A look at what's going on in Trinidad, on H Street, and in the larger area north of Capitol Hill.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Capitol Hill North Neighborhood Association
I recently received notice of the following meeting. I have no idea what this group's boundaries might be.
Date: 5 April Time: 10am-12pm Location: Andrew Foster Auditorium @Gallaudet University Contact: chnna08@gmail.com for more details
27 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Can someone tell me what neighbourhood associations are supposed to do? I know in the case of the Mount Vernon Square Neighbourhood Association that it is essentially a replacement for the local ANC (ANC2C is run by two women who are inept). But what would one in Near Northeast accomplish? Not trying to set off a debate, just trying to understand what typically underlies the decisions...
Does anyone have any info on British Ink tatoo shop? For aleast 2 months now I've been trying to contact them and all I ever get is an answering machine....I've left messages but have not heard back from them....
Re: British Ink, there were lights on on the second floor when I passed by there on the bus yesterday. I'm not sure what that means, but to me they've looked closed for a while though I know they had a gallery showing not that long ago.
Does anyone know what neighborhood this pertains too. I live on 10th and H and I usually refer to my neighborhood as Capitol Hill, for the sake of simplicity; or H street, which is not well known (especially outside of the city). Understanding/beleiving that the northern hill border is F Street, does this neighborhood association actually pertain to me and my immediate area? I would imagine it does, but I have never seen any adverts in my area. Furthermore, if it does not pertain to my block/immeidate area, then why is it meeting even more north of where I am? Lots of stupid questions, but I would appreciate any worthwhile clarity anyone could provide.
Anonymous 9:37: I e-mailed the organizer of the meeting and she provide this response: One of the agenda items at the Capitol Hill North Neighborhood Association meeting will be a discussion of boundaries. The proposed boundaries are G St. on the South, 7th St. on the East, Florida Ave. on the NE, New York Avenue on the NW, and N Capitol St. on the west.
Unfortunately, the group could not secure free meeting space for their initial meeting without going to Galludet, which is directly across Florida from the proposed boundaries.
I mentioned this might cause some consternation, but without any funding they needed to take advantage of the free space. I know that going forward they plan to meet within the boundaries.
The role of a neighborhood association is to work to coordinate among residents so that the interests of the community can be collectively represented in a body that is less formal than the ANC. As part of this, an association would typically let the views of the membership be known to the ANC (i.e., items they have considered and voted on, like zoning / development proposals, public safety concerns, other needs of the community).
Thanks for the insight Alan. I guess the best thing we can do is show up at their inaugural meeting and hear what they have to say. My main concern is that the association will become a proxy for the ANC, which is precisely what is happening in Shaw (ECCA has more visits from political officials and public safety officials than the local ANC).
I find it disheartening that they are using the "Capitol Hill North" moniker, as it is something that seems to be rejected by most residents except those that are trying to reshape the neighborhood into something it is not.
There are two citizens' groups that I've heard of: "Trinidad Concerned Citizens for Reform", which was led by ANC Rep Lawson. Then there is the "Ivy City-Trinidad Citizens Association"...don't know much about them but they have a web site you can search. I propose that the group that led last night's meeting start a new group. I guess the trick would be to keep the politics and wrangling of starting such a group from interfering with the momentum that hopefully will build from the meeting.
I wouldn't go to the Safeway in the Hechinger Mall if it were free! I went in there once about four years ago. Super ghetto. The Giant in Brentwood is equally ghetto. I haven't been to a grocery store in DC for about 3 years. I go to Virginia for groceries so I could care less if they open a grocery store here or not.
Anon 210, they have actually renovated and upgraded the Safeway at Hechinger in the past 2-3 years. It still has its issues, but it is much better than it used to be.
How does the Safeway at Hechinger Mall compare to the Safeway at 14th & D SE? Anyone know? We mostly go to the one at 14th & D SE because it's a known quantity; but if the one at Hechinger Mall is just as good, I'm happy to go there.
re: British Ink; you have to be somewhat persistent since Paul is an in demand quantity and doesn't take walk in's...appointment only. That being said, he does excellent work and he did two pieces on me in mid-January.
re: the Safeway at Hechinger Mall, its a decent alternative to going across the hill to 14th and D and if you time it right, its pretty painless...the store is almost identical to the one in SE but I've found long lines and fewer cashiers on the weekends which can make for a frustrating visit. The SE location has self checkout lines which can be alternately frustrating or liberating depending on how functional the registers are.
