DC Dance Festival

District of Columbia Redistricting and Edgewood

Last night they released the Ward Redistricting map which will start off the process described below.  After that is done then they will move on to the ANC redistricting.  Ward 5 had a minor adjustment as we got back the Ward 6 "chimney" along New York and New Jersey Aves.  The part I am more interested in is the ANC as Ward 5 only has 3 groups of ANCs (A, B, C) and I am one among many that think that should be changed as they are too large.  I hope that we can get 5 or 6 ANCs which would better serve the neighborhoods and perhaps represent them more efficiently as well.  I would also like to get rid of the zigzag ANC that I reside in which includes Eckington and Edgewood across Rhode Island Ave in a weird "Z" shape.  I feel it would be better to have one that has the neighborhood more intact.  Hopefully Edgewood has grown enough to have 3 full ANC districts instead of the 2.5 that we have now.

Council of the District of Columbia

Subcommittee on Redistricting
1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

COUNCILMEMBER MICHAEL BROWN
COUNCIMEMBER JACK EVANS
CO-CHAIRPERSONS


SUBCOMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING TIMETABLE
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 1:00 PM

SUBCOMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING WILL VOTE ON A PROPOSED REDISTRICTING PLAN (MAP) - B19-219, the "Ward Redistricting Amendment Act of 2011".

John A. Wilson Building, Room 123
1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 6:00 PM

SUBCOMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING WILL HOLD A PUBLIC ROUNDTABLE FOR RESIDENTS TO OFFER OPINIONS

John A. Wilson Building, Council Chamber- Room 500

1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Those who wish to testify should contact Carol Sadler at (202) 724-8198 or mailto:csadler@dccouncil.us and provide your name, organizational affiliation, and title of organization by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31, 2011. Witnesses should bring 20 copies of their written testimony to the hearing. Additional written statements are encouraged and will be made part of the official record. The official record will close ten days following the conclusion of the hearing.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011, 10:00 AM

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WILL HAVE A FIRST VOTE ON THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING PLAN (MAP)

John A. Wilson Building, Council Chamber- Room 500
1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Tuesday, June 21, 2011, 10:00 AM

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WILL HAVE A FINAL VOTE ON THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING PLAN (MAP)

John A. Wilson Building, Council Chamber- Room 500
1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Wednesday, June 22-December 31, 2011

8 SEPARATE WARD REDISTRICTING COMMITTEES COMPRISED OF WARD RESIDENTS WILL BEGIN TO MEET TO PROPOSE BOUNDARIES FOR ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSON (ANC) DISTRICTS AND SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS (SMD).

*INDIVIDUAL WARD COUNCILMEMBERS WILL APPOINT MEMBERS TO THESE ANC/SMD REDISTRICTING COMMITTEES.

David Meadows
Communications Director
Office of Councilmember Michael A. Brown
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Suite 406
Washington, D.C. 20004
202.724.8190
dmeadows@dccouncil.us

Edgewood Home Sales

Here is this week's data on homes for sale in Edgewood. I am using Redfin because it allows you to search by neighborhood, but if you have any other ideas or ways to get listings or open houses please let me know!

Here is the link to the data in Redfin:

Edgewood DC Real Estate

Edgewood has a very diverse housing stock with a wide range of sizes and prices. Right now the most expensive places listed are the new homes being built in Chancellor's Row listed at $609,900 while the least expensive listing is a 1 bedroom condo listed at $114,900. It seems that there continues to be a steady number of houses selling across the price ranges and there are quite a few pending sales that have yet to be posted.

There is one new sale posted.

2421 3rd Street NE sold on March 4th for $227,000

The Chancellor's Row development continues to be a high seller in the neighborhood having sold 44 houses at the last count.

There are open houses listed for Edgewood. The house at 507 Montana Ave NE is open Sunday, March 13, 2011 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM. The house at 3000 7th Street NE is open Sunday, March 13, 2011 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM. The house at 2402 3rd Street NE is open Sunday, March 13, 2011 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM. If you know of any more please add the information to the comments section.

