The Friends of Rose Park issued this call to action on behalf of a huge stalwart of our community, Christi Cline. Please consider contributing to help her out!

To the Rose Park Community

One of our quiet but stalwart supporters needs our help. Most of you have met Christi and Andy Cline at market events, during a visit from Santa Claus, or just walking your dog through the park. Christi suffered a stroke a month ago, which came out of nowhere, especially given her relatively young age.  She ended up partially (and hopefully temporarily) paralyzed on one side.  A lack of sufficient insurance meant finding a rehab facility was extremely difficult, but Andy finally managed to get her admitted last week.  She’s already making progress, which is great news.  However, their insurance will not cover this essential rehabilitation.  Combined with the initial hospital charges, which insurance is also not covering, their medical costs will be catastrophic.
 
Christi and Andy have graced us with their kindness and in return many people have expressed a wish to help.  One of their friends/clients, put together a Go Fund Me fundraiser to help Andy & Christi weather this challenge.  We are helping by sharing this information with people from the Rose Park community.
Thank you for any support you’re able to offer. All funds will go directly to payment of Christi’s medical expenses.  The site creator included a breakdown of actual and projected medical costs to date in the Go Fund Me document. The report from a visit with Christi Sunday is that she looks great and is working hard to get out of rehab by June 7th so she can continue her recovery at home.   Please keep Christi and Andy in your thoughts and prayers!

Here is a link to the Go Fund Me page for Christi and Andy

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Correction to yesterday’s article: the ANC meeting will be at Georgetown Village at 1801 35th St., not Georgetown Visitation.
• Speaking of Georgetown Village, they recently honored Sachiko Kuno.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Celebrate Juneteenth at Mt. Zion Cemetery.
• Business ins and outs.

The ANC will meet for its June session next Monday night. The meeting will kick off at its usual time of 6:30 pm at Visitation Georgetown Village at 1801 35th St. (zoom link here).

The full agenda is below, but I wanted to highlight one particularly notable item.

And that is the new zoning relief application that was recently filed by Call Your Mother. The shop was operating under a zoning order that was issued in 2020. But some of the nearby neighbors objected to the order and appealed to the courts. The court rejected a chunk of their arguments but remanded the case back to the Board of Zoning Adjustment to reconsider two particular issues.

When the BZA finally met earlier this year to reconsider the case it concluded that the original zoning relief that was sought was fundamentally in error. (It gets rather legalistic, so I won’t bore you with the details). They dismissed the original zoning application that was first applied for in 2019. So the store is back to the drawing board. Theoretically, since the case was dismissed the store has been operating outside of compliance with the zoning code. The city, however, allowed the store to continue operating in recognition that, while incorrect on the law, the original zoning order was nonetheless legally issued and the store has relied on that ever since.

The store, however, can’t rely on this forbearance forever. It needs to reapply for the correct zoning relief. And the ANC will decide next week what position it will take on the application. The nub of the matter is whether the store can receive a special exception to operate as a prepared food store. It’s not really an exaggeration to state that the store’s continued existence at 35th and O is very much at risk. So, if you’re excited at that prospect or livid, come out Tuesday to see how it goes down!

Here’s the full agenda:

With a spa dedicated to stretching out your ligaments already up the block, I guess it’s only natural that we are now getting a spa dedicated to another para-medical procedure. In this case, the services promised involve “an IV vitamin drip experience”. The purveyor, called the Dripbar, is opening at 1720 Wisconsin Ave.

Contrary to the photos splashed on the door of the location, the procedure does not involve (as far as I can tell) pouring pureed fruits directly into you arteries. I imagine that would be counterproductive to your health. Rather the spa’s services are as follow:

At The DRIPBaR D.C. we offer a convenient way to receive IV vitamin therapy. A licensed medical professional, typically a Registered Nurse, administers a customized blend of fluids, vitamins, and other nutrients directly into the bloodstream through an IV drip. This method offers flexibility, allowing clients to receive IV drips at their preferred location without the need to visit a physical clinic. The treatment ensures a direct and efficient delivery of essential nutrients to support overall well-being.

The company has previously offered its services in a mobile capacity. The Georgetown location will be its first physical location.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Tree forum informs about trees.
• Did you know that the new M.M LaFleur is also a bookstore?

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington are fighting to keep funding for the critical afterschool program at Jelleff Rec Center in this year’s DC budget. The funding, which totals $600k, is being cut on the premise that the construction will be moving forward at Jelleff next year and thus the program cannot be offered. This premise is possibly doubly flawed. For one, there is no gaurantee that the construction will move forward next year. We’ve seen time and again projects like this get delayed, years at a time. Second, even if the construction moves forward, the after school program is nonetheless critically needed. Organizers are currently searching for a replacement location for the year (possibly at Hardy School itself) and that funding would be the difference between that happening or not.

Please see the plea below sent out by the Boys and Girls Club and reach out to your councilmembers to ensure this funding is restored!:

A massive donated book sale will be coming to the Georgetown Library the weekend of June 15th. Here are the details:

Giant June 15-16 sale of donated books at Georgetown Neighborhood Library, 3260 R St. NW.  Special collections on Japanese art and culture, royal families of Europe, Ernest Hemingway. Extensive selection of history and biography as well as fiction and other nonfiction. Saturday, June 15, Georgetown Library Friends admitted 10-11 am (memberships available at the door); public hours 11-3 pm: hardbacks $4, paperbacks $2. Sunday, June 16, 1-3 pm: all books half price or fill a regular-sized shopping bag for $10. Scanners allowed. Cash, check, Venmo and Zelle accepted.
Questions? Email gtownlibfriends@gmail.com.

Come on out bookworms!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• GU might buy a part of TikTok??
• Great old photo of Georgetown from a rustic Rosslyn at the turn of the 20th century.

A Louisiana-based fast food chain is seeking to open at 3249 M St., according to a signage application filed with the Old Georgetown Board. The restaurant, Raising Cane’s, sells chicken fingers. That’s not from the children’s menu. That’s literally the entire menu.

The chain, created in Baton Rouge in the 90s, has expanded to over 700 stores. This would be the second location in the District, after a Union Station location opened recently.

The thing is, though, that the zoning rules in Georgetown don’t actually allow fast food restaurants to open. This is what the zoning code says:

M St. is in the MU-4 zone. But what’s “fast food” you might ask? Well the zoning code has that covered too:

I think it’s fairly clear that Raising Cane’s fits this definition. The tricky part is, don’t other restaurants also fit in to this definition? Most chain restaurants that have grown a lot over the last decade or so often fall into the “fast casual” definition. That category name comes from the merger of “casual dining” and “fast food”. Casual dining is the category of restaurants that provide cheaper food in less formal environments, but with the traditional table service model. Think Olive Garden or Pizza Hut. Fast casual emerged by taking the heightened cuisine (at least as compared with traditional fast food) and combining it with the faster pay-at-the-cashier model of fast food.

Restaurants that clearly fall into the fast casual model have opened in Georgetown without obtaining a zoning waiver since that category emerged. In fact, one of the quintessential fast casual restaurants (Sweet Green) was founded in Georgetown. But I think it would be a stretch to call Raising Cane’s a fast casual restaurant. Put it this way, while you could argue that restaurants like Greco or Good Stuff Eatery fall under the fast food definition of the zoning code, if Raising Cane’s doesn’t fall into the definition then nothing counts as fast food anymore.