on Left

DC Teachers’ Union Credit Union – Formerly Edmonds School, from 9th and D NE

The Former Edmonds School at 9^th and D Streets NE Goes Condo – Historic District Structure the Latest to be Repurposed Residential

by Larry Janezich

The former Edmonds School at 901 D Street, NE, is the latest public property located on Capitol Hill slated to be repurposed for residential use.  Developer CAS Riegler will convert the 1902 structure to up to 25 living units.  An additional three townhouses and a duplex which will provide five living units will also be constructed on the site. 

The units will range from 500 square foot one bedroom apartments to 1700 square foot lofted three bedroom units.  The three 3500 square foot townhouses will face D Street and be connected to the main building by a bridge.  The duplex will face 9^th Street.  Architectural renderings can be viewed on the CAS Riegler website:  http://casriegler.com/edmonds-school/  (These renderings give the north-facing building a frontal southern exposure.)

As a matter of right, the developer can build 23 units in the Edmonds building, given the available square footage.  They had hoped to build 25.  The four townhouses require city approval by the Bureau of Zoning Adjustment. 

The Capitol Hill Restoration Society has signed off on the developer’s request for a Zoning Change and supports the concept plans for both the conversion and the new structures.  ANC6A has withheld endorsement of the project subject to an agreement on density (number of apartments/occupants).  Concerned about the effect on parking, the ANC voted to limit the total number of units, including those in structures other than the Edmonds building, to 27. 

The developer proposed limiting the number of street parking permits to 19, and to place that language in the condo sale documents themselves.  But regulation of the number of residential parking permits by this method is unacceptable to the ANC as it is unenforceable.  According to ANC6A Chair David Holmes, “ANC6A is in the final stages of negotiations with the developer to regulate the density (number of apartments), which will have the side effect of limiting street parking.” 

Edmonds School was closed during the Barry administration and sold to the DC Teacher’s Union Credit Union two decades ago and they have decided to sell the building.  The project appears to be the first Capitol Hill project for CAS Reigler.  Originally, the developer had planned to have a greater number of smaller units but insistence by the Historic Preservation Review Board on preservation of most of the interior walls forced the developer to scale back the total number. HPRB has scheduled a review of concept drawings for the development on Thursday, November 29^th and the Bureau of Zoning Adjustment has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, December 11.

Conversations with neighbors of the Edmonds building revealed that several appeared to prefer the Credit Union to the new development, and that parking remains a major concern.  Zoning regulations require 14 parking spaces on site for the number of units in the project, and the developer’s plan accommodates this.  Since the developer has satisfied the zoning requirements, future residents of the project – with or without onsite parking – will be eligible to apply for residential street parking permits as well.  

Whatever the number of additional street parkers, it is likely to be too many to satisfy some residents, who point out that members of the Way of the Cross Church, directly across the street from the development, are accustomed to using the parking lot of the credit union for services.  With those parking spots slated to be removed, an already crowded D Street—which serves as a bus, bike and ambulance  route as well—will likely experience even more congestion.

The Week Ahead …..

by Larry Janezich

It’s a quiet week as we slide into the Thanksgiving Day holiday.  The only thing on CHC’s calendar is:

Tuesday, November 20

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

Otherwise, Canal Park with the new “ice path” near Navy Yard Metro, is open and promises to be a destination within walking distance of ANC6B.   Maybe it will become a post-prandial one for the Eastern Market community over the holiday weekend.

ANC6B Update

by Larry Janezich

ANC6B met on Tuesday, November 13.  Among the actions it took that night, are the following:

ANC Clears Way for Ambar Serbian Cuisine’s Liquor License

After Ambar’s owner made additional concessions to the voluntary agreement regarding noise abatement in the operation of the roof garden, ANC6B voted 9 – 0 – 1 (Dave Garrison abstained) to support the voluntary agreement and withdraw their protest of the applied-for liquor license.  The vote came in part as the result of commissioners believing that they had achieved all they could under the voluntary agreement and risked having ABRA grant the license without the voluntary agreement, since it is known that ABRA is not sympathetic to ANC protests based on the lateness of the hours of operation.  Dave Garrison was the single commissioner reserving judgment, voting “present,” and stating his belief that the way to address this potential concern was to wring an agreement to limit the hours of operation for the roof garden from the owner.  The new class C restaurant license includes the summer garden, a sidewalk cafe and an entertainment endorsement.  Under terms of voluntary agreement, the applicant will stop serving at the sidewalk café at 11:00pm on weekdays and 1:00am on weekends.  The roof garden can remain open until 2:00am during the week, and until 3:00am on weekends.  The owner hopes to have Ambar open by January 20, Inauguration Day. 

