In January I reported that a long vacant lot on O St. just east of Hyde-Addison school was for sale. Now the new or prospective owner is proposing the construction of a new home on the lot, according to a recent Old Georgetown Board filing.
As I discussed in January, this lot is empty due to the previous owner controversially razing an existing home on this lot in 1997. The OGB filing includes news clippings covering that controversy, including photos of the building before and during the razing:
The plans submitted to OGB appear fairly conceptual at this point, which is a common approach in situations like this. This enables the owner and architect (Christian Zapaka in this case) to get a general sense for what the board will accept before they spend too much time and money on fleshing out the details.
One aspect of the design that the applicant is floating relates to the footprint. One option, (seen above) pulls back the east facade from the property line and puts the entrance on the east side, seen here from the east:
The other option would have the house go right up to the east property line and keep the entrance on the streetside:
To long time observers, the history leading up to the razing represented the epitome of demolition of neglect. Rumors have long circulated that as a form of informal punishment for the alleged demolition by neglect, no plans would be approved for a new building as long as the same owners held the lot. I cannot confirm those rumors at all, but it would be notable if almost 30 years later plans for a home get approved only along with an ownership change.
Below is another periodic update on Hyde-Addison from Hyde parent Phil Mone:
Hyde Addison Elementary School (3219 O St NW) is a public school with grades PK-3 to 5 with an average class size of 19 (not including Hyde’s PK-3 class which is capped at 16). The school’s in-boundary attendance zone includes the neighborhoods of Georgetown, Burleith, and Hillandale.
I have lived in Georgetown and Burleith for 15 years and this is our fourth year at Hyde. Our three eldest children are students there now (3rd grade, 1st grade, PK-4) and they love it.
I believe Hyde is the best elementary school for my kids
I’ve been impressed with Hyde. One reason is the focus on learning, and the standardized test scores bear that out (Hyde has the highest of all public elementary schools in DC). Another is the Hyde community—the students/families, the teachers (amazing teacher retention—the average teacher at Hyde has been there for 7 years), and the administration (including the award winning principal, Dr. Calvin Hooks).
Just last week we learned that Hyde has been designated as a Cahn Fellowship School. This designation is due to Dr. Hooks selection as one of a small number of principals chosen nationally for a Cahn Distinguished Principals Fellowship (scroll down to see Dr. Hooks here: https://www.cahnfellowship.org/fellows-2025-2026 )
Another reason Hyde is excellent is the annual six-figure fundraising by Hyde’s PTA, with 100% of contributions directly supporting school programs and activities beyond the basics, such as extra books and supplies, field trip scholarships, and professional development for Hyde’s excellent teachers. Hyde is financially supported by Hyde families (my wife and I donate annually), residents of Georgetown and Burleith who do not have students at the school (but who love supporting and strengthening their local public elementary school), and local business.
Hyde’s annual Spring Gala will be held at St John’s Episcopal (right across O St from Hyde) on Saturday April 25. The Spring Gala is Hyde’s biggest fundraiser and is a great opportunity for local businesses to show the Hyde community that they support excellence in public schools.
If you know of a local business interested in being a sponsor, please message me and/or direct them to the Spring Gala sponsorship page!
My ANC colleagues, Daniel Chao and Paul Maysak, and I were asked to submit an editorial to the Georgetowner on the resident only parking proposal. In case you missed it, here it is below:
The ANC is exploring a change to how parking is managed in Georgetown that we think it will make the lives of residents a little easier. It’s called Resident Only Parking (ROP) and here’s why we think it’s worth introducing to Georgetown.
Since Covid, there has been a surge of people who commute to Georgetown and park all day. Parking enforcement has collapsed as an effective deterrent. We have helped our neighbors call, email, beg, and plead for enforcement and our ANC issued multiple resolutions as well. But few improvements have been achieved.
The city is facing steep challenges in staffing that have and will continue to limit how much more enforcement we can expect to see. We have no choice but to consider other available strategies. That’s where ROP comes in.
