Planned Georgetown University Dorm Opposed by Old Georgetown Board — and Students, Alumni
• July 18, 2013

A plan for a new dormitory on the main campus of Georgetown University was shot down by the Old Georgetown Board, which asked for alternative plans and expressed concern about the loss of green space — and is also opposed by a student-alumni petition at Change.org.

In part, the petition reads: “Students and alumni were unanimous in their opposition to the uninspired, Eastern Bloc-like proposal, completely incongruous with Georgetown’s rich architectural heritage, in addition to taking up one of the last remaining green spaces on campus. The Old Georgetown Board agreed, asking the university to go back to the drawing board and produce alternatives for the next meeting in September.

“We understand that Georgetown is under time, land and budget constraints. Nonetheless, in the past few years, other schools such as Princeton, Notre Dame and Boston College have produced beautiful classical-style buildings (some of them in small lots, and yes, with LEED certification). It can be done, and it should be done at Georgetown.”

Georgetown University’s proposed Northeast Triangle Residence Hall is to be tucked between Reiss Science Building, Henle Village and the western walls of Visitation Prep. Along a main campus walkway, the seven-floor triangular building would be near the Leavey Center.

Georgetown University representatives presented concept plans to Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission July 1, describing a new 251-bed dormitory to be ready for occupancy by August 2015. The ANC unanimously approved the concept.

Norman Parish: August 26, 1937 – July 8, 2013
• July 17, 2013

Georgetown lost a great friend on Aug. 8.

Norman Parish, Jr. was born Aug. 26, 1937, in the ninth ward of New Orleans, La. He grew up in Chicago and was a 1960 graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago.

In 1967, Parish was one of several artists who contributed to the “Wall of Respect,” a mural on the South Side of Chicago that showed images of African American achievement. (The building on which the mural was painted was razed in 1973.)
For 22 years, Parish ran a landmark art gallery in Georgetown, welcoming anyone who ambled over its threshold with a warm smile and jazz playing in the background, often the Miles Davis masterpiece, “Kind of Blue.” When Parish opened his gallery in 1991, it was one of the few black-owned galleries in town. A highly regarded artist in his own right, Parish championed other artists who deserved to be presented and celebrated.

Lucky were those who called him a friend, as were those who could call themselves artists of the Parish Gallery. He was ready with open attention, thoughtful conversation and a firm handshake for all those he met, with a natural kindness and generosity that drew people toward him. He served as a model for the spirit of our local art community, helping break down racial and social barriers throughout his life and career. With his wife and partner Gwen, he ran the Parish Gallery with a grace, warmth and style that kept the neighborhood returning to the doors of his gallery time and again.
Such was Parish’s character, enthusiasm and joy that a tight-knit community of artists and admirers formed around him. Many lasting friendships were born among the present company at his gallery openings. A Friday evening at the Parish Gallery was a time to catch up with old friends and admire world-class artwork. And rarely was there a guest among the many in attendance, both young and old, that did not consider Parish a close friend. His following continued to increase until recent months, when the gallery had to slow down due to Parish’s deteriorating health.
The Parish Gallery will remain open until further notice, displaying Parish’s landscape paintings that offer a window into the beauty he saw in the world around him.

Norman Parish is survived by his beloved wife Gwen B. Parish. Loving father to Norman Parish III, Kimberly Parish-Perkins and Malcolm Muhammad; step-father of Robyn Burkett, Rhett Reagan, Raedene Reagan, and Rochelle Frazier; son of Vieran Lockett Parish and the late Norman Parish, Sr.; brother of Sedette Ward, Elaine Govan, Joyce Hobbs, Conley Parish and the late Beverly Butler; grandfather to Ashley, Ky, Kree, Auset and Thelonius.

He will be dearly missed.

Learn about a Famous Georgetowner: E.D.E.N. Southworth
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“Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth: Teacher with a Golden Pen” will be presented by Rose A. Neal at the Peabody Room of the Georgetown Public Library on 7 p.m., Thursday, July 25. Neal, a Swansea University doctoral candidate, will discuss the life of this author and Georgetown resident who was the most popular female writer in the 19th century. Her home, “Prospect Cottage,” was located on the southwest corner of Prospect & 36th Streets. The library is at 3230 R St., NW, and the event is free.

MacArthur Boulevard Safeway Expansion Plans Prompt Citizens’ Task Force
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There are plans to redevelop the land around as well as the Safeway on MacArthurBoulevard. It is a big project and has residents in the Palisades neighborhood concerned about its impact.

The following report is an excerpt from the latest Palisades Citizens Association newsletter and outlines the proposed changes:

Outgoing Palisades Citizens Association President Bill Slover announced that, following last month’s contentious meeting at which Safeway and its proposed development partner, Duball LLC, announced plans for a five-story combined retail outlet and condominium on the site of the current grocery store, the PCA would establish a task force to review the proposal and formulate a neighbor- hood response.

More than 140 members of the Palisades community attended the PCA’s May general membership meeting, where developer Marc Dubick of Duball LLC and representatives of Safeway outlined their plans for more than tripling the size of the current Safeway store, in the process digging out two levels of underground parking and building about 100 condominiums over the new store. Dubick explained that the resulting structure would occupy almost all of the current Safeway and parking lot and would be five stories or approximately 65 feet tall.

