#w7cm2012 #dcision12 forum

Conventional wisdom describes Deanwood as "an emerging neighborhood." I for one am tired of being on the cusp. It time for Deanwood to blossom--a return to greatness that recaptures our self-reliance, diverse small businesses, and strong community ties.
Deanwood's historic Contee A.M.E. Zion Church is hosting a town hall and forum for candidates seeking the Ward 7 Council seat. What are we asking candidates about Deanwood's future? - Greater Deanwood neighbors have been fighting oversaturation of liquor stores. Does a candidate have a concrete plan to increase neighborhood-based retail diversity?
- Deanwood is jokingly called Highway to Heaven because there is a church on every corner--traditional and storefront. How do we engage places of worship to include in their faith missions for-profit community improvement proposals?
- How do the candidates view the Eastern Avenue and Southern Avenue border with Prince George's County, MD? a) Can the candidates give an example of working with at least one Prince George's County official or community leader?
- Add your questions to the comment section.
- Bring two more questions and a neighbor to the forum.
Contee AMEZ Ward 7 Town Hall Friday, Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m. Contee AMEZ W7 Forum Final Flyer

#w7cm2012 Forum #dcision12

Ward 7 Council Member Candidate Forum

Thursday,  February 16, 2012

7:00 pm-8:45pm

Langston Golf Course Club House

2600 Benning Road NE

The Friends of Kingman Civic Association wants area residents to become better informed before they enter the voting booth.

Please attend this important Candidate Forum. The April 3, 2012 primary is approaching fast.

A civil discussion about local issues from all candidates and attendees is expected.

The forum is a non-partisan and is not intended to promote a party politics.

We hope to see you there!

Lisa White
ANC Commissioner SMD 7D01 Kingman Park
Friends of Kingman Park Member

SAVE THE DATE: #w7moves Transportation Summit

The Second Annual Ward 7 Transportation Summit is a citizen-led and organized initiative bringing attention to the transportation needs and wants of the Ward. This summit is a follow-up to a transportation summit convened last year around the theme "rediscover the bus."

Organized by Veronica O. Davis, an engineer and partner in sustainability consulting firm Nspiregreen, the transportation summits aim to give stakeholders an opportunity to have an open and honest dialogue with key government agencies and elected officials. Davis says, "Transportation is a key link in economic development and growth. Too often Ward 7 has been studied with limited action after the studies."

A common thread found in those studies is the Ward's limited connectivity--within the ward, within the East of the River community, and throughout the District. Some of the topics for discussion include, the WMATA W4 study, fully funding the East of the River Circulator, bus and rail safety, coordinating transportation demand management between Ward 7 and Ward 8 development projects, and getting more ward representation on transportation-related boards and commissions.

Davis continues, "One of the unique ways we plan to engage neighbors and key influencers is by hosting a tweet chat. In addition to word-of-mouth and flyering, social media has come to be such a vital communications link. Listserves, Facebook and Twitter are the modern-day conversation over the back fence."

This second summit is another thread in the conversation about advocating for the needs and wants of Ward 7 and its residents. 
W7Transpo Summit Flyer Update

#ward7 #dcision12 forum

Ward 7 Candidates Forum Feb 2012 Flyer - Ver2

IDEA PCS Hearing #ward7 #edureform

In late December DC's Public Charter School Board moved to revoke the Integrated Design Electronics Academy (IDEA) PCS charter due to academic deficiencies and for operating an adult education program outside of their charter. IDEA is one of the oldest charter schools in the District having opened in 1998. IDEA runs a middle school and a high school.
In the Washington Examiner the school's Executive Director Norman Johnson commented, the school "was approved to serve students who may have issues with the law or truancy, making the ratings unfair."

The PCSB's hearing about the matter is later today, Febuary 2, 6:00 p.m. at IDEA, 1027 45th St. NE.  The school is on the U4 bus route and four blocks from the Orange Line's Deanwood Metro Station.

Art as Placemaking... #deanwooddc

In the realm of urbanism, placemaking has gained a significant foothold. Essentially, placemaking means enlivening neighborhoods. This can involve art, streetscape enhancements, like lighting and tree plantings, and farmers' markets. At the core of placemaking is community engagement and involvement.

