Latest News

Georgetowner • June 22, 2015

Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E will hold its monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., June 1, at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, 35th Street and Volta Place, NW, Heritage Room, main building, second floor. This following is tonight’s meeting agenda, as provided by ANC 2E.

Approval of the Agenda

• Approval of June 1, 2015, ANC 2E Public Meeting Agenda

Administrative

• Approval of March 30 and May 4, 2015, Meeting Minutes

• Public Safety and Police Report

• Financial Report — 2nd Quarter Financial Report approval

• Transportation Report

• Discussion with the District Department of Transportation about rush hour congestion and other transportation issues

Community Comment

New Business

ABC

• Events DC Nation’s Triathlon Sept. 13, 2015

• GBID Temporary weekend sidewalk widening on 3200 block of M St.

• West Heating Plant procedures for dealing with environmental information

• After Peacock Room ABRA-095964, 2622 P ST NW
–amendment to extend hours to 11 p.m.

Old Georgetown Board
?
?Public Projects
??
1. Government of the District of Columbia Department of General Services

3219 O Street, NW Hyde -Addison Elementary School Alterations to fence and gates
Concept ?

Private Projects ?

?1. SMD 03 OG 15-214
1405 34th Street, NW
Residence Alterations, window replacement, cameras
Concept
?
?2. SMD 03 OG 15-219
3317 P Street, NW
Residence Basement addition
Concept
?
?3. SMD 05 OG 15-199
1063 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Commercial Sign and blade sign – Onward Reserve Permit
?
4. SMD 06 OG 15-207
1250 28th Street, NW
Residence
Porch replacement, new front stoop
Concept
?
?5. SMD 07 OG 15-208
2703 P Street, NW
Residence
Replacement stairs, site work
Permit

No Review At This Time by ANC 2E: The following additional projects, which are on the upcoming June 4, 2015, 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, May 29, 2015.

?1. SMD 02 OG 15-220
1661 35th Street, NW
Residence
Three-story rear addition, in-fill areaway, one-story side addition, alterations
Permit
???
?2. SMD 02 OG 15-201
1623 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Commercial
Alterations to storefront
Permit ?
?
3. SMD 02 OG 15-212
1740 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Commercial
Front and rear alterations
Concept

??4. SMD 03 OG 15-204
1537 33rd Street, NW
Residence
Brick wall repair
Permit
?
5. SMD 03 OG 15-210
1318 34th Street, NW
Residence
Garden wall
Permit

?6. SMD 03 OG 15-197
3206 N Street, NW
Commercial
Addition, alterations, stair, signs
Permit
?
7. SMD 03 OG 15-121
3301 N Street, NW
Residence
Rear addition, alterations
Concept — revised
?
?8. SMD 03 OG 15-180
3112 O Street, NW
Christ Church Rectory
Demolition, rear addition
Concept – revised
?
?9. SMD 03 OG 15-206
3211 O Street, NW
Commercial
Sign — Crumbs & Whiskers Cafe
Permit

?10. SMD 03 OG 15-218
3252 O Street, NW
Residence
Two-story rear addition
Permit
?
?
?11. SMD 03 OG 15-188
3300 O Street, NW
1316 33rd Street, NW, 1318 33rd Street, NW
Residence
Demolition, addition, alterations
?Concept – revised ?

?12. SMD 03 OG 15-213
3129 Dumbarton Street, NW
Residence
Replacement windows, site work
?Concept ?
?
13. SMD 03 OG 15-198
3410 Prospect Street, NW
Residence
Alterations to rear, terraces
Permit ?

