DMPED on the next McMillan Advisory Group (MAG) meeting agenda -- Thursday, 12-08-2016

McMillan Advisory Group monthly meeting agenda, Thursday, December 8th, 7pm, at the Inspired Teaching School, corner of Lincoln Road and Douglas St., NE

DMPED (the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, which runs the McMillan development project) will bring representatives from the DC Department of Employment Services to provide an overview of their programs and address some questions brought up at the November meeting about including local residents in the hiring process for the contracts for the McMillan project.  

DMPED will introduce the construction/demolition representative they’ve hired.  This is NOT the construction mitigation information we requested — that will be later — just an introduction to the firm/person selected based on the RFP.

https://mcmillanadvisorygroup.wordpress.com

The MAG meets  on the 2nd Thursday of each month

at 7PM.  Our current meeting place is the Inspired Teaching School,

200 Douglas St. NE (the old Shaed Elementary).  All meetings are open to the public. Kirby’s cellphone: 202 213 2690.  

Metropolitan Wesley AME Zion Church invites the community to attend a screening of Netflix's documentary "13th" -- Friday, 12-09-2016

See this 12-05-2016 message:

METROPOLITAN WESLEY AME ZION CHURCH

Metropolitan Wesley invites the community to  attend a screening of the much talked about NETFLIX documentary, 13th, and partake in discussion.  Netflix's 13th explores "modern slavery."  The documentary is directed by Ava DuVernay (Selma and Queen Sugar director). 

What:    Free Viewing and Discussion

When:   December 9th, 2016
Time:    6:30pm
Where:  Metropolitan Wesley AME Zion
             MacArthur Hall (basement)
             1712 North Capital Street, NW

Friends of McMillan Park press release: "DC Court of Appeals not ruled on the McMillan Park court case, but Mayor to hold groundbreaking ceremony anyway"

From: Erin Fairbanks
Sent: Monday, December 5, 2016 11:26 AM
Subject: PRESS RELEASE: D.C. Court of Appeals Has Not Ruled On the McMillan Park Court Case, But Mayor to Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony Anyway

Friends of McMillan Park

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, December 5, 2016

CONTACT: Linwood Norman 804-837-0737 

D.C. Court of Appeals Has Not Ruled On the McMillan Park Court Case, But Mayor to Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony Anyway

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mayor Muriel Bowser plans to break ground on the City’s proposed development at McMillan Park on Wednesday, December 7, 2016, even though the D.C. Court of Appeals has not ruled on zoning and preservation concerns raised in a pending court case.

The Friends of McMillan Park, the lead plaintiff in that case, stated that Mayor Bowser’s ceremony is premature because the Court may rule against the city. Also premature are permits related to construction for the project that have been applied for, using the unusual address of 2940 North Capitol Street, NW. So far, no permits have been issued for any construction activity there.

“Once again, the Mayor is not telling the whole story. While we all anxiously await the D.C. Court of Appeals’ decision, these actions confuse the public into thinking that demolition and construction will be starting right away. Not so.  This is wishful thinking on the part of the city,” said Kirby Vining, a director of The Friends of McMillan Park.

Citing the need for open competition, the D.C. Auditor urged the D.C. Council in 2015 to competitively rebid the entire McMillan project in this scathing letter to the D.C. Council Chairman. In addition, more than 8,000 D.C. residents signed a petition
calling for the D.C. Council to respect McMillan Park by looking at alternatives that would be more in keeping with community desires and the historic character of it.

The 25-acre park, located at the corner of Michigan Avenue and North Capitol Street in Northwest Washington, is listed on the District’s Inventory of Historic Sites and on the National Register of Historic Places. The City acquired the open park from the Army Corps of Engineers in 1986 after the water purification facility hidden beneath the park was decommissioned.