When the Deanwood Community Center and Library was planned placemaking was an aspect neighbors wanted (even before the term became in vogue). The DC Commission on Arts and Humanities is finally moving on the effort through the DC Creates!Public Art Program.  The program purchases, commissions, and installs artworks for public sites throughout the District. 

Join neighbors this Saturday in planning this placemaking and community building activity. Artist Amber Robles-Gordon will present a public art piece for the Deanwood Recreation Center and Library.

Deanwood Community Public Art Presentation

Saturday, February 4, 2:00p

Deanwood Recreation Center Multi-Purpose Room

For more information

Mary Beth Brown 202-724-5613 or MaryBeth.Brown@dc.gov

Da-dum-dum, da-dum-dum, da-dum-dum-duhhh...

At the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) hearing on Tuesday, January 10, Uncle Lee's owners exhibited further evidence they are not ethical. You'll recall the hearing was to consider a minor modification application to extend the business hours to midnight.

The Office of Planning (OP) receives a copy of the application. Doing due diligence, OP informed the Zoning Administrator (ZA), which is in the Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs. The ZA issued a finding that the owners applied for a separate tax lot/address for the liquor store. Raising into question whether the extension request is for the carryout or the liquor store.

Based on the ZA's information OP recommended that BZA not rule because the body doesn't have jurisdiction over the extended hours request; the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) does because the request is for the liquor store.

OP & ZA rightly saw through the hours extension application as one for the liquor store, not the carryout. Uncle Lee's owners are trying to skirt the ABRA process using the BZA application as cover.

This instance provides evidence that no leniency is needed for this nuisance business, its owners, or the landlord.

BZA "out of an abundance of caution" extended left the record open until February 7 to give the applicant, Eun Sun Kim, a chance to clarify. However, the board is inclined to deny the application at the February hearing. If you cannot attend the continuance hearing at 441 4th St. NW Rm. 270N (One Judiciary Square), the hearing will be live webcast.

P.S. Thanks to Through His Eyes Ministries  parishioner Marilyn Day for attending the hearing. Additional appreciation to neighbor Sherrie Lawson and Ward 7 Councilmember for their letters opposing the extended hours application.

Yeah, what she said! Life in the Village: Economic Development in #Ward7

My neighbor, Miss V, summed it up well at Life in the Village (Washington, DC): Economic Development in Ward 7. You can watch the hearing at the Council's website or through the Office of Cable Television.

PUBLIC OVERSIGHT ROUNDTABLE BY THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS/PROJECTS IN WARD 7

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2012, 6:30 P.M.

DOROTHY HEIGHT/BENNING LIBRARY

3935 BENNING ROAD, NE

Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown announces the scheduling of a Public Oversight Roundtable by the Committee of the Whole on Economic Development Programs/Projects in Ward 7. The public oversight roundtable is scheduled for January 11, 2012, at 6:30 p.m., Dorothy Height/Benning Library, 3935 Benning Road, NE. The purpose of the public oversight roundtable is to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the proposed economic development programs/projects in Ward 7.

Individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to testify at the public oversight roundtable are encouraged to sign up online by visiting our Council website at http://dccouncil.us. Individuals may also contact Priscilla McIver, Administrative Assistant to the Committee of the Whole, at (202) 724-8196, or via e-mail at pford@dccouncil.us and furnish their names, addresses, telephone numbers, and organizational affiliation, if any. They should also bring 20 copies of their written testimony. Persons presenting testimony may be limited to 3 minutes in order to permit each witness an opportunity to be heard.

If you are unable to testify at the roundtable, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted to: Committee of the Whole, Council of the District of Columbia, John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 508, Washington, D.C. 20004.

TONIGHT: W4 WMATA COMMUNITY MEETING #eotr

Metro seeks input on W4 Route

Riders are encouraged to attend one of the following public meetings to provide your input on the services that are being evaluated:

• Thursday, December 8: 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Contee AME Zion Church, 903 Division Avenue NE.
• Tuesday, December 13: 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Petey Greene Center, 2907 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE.

The meetings will take place in an “open house” format where participants can stop by any time between the beginning and end of the meeting to offer their input. 

If you cannot attend the sessions you can provide your input and feedback through WMATA's online survey.

