The pile knows all, and the pile is very, very disorganized and headed for the recycle bin. I find stuff of interest and it goes into the pile.
Here’s something from the pile, a 1968 report on public facilities. The most interesting stuff is about DC medical clinics in Shaw that are no more. Not counted are non-DC government clinic such as Children’s Hospital (still over in northern Shaw). Anyway amongst that stuff is a listing of DC government land and US Government land in Shaw.
I’m going to cut to the chase, in 1968 Bundy Elementary School and Bundy Playground were understood to be two separate things. When I heard the Director at the meeting mention the post Home Rule land confusion something didn’t sound right. It’s an understandable error, and so I don’t fault the Director on this, and you can say it is all up to interpretation or it doesn’t matter. And even the report I’m looking at seems a little confused at times about the Bundy Playground, which on the map includes the lot were the soccer players play and the vacant lot proposed as the 1968 playground. On several pages it says the 2.40 acre Bundy Playground is owned by the US government and operated by the Recreation Department, but on one page says it is owned by the Recreation Department. A paragraph about Bundy Playground reads, “This property contains 104,595 sq. ft. owned by the U.S. Government, but under the control of the D.C. Recreation Department. The playground contains a multi-purpose playing field, 2 basketball courts and elementary apparatus for small children.”
Of course, this is just a snap shot from 1968. Heavens only knows what understandings, change of responsibilities, etc occurred with Home Rule in 1973 (just 5 years later) or disorganized administrations.
Tag: Development
Bundy Lot Meeting
By golly I hate meetings, but you wouldn’t know that because I keep attending them.
These are my quick points to keep from rambling. The rambling will be in another post:
* Office of Property Management (OPM) won’t be handling how the land will be used. It will be Park and Rec’s problem.
*There is approximately 37,000 sq ft in the building.
*OPM will have a clearer assessment of the building’s parking needs in 30 days.
*OPM Director stated that she was, “not trying to over park anything.”
*The land transfer from the Federal to the District government is expected to go through sometime this fall.
*After several promises of other locations, the DC government settled on the Bundy School as a location for the multidisciplinary team response to child abuse in 2004.
*Prior to Home Rule in 1973, DC school land was owned by a mix of the municipal body and the federal government, so the assumption that the lot belonged to the DC government was a natural error.
*(not from the meeting) Up until recently the DC government had no clue as to what land it owned, best illustrated in the case of vacant residential properties.
*Si, from MVSQ neighborhood association stated that we welcome Safe Shores and (okay memory fuzzy) as a neighbor? hoping they will be a good neighbor? Regardless, we welcome Safe Shores, and her comment got a good round of applause from the pro-parking and pro-green space folks.
*Martin of the CCCA neighborhood association mentioned there are plans in the works for playgrounds/parks (didn’t write this down) at Scott-Montgomery and NJ and O.**
*The proposal for a dog park was pushed forward by a group, not the ANC.
*When the land transfer occurs then Parks & Rec can evaluate the dog park application.
Now if there is anything factually wrong with my notes, please inform me with comments. No anonymous comments, those are deleted at whim.
**It will be interesting to see how the proposed people parks/ playgrounds get used. There was play equipment in the park near the other Northwest Co-Op here in the TC. However, no parent in their right mind would let their kids play on it because of the bad adult behavior in and around that equipment. That’s changing, but still more adults, hang out in that area than kids.
Lunch options in Penn Quarter
Dear Wagamama,
How dare you make me wait until 2010 for tasty ramen.
Love,
Mari
I thought I took a picture but apparently, no. Yesterday I spotted signage on 418 7th Street stating that the noodle chain I fell in love with in London will be coming in 2010. Better yet, it will be close enough and priced about right to make a regular lunch spot.
Latin American School for JF Cook
Anyone know anything about this?
7th & RI- only a matter of time
Blocking off the sidewalk on Rhode Island & 7th St is an accident waiting to happen. There is a bus stop there and the bus lets people off. Those few traffic barriers are an island unconnected to safe passage. Okay, say the bus lets you off at the stop there and you’re in the barricade island. How do you get to the metro station? You have to walk out into traffic.
Today I spotted the G8 stopped at the corner of 7th and RI to let people off, blocking cars coming north on 7th. It looked like a safer course of action than deserting them in the barricade island.
Its only a matter of time before someone gets hurt as long as that sidewalk is blocked with no connection to a safe path.
Howard Theater
IMGoph has a post up about the presentation for the streetscape around the Howard Theater area.
I’ve kinda lost general interest in the Howard because in the early 2000s I attended the meetings and heard the presentations for saving the Howard Theater, and then nada. Nothing. Zip. The Howard, the O Street Market, and anything else I was waiting for to get going during the real estate boom years, didn’t. So now I’m jaded.
I got to thinking, if the Howard is restored and turned into a working theater, wouldn’t it be in competition with the Lincoln up the street?
Constructing a Courtyard Marriott
The hotel over by the New York Avenue Metro station is coming along and seems to be going at a pretty good pace. As you can see there are windows. Windows that can peer into the souls of the ATF workers across the way…. or not.
Waiting hotel visitors, once the joint opens, is the Sisters Pizza and Mussels, the 5 Guys, Pound Coffee, and Heidi’s Deli. Hopefully success on NoMa’s 2nd St NE, will trickle some smaller scale development (think 14th St Shaw not 14th St Columbia Heights) over on to North Cap.
Tall and new, but not so much ugly
Unlike the piece of crap on P Street, this new construction, has the possibility of not looking horrid. The taller building on the left needs balconies and some greenery on the roof. Though it may not look perfect now, and if it looks meh’ when done, it’s not offensive. The slightly shorter new construction is just screaming for some architectural detail on that big empty space up top. Ironwork, decorative woodwork, something.
Fingers Crossed
“Future Home of Harris Teeter”. Over by the ATF building adn NY Ave Metro station.
Speed of plans
I grow weary of plans. Particularly the ones that never get off the ground. I find it hard to get excited (unless you provide food AND booze) over some developer’s or city department’s plan for something, if it is the second time in years I have heard of the plans or it takes forever for anything, any thing to happen.
I have heard of plans for the Howard Theater, or Theatre, plans for the O Street Market (they provided food and booze, so they still hold my interest), plans for the lot on the S Street side of the metro, and plans for the old fire house on North Capitol. If you haven’t heard that fell through and the place is up for sale. Citizens get worried when a project goes to a dead stop in the middle of work with good reason. There are several examples around the area of grand plans on hold.