OGB Stalls Ein Home Design
• November 19, 2014

Venture capitalist and Washington Kastles owner Mark Ein’s difficulties continue on the home renovation front. The newly married Ein wants to add a family room, a larger kitchen, a few bedrooms and an underground garage to his home at 2920 R St., NW.

Formerly owned by the late Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, the 1864 house is landmarked by the Old Georgetown Board and is part of the Georgetown Historic District. Also, his plans have been opposed by neighbors, including well-known Georgetowner Calvin Cafritz.

A new design by local firm Outerbridge Horsey won support from the Citizens Association of Georgetown and the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, but the Old Georgetown Board remains steadfast in its resistance. The members of the board, all architects, questioned the garage scheme on the basis that it could upset the historic landscape. They also disapproved of the proposed larger windows and took issue with a planned two-story addition on the east side, calling it “too big.”

At a meeting early last month, Ein expressed irritation at the board, which has rejected a number of his renovation plans. The board insisted that Ein’s renovations could eventually move forward, with member Richard Williams saying, “We have a willingness to entertain this, if it was done well.” Ein has said he will continue to push for approval.

Republicans in Control: A Zero for D.C.
•

the Republicans will be in total control of the Congress in January. Let me strike the previous sentence.

Expect nothing, zero, nada, bubkes from the GOP. In the past, I’ve criticized the Democratic Party for its lack of ardor for this place. But we do have some real genuine fighters and champions in the party. First and foremost are Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer in the House; in the Senate, Harry Reid and former Sen. Joe Lieberman.

We better get accustomed to the Big Chill when the 114th Congress convenes in January. The new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has shown neither interest nor affection for residents of the nation’s capital. Speaker John Boehner is equally bad. When I’ve tried to question or even inquire about this subject, he has given me the blank stare and, most often, not even responded.
The new chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the Senate will be Sen. Ron Johnson. This committee has oversight over the District of Columbia. If the name Ron Johnson does not ring a bell, you are not alone. Johnson is a very conservative senator from Wisconsin. In no way should he be viewed as a potential ally or friend.

In the House, ironically, we’ve lost a semi-advocate in Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). He was no Tom Davis, who resigned his seat in November 2008, but Issa was interested and friendly. The Republicans term-limit their chairs. So, Issa will step down as chairman of Committee of Oversight and Government Reform. Republicans attempting to succeed him are uninterested or downright hostile to D.C. — names being floated are Jason Chaffetz of Utah and Jim Jordan of Ohio.

D.C.’s problem with the GOP is, as Sen. Ted Kennedy memorably noted, that “D.C. suffers from the four toos: too liberal, too urban, too Democratic and, finally, too black.” I believe “too Democratic” is the major irritant. Seventy-six percent of registered voters are Dems. The Republican Party sees no benefit in helping us in any way.

There is one Republican who has publicly said that the Republican Party brand “sucks.” That is Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. He advocates reaching out to new groups, especially minorities. This guy has presidential ambitions. Maybe he will put D.C. on his agenda, but don’t hold your breath.

What makes this predicament even more depressing is our local political establishment. Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser has shown no passion for Capitol Hill relationships. District Council Chair Phil Mendelson is invisible and ineffective. Worst of all is our elected representative Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who one former D.C. elected politician says protects only the “federal interest,” not our interest.

Mark Plotkin is a political analyst and contributor to the BBC on American politics.

Jack Evans Report: Challenges for 2015
•

Congratulations to Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser! After a spirited race, Mayor-elect Bowser is now building her team to address the issues facing our city. I also want to congratulate the individuals who will join me on the District Council for the next four years. Re-elected were chairman Phil Mendelson and councilmembers Anita Bonds, Mary Cheh and Kenyan McDuffie. We will be joined by Elissa Silverman (At-Large), Brianne Nadeau (Ward 1) and Charles Allen (Ward 6).

