Robert Devaney • March 30, 2014

Celebrating its 83rd year, the Georgetown House Tour is the oldest, most prestigious house tour in the country. The tour gives locals and visitors the opportunity to view a selection of historic homes. This year’s Georgetown House Tour, hosted by historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, Georgetown Parish, is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, April 26. Nine historic residences will be on the tour.

Barbara Wolf and Colman Riddell are co-chairing this year’s tour. “This year’s highly informational walking tour will provide an opportunity to take in all the history and beauty of Georgetown,” Wolf said. “It provides a unique glimpse of Georgetown’s impressive architecture and the stories behind the bricks and mortar that make Georgetown so special.” Added Riddell: “This year’s tour showcases Georgetown’s distinctive homes, gardens and culture.”

A House Tour preview get-together was held March 19 at the 33rd Street home of Richard and Colman Riddell.

The tour includes two P Street homes on the west side and another on the east side as well as a home on 34th Street, two on O Street and one on Q Street. Also on the list is the George Town Club on Wisconsin Avenue, with club president Sharon Casey on hand. Homeowners include Stephany and Brewster Knight, Claire and Tony Florence, Soula Proxenos and Bruce O’Brien, Nelson Cunningham, Ambassador Jenonne Walker, Ann Goodman and Carrington and Jake Tarr.

The Patrons’ Party for the tour will be on April 23 at the Dumbarton Street home of Jeffrey and Elizabeth Powell. The tour’s main sponsor is TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.
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Robert Devaney • March 28, 2014

Commuters who plan to drive westbound on Canal Road, NW, can expect delays today because of a problem in road stability. Back-ups may also affect M Street, NW, traffic.

The District Department of Transportation closed the westbound lane of Canal Road, NW, between Foxhall Road and Reservoir Road around noon. A small indentation in the pavement at the intersection of Reservoir and Canal Roads near Fletcher’s Boathouse has DDOT engineers inspecting the road.

“It’s a grower,” said Paul Hoffman, DDOT project manager for Wards 3 and 4. Hoffman said DDOT was aware of the road depression earlier. One of its workers checked at the beginning of the week. The agency decided to call for the closure today.

During non-rush hours, westbound traffic on Canal Road NW was being directed west to Foxhall Road, NW, and then west onto MacArthur Boulevard, NW, and then south on Arizona Avenue NW to reconnect with Canal Road, NW.

Only one lane outbound for the evening rush towards Maryland will be now allowed. Commuters can also access Canal Road by driving west on Reservoir Road to the intersection at Canal Road.

DDOT will assess the problem, but expect road work at this intersection for some time.
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Robert Devaney • March 20, 2014

For most, the luck of the Irish brought an easy-going snow day off. Georgetown neighbors and colleagues were checking restaurants in town by noon to say hello and to honor the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. Per American tradition, crowds in many establishments are expected to larger than usual, but the weather may tamp that down. Meanwhile, the unusual snow this March 17 makes this storm the 10th-largest March snow ever.

The following report is from Accu-Weather:

Another round of late-winter snow walloped the mid-Atlantic Sunday night into Monday. Washington, D.C., received 7.2 inches of snow from the storm, making it the third-largest snowfall to hit the city so late in the season. The only storms that produced more snow in the second half of the month of March occurred in 1942 when 11.2 inches fell March 28 to 29 and when a foot fell March 27 to 28 in 1891.

This storm is also the largest March snowstorm in the city since 8.4 inches fell March 9, 1999. As the 10th-largest March storm in Washington, D.C., it knocked the historic blizzard of 1993 off the list of 10 most prolific March snowfalls.
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Robert Devaney • March 13, 2014

The District Department of Transportation has scheduled bridge preservation repairs on the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge over Rock Creek Parkway and needs to close lanes temporarily.

According to DDOT, “the repairs will require temporary single-lane closures on southbound and northbound Rock Creek Parkway from Thursday, Feb. 27, to Monday, March 3. These closures will take place in off-peak (9:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.) and nighttime (9 p.m. to 5 a.m.) hours on the weekdays, and at nighttime (9 p.m. to 5 a.m.) on the weekends. Temporary signs and traffic control measures will be in place to alert and guide the traveling public through the work zone.”

For more information about this work, contact project manager Yared Tesfaye at 202-439-4796.

Robert Devaney •

It is back to the future for developer EastBanc and its proposed condos at the Key Bridge Exxon property on Canal Road. Expect a repeat performance of design questions and neighbors’ opposition.

With its 1055 Water condo project well on its way to completion, the developer will turn back to its condo plans for the gas station property, next to the “Exorcist” steps and the Car Barn. In April 2011, EastBanc’s plans called for a 35-unit building to rise to the height of Prospect Street properties above. With some neighborhood opposition and designs overly revised, EastBanc head Anthony Lanier sidelined the project.

