City paper on Kelsey Gardens

The City Paper’s cover story this week covers the housing situation over at Kelsey Gardens (1500 block of 7th ST NW).
When I picked up the paper I was hoping for a happy story about actually helping people get off Section 8 and moving into homeownership or something better. Nope. It’s about a representative trying to use every trick and scare tatic to get people out of their homes so the land upon which Kelsey Gardens sits can get developed into a shiny high tax revenue stream. Yes, I know kicking out the poor people would do a lot to kick start development along 7th Street, but at what cost?
The church that owns the property seems to have no qualms about kicking residents to the curb. It is an investment and not a charitable mission. The only way to reap the goodies of the investment is to get rid of the residents. It would be nice if they made it part of their charitable mission to secure residents equitable housing in the city, or if there are school aged children, housing in Shaw.
The article was very informative in helping figure out what was the deal with 1330 7th St.

Our Economic Stats

Fooling around on the US Census site I found data on Truxton Circle, aka Census Tract 46.
I think one of the tools we need in judging what kind of businesses the neighborhood can and will support is data on what kind of neighborhood we are. The problem with the census is that it occurs every 10 years. Truxton was a different place back in 2000 and the census does not reflect 2005, but the 2000 data is all we have, so suck it up.
I’m looking at the demographic highlights and this is where I can find economic and housing info. There are 1,347 housing units, of those 1081 are occupied, with 45.7% owner occupied and 54.3% renter occupied. Quoting housing prices may not mean as much because a little over 1/2 the housing are rentals. The median income in our area is $33,142, per capita income is $16,452, with 18% of families under the poverty level and 24% of individuals under the poverty level.
The income levels mean very little until you can compare them with other areas. The median income for the whole city is $40,127. But compared to Logan Circle, Census Tract 50, with a median household income $33,257, we’re not that bad. Yet our per capita income of $16K sits well below Logan’s $26K.
I could try to play with the Census data a bit more, but it tells me something I already know. We are not as rich as we think we are.

OT: Macs

Okay not Shaw or DC related but this is something I have been thinking about. I’m preparing myself for something almost as jarring a converting to a new religion. After decades of being a Windows user, I’m thinking of converting to Macs. What should I start with? I’ve heard bad things about the Panther OS, and I don’t want to go from one sucky system to another.
Any guidance would be helpful.

–Marie

Commercial ponderings

Well I have yet to fill out the Bates Area Civic Association’s Straw Survey (see the Truxton site for the form). And as this is for North Capitol, I haven’t come up with much.
Now I know the kind of stores I like. I love bookstores, like Borders. I love Filene’s Basement. Other loves where I do spend money are Target, Whole Foods, Home Depot, various restaurants with wait staff, Giant (all over the DC metro area), and various farmers markets. Thing is there is already a Giant and Whole Foods in Shaw, the Target is going in at Columbia Heights, Home Depot is over in Brookland and well we tried a farmer’s market but it failed for many reasons. Simply said there isn’t the square footage available for a Borders or a Filene’s (besides crackheads would steal like crazy from Filenes) along North Cap.
Also I’ve thinking of the history of 14th street, which was sparked from the string of comments from my Bates meeting post. Though Whole Foods was a huge catalyst for the Logan Circle area, there were other, smaller businesses that were pioneers in the area before WF opened it’s doors, and it was still a while before chains, like Starbucks and Storehouse, ventured into Shaw after the 1st organically grown tomato was bought. Another thing about 14th Street, it helped that many of the buildings were larger former car shop that could be transformed into decent sized stores. Of course there are businesses that are in small buildings like Home Rule and the Garden District. Looking at an aerial map of North Capitol, the building stock looks to be townhouse sized, not large enough to house the businesses I would love to have. Sadly it seems some of those structures would have to be pulled down (or just keep the facades) in order to create space for an anchor business like Whole Foods or Target.
The other part of this train of thought focus on the businesses that are here. On 7th Street there is a dollar store. As far as dollar stores go, it is okay, but I don’t see it as a bad thing ’cause really sometimes you just need a cheap bowl. But what I wish is that the dollar store make the inside more visible. The most ghetto look a store or any business can have are dirty windows that are covered up with signs and whatnot that do not allow you to see what’s inside the store. The GG Store on NJ has that same ghetto look. Bright and open and welcoming is not the vibe I get and it doesn’t make me want to go it. But it doesn’t mean the store have to go, no, I just wish they spruced up a little. There are a long list of stores on 7th and Florida that in principle can serve the community but are in need of a serious, serious, commercial Extreme Makeover. For some it is appearances others it’s some operational changes (POST F*CKING HOURS OF BUSINESS & KEEP THEM!!!!) and for many it is both.
Development will also depend on what is going on around Truxton. I wonder if the ATF (or whatever fed agency going there) will get some business in the NYFAGU (NY Ave Station) area that service the people of that agency and XM Radio, besides the Methadone McDonald’s and the shady Wendy’s. Or if development moves up from North Capitol transforming the Sursum Corda area, what would that look like? And on the western front it is good to keep up and support positive changes on 7th and 9th streets.
But in the end I know what I don’t want. I know I do not desire to be in the middle of a major commercial destination. I would like businesses that serve the residents more so than passer bys.
When I think of neighborhoods I’ve lived in and the commercial health there are 2 that stick out. First is Hyattsville, MD. Not the whole of Hyattsville, but that section where I lived, where a few blocks over I had a Shoppers Food Warehouse, a bank, a Chinese takeout, a hair/nail place, and Ledo’s Pizza all in one strip mall. If I walked a bit further there was the Pho restaurant, the Asian grocers, the Pakistani grocers, the quickie mart and dollar store. The neighborhood was fine except no metro rail. Second was College Park, MD, where the College Park-UMD station is. At the time in its strip mall a short walk away was the WAWA, some eat in dining spot, the big discount clothing store, the pizza place, Mickey D’s, the CVS and the hair place. Around the neighborhood was Plato’s Diner, a Kinko’s, various local fast food joints, a tee-shirt shop, discount dry cleaners, Laundromat, and bookstore. In biking distance was the Smile Herb shop, a vegetarian eatery, Asian restaurant, bike shop, Town Hall Liquors, an Indian restaurant and another liquor store. And this is all before the recent new construction that has occurred in College Park in recent years. But the thing that got me out of College Park was it did not have a full fledged grocery store. I had to go to the Beltway Plaza for that.