Four years ago, I wrote to you about the challenges facing our incoming elected officials in the face of an anemic recovery from the recession. Today, our city is facing a very different set of challenges and opportunities to continue to move the city forward. Among them are:

Education. We have made progress in the past few years to improve our school system, but education remains the most important issue for our city. Our biggest challenge is the ability to teach all students regardless of socio-economic condition, neighborhood, learning ability or assistance at home. We must continue to ensure that every neighborhood has excellent schools to meet the needs of our children. It’s important to remember that the quality of our school system has far-reaching effects, including whether families will stay in the District, employers locate here and create jobs, and we end the “school-to-prison” pipeline.

Homelessness. Helping our homeless residents this winter will be the first big test of Mayor-elect Bowser’s administration and the transition from Mayor Gray to Bowser. I’ve met with Mayor Gray and advocacy organizations to make plans for the 800 families that will need shelter this winter. Finding safe accommodations for these families is the immediate concern, but we need to do more to solve homelessness in the District, including funding the Housing Production Trust Fund to ensure affordable housing continues to be available in the District.

Right-Sizing City Services. Most projections expect that the city will grow by more than 100,000 people in the next 25 years. Those new residents create challenges and opportunities that the city must begin planning for now. This includes making investments in our police force, fire and EMS department, and our trash, recycling and litter collection resources. Additionally, we will need to evaluate our power and sewer infrastructure to prevent undue strain on those systems in the years ahead.

Statehood and Self-Determination. The national election results were a setback for our statehood efforts. However, one aspect of self-determination on which we should redouble our efforts is local control of land in the District. From the Georgetown Waterfront to Franklin Square to Pennsylvania Avenue, local control of parks and roads in the District is a win-win for the District and Federal governments. The Republican Congress can shrink the size of the Federal Government, and the District can more appropriately utilize those spaces for city residents.

I also want to congratulate the newly elected and re-elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners here in our own ANC 2E. We’ll continue to have the valuable guidance of Ed Solomon, Ron Lewis, Jeff Jones, Bill Starrels, and Tom Birch, as well as the fresh perspective of Monica Roache. I look forward to continuing to work with the ANC to help make our neighborhood a great place to live.

Jack Evans is the Ward 2 Councilmember, representing Georgetown since 1991.

Business Ins and Outs: November 19, 2014
•

IN: Cady’s Alley Pop-up Bazaar

Pop-up shops will take over an 8,000-square-foot space at 3300 Cady’s Alley NW, from Nov. 22 to Jan. 4. This year brings local online brands, including Pico Vela, Elaine B Jewelry, Ikkon and Stylecable. At a Dec. 4 launch party, shoppers can meet the people behind the pop-ups. Visit cadysalley.com.

IN: Giant in Cathedral Heights

The Giant store opened at 3336 Wisconsin Ave. NW, in Cathedral Heights. The store is part of the Cathedral Commons mixed-use development. Giant’s location in the City Market at O Street set a high bar. Georgetowners hope the company brings the same quality food and design to Cathedral Heights, especially with the anticipated closing of the MacArthur Boulevard Safeway.

IN: Spa at Luigi Parasmo Salon

Luigi Parasmo Salon at 1510 Wisconsin Ave. NW is expanding to include a spa on the second floor. The 2000-square-foot spa will offer body, skin and nail treatments by eight specialists. There will also be three pedicure stations and two manicure bars, with iPad docks to keep patrons entertained.

IN: Chaia Signs Lease for Grace Street Shop

Known around D.C. farmers markets, Chaia (“farm to taco”) has signed the lease to open its first brick-and-mortar place at 3207 Grace St. NW in the former G. Morris Steinbraker building. Founders and co-principals Bettina Stern and Suzanne Simon cook with fresh local ingredients to serve up seasonal vegetarian tacos. They anticipate opening some time between February and March.

IN: Washington Design Center

The new Washington Design Center at 1099 14th St. NW at Franklin Court Building Nov. 12. The center boasts three floors of showrooms and the collections of noted designers.

IN: Moleskine

Italian notebook maker Moleskine is moving into 3029 M St. NW – the space Scotch & Soda vacated a few months ago – in the lead-up to the holiday season. The store will open as a pop-up shop until January, when it will close to begin a permanent build-out. Moleskine products including planners, diaries, sketchbooks and bags. This will be the brand’s first brick-and-mortar location in Washington, D.C.

