Latest News

Gary Tischler • January 11, 2016

UPDATE, Dec. 28:

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Jan. 2, for Fr. Rick Curry, S.J., at Holy Trinity Church on 36th Street in Georgetown. Visitation at the church will begin 9 a.m., followed by a 10:30 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial for Fr. Rick Curry, S.J. A funeral reception will be held noon at Trinity Hall on O Street.

When the Georgetowner interviewed Father Rick Curry, the co-founder—with philanthropist Connie Milstein—of the Dog Tag Bakery, we found him at the good stuff you’d find at bakeries, the aroma of freshly baked food, the quiet talk of friends over coffee.

As Curry talked about the bakery, about his days at the National Theater Workshop for the Handicapped, about the purpose of the baker and the Georgetown University-sponsored  Academy for Veterans, and the art of story telling and theater and sundry other things approached with a Jesuit attitude of keen intelligence, skepticism and great compassion, I thought, boy, there’s a man I want to spend some time with.  Because the time challenged your mind, was punctuated by warmth and laughter and words, sentences and conversations which seemed to be, like bread itself, the staff and stuff of life.

Sadly, that won’t be possible. Rev. Richard Curry, S.J., passed away Dec. 19 at the age of 72 of heart failure at the Jesuit infirmary at St. Joseph’s University in Curry’s hometown of Philadelphia.

The program he and Milstein founded, which resulted in Dog Tag Bakery, assists wounded veterans with emotional rehabilitation and employment assistance and training—and jobs.

Curry, who was handicapped himself (he was born without a right forearm), talked at the bakery, but he was really holding court and holding forth—you can just imagine him in a classroom, talking plays and stories.  As we talked to him during the summer, Georgetown University students, who knew him (or took his class) would come up and talk and joke with him—rugby players or rowers near the end of the school year.  He had qualities that were both challenging—he appeared in the Jesuit manner a combination of tough intelligence and Irish warmth and humor—and engaging in all senses of the word.

A Jesuit brother for most of his life, Curry decided to become a priest late in his life, enriching himself and those he ministered to in the process. He often told the story of a veteran who offered his confession and asked for absolution. Curry replied that he could not as he was a brother in the Society of Jesus, the largest religious order in the Roman Catholic Church, and has not been called, as it were. The veteran replied to Curry: “Well, I’m calling you.”

One of Curry’s many colleagues and friends, Rev. James Martin, S.J., eulogized him online as a “marvelous speaker and peerless raconteur; and a great supporter, mentor and friend to many.” 

To mouth the old cliché that “he will be missed” is one of those understatements that cannot fill the vacuum but is true, as clichés are, nonetheless.

Indeed, Curry’s life was an inspiration for many. Above all and also nonetheless, it fulfilled —and went beyond —the Jesuit motto, “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,” which means “To the Greater Glory of God.”

Check here to read the July 1 Georgetowner cover story about Dog Tag Bakery.
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Robert Devaney •

The Georgetown liquor license moratorium—in effect since 1989 and due to expire April 3, 2016—has garnered opposition from Georgetown’s neighborhood groups, such as the Citizens Association of Georgetown and the Georgetown Business Improvement District.

At the end of December, the Georgetown Business Association, which represents businesses throughout all of Georgetown, added its own unequivocal take on the debate: let the Georgetown liquor license moratorium expire, with no strings attached.

The Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission is expected to vote at its Jan. 4 meeting to let the ban expire by spring, according to a source close to the negotiations on a so-called “Georgetown Settlement Agreement Template” between the ANC, the BID and CAG. The BID and CAG are expected to vote up or down on the final version on Jan. 21. (Future agreements between new businesses serving alcohol and the neighborhood are considered to be voluntary.)

Community and business leaders predict that the Georgetown ban, the last active liquor license moratorium in the District of Columbia, to be a thing of the past by the spring of 2016.

The following is a Dec. 28 letter to Fred Moosally, director of D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration from the GBA that details and explains its position on the moratorium.

December 28, 2015

Mr. Fred Moosally

Director Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration

2000 14th Street NW, Suite 400

Washington, D.C. 20009

Dear Director Moosally:

Established in 1976, the Georgetown Business Association (GBA) is a nonprofit membership organization committed to maintaining and improving the climate for conducting business throughout Georgetown.