ANC Approves Retail Liquor License with Tasting Endorsement for DCanter

By a unanimous vote ANC6B approved a Class B retail license with a tasting endorsement for DCanter, the boutique wine and craft beer venue coming to Barracks Row, perhaps by March. 

The hours of operation will be 9:00am to 10:00pm daily and applicants Michael and Michelle Warner have signed a voluntary agreement prohibiting the sale of singles and two and three packs.  The tasting endorsement allows the establishment to serve up to 6 ounces of alcohol per customer per day.

ANC Supports Honoring Bulgarian Who Prevented Deportation of Jews Under Nazis

By a vote of 8 – 1 – 1, ANC6B voted to support ANC2D’s resolution to rename the intersection in front of the Embassy of Bulgaria, 1621 22nd Street, NW, in honor of Dimitar Peshev.   Peshev was the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria and Minister of Justice during World War II.  He rebelled against the pro-Nazi cabinet and prevented the Deportation of Bulgaria’s 48,000 Jews.  Commissioner Dave Garrison voted against the resolution on procedural grounds, stating that it was a bad precedent and ANC6B ought not opine about things in other parts of the city.  Commissioner Oldenburg, after initially agreeing with Garrison, backed off and abstained after the resolution was modified to offer support ANC2D’s action rather than state unilaterally a recommendation outside the boundaries of ANC6B.  The measure was a personal project of Commissioner Neil Glick, who came up with the idea and supported the commemoration, garnering the support both of ANC2D and the Bulgarian Embassy.

ANC6B Flexes Muscle on Eastern Market’s Holiday Market

After decrying the lack of public notice regarding the city’s plan to use the temporary Eastern Market Building slab for the holiday market between Thanksgiving and Christmas, ANC6B sent letters to the Department of General Services (DGS), Eastern Market Manager Barry Margeson, and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development to request that DGS develop a plan for use of the slab for the winter and the future.  Implicit in the request is that ANC6B and the nearby neighbors be involved in any such planning efforts.  During last week’s Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee meeting, where the intent to use the slab for the holiday market was first made public, members of EMCAC and Margeson expressed uncertainty regarding how the plan came about.  EMCAC chair Donna Scheeder stated, “how, why, and where it got started is one of those mysteries of Capitol Hill.” 

ANC Supports DDOT’s 17th and 19th Street Safety Improvement Project

By a vote of 10 – 0, ANC6B voted to support a DDOT plan to improve pedestrian safety on 17^th and 19^th Streets, SE.  The commission requested that the project be extended to include the 700 and 800 blocks of 17th Street, SE when implementing the project’s 17^th  Street SE safety recommendation to provide a crosswalk at intersection of 17^th and E Street SE.  Other parts of the plan for 17^th Street between East Capitol and Potomac Avenue, SE, include narrowing the street from two lanes to one lane, adding a dedicated bike lane, installing curb extensions on the west side of the street at each intersection, repaving the street and painting new crosswalks, and installing new permanent electronic speed display signs and new speed limit signs along the corridor.  For 19^th Street, SE, between East Capitol and Potomac Avenue, the project envisions installation of a shared bike lane, repainted and improved pedestrian cross walks near Stadium Armory metro plaza, and new speed limit signs along the corridor.  Implementation is expected to begin in the spring of 2014.

The Week Ahead….

by Larry Janezich

Tuesday, November 13

ANC6B meets at 7:00pm at Hill Center.