OUT: GeorgeTownPool

GeorgeTownPool is out as quickly as it came in. The preppy men’s and women’s clothing store, which originated in Nantucket, was supposed to pop up at 1063 Wisconsin Ave. NW on Nov. 15. But a sewage problem underneath the space has effectively cancelled the pop-up. Corroded and defective pipes caused smells and excrement to seep into the store space. The landowner’s inability to quickly resolve the situation led the store to renege on opening. Georgetown may have to wait.

OUT: CityZen at Mandarin Oriental to Close Dec. 6
Chef Eric Ziebold’s CityZen at the Mandarin Oriental on Maryland Avenue, SW, will close Dec. 8, according to DCist, a local news blog.

Read the Latest Issue of The Georgetowner
•

Read the Latest Issue of The Georgetowner
• November 18, 2014

Expect Concert for Valor Traffic Downtown Tuesday
• November 17, 2014

Travelers can expect delays and heavy congestion on their Tuesday morning commute in preparation for the massive Concert for Valor on the National Mall.

As most know, November 11 is Veterans Day, a day off for those lucky few but for the rest of us trying to make it into work on time, it might take a little strategic navigating.

Since there will be a number of road closures find the list of closures here, taking Metrorail will be a better bet than trying to drive in downtown Washington. All stations will be open except Smithsonian, and additional Yellow Line trains will replace Blue Line service between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt.

For those commuting to work via bus, routes traveling across or near the National Mall will be detoured or shortened. However, all Metrobus service will run similar to a Saturday schedule with added trips earlier and later in the day for commuters.

“Despite the holiday, we are mindful that many of our regular riders still need to get to work, and we have developed a service plan that balances the needs of concertgoers with those of regular riders,” said Metro Assistant General Manager Lynn Bowersox
.
For concert-goers’ convenience, selected Metro stations near the Mall will remain open after midnight, if needed. Riders must be in line by midnight in order to take advantage of the late night lift. The stations with late service are Metro Center, Federal Triangle, L’Enfant Plaza, Archives, Gallery Place, Federal Center SW, Union Station, Judiciary Square and Capitol South.

Weekend Round Up November 13, 2014
•

Pardi Party Wine Tasting

November 14th, 2014 at 06:00 PM | 0 | Event Website

Join Via Umbia as they host a special wine tasting with Augusta Pardi (of Pardi wine and linens fame) when you will be able to speak with Augusta and sample her family’s signature wines, including Trebbiano Spoletino, Montefalco Rosso and Sagrantino. Please remember to RSVP to this complimentary event.

Address

1525 Wisconsin Ave NW

Speakeasy Shorts: Stories

November 14th, 2014 at 07:30 PM | $20-30 | info@dcshorts.com | Tel: 202-681-1151 | Event Website

DC Shorts and SpeakeasyDC have combined forces for the Speakeasy Shorts competition. Ten teams of filmmakers will be assigned to ten storytellers to create short films based on original stories, all shot and produced in the District.

On Nov. 14, local storytellers will narrate their personal stories to an audience that includes eight filmmaking teams. At the end of the storytelling, the performers will be matched with their crews to begin a 5-day production.

Address

U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater; 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

ScriptDC: Words to “Action!”

November 14th, 2014 at 07:00 PM | $300 for WIFV/Actors’ Center/DCFM Members and $350 for Non-Members | membership@wifv.org | Tel: (202) 429-9438 | Event Website

ScriptDC is the premier conference for Mid-Atlantic writers, producers and talent to achieve their creative dreams by connecting them with accomplished teachers, consultants and industry professionals.

Registration includes

Opening night screening on 11/14, workshops on 11/15, and opportunities for script and pitch critiques on 11/16.

Special Opportunities

-Meet the Best

-Master Classes

-Practice Your Pitch

-Have Your First 5 Pages Critiqued

Find more info on the event page!