There is an overlap between GBA and the Georgetown Business improvement District (BID), but the BID covers a limited area of Georgetown and is prohibited under its enabling legislation from “lobbying on legislative or administrative actions with respect to any property or area.” furthermore, in accordance with its bylaws, the Bid is controlled by the owners of the commercial properties in the Bid zone. in contrast, GBa’s bylaws do not provide that any single segment of the Georgetown business community controls the organization’s decisions. it follows that GBA and the BID share similar views on many issues, but may differ on others.

Therefore, GBA is writing on behalf of all the businesses throughout Georgetown con-cerning whether the liquor license moratorium currently in effect should be continued. For the reasons stated below, it should be allowed to expire without the imposition of additional legal restrictions in the form of a template or otherwise.

THE MORATORIUM

Georgetown was perhaps the center of nightlife in the District of Columbia before the late 1980s. It was perceived to have an abundance of drinking places, generating noise, vandalism, and trash. In response, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board established the first liquor license moratorium in Georgetown in 1989.

However, the conditions which led to the creation of a moratorium in Georgetown no longer exist. ABRA is likely very familiar with the current conditions in Georgetown, com- pared to those in other commercial areas such as U Street, 14th Street, Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, H Street, and Capitol Hill, all of which are adjacent to residential neigh-borhoods and have considerably more vibrant nightlife.

During a public Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting on November 30, 2015, Commissioner Tom Birch, long the Co-Chair of ABC matters for ANC 2E, openly addressed whether the conditions which led to the imposition of a liquor license moratorium in Georgetown still apply. As reported in the December 2 issue of the Georgetown Current: “During the meeting, Birch acknowledged that the moratorium was created under neighborhood conditions that no longer exist. Concerns about the neighborhood serving as a regional entertainment district to the detriment of residential stability are no longer relevant, he added.”

Georgetown has some very good restaurants, but because virtually all restaurants today serve alcoholic beverages, the moratorium restricts the entry of new restaurants. On December 9, the Washington Post ran an article categorizing Washington, D.C., as one of the “ten best food cities” in the United States. The Post’s food critic wrote: “I have no doubt that the nation’s capital deserves to be on the roster. The sentiment springs from neighborhoods that have recently blossomed into food destinations (Petworth, Shaw, H Street NE in the District and the Mosaic District in Fairfax) and, this year alone, a flurry of impressive restaurant launches that have made headlines outside the beltway.”

The Post then listed 22 restaurants as “Where to Go” in the metropolitan area. Not one of them is in Georgetown.

If the liquor license moratorium in Georgetown is renewed, Georgetown would be the only neighborhood in the city with a restriction on all classes of restaurants. As Commissioner Birch publicly acknowledged, the conditions here clearly do not warrant the unfair and discriminatory continuation of the liquor license moratorium, which impedes competition and discourages the entry of new restaurants.

THE TEMPLATE IN NEGOTIATION

Georgetown residents already have very extensive input into the ABRA process through CAG and ANC 2E, which has exercised great clout for many years, leading to the creation of numerous “voluntary” or “settlement” agreements. This process is sufficient to protect the legitimate concerns of Georgetown residents without super- imposing additional legal requirements that do not pertain in competing neighborhoods.

GBA is especially concerned about limitations on hours of operation that would not be in force District-wide. It is worth noting that Washington, D.C., has experienced extensive growth in its population of millennials, who tend to dine out more often and keep somewhat later hours than the generations ahead of them. They should not be discouraged from frequenting businesses in Georgetown by limits on hours of operation that do not apply to competing businesses elsewhere.

Similarly, the restrictions on noise should be the same in Georgetown as elsewhere. CAG and the ANC are extremely responsive to complaints from residents about noise generated by nearby business, and very effective in addressing them. Adding across-the-board provisions such as forbidding noise generated in a private outdoor space that can be heard inside a residence (presumably even through an open window) are excessive. This type of restriction could preclude relatively quiet outdoor dining at lunchtime, for example.