that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I would be willing to wager that 90% of the patrons of both of those stores would agree that they are not the most Bourgeois, but to exclusively travel to VA for groceries?? Why don't you just move out of the city? Go to Montgomery County, or Tysons Corner and take that attitude with you.
hey, 2:10. what's the matter? you don't like having to navigate a bunch of shady looking characters hanging out in front of the store all hours of the day and night for no apparent reason? i can't imagine why that's not good for business...
britishink is definitely open ... i'm getting a sleeve done from paul right now .. he's a nice guy and very talented! i've found email the best way to communicate with him
It's all about preference but I think the SE Safeway is better. I agree with Inked..Safeway at Hechinger Mall has come a long way. However, I think the SE Safeway appears cleaner and there is less outside loitering. Also the staff that their Starbucks is much more pleasant.
Yes, both Hill Safeways did a good deal of cosmetic upgrades recently.
But for years both have been sortof iffy for certain items. I can't count the number of times I've gotten meat products from Safeway that once I got them open at home I realize they've been repackaged and are either already rancid or well on their way.
The checkout ladies are often very helpful, but the rest of the staff is often surly.
I can't count the number of times I've asked an employee where an item may be, only to be given a vague 'that way' if I'm given any help at all.
The meat departments in particular are terrible. They refuse to cut pork chops to order, and they are just overall surly and rude.
The very second the Harris Teeter opens I'll be going there.
And, yes, loitering and parking lot thuggery is a problem. And the management seems to do nothing to discourage it.
I find that if you want gourmet items (goat cheese, baguettes, etc) go to the Hechinger Plaza Safeway. Those items are usually in stock. If you are looking for more basics (apples, white sliced bread, toilet paper, etc) I'd venture over to SE. They usually have the basics in stock but are out of the more upscale items. Either way, expect slower than suburban check out lines. And they are priced at the same price for most items. I've only come across a few exceptions (yes, they do exist...).
My main complaint with the Safeway at 14th and D SE is that they always seem out of the thing I most wanted to get. In particular, their bread aisle usually lacks bread. I've had the surly employee thing, too -- one guy in the meat section recently was a real jerk -- but that's been rare. I've never had any problem in the parking lot.
Oh, one other thing that drives me nuts about the Safeway: mushrooms purchased there rot in about two days.
This Safeway was also the home of my funniest-ever grocery store experience just this past Monday night. (WARNING: crude language ahead) My gf and I had finished our shopping and gone to checkout. The young woman at the register seemed fairly uneducated about produce -- picking up things like artichokes and saying "what are these?" and so on. Anyway, we were buying some leeks, and she didn't know what they were. I *think* that she thought they were bok choy, and I *think* she didn't know how to pronounce/spell bok choy. That's what I *think* is the explanation for what happened next: she picked up the leeks and asks me "Are these boy cock?" I froze and said "uh, what?" She repeated "are these boy cock?" My brain went into overdrive, and the possibility that she was just mispronouncing "bok choy" came to me." "Uh, no, those are leeks," I said, desperately trying to holding a straight face for the rest of the time I was there. Fortunately, my gf didn't hear it; because if we'd had a chance to look at each other after both hearing it, there's no way we'd have kept from laughing.
I too look forward to the Harris-Teeter finally opening. The interior furnishing of the place seems to be going absurdly slowly.
I agree with you Hillman, but I'm more focused on the service since I don't buy a lot of meat. They may have renovated, but the checkouts are painfully slow and the lines often are backed up into the aisles. I wouldn't go to Virginia just to buy groceries but since I work in Fairfax some days I go there when I'm there already. Whether it be the Home Depot, the Safeway or the Burger King, in Fairfax it's cleaner and more orderly, the people are (in general) friendlier, and the service is quicker and more efficient. It's a trade off we make for living in the city...as you say, no sense in pretending. I'm willing to put up with it to live here and not out in the suburbs, so there you go.
First, I hope it's okay if I take it back to the original topic -- the neighborhood association. And I apologize in advance for the length, but we wanted to address all of the concerns posted here.
This message was prepared by the group of local residents who have started the process of forming the Capitol Hill North Neighborhood Association (CHNNA).
First, we'd like to give some very brief background. There have been a few attempts to form a neighborhood association in our area, but they were never able to fully get off the ground -- we believe that there is now enough momentum to bring it to fruition.
The goal of a neighborhood association is to look out for and give a voice to the residents of the community it represents. Our local commissioners have stated that they believe they would have a stronger voice in the government if they had the backing of an official neighborhood association. Further, according to DC Law, contractors and would-be developers must consult and include neighborhood leaders in their initial considerations when going forward with their efforts. Given the volume of activity going on in our area, the residents deserve a strong voice in making sure that the plans of developers and contractors do not run roughshod over the interests of the community. Neighborhood associations also have the added benefit that they can often attract funds and resources that help to improve the neighborhood. The time is ripe to take advantage of those opportunities and a neighborhood association can help guide the changes that are currently underway in a manner that is consistent with desires of the residents.
