Monday, April 30, 2012

Y.E.S.S.. Uniforms, 108 RI Ave NW, now closed; now up for rent: $3500/month

Bloomingdame sent a tweet pic of the Demers For Rent sign posted about the now closed Y.E.S.S.S. Uniforms store at 108 Rhode Island Avenue NW.

Sorry to see Octavia Jackson's business in this space close.



https://twitter.com/#!/bloomingdame/status/197029251554349056/photo/1

I phoned Demers Real Estate and spoke with Dave Wilson, who is the person renting this property.  Here is the info he supplied:

$3500/month triple net
Zoned C-2-A.

Dave Wilson can be reached at 202 - 232 -0950.

What new business will join not-yet-opened Grassroots Gourmet, Jak and Co Salon and Boundary Stone Public House in the former Sylvan Theatre?

more pics from the Saturday, 04-28-2012 World Missions for Christ Extension Walk-A-Thon Rally

Dr. JoAnn Perkins: "Thanks all for your support for this past Saturday's Walk-A-Thon"

Here is some feedback from Dr. JoAnn Perkins on this past Saturday's World Missions for Christ Extension Center's Walk-A-Thon rally:

From: Joann Perkins
World Missions Extension Center Walk A Thon April 28, 2012

Thanks all for your support to our walk a thon.  We now move toward our June 16th Value Life by choosing friends wisely Scholarship Awards Ceremony which is designed to provide scholarships for youth going to college. 

Dr. j. Perkins

Sunday, April 29, 2012

May 2012 Washingtonian: Bloomingdale - makes "Best Places to Live" list

Have you seen the May 2012 issue of the Washingtonian?
            
From Bloomingdale resident and Associate Broker with 10 Square Team at Keller Williams Capital Properties Suzanne Des Marais:

Every year Washingtonian Magazine publishes an issue with a cover story on ``Best Places to Live`` in the Metro area. This year, they profiled a total of twelve neighborhoods, some in DC and others in Maryland and Virginia. Yep, you guessed it. Bloomingdale has officially made the list of ``Best Places to Live.`` We`re featured on page 95 of the print issue (not online yet) as ``Looking for the Next Big Thing``.




I copied page 95 of the May 2012 Washingtonian below.



Saturday, April 28, 2012

Open Houses in and around Bloomingdale scheduled for 04/29/2012

The Open House list is organized by price. There are very few listings currently available in Bloomingdale, but I always include those that are open in the surrounding neighborhoods, as well. You can get a better idea of location from the map.


**Agents, to have your open houses listed in this weekly post, you must tag them in MRIS by the Friday before the open house. If you have an open house in the immediate area (Bloomingdale, LeDroit Park, Eckington, Shaw, Truxton Circle) that does not show up, please add in the comments below.

fireworks last night

See this request from a Seaton Place NW household:

I think I hear fireworks between 9:45 p.m.-10:00 p.m. tonight.

Please ask if anyone knows what the sound was during that time period.

ANC 1B’s vote of opposition on the conceptual design for the proposed McMillan site development; sends letter to the DC HPRB



See this message (plus the text of an attached PDF) from Pleasant Plains resident Tony Norman:

-----Forwarded Message-----

From: ``ANC 1B Office (ANC 1B)`` <1B @ anc.dc.gov>
Sent: Apr 27, 2012 2:56 PM
To: ATD OP HP
Cc: ``mjmenjoy @ yahoo.com`` , ``tonynorman @ peoplepc.com`` , ``anc1b09 @ gmail.com`` , ``Graham, Jim (COUNCIL)`` , ``Simon, Gottlieb (ANC)``

Subject: ANC 1B Protest of McMillan Park Reservoir Historic Landmark Conceptual Review

Dear Ms. Buell and Members of the Board:

At its regularly scheduled meeting on April 5, 2012 (notice of which was properly given, and at which a quorum of nine of ten members was present) Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B voted (8 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention) to oppose the conceptual design for the proposed development of the McMillan Park Reservoir Historic Landmark.

A letter detailing our objections is attached and has been mailed to your attention.

