Rhode Island Station - Moving Along

Well if they build the development as nice as their website we are going to be very happy when they finish. As you can see they have already started construction and are working away!

Here is their website:

http://www.rhodeislandstation.com/

Sidewalks!!!

Today I spotted a DDOT vehicle and representative taking pictures and measuring the sidewalks which are in bad repair from the tree roots. I asked him if they were going to fix the sidewalks and he said yes sooner rather than later he thought maybe within a month! This is very exciting news for us as I was hoping the sidewalk repair on Rhode Island Ave would spread to the neighborhood! Ascot Place NE will soon have normal sidewalks with no asphalt "fixes"!!

ANC and Big Bear: What it means to Edgewood!!

After reading the tweets, blogs and this article and comments about the Big Bear Cafe presentation at the ANC 5C meeting I felt compelled to write. I first moved here a couple of years ago at the end of the summer and not long after we had elections. Upon voting I noticed the ANC commissioner race and the fact that there were mostly only one person running for the position in each area. I deemed them not important and moved on with my life. After volunteering and getting more involved in my neighborhood I have come to understand the importance of the ANC. While it is only May we are coming upon another election year and I am urging all of us to get involved with who become our new ANC commissioners.

As demonstrated by the current situation with Big Bear obtaining a temporary and permanent liquor license the ANC plays a role in what development comes to our community. If you want to see new development, restaurants and neighborhood bars than you want to elect someone that will represent your views over the next two years. That's right two years! Thinking ahead now will help the Edgewood neighborhood have ANC commissioners in place when we have new restaurants and neighborhood bars come to our area as we gather more development. The Rhode Island Station, Artspace Lofts and Chancellor's Row townhouses are already under construction which should bring more interest in investing in the Edgewood neighborhood. Let's make sure we have ANC commissioners that represent what we want for our neighborhood. As election time approaches let's come together and get the right representation for Edgewood that focuses on smart development and change instead of fighting it.

One thing that really hit me was all the concern from the commissioners and residents that have been here a long time about the alcohol and its effect on the community. I am not even going to get into the argument about whose opinion matters more - those that have been here longer or not - because I believe if you live here you matter. But, I do have to ask the commissioners and long time residents where they were when all of the liquor stores were allowed to open. On the corner of Fourth and Rhode Island NE there are more than 5 places that sell alcohol and by the bottle. In my opinion we should be more concerned about these types of places than restaurants and neighborhood bars. Why didn't they fight these establishments?

Right now we can do something to support the change in Bloomingdale and that is to write your commissioner and Anita Bonds and let them know what you want to happen with Big Bear Cafe. If the whole ANC 5C makes the decision then we can support the decision we want as well. I have already written to Ms. Farmer and Ms. Bonds in support of Big Bear.

Here is the information for finding your ANC:

ANC DC Gov

ANC 5C website

You can write to Anita Bonds at these email addresses: 5c01@anc.dc.gov or dcbonsa@yahoo.com

Edgewood Rec Center Football Field Dedication

Beacon House, DC Department of Parks and Recreation, the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) will hold a community celebration to dedicate the football field at the Edgewood Department of Parks and Recreation Center, which has been renovated with a newly resurfaced field, bleachers, and an electronic scoreboard.

The event will take place on Saturday, May 15, starting at 11 am at the football field, located at 3rd and Evarts Streets NE, Washington, DC. City officials, Redskins players and team officials, representatives from the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, Beacon House, and LISC will be on hand for ribbon-cutting ceremony. The field dedication will also feature a Beacon House football team scrimmage.

The upgrades to the field were made possible by a $100,000 grant from the National Football League Grassroots Program, a partnership between the NFL Youth Football Fund, The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and Local Initiatives Support Corporation. The grant is part of $2.5 million in field refurbishments allocated this year to community groups in areas surrounding 21 NFL markets. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities also contributed by installing new lights.

Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) Celebration and Bike Ride

Here is some more information on the June 5th celebration and community bike ride on the Metropolitan Branch Trail.

Here's the message from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy:

Saturday, June 5: Join your neighbors from LeDroit Park, Bloomingdale, Edgewood, Eckington and Brookland on a free, all-ages, all-abilities bike ride through the neighborhoods around the newest section of the Metropolitan Branch Trail. Tell your friends and family, then take a look at the route map and sign up today!

Here are the locations where you can meet this community ride:

o 10:00 AM - Common Good City Farm (3rd & V Streets NW)
o 10:15 AM - Harry Thomas, Sr. Community Center
o 10:30 AM - Edgewood Terrace (6th Street & Edgewood Street NE)
o 10:45 AM - Brookland Metro (10th & Monroe Street NE)

Don’t want to hop on a bike? You can join us at Meet the Met, a grand opening celebration for the Metropolitan Branch Trail from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. where the trail crosses over Rhode Island Avenue. RSVP on Facebook or simply show up – see you there!

We’d love to get as much neighborhood participation as possible. We would appreciate if you could spread the word!

Thank you –

Stephen Miller
Urban Pathways Coordinator
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
2121 Ward Court, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20037-1213

www.railstotrails.org/urbanpathways

Chancellor’s Row Community Meeting

I attended the community meeting for the Chancellor's Row development in Edgewood tonight. There were a few new items to note about the development. They have already installed the sales trailer on the site. Sales will start this weekend and on Saturday they will be making appointments for contracts to be signed starting on Sunday.

The project will be developed in three phases as shown in the picture above and the second slide shows their rough timelines to get started. The first phase will be 100 houses and 13 of those will be affordable housing units. This phase is expected to take 2-3 years to develop depending on sales. Phases 2 and 3 will follow all expecting to take about 2 years depending on sales. Overall the project is building over 230 rowhouses and 28 of those will be affordable housing units. Fourteen will be for people making 50% of the area median income and the other fourteen will be for people making 80% of the area median income. The units will be interspersed throughout the development and will be the same on the outside as the rest of the development. The prices for the affordable housing units is set by the DC government and the process for the sales of these houses are still being developed.

This project will also provide some amenities to the rest of the community thru streetscape improvements, upgraded utilities, scholarships, and other amenities. I was promised a list of all of them and will share it when I get it.

Here is the website again:

http://www.eya.com/Chancellors_Row_at_Brookland_Metro

Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) Ribbon-Cutting

These pictures are from the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new section of the Metropolitan Branch Trail opening. During the speeches it was announced that the entire trail would be completed in 3 years - looking forward to May 3, 2013.

I also got to talk with some people in the crowd whose companies are planning more improvements to the trail and the landscaping. I was promised updates which I will share as I get them.

Chancellor’s Row Grand Opening May 8th

The Chancellor’s Row development of new rowhouses in Edgewood is having their grand opening on May 8th and they have already updated their website with floor plans and prices. The above picture is the site plan taken from their website. This development is going to add over 200 new homes to our neighborhood and help increase the population and tax base to bring more retail and interest in our neighborhood. From the looks of the designs and layout they are trying to make the new houses blend in with the existing neighborhood. I am jealous of the optional garages and the outdoor decks and patios. The prices are listed from $469,000+.

Here is the website with the information on the project:

http://www.eya.com/Chancellors_Row_at_Brookland_Metro

This has been a busy weekend for Edgewood - groundbreaking of Artspace Lofts, construction starting at Rhode Island Station and the opening of the new section of the Metropolitan Branch Trail!!!! I hope that the changes keep coming!

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.

Edgewood Mural Expanded: Artists for DC Voting Rights

Here is the completed (?) mural.