Chicago’s famed Second City mainstays Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto at Unified Scene Theater -- Friday, 03-04-2016

See this 03-03-2016 message:

From: Shawn Westfall [mailto: shawn@unifiedscenetheater.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 3, 2016 12:52 PM

We’re having guests in from Chicago’s famed Second City…

This Friday at The Unified Scene Theater: Second City performers do an Improvised Musical (yeah, you read that right…)

You like musicals? Sure you do. By now everyone has at least listened to the “Hamilton” soundtrack. Amazing, right? And what about the one with the singing cats? Unbelievable, huh? Want to know what’s even more unbelievable? Making up an entire musical on the spot, in real time, from an audience suggestion. That’s what you’re going to see this evening when Chicago mainstays Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto, both teachers and performers at Second City in Chicago, bring their extraordinarily popular show, “Here, The Improvised Musical” to The Unified Scene Theater and blow your minds with their ability to create an entire musical right before your eyes (your move, “Hamilton”). They’ll be joined by cats. No, not “Cats,” the musical, but a long-form troupe called Cat Parade, who will be bringing you a unique format they call “At The Movies.” This will be one for the ages, we promise you. Show starts at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7:30 p.m.).

More info here: http://www.unifiedscenetheater.com/showtimes-tickets/#cat

Get tickets here: https://squareup.com/market/the-unified-scene-theater/prettier-than-you-here .

Bloomingdale Civic Associaton President and ANC5E Chair Teri Janine Quinn to be honored tonight -- Thursday, 03-03-2016

A reposting of this message from earlier this week:

Teri Janine Quinn, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5E Chair and Bloomingdale Civic Association President, has been named as the Mayor’s Leadership Award recipient for the 3rd Annual 2016 Washington Women of Excellence Awards! The Awards Ceremony will be co-hosted by The Mayor’s Office on Women's Policy & Initiatives and the DC Commission for Women. The event will celebrate the accomplishments of women who are trailblazers in the community—representing the fields of education, public safety, leadership, health, and will also include a lifetime achievement award. 

The Washington Women of Excellence Awards will be held in celebration of Women's History Month, on March 3, 2016, at the Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (Multi-Purpose Room), 6:30pm-8:30pm at 200 I Street, SE, Washington, D.C. The attire is business.

All 260 seats available to the general public have been reserved and the RSVP link is closed. If you would like to attend the event, please email Terijanine@gmail.com ASAP and she will add you to her guest list.

Date:                    Thursday, March 3, 2016

Time:                    6:30pm-8:30pm
Venue:                  Office of Motion Picture and Television Development
                               200 I Street SE
                               Washington, DC 20003
                               Mistress of Ceremonies:  Lesli Foster of USA9

at last: open house this Sunday, 03-06-2016, for the 1812 North Capitol Street NW condos

At long last!  The 1812 North Capitol Street NW condos are now available.

See this message from the listing realty company Urban Land:

Bloomingdale 1812 Grand Opening – 2BR Flats + 2 Level 3BR Units on N. Capitol Street

March 3, 2016

Bloomingdale 1812, a boutique new condo project of Victorian themed 2BR flats and 2 level 3BR duplexes, will be Grand Opening this Sunday, 3/6 from 1-4pm! 
     

The project is located at 1812 North Capitol Street, NW.  The existing Victorian architecture has been carefully updated, modernized and renovated as the stage for these 2 bedroom 2 bath flats and two-level, 3 bedroom 2 bath residences. Design highlights include large bay windows, huge living room, luxury kitchens and baths, and a thoughtfully selected portfolio of interior features and finishes.
       
Bloomingdale 1812 is convenient to both the NoMa-Gallaudet U and Shaw-Howard METRO stations. It’s also very close to a ton of great local restaurants:

• The Pub & The People
• The Old Engine 12
• Bacio Pizzeria
• Rustik Pizza
• Red Hen
• El Camino
• Boundary Stone
• Aroi
• Thai X-ing
• Big Bear Restaurant

Call 202.299.9223 if you’re coming by! Join the Priority List at Bloomingdale1812.com  for ongoing updates or to request an appointment!

the Board of Zoning Adjustment case for 17 U Street NW has been continued

An update on the zoning exception/variance for 17 U Street NW:

The BZA case for 17 U Street NW was continued this past Tuesday, 03-01-2016.. 

McMillan mentioned a few times at one of today's DC Council oversight hearings

Bloomingdale's McMillan site was mentioned a few times today by testifiers a DC Council oversight hearing:

Bloomingdame ‏@bloomingdame 5h5 hours ago

Phil Blair testifying to @ChmnMendelson at DMPED Oversight. Speaks to DC Auditor's report on @McMillanPark

Bloomingdame ‏@bloomingdame 5h5 hours ago

Chris Otten @dc4reality on DMPED projects incl Hine School @McMillanPark etc privatizing our limited public land.