Role of Civic Associations in DC

I just read the article on the DC Students Speak website which outlines the problems they have had in Georgetown with the local civic associations. The post addresses the issue of the role of the civic associations in DC and who they actually represent.

This hit me close to home because I often wonder about this in the Edgewood community. From attending community meetings and talking to some people in the community it seems while some are oblivious to the existence of Edgewood Civic Association (ECA) there are others that seem to think it is an important part of community. In concept I believe that civic associations are a great tool for a community if used and run correctly. The ECA last year had less than 40 members which is only 0.4% of the community that they claim to represent. (Full disclosure: I am a member and have been for 3 years although I do not agree with everything that they do and do not feel welcomed at all times.) The ECA has boundaries which include the neighborhoods of Edgewood and Eckington which is roughly 10,000 people (per 2000 US Census could be more now). The ANC frequently takes into account what the civic associations have to say on a matter before them and developers come to them for letters of support. I think that it would be just if when the associations present or offer support to a project they include a membership total number instead of stating they represent the entire community. What do you think?

Home Save program for District Residents

Home Save program for District Residents

The Housing Finance Agency(HFA) received $20 million from the Treasury (left over TARP Bank bailout funds) and created a program that will pay 100% of the qualified homeowner's mortgage. This new program, which launches in Wards 5,7 and 8 on January 18, 2011 and citywide on April 12, 2011 and projected to end in 2015 will provide:

1) a one-time payment of up to three months for residents that are mortgage delinquent

2) Pay up to 15 months of mortgage payment including PITI, home owner dues

3) a one-time payment of up to six months of mortgage delinquency in order to allow the homeowner to catch up on their mortgage.

The funds will be paid directly to the mortgage service provider and not given to the homeowner.

The borrower must be a District resident on the deed and mortgage. If two people are on the deed and mortgage and one is unemployed, the family still qualifies for the program. The borrower must either be receiving unemployment through DOES or have recently drawn unemployment through DOES. The unemployment can be from DC, MD, VA or other states. The borrower must also be actively seeking employment. Currently unemployment is for 99 weeks and the payment from this program will assist during that period. If the unemployment benefits end during the 15 month period, the mortgage payments will continue. However, the homeowner cannot be in foreclosure or actively in bankruptcy.

The loan will be non-recourse and forgiven over five years. The loan amount will be reduced over the five year period at 20% per year. If during the five year period the property is either sold or refinanced, the loan must be repaid.

In order to apply, homeowners must go through one of five pre-selected housing counseling agencies that are funded through HFA. Please visit the HFA Website for further questions and more details.

For internal communication submissions, contact:

Turnesha Cook, Communications Specialist
(202)671-3491
Turnesha.Cook@dc.gov
ddotlife.com

Devastated by DC Schools?

Following the news, tests scores, and chancellor situation one can become pretty devastated about the current state and future of the DC school system. In a city filled with educated people it is appalling that there is still such a disparity between wealth and education. Often I am discouraged because I am not sure what I can do, so I am happy to report that there is a call to action. The organization called Reading Partners is now operating in DC and is in need of volunteers. If you can give 45 minutes of your time a week than you can make a huge difference in the education of one DC student.

Reading Partners is currently working at four DC locations with volunteering opportunities between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Please visit their website and sign up to volunteer. I have already signed up to volunteer at DC Prep in Edgewood and I am looking forward to helping my community. They provide training, support and lesson plans. Rarely is one able to impact another's life in such a great way and I hope that many others decide to participate. Imagine if all DC students read at or above their grade level and the impact that would have on their education and future.

Please view the following story on Reading Partners in the news.

Citywide Neighborhood Watch Training [Save the Date]

Citywide Neighborhood Watch Training [Save the Date]

Please share with other community listserv groups.

Save the Date: Saturday, Oct 23rd

National Crime Prevention Month

Citywide Neighborhood Watch Training