Edgewood Farmer's Market

This year Edgewood is getting a Farmer's Market at the Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center in the parking lot between the CVS and the Met Branch Trail. While there has been discussion that this is not the most attractive location it is definitely an accessible one. It is located off of the trail, near the metro and there is plenty of parking. The plan is for market to be on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and to start the first weekend in April. There are still negotiations ongoing with the shopping center, so a firm date cannot be announced yet. I know that when I talked to the center about what would be replacing the Safeway they stated that it would impact if there could or could not be a farmer's market. I am wondering if this means that a discount grocer or a non-food store will soon be filling that space.

Here is the press release:

Premier Community Development Corporation


MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Contact: Hazel Bland Thomas
February 24, 2011 (202) 491-9245


Premier Community Development Corporation (PCDC) annouced today that PCDC members anticipate opening the PCDC Edgewood/Woodridge Farmer's Market at 4th & Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center starting inApril 2011. The Saturday market will seek to provide Edgewood residents and, especially senior citizens, with an option to buy fresh, local produce. The community unfortunately lost its Safeway last year at the very time that Georgetown had a champagne re-opening of its long-celebrated "Social Safeway."

PCDC has been working with community leaders, elected officials and the property management to establish aFarmers Market opposite the CVS in the shopping center - to at a minimum- provide residents with a source of fresh fruits, vegetables and bakery items.

For more information about the PCDC Edgewood/Woodridge Farmers Market, Premier CDC or to volunteer, please contact Hazel Thomas at (202) 491-9245 or Michael Byfield at (202) 679-2712.

History Lesson: Rhode Island Ave/Brentwood Metro Station Used to be a Cemetery

File this under things I learned on Twitter (h/t @fuzzface01) the Rhode Island Ave/Brentwood Metro Station used to be a cemetery. Apparently it was moved to build the metro station and a DDOT impound lot. Here is the information on the historical marker which I am going to grab a picture of next time I am up there. Here is another article about it.

NCJC to Picket Bozzuto, Metro Project on RI Ave. in NE

NCJC to Picket Bozzuto, Metro Project on RI Ave. in NE

Washington, DC, October 26, 2010: The National Capital Jobs Coalition (NCJC) will launch a public job action against the Bozzuto Construction Company and the METRO development project on Rhode Island Ave. Metro Station in NE Washington, DC on Thursday morning, October 28th at 8:30 AM. Linwood Martinez-Bentley, a longtime DC activist and co-director of the group, said that, “… Bozzuto and others like them have ignored DC Law long enough. Mayor Fenty has failed to enforce this law. We urge Vincent Gray to make this a high priority.”

First Source Legislation requires outside businesses that come into this city and take city dollars must hire 51% of their workforce from citizens of The District. “In this economy, with record deficits, we cannot afford to let hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential revenue to our city simply drive out the beltway,” said Bentley. “We need our tax dollars to create jobs for our citizens. First Source is a partial remedy that must be enforced and reinforced.” Also, Bentley continued, “ …many companies are not paying the required wages. This is also against the law. The City is not enforcing this law and since these projects are being funded, in part by our tax dollars, we, the citizens of DC, want to know if these multi-million dollar job sites are in compliance.”

The presumptive new Mayor Vincent Gray commented during a recent Town Hall meeting that, if city funded projects do not hire the number of city residents required by First Source legislation that they, “… should be shut down.” NCJC agrees totally with those sentiments, as do key members of The City Council. We have had expressions of support from other Councilmen including the following sitting council members: CM Michael Brown and the presumptive Council Chairperson Kwame Brown. We also have support from At-Large Candidate David Schwartzman. Given such widespread encouragement, NCJC intends to strike the first blow in support of more aggressive and direct citizen involvement.

Jerome Peloquin, First Source Program Manager for NCJC commented that, “This is just the beginning. We plan to launch these job actions on a regular basis and to ratchet up the level of visibility. This will be a non-violent protest, but it will not be a quiet one. Our intention is to link with other community activist organizations including a number of drum circles that will participate on behalf of the people of DC who are suffering record unemployment. Carpetbagging companies from outside-of-DC need to take notice … the free lunch is over. It’s time to pay your fair share of the bill here in Washington, DC.”

For further information contact Jerry Peloquin on his cell at 410.227.0498 or by email at jpeloquin@microventuresupport.org

Bus Bays Temporarily Relocated at Rhode Island Station

For those of you that have been using the Rhode Island Metro station and bus bays please take note of the upcoming relocation during the ongoing construction. The good news that I gained from this message is that the parking garage is looking to be completed by June 2011 and the rest down by summer of 2012.