?14. SMD 03 OG 15-153
1513 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Mixed-use Rooftop and rear additions, trellis
Concept – Design development

?15. SMD 05 OG 15-217
3225 M Street, NW
Commercial Alterations, lighting, sign — Warby Parker
Permit ? ?
?16. SMD 05 OG 15-216
3000 M Street, NW
Mixed-use Partial demolition, addition, alterations
Permit
?
17. SMD 05 OG 15-179
3286 M Street, NW
Commercial
Signs, alterations to parking lot
Concept – revised
?
18. SMD 05 OG 15-184
3295 M Street, NW
Commercial
Alterations, signs — Club Monaco Permit

?19. SMD 05 OG 15-215
3210 Grace Street, NW
Mixed-use
Fenestration alterations, new chimneys
Concept
?
20. SMD 06 OG 15-135
1212 28th Street, NW
Mixed-use
Two-story plus basement rear addition
Concept — revised

?21. SMD 06 OG 15-168
1324 30th Street, NW
Residence
Rooftop solar panels
Permit
?
22. SMD 06 OG 15-162
2708 P Street, NW
Residence
Replacement doors and windows at rear
Permit
?
?23. SMD 07 OG 15-196
1617 29th Street, NW
Residence
Brick paving, aluminum fences, pool
Concept
?
?24. SMD 07 OG 15-101
1609 31st Street, NW
Residence
Demolition, new residence, site work
Concept – revised

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

Robert Devaney •

Residents of a high-end, 72-unit building on the Georgetown waterfront will be moving out temporarily for repairs to a structure just over ten years old.

With a lawsuit settled between owners of units in the condominium building at 3303 Water St. NW and its builder and seller EastBanc and its CEO Anthony Lanier, construction work is set to begin this month.

The Washington Business Journal reported May 29: “Details of the mass exodus from 3303 Water St. NW are scarce. We’re told that residents will be leaving as soon as the second week in June and were offered the opportunity to relocate to a D.C. Ritz-Carlton at a cost of $12,000 for a month.”

The Journal continued: “In 2011, the 3303 Water Street Condominium Association sued EastBanc, its president Anthony Lanier, and EastBanc’s contractors, alleging the design, construction and installation of drywall, bathtubs, and ventilation shafts ‘fail to meet the requirements of the applicable building code and industry standard, and creates substantial risk to the health and safety of unit owners and residents, as well as risk of and actual damage to property.’ ”

“It is one of the most beautiful condos in Washington, D.C.,” Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP Partner S. Scott Morrison, attorney for the condo association, told the Journal. “The interior finishes are first rate. The views out over either Georgetown or the river are spectacular. The problem in this building stems from poor management of the construction process by Lanier and a refusal to take appropriate steps to remedy those deficiencies. The association was left with absolutely no choice but to sue Lanier and the defendants.”

Morrison told the newspaper the issues were discovered after a sprinkler head burst, damaging six units. Contractors discovered “serious deficiencies” during the ensuing repairs, which required drywall removal. The lawsuit alleged: Gypsum wall board is discontinuous and/or omitted in concealed areas. Steel wall studs were severed and/or cut out for piping “in a manner that is not in compliance with applicable fire and building codes.” Bathtubs were improperly supported and installed, and a retention flange was omitted, allowing “water to enter the wall assembly.”

The condominiums were built by EastBanc in 2004. The lawsuit, which includes money for the construction job and moving costs, was settled in November 2014.

One source familiar with the address said that residents would be moving in stages, not all at once.

One of 3303 Water Street’s units is on the market for $9 million.

Kelly Byrnes •

A retrial was granted by a federal judge June 4 to continue the case of the man convicted of murdering Chandra Levy.

Ingmar Guandique, who was sentenced in February 2011 to 60 years in prison for the murder of Levy, will be tried before a new judge and jury, it was announced by D.C. Superior Court Judge Gerald Fisher.

“Unless there is something else to be said, I would grant the motion for a new trial,” Fisher said.

The decision has been anticipated by Guandique’s defense attorneys, who have argued that a false and misleading testimony was given during the 2010 trial by his cellmate Armando Morales. Prosecutors believe the jury was correct for convicting Guandique, but added that the “unique circumstances” of the case makes the request for a retrial hard to oppose.

Levy was a 24-year-old Washington intern, when she disappeared in May 2001. Her remains were found in Rock Creek Park the following year. The case garnered national media attention when Levy was traced to be having an affair with former Rep Gary Condit (D-Calif.) Although investigators initially suspected Condit in Levy’s disappearance, he was later cleared. 

There has been no forensic evidence nor eyewitnesses to link Guandique, 34, to Levy’s murder. However, he has been accused of assaulting other women in Rock Creek Park, and was serving a 10 year prison sentence for assaulting two women at knifepoint at the time he was charged with Levy’s death.
  