Other broadly stated noise limitations under the proposed template might apply even if the sound generated is not substantially audible at residences. For instance, if a moderate amount of outdoor noise were generated by a business located near Blues Alley or in many locations south of M Street, it is not likely that residents would be impacted significantly, if at all. Thus, some of the restrictions that the template would impose are overly broad and too onerous. GBA also questions whether it is fair to applicants to accord sole authority in these matters to the discretion of CAG and/or the ANC, though their views will be carefully considered by ABRA.

The proposed template seems especially anomalous in the townhouse environment of Georgetown, where residents are permitted to play amplified music in their outdoor spaces and can otherwise legally generate a range of noise that can be heard by their adjacent neighbors during daytime hours.

Competing commercial areas throughout the District are adjacent to residences; there is no valid reason to impose additional legal restrictions on businesses in Georgetown because residents here are entitled to some “special” treatment. Rather, liquor license applications in Georgetown should continue to be handled on a case- by-case basis under the same general legal requirements that apply District-wide.

If you have questions or would like to discuss these issues further, I would welcome your call.

Very truly yours,

Sonya Bernhardt, President

cc: Georgetown BID
ANC 2E Commissioners
Citizens Association of Georgetown
Ruth Werner, Office of Councilman Jack Evans

Robert Devaney •

Just in time to bring in 2016, the iconic sign for the former Georgetown Theater at Wisconsin Avenue and O Street NW will be illuminated, beginning 8 p.m., Dec. 31, through the wee hours of Jan. 1, as a preview, owner and architect Robert Bell told The Georgetowner today.

Expect to see the capital letters, “GEORGETOWN,” aglow in neon-red. The lighting of the sign—for the first time since the early 1990s—may stop a few New Year’s Eve party-goers in their tracks.

An official ceremony for the sign’s relighting is not yet scheduled because the main doors of the building are not ready, said Bell, who bought the old theater property in October 2013 and is still renovating the building at 1351 Wisconsin Ave. NW for retail and residential use.

The original sign was hauled away in September 2014 and re-done at Jack Stone Signs, which originally manufactured it in 1950. It was reinstalled in July, but not lighted.

“Restoring the neon Georgetown sign has been a project of mine for seven years,” Bell told the Georgetowner previously. “The Georgetown Theater is the missing link to restoring Wisconsin Avenue from Book Hill to M Street as one of America’s best streets. Restoring the façade and vitality of this property will be a major improvement on the quality of Wisconsin Avenue and Georgetown.”

Architect Robert Bell and his plans for the rejuvenation of the old Georgetown Theater property were the subject of a Jan. 15, 2014, Georgetowner cover story.

Georgetowner •

The Georgetown-Burleith-Hillandale Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 2E) will hold its January meeting, 6:30 p.m., Jan. 4, at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, 35th Street and Volta Place, NW, Heritage Room, main building, second floor. Click the following to view Monday’s meeting agenda, as provided by ANC 2E, or simply view below.

Approval of the Agenda

• Approval of January 4, 2016, ANC 2E Public Meeting Agenda

Administrative

• Approval of November 30, 2015, Meeting Minutes

• Public Safety and Police Report

• Financial Report

• Transportation Report

• Environmental Report

• Ratification of 2016 Public Meeting Schedule

• Areas of Special Interest and election of ANC 2E officers for 2016

Community Comment

Introduction of Rick Murphy, pro bono attorney for ANC 2E

New Business

ABC

Moratorium on new ABC licenses – set to expire in February 2016 (A revised proposed template for a Settlement Agreement with applicants for new ABC licenses in Georgetown/Burleith is on the ANC 2E website at anc2e.com)

Kouzina Authentic Greek Restaurant, ABRA-0099818, 3236 Prospect Street (Class C license) – settlement agreement

Zoning and Planning

Old Georgetown Board

Private Projects

1. SMD 03 OG 16-083 (HPA 16-131) 1417 33rd Street, NW Residence Alterations to carport
Permit

2. SMD 03 OG 16-068 (HPA 16-114) 3420 P Street, NW Residence Addition, demolition, replacement windows, site work Concept

3. SMD 05 OG 16-064 (HPA 16-110) 3251 Prospect Street, NW Commercial Awning, signs – Morton’s Steakhouse – options Concept

