2008 Year in Review

This blog was born on January 28, 2008 as a DuMont contract holder using the pen name Mediocre Bad Guy aimed to build an online community of residents both present and future. Just three short days later a Madrigal Lofts resident using the pen name Madrigal Blogs became an author for the blog. Early postings talked of Architecture, buildings lost forever, DuMont rumors and Peapod grocery shopping.

In mid March I finalized my condo hunt and chose Madrigal Lofts to be my new home. I responded to Mediocre Bad Guy's open invitation and joined the team. Other commitments have dramatically scaled back the involvement of our original two contributors to the blog. However since I took full adminstrative authority in June and commited to a frequent and dependable posting schedule the site traffic has more than tripled. I am also proud that and we've recently added Yale Loft's resident SteamingMyLaundry to the team.

Below are some highlights from the year.

Open for Business

• Papa Johns
  
• 5th Street Hardware
  
• Safeway
  
• Busboys and Poets
  
• Results the Gym
  
• Chevy Chase Bank
  
• The V Apartments
  
• The UPS Store

The Promise of More to Come

• The Arts at 5th and Eye
  
• Buddha Bar
  
• City Vista retail space for lease
  
• Mount Vernon Place
  
• Douglas Development's concept for Squares 450/451
  
• Yale West

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye

• ICE leaves CAAB building
  
• National Public Radio moving to NoMA
  
• Demolition of a few vacants on 3rd
  
• WSD gives up on proposed Eye Street Lofts and sells parcels

A few of my other fave posts

• Bill McLeod on the Mount Vernon Triangle
  
• DCMetrocentric features The Triangle
  
• Block Group 3, Census Tract 47
  
• Mayhood presentation on Madrigal Lofts
  
• $2Million declined for a $200,000 property
  
• Big Green Monsters
  
• Tony Cheng's 5th Street property
  
• Firehouse Facade at 400 Mass
  
• Park Improvements at 2nd & Mass (proposed)
  
• Tracktwentynine on Back to the Future
  
• Good, not Great Stuff
  
• Bid Smackdown - Capitol Riverfront

Stats via Google Analytics:


Top Referral Sites

1. PQLiving
   
2. DCist
   
3. Life in MVSNA
   
4. Renew Shaw
   
5. DC Blogs
   
6. Greater Greater Washington
   
7. District Chatter
   
8. DC Metrocentric

The Most viewed posts

1. 5th & I Public Meeting recap
   
2. 7th & Hell
   
3. Safeway Flickr Stream
   
4. Shattered Windows at City Vista
   
5. MVSNA endorse Single Serve Moratorium Exemption (Most comments)

The almost NYE links roundup

I'm back from hiatus with a links roundup.

• Zenith Gallery, a future tenant at 5th and Eye, will close their doors in Penn Quarter this upcoming March (hat tip: PQLiving).
  
• The Lifein MVSNA blog picks up a story from WaPo that points out MVT is in the center of Inauguration Ball ground zero. Eight of the Ten balls take place at the National Building Museum, Union Station and the Convention Center.
  
• The NYE celebration at Lux Lounge (649 NY Ave NW) will be hosted by Washington Wizards players Caron Butler, Antwan Jamison, Andray Blatche and Juan Dixon.
  
• District Chatter unveils a new feature called The Real Trannie Hookers Of MVT.
  
• District Chatter also breaks the scoop that Smart Bike is coming to the Mount Vernon Square/Convention Center metro.
  
• Prince of Petworth offers some NYE options.
  

image from District Chatter

Trash Day

Kudos to the people who are spending their Saturday cleaning the trash off the empty lot at 4th and L.  It looks like they're doing a great job.  But with nothing to stop people from using the lot to feed the homeless, why won't their efforts be wasted?  

WP: Inauguration Charter Bus Parking

The Washington Post unveils the Charter Bus Parking plan.


excerpt:

With the exception of some residential areas, all curbside parking will be set aside for buses; streets will be restricted to charter bus, transit bus and official inaugural vehicles, he said. In the downtown area, there are 11 north-south streets between 11th and 21st streets, and almost all blocks of K, L, M, N, O and P streets will be for charter bus parking. In the second area, streets bounded on the east by the Union Station railroad tracks north to Florida and New York avenues NE, west to Sixth Street NW and south to Massachusetts Avenue will be for charter buses. The charter bus restrictions will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 20. Other vehicles parked on the streets after that will be towed.

The streets of the Triangle east of Sixth Street NW fall under these Charter Bus restrictions.

WBJ: Mount Vernon Triangle to be seat of Buddha Bar

Washington Business Journal staff reporter Missy Frederick follows up on the buzz about Little Buddha coming to 455 Mass Ave. Frederick reports that the plans are for a full scale 9,600 s.f. Buddha Bar rather than a scaled down Little Buddha.