###

Bloomingdale-based District Devil has holiday gift sets

See this tweet:

DC Council to take its 1st vote on the William H. Jackson Way Designation Act of 2016

From: Dougherty, Laisha (Council) [mailto:LDougherty@DCCOUNCIL.US]
Sent: Monday, December 5, 2016 11:19 AM
Subject: William H. Jackson Way Designation Act of 2016

Hello All,

I just wanted to let you know that the City Council will be taking their first vote on B21-469: William H. Jackson Way Designation Act of 2016.   You can watch the meeting online at www.dccouncil.us starting around 10am.   Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I could be of any additional assistance.

Best,

Laisha

Laisha T. Dougherty, MPP

Office of Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5
Chairman Pro Tempore
Chair, Committee on Judiciary
1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 506
Washington, DC 20004
202.724.8028 Main
202.355.4257 Cell
LDougherty@dccouncil.us
Visit us on the web http://www.kenyanmcduffie.com/

DMPED invites you to the Wednesday, 12-07-2016, McMillan groundbreaking

From: "Gaines, Lionell (EOM)" <lionell.gaines@dc.gov>
Date: November 30, 2016 at 5:40:13 PM EST
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: You are Invited: McMillan Groundbreaking Dec. 7

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 317, Washington, DC 20004 ǀ (202) 727-6365 ǀ http://dmped.dc.gov/@DMPEDDC  Manage Subscriber Preferences  |  Help  |  Contact Us STAY CONNECTED:     Questions? Contact Us SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:   Manage Preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Help This message has been sent by the District of Columbia · Washington, D.C. 20004

protest against the Wednesday, 12-07-2016 DMPED McMillan groundbreaking -- Tuesday, 12-06-2016

See this brief 12-02-2016 message from a Bloomingdale resident regarding the upcoming Wednesday, 12-07-2016, DMPED groundbreaking event at McMillan:

Sent: Friday, December 2, 2016 10:59 AM
Subject: McMillan protest

There will be a protest against the premature McMillan development breaking ground, organized by Bloomingdale neighbors, on Tuesday at 11 AM.  -- More details to follow.

two week from today: Bloomingdale Civic Association meeting -- where the BCA Historic Preservation Committee will provide an update

The chair of the Bloomingdale Civic Association Historic Preservation Committee announced at the Monday, 11-21-2016 BCA meeting that there would be an update at the Monday, 12-19-2016, BCA meeting.

So pencil in the December 19 BCA meeting on your calendar.

Friends of McMillan Park: What's up with the McMillan groundbreaking ceremony? The DC Court of Appeals case decision has not been issued yet, etc.

From: HistoricWashington@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, December 4, 2016 6:35 PM
To: HistoricWashington@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [HistoricWashington] Mayor`s `groundbreaking` event at McMillan
                 

A note from the Friends of McMillan Park:

            We learned late last week without notice that Mayor Bowser will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the city's planned development of the McMillan site on Wednesday, December 7th at 11am (see announcement here).  

So what's up with that?  The D.C. Court of Appeals has not yet handed down a decision on the case, and no building/demolition permits have been issued for the site, right?  That's correct.  The Friends of McMillan Park is the lead plaintiff in that challenge of the D.C. zoning and historic preservation decisions enabling the project, and we'd know right away if the court had handed down a decision.  It hasn't.  We think the decision may come in January 2017.   

So why is the Mayor doing this?  DMPED and the Office of the Mayor are not exactly on speaking terms with the Friends of McMillan Park, so they haven't confided in us what's behind all this.  But we suspect that what motivates the permit applications and this groundbreaking event is the fact that a number of key entitlements that the city awarded to enable the project are about to expire.  The zoning order that approved the first stage Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the site in November, 2014 (zoning order in case 13-14) and the land disposition and surplussing legislation from the D.C. Council dated December 2014, and perhaps other subsidiary documents, expire after two years from issuance, which is right about now.  So, we presume, these actions -- groundbreaking and permit application -- are formal gestures sufficient to make sure these entitlements don't expire.  Looking at this from the city's point of view, if the court were to rule in the city's favor (which we of course do not want nor expect), but the PUD and other key entitlements had expired, the city would have to redo all the expired entitlements supporting the project.  If you'd like to see the permits the city has applied for, visit the DCRA permits page and look for 2940 North Capitol Street, NW, the mythical address of this yet-unbuilt project. For those of you anxious to have a look tonight, DCRA has taken down the page for maintenance but it should be back up Monday. 