Thank you,

Lauren McKenzie
Secretary ANC 1B
SMD 1B09

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B
Government of the District of Columbia
2000 14TH Street N.W., Suite 100B
Washington, DC 20009

Myla Moss, 1B01, Chairperson – Juan Lopez, 1B07, Vice Chairperson
Lauren McKenzie, 1B09, Secretary – Alexandra Lewin-Zwerdling, 1B02, Treasurer
Sedrick Muhammad, 1B03 – Deborah Thomas, 1B04– Mary Streett, 1B05 - Charles Meisch, 1B06
Tony Norman, 1B10 - E. Gail Anderson Holness 1B11


April 27, 2012
Ms. Catherine Buell
Chair
Historic Preservation Board
D.C. Historic Preservation Office
1100 4th Street, S.W. Suite E650
Washington, DC 20024
Re: McMillan Park Reservoir Historic Landmark Concept Design Review

Dear Ms. Buell and Members of the Board:          

At its regularly scheduled meeting on April 5, 2012 (notice of which was properly given, and at which a quorum of nine of ten members was present) Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B voted (8 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention) to oppose the conceptual design for the proposed development of the McMillan Park Reservoir Historic Landmark.

The bulk of the 92 acre McMillan Historic site is in Ward 1, ANC 1B. ANC 1B was a co-applicant for the landmark application for this historic site (1990). ANC 1B is directly impacted by the proposed development plans for this site.                               
 
The proposed concept plans for the site are inconsistent with the historic character and design of this site. They do not preserve the historic integrity of the designed landscape; historic integrity of individual resources and site resources. 
                
The massive scale (2 million square feet of development), size (8-10 story buildings) and density of the project is incompatible with the site`s unique history, green open-space character and high degree of present historic integrity of the McMillan Plan.

The present design plans propose to demolish 90 percent of the historically built structural resources; landscape resources including historic vistas, green open park space and site resources. The plans do not incorporate options or mitigations for adaptive reuse or rehabilitation of the historical structural and site resources which is also inconsistent with the U.S. Secretary of Interior`s standard of historic preservation. We therefore urge the Historic Preservation Review Board to reject the proposed conceptual designs for this historic site.
 
ANC 1B has designated Commissioner Tony Norman to present the ANC`s position at the upcoming hearings.
  
Sincerely,     
 
Myla Moss, Chairperson
Lauren McKenzie, Secretary

McMillan design guidelines meeting -- Saturday, 05/05/2012


See this message from Tania Jackson:
 
REMINDER! McMillan Design Guidelines Meeting
 
See the Design Guidelines for the Site
 
Please join us to see the design guidelines for the site. These guidelines encompass the overall principles for the site`s redevelopment, and will guide not only the building design but that of the green and open space, as well.
Please come with your questions and comments for our team of experts involved in creating them.
 
Saturday, May 5, 2012 10AM-12PM
All Nation`s Baptist Church 2001 North Capitol Street, NE

Topic: Transportation - at this Monday's McMillan salon

Next McMillan ``Deep Dive`` Salon -- Monday, 4/30/2012 -- Topic: Transportation
See this message from Tania Jackson:
Join us for all new McMillan Salons -- speak with the experts:
 
The topic of this Monday's salon is transportation:
 
Transportation: Monday,4/30/2012 -- with Nicole White Symmetra -- and Matt Bell, AIA, EE&K Architects
 
Here are the topics and dates of the remaining two salons:
 
Stormwater: Wednesday, 5/2/2012
Fiscal Impact & Developers: Monday, 5/7/2012
 
All Salons will begin at 7PM, and will be held at Big Bear Cafe.In order to attend, attendees MUST contact me for an appointment.
I may be reached by cell (202 then 355- 8998) or this email address: mcmsalon@gmail.com
Thanks for your continued interest,
Tania Jackson
 

Arcadia Mobile Market to be at 3rd & Elm St NW on Wednesdays from 4 pm to 7 pm

I spotted this item from the notes of the Thursday, 04-26-2012 LeDroit Park Civic Association meeting:

Benjamin Bartley with Arcadia Mobile Market – Mobile Market will be at 3rd and Elm ST Wednesdays from 4 to 7pm through the end of October.