Dubick and Safeway representatives added the following details:

•The redeveloped Safeway store will be below grade, but shoppers won’t really notice because the property is on a slight hill. Shoppers will not need to go down an escalator or stairs.
•Four single family homes will be built on 48th Place (literally on top of the store) to hide the view of Safeway for people living on V St.
•The development will not include the CVS parking lot.
•There will be four stories of housing units (around 100) built on top of the store for a total of five stories. No other retail or other functions for the development are contemplated.
•Dubick pointed out that they seek a “European” or “Dutch” look to the development. • All vehicular traffic will use a single entrance on U St. That is where the entrance to the parking garage will be, as well as the loading dock for Safeway’s deliveries.
•There will be two levels of parking. The first level will be for Safeway shoppers and will have approx. 150 spaces. (There are currently less than 90 in the surface parking lot.) The second level will be resident parking.
•The building will be LEED certified; Safeway will compost its biodegradable refuse.
The project will take approximately 18 months to build. This will include 12 months of outside disruptions followed by six months of interior work.

Safeway and the developer seek to get D.C. approval for this massive structure through a provision of the D.C. Zoning Code for “Planned Unit Developments.”

If they built the project “matter of right” based on actual zoning rules, there would be no required discussion with the community, and they would be limited to the actual zoning for the real estate the store and parking lot sit on. A PUD basically means that the benefits are so compelling that the D.C. government is prepared to waive regular zoning limitations. This gives a developer an incredible amount of flexibility, in exchange for a significant public benefit. This is how hospitals, for example, are some- times zoned. Securing a PUD zoning decision will take a “minimum of eight months,” according to D.C.’s Office of Planning. A PUD allows for “high quality developments that provide public benefits” for the immediate neighborhood, our ward or the District. These benefits and amenities must be developed following “comprehensive public review.”

Fillmore School Funds Restored
• July 4, 2013

The Fillmore Center for the Arts has had its full funding restored, saving jobs from being cut and preserving the chance for District students to deeply engage in the arts for another year. D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced the restoration of funding last week given the “recent, positive changes [to the] budget outlook for Fiscal Year 2014.” Parents were alarmed at the possibility of budget cuts, and there was even an online petition started from the Friends of Fillmore to urge Henderson to change her mind about funding.

Robbery on C&O Canal, Assault on Wisconsin Ave.
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Around 5:15 p.m., June 26, a woman near Thomas Jefferson Street and C&O Canal had her cell phone taken from her. According to a report from the Metropolitan Police Department: “She was approached by three male subjects. One male proceeded to snatch the iPhone. All subjects then fled on foot, last seen heading east along the towpath. The suspect that obtained the phone is described as a black male, 16 to 18 years old, wearing a bright blue T-shirt with blue jeans.”

Both the MPD and U.S. Park Police responded after a 911 call. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the Park Police Investigative Section, 202-610-7505, or the Metropolitan Police Department, 202-727-9099.

Also, MPD reports an assault by four suspects, June 30, around 3 a.m., 1200 block of Wisconsin Avenue. “During the assault property was removed from his pocket. The lookout was only described as four black males.” If anyone has information, call 202-727-9099.

Woman Raped Near Waterfront Park, June 18
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The Park Police arrested an adult male for an alleged sex abuse, reported on June 18 at 9 p.m. in the 1000 block of Wisconsin Ave., NW, according to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District listserv, and first reported by Georgetown Patch.
“The reported offense occurred in an area under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. United States Park Police arrested an adult male regarding this reported offense. … Due to the sensitive nature of this offense, no information will be divulged regarding the identity, age or any relationship between the arrested suspect and the victim,” according to MPD.

Obama Speaks on Climate Change at Georgetown
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President Barack Obama outlined his administration’s comprehensive action plan to deal with climate change in a landmark speech at Georgetown University June 25. Obama addressed a small crowd and media from the steps of the Old North Building where George Washington and other presidents as recently as Bill Clinton have spoken.

Obama thanked supporters, government leaders and “the Hoyas in the house” and launched into a vigorous defense of his view on global warming — outside in the humid heat of a Washington, D.C., summer afternoon. He outlined specifics on the Keystone pipeline question and sought to curb carbon pollution from power plants.

ANC Seeks More Time to Review Halcyon House Proposals
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The Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission met July 1 with a more-than-full agenda, especially for Old Georgetown Board project reviews.

Owners of Halcyon House at 3400 Prospect St., NW, sought ANC approval on a zoning exception for the building to be used by the S&R Foundation. (Sachiko Kuno and Ryuji Ueno also own Evermay on 28th Street, NW, and are founders of the S&R Foundation.) Foundation attorney Alice Haase listed the programs and along with time constraints and limited attendance, especially those associated with the International Institute of Global Resilience, a think tank dedicated to improving the readiness of the emergency management community, and Illuminate which will present “enlightening lectures and discussions on a variety of topics that celebrate the ingenuity of the human spirit …” ANC chair Ron Lewis said he had “serious concerns about the intensity of use” of Halcyon House — considering it is on a residential street and in a high-traffic area — and wanted more time to review details of S&R’s proposals. Halcyon Georgetown LLC along with the S&R Foundation is scheduled to meet with the Board of Zoning Sept. 10.

Georgetown University Promises New Dorm By Fall 2015
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Georgetown University representatives presented concept plans to the ANC July 1, describing a new 251-bed dormitory to be ready for occupancy by August 2015. The Northeast Triangle Residence Hall will be tucked between Reiss Science Building, Henle Village and the western walls of Visitation Prep. Along a main campus walkway, the seven-floor triangular building will be near the Leavey Center.