Attracting People to Emerging Main Streets

Here is a past post from blog Cool Town Studios concerning drawing people to "emerging" commercial areas like the H Street corridor. If you buy this blueprint, we seem to be a little short on restaurants, but I have a hard time imagining any hot restauranteur locating on H Street in its present state. But hey, if you need to feel more hopeful, take an evening stroll down the 8th Street SE strip (that's a pronounced before and after).

H Street Concept Master Plan 1100 & 1200 Blocks

What is the NCRC planning for this section of H Street? Get your answers here.

March 2005 Issue of Voice of the Hill

The most recent issue of Voice of the Hill is filled with H Street related stories. There is an article about R&B Coffee (referred to in the article as R&B Cafe), one about Joy of Motion (their new H Street studio opens in mid-March), and one about the H Street expressive sign project. For those unfamiliar with expressive sign project, this initiative is intended to spark interest in H Street businesses and to bring a sense of hipness and vibrancy through public art. I have posted a photo of a sign from the 1000 block. Also, I learned from the expressive sign article that a sub sandwich shop called Subterranean plans to occupy the empty space at 1110 H St. NE.

Subway Risks

The New York Times has an interesting article about airborne metal particles found in underground rail stations, and their potential links to respiratory problems. The article also touches on noise concerns and the persistent fear of crime that many subway riders experience. From the article:

While violent crime in the subway has plummeted over the past decade,
riders continue to have fears that are not rationally grounded, Dr. Gershon found. She cited, for example, a 1992 survey that found that 77 percent of subway riders were afraid of being pushed onto the tracks, and 80 percent said they took action to prevent this from happening, even though such incidents are extremely rare.

Vacant Space on 1300 Block of H Street

I suffer from a slight weakness for decrepit, or partially disassembled buildings, and I thought this picture (snapped through the door gate) was kind of cool. Now that I look at it, I think black and white would work better.

Where the Poor Go

I'm adding a new link to the gentrification section, and as I was rereading the page I remembered what struck me about it before. The piece is basically a dialogue about being gentrified out of neighborhood, and about being gentrifiers. Somewhere in the middle there is a section where they discuss what can happen to the poor who can't pay the suddenly sky-high rents when large areas gentrify. Now people who sell their houses can always move to another neighborhood (even if that does mean the suburbs), and middle class/lower middle class renters can either stretch to make the high rents, or move someplace less desirable, but the poor don't have many choices.

I remember living in a crappy flat (great neighborhood of Notting Hill) in London during a college semester abroad. Four of us lived in this one bedroom (there was an extra bed in the living room) flat with plywood floors. Frequently our kitchen ceiling would get wet spots in one corner and water would drip down. The first couple of times this happened we called the landlord and she resolved the issue. At first we were puzzled, but then we learned that the 2nd floor was split up into tiny rooms each occupied by a non-English speaking Eastern European family, and with a single shared bathroom above our kitchen (apparently there was a problem with the shower curtain). We were shocked. We had thought we were roughing it by squeezing four people into our place, and then we found out that like fifteen people lived upstairs.

Now this does connect to DC, and to illustrate this fact I'll relate an experience I had while house shopping in the District. I went to look at a place I'd seen an ad for online. The house was a three story wood frame located on Gales (Rosedale neighborhood of Capitol Hill). After arriving for the open house I discovered that the structure was currently employed as a rooming house. Now as I mentioned, this place was was huge, so each renter did have his/her own room (there were no families living here), so the surprising part was not overcrowding, the rent each person paid. As a rooming house, the structure operated without leases, and charged rent weekly, rather than monthly. The price was $125 a week (I lived in a group house at the time and my monthly rent was $425). Every dining room/living room/library had been converted into a bedroom (leaving only the kitchen and the three bathrooms as common rooms). So these guys (most of them had been there over a month) were forking over $500 a month to live in a bedroom (many with severely warped wooden floors, and the occasional broken window) and have access to a bathroom and a kitchen (with a giant hole from chasing a mysterious plumbing leak). The house was listed for $205k. I'm sure it sold. The slumlord, um, I mean landlord (at the time of the open house) had plans to move his tenants into another building, so no one was made homeless in the transaction.