“To sign a deal for a 9,400-square-feet restaurant in this market is really amazing,” said Bill Dickinson, senior director of brokerage for The Rappaport Cos., who represented the landlord.

The street-level Mount Vernon Triangle location has a soaring two-floor space that provides room for Buddha Bar’s dramatic decor, such as a large gold Buddha statue, among other accents.

Buddha Bar probably will not occupy the location until late 2009, Dickinson said.

Hat tip to Q Street News

UPDATE (1/3/2009): I've removed the embedded video because Internet Explorer was automatically playing it when ever readers loaded the page.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to everyone.

Before I take a brief hiatus I wanted to point out a posting on DCist today recapping an event Top Chef and Good Stuff Eatery owner Spike Mendelsohn had at the Sixth and I Synagogue Sunday night.

From now until sometime on Saturday I'm enabling the comment moderation feature. That means comments will not be posted instantaneously. I have no intention to censor anything but name calling or 'why don't you move' comments. Please try to be constructive in comments about the Single Serve Moratorium and I encourage you to consider posting using an identity. A blogger or gmail account is not required. See the posting "How to be less anonymous" for tips.

Single Sales Testimony

Below is an excerpt from Cary Silverman's testimony before the Committee on Public Works and the Environment. Cary is the current MVSNA president and at the time Cary was running for the Ward 2 City Council position. He clearly states these are his personal views not those of any organization he is affiliated with. But I am bummed out when I attend MVSNA meetings and he's not remotely challenging the community to consider the downsides of exemptions. The conversations have been framed to be pro-business.

Excerpt:

My testimony today represents my personal views. I am not representing any organization.

FAIR, EFFECTIVE, SOUND POLICY

I would like to address head on some of the frequent questions and concerns raised as to whether this legislation is needed, as well as its fairness and effectiveness.

1. Why do we need a single sales ban when the conduct stemming from singles, such aggressive pan handling, littering, public drinking, and public urination, is already illegal?
   Unfortunately, every resident knows that these quality-of-life crimes are very rarely enforced. At best, a passing officer will request that the violator move on. A ban on single sales eliminates a major source of these problems. It is readily enforceable. It will have a real impact. Moreover, it will reduce the need for citizens to repeatedly call 911 for such matters and allow officers to focus on other crimes.
   
   
2. Why not just continue the current practice of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions and community associations entering into voluntary agreements with individual stores to prohibit single sales where there is a problem?
   The voluntary agreement process does not work with respect to single sales for three reasons.
   
   • First, due to the nature of the process, it pits residents against small business owners, which is very unfortunate and strains community relations. It takes neighborhood residents away from their jobs. It requires small business owners to hire lawyers and go to hearings.
     
   • Second, applying a prohibition to one business but not another two blocks away places the first at a competitive disadvantage. I have watched this play out in Chinatown, where residents have tried to simultaneously negotiate voluntary agreements with three businesses, to little result but a lot of sweat and hearings.
     
   • Third, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has historically not been receptive to voluntary agreements banning the sale of singles for individual establishments. In some cases, after numerous hearings and status conferences, the best result the ANC is able to obtain from the ABC Board with respect to well-documented problems is a requirement that the licensee package singles in clear plastic bags.
   
   
3. Won’t the market eventually phase out sale of singles as neighborhoods change?
   I do not believe that any community should be subject to the problems associated with the sale of single beverages. Moreover, in any neighborhood, there is a strong incentive to sell singles. They are highly profitable and come with an addicted customer base. The cost is imposed on the surrounding neighborhood.

SCOPE OF THE PROPOSED PROHIBITION ON SINGLE SALES

I would also like to address the scope of the proposed ban. In my view, the prohibition should be enacted citywide and it certainly should include all of Ward 2. There are three reasons why.

1. It treats small business owners equitably and fairly. Single sales are highly profitable and come with an addicted customer base. Just as voluntary agreements prohibit individual licensees from selling singles place that business at a competitive disadvantage with those nearby, so too do limited bans. As I mentioned, MVSNA is on the border of Wards 2, 5, and 6. A customer could simply walk from Mount Vernon or Chinatown to a corner store on First Street NW or North Capital to buy a single, taking their money elsewhere.
   
2. It will place a higher burden on the communities not covered. There is no imaginary wall between stores east and west of 15th Street NW. Should the Ward 2 legislation pass, I would be surprised if some of those who currently drink on 14th Street and 11th Street do not simply walk over to 17th Street or go a few blocks north into Ward 1.
   
3. There’s no good reason to exempt certain areas. I would like to ask you, Council Members, to consider the question in this way: If singles were already prohibited in the District, would you have introduced legislation authorizing their sale? Or consider it this way. The District does not permit corner stores to sell individual cigarettes for fifty cents for a multitude of good reasons. Why should the city permit the sale of singles for a dollar? Even if an area currently does not have a single-sale licensee, would it want one? Why are we legislating this issue on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis? Will the combined effect of this year’s legislation effectively create “public drinking zones” in Ward 5 and parts of Wards 1 and 2? Why not cover the entire city?