4. SMD 05 OG 16-060 (HPA 16-102) 1033 31st Street, NW Commercial Alterations and sign – Ministry of Fashion – Existing alterations without review Permit

5. SMD 05 OG 16-069 (HPA 16-116) 3111 K Street, NW Commercial Alterations, sign and blade signs – AMC Theatres Concept

6. SMD 05 OG 16-063 (HPA 16-109) 1037 Cecil Place, NW Residence New gate in wall – Existing alterations without review Permit

7. SMD 05 OG 16-071 (HPA 16-119) 1044 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Commercial One-story addition, alterations, sign – Sweetgreen Concept

8. SMD 06 OG 16-039 (HPA 16-066) 3059 M Street, NW Commercial Signs – Existing alterations without review – Bluemercury Permit

No Review At This Time by ANC 2E: The following additional projects, which are on the upcoming January 7, 2016, 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 Wednesday, December 30, 2015.

1. SMD 02 OG 16-084 (HPA 16-132) 1724 34th Street, NW Residence Two-story plus basement rear addition, demolition – Existing alterations without review. Permit

2. SMD 02 OG 16-077 (HPA 16-125) 1661 35th Street, NW Residence Two-story plus basement rear addition, in-fill areaway, one-story side addition, demolition Revised permit

3. SMD 02 OG 16-074 (HPA 16-122) 3417 R Street, NW Residence Three-story rear addition, alterations, demolition – Design Development Revised concept

4. SMD 02 OG 16-070 (HPA 16-118) 3223 Volta Place, NW Residence Alterations Permit

5. SMD 02 OG 16-066 (HPA 16-112) 1740 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Commercial Alterations
Permit

6. SMD 02 OG 16-089 (HPA 16-137) 1826 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Commercial Two-story plus basement rear addition, partial demolition, roof deck Permit

7. SMD 03 OG 16-073 (HPA 16-121) 3234 N Street Residence Rear and rooftop additions – Demolition Concept

8. SMD 03 OG 14-352 (HPA 14-685) 3240 P Street, NW Commercial Two-story rear addition plus basement Revised permit

9. SMD 03 OG 16-087 (HPA 16-135) 3107 Dumbarton Street, NW Residence Removal of DEFS – Existing alterations without review Permit

10. SMD 05 OG 16-072 (HPA 16-120) 1099 30th Street, NW Commercial Rebuild and waterproof terrace
Permit

11. SMD 05 OG 16-080 (HPA 16-128) 1232 31st Street, NW Commercial Roof, skylight, and gutter replacement Permit

12. SMD 05 OG 16-065 (HPA 16-111) 3281 M Street, NW Commercial ATM, awning, signs – Bank of America Permit

13.SMD 05 OG 16-059 (HPA 16-091) 3307 M Street, NW Commercial Signs – CB2 Permit

14. SMD 05 OG 16-014 (HPA 16-022) 3509 M Street, NW Residence Replacement windows Permit

15. SMD 05 OG 16-035 (HPA 16-060) 3600 M Street, NW Mixed-use Ramp in public space Concept

16. SMD 05 OG 16-081 (HPA 16-129) 3600 M Street, NW Mixed-use Alterations, replacement windows Concept

17. SMD 05 OG 16-013 (HPA 16-021) 3121 N Street, NW Residence New front porch
Permit

18. SMD 05 OG 16-046 (HPA 16-078) 3241-3245 M Street, NW Concept

19. SMD 05 OG 16-076 (HPA 16-124) 3210 Grace Street, NW, #102 Commercial Awnings and signs – Stona Permit

20. SMD 05 OG 16-048 (HPA 16-080) 1055 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Mixed-use Mesh frame Permit

21. SMD 05 OG 16-049 (HPA 16-081) 1077 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Restaurant Sign – Simit + Smith Permit

22. SMD 05 OG 16-075 (HPA 16-123) 1079 1/2 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Commercial Alterations, awning, sign – Lilly Pulitzer Permit

23. SMD 06 OG 16-086 (HPA 16-134) 3045 P Street, NW Residence Replacement windows, garage door, shutters – Existing alterations without review Concept