As for the boundaries, the group started with the goal of keeping them manageable and avoiding overlap with other established neighborhood associations (e.g., Stanton Park Neighborhood Association which covers to the South of G Street). Also, to keep it manageable, it made sense to primarily focus on the areas covered by ANC 6C 04 & ANC 6C 05. Please note that our initial borders do not match up exactly with those SMDs, but they are roughly in line. The thinking was that those borders would keep the Neighborhood Association to a reasonable size so as to be effective. Also, please note that these initial borders are up for discussion at the inaugural meeting on April 5th and they can be adjusted if there is enough sentiment to do so.
As far as the name is concerned, we tried to find a name that best represented the area we initially identified and one that avoided focusing on a limited set of issues. We didn't use "H Street" in the name because the target area did not cover all of H Street, nor do we plan to focus just on that corridor. We also did not use Near Northeast in the name because we wanted to avoid confusion with the Near Northeast Citizens Against Crime and Drugs, another neighborhood organization with a more specific agenda. A little research was done and we found enough references to Capitol Hill North to warrant that as an acceptable name. So, while the name is certainly up for discussion by the association members, we would prefer to spend more of everyone's time and energy on the issues that face our neighborhood.
We have a lot to discuss at the meeting and a lot left to do including the election process for officers. We have drafted an initial By-laws document and have begun the application for registration. We need to tap all of the available resources out there to continue to improve our neighborhood. We are excited to get the ball rolling and hope that each and every one of you will come out and join us.
Please come to the kick-off meeting on Saturday, April 5th from 10am until noon at Andrew Foster Auditorium in Gallaudet University. And please help us spread the word. This association will only be as effective as we all make it.
27 comments:
Can someone tell me what neighbourhood associations are supposed to do? I know in the case of the Mount Vernon Square Neighbourhood Association that it is essentially a replacement for the local ANC (ANC2C is run by two women who are inept). But what would one in Near Northeast accomplish? Not trying to set off a debate, just trying to understand what typically underlies the decisions...
Off topic-
Does anyone have any info on British Ink tatoo shop? For aleast 2 months now I've been trying to contact them and all I ever get is an answering machine....I've left messages but have not heard back from them....
Are they still open?
Re: British Ink, there were lights on on the second floor when I passed by there on the bus yesterday. I'm not sure what that means, but to me they've looked closed for a while though I know they had a gallery showing not that long ago.
Thanks. Maybe I just have to put my boots on and walk down there..Hmprh!!!
Does anyone know what neighborhood this pertains too. I live on 10th and H and I usually refer to my neighborhood as Capitol Hill, for the sake of simplicity; or H street, which is not well known (especially outside of the city). Understanding/beleiving that the northern hill border is F Street, does this neighborhood association actually pertain to me and my immediate area? I would imagine it does, but I have never seen any adverts in my area. Furthermore, if it does not pertain to my block/immeidate area, then why is it meeting even more north of where I am? Lots of stupid questions, but I would appreciate any worthwhile clarity anyone could provide.
Perhaps it would be better to email British Ink. I know they are often only open by appointment only.
paul[at]britishinkdc.com
or
office[at]britishinkdc.com
Anonymous 9:37: I e-mailed the organizer of the meeting and she provide this response:
One of the agenda items at the Capitol Hill North Neighborhood Association meeting will be a discussion of boundaries. The proposed boundaries are G St. on the South, 7th St. on the East, Florida Ave. on the NE, New York Avenue on the NW, and N Capitol St. on the west.
Hope this helps!
So the meeting is actually taking place outside the proposed boundaries? That's interesting.
I'm definitely eager to find out more about what they're proposing and how it will impact the neighborhood.
Unfortunately, the group could not secure free meeting space for their initial meeting without going to Galludet, which is directly across Florida from the proposed boundaries.
I mentioned this might cause some consternation, but without any funding they needed to take advantage of the free space. I know that going forward they plan to meet within the boundaries.
The role of a neighborhood association is to work to coordinate among residents so that the interests of the community can be collectively represented in a body that is less formal than the ANC. As part of this, an association would typically let the views of the membership be known to the ANC (i.e., items they have considered and voted on, like zoning / development proposals, public safety concerns, other needs of the community).