3:54 PM - 2 Mar 2016 

world exploded today

Yup.

HRC: Bloomingdale resident and Bowie State Assistant Professor designs 1st HBCU Queer Cultural Studies course

Bloomindale resident Horacio Sierra is mentioned in this HRC article.

Click on the link below to read the entire HRC post.

Bowie State University Leads the Pack for HBCU LGBTQ Inclusion and Diversity
By HRC staff
March 1, 2016March 1, 2016

HRC Foundation is pleased to announce that Bowie State University is the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to have a Queer Cultural Studies course approved.

...

Dr. Horacio Sierra, an Assistant Professor in the English and Modern Languages department at Bowie State, designed the course.

...

Historic District designation questions on: 1) pop-ups, 2) the special universe of the Georgetown Historic District

See the message posted at the Eckington list at Google Groups from Eckingtonian Caroline Swift Platt regarding neighborhood Historic District designation.

I will attempt to respond to her two questions below.

Caroline Swift Platt
Feb 29 07:54AM -0800

Hello,

I too somehow missed this. I don't think my home on Todd Place got a flyer.

Is there any plan to have any speakers who are opposed to historic designation?

Sidebar: a few years ago, back when I was on the board of the Eckington
Civic Association, we had someone come in from the HPO who made it very
clear that historic designation will NOT stop pop-ups. Is that still true?
If anyone is interested, I am sure I can find the minutes of that ECA meeting.
 

Also, if anyone is interested, I would like to ask my cousin to share her
story of owning a home in a historic district (Georgetown). The historic
designation has required her to spend tens of thousands of dollars more for
home repair that would be acceptable with the historic designation, as
opposed to regular repairs. That was true even for items like her roof,
which are not visible to the street.

Thanks,

Caroline

1) Pop-ups (and pop-backs)

A pop-up -- generally considered as adding a 3rd-story to a 2-story building in a R-4-zoned neighborhood -- would get forwarded to the DC Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB).  Permits for a pop-up in a Historic District would not get approved at the HPO counter at DCRA.

Would the HPRB reject a third-story addition pop-up? Likely so.  But there is no requirement that the HRPB automatically reject a pop-up in a designated Historic District.

The recently passed Zoning Regulation 13-14 addresses pop-ups to a degree, but does not prevent them.  Keep in mind that "zoning does not address ugly."

So will neighborhood Historic District designation "stop pop-ups?"  More or less, yes.

Pop-backs?  A different story. Pop-backs set back far enough from the front of the building so that the additional floor(s) are not seen from the sidewalk across the street would be allowed.

The exceptions to this rule: if the building is on a corner, so that the side of the building is viewable from the street -- or if the building is on an alley, where the side of the building is likewise viewable from the street.

So will neighborhood Historic District designation "stop pop-backs?"  Not if the pop-back is set back far enough.

2) Georgetown

Good question!  Lots of confusion here, so let's go.

Okay, the Georgetown Historic District should be considered separate from all other DC neighborhood Historic Districts.

Georgetown is its own special universe.

Here's why:

Georgetown is governed by the Old Georgetown Act of 1950:  See below:

The Old Georgetown Act of 1950 (Public Law 81-808) designated the federal Old Georgetown historic district and established the requirement for design review of proposed projects in Georgetown by the Commission of Fine Arts.  Under the Act, the Commission appoints an advisory committee of architects, the Old Georgetown Board (OGB), to conduct the reviews at its monthly meetings.

Here is an FAQ for the Old Georgetown Board. 

What is the difference between the Old Georgetown Board and the Commission of Fine Arts?

The Old Georgetown Board is an advisory board to the Commission of Fine Arts, the federal design review agency in Washington, DC. The Board hears presentations, reviews staff recommendations, and makes recommendations on all submitted cases, which are then forwarded to the Commission of Fine Arts for final approval. The review of nearly all proposed projects in the Old Georgetown historic district follow this process. Occasionally, a project in the Old Georgetown historic district will require presentation to the Commission of Fine Arts; OGB staff will notify applicants if this is required.

Renovations to properties in the Georgetown Historic District have to go before the Old Georgetown Board.  There is nothing equivalent to the OGB anywhere in the District.

All OTHER DC Historic Districts just go before the HPRB.

Georgetown necessarily goes through a much more rigorous process via the Old Georgetown Board.
             

See this 2011 Washington City Paper post by Lydia DePillis from 2011: 

Why Do We Even Have the Old Georgetown Board?