…okay this is getting long. I’ll follow up later.

Town Hall Meeting on Public Safety – 6/9/2005

From Jim Berry

Neighbors,

At Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson is hosting a Town Hall meeting on
tomorrow evening in order to receive feedback from the Ward Five community
on the oerall perfomance of the Metropolitan Police Department as well
as on the quality of services that we routinely receive from them (i.e., positive
or otherwise).

This meeting will take place at the Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church, 605
Rhode Island Avenue, NE, in the Bishop Alfred A. Owens Family Life Center,
commencing at 7:00 p.m. For more information regarding tomorrow’s program
or the work of the Council of the District of Columbia’s Committee on the
Judiciary, please contact Councilmember Mendelson’s office at (202) 724-8064
or you may email him at PMendelson@dccouncil.us.

Best,

Jim Berry
ANC 5C

Public Notice of June 21, 2005 Meeting of ANC 5C

PUBLIC NOTICE

Monthly Meeting

Invited guests include representatives from the following:

Metropolitan Police Department

DC Is Electric

Eric T. May
Vice President, Urban Realty Advisors, LLC & Thomas Gnecco
Sr. Project Manager, James G. Davis Construction Co. re. An update on development and construction issues pertaining to the Old Gage School, 2nd and Elm Sts., NW

Where: Edgewood Terrace Senior Building
635 Edgewood Street, NE, 9th Floor
(Crawford Hall)
When: Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Time: 7:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.

Flower Power Garden Club

Well I still believe that my block will win the Flower Power 2005 best block category because we rock.
Last year the Bates Area Civic Association had a Flower Power contest where neighbors nominated yards, and back yards and blocks for recognition of all the hard work people are putting in to make their yard and neighborhood beautiful with greenery. Well they are going have Flower Power again, but this time it will be a garden tour where people vote on their favorites.
So think of yards and gardens in the Bates Area section of Truxton (anything above Dunbar) and nominate them, or yourself. Last year nomination forms went to Mary Ann Wilmner and Jim Berry, I don’t know if she’s (Mary Ann) taking nominations right now. But when they do take them, I know of a dozen yards on my street and Richardson Pl. that I’ll nominate.
Also the garden club is looking for volunteers to be guides for the garden tour which may take place in late July. Guides would serve the purpose of:
A. Making sure people don’t get lost
B. Providing safety in numbers
C. Answering questions about the area
If you want to be a guide or volunteer for something else I guess you can contact Mary Ann or Scott or Matt via the TruxtonCircle.org discussion board or email them.

Art’s Survey

Check the Truxton Circle website for the links in regards to the things and docs passed out at the BACA meeting last night.
One of the links is Art Slater’s Straw Suryvey of Small Area Plan Businesses, Amenities (http://www.truxtoncircle.org/doclib/strawsurvey.pdf) which you can give to Art, email him talader@verizon.net but I think it should be stalader@verizon.net . Just fill up to 15 businesses and rate them.