Developer Douglas Jamal's Office Searched

Jamal, who has been under scrutiny for a while now,had his office raided two days ago as part of a criminal investigation focused on Michael Larusso (former director of the D.C. office of property management). Larusso, who is accused of accepting bribes (as well as committing other crimes), had dealings Jamal that seem to greatly benefit the developer at the expense of the city. Read all about it in yesterday's Post.

What Makes a Great Arts District?

Here is a link to a post on the blog Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space. The blog covers general urban issues, but the blog`s author, Richard Layman resides in Capitol Hill, and has been involved in furthering the revitalization of H Street NE. In this post he writes about creating dynamic arts districts. He links to a good site that I saw a while back when he sent it out on a neighborhood listserve. The site I refer to is Penn Avenue Arts.

R&B Coffee

This is a fairly recent photo of the 1300 block of H Street. The yellow building is the site of R&B Coffee. Although they do have their sign up now. I wish I had some photos of the inside (or of the new sign), but I hear their website should be up and running soon enough. Oh, and the building on the far right is the gallery/club Sanctuary.

Saint Elizabeth's Future

The current Hillscape column focuses on the southeast campus, and what may, or may not happen there. Hillscape is decidely downbeat on the topic, choosing to dwell on the bleakness that plagues much of DC once you cross the Anacostia. It seems almost inevitable that we will one day see development on the vast campus, and that the Kirkbride buildings that stand there will no longer hide behind their boarded windows (assuming the structures can be saved). Already attention is shifting to some areas south of the Anacostia, development will certainly come. The challenge is to bring opportunities and services, without driving out current residents.

Parking on H Street

So you've probably already heard that ANC commisioner Joe Fengler is trying to get the rush hour restrictions for parking on H Street removed. The hope is that allowing rush hour parking will increase foot traffic and help nurture the growing number businesses in the area. The current Hillscape column feature a brief word about the bid (at the bottom).

Build Your Own City

Just a quick game.

Want to Know More About Your Neighborhood?

Then try this site. Okay, the most recent info is from 2000, and the site is under construction, but it's still useful.

Unacceptable Quality of Life Issues

As a follow-up to my brief post re: PSA 504's 2/19/05 meeting, I am posting a link to a flyer (generously hosted by the Truxton Circle Website) that MPD handed out at the meeting. Just to clarify, the problem in the photo of the car is the color (this is not evident on the flyer) of the text on the temporary license plate. If you see a car with a temporary DC plate, and the text is green, the plate is a fake, and the car may be stolen. Report it by calling 727-1000, or by filing a report online.

More Art Invading H Street

So apparently plans are in the works to put an art gallery (or galleries?) into three adjacent buildings on the 1300 block of H St NE. The spaces in question are directly across from the H Street Playhouse, and next to space slated to become a garden center.

Slight Delay in Opening of Joy of Motion

Joy of Motion has announced a slight delay in its anticipated opening date. The opening has been pushed back until mid-March. Joy of Motion will offer a variety of dance and yoga classes. Their studio will be located in the Atlas Performing Arts Center.

A Garden Center Coming to H Street?

I just heard a rumor about plans to bring a garden center (similar to 14th street's Garden District) to the 1300 block of H Street.

2/19/05 PSA 504 Meeting

This morning I attended the PSA 504 meeting this morning at the Joseph Cole Rec Center (1200 blk Morse St. NE). This was actually my first PSA meeting, and I have to say I was impressed. We had a really good turnout and lots of people particpated in the discussion. They also handed out some useful info and talked about strategies for dealing with a wide range of community issues. Most of the issues we hit were fairly general, but a few did deal with specific trouble spots for drugs and dumping. I would say that the interaction between residents and law enforcement went very well. I think everyone walked out of there feeling upbeat.

Google Maps

Google has introduced a beta version of its new mapquestesque service. Typical of Google, this service looks poised to surpass those offered by both Mapquest & Yahoo. Check it out here. I should point out that I heard about this site from City Comforts.

