The Georgetown Metropolitan

Yesterday, Georgetown University released a draft for their next campus plan. For those that have been around the neighborhood more than a couple year, they likely remember the contentious last campus plan that ended up with a happy ending. This plan is off to a much better start, and is likely to not face nearly the same conflict before approval. Much of that is due to the success of the last plan, although Georgetown’s relatively modest proposals will likely also contribute to a smooth approval.

The Last Plan

The last time Georgetown went through this was much worse. It was ugly, with nasty comments coming from both the permanent residents and the campus. The university refused to buckle to the neighbors’ and ANC’s demands, and pushed the fight to the Zoning Commission. After fighting it out at the Zoning Commission, and somewhat beyond, the school and neighbors reached a settlement (two years into the ten years that the plan was supposed to cover).

Key to the settlement was the creation of the Georgetown Community Partnership. It’s a steering committee, with a series of working groups covering a range of relevant topics like safety and student life, or transportation and parking. The committees are made up of school administrators, students, and representatives of the ANCs and the citizens groups. (Disclosure: GM represents the Citizens Association of Georgetown on the Transportation and Parking working group.)

The committees work well. By bringing the neighbors into the discussion, they can feel that their voice is being heard, while at the same time learning more directly from the school about challenges they face in accomplishing various shared goals. Continue reading →

Photo by Lauren Rauk.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• How the Georgetown gondola fits in with a wider movement.
• Can a renovation of an already renovated house really double the price?

1300 block of Wisconsin Ave.

Photo by Jon Hayes Photography.

It’s that time of year again when GM harangues you about caring for our precious street trees. So here is goes:

Water your street trees!

We’ve had an unusually wet spring. And you do not need to start watering street trees immediately. But it will become necessary sooner than you think. So if you have a young tree on the sidewalk in front of your house or apartment, please, please keep it in mind this summer and water it. The basic goal you should have is to water young trees at least once a week (although on weeks like this, it’s probably ok to skip it), so long as you get a good 20-25 gallons of water.

If you have a gator (the green bags, which aren’t preferred anymore since they can hurt the bark if they’re not taken off when not in use) or the ooze tube (the brown bags, which are preferred now since you can leave them on without harming the tree) you should just fill it up and let it run. Continue reading →

Photo by Lauren Rauk.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The New York Times offers more advice to Georgetown in its quest to make amends for its sale of slaves in 1838.
• 16th century herb garden recreated at Dumbarton Oaks.

1800 block of Wisconsin Ave.

Photo by Leanna Cafferatta.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• One of Jackie Kennedy’s old houses can be yours for $10 million.
• Some nice shots inside the newly restored Georgetown theater.

3200 block of Volta Place

They say that one of the “upsides” of having your parents divorce is that you end up getting more presents for your birthday and other occasions. Well, Georgetown might be getting its own dose of that experience. Recently, high-profile (but very private) Sachiko Kuno and Ryuji Ueno, who founded the S & R Foundation in 2002, got divorced. Would this mean the end of the foundation and its footprint in Georgetown (especially the music series at Evermay)? The answer is no. In fact, the presents have doubled. Continue reading →

Photo by Payton Chung.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Yesterday was the 145th anniversary of the dissolution of the City of Georgetown.
• The pooping patron plot thickens.