The Georgetown Metropolitan

GM spent much of last weekend strolling through the gardens of Dumbarton Oaks and Tudor Place. Despite having done so a million times before, GM finds it impossible not to take a dozens of photos. Enjoy:

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Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Starry, starry Georgetown.
• Key Bridge Boathouse open for the season.

Dumbarton Oaks

Saturday night a new alley was born in Georgetown: Cashell Alley.

As you may remember, last year an impressive young Georgetowner, Raya Kenney, decided that the alley behind her house (and GM’s) needed a name. Displaying a maturity beyond her years, she took this small idea and ran with it. She worked with the Peabody Room at the Georgetown Library and the Historical Preservation Office of the DC government to identify a proper name: Cashell Alley. Continue reading →

Photo by Rene Leubert.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• How about that weekend? GM will post the millions of photos he took later this week.
• Nobody camping out for the Apple Watch.

3200 block of P ST.

Photo M01229.

Washington City Paper released its annual Best Of issue this week. And for only the second time since the category was created, Baked and Wired has dethroned Georgetown Cupcake in the reader’s poll for the city’s best cupcake.

The Citypaper only started polling reader’s on their favorite cupcake shops in 2009, when the trend first started to explode in DC. Georgetown Cupcake-barely a year old, still at its humble Potomac St. location, and not yet the subject of a t.v. show-took the crown. Coming in second and third was Red Velvet and Cakelove, respectively.

In 2010, Georgetown Cupcake held on to the crown, and Baked and Wired made its first appearance on the list at second place.

Baked and Wired nicked the title from Georgetown Cupcake in 2011, but Georgetown Cupcake has won every year since. Continue reading →

Photo by Skye Harmony.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Looks like this is just one of those days without any news for Georgetown. In the absence of that, here’s some advice from GM for what to do this weekend: Dumbarton Oaks (specifically the cherry tree grove at the north side of the property) and Tudor Place (particularly the saucer magnolia grove). Enjoy!

1500 block of 33rd St.

Gawker published a provocative article yesterday (which is to say it was a Wednesday) arguing in favor of banning chain stores in New York. The article was inspired by a less aggressive, yet still risky proposal by Jersey City, NJ to put a square footage cap on chain stores opening in its commercial buildings. Would something like this be a good idea for Georgetown? Probably not, but it’s worth considering.

The Jersey City proposal is to limit chain stores to 30% of commercial square footage. The idea has spurred both support and opposition, and it’s unclear what its chances are for adoption. Proponents see it as a way to avoid homogenization of the commercial district and to protect independent “mom and pop” stores. Opponents think it’s an infringement on property rights and that it’s too risky for the city to turn away possible tenants.

No plan exactly like this has been proposed for Georgetown, or DC generally. But it’s not so different from rules that have been proposed and adopted here.

As GM wrote about a long (long) time ago, Cleveland Park has an unusual zoning overlay. It limits the amount of restaurants and bars to only 25% of the street frontage of the commercial buildings. It’s obviously addressing a different “threat”, namely restaurants not chain stores, but it’s methods are similar: capping an unwanted category of commercial use by fiat. Cleveland Park residents claim this keeps the commercial district diverse (i.e. restaurants and retail) but some argue that it leads to excessive vacancies. Continue reading →