Bus bays at Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metrorail station temporarily relocated
For immediate release: October 21, 2010

Ongoing construction of new Metro parking garage, commercial project shifts bays
The bus bays at the Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metrorail station will temporarily shift for five months starting on Monday, Oct. 25, as construction continues on a new parking garage, ground transportation service area, and a housing and retail joint-development project adjacent to the station.

Customers will have to board buses and use Kiss & Ride at their new, temporary locations across the parking lot that is near the station entrance. The Kiss & Ride area will continue to accommodate parking, car-sharing, taxis, and passenger pick-up and drop-off during the construction.

The construction, which began in April, is expected to be finished on the parking garage in June 2011 and by the summer of 2012 on the other projects.

News release issued at 11:36 am, October 21, 2010.

Take Action: Rhode Island Avenue Safety Improvements Needed

A few weeks ago I wrote about the need for improvements to the sidewalks along Rhode Island Avenue, as well as, the access to the Rhode Island Ave metro station. Greater Greater Washington followed up with a great article on the issue. Those of us that regularly ride the bus or metro out of that station know how dangerous it can be to get to get there. The sidewalks are narrow and close to the busy traffic and the staircase is steep and narrow with steps crumbling. With millions of dollars being invested in redeveloping the parking lot into new retail and apartments you would think that an upgrade to the outdated sidewalks and stairs would be a natural progression. However, it has not been included in the plans!!!

We can change this by letting DDOT Director Gabe Klein and our Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr., know that we need these changes to happen now while the area is being redeveloped. I wrote CM Thomas and received a response that they would forward my concerns to the project team and I have not heard anything back since then. Everyone knows that there is power in numbers and the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I am asking everyone to spread the word about this issue.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth has begun a petition to DDOT Director Gabe Klein and Ward 5 Council member Harry Thomas, Jr., that states the need we residents have to get these items fixed. Please sign the petition now and forward the link on to get as many people as possible to send the message that this is not an issue that we will let fade away!

Rhode Island Metro Station Sidewalks and Staircase Improvements Needed

Recently it was brought to my attention that with the construction of the Rhode Island Station development there are no plans to improve the sidewalks and staircase to the metro station from Rhode Island Ave. I thought with such a large-scale construction project they would be improving the public space as well especially since they would be using them.

Below is my letter to Councilmember Thomas and I am encouraging everyone to write or call him in order to bring attention to this issue.

Here is his email address: hthomas@dccouncil.us
Here is his phone number: 202-439-5103

Dear Councilmember Thomas,

I wanted to write to you about a concern that I have regarding the current sidewalks and staircase that led to the Rhode Island Metro Station with relation to pedestrian safety. These sidewalks are very narrow and the staircase is narrow and in need of repair as well.

While I am excited about the construction that is going on for the Rhode Island Station development I feel that as part of this project we should be fixing the sidewalks and stairs. We are missing an opportunity to repair items for the betterment and safety of the whole community if we do not get this done as part of the current construction. The new development will increase the traffic to that metro station and site, so if the narrow sidewalk and stairs are not adequate and safe under current use it will even be worse with increased use.

I know that the new pedestrian bridge is scheduled to be built from the Metropolitan Branch Trail to the metro station and that will help pedestrians and I encourage you to help move that project as long as well. But that bridge will not help people coming from the other direction to the metro or the new retail/apartments.

Please consider using your influence and helping to correct the problems with the stairs and sidewalks as a part of the current scope of construction that is taking place.

Ward 5 Community Forum on Public Safety

So, if you have not noticed I decided to join Twitter and you are welcome to follow me @lifeontheedgewd. I live tweeted from the meeting last night and will do it from all the meetings that I attend. I'm not going to the ANC5C meeting tonight because I am intrigued by the Solar Co-op group presenting at the Brookland meeting.

I wanted to write up a summary of what I learned at the Ward 5 Community Forum on Public Safety meeting that I attended last night. I was hoping for a more interactive meeting that resulted in more community involvement in public safety, but that was not how this meeting turned out. It started with presentations from the 5D and 4D police commanders about the crime trends in the different PSAs. Edgewood is in PSA501 and we seem to have a big decrease in most crimes. That being said there are still plenty of crimes happening. After that the police chief spoke, Metro PD spoke, and Harry Thomas used electronic surveys that were informative, but not what I would call useful.

Here are the useful bits of information that I learned:

1) Join the listserve!! I joined this morning and already found out about a potential incident on the Metropolitan Branch Trail and what is being done to stop any further incidents. (all you have to do is email MPD-5D-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or look at the website http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MPD-5D)

2) Speak up if you see something suspicious - you can call 911, email the listserve or text to 50411. You can remain anonymous thru the text tip!!

