Shawington

Tonight, I attended the Georgetown Business Association’s annual meeting at the invitation of one of the group’s board members. At the meeting, I listened to the concerns of the business owners at the event. I will strongly support our overlooked and under-served small businesses in the Georgetown community, Ward 2, and throughout the city.

Congratulations to the recipient of the Business Person of the Year award, Terry Bell, Officer Mark Lee, who received the Joe Pozell Public Safety Award, and the contributions of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners and others recognized with Step Up Awards. I look forward to working with the new GBA President Tom Bryan.

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I’ve found time and time again that those who fight hardest for Ward 2 residents are often members of the Council from other parts of the city or elected at-large. Today, was another perfect example.

First, the Council gutted the noise bill. The original bill would have placed reasonable restrictions on the volume of daytime noncommercial speech (i.e. people shouting into loud speakers) that goes on for prolonged periods, intruding into people’s homes and places of work. DC has absolutely no limit, unlike any other major city, and what was originally proposed was still more lenient than places like New York City. An amendment proposed by Council Member Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5), which was essentially a rewrite of that proposed by Council Member Evans and defeated last month, passed 9-4 this time, after some unions ran radio ads threatening two members up for reelection, Kwame Brown (D-At Large) and Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7). It raises the decibel level limit from 70 to 80 dB, restricts the limit to R-1 through R-4 zones (i.e. there is no limit for areas in which there are large apartment buildings or downtown), and changes the place of measurement to inside the home rather than 50 feet from the noise.

Those fighting for Ward 2 on the noise bill included Council Members Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), David Catania (I-At-Large), and Carol Schwartz (R-At Large). While Ward 2 Council Member Jack Evans represented that he has never received a noise complaint from residents of his Ward that would be protected by the legislation, Catania and Cheh discussed a different reality. Catania, himself a Ward 2 resident, expressed outrage that the children of Stevens Elementary School (located in West End/Foggy Bottom) lost an entire semester of school because of a prolonged protest across the street by hired hands. Cheh suggested that Penn Quarter residents ask why they are being treated differently — why they get no protection in their community and in their homes, noting that, “just because [you] live in a mixed [residential / commercial] area, Penn Quarter residents will have to suffer from noise assaults.” Cheh noted that under the Evans’ supported amendment, the noise can go 7am-9pm every day, all day, no matter how long, how loud, how amplified — “you get no protection whatsoever, none.”
“Penn Quarter, I hope you are listening, you are being written off.”

–Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3), quoted in the Washington Post

Council Member Wells, who shares a portion of Penn Quarter with Ward 2, attempted to amend the Thomas amendment to restore some protection for downtown, but failed. In the end, Cheh and Wells, the primary sponsors of the bill, voted against the do-nothing legislation.

Lost in all the noise over the noise bill were two very other important quality of life proposals on the Council’s Tuesday agenda: single sales of alcoholic beverages and vacant property.

The Council passed a ban on the sale of single alcoholic beverages for Wards 4, 7, and 8, with Council Member Wells pledging to add the entirety of Ward 6, which already has a partial ban, at the next meeting. Council Member Evans, spurred by the action of his colleagues, has after 17 years of complaints from neighborhoods residents, committed to proposing a similar ban for Ward 2. But his proposed ban, yet to be introduced, will cover only two Advisory Neighborhood Commission areas, Logan Circle (ANC 2F) and Shaw/Mt. Vernon/Penn/Chinatown Quarter (ANC 2C). Residents of Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom/West End, Georgetown, and downtown should prepare to see more public intoxication, public urination, aggressive panhandling and trash, as those who cannot get a cheap drink in more than half of the rest of the city (Ward 1 already has a partial ban) find your corner and liquor stores.

Finally, the Council took on long-delayed legislation designed to move owners of vacant property to put their property to productive use. The legislation increases the vacant property tax rate from about 5x the regular occupied rate for residential property to 10x, while eliminating many of the loopholes that allowed derelict owners and speculators to avoid the higher rate for decades. It was Council Member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) who sought to fight off a series of 11th hour amendments that would have placed some of those exemptions back in the law and created a few new ones. That included a complete exemption on properties within the central business district proposed by Council Member Evans. It was withdrawn when it came under fire from Graham and Council Member Barry (D-Ward 8). Council Member Evans also proposed an amendment to increase the period of time before the higher rate sets in from 1 year (existing law) to 2 years and for residential property to 1 year (same as existing law, but the bill would have reduce dit to 8 months). That proposal passed. Another Evans proposal, to restore a loophole providing a 24-month exemption for properties under a deed of trust, was removed after Graham objected.