So if that's the case, that this is not actually the beginning of demolition/construction on the project, why didn't DMPED and the Mayor say so in the event announcement? We wish we knew. The Washington Business Journal immediately picked up on the fact that this matter is not even out of court yet.  The city's announcement did not say that construction would begin right away, but it led a lot of people to assume that. The city has not been too open or transparent in this process, so at least they're consistent.   Other than extending the life of the entitlements and sowing widespread confusion, the city is doing nothing of substance with this groundbreaking ceremony that we know of.  Have a good time, RSVP for the event, and please extend to her honor the Mayor continued assurances of our highest consideration.  

Kirby Vining

 

in two weeks: Big Bear Cafe's Bloomingdale Holiday Bazaar (on both Sat, 12-17-2016, and Sun, 12-18-2016)

See this Big Bear Cafe Facebook event announcement:

check out the assorted locations to find Bloomingdale-based JSquared Candle Co.

See this 11-30-2016 message:

By now some of you may have seen JSquared Candle Co. pop up on your Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram feeds.  We are a brand new candle company made right here on Adams St in Bloomingdale!  100% handcrafted pure soy wax candles, we exclusively use certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils to scent our candles.  Each of our twelve unique blends take advantage of the therapeutic effects of essential oils to target specific aspects of life balance.  There are no “fragrance oils” or “other natural fragrances” so not only do our candles burn very pure, but are much safer and gentle on allergies.  Check out our website at www.jsquaredcandle.com!

We are ultimately so new that we’re not available in any stores yet, but we have a number of special appearances set up around the city throughout December.  Come visit us!  We love meeting our neighbors and sharing our passion.  You can find us on the following dates:

Dec 3-6:                      F St. Holiday Market (12-8p)

• Dec 8-11:                    14th St Holiday Market (12-10p)
• Dec 11:                        Fenton St HOLIDAZE Market (10a-4p)
• Dec 15-18:      14th St Holiday Market (12-10p)
• Dec 17:                        west elm Union Market Pop-Up (10a-5p)
• Dec 20-23:      14th St Holiday Market (12-10pm)

We can’t wait to see you!

Jeff and Jeff

JSquared Candle Co.
Facebook: @jsquaredcandleco
Instagram: @jsquaredcandle
Twitter: @jsquaredcandle

a week from today: Unified Scene Theater's free monthly workshop

See this 11-30-2016 message:

The Unified Scene Theater's Free (yep, FREE) Monthly Workshop Returns Dec. 11th

Ever thought “Hey, this improv crap looks fun. But I’m not sure I could do it. Wouldn’t mind giving it a test run before I do.” Well, now’s your chance: we’re offering a free (that’s right: FREE) 2-hour improv workshop at The Unified Scene Theater, located in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of DC at 80 T Street NW, on Sunday, December 11th, from 1-3 p.m. 

Improv classes are not only fun as hell, but also provide a skillset that helps you in such areas a public speaking, creativity, and communication. And: they're a fantastic way to meet people and to create bonds through shared laughter. 