24. SMD 06 OG 16-062 (HPA 16-108) 3050 P Street, NW Residence Rear fence and trellis Permit

25. SMD 06 OG 16-061 (HPA 16-107) 2815 Dumbarton Street, NW Residence Alterations, replacement roof, site work Permit

26. SMD 06 OG 16-030 (HPA 16-038) 2712 Poplar Street, NW Residence Replacement fence – Existing alterations without review Permit

27. SMD 07 OG 16-057 (HPA 16-089) 1626 29th Street, NW Residence Rear addition, basement window Permit

28. SMD 07 OG 16-027 (HPA 16-035) 1609 31st Street, NW Residence Alteration, addition, site work – Design Development Revised concept

29. SMD 07 OG 16-078 (HPA 16-032) 3029 Q Street, NW Residence Alterations to residence Concept

30. SMD 07 OG 16-079 (HPA 16-032) 3029 Q Street, NW Residence Garage alterations and new parking pad Concept

31. SMD 07 OG 15-341 (HPA 15-618) 3035 Q Street, NW, #5 Residence Rooftop addition and deck Permit

32. SMD 07 OG 16-082 (HPA 16-130) 3058 R Street, NW Residence Side addition, alterations, site work Permit

Submitted December 21, 2015.

Government of the District of Columbia: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E

3265 S St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20007

202-724-7098 anc2e@dc.gov www.anc2e.com

Gary Tischler •

It appears that former District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray’s long political and legal nightmare is over.

The nearly five-year investigation into Gray’s victorious 2010 campaign against incumbent Mayor Adrian is over with no charges filed against Gray.

The office of the U.S. District Attorney, headed by Channing Phillips, who took over after then District Attorney Ronald Machen stepped down this year, issued a statement saying, “Based on a thorough review of the available evidence and applicable law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has concluded that the admissible evidence is likely insufficient to obtain and sustain a criminal conviction against any other individuals.”  This means that Gray, although his name was not mentioned, will not face prosecution or charges.

The announcement amounted to a bittersweet victory for Gray.  Federal prosecutors, after all, did uncover a slush fund or “shadow campaign,” presumed to be headed by businessman Jeffrey Thompson, an ally of Gray.  Several Gray campaign aides have already been indicted and await sentencing, along with Thompson, who insisted in negotiations with the prosecutor that Gray knew about the “shadow campaign”.

The investigation into the campaign exploded at the start of Gray’s administration, dogging and shadowing him throughout his tenure, right up to and including his campaign for re-election.  Machen all alone suggested that Gray’s victory over Fenty was suspect and went to great lengths to prove it, snaring aides and Thompson—but without in the end being able to charge Gray.

What the investigation did manage to do was perhaps cause Gray to lose his re-election campaign against Muriel Bowser, who went on to become mayor. Three weeks before the Democratic primary—which is still tantamount to a guarantor of victory in the general election– Thompson pleaded guilty. Prosecutors and Thompson said in court and in public that Gray knew about the illegal funds that fueled his 2010 campaign.  At the time, while Bowser had been surging, the primary still appeared to be in the very least too close to call. That changed quickly with the late-campaign contratemps around Thompson.

While most observers would suggest that Gray’s tenure by and large was a successful one, he was in some ways wounded politically.  With the investigation making constant news as revelations about the “shadow campaign” continuing to erupt in the media and in the courts with every indictment, Gray was dogged by the press and the media about the campaign and had difficulty getting out the news about his policies and programs.

There is probably no question that a slush fund existed—but it also appeared then and appears now that prosecutors had no meaningful or solid evidence against the mayor.

There is an irony in that, of course, several.  Most District political observers suggest that even though it appears that illegal funds were being used, they were most likely unnecessary to defeat Fenty who had been behind in the in the polls for weeks leading up to the election. 

Gray obviously recognized the might-have-been aspects of what transpired, in terms of the 2014 election, in terms of how his tenure was affected.

In a statement released through his former campaign manager Chuck Thies, Gray said, “Here in the District and around the country, many people had had their faith in our justice system tested. Justice delayed is justice denied, but I cannot change history. I look forward to getting on with the next chapter of my life, which will no doubt be dedicated to service.”