Best,
Alan Kimber
Thanks for the insight Alan. I guess the best thing we can do is show up at their inaugural meeting and hear what they have to say. My main concern is that the association will become a proxy for the ANC, which is precisely what is happening in Shaw (ECCA has more visits from political officials and public safety officials than the local ANC).
I find it disheartening that they are using the "Capitol Hill North" moniker, as it is something that seems to be rejected by most residents except those that are trying to reshape the neighborhood into something it is not.
Is there a Trinidad Neighborhood Association?
Those boundaries seems whacky to me....
As another poster mentioned- do the residents not consider SAFEWAY at hechinger mall a close enough grocery store?
Trinidad Home owner...
There are two citizens' groups that I've heard of: "Trinidad Concerned Citizens for Reform", which was led by ANC Rep Lawson. Then there is the "Ivy City-Trinidad Citizens Association"...don't know much about them but they have a web site you can search.
I propose that the group that led last night's meeting start a new group. I guess the trick would be to keep the politics and wrangling of starting such a group from interfering with the momentum that hopefully will build from the meeting.
I wouldn't go to the Safeway in the Hechinger Mall if it were free!
I went in there once about four years ago.
Super ghetto.
The Giant in Brentwood is equally ghetto.
I haven't been to a grocery store in DC for about 3 years.
I go to Virginia for groceries so I could care less if they open a grocery store here or not.
Anon 210, they have actually renovated and upgraded the Safeway at Hechinger in the past 2-3 years. It still has its issues, but it is much better than it used to be.
How does the Safeway at Hechinger Mall compare to the Safeway at 14th & D SE? Anyone know? We mostly go to the one at 14th & D SE because it's a known quantity; but if the one at Hechinger Mall is just as good, I'm happy to go there.
re: British Ink; you have to be somewhat persistent since Paul is an in demand quantity and doesn't take walk in's...appointment only. That being said, he does excellent work and he did two pieces on me in mid-January.
re: the Safeway at Hechinger Mall, its a decent alternative to going across the hill to 14th and D and if you time it right, its pretty painless...the store is almost identical to the one in SE but I've found long lines and fewer cashiers on the weekends which can make for a frustrating visit. The SE location has self checkout lines which can be alternately frustrating or liberating depending on how functional the registers are.
Re: Anon 2:10...
that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I would be willing to wager that 90% of the patrons of both of those stores would agree that they are not the most Bourgeois, but to exclusively travel to VA for groceries?? Why don't you just move out of the city? Go to Montgomery County, or Tysons Corner and take that attitude with you.
hey, 2:10. what's the matter? you don't like having to navigate a bunch of shady looking characters hanging out in front of the store all hours of the day and night for no apparent reason? i can't imagine why that's not good for business...
britishink is definitely open ... i'm getting a sleeve done from paul right now .. he's a nice guy and very talented! i've found email the best way to communicate with him
It's all about preference but I think the SE Safeway is better. I agree with Inked..Safeway at Hechinger Mall has come a long way. However, I think the SE Safeway appears cleaner and there is less outside loitering. Also the staff that their Starbucks is much more pleasant.
Let's not pretend about Safeway.
Yes, both Hill Safeways did a good deal of cosmetic upgrades recently.
But for years both have been sortof iffy for certain items. I can't count the number of times I've gotten meat products from Safeway that once I got them open at home I realize they've been repackaged and are either already rancid or well on their way.
The checkout ladies are often very helpful, but the rest of the staff is often surly.
I can't count the number of times I've asked an employee where an item may be, only to be given a vague 'that way' if I'm given any help at all.
The meat departments in particular are terrible. They refuse to cut pork chops to order, and they are just overall surly and rude.
The very second the Harris Teeter opens I'll be going there.
And, yes, loitering and parking lot thuggery is a problem. And the management seems to do nothing to discourage it.
To Chris Metzler --
I find that if you want gourmet items (goat cheese, baguettes, etc) go to the Hechinger Plaza Safeway. Those items are usually in stock. If you are looking for more basics (apples, white sliced bread, toilet paper, etc) I'd venture over to SE. They usually have the basics in stock but are out of the more upscale items. Either way, expect slower than suburban check out lines. And they are priced at the same price for most items. I've only come across a few exceptions (yes, they do exist...).
My main complaint with the Safeway at 14th and D SE is that they always seem out of the thing I most wanted to get. In particular, their bread aisle usually lacks bread. I've had the surly employee thing, too -- one guy in the meat section recently was a real jerk -- but that's been rare. I've never had any problem in the parking lot.
Oh, one other thing that drives me nuts about the Safeway: mushrooms purchased there rot in about two days.
