This weekend I noticed a big orange boot on one of the cars on my street. Ah, I remember the days when it took several calls to have the police or DPW or someone to come out and look at a car for possible ticketing. Cars would just sit for weeks, not moving. Now, it seems they are actually paying attention to cars and being proactive. Of course, I could be giving the government too much credit.
Also, on R Street, I’ve noticed some serious enforcement, with towing. I saw the city towing away a car with Florida plates, to clear off one side of the road at about 7:10 am. A quick look at the sign said that the street had to be clear at 7 am til I forget what. Ten minutes, that’s not a lot of buffer time.
6 thoughts on “Parking enforcement”
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Just happened to stumble upon your blog searching for information re the gentrification of DC. I’ve lived in DC on and off for the past 8 years and am back for the summer. I spent a good portion of this weekend wandering around Columbia Heights (Target??), U Street, Ledroit Park (which is now called Bloomingdale?) and NE. I was very struck by the superficial changes that have been made in just a year (new condos, hipster coffee shops, etc.)
All of this wandering led me to the internet for answers, and to your blog. Thank you for keeping this – for posterity if nothing else – who knows how many years before U Street/Shaw/NE is the new Georgetown (shudder).
Where are all of the long-time residents moving????
LeDroit is still LeDroit. Bloomingdale is still Bloomingdale and Eckington depending, maybe, not sure.
I wouldn’t call a new business superficial, particularly after a period of nasty violent robberies victimizing small business owners in the Bloomingdale/N. Cap area. It means a lot to me to be able to support small LOCAL independent businesses I can walk to, making the hood more walkable. As far as CH, goes, the new Tar-jay just saves me from having to trek up to PG County.
New Georgetown? Ha, we’ve been the new Georgetown for about 20 years. Our former ANC, and still great leader Jim Berry told a story that when he brought his house on Bates way back a couple of decades ago, he was told it was going to be the next Georgetown. We’re still waiting. Maybe in the next 20 years.
This is Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale. Let me chime in with blogger Mari regarding new retail businesses. They should hardly be labeled superficial. The people who have invested their own personal money and sweat equity to open up the LeDroit Park Market, Windows Cafe & Market, Big Bear Cafe, Timor Bodega and others should be thanked.
How can new retail businesses — with business owners who actually * care * about the community that they are in — in contrast to the prior set of neighborhood business owners — be categorized as superficial?
Thank you for the reply – I certainly didn’t mean to disparage the efforts of the local businesses – on the contrary, i think they should be applauded. The use of “superficial” was literal – meaning that the businesses are a surface change – but there are still many profound social problems in these areas that need to be addressed.
Are all of these new businesses for the existing residents or to attract new, higher income residents? And if they are primarily to attract new residents, and push out the lower income families and residents who have been living there for decades – well, I think that’s a problem.
My question is what will happen to the ordinary hardworking lower income people as the professionals move in? Ironically, the young urban professionals who move into these areas looking for diversity, often end up driving out the “diversity” by raising the cost of living beyond the means of long term residents.
My question is how to prevent this from happening and to create a truly diverse community, comprised of every income level, educational background, race, religion, etc.?
On my street, the long time residents are dying.I have lived on my street for 15 years. I have yet to see a single household “forced out”. 5 vacant houses have been renovated and have people living in them now, three houses were owned by seniors that died. Their kids sold the house,because they have their own house in the suburbs. One family did cash in and moved to the suburbs for more room and better schools. I think that many neighborhoods in DC are renovating, rather than than gentrifying.
esse
Okay, plead move this train of thought to Change?. If the next post isn’t about parking or cars I may delete it.