Not only that, you'll be joining a thriving community of improvisors at Bloomingdale's The Unified Scene Theater, which, despite its size, definitely punches above its weight class: we've been open for a little over a year, and in that time we've had sold out shows and classes, with performers from such hallowed improv comedy theaters as Second City, Magnet Theater, The Peoples Improv Theater (PIT), and Upright Citizens Brigade gracing our stage, as well as writers and performers from such shows as "Broad City" and "Saturday Night Live." And, in the over 15 years he's been teaching, Artistic Director Shawn Westfall has trained people who've gone on to perform on the mainstage at Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, on shows such as "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "Saturday Night Live" and as well as other shows and comedy outlets such as "Funny or Die" and "College Humor." He's provided improv comedy training to Hollywood actors (Blair Underwood), local radio DJs (Tommy McFly, Sarah Fraser), ESPN anchors (Lindsay Czarniak), NBC Washington personalities (David Culver), even former members of Congress (Larry LaRocco). 

So join us. Come on by. Try it out. Kick the tires. It's free. And you might surprise yourself — and have fun doing it! Space is limited, so let us know you're coming by emailing us at info@unifiedscenetheater.com and say, “yeah, what the hell, I’m coming.” 

See You On The Scene! 

Shawn and Kathy 

The Unified Scene Theater 
80 T Street NW 
Bloomingdale, DC 

Shawn Westfall
Artistic Director
The Unified Scene Theatershawn@unifiedscenetheater.com

Trinity Washington University neighborhood holiday reception -- Thursday, 12-15-2016

From: Pat McGuire [mailto:McGuireP@Trinitydc.edu]
Sent: Saturday, December 3, 2016 11:17 AM
To: '5E01@anc.dc.gov' <5e01 anc.dc.gov="">; '5E02@anc.dc.gov' <5e02 anc.dc.gov="">; '5E03@anc.dc.gov' <5e03 anc.dc.gov="">; '5E04@anc.dc.gov' <5e04 anc.dc.gov="">; '5E05@anc.dc.gov' <5e05 anc.dc.gov="">; '5E06@anc.dc.gov' <5e06 anc.dc.gov="">; '5E07@anc.dc.gov' <5e07 anc.dc.gov="">; '5E08@anc.dc.gov' <5e08 anc.dc.gov="">; '5E09@anc.dc.gov' <5e09 anc.dc.gov="">; '5E10@anc.dc.gov' <5e10 anc.dc.gov="">;
Subject: Trinity Neighborhood Holiday Reception: December 15 4-6 pm Payden Center

Dear friends,

I’m hosting a holiday reception for all neighbors to see our beautiful new Payden Center --- the new building at Trinity along Franklin Street --- on Thursday, December 15, 4-6 pm.  Attached is an invitation that you may circulate among your constituents or post on your various blogs and websites, and I’ll be posting this in other locations as well.  Please come!  Let me know if you have questions…. Thanks!

With good cheer in the holiday season,

Pat

Patricia McGuire

President

Trinity Washington University

125 Michigan Avenue, NE

Washington, DC  20017

202-884-9050 phone

president@trinitydc.edu

www.trinitydc.edu

Open Houses in and around Bloomingdale scheduled for 12/04/2016

120 Thomas St NW is listed for $1,060,000. and will be open Sunday from 2-4pm

The featured property at 120 Thomas St NW will be open on Sunday from 2pm-4pm. It is listed for $1,060,000.  The listing is represented by Kara Johnson and Wayne Johnson with Keller Williams Capital Properties. You can find more information in the links below.

The list of open houses scheduled for Sunday in and around Bloomingdale can be seen here. The same info can be seen in a map format here. If you would like a printed list, they will be available at Big Bear Cafe after 10am on Saturday.

*Agents, to have your open houses included in this weekly post, please have them tagged in MRIS by 10am on Friday. If you don't see your open house in the links, feel free to add in the comments. Also, if you would like your open to be featured with a picture for this post, please e-mail suzanne at bediz dot com by 10am on Friday before the open.

DC Water constructing a new wall along its 1st & V Street NW corner property -- looks beautiful

Here you go:

Q: "where may I find out if permits were pulled for a property being renovated on my street ?"

See this 12-02-2016 request:

I live in Bloomingdale on U St.

Where may I look on the DC.gov web site to find out if permits were pulled for a property that is being renovated on my street?