Category: News / Blog

NEWS: DDOT to host session on M Street bike lane 5/15/13

This just in from DDOT:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, April 26, 2013

Media Contact: Monica Hernandez at 202-671-2261, monica.hernandez@dc.gov

 

***PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE***

DDOT Invites Public to Meeting on Protected Bike Lane on M Street, NW

(Washington, D.C.) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will host a public meeting on May 15 to present and take comments on a proposed protected bike lane for M Street, NW.

The protected bike lane for M Street, NW is proposed to be installed between 14th Street and 28th Street, and is tentatively scheduled for installation this summer.  Separated by flexible posts, the bike lane will be placed on the north side of the road.  It will be serve as a westbound complement to the recently installed L Street, NW bike lane, and will similarly provide bicyclists with more protection from cars than a typical bike lane.  Plans for the proposed protected bike lane will be available for review at the meeting.

 

What:               M Street, NW Protected Bike Lane Public Meeting

 

When:              Wednesday, May 15, 2013

                          6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

 

Where:             West End Library

1101 24th Street, NW

 

Get there:        Bikeshare:              Kiosks at 25th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW and 22nd Street and I

Street, NW.

Circulator:              Woodley Park / Adams Morgan / McPherson Square Route

Metrorail:               Foggy Bottom Station (Blue and Orange Lines)

Metrobus:              Visit www.wmata.com

Parking:                  On-Street metered parking is available.

NEWS: Mayor & DDOT launch “Potholepalooza 2013”

This just in from the Mayor’s office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, April 22, 2013

 

CONTACTS:     Doxie McCoy (EOM) 202.727.9691; doxie.mccoy@dc.gov

Monica Hernandez (DDOT) 202.671.2261; monica.hernandez@dc.gov
                      

Mayor Gray and DDOT Launch Potholepalooza 2013

District’s Fifth Annual Campaign to Expedite Pothole Repairs across the District; Residents Encouraged to Report Pothole Locations

 

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Mayor Vincent C. Gray and District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Terry Bellamy today launched the District’s fifth annual Potholepalooza campaign to expedite pothole repairs on roadways across the city. The Mayor and Bellamy helped fill potholes on Whittier Street in Northwest Washington as DDOT crews mobilized for the month-long campaign.

 

“Even though we have had two relatively mild winters in a row, there are always potholes to fill,” said Mayor Gray. “Potholepalooza is great example of how we are striving to provide the best customer service possible through our District government agencies, and we appreciate the participation of District residents who reach out to us during this annual campaign to help ensure our streets are in good shape.”

 

This year’s Potholepalooza will run through May 22. As part of the campaign, DDOT is adding extra crews to fill potholes and aims to repair identified locations within 48 hours (the normal response time is within 72 hours). During Potholepalooza, residents and commuters are encouraged to phone, go online, tweet, use Facebook, e-mail or use the DC311 smartphone app to submit requests for pothole repairs.

 

Residents can track the Potholepalooza campaign’s progress online using an online map. DDOT will be posting daily updates of the overall totals of potholes filled during its Potholepalooza 2013 project at ddot.dc.gov/potholes. In addition, there is a Potholepalooza Facebook page at www.facebook.com/potholepalooza. Visit and “like” the page for the latest Potholepalooza 2013 campaign updates, photos, videos and more.

 

“Our fifth annual Potholepalooza campaign is a chance to collaborate with residents and commuters to smooth over our city’s streets,” said Bellamy. “It’s also an opportunity to showcase the work of our Street and Bridge Maintenance crews, who will be out there filing potholes, as well as our customer service staff, who will be fielding Potholepalooza requests.”

 

The first-ever Potholepalooza was held in 2009; over the past four campaigns, DDOT crews have filled 21,011 potholes. In 2012, DDOT received 453 service requests for pothole repairs during the month-long campaign and filled 2,443 potholes.