Address

GWU School of Media and Public Affairs; 805 21st Street, NW

CAG’s Community Public Safety Meeting

November 15th, 2014 at 09:00 AM | Event Website

Hosted by CAG and members of MPD, officers will talk about recent crimes, their response strategy, and safety advice for the holidays. Recent concerns have included car break-ins, attempted home burglaries, a sexual assault on Prospect Street, a dog-napping, and UPS package thefts. MPD Lieutenant John Knutsen, Officer Antonial Atkins and other officers will be at the meeting to answer your questions

Address

Safeway Cafe; Georgetown; 1855 Wisconsin Ave. NW

MM. LaFleur Hosts DC Pop-up Shop

November 15th, 2014 at 10:00 AM | Event Website

MM. LaFleur, the New York City-based design house that has reinvented the way professional women dress, announces its first-ever DC pop-up shop, November 15 to 23 at the District Architecture Center. MM. LaFleur’s designs encompass a full wardrobe for the professional woman: dresses, separates and accessories, all at an unprecedented price point. The pop-up will be open 7 days a week and will be host to public and private shopping events throughout the 9-day period.

Address

District Architecture Center; 421 7th Street NW

Heritage Beneath Our Feet

November 15th, 2014 at 10:00 AM | $5 per individual, $10 per family | jstiner@oatlands.org | Tel: 7037773174 | Event Website

Join Dr. David Clark of the Loudoun Archaeological Foundation for an archaeology walking tour of the Oatlands property.

?Learn how archaeologists read the above-ground “clues” that often guide them to locations for field work. The tour starts at 10 AM and is approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours long. Wear comfortable walking shoes as most of the tour will be over uneven terrain. $5 per individual. $10 per family. Tickets can be purchased in the gift shop the day of the tour.

Address

20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane; Leesburg, VA 20175

Jackson Art Center Preview & Workshop Day

November 15th, 2014 at 11:00 AM | Free | jacksonartcenter@gmail.com | Tel: 240-601-7185 | [Event Website](http://jacksonartcenter.com/The_Jackson_Art_Center/Welcome.html

Join Jackson artists for their semi-annual Open Studios weekend.

Saturday, November 15, 11-3: FREE art workshops for adults, teenagers, and children, in watercolor, botanical drawing, and more.

Sunday, November 16, noon – 5: The main event. Meet the artists in their studios, explore the historic Jackson School and enjoy refreshments and live music.

30+studios open Sunday, fewer Saturday. Both free and open to the public.

Address

The Jackson Art Center, 3050 R Street, NW

Moment Magazine’s 90th Birthday Celebration Dinner for Theodore Bikel

November 16th, 2014 at 05:30 PM | jraskin@momentmag.com | Tel: 202-363-6422 | [Event Website](http://www.momentmag.com/theo-bikel-daniel-pearl-benefit-nov-16-2014/)

Moment Magazine’s 90th birthday celebration dinner for the legendary singer and actor Theodore Bikel will feature a performance from Bikel of a selection of his favorite songs, accompanied by Folksbiene Artistic Director Zalman Mlotek. The emcee is NPR’s All Things Considered senior host Robert Siegel. The event benefits Moment Magazine & its Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative.

Address

Washington Hebrew Congregation; 3935 Macomb St. NW

Lego Build

November 16th, 2014 at 01:00 PM | $25 [Event Website](http://go.nbm.org/site/Calendar/159542624?view=Detail&id=117981)

Work with other Lego Engineers and Playwell Teknologies to design buildings that can withstand even the toughest challenges. From earthquakes to hurricanes, architects and engineers must plan for all kinds of disasters. Learn how real buildings are designed to stand up to nature, and apply those methods to a Lego-scale building of your own creation!

Address

401 F Street. NW

Czech Philharmonic 2014-15 National Tour

November 17th, 2014 at 07:00 PM | emoskowitz@kirshdem.com

Philharmonic will be performing an almost all Czech program including Dvorak’s ‘New World’ Symphony.

Address

National Cathedral; 3101 Wisconsin Ave NW

Latham Apartment Designs Gain Zoning Approval
• November 12, 2014

Developers SB-Urban moved past their last major obstacle to build micro-residential units on the site of the Latham Hotel at 3000 M Street, which closed in 2012.