You can read more on the Cary For Council site including:

Christopher, thanks for your comment. A few thoughts. First, the problem of singles may hit some areas harder than others, which doesn't mean, in my opinion, that we should legislate in a way that pushes the problem around. Ward 2 has the highest concentration of liquor licenses. Combine that with the fact that Ward 2 and the downtown area also has the greatest concentration of homeless individuals and homeless services. Now throw single sales in the mix.

But Ward 6 also has its share of single sale problems. The Chinatown Market, in Ward 6 just off the Ward 2 border, has been the subject of neighborhood complaints for years for its high volume of single sales and the effects resulting from it.

In another area of Ward 6, residents worked for over a year to obtain a moratorium from the ABC Board from September 2006 until they finally received approval in July 2007 - it took effect this past October. According to the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for the area, about 98% of the people he spoke with supported the ban (ed note: link now busted). The Ward 6 moratorium covers 7 blocks between the 700 and 1400 Blocks of H Street NW. In reaching their decision, the ABC Board cited chronic problems with respect to litter, loitering, public drunkenness, public urination and criminal activity. According to his website, Ward 6 Council Member's position: "A moratorium will go a long way to address some of the chaos and crime afflicting H Street, NE. On top of that, the neighborhood is tired of people using the streets, alleys and treeboxes as public urinals and trashcans. To realize the promise of H Street, this is a necessary step to bring back order and stability and make it a thriving asset for the neighborhood." DCist did a little poll after the ABC Board approved the H Street moratorium. Only 27% of those who responded supported keeping singles around.

It doesn't make sense to deal with this problem piecemeal, requiring residents to fight it out establishment by establishment, block by block , neighborhood by neighborhood. There's little argument to be made in support of single sales of alcohol, just like there's no good argument for single sales of cigarettes. If singles sales of alcohol were not legal today, could a compelling argument be made for making it legal?

Grocery options

PQLiving tells us Balducci’s Really, Really NOT Coming To PQ, Really!

I know that some in lower PQ still prefer to have a closer option that the City Vista Safeway. Others just want more niche items and prepared foods. So far I shop primarily at the new Safeway but still make 1 or 2 small trips to Harris Teeter a month specifically to shop from their prepared foods selection. So I will be excited when the new Harris Teeter in at Constitution Square in NOMA opens in two years. The possibility of a Wegman's in Hilleast (near RFK) sounds good too!

How many of you are shopping for Groceries exclusively at the Safeway?

My tour of Mt Pleasant liquor and convenience stores

This past Saturday I toured the Class A & B ABC licensed establishments in the Mount Pleasant commercial corridor. As I outlayed in my previous posting on Mount Pleasant, the neighborhood has had a single sales ban which both the community and ABC businesses have overwhelmingly supported the continuance of.

The commercial district spans roughly 3/10 of a mile along Mount Pleasant Street NW between Irving St NW and Park Rd NW. While the corridor was bustling the mix of businesses suggested the area was certainly not too affluent to be comparable to areas around the Triangle. In addition to the popular Heller's Bakery, Radius Pizza and Dos Gringos Cafe you'll find a dollar store, check cashing store, thift shop and multiple laundromats.



On the map above I've highlighted the two Class A in red and five B ABC licensed establishments in blue.

• Irving Wine & Liquors
  
• Sportsman Liquors
  
• Bodega Los Primos
  
• Samber Market
  
• Argyle Convenience Store
  
• Bestway Supermarket
  
• Mount Pleasant Deli

Do any businesses sell singles?
None of the liquor or convenience stores sold singles of beer or malt liquor. There are no exceptions negotiated via voluntary agreements. 7-11 has a convenience store on this street but it does not sell any alcohol. I briefly entered into a few of the carryout places like El Pollo Sabroso and did not see single beers for sale in those establishments. Mt Pleasant has clearly stuck to the intent of the law.

What do they sell?
Among the seven convenience and liquor stores I visited the was not much universal overlap in brands being sold. Some, like the Bestway Supermarket, stuck mainly to 6-packs of the staples like Budweiser and Corona. A few of the other stores sold more variety including Magic Hat, Allagash, Abita, Dogfish Head, Hoegarden, Boddington, Brooklyn Pilsner, Shiner Bock, and Kirin Ichiban. For stores that carried Heineken and Guinness the smallest packaging was 4 packs of 14.9 ounce cans priced roughly at $7.99. Only one store carried Steel Reserve (Mt Pleasant Deli) but did so in 6-packs of 12oz cans. I did not see any Sapporo or Chimay for sale. I'm not clear why there was no Sapporo for sale as it is available from distributors in 6-packs.

How did the businesses adapt?
I was fortunate enough to carry on a conversation with one of the store owners. I will leave the name of his business out of the blog posting as I didn't explain to him I was asking questions to publish anything. But I will share this information with any MVSNA BoD or ANC member who would like to talk to him first hand.