So I googled "Arcadia Mobile Market" and found


And here is the info on the mobile market:

Our Mobile Market Project is a visible, direct way to navigate urban spaces and bring fairly priced, fresh produce and dairy to communities with the greatest need. Beginning this summer, the Mobile Market – a retrofitted, biodiesel-powered school bus – will hit the road making weekly market stops, delivering healthy food to local neighborhoods, and working with schools to provide nutrition education. We are committed to making these goods both affordable and accessible, and will offer as many payment options as possible.
                                                                        
Wednesdays 4:00-7:00pm
Ledroit Park/Common Good City Farm, Corner of Elm St and 3rd St, NW

Friday, April 27, 2012

missing cat from 128 Adams St NW

Hello Everyone - Our beloved cat Boots went missing today. His home is at 128 Adams Street NW. He is a dark short-haired tabby and normally stays around the alley between Adams Steet and W Street. He is 3 years old and weights about 10 lbs. 

I have attached a couple of pictures here. 


If you see him, please contact me at: 703 then 855 then 7296.

at 2nd & U St NW: house broken into and items stolen

See this Friday afternoon, 04-27-2012 message from a neighborhood resident:


I`m writing with the sad news that our house was broken into this week and many of our things were stolen.  We did not do the deadbolt to our basement door and the robbers kicked it in.  I`m going to write in soon with a list of the biggest, most recognizable things that were stolen (so that maybe someone may see them around town), but for now
            
I just want to urge everyone to be extra safe. 
                                                                                                      
The police officers says this is one in a wave of robberies in our neighborhood.

EXTENSION Center Walk-A-Thon Rally -- tomorrow, Saturday, 04-28-2012

See this announcement from Dr. JoAnn Perkins of the World Missions for Christ EXTENSION Center, 1st & Randolph Place NW:

The Extension Center
1720 1st Street NW
Serving Washington DC`s innercity neighborhoods
Christmas toy giveaway / Walk-A-Thon / Scholarships / Back to School / Thanksgiving Baskets / Job Readiness / Summer Camp / Book Club
 
From Dr. JoAnn Perkins:
 
Hello everyone, hope all is well, please join us on this Sat at the walk, bring your family and Kids, smiles, jp
 
Dear Neighbors & Friends,
 
Hello everyone, we are back and on the move preparing for our April 28th Walk-a thon rally.Please take a look at the attached flier and plan to come participate by supporting our efforts. And for you dog lovers, this year, we extend invitation to you to bring your dogs to walk with us as well.
 
For last year, with your help, 964 kids received toys, with an extra 1436 toys going to incarcerated youth, foster care children, Latino kids, children living in shelters, and children in the community. Additionally we gave away last year at the November 19th Thanksgiving rally, 360 Food Baskets to families needing food for their Thanksgiving dinner, and on August 20th at the Back to School Rally, gave away school supplies to 465 children/youth which also included giving away to 122 parents, principals from the Langley Educational Campus, and Perry Preparatory Public Charter School vouchers and school supplies; and your donations made such giving possible, thanks. As we now prepare for helping an increased number of families and children in need, we again need your help in being able to provide at the June 16th Awards Ceremony-- 10 inner-city high school graduating seniors Scholarships to college and at the August 18th Back to School Rally, we need your help providing school supplies for 1000 kids, and at the November 17th Thanksgiving Rally, we will need baskets for 1000 families and on December22nd at our toys to Needy Kids rally, we need a total of 3000 kids for the kids who we have provided this amount of toys to for the past 3 years, we need your help. Please consider making a tax deductible donation towards these rallies and we will also be able to work again with the 100 14 to 21 year olders (as we did last summer), as we did in our Positive Alternatives Job Readiness PANTS OFF THE GROUND Employment program last summer So please help us by making a tax deductible donation which will help us meet the need of the families and kids that we serve. We look forward to seeing you, your family and friends at the April 28th Walk-A-thon,
 
Dr..J. Perkins,
Rally Coordinator
 
Please Click Here for a PDF of our 2012 Walk-a-thon Flyer:
 
 
Mission Statement:
As a community based organization,it is our mission to provide educational training services that positively impact lives of children, youth and adults living in inner-city neighborhoods.
 
To Accomplish our mission, the EXTENSION Center annually sponsors 6 Special Event Outreach Rallies andthrough our Positive Alternative Skill Building Mentoring/Vocational Training Programs we tutor children and youth andprovide Job Readiness Skill Development/ Scholarships/ Workshops for youth and adults.
 

McMillan Advisory Group (MAG) meeting at the Summit – tomorrow, Saturday, 04-28-2012

         
See this brief message from Bloomingdale resident Dianne Barnes:
 
From: Dianne Barnes
Reminder: MAG Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 28th at the Summit from 2PM - 5PM.
 
