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Robert Devaney • April 11, 2016

It is back to the drawing board, once again, for developer EastBanc and its proposed condos at the Key Bridge Exxon property on Canal Road, known as Georgetown Hillside. A March 6 decision by the Old Georgetown Board asked the developed to redraw its conceptual plans.

With its 1055 Water condo project well on its way to completion, the developer returned 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 raise to the height of Prospect Street properties above. At the time, EastBanc head Anthony Lanier later sidelined the project.

Designs for the M Street-Canal Road condos were also re-introduced at the March 3 meeting of the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E as well as the March 6 OGB meeting. Both community groups panned the condo plans for the condos, describing them as out of step with the architectural context of the neighborhood. Plans are also criticized by the neighbors who live up the hillside on the 3600 block of Prospect Street, NW.

According to EastBanc, plans call for 26 to 28 units, “averaging 2,500 square feet in size,” each with two parking spaces.

Gary Tischler •

That noise you’ve been hearing outside and coming from your television, iPad and phone screens—that’s not a Derecho. That’s Uncle Earl coming clean, and that’s the sound of D.C.’s 2014 Democratic primary exploding.

Uncle Earl would be D.C. businessman Jeffrey Thompson testifying in a D.C. federal court about the 2010 “shadow campaign” that he financed an effort that allegedly funneled more than $600,000 into then candidate for Mayor Vincent Gray’s campaign. Thompson alleged that Gray knew about the shadow campaign and that he had come to him for help, and that he, Thompson, agreed to help, but that he wanted the effort kept secret and wanted to be referred to in any references as “Uncle Earl.”

Since late last week, Thompson, the figure central to alleged off-the-books contributions (the shadow campaign) to Gray, but to the campaigns of District Council members, federal candidates for office and others, had been rumored to be in negotiation with federal attorneys for a plea bargain.

Today, that bargain was revealed: Thompson was charged with subverting campaign finance laws and plead guilty to one count each of conspiring to break federal and local campaign finance laws over six years, through illegal contributions and off-the-books spending of more than $2 million, according to the Washington Post.

Gray has said all along during the course of the investigation, in which several Gray campaign aides were indicted, charged or pled guilty, that he had not done anything — although he did apologize for his campaign’s activities. Thompson essentially alleged that Gray did indeed know and about the contributions to the shadow campaign and asked for them. Gray has not been charged with any crime. He has denied any wrongdoing in the 2010 campaign.

Gray called the allegations “lies” and in an interview with WRC’s Tom Sherwood said that “these are lies and falsehoods.”

Assistant U.S Attorney Michael Atkinson said, “Gray agreed to keep Mr. Thompson’s support secret.”

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Thompson could face at least six months in prison. The agreement was approved by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.

The guilty plea by Thompson and the allegations and information coming out will have a firestorm impact on the Democratic mayoral primary campaign with only a little more than two weeks left in the campaign. Gray has been leading in the polls, which were accompanied by serious trust issues expressed by voters about the 2010 campaign and Gray. The primary election day is April 1.

Robert Devaney •

Bank of Georgetown, founded in 2005, celebrated the life of its co-founder, Curtin Winsor III, who died in December 2012, as well as a new corporate headquarters at 1115 30th St., NW, March 5, at its 11th branch — the Winsor Branch. Friends and colleagues gathered to observe the ribbon cutting and wish the bank continued success, as its co-founder Mike Fitzgerald, chairman, president, and CEO, toasted his business partner, Curt Winsor, remembering the early days of the bank. Bank of Georgetown has 112 employees and assets in excess of $925 million — and offices in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. [gallery ids="101660,145037,145041,145045,145051,145060,145054,145058" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

Because of the snow storm, the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission (2E) has moved its monthly meeting to Tuesday; it usually meets on Monday. Top attention-getters for the meeting are the proposed designs for the renovation of Duke Ellington School for the Arts on 35th Street and the proposed condominiums at 36th Street and M Street (Canal Road), next to the Exorcist Steps and the Car Barn. The condos by EastBanc will occupy the property where the Key Bridge Exxon now stands; the gas station will be closed.

