Tuesday, November 20, 2007
1015 Napa Opening Soon?
At tonight's 6A ABL Committee meeting Anwar Saleem, Executive Director of H Street Main Street (HSMS), stated that he expected 1015 Napa to open "the first of next month." Napa is a restaurant offering American food with a California twist. It is located at 1015 H Street. Anwar Saleem is the owner of Hair Rage, which is located next door to 1015 Napa.
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34 comments:
Is this the same Anwar that's with the H St. Main St. program? If so, I didn't realize he owned a business on H also.
It's the same Anwar.
Does Mr. Saleem draw a salary from the H St Main Street Program? Is it funded by DC tax dollars?
This would seem to be a conflict of interest.
Why would it be a conflict of interest?
only if he lobbies for a moratorium on hair salons on h. LOL.
i do think anwar favors the old businesses on h a bit too much. i get the feeling he wants progress as long as the rundown, er, longtime h street businesses get to stay.
I have heard some expressing concern over the productivity of H St. Main St. and other who have worked there due to questionable business practices that they witnessed, but this may have been before Mr. Saleem was involved with them.
I'm not sure to the answer to Hillman's 11:52 question. Part of me thinks it is (a conflict), but another part thinks he may have more of an interest in H St. by owning a business there.
There is no conflict of interest when it comes to Anwar being the H street Main street executive director. Anwar is working tirelessly everyday to help H street realize all of its potential. He does own property on Hst NE, he owns Hair Rage as well as the buiding housing "Will Power" gym. One reason he works so hard for Hst NE is that he is fully invested in the area. Anwar used to serve as the elected President of Hst Main Street but stepped down when the executive director position became vacated. Anwar took the position and at this time does not draw a salary from H street Main street.
Maybe Hillman thinks that H street has sugar daddy Congress giving it earmark $$$, year after year, like it does Barracks Row ???
Anon 3:51,
Anwar, is that you?
Anonymous 7:33:
Somebody is funding the H Street Main Street program. And somebody funding it's predecessors as well. Most likely it's a DC program, paid for by DC taxes.
This is a conflict of interest if Mr. Saleem is ever put in a position where he would benefit directly from Main Street actions in an inappropriate way, or if any competitors he has would be harmed in any way.
I don't know this guy. He may be the most wonderful person ever. I don't know. My concern wouldn't be with him personally. My concern would be with the process generally, especially if my tax dollars are being spent on it.
'Community organizations' in DC have a long history of working in secret, of blowing tons of taxpayer dollars on stupid and self-defeating projects, etc. I hope the Main Street program isn't one of them.
Anon 6:02
You may be confusing the H Street Development Corp and the H Street Main Street initiative. Lots of scandal about Dev Corp a few years ago (and the owner of the H Street self-storage facility that guarantees a dead block right in the middle of burgeoning neighborhood), but Mr. Saleem seems to be someone who has the best interests of the neighborhood at heart.
Typical for Hillman to talk first and ask questions later. Hillman, what have you personally done to improve this neighborhood besides loading up this blog with your righteousness?
Anonymous 7:24:
I don't really have a substantive response for you, as I don't feel like feeding a personal negative posting is a good thing.
I asked a simple question about a neighborhood organization and how it's supposed to work.
Can we keep the conversation professional and not personal?
Funny thing is that Mr. Hillman isn't concerned with the business owner involvement in Barracks Row... better yet the Didden(National Capital Bank)
I think the point of the main Street program is to get local business involvement. I quess one person's conflict is another's vested interest in success.
Anonymous:
What's your point? The topic at hand is H Street, not Barracks Row. If a similar situation exists on Barracks Row I'd raise questions about it as well.
But, then, Barracks Row organizations don't have decades of corruption, ineptitude, and astonishingly poor management to their dubious credit.
Hillman,
You are showing your nasty ignorance. H street Main street has not existed for decades. yep some people don't like Anwar, but no way is he responsible for "decades of corruption, ineptitude, and astonishingly poor management to their dubious credit. " I think that handle goes to Sharon Ambrose, Mr. Brazil and the rest of the city council and Mayor Williams. They allowed the H street CDC robbery of H street to continue. In addition, the city does not even provide the basic services of cleaning the street and public safety.
tAnon 7:24:
I so agree with you. Hillman breathes negativity. He's always making negative comments to stir up trouble then defends it by saying he's just asking a question. I wish he would just do something for once.
hillman makes a good point, people.
from reading these posts, it seems like all the negativity is coming from the rest of the posters.
really brilliant stuff, if you only have half a brain.