Property Tax Relief

The City Council members are busy introducing a number of ideas for dealing with the problem of ballooning property tax bills in the area. Read all about in this Post article. In case you need convincing, here is an earlier article about the problems rising assessments are causing in NOVA.

One for Home Rule

The Post reports that the House has abolished the DC Subcommitee. Although the Senate will likely retain a stand alone panel on the District, the change should reduce overall federal involvement in District affairs.

A Joe Englert Project on Georgia Avenue

Check out this press release posted on Jim Graham's (Ward 1) website. I had heard that Mr. Englert (the developer bringing The Olympic and Show Bar to H Street) was considering opening a bar on Georgia Avenue, but now it looks like he has changed his plans and is opening a 1920s themed restaurant in the space. At any rate, this news seems to be generating a great deal of excitement.

Shelter for Homeless Families in DC

I saw the article in the Post about a family that city employee improperly (illegally) turned away from a homeless shelter on a night with a hypothermia alert in effect. This individual story is shocking, but here as always, the real focus should be on looking at the larger numbers (quoted below):

Last year, there were 3,326 applications for family shelter space in the
District, according to the Community Partnership for the Prevention of
Homelessness. The number of family shelter units, which by law are supposed to be apartment-style for the safety of children, declined from a high of 1,216 in 1991 to 110 this year, according to the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

On any given day, there are about 200 pending applications for
family shelter, French said. On nights that the city has declared a cold-weather alert, she said, there were a few times when there were only two or three vacancies for families out of 191 beds set aside.

From 1,216 units to 110? What the hell? Can the city really not come up with 100 more measly units?

Abdo & the Children's Museum Condos

Ok, so the parking space thing has been in the news a bit, but here is a little more info about the project itself (and why Abdo is such a good developer for this project).

Waiting for Spring

Thing have been pretty quite around here recently. The warm weather is getting a few more people out, but you can tell everyone's just gearing up for Spring. I'm not sure when the Farm Fresh market will return to 6th & H St, but I think it's set for sometime around late March. I keep thing about the great bread, cheese, & veggies I can get there when it starts back up. For now I'm stuck with the crappy Safeway at Hechinger Mall. But I am trying to take advantage of the current nice weather as much as possible (I even grilled out on Sunday night). Mostly I've been busy trying to get organized. I'm going back to school (part-time) this Fall, so I have been spending lots of time thinking about that. I keep checking the mail for acceptance letters (I've already gotten one, so I'm safe). Going back to school is not free, thus I am currently making plans to find a roommate. However, I have to finish doing a bit of work in the bathroom first. I'm doing this work myself, and it is minor work, but it still takes time (and after 2 years you sort of get lazy). So I'm counting on the Spring to motivate me to finish the stupid bathroom.

Can't Stop Juvenile Car Theft? Ban Grand Theft Auto!

According to a Post article the City Council has announced plans to ban the sale of violent, or sexually explicit video games such as those making up the Grand Theft Auto series. Attacking such games for inspiring violent behavior, council member Adrian Fenty described them as "unbelievably misogynistic and geared toward making whoever is playing perpetuate the worst parts of our society.'' Fenty and his fellow council members are not alone in their quest, Mayor Williams has expressed strong support for the measure. I am dubious. Of course I don't support letting 8 year olds play such games, but how much will a new law really do to (A) keep adult games out of children's hands, and (B) reduce juvenile crime? Keep in mind there are already widely enforced rules about who stores will sell these games to (remember the stickers?). As the Post points out:

The Washington-based Entertainment Software Association noted last year that the average age of a video game player is 30 and that the average age of a video game purchaser is 36. Parents are involved in the purchase of games 83 percent of the time, the association said.

It's time for a little reality check. First kids aren't really the ones buying these games most of the time. Second, while giving a kid these games is probably not a very responsible thing to do, and may put some bad ideas in his/her head, video games are probably not the only place many District kids witness drug use or violence. How about we deal with those issues rather than grand-standing over symbolic actions? Besides, even if this law does reduce in store sales of violent games to minors, the Council may find it a bit difficult to keep such games entirely out of the hands of minors when it is extremely easy to just download them on the internet (and burn them to CD, to pass onto friends), or to buy them off e-bay. No, no , clearly I'm wrong. It's a much better idea to introduce redundant legislation so we can pretend we're doing something to help kids and fight crime.