The new trial will be presided by D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin, who set a June 12 hearing to schedule the trial for later this year or possibly in 2016.
 

Kelly Byrnes •

Two persons killed in a house fire near Dupont Circle during the early morning hours of June 3 were reportedly Georgetown University students, according to Sherri Kimbel, representative for Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans.

The identities of the victims have yet to be released. The college students, reportedly a male and a femaie, who lived on the third floor of the rowhouse on the 1600 block of Riggs Place NW, were trapped as flames engulfed the first floor.

During an Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2F meeting on the evening of June 3, Kimbel announced the victims as Georgetown University students, through information obtained by neighbors of the property. (ANC 2F serves such neighborhoods as those around Logan Circle, Thomas Circle and the Washington Convention Center.) Thomas Lipinsky, communications director for Evans’s office said that this report was neither confirmed by the D.C. Fire & Emergency Medical Services Department nor the Metropolitan Police Department.

Georgetown University spokesperson Stacy Kerr could not confirm at this time to the Georgetowner whether those killed in the fire were, in fact, Georgetown student or their identities.

Five others, including three firefighters, sustained minor injuries in the blaze, which began around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday. An investigation is ongoing.

Robert Devaney •

It was a very good year, it seems, if you attended the Georgetown Business Improvement District’s annual meeting, held June 10 at Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place at Washington Harbour on the Georgetown waterfront.

Office and retail space is renting well, consumer spending remains strong and consistent, the C&O Canal, a jewel of Georgetown, will get funding from the District government for rehabilitation — and four restaurants received major honors. To boot, the BID issued its third annual State of Georgetown report and redesigned and upgraded its website.

Now a park, the historic canal which connects the town to its working waterfront past took center stage.  “The C&O Canal is a unique feature of our region and a living piece of America’s history,” said Joe Sternlieb, CEO of the Georgetown BID. “It’s a window into the story of our industrial past, and is also a place for exercise, recreation and reflection.”
 
As previously reported in The Georgetowner and other news outlets, D.C.’s 2016 Budget includes $3 million for restoration and education efforts for the Georgetown section of the C&O Canal National Historical Park.

The BID and other community leaders founded Georgetown Heritage, an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization “with the mission of promoting and presenting the history of Washington D.C.’s oldest neighborhood.” Georgetown Heritage made fixing the C&O Canal its first mission and now works with the National Park Service on repairs, safety efforts and buying a new canal barge.
 
“I am pleased to report today that my efforts to get the city to support the C&O Canal initiatives in the Georgetown 2028 agenda have been embraced by the Council,” Ward 2 D.C. Councilman Jack Evans said.  “We have approved $3 million to the C&O Canal efforts of the BID and Georgetown Heritage.  These funds will be used to fix Lock 4, build a new canal boat and support comprehensive planning efforts to improve lighting, the towpath, wayfinding and interpretation.”

Evans also said, “The city is on board” with not only the canal work and money but also lighting under Key Bridge and the Whitehurst Freeway. Pulling from his standard celebratory stump speech, the longest serving councilman recalled the first year of the 21st century, when Georgetown was known for its exploding manhole covers and its “Little Dig,” torn-up streets because of work on its infrastructure as well as major building going up around town, such as the Ritz-Carlton and the large southwest dormitory complex at Georgetown University. “In Georgetown, nothing is ever easy,” Evans smiled.

Besides the $3 million from the District government, Georgetown Heritage promises to raise $3 million from the private sector.

The goals of fixing the canal and getting a new canal boat is only part of the action agenda items that are contain in the BID’s Georgetown 2028 Plan, “an ambitious agenda of 75 action items aimed to improve Georgetown’s transportation infrastructure and management, public spaces and economy” and “created by the Georgetown BID and community stakeholders and officially launched in January 2014,” the BID says.

Along with awards and discussions, the meeting brought together some interesting aspects of Georgetown business and its people.