I heard somewhere- or maybe I read it on this site, I can't remember- that DC Sanitation spends millions of dollars a year to clean up H street alone. More than almost any other street too. It doesn't seem like it's helping, but there you have it. I've also always thought the Sanitation crews in our neighborhood to be stand up guys. Go figure.
Please don't take my question as nasty ingorance (like that's a bad thing. When you get a chance anon 2:42, please look up the word and find its true definition), but what's the deal with H street and CDC and corruption? I hope someone can elaborate.
You bring up a very good point 8th & el about the trash pick up. How come Mr. Saleem as the "Director" of H St. Main St. isn't out there promoting trash pick up by the H St. business owners? That would improve things drastically. I've only seen a handfull of business owners/managers/employees out sweeping up the trash in front of their establishments. I can't speak to Hair Raze, but I will say that Will Power is usually picked up.
For some historical perspective on H Street development, check out Google News Archives. Full text articles are pay-per-view, but check out the synopses from a search on 'H Street NE' from the 1980's .
Some sample titles are:
Out of the Ashes of H Street
- Sep 22, 1981
H Street Will Rise Again
- Oct 17, 1981
Recovery In Sight for H Street NE Corridor
- Apr 14, 1982
Agency Cheers Plan to Revive H Street NE
- Aug 25, 1982
H Street Takes a Step Forward
- Sep 11, 1984
Decaying Commercial Strip on H Street NE Is Groomed for Rejuvenation
- Aug 28, 1986
Vitality, Money Returning to H Street
- Apr 12, 1987
Northeast Redevelopment Is Hailed As H Street Shopping Center Opens
- May 10, 1987
Thanks Kenny G, that's quite a historical perspective of repeated promises that H St. is "on its way." I do think its beginning based on (slow) changes I've seen in just two years, but hey, maybe H St. Main St. is just the answer!
Anwar is currently promoting trash clean up with commercial venders. You would know that if you got involved and tried to participate instead of just blogging and fishing for your information. I challenge you all to get off your butts and help to improve this area.
I am anonnymous here but I actually help out in real time.
Anonymous 2:42:
I never said the H Street Main Street Project had been around for decades. I said H Street organizations had been.
Big difference.
I'm simply posting my comments to see if anyone more knowledgeable about the H St Main Street Program could shed some light on how this works.
Attacking me for posting such a comment is counterproductive.
For the various 'Anonymous' folks attacking me personally, at least have the courage to sign your posts.
As for me somehow not meeting your litmus test for community involvement, that's a bit irrelevant, isn't it? (Plus, of course, how can you possibly know what I've done or haven't done in the community and the city as a whole)? Neighborhood blogs like this exist to share information and ideas. They aren't limited only to those who have met your nebulous standards for citizen involvement.
Can we please discuss the topic at hand instead of attacking me personally? Like I've said, I've got nothing against Anwar. I've never met the guy. I'm just curious as to how the Main St Program works, and questioning whether or not having it run by a local businessman is a good idea, and questioning whether or not there are safeguards in place to make sure such a running is done appropriately.
1. Re the conflict of interest goes, as the director, and previously as a board member, Anwar was/is not able to participate in DC Government programs managed by H St. Main Street such as the facade program or the expressive sign program. That's a stronger provision than exists at the local CDC.
2. The "historical articles" are important. A couple years ago, I read all those articles + others from the mid 1970s to about 1987. I never did a write up though because I got very sick right after reading, and didn't get back to it.
I found them very interesting in terms of how DC seems to introduce a new program to revitalize commercial districts and/or locally owned businesses every 3-5 years.
When I was doing H St. Main St. stuff from 2002-4, people were respectful, but most of the merchants didn't do all that much. It turns out they had a long memory and a history of being given promises that never panned out.
Some of the people I dealt with in 2002-4 were pictured in one particular Post article from 1984.
No wonder they were skeptical...
And in 2005, DC introduced "Great Streets," which in some respects is supplanting the Main Street program. The Main Street program was launched in the Spring of 2002.