The population increase and shift in the  city, and a building boom that came with it, as well the burgeoning reputation of the city as a destination spot can probably be traced back to Mayor Anthony Williams, Fenty and most certainly Gray, who can take considerable credit for the rise of the city. But it was also during his time in office that the investigation put a cloud of distrust over the government.  The convictions of three council members on other matters, did nothing to reduce that impression.

Mayor Bowser released a curt statement Dec. 9 in response to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia’s announcement on the 2010 mayoral election investigation:
 
“The U.S. Attorney is responsible for bringing cases and securing justice.  The new U.S. Attorney for the District has concluded that justice has been secured with seven convictions in the 2010 Gray mayoral campaign and a dozen in total. It is not my job to question his actions but to continue to do the job that the residents elected me to do: expand opportunity to more D.C. residents. And that’s what we do — not just today but every day.”

Georgetowner •

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier announced Thursday that her department would conduct new searches around the city for Relisha Rudd, a little girl who was eight years old when she went missing in March 2014.

“There’s nothing more important than trying to locate a missing child, and we want to make sure that we haven’t missed anything,” said Lanier, announcing that her department would search a construction site at New York Avenue and Bladensburg Road in Northeast and other areas that Lanier declined to provide details about. “We don’t want to leave any stone unturned here. This is our highest priority,” she said. According to MPD, the new searches were not prompted by tip from the public.

Relisha lived at a homeless shelter with her mother and siblings in SE D.C., and was last seen with Khalil Tatum, a janitor that worked at the shelter. After Relisha was reported missing, Tatum was found dead of a self-inflicted gun wound in a park in Northeast. In addition, police found Tatum’s wife’s body in a suburban Maryland motel shortly.

At time of print, Relisha, who would’ve turned 10 on Oct. 29, had not been found.

Georgetowner •

Sinatra’s Night at Living Room Live

December 10th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | Free | info@artsoiree.com | Tel: 202-470-2642 | Event Website

Celebrate 100th Birthday of Frank Sinatra with a one-night-only performance – Sinatra’s Centennial by Friends of Frank.

From “New York, New York” to “That’s Life”, Friends of Frank will perform Sinatra classics and audience favorites!

Seating is on the first come basis. Doors open 7pm. Live Performance start 8pm.

Address

The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown; 3100 South Street NW

Hoppy Holidays presented by Drink The District

December 11th, 2015 at 06:00 PM | $35-$50 | tickets@drinkthedistrict.com | Tel: 202-618-3663 | Event Website

‘Tis the season to celebrate good friends and good fun with a bevy of beverages and live music. Keep warm with savory and sweet treats while you sample stouts, lagers and ales and ponder who’s been naughty or nice. Enjoy 3 hours of unlimited tastings of over 30 beers and unlimited full pours of 2 beers.

Session 1: FRIDAY, Dec 11th, 7pm-10pm

Session 2: SATURDAY, Dec 12th, 2pm–5pm

Session 3: SATURDAY, Dec 12th, 7pm-10pm

Address

The Ring Building; 1200 18th Street NW

Gas Station Horror

December 11th, 2015 at 10:00 PM

From NYC, Gas Station Horror is a high-energy improv show that turns terrible horror movies into excellent comedy. For this special edition they are bringing horror to the Holiday with films like Silent Night, Zombie Night.

Address

Source, 1835 14th St. NW

Age-Friendly DC Info Session

December 11th, 2015 at 10:00 AM | FREE | rebekah.smith@dc.gov | Tel: 202-727-0232 | Event Website

D.C. is on the way to becoming an age-friendly city. Come learn about the city’s Age-Friendly DC 2015 Progress Report and what you can do to help transform D.C. into an easier city to grow up and older.

The Age-Friendly D.C. plan includes 75 strategies that District agencies are implementing with support from community partners to make life easier for residents of all ages. For more information please visit the Age-Friendly D.C. website: http://agefriendly.dc.gov/

Address

Georgetown Neighborhood Library; 3260 R St NW

National Building Museum’s 35th Birthday!

December 12th, 2015 at 10:00 AM | Free

Thirty-five years ago today, an Act of Congress established the nation’s only museum dedicated to the history and impact of the built environment. To celebrate our birthday, we’re throwing open our doors and offering free admission to all, as well as birthday festivities throughout the day. Learn more at go.nbm.org/35years.