Here is Tuesday evening’s agenda, as provided by ANC 2E:

We will be meeting this month at the Georgetown Visitation School, 35th and Volta Place, Little Odeon Room, first building on left by gatehouse, 3rd floor. Councilmember Jack Evans has kindly accepted our invitation to join us at this meeting and speak with the community — and will join us during a break in the regular meeting agenda.

Approval of the Agenda

•Approval of March 3, 2014, ANC 2E Public Meeting Agenda

Administrative

•Approval of February 3, 2014, Meeting Minutes

•Public Safety and Police Report

•Financial Report

•Transportation Report

•DPW Report

Community Comment

New Business

•DC Water Green Infrastructure Project Plan – Georgetown Waterfront implications

•Marine Corps Marathon – October 2014

•American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure – September 27, 2014

•West Side Club Volta Park Picnics – Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day

DDOT Public Space

•3206 N Street, NW, Neyla Mediterranean Grill, DDOT Tracking No. 10126007, Application to occupy public space for the purpose of Valet Staging Area

ABC License renewal:

•1063 31st Street, NW, Il Canale, ABRA License No. ABRA-83707, Requesting to expand to 1065 31st Street, NW/1st and 2nd floors/ Sidewalk Café increase to 30 seats/Summer Garden to 150 seats/Increase Seating Occupancy Load to 442 (Petition March 17, Hearing March 31, 2014)

The following establishment is not anticipated to be reviewed by ANC 2E for license renewal. Please contact ANC 2E by Friday, February 28, if you have an issue.

•1025 31st Street, NW, Zenobia Lounge, (Petition March 17, Hearing March 31, 2014)

Zoning

2803 Dumbarton Street, NW, BZA Application No. 18739, Application for special exception for a two story rear addition to a one-family row dwelling not meeting the court requirements (Hearing April 15, 2014)

CFA/HPRB
SMD 01, 1680 35th Street, NW, Duke Ellington School of the Arts remodeling – DGS design revisions to earlier proposal

Old Georgetown Board

MAJOR PROJECTS: SMD 05, 3601-3607 M Street, NW, OG 14-113 (HPA 14-220) Residential, New
building, Concept

PRIVATE PROJECTS: 1. SMD 06, 1337 27th Street, NW, OG 14-108 (HPA 14-213) Residence,
Alterations to brick wall, Concept

2. SMD 06, 1339 27th Street, NW, OG 14-107 (HPA 14-212) Residence, Alterations to brick wall, Concept

3. SMD 06, 1341 27th Street, NW, OG 14-105 (HPA 14-210) Residence, Alterations to brick wall, Concept

4. SMD 06, 1343 27th Street, NW, OG 14-106 (HPA 14-211) Residence, Alterations to brick wall, Concept

5. SMD 02, 1675 35th Street, NW, OG 14-114 (HPA 14-223) Residence, Pergola, Permit

6. SMD 03, 3238 P Street, NW, OG 14-103 (HPA 14-206) Residence, Three- story rear addition, Concept

7. SMD 03, 1357 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, OG 14-14-084 (HPA 14-158) Commercial, Three-story rear addition, Revised Concept

8. SMD 04, 3700 O Street, NW, OG 14-110 (HPA 14-216) Georgetown University – Shaw Field, Accessory building, press box, alterations, Concept

9. SMD 05, 3034 M Street, NW, OG 14-097 (HPA 14-193) Commercial, Kate Spade, Awnings and sign for “Kate Spade – New York,” Permit

10. SMD 05, 3314 M Street, NW, OG 14-111 (HPA 14-217) Commercial, Alterations to Cady’s Alley: green screens, lighting, bumps, Permit

No Review At This Time by ANC 2E:

The following additional projects, which are on the upcoming March 6, 2014, agenda of the Old Georgetown Board, have not been added to the ANC meeting agenda for OGB-related design review, and we do not propose to adopt a resolution on them at this time. If there are concerns about any of these projects, please contact the ANC office by Friday, Feb. 28.

