The Georgetown Metropolitan

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The New York Times chimes in on the Transformers issue. (I was quoted in the online version, but sadly for me, the paragraphs with my quotes didn’t make it to the paper edition…)
• New earring shop on M St. opens.

This is you Northwest Georgetown ANC update for June!

ANC Meeting

The ANC met in person for the first time since February 2020. We offered attendees the option to also attend online, and good thing that we did because the commission easily outnumbered the in-person audience. To those that attended in-person or online, how did you find the experience? Let me know!

In terms of topics, we had a relatively tidy evening. Here are some of the news items:

• Crime continues to trend lower in the neighborhood, with two notable exceptions: car theft and burglaries. On car thefts, the main contributing factors seem to be delivery drivers leaving their keys in the car as they complete their deliveries and the ease by which Kias and Hyundais can be hot-wired. Of the seven cars stolen in the last month, five have been recovered. On burglaries, MPD reported that arrests had been made in each case except one.
• Capital Fringe is returning to Georgetown this summer! The month-long theatrical festival will feature plays in spaces across the neighborhood. The productions represent a huge range in terms of vision and style, so surely you can find something that appeals. Shows are just $15. Keep an eye out for the schedule.
• WMATA’s Better Bus Network is proposing some dramatic changes for bus service across the city. In Georgetown specifically, the plan would eliminate the G2 and significantly alter the D2 route. The ANC adopted my proposed resolution to object to these changes due to the impact they would have on bus riders (particularly Georgetown University students and staff) and the fact the changes would significantly reduce the overall bus service through the neighborhood.

Streateries Future

One of the most visible changes in Georgetown since 2020 has surely been the introduction of streateries (i.e. outdoor dining on expanded sidewalks) to the neighborhood. But their future is in doubt, and I am interested in hearing what people think about them (and outdoor dining generally) and whether they would like it to remain or not.

In short, most of the streateries in Georgetown are scheduled to disappear by the end of 2023. It’s for a somewhat technical reason, but essentially they all use a permit issued directly to the BID, and that permit is not being renewed (as of right now, at least). The city is planning on rolling out a new streatery program through which restaurants across the city can apply individually, but the system is likely to make getting one on M St. or Wisconsin Ave. extremely difficult, if not actually impossible. Even some of the ones off of M St. and Wisconsin Ave. would face difficulty remaining under the likely rules. That would eliminate the vast majority of the new outdoor dining in Georgetown.

On one hand, the streateries have been a smashing success. The tables are often full and they bring a vibrant buzz to Georgetown. Before they arrived, it was quite clear that the dining scene in Georgetown was on a decline, and our streets were becoming ghost-towns after 5 pm everyday. That’s not the case anymore.

On the other hand, though, there is no doubt that many dislike the streateries, at least as they currently exist. The objections vary in reasoning but they often boil down to concerns over the appearance of the streateries (particularly the barriers, but not only the barriers), parking and traffic lane reductions, and the fact that the lane could be used for something else instead, such as a bus or bike lane.

Laying my cards on the table, I will say that I like the streateries and would like to explore ways to keep some version of them in Georgetown, ideally in an improved form. But I would like to hear from my constituents how they feel. Would you like it if streateries stayed in some form? If so, what form of them would you like to see? Or should we just go back to the ways things were in 2019? Something in between? Let me know at 2e02@anc.dc.gov!

Quick Bites

Speaking of food, here are some quick bites:

• Pools are open for the summer! They will be only open on weekends 10am – 6pm, until June 26th.
• The Friends of Volta Park are holding their annual spring fundraiser on June 3rd. I hope to see you there!
• Only one trash pickup switch this month with the Juneteenth holiday falling on a Monday.
• The couple behind our our beloved Dent Place Market has reopened Sara’s Market in the east village.
• The Georgetown Circulation and Access Study has begun and is soliciting the public’s ideas for how to improve transportation to and through Georgetown.
• Make sure to water those young street trees on your block! If there’s a new tree on your block, please try to coordinate with your neighbors to make sure someone with a hose can take care of it all summer long.

Reminder, tonight is the June ANC meeting, which will be held in person (and online) at St. John’s on O St. It begins at 6:30 pm. If you want to log in via Zoom, access this link. I’m really hoping people come out to the first in-person meeting for the ANC in over three years. I’m also interested in hearing people’s experiences logging in from home.

The agenda follows. For my part, I will be proposing resolutions concerning the bus network redo by WMATA and a new alley dwelling.

Continue reading →

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The public space permit hearing on the Transformers got really weird.
• GU’s reconstruction of Henle Village dorms gets the nod to move forward.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• There was a scary, early morning break in on 34th St. yesterday morning. MPD responded quickly and arrested two suspects, one of who had an outstanding warrant from Texas. Great job with the quick response MPD!
• Great old photo of when the former Nike Store was a giant crab house.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• A woman was charged with second degree murder in connection with the car crash in Rock Creek next to Rose Park in March. Infuriatingly, she had been previously charged with drunk driving three times (in one case while she was still on probation from another time), and yet was still driving.
• On a more cheerful note, Capital Fringe returns this summer.

For the first time since early 2020, ANC2E will meet in person next week. We will be meeting at St. John’s church on O St. This will, of course, be the first time that the current ANC has held a public meeting in person, so please come see our smiling faces in the flesh.

The meeting will be also broadcast virtually to those that cannot attend. I am personally excited to see how that works in practice. I see strong advantages both to being in-person and being virtual. In-person certainly allows for a more normal discussion. And, importantly, you can hear people actually laugh when you make a joke.

Continue reading →

After a long delay, the Georgetown Apple Store is finally going to reopen this Saturday. At least according to new signage on the windows.

This store, which originally opened in 2010 shut down for renovations last year. Although the renovations were only supposed to take a month or so, they certainly dragged on. So much so that people began to speculate that the store was leaving the neighborhood. (I certainly took note of the fact that Apple stopped renting 1250 Wisconsin Ave. to use as auxiliary space.)

But the fears appear to have been misplaced.

God morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• New bagel shop open!
• Speaking of spring fund raisers, the Georgetown Village spring gala is June 14th.

Come on out on June 3rd for the Friends of Volta Park’s annual spring cocktail party fundraiser! The party will be held at the George Town club from 4:30 – 6:30. This is one of my favorite annual get-togethers and a great way to catch up with neighbors.

From the group’s annoucement:

We’re pleased to announce that this year’s Volta Park Cocktail Party & Fundraiser returns to the George Town Club on June 3!

Historically, each spring, members of our community who care about Volta Park come together for its most important fundraiser of the year. Guests enjoy cocktails and appetizers while they bid on luxury items, gift certificates for dining and hotel experiences, vacations, and more, all donated by generous businesses and friends in our community.

Last year’s party – our first at the George Town Club – was such a success we’ve decided to gather there again this year, Saturday, June 3, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. As is always the case, this event will have limited tickets and will sell out so please buy your tickets – $225 each on our “Donate” page or Venmo @FriendsofVoltaPark to secure your spot.

This year’s party is sponsored by Washington Fine Properties’ Liz D’Angio and Nancy Taylor Bubes, SeoulSpice, Georgetown University and Amore Learning. We thank each of these businesses and organizations for their steadfast support of our community.

As the source for the majority of our contributed donations and funding each year, this event is a must-attend for all of our Volta Park supporters. We hope to see you there!

Hope to see you all there!