Since the MAG does not have a recording secretary, I am recommending that Michael Henderson come on as the recording secretary.
 
Agenda: The survey.
 
Thanks for your support.
 
Dianne
 

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Greater Brookland Happy Hour -- at Rustik Tavern - Thursday, 05-03-2012

          
Meet Your Neighbors - Support Local - Share some laughs - Why Not?
                                              
Thursday, May 3
Rustik Tavern
84 T Street Northwest Washington, DC 20001
At Rhode Island and T in Bloomingdale area
6:00 - 8:00 p.m. (ish)

           
Check out our FB page where pics and events are posted: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Greater-Brookland-Happy-Hour/125796647532631
          
RSVP is appreciated: jennifer.parker3@yahoo.com
                                    

Hope to see you there!
Jenn

lost cat from the 1800 block of 2nd St NW

See this message:

My lovely, friendly, furry tabby tiger cat is missing. Jellybean did not come home (1800 block of 2nd Street, NW, west side) when I called him on Wednesday evening, like he usually does. Please, if you see him, call me on 202 then 744 then 0407. Or email me at carolyn.swingon@verizon.net.

WCP gentrification cover story mentions Big Bear Cafe; Bates St residents interviewed

The cover story of this week's Washington City Paper focuses upon gentrification.

A Guide for the Responsible Gentrifier
by City Paper Staff
April 27, 2012


I spotted this sentence in the article:
 
Did you read about the short-sighted Advisory Neighborhood Commission NIMBYs who rejected the liquor-license application of a nice new café that had taken over a space once occupied by a bullet-proofed liquor store?
                     
Is this a reference to Big Bear Cafe's pursuit of a liquor license?  (Or it could be a reference to likely any other similar stories around the District.)

Plus, some City Paper reporters interviewed some residents on the 100 block of Bates Street NW. 

Here you go:

What do residents actually want out of their neighbors? Believe it or not, the pesky newcomers and stubborn long-timers have fairly similar requirements for the people they’d like to live around.
We talked to residents of the 100 block of Bates Street NW in Truxton Circle, and those hanging out a few blocks away at Bloomingdale’s Big Bear Café.  [So is Big Bear Cafe the symbol of gentrification...?]
                                  

MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS

Name: Sharon Manning
In neighborhood for: “Several years”
“They should mind their own business—noise, parties, music, they call the cops. Maybe they need a man or something so they can mind their own business.” But Manning adds that she’d like neighbors that look out for each other, too.

GROWTH

Name: “Tricky” Rick Reid
In neighborhood for: “All my life”
“I’m a bad neighbor gone good. Growth and patience taught me to be a good neighbor.” Reid, who claims to be the self-appointed mayor of Bates Street, relays this advice: “Be yourself. If you’re jerk, you get jerked off.”

FRIENDLINESS

Name: Laura Westman
In neighborhood for: Three years
“My neighbors are super-friendly. I went to [George Washington University], where people are always going to work, and it took awhile to understand people here are being genuinely nice and don’t have an ulterior motive.” Westman relays that her next-door neighbor passed along some leftovers after she lauded his cooking skills.

RESPECT

Name: Hellen Papavizas
In neighborhood for: Nearly a year
“A couple of things: Respect for your neighbors, awareness, appreciation, sense of community....I love the neighborhood. [My neighbors] seem to look out for one another too. If they notice things, they give us a heads-up.” Papavizas adds that when she moved in last summer, she “was practically met by a welcoming committee.”

COURTESY

Name: Christina Samuels
In neighborhood for: Four years
“Quiet and clean. That’s about it: clean and quiet, and courteous and mindful; someone that can watch the house when you’re out of town.” Samuels’ immaculate front garden apparently inspired some friendly competition: “I started cleaning up the yard and all of a sudden they did it, and they did it, and now it’s like a battle on the block!”

RESPECT

Name: Ronald Herring
In neighborhood for: “Grew up here”
“I speak to everyone...there’s different lifestyles but you’ve got to respect people. I miss the block parties. Now people sit on their stoops but the whole street doesn’t get together.” Herring adds that it bothers him when neighbors don’t say hello in passing.