On Tuesday, SB-Urban was granted a series of zoning variances from the Board of Zoning Adjustments for their project.

According to an Urban Turf article, the requests were a rear yard variance for an addition, a special exception to a parking requirement that would allow the company to provide 42 off-site spaces, a variance for the remaining 74 parking spaces and a variance for a loading dock and delivery space.

The micro-unit project will create retail spaces in the front at the M Street sidewalk and will have 140 furnished apartments with an average size of 330-square-feet. There will also be 11,000-square-feet of shared-living spaces, like kitchens, laundry rooms and living rooms.

The lease agreement will prevent residents from parking on Georgetown streets, but residents will receive Capital Bikeshare and car share memberships.

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Few D.C. Surprises: After All That Campaigning, It’s Bowser . . . Oh, Yeah, Pot Will Be Legal
• November 10, 2014

Even unto the last days of the District of Columbia’s race for mayor, there had been buzz — vague and misty, but still — that this could be a tight race, that there remained an unsettled atmosphere and that there was a chance — slim, but still — that Independent challenger David Catania might pull off an upset.

Part of the reason that prospect even existed at the late hour was that Catania had, like favorite Muriel Bowser, hustled in the hustings, knocking on doors. According to some polls, early in the fall, he had cut Bowser’s early double-digit lead down to singles, although his momentum appeared to have stalled.

Still during the last days of the campaign, there was that little buzz in the media — vague and misty, but still — although none of it was coming from the Bowser campaign, or Bowser herself, who looked serene and confident when we talked to her just a few days before the election.

At that time, we asked her how it felt after all the effort—she won the D.C. Democratic Primary handily over Mayor Vincent Gray, and Tommy Wells, Jack Evans and Vincent Orange back in April and kept up a efficiently organized, low-key, non-confrontational, four-debate campaign — she was in a campaign considered by some to be competitive.

She considered that. “Is it?” she asked.

The guess here is she knew something, because Bowser swamped Catania, the now former at-large District Councilmember of considerable achievement right from the get-go, jumping out to a 20-point lead and never looking back, right up to the moment where she danced to the Alicia Keys’s song “Girl On Fire” at her victory party at the renovated Howard Theatre.

The result: Bowser, 80,824 votes, or 55.0 percent; David Catania, 52,800 or 36 percent; and 10,616 votes (7.2 percent) for Independent former at-large District Councilmember and four-time mayoral candidate Carl Schwartz.

Bowser, at the victory party, and at the National Press Club the following day, stated that she had “a clear mandate” for a “fresh start” and that the status quo would not be enough. As in her campaign, she stuck to grand themes and provided few policy details.

There were few surprises in the D.C. election as a whole, but there will be three more new council members. They include Elissa Silverman, (economics expert and former “Loose Lips” columnist) who finished behind incumbent Anita Bonds in the crowded (at least 17 candidates, most of them newly minted Independents) race to fill two council at-large seats, including the one abandoned by Catania. In Ward 1, there’s Brianne K. Nadeau, who unseated incumbent Jim Graham in the Democratic Primary in April, and in Ward 6, there’s Charles Allen, who took over the seat of Tommy Wells, who had to give up his seat to run for mayor and lost in the Democratic primary. Allen was Wells’s chief of staff.

Winning re-election were Mary Cheh in Ward Three and Kenyon McDuffie in Ward 5.

In the first-ever race for District of Columbia Attorney General (formerly an appointed position), veteran D.C. lawyer Karl Racine won easily, a bitter pill to swallow for Adams Morgan lawyer Paul Zukerberg, who had almost solely led the campaign to get the measure to make the attorney general be an elected office. Zukerberg, undermanned and under financed, finished fifth.

Eleanor Holmes Norton easily won re-election to her post as D.C. Delegate (non-voting) to the House of Representatives.

Initiative 71—legalization of marijuana—also won easily—with only the one precinct in the District opposing. Of course, given that Congress messes with D.C. legislation, budgets and laws routinely—especially with the GOP roll-over in the mid-term elections, this is not entirely a done deal, depending on what GOP lawmakers do.