I approached the store owner and shared with him that my Ward had recently passed a Single Sale Moratorium and that ABC licensees around my neighborhood were applying for exemptions. I explained that I was touring Mt Pleasant to learn how the stores adapted and what product mixes they presently carried. I also commented on how I was pleasantly surprised to see that only one store I entered had a security partition. I asked him if he could share some thoughts on how the prohibition on single sales worked for the commercial corridor and his store.

Summarizing his comments: He was afraid to change back in 2000 and initially opposed the idea. He acknowledged that before the ban many of the litter, public drunkenness, public urination and safety issues the proponents of the ban pointed to did plague the neighborhood. He suggested that many of the stores had security partitions back in 2000. He noticed improvements in the neighborhood within the first year. By 2003 he had removed his security partition and in 2005 he completed a remodel. He thinks the ban was instrumental to a revitalization of the corridor but can relate to how change can be scary.

Conclusion
This tour did increase my resolve that the wide and strong Single Sale Moratorium is worth fighting for. The Mt Pleasant success story is very compelling to me. Not only did the Class A & Class B ABC licensed businesses survive without selling singles, they became better stores.

Mt Pleasant: Single free in DC since 2000

The Mount Pleasant neighborhood in DC has had a prohibition on single sales of beer and malt liquor since the year 2000. As exemptions to the Single Sale Moratorium are being considered in Wards 2 and Ward 6 we can look to evidence from the case study Mt Pleasant has created to make informed decisions.

Now that 8 years has passed, how do residents and local businesses feel about the prohibition of single sales? Did the prohibition lead to the desired quality of life affects while still allowing local businesses to prosper?

The MtPleasantDC.org website, which hosts a highly active message board that contains over 5,800 topics and 20,000 postings recently used their home page to poll the community on Single Sales. The poll asked "Do you support a continued ban of the single sales of alcohol in Mount Pleasant?" Results demonstrated that 92% of voters wanted the ban to continue.

Earlier this year the Northwest Current (Feb 20, page 9) featured an article entitled "Single Sale Moratoria: Other Neighborhoods Can Benefit From What We Learned in Mt. Pleasant."

Bans on single sales of beer and malt liquor are in place in Ward 4, on H Street, NE and still in place in Mt. Pleasant, the first location in the city to seek this relief from the ABC Board. Now comes the news that similar prohibitions may be sought in Wards 7 and 8.

The decision to seek a prohibition on single sales of beer and malt liquor was an easy one for those of us interested in alleviating the visible symptoms of this problem such as litter, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and public urination, and the pall these symptoms cast over a small local business strip.

Achieving implementation, however, was much more difficult. Local merchants were concerned about loss of business. Some neighborhood activists claimed such measures just shunt the problem to other neighborhoods. Mt. Pleasant has now had a ban on single sales for almost 8 years in its off-premise Class A (spirits, beer and wine) and Class B (beer and wine only) ABC establishments. None of these stores has gone out of business. In fact, every one of these businesses supported another 5-year extension of the moratorium at the most recent ABC Board hearing on renewal in 2005.

Positive testimony for renewal came from Mt. Pleasant ABC license-holders, residents, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Ward one Councilmember Jim Graham's office. The Mayor's Clean City office reported on visible improvements to quality of life issues since the moratorium was established. MPD reported a substantial drop in quality of life crimes directly related to the ban of single sales (676 in 1999 compared to 193 in 2007). The Department of Public Works reported a tremendous reduction in the number of beer bottles and cans to clean up. This made their job easier and allowed them to address other trash issues in the neighborhood. Residents testified to an improved quality of life; in particular, the reduction of beer bottles left in front of their homes and in their alleys; they felt more comfortable walking around the neighborhood; they noticed a tremendous reduction of people drinking in public, less public urination, less panhandling, less exposure to a disagreeable, unhealthy and dangerous lifestyle for our children. Residents felt it made a very positive difference, especially in their willingness to walk and shop on Mt. Pleasant Street.

Our ABC-licensed business community has shown improvement by sprucing up its stores, stocking better wines and cheeses, introducing other cuisines and improving displays. Where these businesses previously made money selling singles to a troubled clientele, they are now serving more residents who previously avoided their stores.

While the moratorium on single sales in Mt. Pleasant certainly isn't the panacea to all of our neighborhood problems, it clearly has improved our quality of life.

The Mt Pleasant case study suggests that both the residents and ABC Class A and Class B license holders agree that the moratorium has been successful and want the program to continue. The community supports the continued moratorium at a 92% rate and in 2005 the local ABC license holders voted to extend the program another 5 years.

UP NEXT: My tour of Mt Pleasant Liquor and Convenience stores including feedback on the moratorium from one honest and frank liquor store owner.