Designs for the M Street-Canal Road condos at the site will be re-introduced at the March 3 meeting of the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E as well as the Old Georgetown Board meeting on March 6. According to EastBanc, plans call for 26 to 28 units, “averaging 2,500 square feet in size,” each with two parking spaces.

Mary Mottershead of EastBanc offered more details to the Georgetowner: “The latest plans for this project at 3601-3607 M St are fairly similar in massing to the previous studies we undertook several years ago as they also follow the C-2 A zoning guidelines for the site.  However, the new design is very different with the idea of being a quieter, more neutral design which does not compete with all the different very busy townhouse elevations above nor with the wedding cake design of the Arthur Cotton Moore building to the west nor with the massive and heavy design of the Car Barn to the east. …”

“As for the neighbors above,” she continued, “the roof height of our building is below the lowest levels of those townhouses.  However, our building needs space above for elevator overruns and stairwells and mechanical units and exhaust pipes and the like.  By zoning, buildings are allowed 18-foot penthouses to accommodate mechanical equipment, but in consideration of the sightlines of these neighbors, we have undertaken many studies to look at other options which limit the impact to the views of the neighbors.  Hence, we have spent a lot of time with our mechanical engineers and our landscape architects, OVS, to design a rooftop with equipment and penetrations that are lower in profile and also well screened with green roof areas where possible.”

And, as for those neighbors above on the 3600 block of Prospect Street, whose houses would overlook the condos, EastBanc met with some of them individually about two weeks ago to discuss the new designs.

According to one neighbor, who requested anonymity, they were “surprised by the three-week notice” before the public meetings. As for the new design, the person said: “We will be vocal in our opposition. … The proposed building is more of what was presented last time: a massive contemporary structure.”

The homeowner cited the five-story condo design’s lack of historic context, saying it is a highly visible gateway to Georgetown, vibrant with a historic wall and steps and the spires of Georgetown University in the distance. Add to the new view the obscuring of greenery along the hill. “Is this the kind of design we want all to see? It will be a huge statement.”

Acknowledging that some views from their homes and backyards would be obstructed, the homeowner also cited environmental issues. The hillside part of their back property is fill dirt from earlier construction at Georgetown University and requires some neighbors to re-enforce their house, back yards and walls: “Construction would jeopardize the stability of the hill, which holds up our property.” With the soft dirt on the hill, the homeowner said that one house on Prospect Street sustained hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage because of the August 2011 earthquake.

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Robert Devaney •

Everyone is talking about the dynamism
of Washington, D.C.; its new growth in
neglected neighborhoods, the influx of
the younger generation and of investors’ money.
There is opportunity all around, whether for
jobs, in politics — or in real estate.
Such an opportunity is why the largest
independent residential real estate company in
the United States hired Heather Parness in July.
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., went across the
country to get its regional senior vice president
for the Washington, D.C., market. It created that
new position for Parness.

The 40-year-old native of Greeley, Colorado,
now lives in a very Washingtonian place —
Washington Harbour in Georgetown — next to
very Washingtonian neighbors, such as House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Washington
Nationals’ owner Mark Lerner.

Parness, who began working in real estate
in 1992 at the age of 18, says the reason she
got into real estate was that she was raised by a
single mother and had to pay for college. “I got
a job in a real estate office and fell in love with
the industry.”

More specifically, she says, “I fell in love
with the entrepreneurial spirit of real estate
agents. … You can do what you want … how
you want to do it … and make as much as you
want. The sky’s the limit.”

“I am more personally drawn to the management
side of the company,” says Parness, who
adds she is methodical and loves the legal side
of the business. She has done everything in real
estate — “I have grown up in it,” she says — from
being an assistant to an agent, to doing office
technology and moving into management.
In Denver, she headed up Perry & Co. Real
Estate and then Fuller Sotheby’s International
Realty. As a number one, she got the attention
of Long & Foster.

“I have a huge amount for respect for Wes
Foster and the company he built,” Parness
said. Long & Foster Real Estate president Gary
Scott first contacted her. Then, she came to
Washington to meet him, Jeff Detwiler, president
of Long & Foster Companies, and Wes,
himself.

Parness is well aware of the “amazing
opportunity” to learn from them. “You don’t
get that opportunity very often,” she says. “You
do not often get access to a position like this.”
In the Washington, D.C., region, there are 13
offices, including W.C. & A.N. Miller Co. But
it is the Logan Circle office, which is about to
open, that has her excited. “There are amazing
parts of Washington, D.C.,” says Parness, who
sees smaller-scale offices opening down the line.
“After all, it is all about servicing the agent.”
There will be more luxury events via
Christie’s International Real Estate. It is also
about art, she says. Someone buying such an
expensive home will likely have quite an art collection.
Art shows, wine tastings and appraisal
events are planned for March or April and the
months ahead.