3) Come to your PSA meeting. The PSA501 meeting is tomorrow at the Edgewood Recreation center.

4) Consider submitting a Community Impact Statement for sentencing considerations

5) Be smart - "buddy system", don't use expensive electronics on metro near doors or while walking alone, look out for your neighbors, don't leave valuables in your car, use your alarm system if you have one, lock your doors and windows

While, I did get some good information from the meeting here are things that I would like to see more of and what I would consider community public safety:

1) Safety walks

2) Neighborhood watches

3) Social with neighborhood police (actually suggested by one of the officers at the meeting)

4) Self defense classes at community rec centers

Anyone else have some ideas on what they would like to see started in the neighborhood? I am going to offer up my suggestions at the PSA501 meeting tomorrow and see what happens.

Rhode Island Ave Development Walking Tour

I took the walking tour offered of the developments for Rhode Island Ave yesterday and did learn a few new things. The group for the Rhode Island Station development at the metro station have already started pre-construction as the parking lot closed on Saturday morning. The buses and the metro will stay open full service during the construction which is expected to take 27 months. So, we can expect the full project to be completed in July/August 2012 if my math is right. They are going to complete the metro parking garage first and I believe that will open back up when it is completed. They do not have any signed letters of intent for the retail but are in negotiations. They mentioned that they were trying to get at least two sit-down restaurants. Council member Thomas mentioned that they are attending the retail convention in Las Vegas at the end of this month and for all residents to let him know what kind of retail we would like to see here. If you want something email him (hthomas@dccouncil.us) - I know that I would love a Trader Joes in addition to as many sit-down restaurants as possible!

The second half of the tour walked down to the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) and showed off the location for the pedestrian bridge to the metro. The bridge will have a ramp and a staircase entrance. All of the final paperwork for the bridge is being worked on with a hope of starting construction in the fall. Anyone who lives in this area knows it cannot be completed soon enough. The MBT is now open all the way to Union Station with only a few small items to be completed.

I had hoped there would be more about new and future developments coming to our area, but it was only about these two items. I do have to say that most the people on the tour did not know about these projects.

Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) Updates and Scheduled Events

The following was sent from the www.metbranchtrail.com



The newest section of trail - from Franklin Street, NE to New York Avenue, NE - opens May 1! So get out there and ride, skate, walk or run! Or attend one of many MBT events this May, culminating in a grand opening celebration on Saturday, June 5. Read on for details…

Mark Your Calendars: May is the Month for the Met Branch Trail

Saturday, May 1: Trail Clean-Up
Friends of Edgewood Recreation Center will be leading a trail clean-up this Saturday, May 1 at 10:30 a.m. We’ll meet at the Edgewood mural behind the Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center. See you there! Questions? Contact Kelly Pack at kellyp@railstotrails.org.

Saturday, May 1: Walking Tour of the Rhode Island Ave. Metro Station Area
After the clean-up, join the Coalition for Smarter Growth for a walking tour at 12 noon to learn about plans to turn the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station parking lot into a vibrant, walkable community. Representatives from DDOT and developer Urban Atlantic will be there to answer your questions. RSVP is required online and a $10 donation is suggested.

Thursday, May 13: Trail Meeting – Get Involved
An informal walk-and- talk on the Met Branch Trail. Learn more about the trail and how you can help out. Meet at Pound Coffee, 1300 2nd Street, NE near the MBT and the New York Avenue Metro station at 6 p.m.

Fridays, May 21, May 28, June 4: Friday Commuter Convoys
Commuter Convoys will ride from Takoma, Brookland, and Eckington to Union Station on Friday mornings — beginning on Bike to Work Day (May 21) and repeating each week until June 4. Check out our route and sign up now to reserve your spot – it’s free!

Saturday, May 22: WalkingTown and BikingTown DC includes the MBT
Enjoy a free walking tour of the new MBT section on Saturday, May 22 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon as part of Cultural Tourism DC’s WalkingTown DC weekend. In addition, BikingTown DC will offer "Gimme 5! Ward 5 Bike Tour" which will include the MBT. For more information including a full weekend schedule, visit WalkingTown DC.

Save the Date: Meet the Met
Party on the Met Branch Trail
WHEN: Saturday, June 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: On and along the trail from Franklin Street, NE to New York Avenue Metro station. Main activity station near trail entrance at Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center, in front of Edgewood mural.
WHO: You! Bring your family, friends and neighbors to this free community event!

More information will be available soon at www.metbranchtrail.com
We need your help! If you are interested in volunteering for all or part of the event, sign up for a volunteer shift online.

Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) Shortcut Closed

The MBT has completed the fencing between the trail and the railroad tracks. Those that live in Edgewood know that many people cut across the railroad tracks and hop over the ledge as a shortcut to the metro - a potentially dangerous shortcut. Well now they have closed that shortcut with the MBT fence and someone added some very sharp wire to the spot on the ledge where people were jumping off to get to the metro bridge. I saw people today using the shortcut despite the new wire and fencing. One guy got stuck in the wire and did some damage to his jacket and another cut himself. I wonder if this was the best way to stop this shortcut from being used. Looks like the pedestrian bridge cannot be built soon enough.

Rhode Island Station Update

The day of closing the parking lot is quickly approaching and Metro is doing a great job handing out flyers (see above) and posting signs. The official groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for May 18th, but I was told that construction will begin much sooner.

Rhode Island Ave Development Walking Tour

A walking tour showcasing the development coming to the Rhode Island Metro Station is being offered by the Coalition for Smarter Growth on May 1st. You will need to go to their website to RSVP if you want to attend.

This was taken from their website:


Dear Smart Growth Supporters,

It's time to kick off a new season of smart growth events, starting with a walking tour next weekend. If you haven't checked out the area around the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station lately, you'll want to join us to discover all the great developments being made there.

Check Out Rhode Island Avenue With The Experts! Learn about the plans to turn the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station parking lot into a vibrant, walkable community. Representatives from DDOT and Urban Atlantic will be there to answer all your questions.

Walking Tour: Transformation of the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station Area
Saturday, May 1, 2010 12 noon - 2:00 pm RSVP Required
$10 suggested donation* Meet at the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station entrance

About Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station

In 1976, Rhode Island Avenue Metro station was at the end of the Red Line. A lot has changed since then, but much of the land use around the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station is still a hodge-podge of industrial and automobile-oriented uses crisscrossed by busy railroad tracks, a commuter arterial road and hilly topography.

This tour will look at plans to transform Rhode Island Avenue Metro station parking lot into a pedestrian-friendly place of shops and housing. We'll also hear from the D.C. Department of Transportation about how they are building a pedestrian bridge to overcome barriers to reaching the transit station from the west side and create a direct connection to the Metropolitan Branch Trail. From the Metro station, we'll cross over Rhode Island Avenue to walk the brand new Metropolitan Branch Trail (which should be open by May 1), and discuss other efforts to improve walking along the corridor.

Hosting us on our walk will be the site developer, Urban Atlantic's Caroline Kenney, and D.C. Department of Transportation planner Heather Deutsch.

Learn more about the trail and new pedestrian connection to the Metro station here.

*$10 Suggested Donation
Please consider making a $10 donation to help us cover the costs of this tour. Your donation will also help us continue to provide walking tours like this one. We'll accept cash or check donations at the event, or you can donate online.

We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
Laura DeSantis
action@smartergrowth.net
Coalition for Smarter Growth

Pedestrian Bridge from Metro to Trail Planned for 2011

The pedestrian bridge for crossing from the Rhode Island Ave Metro station to the Metropolitan Branch Trail is planned and scheduled for delivery in 2011. This will make accessing the metro much safer for those who cross the railroad tracks. Here's hoping it completes ahead of schedule!

Here is the link:

http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/board_of_directors/board_docs/032520_RIAve.BikeBridgepackage.pdf

Rhode Island Station - Metro Parking Lot Closing on May 1st

Looks like a May groundbreaking may actually happen!!!!

Surface Parking Lot at the Rhode Island Avenue Metrorail Station Closing For 18 Months

See this announcement passed along by ANC 5C04 Commissioner John Salatti:

Dear Commissioner:

The purpose of this letter is notify you that the Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood Metrorail surface parking lot will close permanently at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 1, 2010 for approximately 18 months to make way for a joint development project with Urban Atlantic Development and the construction of a new Metro parking garage. As a result of this temporary closure of the surface parking lot, daily parking will not be available at the Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood station for approximately 18 months. Due to the unique characteristics of the station site and the urban character of the surrounding neighborhood, it is not possible to maintain or temporarily relocate daily parking at the station during the construction of this project and the new Metro parking garage.Metro and Urban Atlantic Development have entered into a joint development agreement, which calls for the construction of 274 residential units, 65,000 square feet of retail parking on the existing surface parking lot at the station. A new Metro parking garage will be constructed to replace the daily surface parking lot for transit riders. Metro customers will also have the opportunity to share parking spaces in the residential and retail parking garages.Metro apologizes for the inconvenience and the potential impacts it may have on customers. This project will improve the Rhode Island Avenue corridor and generate revenue for the improvement of public transit in the Metropolitan region. Thank you for your patience. If you have questions, please call me at 202- 962-1050 or alawson @ wmata.com.


Sincerely,Art Lawson

District of Columbia Government Relations Officer