Upcoming Single Serve Moratorium posts

Last week I recapped the outcome of the MVSNA membership vote on the Single Sales Moratorium exemption for Good Libations (1201 5th St NW). As promised I've done more research on the issue to share with you the readers.

Later today I will post my findings from a recent tour of the Mt Pleasant neighborhood of DC which has had a Single Sales Moratorium since 2000. In the coming days additional posts are also planned covering the issue from different angles. However there will likely be a break in coverage from Dec 23 thru 27th.

Palace of Wonders

Looking to shake up the routine? Try the Palace of Wonders Showbar at 1210 H Street NE. While H Street NE is not served by Metro it is just a short 8 minute trip on the X2 Metrobus from the bus stop at the 2nd and Mass park.


Cookie boy calls it a trendy mix between a circus, Moulin Rouge, and Ripley's Believe it or Not. Very accurate description. Last night the show I saw was called the Lucky DareDevil Thrillshow featuring Tyler Fyre and Thrillkill Jill. The act included sword swallowers, a contortionist, fire breathing, straitjacket escapes, a bed of nails, snake charming, and odd feats using a screwdriver and a chainsaw. What more could you ask for? Maybe midgets? Is Verne Troyer available?

Tyler Fyre, Thrillkill Jill, a 27" sword and an audience member

The Lucky DareDevil Thrillshow is scheduled at PoW again on Jan 24. Check out the schedule to see what others acts are coming soon.

Photo Credits: inked78 and jgmundie

DuMont Giraffe Annex

As an one-day intermission to the Singles Sales Discussion, I give you what some Madrigal residents are coining the DuMont Giraffe Annex.


These tall gates went up earlier this week. I would imagine they will be painted black shortly.

MVSNA endorses Single Sale Moratorium exemption

Last night at the December MVSNA meeting the membership discussed and put to vote a Single Sale Moratorium (SSM) exemption for Good Libations (1201 5th St NW).

Many lobbied the council to pass this Single Sales Moratorium in Wards 2 & 6 as it has been an effective tool in other cities for reducing trash, public drunkenness, public urination and loitering. The District also has a proven success story as the Mount Pleasant neighborhood has employed this ban since 2000.

The legislation was approved by the DC Council in October prohibiting the sale of single containers of alcohol; specifically, single containers of beer, malt liquor, and ale, as well as spirits in bottles of half pint or smaller. Emergency enactment went into effect for ANC2C, ANC2F and the 6C09 Single Member District (SMD) of Ward 6. It is estimated that the bill will be enacted for the remainder of Ward 6 in February.

The MVSNA membership discussion centered on whether to endorse Good Libations' request to ABRA for an exemption to the moratorium. The ABRA is given several criteria by which they must make their decision, including considering:

• great weight to the position of the ANC
• impact of an exemption to the effectiveness of the overall ban
• one year track record on violations of the licensee
• licensee community participation
• clear and convincing evidence that there has been no negative impact of single sales in the community

Prior to the meeting the MVSNA board drafted a proposed Voluntary Agreement (V/A) as a focal point for the discussion. MVSNA President Cary Silverman introduced the agenda item and provided Good Libations owner Ron Greene the opportunity to talk on behalf on his business. Members then had a chance to speak both for an against the exemption. MVSNA Recording Secretary Jefferson Parke has many of the positions captured in the meeting notes.

Many of the positions were emotional anecdotes rather than facts or objective statements for instance "I’ve seen a lot of young neighbors buy singles of Heineken at the store." So? How does that prove they would not buy a 6-pack? And of what relevance is young? Sifting through some of that filler you can find that MPD has attested that no violations have occurred at the business and close by neighbors have not witnessed any ongoing loitering problems.

In the end the membership voted on the exemption:

Motion to approve the voluntary agreement, without an alcohol percentage specified, without a refrigeration clause, 20 oz minimum, and with a one year renewal clause: 17 in favor, 3 in opposition, 1 abstention (count of hands)

I was one of the 3 in opposition. My position is that nothing in the Voluntary Agreement the MVSNA is proposing protects the community from hobo brews from being sold. They simply trust Ron Greene to continue to not tailor his product offerings to vagrants. Subsequent exemption applicants who meet the objective criteria like zero MPD violations may not inspire the same "trust" Ron does. But since "trust" is not an objective criteria it is not defensible and crys of "unfair" will roar through community and ANC meetings over the next several months. This is a slippery slope we're on. It's bigger than one corner. It's bigger than the mild convenience of buying a single vs a four-pack of beer...

I'll write more on this over the coming days. One plan of mine is to tour the liquor stores of Mount Pleasant this Saturday to see how they adapted to the Single Sales Moratorium in which their community is now on their EIGHTH year. I know... surprising... singles were banned but the world didn't end...

Second Annual Downtown Neighborhood Survey

I am republishing this post from November 18th and the Survey ends in just 10 days.

---

The Second Annual Downtown Neighborhood Survey is being conducted now through December 26th. The survey collects demographic and purchasing behavior habits of people who live and/or work downtown. Your privacy remains protected as providing your name is not required.