Graham also attempted to fight off, with some success, amendments proposed to allow the Mayor to single handedly exempt properties (passed subject to renewal by Mayor every 24 months), to exempt newly constructed buildings (passed limited to 4 years), and to require government inspectors evaluating whether a property is indeed vacant to consider the owner’s alleged “intent” to return.

It’s time we had a Ward 2 Council Member who places his constituents before developers, unions, and other special interests. By the way, what happened to the idea of creating a livable downtown? With the carving out of downtown from the noise bill and an attempt to take the central business district out of the vacant property protections, residents should be very concerned.

What people are saying about the noise bill’s silencing (no one is happy):
Quest for Quiet blog
PQ Living blog
Greater Greater Washington blog
DCist
DC Wire blog
The Express
Washington Post

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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“Oh, be fair.” That is the response I received from DDOT Director Emeka C. Moneme in a public meeting of the Downtown Neighborhood Association last week. A Penn Quarter resident had informed Director Moneme that he had noticed walk signs swinging to face the wrong direction around town. Just call 311 was the response and we’ll send someone out to fix it. Then I thought of the Ward 2 resident I met at Whole Foods, and ran into again in Foggy Bottom, who told me how he had three times called in the same problem at a very busy intersection in Georgetown where he lives and works. Each time, the DDOT contractor came out and it was broken again within days. I told Director Moneme that he should be aware that some of his contractors are doing a “shoddy job.” Ward 2 Transportation Planner Christopher Ziemann then chimed in with some helpful advice: residents can fix the crosswalk signs themselves. Perhaps with a broomstick, you may be able to swing the pedestrian walk signs back into place.

Brick sidewalks. They look nice, but why can’t DDOT maintain them? A few weeks ago, a Foggy Bottom resident suggested that residents with wheel chairs use the streets rather than the sidewalks, because of the hazardous missing bricks. Well folks, here’s your answer. According to Mr. Zeimann, DDOT only has a single brick masonry crew for the entire city. That means that you are lucky to get asphalt to cover those holes until the crew gets around to you.

Light timing. You can literally walk across some areas of the city faster than attempting to drive or take a cab. From red light to red light you go, for miles at a time. Why? Wasted gas, wasted money, wasted time, unnecessary congestion. Fix it.

Fixing What Isn’t Broken. There’s so many dangerous intersections to fix, sidewalks to mend, walk lights facing the wrong way, and crosswalks to paint that you might think DDOT has its hands full. There’s also unfulfilled plans that might actually do some good if implemented, such as the New York Avenue Corridor Study and the Mount Vernon Triangle Transportation and Public Realm Project. Those sit on a shelf or in a file cabinet. Instead, the agency seems to repeatedly undertake efforts that leave residents fighting to ensure that the District’s congestion and pedestrian safety don’t get worse. A few recent or ongoing cases in point:
This week, after vigorous discussion and opposition on the Georgetown Forum, DDOT decided against plans to reverse the traffic flow on 33rd Street NW. As a former resident of 33rd Street, I know this was an obvious bad idea.
About two months ago, DDOT proposed eliminating a portion of The Circulator route that serves those who live and work along Wisconsin Avenue. After strong opposition from the Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commission and Citizens Association of Georgetown, DDOT abandoned that plan.
In Logan Circle, residents are very concerned about a DDOT proposal to make 15th Street (which currently is one-way heading northbound) into a two-way street.
DDOT, with the support of my opponent, has repeatedly studied the feasibility of removing the Whitehurst Freeway, an expense The Georgetown Current called “ridiculous”, and has garnered strong opposition.

To be fair to DDOT, there are some positive initiatives underway. Finally, we are beginning to see less closed sidewalks as DDOT is beginning to require developers to use covered walkways and maintain pedestrian access during construction. It is about time. I’m also glad to see the smart bike program come online - it is a good environmentally-friendly and convenient idea.

Can we please get back to basics? As your Council Member, I will push DDOT to fulfill its core mission — that includes:
Doing whatever it takes to address the most dangerous intersections in the city;Ensuring that crosswalks are always highly visible and signage is immediately and properly fixed when broken;Moving forward with needed infrastructure improvements to address congestion and safety hazards;Installing traffic calming devices where needed and effective;Sidewalk and street repair; andEnhancing public transportation options.

In short, I want to see shovels and paint brushes, not paper, presentations, and unnecessary proposals.