Andrew Blair, CEO of Colonial Parking, who said “To hell with U Street,” introduced Paul Cohen, who founded J. Paul’s, Paulo’s, Old Glory and other restaurants in Georgetown. Cohen was recognized by the BID for the his lifelong achievement in town. For his part, Cohen saluted the legacy of “the Laythams, the Millers, the Laniers and the Snyders.” He gently acknowledged of Georgetown: “We’re in a unique situation that not everyone knows.” Cohen’s newest restaurant is Boss Shepherd’s at 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Other awardees included Marcus Brown of the BID’s Clean Team and Georgetown Galleries, a consortium of art galleries in town.

The Park Service’s Kevin Brandt was saluted as “Community Leader of the Year.” Brandt noted that the bicentennial of the C&O Canal is 2028, the same year which ends the BID’s 15-year action plan program.

He said that his ideas for the canal jived with the BID’s and that he was “optimistic” about the canal’s future “despite federal cuts.”

The BID’s economic development director Josh Hermias noted that there is 48,000 square feet of retail space under construction or in the planning stage — considering the 3220 Prospect Street project and the old Georgetown Theater reconstruction.

Herb Heiserman of Streetsense, which helped design such spots as Bandolero and ShopHouse, talked about restaurants and retail shops and how people experience those spaces. Heiserman brought up the fact that “rents have exploded.” He lamented the intrusion of the clothing store, Francesca’s, on Bistro Francais, which owns only half of the space it used.

Restaurateur Ian Hilton sat down briefly to discuss his work and restaurants with Steinlieb. Hilton opened Chez Billy Sud in October 2014 at 1039 31st St. NW., and it quickly become a neighborhood favorite. It is
in the old Cafe LaRuche space — he said he tried to buy the property.

Of Georgetown, Hilton, who grew up in Capitol Hill and now lives in Arlington, said: “It’s almost not D.C. I’ve always thought of Georgetown as this little town that I’ve always loved. . . . I think people are rediscovering how special Georgetown is, and with more and more people biking in the city I had this vision of people biking in to be in the neighborhood and eating at our beautiful spot. We wanted to open in a pretty space, serve good food at a good price and serve the neighborhood.”

Hilton also quipped that “the celebrity chef climate” was “kind of the apocalypse.” He added his two cents to the conversation about Georgetown’s liquor license moratorium: building new restaurants “can’t be done in the current liquor license environment.”

As the crowd adjourned, Fred Moosally, director of the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, reminded business folk of the four liquor licenses now available for Georgetown with application beginning June 25. Moosally also noted that the town’s liquor license moratorium expires Feb. 3, 2016.

In its State of Georgetown report, the BID highlighted:

= Strong office sector performance for a third year in a row, with vacancy dropping to 7.1 percent—outperforming all other submarkets in the region.

= Retailer interest remains high, evidenced by a net gain of 19 new stores and services, a total collection of over 350 retailers, rising rents and property values, and a retail vacancy rate of 2.7 percent at year-end 2014.

= New LEED certifications for six office and retail spaces accounting for 671,000 square feet (12 percent of total rentable building area in Georgetown), signaling growing interest in renewing buildings.

= Turnover in the restaurant industry produced exciting, critically praised concepts like Fiola Mare, Chez Billy Sud, a revamped Grill Room helmed by Chef Frank Ruta, and Dog Tag Bakery.  Georgetown hotel occupancy rebounded, moving slightly above the five year average to 71.5 percent, and revenues increased to $72 million (up 12 percent from 2013).

Visit the BID’s revamped website to download a copy of the report, or click here.

Carolyn Landes •

In Washington, House and Senate members play hardball in politics everyday, but on a steamy, late, spring evening in June, after months of preparation and grueling 6:30 a.m. practices, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle gathered around the diamond at Nationals Park to play partisan ball of a different kind. 

It was the 54th Annual Congressional Baseball game, held June 11 – a storied political showdown that pits Democrats against Republicans in a time-honored fight for victory on the field – and later, bragging rights throughout the halls of Capitol Hill.  This year’s game had been especially highly anticipated as the Democrats and Republicans were playing a tie-breaker game, each party entering with a overall record of 38-38-1.

Only one person could heighten the drama and excitement of the game: the President of the United States. Yes, the real president, Barack Obama, did show up at the game – especially when he needed votes for a critical trade bill, as a few staffers noted.