This survey is invaluable to the Downtown Neighborhood to attract retailers to our area. Most national and regional retailers rely heavily on marketing data that is modeled off of Census data. At this point Census data is over 8 years old and very stale. This is especially true for the District's downtown which has undergone a transformation this decade. Anecdotally retailers know our area has transformed and is thriving but they aren't always comfortable making that plunge without data to support the decision. This survey can bridge that gap.

The URL for the survey is www.downtowndc.org/programs/economic_development/neighborhood-survey-08

For the purposes of the survey, downtown is defined by the following map:


The report from last year's survey can be found on the reports page of the DCDNA website.


Images from downtowndc.org

'Hood Roundup

• The UPS Store has opened the doors at 455 Mass.
  
• DistrictChatter spots an eyesore at City Vista - a resident has drywalled over their lower windows.
  
• Si Kailian shares a photo of the new and improved Marrakesh exterior.
  
• DCMetrocentric recommends taking your holiday visitors to the National Building Museum.

More Little Buddha

Late last week we floated the heresay that Asian-French restaurant Little Buddha has signed on to be a future tenant at 455 Mass.


I've since found a WBJ article from October 2007 stating Little Buddha was pondering a move to Penn Quarter. The article suggests that the pricing will be aimed to lunches that average $20 and dinners for about $50.

Excerpt:

The opening of Little Buddha, which could come as early as next year, hinges on finding the right location to create the well-tested experience: a building of least 8,000 square feet with ceilings a minimum of 15 feet high in an area that serves both daytime businesspeople and nighttime crawlers.

Biran and the Transwestern brokers say the restaurant will fill a void for people who have outgrown nightclubs and crowded dance floors and hunger for an energizing environment where they can dine, drink, listen to music and still have a conversation.

It's a void that's reflected nationwide, said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Illinois-based Technomic Inc., a food industry research and consulting company.

"There are very limited places where you can go for a more sophisticated, adult-oriented occasion," he said. "Most of what we see today is tending to focus on the 21- to 25-year-old crowd."

While I think this choice pairs well with the future Me by Melia hotel crowd from The Arts at 5th and I, the pricing structure will keep me away. I'd occasionally pay that amount for a steakhouse or great latin food but overall I'm not much of a foodie or fan of Asian cuisine (I know I'm a genius buying next to Chinatown).

I do think Little Buddha can help bring identity to the neighborhood so it is a positive. I'm hoping, and I think many of my neighbors are as well, that the 'hood ultimately gets a healthy balance of neighborhood serving and destination dining rather than high end destination and fast food with little in between.

Block Group 3, Census Tract 47

In order to better illustrate the value of the Downtown Neighborhood Survey I thought I would highlight the 2000 Census statistics for the Mount Vernon Triangle from Census.gov's American Fact Finder.

Most national and regional retailers rely on data from market research firms to make site location decisions. That market research data is typically heavily driven by the Census and aged/prorated in the intermediate years by factoring in growth in USPS delivery statistics. This method allows market research firms to keep pace with growth in population but cannot accurately capture the change in composition of a small area geography. Therefore growth will often be represented as more of the same.

Image from Census.gov's American Fact Finder

The geography unit in the map above is called a Census Block Group. The Mount Vernon Triangle falls entirely within Block Group 3 of Census Tract 47. The Block Group boundary goes east to 1st Street NW in some sections effectively including the Gales School and Golden Rule Apartments with the Triangle.

American Fact Finder will share Summary File 1 & 3 data although some data from these sources, like economic characteristics, are only returned for areas larger than a Block Group.

Click to enlarge; Stats from Census.gov's American Fact Finder

The top section of the statistics is Total Population which is divided into Population in Households and Group Quarters. Several different types of institutions qualify as group quarters including nursing homes, military, prisons, college, etc. In this case I'm assuming the Group Quarters population is from homeless shelters. The remainder of the statistics I included in the display are represented as Household counts rather than Population counts.

Many more interesting statistics are available on the American Fact Finder including that 67% of households were occupied by only person and the median monthly rent was $268. I would say the area continues to be comprised heavily of single person households but the rents sure have changed.

UPDATED: (12/14 2:35PM) - I found more Census 2000 statistics for this block group on FreeDemographics.com.

Click to enlarge; Stats from FreeDemographics.com

December MVSNA Meeting

A.V. in lights

The below photo of A.V. Ristorante is from flickr user M.V. Jantzen.


According to the EXIF information the photo was taken back in September 2006. I tend to be more enthusiastic for big outlandish signage than most but this doesn't really work for me.

Rumor Mill: Little Buddha signs on at 455 Mass

SG brings to our attention that sushi restaurant Little Buddha has recently signed (ed note: it's buried in that article but it is in there) on at 455 Mass Ave. Little Buddha is based at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas and is affiliated with Buddha Bar NYC and Buddha Bar Paris. Back in June the rumor was Lawry's Prime Rib.