Address

401 F St NW

Christmas Mart

December 12th, 2015 at 10:00 AM | – | dumbartonpastor@yahoo.com | Tel: 202-333-7212 | Event Website

You can find holiday gifts and help with world peace and understanding by shopping at Dumbarton’s Christmas Mart on Saturday, December 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Dumbarton United Methodist Church Youth group will be selling global, hand-made, fair trade items from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Local artists will offer a variety of their art, jewelry, and crafts. A portion of all sales goes to fund the 2016 youth work trip. The church is at 3133 Dumbarton St. NW, just off of Wisconsin Avenue.

Address

3133 Dumbarton St. NW

Tea with Santa

December 12th, 2015 at 11:00 AM | $30 | education@dumbartonhouse.org | Tel: 2023372288 | Event Website

Sit back, relax and let Santa’s helpers serve you during this magical holiday experience. Visit with Santa and hear a special holiday story. Families enjoy a delicious holiday tea complete with special holiday tea blends, hot apple cider, sandwiches and desserts. After taking tea, children decorate their own gingerbread cookies to take home.

Adult Member $25; Non-member $30; Children $20

Address

Dumbarton House, 2715 Q Street, NW

Cathedral Choral Society: Family Joy

December 12th, 2015 at 12:00 PM | $15-25 | lsheridan@cathedral.org | Tel: 202-537-2228 | Event Website](http://www.cathedralchoralsociety.org/)

Join us for a special Christmas concert! This one-hour program has something for all ages, including a kids-only sing-along. Bring the whole family and get swept up in the sounds of the season. Special guests: Children’s Chorus of Washington and American Youth Philharmonic Brass Ensemble.

Address

Washington National Cathedral; 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Saturday Showing – “Sylvester”

December 12th, 2015 at 01:00 PM | Tel: (540) 687-6542 | [Event Website](http://nationalsporting.org/)

We invite you to join us in the Founder’s Room for a showing of Sylvester. Admission is free and Popcorn Monkey will be on hand selling popcorn to accompany the film!

Address

National Sporting Library & Museum; 102 The Plains Road; Middleburg, VA 20117

Joy of Christmas

December 12th, 2015 at 04:00 PM | $25-77 | lsheridan@cathedral.org | Tel: 202-537-2228 | [Event Website](http://www.cathedralchoralsociety.org/)

Celebrate the warm spirit of the season in a majestic setting. A well-loved Washington, DC holiday tradition, this concert will include Christmas favorites and a festive carol sing-along. Program will feature a newly commissioned carol by British composer James Whitbourn.

Led by Music Director J. Reilly Lewis with Edward Nassor, carillon; Todd Fickley, organ; Lyric Brass Quintet; and Children’s Chorus of Washington.

Address

Washington National Cathedral; 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW

A Celtic Christmas

December 12th, 2015 at 04:00 PM | $30-$35 | office@dumbartonconcerts.org | Tel: 2029652000, ext. 100 | [Event Website](http://www.dumbartonconcerts.org/tickets)

A Celtic Christmas. The Barnes and Hampton Consort, flutist Joseph Cunliffe, percussionist Steve Bloom, and radio celebrity Robert Aubry Davis return to Dumbarton Concerts with this annual Christmas tradition, featuring well-known pieces like “In the Bleak Midwinter”, traditional Irish music, and readings of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” by Dylan Thomas, as well as other poems by Langston Hughes.

Address

3133 Dumbarton St. NW

A Candlelight Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

December 13th, 2015 at 05:00 PM | FREE ADMISSION | sam@stjohnsgeorgetown.org | Tel: 202-338-1796 | [Event Website](http://www.stjohnsgeorgetown.org/)

Celebrate the season with this beloved holiday service of readings and music, in the tradition of King’s College, Cambridge. Performed in the serene and radiant beauty of candlelight, the program will feature music by Rutter and Willcocks in addition to traditional Christmas carols for all to sing.
Holiday Reception in Blake Hall following the service.

Free Admission

Early seating is advised

Childcare available

Address

St. John’s Episcopal Church; 3240 O St. NW

Washington Nationals Winterfest

Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW Washington, DC 20001

When: Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13 (two days)

Time: 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. (time is the same for both days)

Tickets: Tickets purchased in advance at www.nationals.com/NatsWinterfest cost $30 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under, with prices increasing at the door. Tickets must be purchased separately for each individual day.