I don't have a problem with this legislation. I just hope we don't let surface rule over substance.

District to Garnish a Portion of Barry's Wages

The Post reports that a judge has ordered the District to garnish a portion of Marion Barry's Council member paycheck in order to settle a dept to his former campaign manager Dion Jordan.

DC vs Detroit: a Few Considerations

As I was reading an article in the New York Times about Detroit I couldn't help but compare Detroit to the District. Both cities have major poverty issues, a troubled school system, a high tax rate (Detroit's is high for Michigan), and a history that includes riots in the 60s and both white flight and black middle class flight. Detroit is currently facing the specter of receivership, and DC has DEFINITELY been there. Luckily, DC is currently in a position where its citizens can look at Detroit and breath one huge sigh of relief. It is true that in the District crime is a problem, the juvenile justice and school systems are largely in shambles, and affordable housing is in crisis. But it is also true that this city is leaps and bounds ahead of Detroit. We have a terrific public transportation system (even if coverage is not universal and bad weather can still wreak havoc); our average income level is rising not falling (tax revenues are increasing); and we are looking at a budget surplus, rather than a shortfall. But it's the similarities that get me. The following paragraph made me cringe.

Flight is even more furious from the public schools, which have lost 33,000 students since 1998-9, enough to fill 65 elementary schools (21 have closed). Competition that was supposed to promote improvement has instead hastened the district's collapse. Of the 9,300 students who did not return
last all, 3,400 went to charter schools and 1,300 to neighboring suburbs that recruit Detroit residents.

Those left are the hardest and most expensive to educate. One in seven Detroit students is in special education, and 72 percent are poor enough to qualify for free lunches, up from 61 percent four years ago.

I look at the District's public school system, and I feel overwhelmed. I have no direct experience with the school system here (never having attended, or taught in, any District schools), so everything I know about it comes from what I read, or from conversations with people who have taught in charter schools here. My point being that I can't begin to say how we can go about fixing the schools here, but I do know that until the problem is fixed, the District will never lure bright young families unable, or unwilling, to foot the private school bill, and the District government will continue to be complicit in the creation of permanent underclass (complete with all the inequality/crime that generally accompany such an unjust system).

DC Housing Prices Skyrocket (as if you hadn't noticed)

Today's Post featured an article on the continuing escalation of District housing prices to obscene levels. Seriously, who can afford these places? I read the Sunday Post (while sipping my latte at Rhythm & Beans) & I swear that I laughed more at the real estate listings that at the comics. I saw two houses on G St. (9th & 10th I think) listed for $700-800,000. Scandalous! For those who don't know, there is a small pocket of trouble between 8th & 10th, & H St & Maryland. This small patch features a House of Ruth (reportedly complete with drug & prostitution problems), a troubled (read home to drug use & sales) rowhouse, & a half-renovated building with a big hole in the ground (also rumored to host prostitution & drug activity). In recent memory the area also boasted a death shrine (10th & G St.) [Update: The February Issue of Voice of the Hill states that the 600 block of 10th St. NE "was the location of three homicides and four shootings as well as drug activity"] with a baseball bat and various liquor bottles suggesting (based on what I've heard, & an old Post article) that the shrine commemorates a revenge killing. I also recall (about two years ago) a rash of muggings in the area. Two young men, generally armed with a handgun, carried out these muggings. On at least one occasion these men had a 2'x4' instead of a gun and the used the lumber to beat one of their victims (they robbed a couple) when the loot was dissatisfying. So, you too (if you're lucky enough to qualify) can pay 3/4 of a million dollars to experience city living dc style.
[I should state that this area has greatly improved in the past few years, and they do have a nice new community rec center. I have no doubt that this area will totally clean up (I don't mean to bash it in the first place). I'm just poking a little fun at the crazy prices in DC.]