Meanwhile, Parness has adapted to East
Coast traffic, D.C.’s easily called snow days
and the pleasant surprise of “a diverse, educated
demographic.”

“D.C. is an exciting, growing town” — with
a younger crowd, too. “People are pleasant and
fun to talk to,” she says. “As you might expect,
there seem to be more political discussions here
than elsewhere.”

Parness is studying the changing and
improving demographics of D.C. — checking
out downtown, City Center, Capitol Riverfront
Business Improvement District and all the way
to Anacostia. She is part of the plan of growth
that Long & Foster perceives as being ahead of
the curve.

“There’s a lot of strategic pieces that we’re
putting into place right now,” she says. And
Parness seems like the perfect member of that
strategic team for Long & Foster, fitting in well
with its energy and ambition.

Robert Devaney •

Continuing his citywide push to talk to as many voters as possible, mayoral candidate Vincent Orange was welcomed at a meet-and-greet, hosted at the home Natalia Luis and Antonio Montiero, just up Foxhall Road from Georgetown, Saturday evening, March 8. Another co-host was Cidalia Luis-Akbar.

Orange, an at-large council member and Democrat, declared his candidacy for mayor last November and said he is focused on “leaving no one behind” and is known for his advocacy of a living wage bill as well as an affordable housing bill on the District Council.

While trailing in the polls behind fellow candidates, such as Mayor Vincent Gray and council members Muriel Bowser and Jack Evans, Orange said he is deterred, despite calls by one Washington Post columnist for some candidates to drop out of the race.

The Democratic Primary for D.C. mayor will be held April 1.
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Robert Devaney • February 28, 2014

The Georgetown Business Improvement District, with the formal launch of the Georgetown 2028 15-Year Action Plan, reports that it is taking “a strategic approach to building an economically stronger and more sustainable commercial district.”

While the plan has been reported on for months in various media, including in The Georgetowner, the Georgetown BID is already moving ahead for some of its more eye-catching recommendations — there are 75 — that include: accelerating the schedule to bring Metro to Georgetown, revitalizing the C&O Canal and considering an aerial gondola between Rosslyn and Georgetown.

According to the BID, “the Georgetown 2028 Plan was eight months in the making, anchored by a 21-member task force and supported by three working groups that focused on transportation, economic development and public space. More than 200 community members, representing a broad spectrum of the neighborhood, contributed ideas and suggestions. The community successfully collaborated, reaching consensus, on the necessary steps to enhance the Georgetown experience for visitors, residents, business owners and the people who work here.”

“The Georgetown 2028 Plan preserves what is great about Georgetown, fixes what is broken and creates what is missing,” says the BID’s CEO Joe Sternlieb. “The plan allows for more economic activity with no additional negative impact on the community.”

The BID says that work has already begun on 30 of the 75 recommendations, including:

— A partnership agreement between the BID and the National Park Service to raise funds for a new C&O canal boat to replace The Georgetown.

— Securing private pledges for 50 percent of the cost for a feasibility study for an aerial gondola lift connecting Georgetown with the Rosslyn Metro Station. The BID is working with DDOT on matching transportation funds. D.C. Surface Transit, Inc., is the fiscal agent.

— Creating a Georgetown Streetcar Partnership between the BID, DDOT and Georgetown University to study options to extend the streetcar to Georgetown University.

— Locating and updating the approved Georgetown wayfinding signs that were originally ordered as part of the 2003 Georgetown Streetscape Project. The signs will be installed by March 15, in time to welcome visitors for the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The full Georgetown 2028 Plan is available on BID’s website at georgetowndc.com

Robert Devaney •

If you’re driving over Roosevelt Bridge to Arlington tomorrow through Thursday, stay alert for detours to get to Route 50 during off-peak hours. Your regular ramp will be blocked during that time.

The District Department of Transportation will make bridge preservation repairs on the westbound (outbound) Roosevelt Bridge (I-66) ramp to Route 50.

The repairs will require temporary closures to the ramp and will take place 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., from Tuesday, Feb. 11, to Thursday, Feb. 13, DDOT reports.

Motorists will be detoured to Lee Highway and onto Fort Myer Drive toward another entrance to westbound Route 50. Temporary signs and traffic control measures will be in place to alert and guide the traveling public through the work zone.

For additional information about this work, contact project engineer Eric Cole at 202-497-7864.

Robert Devaney • February 27, 2014

Hometown favorite Benetton showed off its Autumn-Winter 2013 collection at its Georgetown flagship at Wisconsin and M. Some of Washington’s most fashionable and their families — many wearing Benetton products — met Benetton USA President and CEO Ari Hoffman, who flew in from New York for the Oct. 30 event.
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