Baseball fans who attend Nationals games at the South Capitol Street stadium are used to seeing a few presidents, especially those racing presidents, George Washington, Tom Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Bill Taft.

It was a major surprise for the crowd of around 10,000 gathered for the Congressional game, when Obama arrived during the third inning, toting two dozen bottles of White House-brewed beer, reserved for the winning team. The president wore slacks, a dress shirt and black Ray-Ban sunglasses, visiting both parties’ dugouts and staying about a half hour before leaving, as the Democrats led 3-1.

While the Dems continued their lead, extending their six-game winning streak by taking home a victory after the tie-breaker was dispelled with a final score of 5-2, it was the recipients of three D.C. area charities who really came out on top.  Though members play to win and bragging rights are coveted, over the years the ballgame has evolved into a fundraiser, raising money for the Washington Literacy Council, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington and the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation. 

This game was truly a win-win for all, no matter your politics.
[gallery ids="102103,133881,133884,133863,133878,133875,133871,133867" nav="thumbs"]

Peter Murray •

UN Women, a body designated by the United Nations to support the empowerment of women around the globe, announced Thursday that Georgetown University has joined the HeforShe movement and outlined specific steps the school will take to push for gender equality within its walls and beyond.

A number of other multinational corporations, such as Twitter and Vodafone, as well as international universities, including Oxford and Stony Brook University, have also pledged to forward the movement, launched with a powerful speech from actor Emma Watson on feminism that went viral last year.

According to Time Magazine, Georgetown University President John DeGioia committed to advancing gender equality “through research compiled by Georgetown’s Institute for Women, Peace & Security, which will soon unveil a new study on women’s political participation in ending conflict.” In addition, G.U. recently instituted a new education program on campus to help faculty and students better identify harassment and sexual misconduct.

Georgetown is joining the fold as a part of the UNWomen’s IMPACT 10x10x10 initiative, which engages 10 leaders each from three sectors — public, private and academia — in the organization’s broader push for gender equality. The organization announced the first five leaders from the private sector and academia, respectively, to make commitments to the HeforShe movement earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. G.U. was already technically involved in the movement, coordinating with early pledge-taker Tupperware Brands to conduct research on how women’s confidence affects their economic success.

Georgetown and Stony Brook are the only American academic institutions involved in the initiative, with other schools represented hailing from all over the world.

Other commitments made include Barclays’ pledge to provide 2.5 million women around the world with financial programs, Oxford University’s expansion of its “Good Lads” workshops on consent for men on sports teams and in social clubs, and the University of Sao Paolo’s implementation of a zero-tolerance policy in dealing with on-campus violence against women. (The University of Buenos Aires and the Autonomous University of Mexico have joined the University of Sao Paolo’s efforts.)

UN Women and HeforShe have yet to announce commitments from 10 public sector leaders that would further gender equality.

Georgetowner •

Scheduled repairs for the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge, which crosses over Rock Creek and its parkway between 28th and 26th Streets NW, have begun.

The following is the latest from the District Department of Transportation:
“DDOT will close one lane in each direction on the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge over Rock Creek Parkway, beginning Wednesday, June 3, from 9 pm until 5 am, the following day, weather permitting. These nightly closures will continue until Saturday, June 13.
 
“These lane closures are needed so that DDOT can conduct repairs and preservation activities on the bridge. A single lane in each direction will be maintained at all times.
 
“Moderate-to-heavy traffic delays are expected. DDOT encourages motorists to stay alert and look for workers and traffic devices as they travel through this work zone.”

The immediate repairs are part of a larger 15-month plan to rehabilitate the bridge, which has been tagged “structurally deficient” by DDOT. Designed by Civil War Gen. Montgomery Meigs, the bridge was constructed in 1860 and re-constructed in 1913.

In its March 25 issue, the Georgetowner reported that “falling debris from the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge closed the southbound lane of the Rock Creek Parkway and brought engineers to the scene to assess the damage on March 24. U.S. Park Police said that a parkway driver reported debris on the road below the bridge around 1 a.m. Tuesday. When structural engineers arrived on the scene for repairs, they were greeted with a flurry of falling debris with pieces as large as golf balls falling on them from underneath the bridge.”