Posted by Lydia DePillis on July 13, 2011 at 7:41 pm

My bottom line: comparing the effort and cost of renovations in the Georgetown Historic District which go before the Old Georgetown Board with the effort and cost of renovations in all OTHER DC neighborhood Historic Districts...

...is comparing apples vs. oranges.

Not_a_valid_comparison..

Here is a response from Eckingtonian Caroline Swift Platt:

Caroline Swift Platt
Mar 03 07:27AM -0800

Thanks for taking the time to answer, Scott. Appreciated.

Attached is the presentation the ECA received from the HPO at its meeting in October 2013.

It is good to know that Georgetown is different. That said, it is very clear that the HPO agrees that repairs are both more costly and can be delayed by historic designation, stated clearly both in this presentation and the one you posted the great summary of a few days ago.

Thanks,

Caroline

ANC 5E09 Commissioner Dianne Barnes: ANC 5E09 News to Use newsletter

From: Barnes, Dianne (SMD 5E09) [mailto:5E09@anc.dc.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, March 1, 2016 7:22 PM
To: Barnes, Dianne (SMD 5E09) <5E09@anc.dc.gov>
Subject: 5E09 SMD News to Use

Community Awareness:  Please review and share.

Respectfully Submitted By,

C. Dianne Barnes, Commissioner

Email:  5E09@anc.dc.gov


ANC 5E09 Single Member District News to Use 2016 03 01 by Scott Roberts

BZA approves pop-up zoning exception request in Eckington that ANC 5E voted against

Note that the DC Office of Planning's report indicated that OP was not opposed to the pop-up at 133 U Street NE in Eckington.

See these two tweets:

Bloomingdame ‏@bloomingdame

BZA applicant says she is requesting a pop up. Both Chair & ZC member Turnbull suggest that is not a good choice of term. #EckingtonDC

Bloomingdame‏@bloomingdame         

BZA approves special exception request. #anc5e had opposed relief. #GreatWeight So full order to be issued.

12:04 PM - 1 Mar 2016

Red Hen on Zagat's list of "10 Hottest Italian Restaurants in DC"

Click on the link to read the entire Zagat post:

10 Hottest Italian Restaurants in DC
By Rina Rapuano | February 29, 2016

...
Red Hen
This Bloomingdale favorite is coming up on its third anniversary, but you wouldn’t know it from the two- and three-hour wait times. It must be the killer combo of outstanding food, wines, cocktails and service that keeps everyone so eager to return.Must-Try Dishes: Ricotta crostini with truffle honey; rigatoni with sausage ragu; trout with celery root “clam chowder”Insider Tip: The team has been working on opening a new restaurant in Shaw called All Purpose. It’s been pushed back a few times, but the current ETA is April.
1822 First St. NW; 202-525-3021

Historic Preservation Education: raze permit applications filed throughout the ENTIRE CITY must get DC HPO signoff

More Historic Preservation Education with this blog post.
            
See the announcement Email below from the DC HPO.  The HPO periodically sends out such Emails that lists properties throughout the entire District with raze permit applications.

Did you know that ALL permit applications to raze buildings must pass through the DC Historic Preservation Office?  Even if the building is not individually landmarked or located within a designated neighborhood Historic District.

I don't believe that there has been a building raze in Bloomingdale in the past 20 years or so.

FYI -- part of your education on DC historic preservation.
                 

From: HistoricWashington@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 1, 2016 8:37 AM
To: HistoricWashington@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [HistoricWashington] HPO Raze Application Report for February 6 through February 25, 2016

Greetings:

                
Raze permit applications recently filed at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) and/or submitted to the Historic Preservation Office for clearance are listed and/or posted on the HPO website at:  http://planning.dc.gov/node/958402    (see March 1, 2016 entry under "Attachments"). HPO provides this announcement to supplement the required public notice of these applications.

New addresses included in this report:

ANC               Address                                              

1A                  3560 14th Street NW   (dwelling)

1A                 3110-3112 Georgia Avenue NW      ( two story two, one story retail buildings)
1B                  2002 11th Street NW  (two story office building)
2B                 1726 M Street NW      (11 story office building)
2B                 1150 17th Street NW    (12 story office building)
3C                 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW  ( public library)
3D                5532 Hawthorne Place NW     (dwelling)
3E                 3823 Albemarle Street NW    (dwelling)
4C                4521 Georgia Avenue NW   (dwelling)
7C                5907 Eads Street NE   (dwelling)  
8D                4631 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW   (dwelling)
8C                2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE  (building 119, St. Elizabeths Hospital)
8C               2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE   (building 124, St. Elizabeths Hosptial)  
                                    
Photos of most residential properties may be viewed by typing in the address at the following URL:   http://propertyquest.dc.gov/

________

HPO is one of a group of agencies and private utilities that clear raze applications before permits are issued. The HPO clearance of a raze application indicates either that the property is not subject to the historic preservation law, or that the demolition has been approved through the process provided in the preservation law.

