Tuesday, July 27 CCCA meeting highlights
See our agenda for details on our July 27 meeting which will include updates on CityMarket at O, Toque Cafe, Beau Thai Restaurant, Bread for the City's expansion and Gibson Plaza's renovation/groundbreaking.
7pm, Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Toqué Café, 1701 Sixth Street NW
http://www.CCCA-online.org/nextmeeting
Gibson Plaza Groundbreaking July 28, Glimmer of Hope for Kelsey Gardens?
The future Gibson Plaza.
In the last few months, it’s seemed that the ice floes have started to crack and shift for development in Shaw: Project after project has broken financing deadlocks and will see shovels in the ground this year. Add another to the list: Gibson Plaza, the 10-story public housing behemoth on 7th and O Street NW, which will be getting a massive gut retrofit to upgrade its 217 affordable units, starting June 28th. The improvements, paid for by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development, cover a complete facade upgrade, all new green appliances, plumbing and electrical systems, new windows, and “cultured marble vanity tops” in bathrooms.
there was a post on the Triangle blog about a 100-year old tree slated to be removed at 4th and Eye. The Paramount Development group behind the 425 Eye Street project is the entity aiming to cut the tree down. The developer has been renovating the office building for the last year and is now upgrading the sidewalks on Eye Street: http://www.mvtriangleblog.com/?p=1814
When I contacted Commissioner Keith Silver for more information, he said that he'd been coordinating with Casey Trees and that he's arranged the following event. Commissioner Silver urges all concern citizens in favor of “Saving this Historic Tree” or those in favor of “Cutting it Down” located at 425 Eye Street NW to contact him at silverk1@ymail.com within the next Ten (10) Days to determine what should be done.
Dear Friend and Supporter of "Save the Historic Tree at 4th and Eye Sts. N.W"
Mandalay Restaurant is coming to Shaw! This was one of the most exciting events we've had in Shaw in a long time, clearly the highlight of the week for many local residents, business owners, activists and leaders. The event was also an opportunity for attendees to sample some of the amazing cuisine the restaurant currently serves, but we were informed that they are always reinventing the menu, so there will always be something interesting and new for the restaurants future regular customers. The greatest part about events like this is that they have the potential to spark even more development in Shaw. More detail noted previously on the CCCA blog and here. "This will kick off a series of major groundbreakings this year. The Howard Theatre and Renaissance Project (formerly Broadcast Center One) will break ground in late August, CityMarket at O will break ground in September, and the Marriott Marquis Convention Center should follow in the fall. The list of special guests: 
Groundbreaking took place Monday, June 14, 2010
1901 9th Street NW, Corner of 9th & P Streets NW
(next to Queen of Sheba Restaurant across from Shiloh Baptist Church)
— Alexander M. Padro, Executive Director of Shaw Main Streets and Shaw Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner.
At Large Councilmember, Chair of the Committee on Economic Development (and DC Council Chair candidate) Kwame Brown spoke with Seth Hajbi, of Red Toque Café at 6th & R Street NW, and assured Seth that he would help the restaurant overcome delays and roadblocks.
Mr Brown, here with the owners of Queen of Sheba Restaurant next to the Manalay site, also spoke with other local business owners and developers who all seemed to be excited about their new neighbor.
Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans brought up communication issues w/ddot, esp. 4th st. (i'm sure he has heard holy hell from neighbors) Then he headed out, understandably wiped from marathon budget meetings. wasa school commenced...
Blue plains is the largest sewage treatment plant in the world They said this like 4x;) Wasa is replacing aging lines, average age is 76 yrs. 3% is pre 1850. Water system has 26,000 valves and is controlled by super fancy computer control center. GM is a very genial man so exuberant about wasa geekery. Even wore a pristine white personalized wasa work shirt, no suit for him!
Not replacing partial lead lines (private) only full lead lines. This was stopped in 2008 because it wasn't effective.
