CAPITOL HILL CORNER

The Week Ahead….

by Larry Janezich

December 17, Monday

Capitol Power Plant Air Quality Permits

Nearby residents are worried that the Capitol Architect’s request for permits will allow continued operation of the plant as a coal powered rather than a natural gas facility.  Details will be forthcoming at a public hearing held on the request for the air quality permits at 5:30pm at the District Department of the Environment offices at 1200 First Street NE.  Interested parties wishing to testify at this hearing must submit in writing their names, addresses, telephone numbers, and affiliation, if any, to Mr. Stephen Ours at DDOE by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, December 17, 2012.  Stephen.Ours@dc.gov   No written comments postmarked after December 17, 2012 will be accepted. 

December 18, Tuesday

CHRS Board of Directors meets at 6:30pm at Capitol Hill Townhomes, 750 6th Street, SE, 2nd floor.

December 19, Wednesday

ANC Scheduling

ANC 6B Executive Committee meets at 6:30pm, Hill Center.  The Executive Committee will set the agenda for the first meeting of the newly elected ANC6B on Tuesday, January 8

 December 19, Wednesday

Vacant and Blighted Houses

ANC 6B Outreach and Constituent Services Task Force will meet from 7:00pm – 9:00pm at Hill Center.  At the meeting, the task force will review ANC 6B’s inventory of vacant and blighted properties and 2013 technology initiatives. 

Thursday, December 20

Zoning Regulation Re-write

ANC 6B’s newly created Zoning Regulations Review Task Force will hold its initial meeting on 7:30pm – 9:30pm at the Hill Center.  The objective of the task force is to review the Office of Planning’s proposed rewrite of the city’s zoning regulations (see http://www.ZoningDC.org) and make recommendations to ANC 6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee.  ANC 6B residents interested in assisting the task force in its efforts are encouraged to attend.  Residents with questions about the task force should contact either their 6B Commissioner or the task force chair, Commissioner Dave Garrison (david6b01@anc6b.org). 

Thursday, December 20

The Difficulty of Adding a Third Floor in the Historic District

Historic Preservation Review Board meets at 9:00am at 441 4th Street NW, Room 220 South.  One of the cases it will hear illustrates the  problem of trying to add additional space to a home in the historic district.  Residents at 426 11th Street, SE, are seeking approval from the HPRB for a third story roof addition to accommodate a growing family.  The applicant sought the approval of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society – who weighs in on these matters invoking the same right any citizen or any civic organization has to submit an opinion to HPRB – for the project, but failed to meet the criteria of the Society’s Historic Preservation Committee, who submitted a letter to HPRB opposing the addition because a fraction of it will be visible from public space.  HPRB’s Zoning Committee, on the other hand, found – regarding the applicant’s application for zoning relief to allow a third story addition and roof deck – found that the addition “does not substantially visually intrude upon the character, scale and pattern of houses along the street frontage.”  ANC6B, who also opines on historic preservation and zoning matters – under the dictum that its opinion be given “great weight” by government agencies – was unable to render a recommendation, deadlocking twice on a 5-5 vote on the question of approval, and voted to take “no position” before HPRB.   Aside from demonstrating one of the disadvantages of living in the Capitol Hill Historic District, the case points up the fact that there is no uniformity of standards on these questions, a complaint raised by the applicant before ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee.  Indeed, the criteria appear to be in part subjective, given the language in the CHRS’s Historic Preservation Committee’s protest to HPRB: “visibility is by necessity something to be judged on a case-by-case case basis due to such variables as a structure’s location, configuration, and relationship to its neighbors and placement in a block.”  According to Brian Flahaven, ANC6B Commissioner, the HPRB staff as well as the CHRS will oppose the current concept of the proposed addition.   If the opposition prevails, the applicant will be far from the first resident to have spent thousands of dollars in planning for an addition and then be denied approval by HPRB.

The Hawk & Dove Will Reopen In Early February According to Owner Xavier Cervera

The Week Ahead…..Photo Update on Hawk & Dove

by Larry Janezich

Tuesday, December 11

ANC6B meets at 7:00pm in Hill Center. 

There are a few items on the agenda that deserve attention. 