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The Washington Area Bicyclist Association will hold its annual Bike to Work day this Friday, May 16 from 8am to 9am. You can register here for the free event and get a t-shirt if you are one of the first 7,000 to sign up.

One of the great things about living in Ward 2 is the proximity to downtown and, for many of us, the close distance between home and work. I bike just about everywhere, everyday, unless it is pouring as it has been this past week. From home to work, from meeting to meeting, to join friends for coffee or dinner - you can even find me biking around in a suit (not good for the longevity of the suit, btw). It’s fastest, cheapest, it’s exercise, and it’s environmentally friendly. You can’t go wrong.

There’s more we can do to make the District bike friendly. For example, bike lanes on Fifteenth Street in Logan Circle will make it more accommodating for riders and may slow down what has become a four-lane speedway for commuters. In Georgetown, removal of parking meters in favor of the less evasive ticket machine system has had the unintended effect of leaving very few places to lock a bike. All of our commercial areas should have sufficient bike racks to encourage ridership and lessen reliance on driving.

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Legislation that would finally place a reasonable limit on noise in DC passed its first reading before the DC Council, after being amended to raise the permissible decibel limit to 80 in commercial areas, while keeping the original 70 decibels for residential neighborhoods on an 8-5 vote. My opponent voted against the bill, which will close a loophole that has allowed DC to be the only major city in the country with no restriction on daytime noise - outrageous!

I commend to you the pre-vote coverage of the Washington Post and Washington CityPaper, both of which document how Mr. Evans stormed out of a breakfast meeting to negotiate the bill with his colleagues on the Council in order to attend an event for the Washington Capitals. Clearly a model consensus builder. Oh, how those backward priorities resurface again and again.

The secret is also out of the bag as to how Council Member Evans plans to gut the bill: (1) raise the decibel limit to 80 in residential areas; (2) measure the noise from inside the residence; and (3) place the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs rather than the police in charge of enforcing the law. We all know how effective DCRA is at enforcing the law! So if you wake up in the morning and your house reminds you of Cafe Milano on a busy night, that should be ok, says Evans. Yes, he really said that.

The bill comes back before the Council on second reading next week. Watch for more mischief that undermines the right of residents to enjoy peace and quiet in their own homes.

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An old NYC commercial for “Take the Plane to the Train.” Click above for video.

From 1979 to about 1990, the Take the Train to the Plane jingle pushed New Yorkers to take the subway to Kennedy Airport. The jingle was far more successful than the actual service, which, like the current means of getting to Dulles, required a combination of trains and buses.

Today, there was good news for District residents. The Washington Post reports that the feds have, after all, decided to pitch in to extend metro to Dulles. It is a 23-mile, $5 billion project funded by DC, Virginia, and Maryland, with a significant share that was up in the air coming from the federal government.

This brings me back to another topic. Last night, as I read through the The Current newspaper (Part 1 and Part 2 of large pdf of the full edition), I noticed an article about Metro’s proposal to extend the Blue line including a stop in Georgetown, as I discussed earlier. This proposal, or similar proposals, have surfaced and resurfaced for years.

I was pleased to find that my opponent agrees with me and seems very enthusiastic about the potential for a Georgetown stop.

But as usual, Evans said, “the devil is in the details,” explaining that while planners have drawn up general plans for the new line, cost is an issue for the budget-strapped Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority — operator of the rail and bus systems - which would need federal government help to finance the construction.

-Georgetown Current, April 23, 2008

The question is — why hasn’t Council Member Evans successfully moved this proposal forward in the 17-years he has been in office? In that length of time, why have we not started locating the funds and saving for the future?

The city found a way to fully finance a stadium in record time. The feds, with Virginia and Maryland, are helping fund the Dulles rail extension. But, when it comes to a Georgetown metro and the District’s critical transportation needs “the devil is in the details.”

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Kevin Costner climbs from Whitehurst Freeway down K Street, runs across the C & O Canal towpath, and escapes into the fictional Georgetown Metro located next to the lower entrance of the Shops at Georgetown in the movie “No Way Out” (1987).
Click above for video.

“What do we do? Do we do nothing and let it all collapse? It’s not a popular discussion because it’s money that we’re talking about. But we need to start talking about it now.”

-General Manager John Catoe, referencing the growing ridership that eventually will surpass Metro’s capacity.

According to a report in The Examiner today, Metro is once again floating an idea for a Georgetown station. This time, Metro has proposed a new line running from Rosslyn under the Potomac to Georgetown continuing on into Northeast to accommodate an anticipated surge in ridership over the next twenty years. Experts regard expansion of the metro system’s capacity as critical to its future.