 

How to report a pothole

Residents and commuters can notify DDOT in a variety of ways:

 

1.     Call the Mayor’s Call Center at 311;

2.     Use the Online Service Request Center at 311.dc.gov;

3.     Send a tweet to twitter.com/DDOTDC;

4.     Post a comment to the Potholepalooza Facebook page at www.facebook.com/potholepalooza;

5.     E-mail Potholepalooza@dc.gov; or

6.     Use the District’s new DC311 smartphone application.

 

Those who report potholes should identify the precise location, including the correct quadrant (NW, NE, SW or SE) of the District, and provide as much detail as possible about the hazard, including the approximate size and depth of the pothole. DDOT crews will also be out and about proactively identifying potholes.

 

How is a pothole repaired?

Road crews fix a pothole by filling it with replacement pavement material. Cold patches are used for small potholes in lightly trafficked areas because they can be quickly applied. Hot asphalt is used in high-traffic areas or on large potholes, because it will hold much more effectively. If the road has become pitted with potholes, it may need to be resurfaced. Resurfacing a roadway involves stripping the upper layers of asphalt off, roughening the bottom layers, and applying a new upper roadway surface.

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NEWS: Ginkgo spraying next week (week of 4/29/13)

This from DDOT:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DDOT Media Contact: Monica Hernandez – 202-671-2261, monica.hernandez@dc.gov

 

Ginkgo Tree Spraying to Occur Next Week

(Washington, D.C.) To prevent the notoriously unpleasant odor of female ginkgo fruit from overtaking city streets, the District Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Administration (UFA) will start spraying these fruits starting Monday, April 29.

Spraying will begin in Wards 1, 2 and 6, where female ginkgo trees are most prevalent, and continue through Wards 4, 3, 7, 8 and 5. Spraying will occur overnight for several nights and there is no need to move vehicles parked on streets. If you have any questions, please contact UFA at 202-671-5133 or visit ddot.dc.gov/trees for more information.

UFA’s mission is to establish a full population of street trees within the District and to ensure that those trees are maintained in a healthy and safe condition. UFA staff includes 20 certified arborists who are responsible for issuing permits, enforcing regulations and caring for approximately 132,000 trees throughout the city.

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Visit goDCgo.com for more information on transportation options in the District

NEWS: Liquor License Renewal Season!

Over the course of the coming months, ANC2B will be reviewing the Alcohol licenses for all restaurant licenses within our boundaries. This includes both DR (Beer and Wine) and CR (Spirits, Beer and Wine) licenses across all nine single-member districts.

This is the community’s opportunity to weigh-in and review the establishments located in our neighborhood. As Commissioners, we review each of the establishments to see if they have notable incidents on their ABRA compliance history and gather input from our neighbors as well.

As you can tell, the list below is quite extensive and covers a lot of establishments. It may be difficult for each of us to keep tabs on any issues that may exist with a particular establishment. We strongly suggest that you notify your Commissioner about any issues you may have in advance of our meeting so that your thoughts may be weighed during our consideration of each license.

We will post a new list each month as the renewals come in to us.

First Set: Renewal of CR (restaurant full bar) licenses:

Petition date 4/29/13; Hearing date 5/13/13

  1. Alero Restaurant, 1724 Conn Ave NW (2B01)
  2. Thai Chef, 1712 Conn Ave NW (2B01)
  3. City Lights of China, 1731 Conn Ave NW (2B01)
  4. Food Corner Kabob, 2029 P St NW (2B02)
  5. Scion Restaurant, 2100 P St NW (2B02)
  6. Kramerbooks & Afterwards Café, 1517 Conn Ave NW (2B03)
  7. Dupont Italian Kitchen, 1637 17th St NW (2B04)
  8. Mari Vanna Restaurant, 1141 Conn Ave NW (2B05)
  9. The Meeting Place, 1707 L St NW (2B05)
  10. Trattu, 1823 Jefferson Pl NW (2B06)
  11. Sichuan Pavilion, 1814 K St NW (2B06)
  12. The Palm, 1225 19th St NW (2B06)
  13. Bertucci’s, 1218 Conn Ave NW (2B06)
  14. Otello, 1329 Conn Ave NW (2B07)
  15. Café Citron, 1343 Conn Ave NW (2B07)
  16. Kababji, 1351 Conn Ave NW (2B07)
  17. Selam Restaurant, 1524 U St NW (2B09)