The Slow Progress on the Signals at 10th and PA Avenue Gave False Hope to Residents Opposed to Installation of Lights At the Only PA Avenue Crossing Without Them

New Traffic Signals at 10^th and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

The installation of new traffic signals at 10^th and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, is a done deal.  DDOT officials are being asked to present their rational for the signals and Soumya Vev and James Cheeks from DDOT are scheduled to appear.  Commissioner Oldenburg’s Transportation Committee, locking the barn before more horses escape, passed a resolution which will come before the full ANC later on the agenda, calling upon DDOT to consult with the community before any such action is taken in the future.  Passage is a safe bet.    

New Liquor License for New Barracks Row Restaurant

The ANC will vote on a license for Rose’s Luxury, 717 8th Street SE.

401-403 15th Street, SE – Payne School in Background

401-403 15^th Street, SEThe ANC will consider a raze permit for 401-403 15^th Street, SE, to make way for new retail and condos.   Sheldon Jones, partner in the mysterious Gideon Kingston, LLC, and Michael Regignano, of CAS Engineering, will explain why they need ANC approval now for a raze permit for the properties.  According to Jones, the partnership is “contemplating a mixed use project with a maximum height of 50 feet, with retail on the ground level and four levels of residential with 11 or 12 residences, split between one bedroom and two bedroom units.”  Jones plays his cards close to his vest, and has stipulated that any information regarding Gideon Kingston’s plans and the parties involved be regarded as confidential and privy only to the commissioners on ANC6B.  It’s not clear that communications with a government agency on community matters can be confidential unless proprietary information is involved, and it is hard to see how it could be at this stage.

XAVIER CERVERA ENTERTAINS OFFERS TO BUY HIS CAPITOL HILL RESTAURANTS

by Larry Janezich

This afternoon, local restaurateur Xavier Cervera confirmed to Capitol Hill Corner that he has received offers to buy all nine of his Capitol Hill operations, and that he is reviewing these offers seriously.  “I have been approached by a private equity group out of Boston and have made large offers which I have not accepted,” Cervara said on the phone this afternoon.  “The offers grow larger every week.  They have a lot of experience in the restaurant business.  They have looked very closely at my operation and like what they see.  They are being very aggressive.”

Cervera added:  “I am close to all of my restaurants and the 345 employees.  You don’t build this kind of operation in four and a half years without great staff.  It’s hard to let something like that go.”

Over the past few years, Cervera has opened several restaurants in the neighborhood:  those currently in operation include Lola’s, Molly Malone’s, the Chesapeake Room, Senart’s Oyster & Chop House, Pacifico, and The Box Car Tavern.  Three more are scheduled to open soon: the Park Tavern will open in three weeks (corrected) in the Navy Yard neighborhood in Southeast; the Hawk & Dove will open early in February; construction has just started on Willie’s Brew and Que, also (corrected) near the Navy Yard.

This would not be the first time Cervera sold his developments as a package.  Originally from Miami, he developed several boutique hotels there and sold them as a package some 15 years ago.

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  The ramp leading west onto the freeway

  

  Approach to the ramp heading south on 11th Street

A car turns right just after the underpass onto the access ramp

Confused About the 11th St SE Entrance to Westbound SW/SE Freeway?  These Photos Will Help

By Larry Janezich

The photos above illustrate the access to the on ramp to the westbound SW/SE Freeway.  The 395 sign in the upper right is right in front of Gingko Gardens.  The ramp provides smooth access onto the freeway and is much safer than the ramp at 3^rd Street.  It is also currently much underused, possibly because as of yet the signage is inadequate.

The Week Ahead….

by Larry Janezich

December 3, Monday

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

December 4, Tuesday

ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee meets at 7:00pm in the cafeteria at St. Coletta of Greater Washington, 1901 Independence Avenue SE.  Among the items on the agenda:

Raze permit for 401-403 15th Street SE.

December 5, Wednesday

ANC6b Transportation Committee meets at 6:30pm in Hill Center.  On the agenda:

Review of District Department of Transportation fiscal year 2013 sidewalk repair list

Discussion of and resolution on pedestrian signals at 8th & E Streets SE and 8th & G Streets SE

Thursday, December 6

AnC6B Alcohol Beverage Control Committee meets at 7:00pm in Hill Center.  Among the items on the agenda:

Voluntary Agreement for a new Barracks Row Restaurant, Rose’s Luxury, 717 8th Street, SE.