BACA meeting 6/7/05 and slug killing

I got to the meeting late because I was waiting for a phone call that did not come.
I saw the police cruiser but apparently missed the police person(s) that came with it. So I have no clue if the shooting death of the Howard student over on the 1700 blk of 3rd street was covered or what other citizen crime complaint was covered.
I did get there in time to hear Josh Burch (?) of Shaw EcoVillage and he had some news. For one they will be moving from the corner of 6th and R Sts. to 1416 North Capitol, yes, that includes the bike shop. Also he is looking to see if any group would be interested in sponsoring or hosting a rainbarrel workshop. If you attend a rainbarrel workshop you will get a FREE rainbarrel. I have one still and that sucker is big. They have 8 more workshops left, so please contact them if you want to host or attend.
Next topic was ReStore DC. ReStore DC offers technical assistance to any group. Art Slater passed out a survey form to list the kinds of businesses or community amenities (dog park) we’d like to see AND that we would support. [Editorial- I’m underlining the last one because a business is a business and not a not profit charity and if they cannot make money in our neighborhood then we would have done a great disservice to them if we brought them. Also with support, means we would support other impacts as in if a drive thru Starbucks ever plopped down on North Cap would we bitch loudly about the traffic coming off the main road and on to the residential streets?] Also Art has been in contact with Clear Channel about the property they own on the corner of NJ and P Street where they have the billboards. Apparently one letter got them to mow the corner. Art is also the Land Use, Planning and Economic Development Committee Chair for the BACA (correct me if I am wrong) mentioned a comprehensive plan, which is a document regarding land use in the city. Art has been talking with the Office of Planning, about what, my notes don’t say. But the exciting thing my notes do say is that THE FIREHOUSE ON NORTH CAPITOL WILL BE UP FOR BID. I think it is the one in Eckington by Quincy and R Sts. The Firehouse is a wonderful piece of property and would make the best luxury lofty condos evah! Or really cool office space or a restaurant with wait staff.
The next speaker was Thomas Gore, from Renewal in Education which is over at 45 P Street. His group has been there for 18 years with 2 Head Start classes and before and after school programming. They take in kids as early as 7am and end the day around 7 or 8pm. His group has been trying to purchase the property from the city but to no avail. Now the city is putting the property up for bid and there are several developers looking into it and Mr. Gore brought one from United Development (I looked for more info for UD and all I could find was PMA which shares the same address). The UD developer passed out a proposed drawing of what he wanted to do with the property that the Slater and Langston Schools sit on. He wants to build a 8-9 story building on top of what I think is now the playground, and it will be moderate income (60% AMI) senior housing. There was a spirited discussion about senior housing and the one woman peanut gallery, the burgundy dyed island accented misanthrope, had a lot to say against him…. of course. She questioned the source of his funding, was it government funding? Tax incentives from the IRS and private equity would fund the proposed project. Then she and others got into why senior housing, why not luxury housing. This is where the developer could have said more than what he said with some numbers. He said that the rents in the area don’t support the kind of rents for luxury housing, and as one who has tried to rent out things here, they don’t. Homeowners can wait for amenities because our homes are investments, renters on a 1 year lease want the here and now. What’s here right now does not support luxury rental housing.
At this point because of the spectacle of disrespect and evil emitting from the unpleasant woman I stopped taking notes.
But I still have the meeting agenda. Mary Ann Wilmer spoke about Flower Power 2005 and there will be a meeting tonight at Scott and Matt’s house, check the Truxtoncircle.org site for meeting time and place, for the garden club to talk about how to do it. This year it may be a garden tour where tickets are sold and people walk around and judge the gardens and treeboxes. Then Linda Perkins, Director of Constituent Services for the Orange spoke. Orange. Contracts. Government Contracts. Orange. Then I can’t remember any thing else. Oh, the Brown Report from Kwame Brown’s office was passed out at some point. All hail the Brown. Jim Berry said something, what, I don’t remember. We adjourned and ate Mary Ann’s Grand Marnier soaked pound cake and staggered home…..

Where I killed 7 slugs in my backyard. I asSALTed them first and when they took too long to die, particularly the really big ones, I squished them. Let them be a warning to all other slugs in my backyard.

Quota

On a rainy Thursday night Bc, formerly known as Suburban Friend, was driving me home (the other trick to not having a car, having friends with cars) when he turned the corner and I started being silly. “Are they there?” I asked meaning the friendly neighborhood drug dealers. “Are they there?” I repeated. “Yes, they are there,” I exclaimed upon seeing them, in the rain and the dark. “Well,” Bc remarked, “you can’t call them lazy.”
Now they have been there a lot more often then usual. It didn’t help that the chairs they dragged from somewhere didn’t move. When I was tempted early Sunday morning to remove the chairs, ’cause it’s on public property, one of them was out there, at 8AM. 8AM. Sunday! Who on earth buys crack at 8AM on Sunday? Actually I had seen them out there earlier and earlier and at times and weather conditions I did not expect to see them. Which makes me wonder if they are trying to meet some quota or something. Bc reminded me that they do work on commission.
Maybe I am forgetting their Summer patterns but they do seem to be out on the corner more often than usual. This does make me wonder if they are putting in longer hours because a change in the drug economy. That might be good news. If they are forced to make up for a shrinking client base then the economic conditions of the neighborhood should make the area less attractive for drug dealing because it means more work. Throw on the changes in the neighborhood that include fewer new clients, more police because of neighbors complaining, and possibly time lost in jail or avoiding cops, fewer houses they can seek cover in, and the racial changes that make blending in harder, then it is possible that the area becomes less attractive for drug dealing. However, it is not like they can move in to another area without some costs and headaches, so they might stay put until the costs of operating on that block, outweigh the benefits.
So my neighbors keep up the pressure. Call the cops. Make street furniture like those plastic chairs and milk crates “disappear”. Hang out on your alley side balconies, and wave “hi” to all who look up as they pass by. Walk your dog. Black people walk with pride. And white people, be white.