1. SMD 02, 1660 34th Street, NW, OG 14-062 (HPA 14-104) Residence, Rear additions, reconstruction of front façade, Concept – revised design

2. SMD 02, 3306 R Street, NW, OG 14-077 (HPA 14-123) Residence, Addition at roof level, Concept

3. SMD 02, 3210 Scott Place, NW, OG 14-109 (HPA 14-215) Residence, Retaining wall at rear, Permit

4. SMD 03, 1511 33rd Street, NW, OG 14-036 (HPA 14-058) Residence, Replacement windows at rear – existing, Permit

5. SMD 03, 3240 P Street, NW, OG 14-053 (HPA 14-077) Commercial, 2-story rear addition plus basement, Concept – revised design

6. SMD 03, 3107 Dumbarton Street, NW, OG 14-058 (HPA 14-100) Residence, 2-story rear addition to replace 2-story porch, Concept

7. SMD 03, 3261 Prospect Street, NW, OG 14-101 (HPA 14-204) Commercial, Alterations, blade sign for “Lady Camellia,” Permit

8.
SMD 03, 1351 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, OG 14-007 (HPA 14-011) Commercial, Demolition, roof top addition, alterations to garage and new loggia, Concept – revised design

9. SMD 05, 1115 30th Street, NW, OG 14-112 (HPA 14-219) Commercial, Replacement windows, Permit

10. SMD 05, 3334 Cady’s Alley, NW, OG 14-098 (HPA 14-194) Commercial, Lighting and signs for “Donghia,” Permit

11. SMD 05, 1241 Potomac Street, NW, OG 14-95 (HPA 14-179) Residence, Rear fence replacement, Permit

12. SMD 06, 2725 N Street, NW, OG 14-094 (HPA 14-172) Residence, Alterations to dormer at rear, Permit

13. SMD 06, 2531 P Street, NW, OG 14-031 (HPA 14-036) Commercial, Awnings – existing, Permit

14. SMD 06, 2531 P Street, NW, OG 14-033 (HPA 14-046) Commercial, Signs for “TTR / Sotheby’s International Realty,” Permit

15. SMD 06, 3030 P Street, NW, OG 14-117 (HPA 14-227) Residence, Partial demolition, 2-story rear addition, alterations, Permit

16. SMD 06, 3036 P Street, NW, OG 14-096 (HPA 14-192) Residence, Replacement windows at rear, Permit

17. SMD 07, 1644 31st Street, NW, OG 14-115 (HPA 14-225) Tudor Place, Alterations to west entrance, fence and sliding gate, Permit

18. SMD 07, 1644 31st Street, NW, OG 14-104 (HPA 14-207) Tudor Place, Repairs to slate roof on Administration Building, Permit

19. SMD 08, 3700 O Street, NW, OG 14-055 (HPA 14-080) Georgetown University, New construction – residence hall, Revised concept

Sent out 4 p.m., Feb. 27: GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E — 3265 S St., NW — 202-724-7098 — anc2e@dc.gov — www.anc2e.com.

Georgetowner •

On Feb. 19, the long-troubled Corcoran announced a plan for George Washington University to take over its landmark 17th Street building and the Corcoran College of Art and Design, housed there and at the former Fillmore School on 35th Street in Georgetown.

The Corcoran art collection – minus works to be distributed to other museums – is to become the property of the National Gallery of Art, which will use the 17th Street galleries to show modern and contemporary art. (There is also talk of a “Corcoran Legacy Gallery,” where some of the museum’s most famous works will continue to be displayed at that location.)

In the Washington Post, Philip Kennicott called the plan “the end of the Corcoran and its final dismemberment.” But there is a good chance that some of what made the Corcoran a uniquely valuable Washington institution will live on. It is a question of leadership.

GWU President Steven Knapp was provost of Johns Hopkins University from 1996 to 2007, when the formerly independent Peabody Institute, a music conservatory of national importance, expanded as a constituent school of Johns Hopkins without giving up its distinct culture, faculty and student body.
National Gallery Director Earl Powell wrote his Ph.D. dissertation on Thomas Cole, a major figure in 19th-century American art, in which the Corcoran collection is unsurpassed. Chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, Powell called the Corcoran’s exhibition spaces “arguably the most beautiful galleries of any museum in the United States” in a New York Times article about the proposed partnership.

Knapp and Powell are leaders who are likely to “get it,” at the helm of institutions with the resources to make full use of the Corcoran’s exceptionally fine building and collection. Whether they will work together to sustain the museum-school model and community engagement that helped to define the Corcoran’s identity – both locally and nationally – remains to be seen. We hope so.