Thursday, December 6

2012 Holiday Group Show at Results the Gym, Capitol Hill, December, 2012 through February, 2013. Opening Reception: Thursday, December 6th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.  Exhibition Hours: Walk-ins are welcome during the normal operating hours of the Gym, 315 G Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003 (202) 234-5678

Saturday, December 8

Give Art and Wrap It Up Party at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th Street, SE, 4:00pm – 8:00pm.  CHAW and Capitol Hill Art League have created a selection of gifts including jewelry, ceramics, oil paintings, books, photography, note cards, textiles and crafts.  Artists will wrap all gifts purchased on Saturday, but art will remain on sale until December 21 during regular CHAW  hours.  Contact:  CHAW 202 247 6839

Ketan Gada, Reservation 13 Project Director, Briefs Hill East Task Force on Development Plans

Developers’ Gaze Turns to Stadium Armory Metro Stop – City Moves Ahead with Plan to Develop Two Near By Parcels

by Larry Janezich

ANC6B’s Hill East Task Force met Monday night to hear Ketan Gada, the Deputy Mayor’s project director for development of Reservation 13, present an update on the current thinking and process for the residential and retail development of two key parcels of land adjacent to the Stadium-Armory Metro.

Since the Redskins have decided to train elsewhere and the prospect for a Georgetown campus on Reservation 13 has faded, the city is pressing ahead with plans to develop the 67 acre site, with the first phase being the mixed use project planned for two parcels totaling 114,000 square feet next to the metro stop.  

Three development teams have visited the site in response to the city’s October 4 request for expressions of interest.  Gada said he expects four to five offers to be submitted by the January 7 deadline.  Developers are being asked to provide affordable housing plans for the project under two scenarios – either 30% affordable housing with a limited life span of up to 40 years, or 13% affordable housing which would remain affordable in perpetuity. 

According to Gada, after January 7, the Deputy Mayor’s office will select those developers who have been “most responsive” to the city’s criteria and those developers will be asked to make presentations to the ANC.  Since Reservation 13 is now in Ward 7’s ANC7F, that ANC would ordinarily be the most directly involved.  However, ANC6B Commissioners Brian Flahaven and Francis Campbell are strong advocates of the involvement for ANC6B, since their single member districts are adjacent the project.  Flahaven, chair of the Hill East Taskforce, stated that he hopes developer presentations can be made to a joint committee comprised of both ANC6B and ANC7F, and Gada seemed receptive to that proposal.

About 15 residents turned out for last night’s meeting, and some of the issues raised by both those in the audience and by members of the Taskforce included concerns regarding the relocation of social services on the site, preservation of Anacostia waterfront green space, the fifty foot height of the project’s buildings facing 19^th Street, and safeguarding the continuity of the plan against randomness of piecemeal development.   

Flahaven asserted it was the responsibility of the residents and the ANC to “keep folks accountable,” but one member of the audience, James Ray, voiced skepticism of the Deputy Mayor’s commitment to the restrictions of the Master Plan noting that “residents feel powerless when Mayor Gray pulls a fast one with the Redskins Training facility” proposal. 

Flahaven said that the people most invested in the project are those who live closest to it and went on, “We’re stuck with what we have – we have the most to gain and to lose if it’s done incorrectly.”  Residents who seek input should bear the recent Hine experience in mind.  During that process, many meetings were held, but nearby residents were left feeling that many of their most important concerns went unaddressed.

The Week Ahead….

by Larry Janezich

November 26, Monday

ANC 6B’s Hill East Task Force will get an update on DMPED’s Request for Expressions of Interest for parcels F1 & G1 at Reservation 13 at 7:00pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington, 1901 Independence Avenue SE.

November 27, Tuesday

ANC 6B Executive Committee Meets at 7:00pm at Hill Center to set the agenda for the Dcember 11 ANC6B meeting.

November 28, Wednesday

(The Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee meetings scheduled for this day was cancelled.  The next meeting will be on December 19, at 7:00pm, North Hall, Eastern Market.)

November 28, Wednesday

ANC6B Outreach and Constituent Services Task Force meets at 7:00pm in Hill Center.  At the meeting, the task force will review initial recommendations regarding policies on vacant and blighted properties. 

November 29, Thursday

The Historic Preservation Review Board will meet at 9:00am at 441 4th Street, NW in Room 220-South. Applicants and those interested in testifying should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the assigned time for the case.  From 11:15 – 12:00pm, the concept/renovation and new construction for the former Edmonds School at 901 D Street, NE, is scheduled to be considered.  Applicants and those interested in testifying should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the assigned time for the case.