Author Archives: Topher

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, happy St. Patrick’s Day!:

• Georgetown Prof. explains what makes Irish culture so popular.
• Tesla protests come to Georgetown.

Ward Two Councilmember Brooke Pinto released her budget priority letter last week. And it contains multiple items to improve Georgetown specifically. I’ll describe those below.

But of course, before I do that, I have to address the elephant in the room (or rather the 200 or so elephants on Capitol Hill). The continuing resolution adopted by the House, which would avoid a federal shutdown starting on Saturday, would absolutely devastate the DC budget. In a move that can only be described as sadistic and spiteful, the House continuing resolution would force DC to revert to its fiscal year 2024 budget. That is the budget for the fiscal year that ended last October. We are already halfway through fiscal year 2025, operating on a completely balanced budget (as we have for 28 years straight). The budget is funded by local dollars, which is to say local taxes. By forcing us to revert to an earlier fiscal year’s budget, the city would have to immediately cut its spending by $1.1 billion. There is simply no way to do that without firing a whole bunch of police officers and teachers. It would be devastating and devastatingly stupid. And it would not send a single dime back to improve the federal budget deficit.

As I write this Wednesday night, the resolution is sitting in the Senate, and it’s unclear whether the Senate Democrats will successfully modify the resolution to prevent this monumentally moronic event from coming to pass.

So I have no idea what will happen with all that. But the process to create the fiscal year 2026 budget still must go on. Even if somehow we overcome this financial sabotage from the Hill, the city is still facing a fairly tight budget, so priorities must be chosen wisely. Here are the priorities from CM Pinto that directly relate to Georgetown:

• Georgetown streetscape: The request asks for $5 million to pursue the model for a future Georgetown-specific streatery design. This is something I discussed recently. The money would go towards creating a much more attractive version of the streateries along the 1400 block of Wisconsin Ave. The goal is to develop a new surface made up of brick and granite that would much more closely mimic the sidewalk itself. Additionally, the Jersey barriers would be replaced with a more appealing design such as bollards.
• Tour bus parking lot: It’s great for the Georgetown economy for large tour buses to deposit visitors in the neighborhood. But what to do with the buses while those visitors walk around and spend money has long been a challenge. A plan put forward would create a tour bus parking lot near 27th and K St. between Georgetown and Foggy Bottom. Pinto’s letter requests $1.9 million for this much needed project.
• Wayfinding: Along those same lines, Pinto’s letter asks for $50,000 to erect better signage to encourage movement between Foggy Bottom (with its Metro station) and Georgetown.
• Stairwell at 34th and Water St.: Pinto asks for $1.2 million for a new stairwell connecting Water St. up to the canal at 34th St. This particular stairwell is in pretty bad shape, and with the new hotel opening right next to it, it’s a good time to fix it up.
• Volta Park Playground and splashpad: This one is near and dear to my heart. Volta Park’s playground is clearly long in the tooth and needs a serious overall. The last time it was improved was over 10 years ago. And at the time, the vast majority of the funds went towards water run-off issues, leaving less for the equipment itself. I hope this time we can get more fun and usable playground equipment. And I have long asked for a splash pad! Sadly my daughter is wayyyy past the age that she could use it (without causing a scene) but plenty of families would warmly welcome it!

There are plenty of other items on CM Pinto’s list, many of which would apply to Georgetown as much as any other place (such as investments in public safety). Check out her letter here.

Getting a request into a councilmember’s request letter is certainly no guarantee that the mayor will include it in her own budget proposal, but it’s much better to be in the letter than not, that’s for sure. We’ve got a lot of genuinely frightening uncertainty to fight through before we can really focus on FY 26, but I think given the circumstances, this is a good start.

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Profile of one of the most influential Georgetown power couples.
• Georgetown University to renovate its hotel.

By the end of this week, the air will be filled with the amazing scent of saucer magnolias blooming, with no hard freeze in the forecast to threaten the flowers. To celebrate, I’m re-running a piece from 2017 about magnolia trees. Enjoy!:

This week for Know Your Trees, I will consider a group of trees known primarily for their flowers: the magnolias.

While there are a wide variety of species and sub-species of magnolias throughout the world, in Georgetown you are likely to see three basic types: southern magnolias, saucer magnolias, and the Yulan magnolia.

The southern magnolia is quite different from the other two. It is easier identified by its big waxy green leaves with cinnamon brown undersides:

Despite having a deciduous look, southern magnolias are actually evergreens. They keep their leaves through the winter, and only start shedding them once new leaves are ready to replace them. (The shedding is a feature that leads many to dislike this tree.)

In the early summer they sport large showy white flowers, although typically they appear only a few at a time on the tree:

There are not a ton of southern magnolias in tree boxes along the sidewalks in Georgetown, but they are everywhere around Georgetown and DC.

Other than the fact that the flowers are similar, the other two magnolias are quite different.

The saucer magnolia is probably the more popular of the two. It is a medium sized deciduous tree. It features oval leaves like the southern magnolia, but ones that are much smaller and not waxy in appearance:

The bark is smooth and light gray like this:

But the most distinctive feature of saucer magnolias is their flowers. They appear early in the spring (even before the cherries) and feature large white and pink flowers like this:

The flowers cover the trees and have an incredibly fragrant smell. For many, this smell has an almost Proust-eating-a-Madeleine effect of conjuring memories of warm springs past.

The flowers are a little less attractive once they’ve fallen. They turn brown and incredibly slick, causing a hazard. And the sugary nectar that just one week early gave off a sweet scent turns into a ripe fermented odor.