Robert Devaney •

One of the most recognized properties at Georgetown’s most famous intersection was sold Feb. 21 for $12.2 million by the Heon family to 3150 M Street, LLC, a source close to the sale told the Georgetowner.

The 6,662-square-foot trophy retail space currently houses Serendipity 3 restaurant but is best known as the place, where Nathans, a Georgetown classic restaurant and watering hole, once stood. Nathans closed in July 2009, after 40 years.

The Heon family — which sold the former Georgetown Theater property to Georgetown architect Robert Bell for redevelopment in October 2013 — had owned the corner property for 100 years. During the middle of the 20th century, the family lived in the upper floors of 3150 M St., NW. For the present generation, this was where parents and grandparents lived. One family member said it was hard to let go of the property.

Robert Devaney •

Town Liquors at 1326 Wisconsin Ave., NW, has been shut down by the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Board for serving to minors. Because of the violation, the board also fined the business $5,000. The liquor license for Town Liquors was suspended from Feb. 23 to March 4.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Bill Starrels, the Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner who heads up the local ANC’s alcoholic beverage committee. “But they have to do what it takes not to serve minors. The rules are the rules.”

Located next to the Georgetown Inn, Town Liquors is one of only five liquor stores in Georgetown.
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Serafine George •

Tudor Place Historic Home and Garden received a $100,000 grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

When asked how the Tudor Place team felt about receiving the grant, Leslie Buhler replied, “Gratitude. The maintenance of a historic site is tremendous work.”

The money from the grant will go towards three major projects: the painting and restoration of the windows on the national historic landmark house, the repointing of the bricks on another and the replacement of a roof.

“You can actually put your fingers through the brick,” said Buhler, stressing the importance of these renovations.

Tudor Place must now focus on fundraising to match the grant.

Tudor Place has been a part of Georgetown since it was completed in 1816 by Thomas and Martha Custis Peter. He was the son of Robert Peter, who was the first Mayor of Georgetown, and she was the granddaughter of Martha Washington.
Today,

Tudor Place offers visitors a look into American history at this virtually untouched landscape along with the collections of the Custis-Peter family from the 18th through the 20th centuries. It is a popular spot for special events and weddings.

Paulina Phelps •

The Georgetown Public Library hosted Ruth Trocotolli, archaeologist for D.C.’s Historic Preservation Office Feb. 22 for a lecture in its Peabody Room.

Despite the beautiful weather, which Washingtonians were enjoying outside, the afternoon lecture had an impressive turn-out of 50 persons. This is no surprise, however, as the history and preservation of Washington, D.C, especially Georgetown, is so fascinating. The diversity of the audience was especially notable as well. Sprightly young students and much older grey-haired men and women scattered throughout the room. The age range within the room presented its own historical narrative, just as the historical excavations and discoveries in the area.

In her presentation Trocotolli raised an interesting observation: “People don’t realize the history that’s below their feet.” She went on to add what distinguishes archaeology: “It’s not biased the same way as written history is.”

The Historic Preservation Office works to encourage the protection of D.C.’s historic and cultural resources through the 3 p’s: planning, protection and public education. Trocotolli reiterated these principles and emphasizing the focus on reviewing project plans. Oftentimes, this process involves looking at properties throughout time and determining what beneficial resources would be there. Emphasis is also put on the effort of protection. Artifact Rescue Projects are frequent, especially in as historical place as Georgetown.

Trocotolli mentioned several historical buildings in Georgetown, which have undergone such rescue projects. For instance, the Forrest-Marbury building, now the Embassy of Ukraine, dates to 1788, and another nearby one, Halcyon House dates to 1787.

Both the history of Georgetown and the keen interest of its community are equally impressive. Tricotolli’s work within the community as well as the audience’s participation and interest in the area reflect Georgetown’s authentic collision of the past and the present.

Robert Devaney •

As the snow continued to melt during this long winter, the Georgetown Business Association met for its February reception at Neyla on N Street in its special tented room that reminded all of balmier climes. Touted for its Mediterranean cuisine, the attentive staff kept the table full and the glasses full. GBA president Riyad Said thanked the guests who filled the room and said that the GBA had its 2014 to-do list ready with lobbying efforts and special events — as well as focusing on parking options and shuttle service. Also on the table are help and incentives for small businesses coming to Georgetown.
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