WMATA Begins North-South EOTR Bus Line Study

Metro seeks input on W4 Route Service

Join neighbors and WMATA at the community forum on December 8, 2011, 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Contee AME Zion Church, 903 Division Avenue NE. The W4 route (Deanwood-Alabama Avenue) is the only north-south, one-seat ride connecting Ward 7 and Ward 8. 

In early spring neighbor Veronica Davis convened an east of the river transportation summit.  At the summit, WMATA bus planner James Hamre shared the agency was considering changes to the W4 line that included,

• Improve frequency of weekday off-peak service from 33 minutes to 22 minutes
• Improve Saturday frequency of service from 31 minutes to 25 minutes
• Reduce crowding and waiting time
• Annual operating cost=$0.5 million
• No fleet change

WMATA wants to hear from stakeholders, like you, about these proposed enhancements.  Are they spot-on?  Does the agency need to go back to the drawing board?  Does the agency need to add more enhancements?  Some of the changes I'd like to see include moving from a schedule to a headway, putting fare boxes at stores (e.g., 7-11, Uncle Lee's or Jock's), and requiring Wal-Mart/A&R Development to pay for improvements.

Bring your kudos, criticisms, needs, and wants for better transit service for Deanwood and East of the River.

Whataya want from me?

That's not just the title for American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert's debut hit.  It's also a question many candidates will be asking DC residents over the next five and a half months. 

In Ward 7, a few groups have formed to lay out criteria and hear from candidates (and yes the incumbent is a candidate).  The Ward 7 Concerned Citizens Coalition has distributed its criteria and expectations.  We'll see how the people and the candidates respond.

Thank Heaven for 7-11

Back in 2009 the 7-Eleven corporation announced its plans for "aggressive expansion."  "Among 7-Eleven’s growth markets are: New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.; Tidewater, Va.; and Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Ft. Myers, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, the San Francisco Bay area, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Alberta and British Columbia, Canada."

ANC7D-01 Commissioner Lisa White sent the following email about today's Ward 7 opening.  The store is opening in the former PreventionWorks office and is Ward 7's second 7-Eleven.  The other is located at 950 Eastern Ave. NE.

On Sat, Oct 29, 2011 at 8:21 AM, L White wrote:
The 7-Eleven at 2501 Benning Road is scheduled to open on Monday, October 31, 2011 @ 6:00am.

The Opening Celebration will take place on Thursday, November 3, 2011 from 10:00am-2:00pm; there will be Free Food Samples, 11cent Slurpees and Big Gulps, Prizes and Raffles. Also live entertainment with DJ Elon “Double E” and Apple Dumplin the Clown!

The Store Manager and District Manager of this 7-Eleven has committed to being Good Neighbors to the Kingman Park Community!

Have a great weekend,

Lisa White, ANC7D01

Time keeps on ticking...

We've seen political signs swirling around already--campaign signs, activity on Twitter, interviews, candidate declarations.  However, the real season starts in less than three weeks when petitions hit the street.  Monday, November 14 candidates may pick up petitions for the Ward races from the DC Board of Election.  This marks 144 days before the election. 
Please be kind & sign.  However, don't be pressured.  We live in a democracy true enough.  Let's not, though, clog up our electoral process with tomfoolery.  (I think we know who the always-runs are.)

To help us civic activists keep track of key dates in DCision 2012 here's a handy list of the electoral calendar BOEE Deadlines.  DISCLAIMER: This document has not been authorized by the DC Board of Elections and Ethics, candidate, or candidate's committee. 

ERFSC Community Meeting October 26, 2011

COMMUNITY MEETING

Ward 7 Workforce Trends

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Marshall Heights Community Development Organization

3939 Benning Road NE

Minnesota Avenue Metro | U2/U5/U6/U8/V7/V8

Presenters:

Ward 8 Workforce Council | Operation Hope |

US Department of Labor

 

For more information, contact Chynna Haughton chaughton@erfsc.org or 202-397-7300, ext. 116

 

 

Vision and placemaking...