Description: The Nationals’ event of the offseason is now two-days. Open to fans of all ages, guests can enjoy holiday and baseball themed activities and interactive events, meet and greet their favorite Nationals players, take a photo with Santa, donate a toy to a child in need, enjoy their favorite ballpark concessions and much more.

More information can be found at www.nationals.com/NatsWinterfest

Robert Devaney •

Ri Ra Irish Pub at 3123 M St. NW has been shut down by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board Jan. 4 through Jan. 12 for “Sale to Minor Violation, Failed to Take Steps Necessary to Ascertain Legal Drinking Age.”

During the Nov. 18 hearing that meted out the punishment, the ABC Board “accepted an Offer In Compromise: $4,000 fine to be paid within 30 days. Charge I-$4,000 and Charge II -dismissed. Suspension of the license for 15 days, 9 days served and 6 days stayed. The suspension days are January 4-12, 2016. Indefinite suspension of the license if the fine is not paid by December 18, 2015, 5-0.”

Aside from the obligatory ABC placard taped to the Ri Ra window this week, the Ri Ra management also offered its own apology letter on its front door window—promising its customers and the community that such a violation would never happen again.

Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Bill Starrels, who heads the group’s alcoholic beverage committee and in whose single-member district Ri Ra operates, commented on the restaurant’s temporary closure: “According to my constituents that usually frequent the pub, it seems to have changed since its first year and has a different clientele. On its opening day, the Ri Ra owners appeared to be a first-class act.”

The ABC Board is part of D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. Board members are Donovan Anderson (chair), Nick Alberti, Mike Silverstein, Ruthanne Miller and James Short.

Robert Devaney •

Promoters, developers and designers of the future building and park that will emerge out of the West Heating Plant site at 1055 29th St. NW, just south of the C&O Canal and the Four Seasons Hotel, addressed the members and guest of the Citizens Association of Georgetown Dec. 9 at the Georgetown Public Library.

The development group, headed by Richard Levy of the Levy Group, showed the designs of British architect David Adjaye and landscape designer Laurie Olin. Others in the group include the Four Seasons and the Georgetown Companies of New York. The team bought the two-acre property from the federal government in 2013 for $19.5 million. High-end condo units — managed by the Four Seasons — will number 60 to 70, and half of the land will become a park.

Adjaye is the architect for the National Museum of African-American History and Culture as well as two D.C. public libraries. He presented his first design that echoes the way the building, shut down for 15 years as a power plant, now looks with its vertical lines. As the present structure is not designated a historic landmark, Adjaye’s second and preferred version reveals a differently aligned building with horizontal lines that echo the flat sweeping lines of the Kennedy Center and Watergate complex as seen from the Potomac River coming up to Georgetown. The footprint of the building would remain more or less the same.

The group has many hurdles for completion. It may take three years to tear down the building, clear the land and finoish the building — after many approvals. Ahead is an Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting in February as well as one with the Old Georgetown Board. Levy and his team have to get Mayor Bowser to deem their efforts a “project of special merit” to have a completely different building (though it is a similar size) for the site.

Meanwhile, there will more opportunities for public comment. Overall, impressions from the neighbors at the meeting about the new designs seemed upbeat. More to come on this project, no doubt.
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Peter Murray •

Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled a two-year action plan Dec. 17 for the city’s Vision Zero program, an initiative started in Sweden that is aimed at eliminating traffic deaths in the District by 2024.

“We know over the past two decades we’ve seen annual traffic fatalities in our city reduced very significantly, but still too many people are dying as a result of traffic accidents,” Bowser said said. “That is why we talk not of reducing traffic fatalities, but getting to zero.”

The new plan, which spans 56 pages and 68 action items, is broken into four parts. Some steps are intended to create safe streets and protect vulnerable users, while others are meant to prevent reckless driving and promote transparency. Some steps are ambitious, like redesigning roads for all users, while others, like increasing fines for driving violations and expanding D.C.’s automated traffic cameras, are intended to deter bad behavior.

Learn more about D.C. and Mayor Bowser’s Vision Zero action plan here.