Currently, anyone can park in any space for two hours. Then they have to leave. Residents with Zone 2 stickers, of course, are exempt from the two hour limit and can remain for as long as they want. Contractors, nannies, etc. who hold a valid visitors parking pass (VPP) are also exempt and can remain for as long as the pass is valid.
Under ROP, approximately half the spaces on the block would be set aside for residents or those with a VPP. No one else would be allowed to park there. The other half of the spaces would remain as they currently are, open to anyone.
Each ANC Commissioner must first ask DDOT to study the blocks they wish to designate to receive ROP and DDOT will evaluate the need, then affirm or deny the request. After a block is designated ROP, if it does not help alleviate the problem as expected, the ANC reserves the right to ask DDOT to switch back to the pre-existing RPP for that block.
The city piloted the ROP in other parts of the city ten years ago with success. Residents found it easier to park closer to their home and not have to worry about carrying heavy groceries or items in and out, or resort to double parking for a minute and face the ire and angry horns of an impatient driver who can’t pass.
Based on that experience, we believe Georgetowners would see a similar improvement. We expect to consider the formal request at our March 2nd meeting. We welcome your input about what you are seeing on your block and look forward to hearing from you.
Perhaps you’ve heard, but if not: there was a massive sewer main break up along the C&O Canal near the DC and Maryland border. Millions of gallons of raw sewage poured out and into the river. It was really bad.
Well it’s still really bad. All that incredibly harmful material is still working its way downstream. And as a consequence, the river has exceedingly high levels of dangerous materials like E. Coli and Staph. Councilmember Pinto put out a warning yesterday to tell people to stay away from the river right now:
As DC Water continues to work to address the recent sewage spill into the Potomac River, my primary focus remains protecting public health and our ecosystem, and I want to provide you with important updates you need to know:
Your drinking water is treated and remains safe. The overflow occurred downstream from the Washington Aqueduct’s intakes at Great Falls.
It’s now estimated to take 4-6 weeks of additional time for cleaning and repairs after a recent inspection of the Potomac Interceptor revealed a blockage inside the sewer line.
Keep distance between the riverbank, river water and you and your pets. Do not have any contact with the river water, including fishing and boating. Clean yourself or your clothing as soon as possible if you touch water or land along the riverbank.
Remember it is never safe to walk on frozen ice over the river.
Freezing may preserve the bacteria, which can be released later when the ice melts again.
We will continue to share what we know and work towards long-term remediation plans.
So stay away from the river until you hear the all clear!
Last year I reported on the sad news that despite what I previously thought, deep cold stretches in the winter do not reduce the amount of mosquitos in the following summer. I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but here’s what I wrote last yeat:
One consolation I have long taken from intense cold snaps Iike the one we are experiencing now is that it would kill off more mosquitos and lead to a less buggy season next summer. If you have also had this understanding, I am sorry to inform you that we’ve been wrong.
It is true that mosquitoes become less active when the temperature drops below 50 degrees. And many do die with the onset of freezing temperatures. But they long ago evolved as a species to handle cold winters. Depending on the species, they either enter hibernation or lay eggs. And in both cases the creatures are able to withstand much colder weather than we’re dealing with right now.
And really, that makes a lot of sense, seeing as places like Alaska or northern Canada have huge swarms of mosquitos, despite also having bitterly cold winters.
The good news? There is one climate phenomenon that actually can reduce the mosquito levels. As insect expert Dr. Daniel Markowski told WUSA a few years ago: “consistent cold isn’t as bad for mosquitos as cycles of warm and cold days that keep waking them up throughout the winter. Waking up burns energy, and if it happens often enough, it can be deadly for the insects.”
So if we get a nice midwinter thaw, followed by another freeze-up, not only will that give us a respite from the cold, it may actually make our summer gardens a bit more pleasant!
Georgetown is more than simply another neighborhood in DC. It’s even more than simply another old neighborhood in DC. It is a neighborhood that was uniquely a former independent municipality that is not only older than DC itself, but older than the United States. Founded in 1751 as a town in the colony of Maryland, Georgetown is celebrating its 275th year in 2026. And a few proud locals are proposing an idea to mark the occasion.