3. Streetcleaning. DPW does a pretty good job cleaning the streets. The problem is that the sidewalks also need to be cleaned, and there isn't a good system for doing that... hence the disastrous visage of the street, because too many patrons of the corridor litter as a matter of course. (Yes, the businesses should step up and clean the sidewalks, but that's another story.)
4. As far as productivity goes wrt H St. Main Street, we have learned plenty in the past 4-5 years about the difficulties of urban revitalization, the high expectations, the decades of disinvestment, the need to have coordinated agency action vs. cheerleading, and the need for more money.
The max. amount of money received by a program in one year was $80K. It just wasn't enough. And was dwarfed by other agencies funding other things. E.g., DHCD gave (part a loan) $1MM to HSCDC to build 777 H Street.
And it was hard to do fundraising in a situation where there were 11 other programs seeking monies from the same sources.
And yep, places like H St. or North Capitol or Brookland didn't have the same access to sugar daddies possessed by Barracks Row.
Not to mention that Barracks Row started 3 years before the other programs, before DC formalized a citywide Main Street program.
Hillman,
No one has to sign their post to please you.
My request is that you show up to some of the mtgs and participate or just be quiet and ride the bench. I attended a couple of mtgs and quickly realized the long hours diligent citizens toiled over getting many of the issues addressed on this post resolved. It was evident from their Minutes that they had spent numerous hours trying to come up with resolutions. Hence, even if I have issues w/ anything they are doing I try to tailor my concerns in a manner that won't be offensive and appear unappreciative to their time and energy. So for once, go to a mtg and maybe you'll learn to do the same.
You may want the readers of this post to think you are being "attacked" for just this question/comment BUT if Elise could pull all issues you have addressed - you will see the trend and understand why someone has resorted to calling you ignorant.
Anonymous 8:49, it seems to me that the name "Hillman" is a pseudonym, so there's really know way for you to know his level of participation.
Thanks Richard Layman for your most recent post, quite honestly you tend to ramble at times, but this was very informative.
Richard:
Thank you for your informative post. That's the type of information I was looking for.
Various Anonymous's:
Obviously this is getting us nowhere. I think I have a right to ask questions on a neighborhood blog, as long as I'm not offensive or rude. Apparently you don't share that view because you haven't personally vetted my level of community involvement. I am sorry you feel that way, since that sort of attitude will almost undoubtedly cut down on citizen participation both on blogs and in other areas.
So I'm bowing out of this conversation, at least the back-and-forth nonsubstantive portions. But if anyone has substantive information on how the Main Street Program or other programs work that'd be terrific to see posted.
A -- your ramble is my thoroughness... although there is no question that different audiences prefer different levels of thoroughness.
No need to become defensive Mr. Layman. I'm just pointing out that sometimes your "thoroughness" deters folks from reading past the first sentence or two and out of our own laziness we miss some of your valuable comments. Have you ever thought of being more brief with key points on FT and then referring people to your blog if more interested in what you have to say? There is a compliment in there, I promise.
Sorry to stay on this trash thing. Is there any way the NOMABID projcet can be extended to the H st street corridor? Similar BIDs in the city benefit from larger businesses cooperating, but I wouldn't mind shelling an extra $30 a years to keep the sidewalks maintained.
8th & el, I too would love to see a BID on H St., but from my understanding these are created by a tax on the business owners along the corridor - something many don't want to pay.
There's a ton of talk about the good natured business owners of H st who want nothing more than to bring up the amount of commerce on the strip. Talking from a nasty ignorant point of view (of course, all I do is blog and complain and never, ever patronize H st. It's soooooooooooo disgusting:)I mean an Auto Zone? Who ever wants to get oil and batteries and air filters at discounted prices?), a BID would make our good natured neighbors put their money where their mouths are, and make the bad ones (Horace and Dickies comes to mind the way neighbors talk about them on this site) be a little more responsible for their shopping areas.
But then again, other districts benefit from larger businesses being in their respective areas. Larger businesses with money to make better improvements to thier neighborhoods. But wouldn't it be fun for owners of unoccupied properties to actually have to do something positive for the neighborhood? Oh well. Nasty ingorant rant over.
By the way, I benefit from having a Lexis-Nexius account, so I got to read those articles. It's depressing to think that tons of politicians use H street for their soapbox campaigns all for no overall improvement to the strip.
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