Reactions from the peanut gallery? Many previously expressed interest in seeing a "Lauriol Plaza East" here. But of course it takes two to tango and things don't work that way. I'm satisfied with the choice as long as Little Buddha make good use of the windows and patio.

UPDATE (12/15/2008 4:30P): More Little Buddha

Miscellaneous weekend events

Thursday, December 11th, 6:30pm at 5th & K Busboys and Poets

Author event: Tracey Williams will sign and discuss Things Men Say: The Good, Bad, Naughty and Nice (A to Z). Posh has no trouble finding and dating men in the city. Her wanting or keeping them is another thing. Whether right or wrong, the men in her life always seem to deliver touching, humorous, or gritty sayings worthy of journaling her experiences into this delightful tale of the Things Men Say, Good, Bad, Naughty, and Nice

December 12-14 at 5th Street Hardware

The official grand opening of 5th Street Ace Hardware will be held December 12-14

• All three days – 20% Off Bag Sale (10% on power tools & small appliances)
  
• Friday – Buy 1 Get 1 Free Key coupons, good for a future visit
  
• Saturday – Free Ace toolbox to the first 100 customers
  
• Sunday – Free CFL light bulb to the first 100 customers
  
• Plus raffles, sale items, treats and more!

December 12-13,19-20 at E Street Cinema

Tim from The 42 Bus points out that midnight showings are winding down before closing for the season. This weekend is Labyrinth while next weekend is one of my all time favorites: The Big Lebowski.

Urban Turf: The Busboys and Poets Effect

The D.C. Real Estate website Urban Turf recently featured an article entitled Gentrification 2.0: The Busboys and Poets Effect.

The article makes several mentions of our 5th & K Busboys location. Several direct quotes from owner Andy Shallal are in the piece including:

“In the past few years, you have seen this sort of logarithmic change that has taken place, and I think much of it has been over zealous,” Shallal told UrbanTurf. “I think the idea of growing the city in a way that doesn’t have any connection with its roots or past is sort of short-sighted.”

“Gentrification can create a homogenized neighborhood; this obviously is not good for artistic and cultural growth,” he told UrbanTurf. “Culture and art exist in situations that have a healthy tension of diversity. Without this tension a neighborhood becomes bland and loses the personality that attracted people to it in the first place.”

Read More at Urban Turf

Big Green Monsters

They've been lurking in the Triangle for years, but they're finally starting to gain attention.

My perch in the Steam Laundry tower gives me a great view of these behemoth road signs.

Images from The Other 35 Percent

Despite what these Big Green Monsters suggest, and what some in City Government apparently believe, the Triangle is a neighborhood, not a highway.

The Big Green Monsters make drivers think they're on an Interstate when they're actually driving through a residential area. I can't think of any other neighborhood where interstate signs like these are tolerated. Not only are they hideous, they practically beg drivers to speed and ignore pedestrians.

I'd be curious whether anyone knows if these are Federal Big Green Monsters, or whether DDOT has jurisdiction. Sensible, neighborhood-appropriate signage is fine, but I think it's time for the Big Green Monsters to go.

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Editor's note: Three blogs covered this topic yesterday. It began with The Other 35 Percent where Cary Silverman wrote "A Yale Loft resident suggested to me a small measure that could go a long way in changing that perception among NY Avenue drivers: get rid of the big green signs." That Yale resident Cary referred to is the Triangle's own SteamingMyLaundry.

Positively Fourth Street

This post isn't about a Bob Dylan song or a World Series of Poker memoir. Instead it is a closer examination of the plans for a Two-Way Fourth Street NW within the Triangle. In past postings we have alluded to DDOT planned improvements for the street. With changes slated to begin in 2009 we felt it was time for a closer look.

click to enlarge; image from 2005 DDOT Studies

Fourth Street improvements include:

• Restore two-way traffic from L Street to Mass Ave
  
• New traffic light at Fourth and Eye
  
• Removal of a traffic island on the NW corner of Fourth and Mass
  
• Reconfiguration of the Fourth, Mass and H Street intersection
  
• Redesign slip intersection of Third and H Streets
  
• In long term, two way traffic restored between NY Ave and L Street

These improvements will promote safety for pedestrians by calming traffic speed and will reduce the appeal of the street as a I-395 alternate route. Additionally, because of the K Street and Fifth street overlays that prohibit/limit new curb cuts, the alley/garage traffic of new K Street Developments will funnel onto Fourth.

