The Georgetown Metropolitan

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Revolution Cycles, which was started and still remains in Georgetown, has been bought by Trek Bikes.
• Another Georgetown original, Phoenix, is not only renovating, but also expanding into the building next door.

1300 block of 31st St.

DC Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie has proposed legislation to tighten up regulation on the practice of listing homes and apartments through AirBnb. And in response, the company is waging a charm offensive prominently featuring a junk study full of misleading information.

What McDuffie has proposed would add the following rules to the use of AirBnb by a DC property owner:

• Require all users of AirBnb to obtain a business license and for AirBnb to check
• Require the host to be present during the rental
• Allow for homes to be rented out as a vacation rental, without the owner present, but only for 15 days total throughout the year

This would significantly restrict the use of the service back to the way it was originally pitched: as a way for people to have paying houseguests. This is still the way some owners use the service, but it has clearly been surpassed by the model whereby the host isn’t present. It is essentially a short term housing rental service. McDuffie’s bill would basically end that service in DC. Some might still list their homes for a couple weeks a year, but all the property owners who have created a mini-empire of empty homes for-the-renting would be out-of-business.

GM has seen how in Georgetown the business of buying homes and turning them into AirBnb’s has spread. Almost all of them are technically illegal since they require a business license as a hotel and zoning doesn’t permit that use in residential Georgetown without zoning relief. It’s not clear how McDuffie’s bill would impact that. Continue reading →

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• & Other Stories is open now.
• The CFA gives preliminary approval to a new condo on Water St.

3000 block of R St.

Those hoping to take advantage of several long planned expansions of Circulator service from Georgetown will have to keep waiting.

As you may recall, way back in 2014 DDOT announced plans to expand the two routes that go through Georgetown. The Union Station-Georgetown route would be expanded up to National Cathedral. And the Rosslyn-Dupont route would be expanded northeast to U St. and onward to Howard University.

The routes may have even been expanded by now if it weren’t for the fact that an audit completed last year determined that the Circulator fleet was operating buses way past their proper lifespan. On top of that, the city lacked a proper garage to house and service an expanded fleet. So the expansion was put on indefinite hold.  Continue reading →

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Some alarming sex acts reported near Rose Park.
• Georgetown still the priciest-per-square-feet neighborhood in DC.

1500 block of 31st St.

What you see above is a bag of dog poop that has been left in the bottom of GM’s trash bin. Dog-owners: don’t do this.

This happens all the time, and it is always hugely annoying. Perhaps dog owners think that putting their dogs’ poop in garbage bins satisfies their societal duty vis-a-vis poop disposal. But DPW crews don’t entirely empty trash bins when they collect waste. They typically just open the bin and grab whatever bags are there. Any loose items–like your Irish Setter’s digested Alpo–is left behind. Continue reading →

Photo by Mr. Gray.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Busy day on M St. in what looks like the 1930s.
• Nice profile of a GUTS driver who cares about animal welfare.