Friend and fellow East of the River blogger Nikki Peele made an astute obeservation a few days ago--women in the community are leading (and blogging) the transformation of DC's neighborhoods.  Think about it, there are JD Land, Life in the Village, Congress Heights on the Rise, and The Brightwoodian to name a few.  Yet as I discovered thanks to a Real Estate Bisnow post "The Key to Cities" men are at the table "making" the plans.  According to the featured post, economic development planning should be about women and, incidentally, that woman-centered vision is about placemaking and smart growth. 

A leading voice on placemaking Project for Public Spaces describes the concept as breaking "through [institutionalization] by showing [developers] planners, designers, and engineers how to move beyond their habit of looking at communities through the narrow lens of single-minded goals or rigid professional disciplines."

This finding is shockingly clear in the development landscape in Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7C (and north Ward 7).  In testimony about extending the disposition agreements on three critical north Ward 7 parcels 7C04 Commissioner Sylvia C. Brown asked about the development teams' visions and efforts "to create a sense of place—enlivening streetscapes, engaging current community members, and getting future residents excited about the developments' and surrounding communities' potential."  The question was discounted.  (With only one woman among the development team members is there a correlation???) 

New buildings don't magically make blight disappear.  New buildings don't magically reduce crime.  New buildings don't magically produce an improved quality of life. Vision does. 

PROACTIVE vision does.

Proactive, progressive vision with a real commitment to the broader community's bottom line does.

DC Council Ward 7 Land Disposition Hearing... Commissioner Brown's testimony starts at 4:25.  The exchange with Chairman Brown is at 11:37.

Ward 7 residents define "livability" for their streets

A cross-section of residents in north Ward 7 gathered recently to help the District Department of Transportation and its consultants put a pin in the oft-used term "livability" at the second meeting of the Far Northeast Livability Study.


In transit and smart growth circles, livability means multimodal transportation, transit-oriented development, and a Complete Streets policy.


Many attendees weren't versed in the new terms entering the community development lexicon, but they do know their neighborhood and the ward can be better with more sidewalks, improved crosswalk markings and pedestrian signaling, slowing speeding traffic on narrow neighborhood streets and thoroughfares, and improving bus service.


The Far Northeast Livability Study area encompasses all of north Ward 7, between East Capitol Street, the Anacostia River, and the District line. A unique feature of the study process is an advisory council made of community members which shapes the meeting format, engages neighbors, and gives insight on key points.

This advisory council is especially important because the area has already been the focus of numerous studies in the past. Residents want to see action, not just a study that sits on the shelf.

DDOT Director Gabe Klein Photo Courtesy SBrown

Fortunately, DDOT Chief Gabe Klein agrees. At the monthly general meeting of the DC Federation of Citizens Associations, Klein pointed out the agency has $3 million invested in the DDOT Livability Program, including "money in the obligation plan to put solutions in place." The funds to implement the Livability Program are also included in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's five-year Transportation Improvement Program. Klein pledged to attend the next huddle.

The gathering discussed tools that transportation engineers use to deal with speeding and cut-through traffic, and to integrate biking connections. The toolbox includes simple, low-cost methods like painted medians, high visibility crosswalks, and in-street pedestrian yield signs. At the other end of the spectrum, there are high impact, mid- to high-cost solutions like chicanes, roundabouts, landscaped medians, and raised crosswalks.

Residents discussed these options and weighed the pros and cons of each along problem corridors like Sheriff Road, 49th Street, East Capitol Street, the Minnesota Avenue-Benning Road intersection, and the Nannie Helen Burroughs-Minnesota intersection.

The next steps in the process include a review of the meeting comments in December and a follow-up in January. With a population of nearly 30,000 people, it is critically important for north Ward 7 residents and stakeholders to be on the ball and make sure the "study" gets implemented.

Crossposted at Greater Greater Washington.

Live, work, play, shop, worship...New age livability

District Department of Transportation will be a busy bee in Ward 7 this weekend.  The agency is sponsoring the DC Circulator study at Benning Road Library (which has been renamed the Dorothy Irene Height Memorial Library) at 1:30 p.m.  In the morning the transportation team and its consultants are hosting the second Far Northeast Livability Study. 