The Rest of Yale

Editor's note: Our first post from new contributor SteamingMyLaundry

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An artist's rendering of the entire Yale Complex, including "Yale West," is now circulating among Yale East residents. Apparently, various community organizations approved the design at some point, but this would have happened long before anyone lived in Yale East (or the other new buildings in the Triangle, for that matter). The 211-unit "Yale West" portion will be rentals. When complete, it will give the Yale Complex approximately 370 units overall.

click image to enlarge

Perhaps the most interesting feature is the proposed set of "live-work" rentals on the first floor along New York Avenue. "Live-work" units are designed to enable someone to operate a home business that needs street access. The resident would work in his art gallery, real estate brokerage, or whatever, and then live in the back. This is being pitched as a new concept, although it reminds me a lot of families who lived above their stores in colonial America.

Anyway, what do people think about the design? I can't speak for other Yale residents, but I'm very happy. There's enough space for light and air between the two buildings -- the developer (IBG Partners) doesn't propose to build the tallest section immediately adjacent to the historic buildings. And, although it's different enough from the rest of the complex not to be dull, it's similar enough to blend well.

Welcome Jonathan!

The Triangle welcomes Jonathan from Yale Steam Laundry condominiums to our blogging team. Jonathan is on the MVSNA board of directors and the association's Pedestrian Safety and Transportation committee. Using the screen name SteamingMyLaundry, Jonathan will post semi-regularly and share his views from the north end of the Triangle.

We look forward to adding more neighbors who wish to contribute to the blog in the future. If you're interested drop me an email, we would love to be able to represent all of the condominiums in the Triangle!

and again, if you live across the street from the physical boundaries of the Triangle at one of 400 Mass, Yale Laundry, The Meridian, or Mass Court, you are still most definitely part of the Triangle community. Community doesn't truncate at invisible lines on a map.

Rhee on Time, 5 day booze bender, and Silly Street names

I highly recommend the Time Magzine cover story of DCPS Superintendent Michelle Rhee [hat tip DCTeacherChic]

The D.C. Council makes news by passing emergency legislation to allow D.C. Bars and Nightclubs to Be Open 24-hours A Day for Inauguration Week. The Council also passed a gimic to rename the segment of South Capitol Street by the ballpark to "Taxation Without Representation Street."

Paul Millstein of Douglas Development will be presenting tonight on the concept for Squares 450 and 451 at the ANC2C meeting. Millstein presented the concept, which the Triangle recapped, at the MVSNA meeting last month.

Temple Courts demolition

DCMud is featuring a post today called DC Makes Way for Northwest One. The post includes quotes from Mayor Adrian Fenty on the demolition of the Temple Courts housing project and the new plans for the area dubbed Northwest One.

The following is from a WaPo article on Temple Courts:

The brown-brick buildings of Temple Courts have failed federal housing inspections for years. Rats and bedbugs have taken up residence in some apartments, and the stairwells smell of urine.

The building and its environs have been a magnet for crime. Temple Courts and Sursum Corda served as catalysts for the New Communities program, after 14-year-old Jahkema Princess Hansen was fatally shot at Sursum Corda in January 2004. Days earlier, she had witnessed a killing at Temple Courts.

Violence visited again 10 days ago, when a 10-year-old girl and two adults were shot outside Temple Courts on Memorial Day.

In its original form, New Communities included a "vital" principle known as "build first," which was designed to keep gentrification in check by keeping poor residents in place until multi-income housing was built around them.

The intended result: economically diverse neighborhoods where ghettos once stood.

Temple Courts and Sursum Corda are located just east of the Triangle's New Jersey Ave border.

For more press on Northwest One follow these links:

• Temple Courts: Symbol of the Pain and the Hope Facing the City (Tommy Wells blog, Jun 2007)
  
• Northwest One Unfolds (DCMud, Mar 2008)
  
• Northwest One Revival (DCMetrocentric, June 2008)
  
• Trouble for Northwest One? (DCMetrocentric, Oct 2008)
  

Looking for new voices

I just wanted to remind our readers that we have a standing open invitation to community members to join our blog. A prominent voice from the liberal blogosphere, who recently moved to City Vista, nearly joined our cast but it ultimately fell through.

We would love to have a contributor representing each of the buildings that reside within or share a border with the Triangle like Yale Lofts or 400 Mass. It's also important to us to represent a diversity of perspectives. I tend to gravitate towards development news but would love to have this forum touch on a wider array of topics. If you have interest in joining the writing staff for the Triangle please contact me via email.

With a huge influx of new residents in the coming years a neighborhood forum such as this blog and many others can really make a difference in the community!

Flood Control to Major Tom

Another Flood-Tech truck sighting at the DuMont this morning.


Readers on District Chatter noticed these trucks last Tuesday and Wednesday as well.

NYT: Washington Strains for Inauguration

The New York Times is running an article on the costs of the Inauguration for the DC City Government.

Washington Strains for Inauguration

Apparently RNC/DNC convention host cities (Denver, St Paul) received $50 million from the federal government for security for those individual events. The District is allotted just $15 million for all events for the year. Also crazy was Dan Tangherlini saying if it snowed on Inauguration it would cost the city upwards of $1 million to plow the parade route! A million bucks ain't what it used to be.