Outerbridge Horsey and Eileen McGrath have proposed the installation of signs around the entries to Georgetown to mark both the boundaries of the neighborhood and the age. The first versions of the signs are above, and were presented to the ANC last week to a warm reception. The design has shifted slightly since then, and will now read “Historic Georgetown – Estab. 1751” (in order to avoid any confusion over what the number means).
Here is a map of where they hope to install the signs. They have targeted most of the entry points of the neighborhood:
The design still needs to get approval from the Old Georgetown Board and then DDOT. If approved, identifying a funding source will be the next step. At the ANC meeting, Horsey estimated that the cost for all the signs would be about $50,000, which seems like a doable number from a fund-raising perspective.
Here’s hoping it can all come together in time to help mark our neighborhood’s 275th year!
Over the weekend, someone suggested to me that it would be helpful to remind people of all the changes to the Metrobuses that happened last summer. Here is a reprint of my article outlining all those changes:
Over the past year I have been trying to pass along the dramatic changes that WMATA is planning for the Metrobus network. Literally every bus line will be different in name and (mostly) route by the end of this year. I recently learned that some tweaks have been made to the plans I’ve circulated, so I wanted to pass those along to you as well.
For the benefit of those who have not been following these changes, I’ll try to sum them up here. A good place to start is from the map above, which shows how the various bus routes will pass through Georgetown. It’s probably best to group them in a couple baskets:
Wisconsin Ave.
Since the days of the streetcars, Wisconsin Ave. and M St. have been serviced by the 30 Series. What particular routes ran has changed a lot over the years, but right now we have two routes remaining: the 31 (which goes only to Foggy Bottom) and the 33 (which now goes to Union Station as a substitute for the defunct Circulator). The Better Bus network will maintain similar service, but the names will change. Now it will be the D80 and the D82.
The last time I discussed the possible changes, the only route I discussed was the D82 (if WMATA had proposed the D80 at that point, I must have missed it). This was that previous D82 route:
The D82 Route now only goes to Foggy Bottom, and is basically the same as the current 31:
The D80, on the other hand, would now travel all the way to Union Station, much like the 33 does now:
So in short: the 31 becomes the D82 and the 33 becomes the D80. Travelers along the Wisconsin Ave.-> M St. routes will likely just have to memorize new bus route names. The service will otherwise be fairly similar (although I am working with my ANC colleagues and the BID to make sure that WMATA keeps the frequency to what we’re used to).
East-West Lines
The second basket of routes I think it’s helpful to consider are the primarily east-west routes through the heart of Georgetown. This currently includes the D2, D6 and the G2. The D2 and the D6 cross Georgetown mostly on Q St., with the D6 traveling from Sibley to the west and RFK stadium to the east, and the D2 running between Glover Park and Dupont. The G2 starts next to Georgetown University and snakes through Georgetown on a couple different streets before heading east to Dupont along P St.
Each of these routes will be mostly replicated in the new system, however they will all travel primarily on Q St. as they travel east-west.
Here is the D94, which is the D6 replacement:
As you can see, it will no longer travel all the way to RFK Stadium. This is unchanged from earlier proposals.
Here is the D96, which is the D2 replacement:
This obviously doesn’t look terribly like the current D2 route, but between Glover Park and Dupont, it is basically the same. But now it will continue westward all the way to Bethesda (and on weekdays it will travel beyond Dupont to Foggy Bottom).
This is basically the same as earlier proposal but for one tweak. The route around Dupont appears to be more like the current D2 route than in the prior iteration:
Here is the previous proposal:
It’s hard to make out exactly what’s going on, but it appears to be using Mass Ave. and Sheridan Circle in one direction (probably westbound). The newer proposal is cleaner:
That appears to match the current D2 route which takes Q St. eastward all the way to the Dupont northern escalator and takes P St. westward to 20th St. at which point it heads back up to Q St. westward to Georgetown again. This is a much better plan, if you ask me.
Finally, here is the G2 replacement, the C91:
This is a big change from the previous iteration. Previously this proposed route was called the D92, and it went to Union Station:
The C91 will now instead more closely match the G2 by going to Howard University/Le Droit Park (but with a somewhat more circuitous route on the eastern end.)
