May 18, 2011 · 10:00 am

Not So Long Ago: Wisconsin and O St.

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This week for not so long ago, GM stops by Wisconsin and O. And the lesson here is that even when very little changes physically, a lot can change nonetheless.

Peoples Drug was founded in Washington in 1904. It grew over time to over 250 stores. Here’s a photo from the inside of the Peoples Drug that used to be at 31st and M:

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Peoples Drug was bought by Imasco, a massive Canadian company,  in 1984. So Peoples was no longer under local ownership by the time the 1993 photo was taken above. But the name survived, and that at least gave it the feeling of parochialness. The name even lasted a few years after the company’s purchase by CVS in 1990. But by the mid-90s the local name was stripped from all stores, and that’s what we have today.

GM never visited a Peoples Drug store, so he can’t compare the relative merits of the two stores. Do you longer term residents miss Peoples? GM always laments the loss of local franchises like Riggs or Chevy Chase Bank, so even lacking actual experience with Peoples, he’d rather have them back.

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May 18, 2011 · 8:00 am

The Morning Metropolitan

Photo by J.S. Clark.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

  • This Sunday at 5:00 in Rose ParkVolta Park is the first Concert in the Park from CAG.
  • And speaking of Rose Park, the Rose Park farmers market is this afternoon.
  • If your looking for a slightly quieter affair Sunday night, stop by St. John’s Parish (also at 5:00 on Sunday) for a fundraiser for the DC Public Library Foundation. Carol Joynt will be there to talk about her new book. Sales and donations will benefit the Georgetown Library.

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May 17, 2011 · 2:00 pm

The Georgetown Metropolis

1500 block of 35th St.

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May 17, 2011 · 10:00 am

ANC Testifies Before Zoning Commission

Last night the ANC testified before the Zoning Commission on the Georgetown University campus plan. You can watch it here.

In many ways, this was a presentation years in preparation. Commissioners Ron Lewis, Bill Starrels, Jeff Jones, and Ed Solomon each spoke, but it was Ron that carried the heavy load. Where the Office of Planning’s case was undermined last week due to an apparent lack of preparation, nothing of the sort was on display last night.

Essentially the story that the ANC put forth was this: the 2000 campus plan was adopted on the promise that it would remedy an existing problem with students in the neighborhood. The ANC argues that not only did the plan not address the existing problem, the school took advantage of the lack of an overall student cap and grew every category but traditional undergrads as much as possible. Thus, they argue, the situation with the undergrads are at best no better than they were before the 2000 plan, and in the meantime, a new problem with excessive graduate and non-traditional student growth has produced a new problem. Continue reading →

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May 17, 2011 · 8:00 am

The Morning Metropolitan

Photo by Anokarina.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

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May 16, 2011 · 2:00 pm

The Georgetown Metropolis

1600 block of 31st St.

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May 16, 2011 · 10:00 am

Several Transportation Ideas Proposed Affecting Georgetown

Photo by CascadeFoto.

Recently several DC pols have issued some proposals that could significantly impact Georgetown’s transportation mix. Some of the ideas are good, others bad.

Let’s start with the good.

Up until Chris Ziemann left DDOT last year, Ward 2 had a dedicated DDOT planner. This position can coordinate transportation projects across the ward. Further it can lobby DDOT on the ward’s behalf and bring a unified vision across multiple projects and neighborhoods. Unfortunately since Chris left, the position has remained empty and Mayor Gray recommended it simply be cut completely. Councilmember Tommy Wells, however, proposed that this position–as well as the vacant ward planner positions for Wards 3 and 5–be filled again. This is a good proposal.

Additionally, Wells proposed creating a position titled Parking Czar. This individual would spend all his or her time addressing the parking issue. In particular, this person would bring life back to the stalled effort to bring performance parking to DC. This is something that GM has lobbied to bring to Georgetown for a while. In short: right now we price street parking too low and as a result visitors troll the neighborhood looking for free parking rather than simply driving to the pay garages. This increases traffic, encourages people to leave their car parked for as long as possible and makes it more difficult for residents to find a parking spot near their homes. By raising the price of parking enough that there is always at least 10-15% of the street spaces open, we can encourage more turnover. Plus, the additional parking fees will get plowed back into the neighborhood in the form of streetscape improvements, and the like.

Having a parking czar will make it much more likely that such a policy can come to Georgetown. Continue reading →

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May 16, 2011 · 8:00 am

The Morning Metropolitan

Georgetown Library by M.V. Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

  • Georgetowner Dominique Srauss-Kahn is in some serious trouble.
  • Some confusion over the re-routing of the G2. It seems that it turns back at Wisconsin Ave. only when construction is actually going on, otherwise it goes all the way to the school.

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May 13, 2011 · 2:00 pm

The Georgetown Metropolis

3000 block of O St.

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May 13, 2011 · 9:31 am

Office of Planning Testifies

Last night the Zoning Commission held its second hearing on GU’s proposed campus plan. You can watch it here (sorry GM can’t embed it for some reason, and you’ll have to install Microsoft Silverlight to watch it, but it’s worth it).

The main attraction of the night was the testimony of the Office of Planning. As discussed here, that office issued a report devastating to GU’s position. So it was very interesting to here what they had to say about their report.

The main speaker for OP was Jennifer Steingasser, who was apparently the main drafter of the report. Her testimony begins around the 1’12” mark of the video.

In her speech she emphasized several aspects of OP’s report. She explaining that she welcomed GU’s move from using an average to an absolute in calculating the student cap. But she argued that rather than use either of the methods suggested by GU or the ANC, such as the full-time equivalent calculation, they should simply count the number of students absolutely.

She explained that OP rejected the GU hospital element of the plan because it was clearly just a placeholder and none of the specifics had been fleshed out. She stated that any major development there should be handled by an amendment. Continue reading →

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