This Safeway was also the home of my funniest-ever grocery store experience just this past Monday night. (WARNING: crude language ahead) My gf and I had finished our shopping and gone to checkout. The young woman at the register seemed fairly uneducated about produce -- picking up things like artichokes and saying "what are these?" and so on. Anyway, we were buying some leeks, and she didn't know what they were. I *think* that she thought they were bok choy, and I *think* she didn't know how to pronounce/spell bok choy. That's what I *think* is the explanation for what happened next: she picked up the leeks and asks me "Are these boy cock?" I froze and said "uh, what?" She repeated "are these boy cock?" My brain went into overdrive, and the possibility that she was just mispronouncing "bok choy" came to me." "Uh, no, those are leeks," I said, desperately trying to holding a straight face for the rest of the time I was there. Fortunately, my gf didn't hear it; because if we'd had a chance to look at each other after both hearing it, there's no way we'd have kept from laughing.
I too look forward to the Harris-Teeter finally opening. The interior furnishing of the place seems to be going absurdly slowly.
That's the funniest thing I've read all week Chris.
I agree with you Hillman, but I'm more focused on the service since I don't buy a lot of meat. They may have renovated, but the checkouts are painfully slow and the lines often are backed up into the aisles.
I wouldn't go to Virginia just to buy groceries but since I work in Fairfax some days I go there when I'm there already. Whether it be the Home Depot, the Safeway or the Burger King, in Fairfax it's cleaner and more orderly, the people are (in general) friendlier, and the service is quicker and more efficient. It's a trade off we make for living in the city...as you say, no sense in pretending. I'm willing to put up with it to live here and not out in the suburbs, so there you go.
First, I hope it's okay if I take it back to the original topic -- the neighborhood association. And I apologize in advance for the length, but we wanted to address all of the concerns posted here.
This message was prepared by the group of local residents who have started the process of forming the Capitol Hill North Neighborhood Association (CHNNA).
First, we'd like to give some very brief background. There have been a few attempts to form a neighborhood association in our area, but they were never able to fully get off the ground -- we believe that there is now enough momentum to bring it to fruition.
The goal of a neighborhood association is to look out for and give a voice to the residents of the community it represents. Our local commissioners have stated that they believe they would have a stronger voice in the government if they had the backing of an official neighborhood association. Further, according to DC Law, contractors and would-be developers must consult and include neighborhood leaders in their initial considerations when going forward with their efforts. Given the volume of activity going on in our area, the residents deserve a strong voice in making sure that the plans of developers and contractors do not run roughshod over the interests of the community. Neighborhood associations also have the added benefit that they can often attract funds and resources that help to improve the neighborhood. The time is ripe to take advantage of those opportunities and a neighborhood association can help guide the changes that are currently underway in a manner that is consistent with desires of the residents.
As for the boundaries, the group started with the goal of keeping them manageable and avoiding overlap with other established neighborhood associations (e.g., Stanton Park Neighborhood Association which covers to the South of G Street). Also, to keep it manageable, it made sense to primarily focus on the areas covered by ANC 6C 04 & ANC 6C 05. Please note that our initial borders do not match up exactly with those SMDs, but they are roughly in line. The thinking was that those borders would keep the Neighborhood Association to a reasonable size so as to be effective. Also, please note that these initial borders are up for discussion at the inaugural meeting on April 5th and they can be adjusted if there is enough sentiment to do so.
As far as the name is concerned, we tried to find a name that best represented the area we initially identified and one that avoided focusing on a limited set of issues. We didn't use "H Street" in the name because the target area did not cover all of H Street, nor do we plan to focus just on that corridor. We also did not use Near Northeast in the name because we wanted to avoid confusion with the Near Northeast Citizens Against Crime and Drugs, another neighborhood organization with a more specific agenda. A little research was done and we found enough references to Capitol Hill North to warrant that as an acceptable name. So, while the name is certainly up for discussion by the association members, we would prefer to spend more of everyone's time and energy on the issues that face our neighborhood.
We have a lot to discuss at the meeting and a lot left to do including the election process for officers. We have drafted an initial By-laws document and have begun the application for registration. We need to tap all of the available resources out there to continue to improve our neighborhood. We are excited to get the ball rolling and hope that each and every one of you will come out and join us.
Please come to the kick-off meeting on Saturday, April 5th from 10am until noon at Andrew Foster Auditorium in Gallaudet University. And please help us spread the word. This association will only be as effective as we all make it.
Thank you.
Tom, SPNA's area of interest goes up to H St., not just to G.
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