The western end is also going to change from the current G2 route, but it is consistent with the earlier proposals: to whit, rather than snaking through the middle of Georgetown, it will travel up 35th St. to Q St. and go eastward from there. This will be a big loss of transit access to those in the middle of the east village, who will now have to walk all the way up to Q St. But it will be an improvement for those closer to Q St., who can now have even more options at the same stop versus before. Sadly, as with many changes to transit networks, it often ends up with zero sum games like this.
M Street Lines
The last bucket to consider are the bus lines that are primarily on M St. through Georgetown. Right now that only includes the 38B, which goes from downtown, along M St., to the Key Bridge and ultimately Ballston. Two new routes will be in this bucket: the A58 and the C85.
(Before I go on, just a quick note on the naming conventions: WMATA is giving the new routes different prefixes depending on where they mostly go. Arlington/Alexandria routes start with an A; Fairfax/Falls Church routes start with F; Montgomery County routes start with an M; Prince Georges County routes start with a P; and DC routes start with a D or a C. The D routes are more likely to go downtown and the C routes are mostly between residential neighborhoods. I think that is why the G2 replacement was changed from D92 to C85 once it no longer travelled to Union Station.)
Here is the A58, which is the 38B replacement:
This is identical to earlier proposals.
Here is the C85, which is a genuinely novel route that has no obvious precedent in Georgetown (except perhaps the former D5 route):
It travels from Foggy Bottom, through Georgetown on M St. to Canal Rd. Then after going through the eastern part of the Palisades, it turns back through Burleith and Glover Park upwards through Ward 3.
This route is mostly the same as earlier iterations, but they’ve modified the route substantially north of Burleith, as you can see from the earlier design:
In total, these tweaks are mostly that: tweaks. But the totality of the oncoming change is nonetheless monumental. Not since the (in my opinion) tragic demise of the streetcars and the “bustitution” that followed has such a radical change come to Washington’s surface transit
Good morning Georgetown, here’s your weekly news round-up:
First off, obviously the city has failed once again to pick up the trash they said they would. That’s now three days this week when DPW said they were about to finally take away trash and they simply didn’t show up. I have sent increasingly upset messages to DPW and the Mayor’s office demanding that they come back as soon as possible. Please call 311 yourself to let them know how unacceptable this performance is. We haven’t had any trash picked up at all in 12 days in west Georgetown. This cannot go on any longer.
I am the first to cut the city a little slack in terms of dealing with this unprecedented snow-ice-freeze weather we’ve experienced over the last ten days. But the trash situation is getting absolutely out of control. Residents have been pleading for some, any pick up to take place, and we keep on being let down.
The fist message of false hope came Saturday night when DPW stated that we would have our trash picked up on Sunday.
It wasn’t.
Then last night reps from the Mayor’s office told the ANC that regular trash service would resume today, so you should put (or frankly, keep) your trash out on the curb. In fact they also told us to put recycling out too.
As of writing (early Tuesday night) nothing has been picked up on the blocks near me.
I was given a false bit of hope when I heard the tell-tale sound of a trash truck rumbling up 33rd St. But they just drove by without stopping. I haven’t heard the slightest hint of another truck around Georgetown since.
As the risk of sounding like a broken record, I will tell you what DPW is telling us:
Trash, recycling, and food waste collections have resumed, and Tuesday collections will continue on schedule.
Residents are encouraged to place trash and recycling bins at their normal collection point. Food waste bins should be set out at the front curb to support safe and efficient service while crews continue working through weather-related impacts.
If your trash or recycling is not collected on your scheduled day, please leave your bins out, as missed collections will be prioritized the following day. If materials have not been collected within two days, residents should report the issue to 311.
So the only advice I can offer is to just keep the trash out until its picked up. And if it happens to be picked up before Friday, go ahead and put it out again Thursday night. And call 311 to complain.
Listen, this is a hard job. And I respect the staff that do this immensely. But it’s still a job, a job that has to actually be done. Lets keep the pressure on to make sure it actually gets done.
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
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