And since the flowers come so early, they are subject to late freezes which can completely destroy them. One day they’re a nice pink, the next they look like burnt crumpled up paper. This sadly happened last spring.

Like the southern magnolias, the saucer magnolias don’t tend to be planted in tree boxes, but you see them around on private property a lot. There are several notable groupings of them around Georgetown, including the 1500 block of 28th St., the 1500 block of Wisconsin Ave. (in front of the Lutheran Church), in front of Georgetown Medical School on Reservoir Rd., and in Dumbarton Oaks gardens.

The last magnolia, the Yulan magnolia is much like the saucer magnolia. In fact, the saucer magnolia is a hybrid species created from the Yulan magnolia. Flowers of the Yulan magnolia look like the saucer magnolia, but are generally all white. They also tend to have more narrow petals.

Is this a false spring? It sure feels like the real thing. And with spring come the annual rituals around the neighborhood. Here is my list of highlights for the season I share every year:

The Georgetown House Tour

First of the two grand dame tours, the Georgetown house tour will be held this year on April 26th (it’s 92nd year!) It is held every year to benefit St. John’s Episcopal church. As the title states, this tour gives you a chance to walk through 8-10 of Georgetown’s nicest homes. The patrons party is always the place to hobnob with the nobbiest hobs.

The Georgetown Garden Tour

Of the two tours, the Garden Tour is probably my favorite. Like the house tour, you get a chance to look behind the gates of 8 or so homes, but I just think there’s something more interesting about gardens than interiors. This year the Garden Tour will occur on May 10th. This will be the 95th annual garden tour.

Tudor Place

Tudor Place always has great events, but their annual Eggstravaganza is a real treat. Particularly for the little ones. Check out the calendar for the sessions.

Dumbarton Oaks:

Dumbarton Oaks Gardens are beautiful all year round, but they are particularly beautiful in the spring. While the cherries have past, get over there ASAP to enjoy their legendary wisteria blooms! (Check out my user’s guide for when to visit).

Feel free to add your own annual traditions in the comments…

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Kiehl’s reopening.
• Speaking of stores returning, Warby Parker is opening back at its original Georgetown location this weekend.

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, I’m checking out a photo of Georgetown Presbyterian Church from the DC Historical Society. It was taken around 1950 by John Wymer, who has an extensive collection of street shots from this period.

This is the same Presbyterian Church as currently stands on P St. But of course, this isn’t what the current church looks like. This is how the building looked when it was first constructed in 1873. And it reflected the Victorian style of the time. The facade was changed to the current federal style just five years after the photo in 1955. The current design is fine, but I wish they kept the old style.

The congregation itself is quite a bit older, dating to 1780. It was founded by Stephen Bloomer Balch. Its first chapel was built two years later and was the first protestant chapel in Georgetown. The congregation moved to its M St. building in 1821:

Fifty years later it moved to the P St. location of the first photo. The M St. chapel was demolished in 1878. Looking at its style you can see perhaps what the congregation was inspired by when it changed the P St. faced in the 1950s.

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Details on restaurant replacing Shouk space.
• Farewell to Joe Sternleib.

The Georgetown BID has announced its new CEO. Deborah Bilik will replace longtime CEO Joe Sternleib, who just stepped down.

Here is the BID’s announcement. Welcome Deborah!

The Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID) is pleased to announce Deborah Kerson Bilek as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Bilek is an executive leader with over 20 years of experience in policy, planning, and public and nonprofit management in the Metropolitan Washington Region. She most recently served as the Executive Director of ULI Washington, a member organization with a mission to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact.

“We believe Deb’s mix of public and private experience and strong strategic visioning will prove invaluable as she leads the Georgetown BID in its next chapter,” said Terese Wilson, Chair of the Georgetown BID Board of Directors. “She is a consensus builder, and we have no doubt she will bring BID members, the community, and city partners together to further initiatives that will benefit Georgetown.”

In her role at ULI, Bilek viewed herself as the “Chief Relationship Officer” for the organization’s 2,100 members who span a diverse network of private and public professionals in the real estate and land use industry. Bilek worked at ULI for over a decade in progressively senior roles, including as ULI’s Vice President, Advisory Services, where she supervised and managed the operations of the global Advisory Services Program through COVID.

Prior to her time at ULI, Bilek worked as a planner at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, supporting the National Capital Regional Transportation Planning Board. She has also served as staff in the Legislative and Executive branches of the Federal Government. She began her career in Washington, D.C., as a Presidential Management Fellow with the Federal Transit Administration.

Bilek holds an Executive Certificate in Facilitation from Georgetown University. She earned her master’s degree in public administration from New York University, and her undergraduate degree in anthropology magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis.

As CEO of the BID, Bilek will be responsible for shaping Georgetown’s future as Washington’s premier mixed-use neighborhood, advancing initiatives across retail, office, hospitality, entertainment, and residential sectors. She will report to the Board of Directors and will be responsible for the guidance and management of the BID’s staff in administration and financial reporting as well as directing the day-to-day activities of the BID.

“I am passionate about building community, and I enjoy working across sectors and with multiple stakeholders to achieve a common purpose,” said Bilek. “I am also a firm believer in the power that BIDs can have as drivers of economic vitality and growth—both for the neighborhoods they serve and for the larger cities in which they are located. Georgetown is an amazing and unparalleled neighborhood—its location, history, character, and corridors draw local, national, and international visitors every day. I am so excited about the opportunity to serve the community as the BID’s CEO and look forward to getting started!”

Bilek will officially begin as CEO of the Georgetown BID in mid-April.

Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Eastbanc files for zoning relief extension to move forward long delayed building at Pennsylvania and M St.
• Leadership changes around the neighborhood.