The Far Northeast Livability Study covers all of north Ward 7.  Saturday's meeting will cover the Solutions Tool Boxes that transportation engineers grapple with when faced with speeding, cut-through traffic, etc.  Residents will have these tools at their fingertips and be able to weigh the good and the bad with implementation along problem corridors like Sheriff Road, 49th Street, East Capitol, Nannie Helen Burroughs-Minnesota intersection, etc.  With a population of nearly 30,000 people it is critically important for north Ward 7 residents and stakeholders to be on the ball and make sure the "study" GETS IMPLEMENTED. 

Livability Flyer

Demystifying the Opera (for you & the kiddies)

DCOpera Event

The Washington National Opera is committed to engaging families East of the River and is asking for the help of change makers in the community to share this event with their neighbors.

Washington National Opera Family Look-In

The Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW (Orange Line "Foggy Bottom/GWU")

Saturday, October 16, 2:00PM

Registration:  $10 use "Source Code DCCAH"

Do you have questions? Feel free to email Michelle Pendoley @
mpendoley@dc-opera.org

The transition begins...Gray Ward 7 Town Hall

A common saying in politics is, "Winning a campaign is easy.  The tough part is governing."  Noone doubts D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray, the presumptive mayor, has the ability to govern.  The doubt, or perhaps more appropriately the uncertainty, arises in how he will govern.  This uncertainty is made more stark when coupled with our city's horrendous budget constraints.

For neighborhoods like Deanwood, which went heavy for Gray, the asks are long and deep.  Dealing with basic quality-of-life needs like improved schools, public works services, and police presence are important.  Just as important, though, is implementing a meaningful community economic development plan.  For greater Deanwood neighborhoods our community economic development is wrapped in the multi-year Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings New Communities Initiative (LHRDNCI).  The LHRDNCI hinges on a cross-section of government and private invesments, including human capital and infrastructure, to create mixed-income, sustainable development sites.  Private developers have already downgraded some of their plans on account of the economic downturn.  These developers must have a comfort level from government but also in my opinion they need a gut-check and must be strongly prodded by government to plan for the best and build the best in spite of the current economics.

Gray campaigned on a birth-24 education system that includes real-life employment skills.  It is my contention that that campaign promise can be implemented and accomplished in greater Deanwood.  Breaking up the silo mentality of the private sector is a step.  However, a bigger and more treacherous step is corralling residents, both long-time and new arrivals, to forget perceived slights and defuse flashpoint rhetoric and come together to push for innovative community revitalization--dusting off the so, so, so many development plans for far northeast Ward 7 and get it done.

While the presumptive mayor's heart may be in Ward 7 he has to govern from 30,000'.  The opportunity to make a campaign promise and slogan a model and reality is in greater Deanwood--if the presumptive mayor sets the tone and empowers (demands?) Ward 7 residents (in some cases guide to stage left) to organize effectively to communicate our message, our needs, and our wants ourselves. 

"How will the presumptive mayor govern?"  Significant returns on investment for the public and private sectors hang in the balance.

vgray ward7 townhall

The Ward 7 town hall is moved to Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, 3000 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.  Please allow for significant travel time (WMATA or car) due to the Pennsylvania Avenue Great Streets project construction.

MuralsDC completes second Deanwood site

After fits and starts the second MuralsDC project in Deanwood is complete!  MuralsDC is an initiative from Jim Graham, Ward 1 Councilman and chairman of the Council's Committee on Public Works and Transportation.  MuralsDC is a multi-agency effort to combat illegal graffiti, called tagging, on locations prone to the activity.  Utilizing organizations and youth from the impacted neighborhoods the thought is that taggers are less likely to tag a spot where they have crafted an artistic vision.  The program also helps channel and legitimize graffiti artistry. 

The first Deanwood site done under the direction of arts organization Ward 7 Arts Collaborative is at A-1 Grocery located at Division Avenue and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue.  Words Beats Life led the development of the newest site, A&S Grocery, at Sheriff Road and 48th St.  Juan Pineda was lead artist and proposed several Deanwood icons for the rendering, including the Carver School (now IDEA Public Charter School), Nannie Helen Burroughs, and the trolley car that ran along Deane Avenue (now Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue).

A&S Grocery (4748 Sheriff Rd. NE), site of second Deanwood MuralsDC

Words Beats & Life draft of MuralsDC Deanwood site. 



Student apprentices; student in forefront Jean Martinez is lead student artist.