Agenda includes:

DCanter – 545 8^th Street, SE

It looks like the license application with tasting endorsement for the new boutique wine and beer retail outlet, DCanter,  will get approval by unanimous consent.  The shop, owned and operated by Capitol Hill residents Michael and Michelle Warner, may be open as soon as March.  In addition to small production wines and craft beers, the shop will offer accessories and a small selection of books.  The tasting endorsement means that the proprietors will be able to serve up to 6 ounces of wine or beer per day per customer for tasting purposes.  The establishment boasts two tasting rooms – a private room suitable for small tastings, and a larger room which can accommodate up to 12 seated patrons for tastings or wine appreciation classes.

Ambar Serbian Cuisine – 523 8^th Street, SE

The proprietor and legal counsel for Ambar continue to joust with some members of ANC6B.  The owner is insisting on the maximum allowed operating hours for a mostly enclosed roof garden and opponents – lead by commissioner Dave Garrison and Kirsten Oldenburg – want to cut back those hours of operation.  It appeared that a voluntary agreement was in place allowing the process to move forward for approval by the full ANC6B, but a preliminary vote to advance the agreement out of the ABC committee to the full ANC failed on a 4-4 tie vote, with one abstention.  Negotiations on additional voluntary restrictions on operating hours or noise abatement were to continue over the past several days in hopes that a resolution satisfying all parties could be reached by the ANC meeting on Tuesday.    The owner hopes to open by Inauguration Day.

Major General Steven J. Lepper, the Deputy Judge Advocate General, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

American Legion Post 8 Commander Kathryn Stillman

More Veterans at Folger Park Ceremony

Veterans Attend Ceremony In Their Honor

Capitol Hill Residents Turn Out to Honor Veterans

Major General Joins Local Legion Post In Honoring Veterans Day – Program Draws Crowd of 200

by Larry Janezich

Major General Steven J. Lepper, the Deputy Judge Advocate General, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., honored veterans at a ceremony in Folger Park on Sunday.  His remarks to a crowd of nearly two hundred focused on the themes of physical and moral courage and how our freedom depends on ensuring the next generation is equipped with the same qualities that distinguished the service of so many of our citizens who served in the country’s armed services.

“Freedom isn’t free, and the process to preserve freedom is not always pleasant.  We must never forget those who paid or were willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice.”

Lepper recounted a personal experience of how interaction with one of his personal heroes and role models taught him some of the most important leadership lessons he might otherwise not have learned.

William Crawford was the janitor to Lepper’s squadron at the Air Force Academy.  As far as they knew, he was the man who mopped the floor and cleaned the toilets.  Then a fellow cadet, while reading a history of the US Army campaign in southern Italy, learned that then-Private Crawford had won the Medal of Honor for acts of heroism.  While serving as a forward scout in the U.S. Army, Crawford’s company came under fire from an enemy machine gun.  Crawford singlehandedly destroyed the position and two more machine gun nests while under continuous fire before being captured by the Germans.  Presumed dead, he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1945.  Later that year, he was released from a POW camp and returned home to Pueblo, Colorado.  In 1947, he reenlisted and served in the military until his retirement as a master sergeant.

According to Lepper, when the squadron discovered what Crawford had done he became one of their greatest heroes.  While working at the Air Force Academy, Crawford mentioned to friends that he had never received the Medal from the president, since it had been awarded posthumously.  In 1984, during that year’s graduation ceremony, President Ronald Reagan formally presented him with the Medal.

Lepper said that he trained with the best equipment available, but could have had no greater role model than Bill Crawford, noting, “the lessons I could have learned nowhere else” were best summarized in an essay on lessons in leadership learned from Crawford, which was published by the former cadet who had discovered Crawford’s achievements:

Be cautious of labels

Leaders need to be humble

Don’t pursue glory; pursue excellence

No job is beneath a leader

The greatest lesson, Lepper told the assembled crowd which included many veterans, is “service before self.  For veterans, it is service to country – I valued his service, and I value yours.”

American Legion Post 8 staged its annual ceremony, in Folger Park, opposite the Post on the corner of 3rd and D, SE.  Following Lepper’s remarks, a commemorative wreath was placed followed by a lone bugler playing Taps.  After the ceremony, everyone present was invited to a luncheon reception in the Post.