Petition date 5/6/13; Hearing date 5/20/13

  1. Mandu, 1805 18th St NW (2B01)
  2. Pesce, 2002 P St NW (2B02)
  3. Ping Pong, 1 Dupont Circle NW (2B02)
  4. Raku, 1900 Q St NW (2B03)
  5. McCormick & Schmick, 1652 K St NW (2B05)
  6. Vapiano, 1800 M St NW (2B06)
  7. Nooshi, 1120 19th St NW (2B06)
  8. Vidalia, 1990 M St NW (2B06)

Second Set: Renewal of DR (restaurant beer/wine only) licenses (Petition date 5/6/13; Hearing date 5/20/13):

  1. Zorba Cafe, 1612 20th St NW (2B02)
  2. Loeb’s Deli, 1712 I St NW (2B06)

Third Set: Renewal of CX (multi-purpose) licenses (Petition date 5/6/13; Hearing date 5/20/13):

  1. Art Jamz, 1728 Conn Ave NW (2B01)
  2. Washington Post, 1150 15th St NW (2B05)

Fourth Set: Renewal of C (hotel) licenses:

Petition date 4/29/13; Hearing date 5/13/13

  1. Hilton Washington Embassy Row Hotel, 2015 Mass Ave NW (2B02)
  2. Tabard Inn, 1739 N St NW (2B05)

Petition date 5/6/13; Hearing date 5/20/13

  1. Courtyard by Marriott, 1600 Rhode Island Ave NW (2B05)

Fifth Set: Renewal of C (club) licenses:

Petition date 4/29/13; Hearing date 5/13/13

  1. Cosmos Club, 2121 Mass Ave NW (2B02)

Petition date 5/6/13; Hearing date 5/20/13

  1. Sulgrave Club, 1801 Mass Ave NW (2B07)

NEWS: Proposed Resolution on Historic Preservation Review of New Construction at 1412 T St NW

The Dupont ANC will deliberate a resolution this Wednesday, April 10th at its montly meeting on cosntruction of a two-unit rowhouse on a vacant lot at 1412 T Street NW.

The lot has been vacant for nearly a generation and earlier this month the Zoning, Preservation and Development Committee heard a presentation from the owner’s representative on plans to develop the land into a two-unit rowhouse. The ANC and its committee are reviewing concept plans in order to provide guidance to the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) on whether to approve this project in the U Street Historic District.

The committee did not feel it had enough information on the project, including its potential impact on sunlight and air quality for neighbors to make a decision and requested that information from the developer. The ANC will deliberate on the following proposed resolution this week that asks the HPRB to delay the historic review hearing by one month:

Resolved:

That ANC 2B cannot support the project as presented because we do not have sufficient information;

That we are concerned that the depth of the project in the rear, coupled with the additional height, is not appropriate for the context;

That ANC 2B requests a one-month delay in order to see this additional information and see these issues addressed;

That ANC 2B therefore would like to see the following additional information and tests:

  1. Rear alley photos along both sides of the alley, showing in particular how far back other houses extend into the alley;
  2. Sightlines along T Street coming from both 14th Street and 15th Street;
  3. A flag test;
  4. A light study for the rear, including scenarios that both maintain and eliminate the existing tree in the rear;
  5. Massing drawings showing more of the block in context; and
  6. A photo of the existing tree in the rear;

That ANC 2B requests the following commitments from the applicant on the project:

  1. That the exterior front stair area-way be moved to the interior of the structure;
  2. That no roof deck will be included; and
  3. That the applicant will engage an arborist to consider the effect on the existing rear tree, and will provide a similar and appropriate replacement tree (or trees) after construction if there is damage or removal of the rear tree.