KEEP TO YOURSELF

Name: Janice Kyle
In neighborhood for: 16 years
“I don’t know any of my neighbors. I don’t want to...I go to work and go home.” Though Kyle’s been in the neighborhood for some time, she prefers to keep to herself.

FRIENDLINESS

Name: Amanda Johnson
In neighborhood for: Two years
“I’m not friends with the people next door, but I see my second-floor neighbor often. We’re working on a garden together. I think general friendliness and the willing to make shared spaces more awesome are important.” Johnson doesn’t see many of her other neighbors out and about, but if she did, she’d “definitely say hello.”

APPROACHABLE

Name: Michael Snook
In neighborhood for: “I haven’t been there too long.”
“I don’t generally end up forming bonds with people because we’re not the same age or into the same things, but it’s nice to be able to say hello.” Though Snook doesn’t necessarily hang out with his neighbors, he feels welcome on his Petworth street.

Click on the article title above to read the entire article.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

McMillan: national credit tenants vs. independent retailers

I have copied in below a post from the popular Greater Greater Washington blog.

Why?

The topic of what kind of retail – as in national credit tenants vs. local/independent businesses – is a topic under discussion regarding the development of Bloomingdale’s McMillan Sand Filtration site.

(I acknowledge that there are people who want the site not to be developed at all or would prefer all/mostly park space.  This post is * not * intended to be dismissive of the people who are pursuing that goal.)

I direct you to the last two paragraphs of this GGW post:

Lenders still love "national credit tenants" (the big chains), the panelists agreed, but the younger and more affluent are not interested in such stores. Those are the shoppers and residents that developers want to attract, but they have little interest in living near the stores that lenders prefer.

Conversely, the independent retailers and restaurants that most appeal to target markets for new apartments often struggle to secure financing. For developments such as the 6 Walmarts planned for the District, the panelists concluded that this tension will be quite acute.

Will the retail that is implemented at the sand filtration site be national credit tenants or independent retailers?  Or can it be a mix?
                                          


by David Versel      April 25, 2012 1:13 pm

According to industry experts, retail is rapidly evolving into little more than an amenity to enhance the value of housing and office spaces above.

The old retail model of traveling to a place simply to acquire goods is dying, thanks in large part to the Internet, they said at a panel on retail during ULI's April 17 Real Estate Trends Conference. Today's successful retail destinations are much more about entertainment experiences than shopping.

Developers want to attract younger and more affluent residents to mixed-use developments, but the kind of retail that these residents crave is very different from the retail that makes lenders want to finance a new building.

On the panel, moderated by Janis Schiff of Holland & Knight, mixed-use developer Grant Ehat of JBG/Rosenfeld talked at length about the decline of enclosed malls. The only mall to open in the US since 2006 is City Creek in Salt Lake City, which is adjacent to the Mormon Tabernacle and is heavily subsidized by the LDS church.

Tysons Corner is the only "super fortress" mall in the DC area that is viable for the long term, Ehat argued. In his view, even Montgomery Mall may not survive for another generation.

50% of the space at top-end retail destinations like Miami's Lincoln Road Mall is food oriented, said Ehat. Architect David Schwarz added that consumers are basically lazy, and that the most successful developments are the ones that contain the greatest number of attractive uses in the most convenient and concentrated places.

The economics of retail is shifting. According to Placemaker Michael Ewing, of Williams Jackson Ewing, retailers now rely on the "clicks and bricks" model, with their physical stores serving as venues for customers to see and learn about products that they later purchase online. Ewing said that people want to feel younger and more affluent than they really are, calling this "the psychology of aspiration."

From the developer's perspective, Ehat reported that he no longer even considers retail as part of the bottom line. Instead, in the context of mixed-use developments, the retail, dining, and entertainment offerings on the ground floor drive the image of the overall project and, hopefully, improves the financial performance of the apartments, condos, or office suites on the upper levels.

A final obstacle to retail developments is the balance between financiers and customers. Lenders still love "national credit tenants" (the big chains), the panelists agreed, but the younger and more affluent are not interested in such stores. Those are the shoppers and residents that developers want to attract, but they have little interest in living near the stores that lenders prefer.

Conversely, the independent retailers and restaurants that most appeal to target markets for new apartments often struggle to secure financing. For developments such as the 6 Walmarts planned for the District, the panelists concluded that this tension will be quite acute.