Building tunnels to alleviate combined sewer overflow - 2/3 of which currrently goes into anacostia, rest goes into Rock creek & Potomac. Now u know what the little stone huts are for...3billion gallons of sewage & trash/yr. 25yr plan= inevitable rate increase, supposedly we have low rates compared to natl average. Tunnels also to help with flooding in NE. combined sewer area is the center blob of dc.
Gm believes water is safe...but not sure about the pharmaceuticals. Filters don't remove Viagra & estrogens. Not all filters remove lead. Check q&a on dcwasa.com site & this from WASA:
Here is the fact sheet. The Washington Aqueduct, which treats the drinking water for the District, also has a working group studying issues related to pharmaceuticals.
http://www.dcwasa.com/waterquality/Pharmaceuticals%20in%20Drinking%20Water.pdf
New communication system being put into place hopefully this year called Envista - central public schedule database of ddot & ALL utility projects. (about time!)
99% +of hydrants are operational, @2% might be blocked by construction. Fire dept has been coordinated with. Fancy GIS based.
Wasa contact info@dcwasa.com
354-3600, 612-3400 emergency, public affairs 787-2200
4th st, patch is awful! A giant chunky asphalt mound. Are they going to tear up the street or the sidewalk to replace the line?
4th st: I spoke with Deirdre the construction manager who exuded capabity juju. I showed her the below pic of the crappy wasa "patch" aka impassable mound, which she will address. We lamented how DDOT chose to repave 4th st-as in the road- yesterday. DDOT has known for over a week via our bitching that wasa is going to work the road & the sidewalk, yet they STILL paved the road AFTER!!! More wasted work! really!!
Wasa is going to primarily dig the road to replace the line. They will also "mole" the sidewalk where possible. So we will end up with spots in the sidewalk & smaller ones in our front yards. Not the long asphalt hump taking up half of the sidewalk a la gas co. The work is planned to start on Monday, 6/7/10 and complete by July 30,
2010. Will work directly with wasa so they can coordinate with the residents, developers and ensure the brick gets put back properly. Anyone on 4th st please email me niello8(at)yahoo.com or ANC 6C P&Z Chair Rob Amos robamos(at)yahoo.com and we can get you in touch with the project manager.
Asked if the new envision system would help us avoid clusterflucks like this in the future, I got an emphatic YES. so...here are the pics of the crappy 4th st patch (which will be dealt with) and the fresh DDOT paving of 4th st. enjoy it for precisely 11 days!
near-complete elimination of the H Street-Benning Road streetcar line."
I just took action on an issue that I consider very important -- adding streetcars to DC's transit network, starting with ensuring that the H Street-Benning Road line begins operating in spring 2012, as planned. I urge you to take action yourself and spread the word!
TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY on this issue.
If the text above does not appear as a link or it wraps across multiple lines, then copy and paste it into the address area of your browser.
Updates available online here:
http://www.CCCA-online.org/nextmeeting
7pm, Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Kennedy Recreation Center, 1410 7th Street NW
- There will be a few minutes a the top of the meeting for public announcements. (*See current announcements at bottom of page).
- Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans. Mr Evans will discuss local development, his May 26 Town Hall hearing on DC Water and Sewer Authority town hall meeting with WASA Gen. Mgr. George Hawkins (6:30pm Dupont Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Ave NW, Dupont Metro/G2 Metro bus); and will address other concerns.
- 605 P St NW problems continue. Local residents have started a petition to address the nuisances and crimes related to the construction of 605 P St. They intend to bring their concerns to Mr Evans attention Tuesday. Find the petition here.
- Peaceoholics Executive Director Maia Shanklin Roberts. Ms Roberts will discuss her organization its operations, program. budget, the community it serves and address residents’ concerns. (202) 610-4989.
- Sidewalks & Tree boxes. Commissioner Chapple and Laura Gramling will discuss concerns about sidewalks and trees in the area.