The last serious proposal for a Georgetown Metro station came 7 years ago in 2001 when WMATA proposed expanding the Blue Line. [2001 expansion graphic here]. That proposal gained the support of the area’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission. The plan was abandoned in 2003.

“Bottom line is, whether or not it’s imaginary or practical from a financial standpoint, I think people would be thrilled if there were a Metro stop in Georgetown.”

-Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner William Starrels

I believe that planning and discussion for metro’s expansion, including placement of a station in Georgetown, identification of funding sources, and a timeline for completion must begin now. It’s needed to relieve traffic and parking congestion for Georgetown residents. It’s the right thing to do for the environment. It would increase convenience for residents as well as visitors who would prefer to leave their cars at home and not continuously circle around for parking or pay a steep fee for a private lot. It would support local businesses, which have taken to funding the less-than-ideal Georgetown Metro Connection bus service.

There are other steps that we can take to address aspects of the parking/traffic congestion situation in Georgetown that I’ll outline in a later post. Fact of the matter is that our elected officials have not addressed these difficult issues. In fact, Georgetown residents currently find themselves in a battle to stop DDOT from eliminating a portion of the popular DC Circulator bus route that runs down Wisconsin Avenue and then across the city.

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There is a part of the District of Columbia that can only be accessed by land from Virginia. Do you know what it is?

Roosevelt Island. While Roosevelt Island is a federal park, under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, it is part of the District of Columbia and falls within Ward 2. In fact, I recently learned that part of the Island is considered Foggy Bottom! Map.

According to the Audubon Society of DC, “Washington’s monument to our 26th president is hidden away on a 91-acre wooded island accessible only from the Virginia side of the river. Roosevelt Island offers several habitat types: hardwood forest, tidal marsh, and wooded swamp. There are trails running around the island, including a boardwalk through the marsh.”

Even some longtime area residents are unaware of this hidden jem.

Isn’t it odd then that the only way to step onto this District soil is by walking, biking, or driving down the George Washington Memorial Parkway and footbridge from Virginia. Otherwise, you’d have to swim across the Potomac from DC or rent a kayak.

I was at a recent Foggy Bottom Association meeting when local activist Dave Mallof presented a plan (download here, 639k pdf) for building a footbridge from either the Georgetown or Foggy Bottom waterfront to Roosevelt Island, finally providing access to this treasure from D.C.

“It is time for DC to construct a cost-effective bridge for people, not automobiles, in a high-density area.”
-Dave Mallof, Dupont Circle resident and DC activist

The proposal is relatively inexpensive (compare to odd proposals to demolish the Whitehurst) and could be financed in whole or in large part by federal funds. The GW Hatchet reports that the idea is gaining momentum.

What do you think?

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Capitol Hill resident Patti Shea protests near the home of D.C. Council member Jack Evans, who led a recent effort to delay a bill to limit loud public speech.
(By Bill O’Leary — The Washington Post)

An update to my earlier post about the DC Council’s tabling (effectively killing) a bill targeted to reasonably limit how loud a person can scream with a megaphone outside your front door. Disturbed residents took their concerns to Georgetown over the weekend to make a point. The Washington Post covered the demonstration.

3/14 UPDATE: Read the Washington Post editorial decrying the “specious reasoning” of the Council Members who voted to “deep-six” the noise bill and do not put their neighborhoods first. Read a letter from Council Member Tommy Wells, a primary sponsor of the bill along with Mary Cheh.

3/16 UPDATE: Read my letter to the DC Council urging them to pass the legislation now.

4/2 UPDATE: Read my Letter to the Editor of The Current.

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Capitol Hill resident Patti Shea protests near the home of D.C. Council member Jack Evans, who led a recent effort to delay a bill to limit loud public speech.
(By Bill O’Leary — The Washington Post)

An update to my earlier post about the DC Council’s tabling (effectively killing) a bill targeted to reasonably limit how loud a person can scream with a megaphone outside your front door. Disturbed residents took their concerns to Georgetown over the weekend to make a point. The Washington Post covered the demonstration.

3/14 UPDATE: Read the Washington Post editorial decrying the “specious reasoning” of the Council Members who voted to “deep-six” the noise bill and do not put their neighborhoods first. Read a letter from Council Member Tommy Wells, a primary sponsor of the bill along with Mary Cheh.

3/16 UPDATE: Read my letter to the DC Council urging them to pass the legislation now.

4/2 UPDATE: Read my Letter to the Editor of The Current.

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