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Articles
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Citywide
| At its Feb. 13 meeting, the Near Northeast (ANC 6C) advisory neighborhood commission: |
VOICE writes, "
• unanimously supported a New York Avenue nightclub Mirrors’ application to extend the hours of operation on its liquor license. The owner said he would use the added hours to stagger the time that patrons exit his establishment to reduce problems associated with large crowds on the sidewalk.
Commissioners supported the request, but asked the owner to negotiate a voluntary agreement with the commission. He agreed, but there was some confusion over whether a voluntary agreement was already on record.
The club currently closes at 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends. The owner is applying for 3 a.m. on weekdays and 5 a.m. on weekends. The club is at 33 New York Ave. NE.
• opposed Bozzuto Development Co.’s zoning requests for 460 New York Ave. NW, a proposed 130-foot-tall, 81-unit residential project. Several commissioners said they opposed the project because the developer is not offering affordable-housing units.
Project representatives said affordable housing is not economically feasible because of the expense of preserving the site’s historic warehouse facade -- a voluntary undertaking they called a significant community benefit. "
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Posted on Mar 01, 2008 16:09pm.
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| At its Feb. 14 meeting the Northeast Capitol Hill (ANC 6A) advisory neighborhood commission: |
VOICE writes, "
• voted to budget an additional $12,000 in their treasury for grants.
• voted to send a letter to the District Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs stating it believes that the proposed use of 820 8th St. NE meets the definition of an adult rehabilitation home and therefore a certificate of occupancy should not be granted until the owner obtains special permission for the facility.
• supported plans for a rear addition and patio area for 225 9th St. NE if the owner can produce letters of support from his adjacent neighbors.
• opposed an application for a two-story addition at 1131 D St. NE, saying it was concerned about the project did not have enough information about it."
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Posted on Mar 01, 2008 15:52pm.
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| Council passes personnel reform bill |
VOICE writes, "By VICTORIA SOLOMON
Current Staff Writer
The D.C. Council voted initial approval for contentious legislation giving Chancellor Michelle Rhee expanded authority to fire non-union central office staff, despite the staunch objection of several members.
Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry, Ward 5 member Harry Thomas Jr. and at-large member Phil Mendelson opposed the bill in the 10-3 vote, saying it would take civil service protections away from workers.
"Due process was put in the trash can," Barry said of the bill. "This bill does an injustice."
Other members said the legislation should give the schools administration the "tools" it needs for swift reform.
"If we're going to talk about justice, I'll tell you what is at risk," said Ward 3 member Mary Cheh. "The justice for children."
Council members approved amendments to the bill that add protections for workers, and the bill might be revised even further before members take a final vote on Jan. 8."
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Posted on Dec 24, 2007 14:38pm.
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| Council toughens law in hopes of protecting pedestrians |
VOICE writes, "By ELIZABETH WIENER
Current Staff Writer
Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh wants to boost fines for drivers who don't brake for pedestrians in crosswalks. Her bill, introduced Tuesday, would jump the fine dramatically from $50 to $500.
Seven other council members -- more than the majority needed for passage -- co-introduced the bill, which responds to a recent wave of pedestrian fatalities in the city. Twenty-five pedestrians have died after being hit by autos so far this year, up from 17 in 2006.
Cheh's bill reacts to widespread agreement that cars are not stopping for pedestrians, especially at unsignalized crosswalks, and that police often fail to ticket for the offense.
"We need to change the culture, and make it a matter of course to yield to pedestrians," as is common in some cities, said Cheh. She noted that the Brookings Institution recently named Washington the "most walkable" metropolitan region in the United States but she warned it won't retain the title if cars continue to run down pedestrians."
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Posted on Dec 24, 2007 14:11pm.
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| Residents pursue change to developer agreement |
VOICE writes, "By Julia O’Donoghue
Voice Correspondent
Representatives from the Near Northeast Capitol Hill advisory neighborhood commission will sit down with the D.C. Office of Zoning and Broadway Capitol LLC over the next two weeks to discuss whether the Senate Square project’s condo-to-apartment conversion impacts the building’s amenity package for the neighborhood.
The commission raised concerns with zoning officials last month after learning that the 432-unit project at 3rd and H streets NE would be mostly rental apartments, not condominiums.
Some commissioners believed the change required an amendment to the developer’s agreement with the city, in which the developer gives amenities to the neighborhood in exchange for higher and bigger building. Commissioners also worried whether some of those amenities, particularly the affordable housing and parking, might be in jeopardy because of the change."
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Posted on Dec 24, 2007 14:06pm.
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| Locals find peace and perspective through volunteering |
VOICE writes, "By CAROL ABERNATHY
Current Correspondent
In the mad scramble of the holidays, many locals find peace and perspective through volunteering their time and talents to one of many charitable organizations in the D.C. area. That serenity must be a hot holiday commodity this year; many volunteer coordinators are finding that their significant holiday demand for volunteers has been met.
"I can't believe I'm able to say that!" said Matt Siemer of Bread for the City, a nonprofit group that provides food as well as medical and other services to locals in need.
Doesn't that make us feel better? Everything's taken care of, all's well that ends well and our thoughts turn to the next ritual on the calendar of self-improvement: a New Year's resolution.
This year, why not commit to a resolution that will be more fulfilling than a diet, more relaxing (and cheaper) than that hip yoga-cum-Pilates-cum-tai chi class, and more enduring than, well, other New Year's resolutions? Why not volunteer on a regular schedule?
Volunteers are rarely as thick on the ground as during the holidays, but it is often a sustained engagement with an organization that offers the greatest rewards. "We have people that have been with us for years, and we're just so appreciative of them," said Courtney Arnold, program director for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, which records material for students in particular and all who cannot access the written word."
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Posted on Dec 23, 2007 19:23pm.
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| City proposes closing Hine school, building’s future uncertain |
VOICE writes, "
By Julia O’Donoghue
D.C. Public Schools’ facilities reorganization next year is likely to impact the landscape of the Eastern Market neighborhood.
Mayor Adrian Fenty, Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and deputy mayor for education Victor Reinoso recently proposed closing Hine Middle School, located at 335 8th St. SE across from Eastern Market, as part of their school consolidation plan.
At the end of this year, the city wants to move Hine’s 379 students to Eliot Middle School, next to Eastern High School across from Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The Hine-Eliot consolidation was also part of former School Superintendent Clifford Janey’s 2006 plan, which proposed to shutter the school in 2007.
“I think people have been preparing for this for awhile,” said Kenan Jarboe, advisory neighborhood commissioner who represents part of the neighborhood. “Everybody has assumed for a number of years that it [Hine] was going to be closed.” "
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Posted on Dec 13, 2007 04:06am.
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