- Dreams for Kids Executive Director Andrew Horn. Mr Horn will discuss opportunities his organization provides young people and families. (703) 475-9322
- Approval February, March, and April 2010
CCCA meeting minutes Treasurer’s report. May 20, 2010 balance: $5,940.63. - Old and new business
5th&I Street Parking lot programming / CCCA contributions; Heart of DC Picnic, 2010 candidates forums. - Adjournment
Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans in Shaw tonight and next Tuesday
Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans will be a featured guest speaker — along with Elliott Ferguson, President, Destination DC — at the Washington Convention Center (WCC) Advisory Committee. The meeting will be held at 5pm in the Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis Board Room on the Executive Offices floor at Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW.
Mr Evans will also be the discussion leader at the Tuesday, May 25 CCCA public meeting where he will discuss local development, his Wednesday, May 26 Town Hall hearing on DC Water and Sewer Authority town hall meeting with WASA Gen. Mgr. George Hawkins (6:30pm Dupont Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Ave NW, Dupont Metro/G2 Metro bus); and will address other concerns.
The big guest this month was Steuart Development, who discussed their upcoming plans to build an apartment building on the site north of Safeway, across L. Here are the notes.
Yesterday, the CityCenter DC Residential Advisory Committee (RAC) met to discuss developments in the project designed for the Old Convention Center site.
Progress had stopped for several months, but the project, which includes substantial office, residential, hotel, retail, and restaurants, now appears to be moving forward. The project has all needed approvals from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). They have hired a general contractor (Clark/Smith).
Two key pieces moving forward are firming up a commitment from a major office tenant, which drives the economics of the entire project, and obtaining financing. There is a letter of intent for the office tenant (reportedly law firm Skadden & Arps, althought this was not confirmed at the meeting). The developers are also in discussions with an investor with interest in financing the entire first phase of the project. They hope to have an agreement in place this summer.
One June 21, the developers will hold a meeting with the subcontractor community at the Embassy Suites. They hope to begin hiring subcontractors in July or early August and have all subcontractors hired by the end of October 2010.
There are no letters of intent regarding the retail space at this time. Active recruitment of tenants would not occur until after the major office tenant is finalized and financing is in place. They will also seek a hotel operator that does not have a presence in this area.
Phase 1, which would include 2 condos, office space, extension of 10th and Eye Streets through the site, a park at the northwest corner, and the substructure under this area would begin in January 2011 in the best case scenario. This portion of the project would be completed in the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2013.
Phase 2, which includes the 1,200 room hotel, additional retail, and Gould parcel on the north side of the lot, would begin 15-18 months after initiation of Phase 1 (early to mid 2012).
The RAC discussed the park for the NW corner of the site, preferring it to be lively and attractive to community, particularly children and not a "monument"-type park. In addition, the public art along New York Avenue between 12th and 13th Street NW would be extended eastward to Mount Vernon Square. The developers have hired a consultant to assist with this process and the RAC will be involved as well.
Finally, the RAC formed two committees. ANC 2C Chair Doris Brooks will lead an Employment and Training Committtee responsible for outreach to the community on job opportunities related to the project. Windy Abdul Rahim of Councilmember Jack Evans office and Leroy Thorpe of the East Central Civic Association will serve on this committee. Alex Chi of the Chinatown Revitalization Council will chair a Local Small Business Committee and work with Meredith Moldenhauer of the Downtown Neighborhood Association and a representative of Councilmember Kwame Brown's office.
Greetings Everyone!
The May MVSNA Newsletter is up and going to print! so you know what that means...We shall need several volunteers to help deliver door to door. Please email me at niello8(at)yahoo.com if you can help out for a few blocks!...you can also view the newsletter here: http://www.box.net/shared/uugx1uvh5g
Keep in mind there are all kinds of handy links on it you can click!
The next MVSNA meeting shall be held on Tuesday May 18th, 7:30pm, at the Yale Loft Condo common room at 437 NY Ave NW. On the Agenda is Steuart Development Company (400/500 block NY Ave NW), Public Safety & the Goals/Bylaws vote.
Finally please come on out on the 20th for the PSA 308 Public Safety Walk!
Si Kailian
C. Sec., MVSNA
202.256.9193