HPO endeavors to maintain fair, efficient, and prompt processing of these applications. We routinely clear raze applications that do not involve historic preservation issues.

We may hold a raze application until the end of the required public notice. Under the Building Code (12A DCMR § 105.7.1), the applicant is required to post and maintain notice of the raze application on the building for 30 days.  Photographic documentation of the notice may be requested.

We may also hold a raze application until the end of the required notice to the affected Advisory Neighborhood Commission. Under the ANC Act of 1975, as amended (D.C. Official Code § 1-309.10(c), DCRA is required to give the ANC a notice period of 30 working days.

For inquiries, please contact us by email at historic.preservation@dc.gov   . Information regarding raze permits is also accessible on the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs website at http://dcra.dc.gov/service/permits-raze-permit    , or by calling (202) 442-4400 for information on a specific raze application.

__________

Bruce Yarnall • Historic Preservation Operations Manager

DC Office of Planning
1100 4th Street SW, Suite E650 • Washington, DC 20024
202.442.8835
bruce.yarnall@dc.gov
planning.dc.gov

Washington Times: "DC residents say DCRA has failed to follow law"

Click on the link below to read the entire Washington Times article. 

D.C. residents say consumer affairs panel has failed to follow law

Data unavailable online

Monday, February 29, 2016

The Washington Times

A D.C. Council oversight committee hearing on Monday sparked outrage from dozens of residents frustrated by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, which has failed to provide building permit tracking data online as required by law.

Council member Vincent Orange, the at-large independent whose chairs the committee that oversees DCRA, noted chronic problems with the agency — including its failure to comply with the Freedom of Information Act — but he hailed the District’s recent building boom as a good sign for DCRA.

...

thanks to all Bloomingdale residents who participated in yesterday's DC Council oversight hearing on DCRA (and other DC agencies)

Some Bloomingdale residents attended and testified at yesterday's DC Council oversight hearing for DCRA and other DC departments.

Thanks to all who testified.

If you want to share your testimony and comments, that would be great.

tickets are sold out, but at least you should know about this event tonight

See this tweet and link.  Click on the link below to see the entire event description:

Bloomingdame‏@bloomingdame         

Join Mayor Muriel Bowser:Preserving & Planning for Progress Tickets, Tue, Mar 1, 2016 at 5:00 PM | Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/join-mayor-muriel-bowserpreserving-planning-for-progress-tickets-19623334923 …

7:53 AM - 1 Mar 2016

The Preserving and Planning for Progress event has been rescheduled to Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at the Howard Theater. We are asking all those who previously registered  to please reregister.

Join Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Office of Planning for a conversation on Preserving and Planning for Progress.
                                       
The District is experiencing outstanding growth in both its population and economy. Over the next 20 years the population is expected to grow by more than 200,000 people. During this same time period we are expected to add 40,000 new jobs. This time is now to begin conversations about how we and maintain momentum around development projects in the pipeline, accommodate future growth, preserve our city’s historic character.
                                                 
The event seeks to bring together historic preservationists, real estate development professionals and community stakeholders to engage one another on the opportunities and challenges around growth and development in the nation’s most historic city. It will consist of a series of moderated discussions with local and national experts to provide context on the District’s unique regulatory planning and development environment, and highlight planning innovation and creative development partnerships that have been inclusive of historic preservation goals.

Gigi Ransom memorial service at Trinity Washington University -- Saturday, 03/05/2016

Posted at the Ward 5 list at Yahoogroups.

On Feb 29, 2016, at 2:47 PM, Debbie Steiner <dlsmith112@msn.com> wrote:

Good day,
                                                            

Below is the Order of Services for Gigi this Saturday, March 5, 2016.  These services will be held a Trinity Washington University, O'Connor Hall, 125 Michigan Avenue NE at 01:00 pm. 

The Ransom family kindly ask for your attendance and remarks with honoring their loved one.

Thank you, on behalf of Colin Ransom, Gigi's Brother

Life, Glory and Legacy

of

Albrette “Gigi” Ransom

Saturday, March 5, 2016

                              Order of Service

Master of Program ~~~ Sam Ford - Newscaster for ABC News 7; D.C.

Remarks ~~~~~    Tommie Jones - Mayor’s Executive Office

                   Kenyan McDuffie – Ward 5 Councilman

                   Anita Bonds – At Large Councilwoman

                   Diane Groomes - Asst. Chief for MPD

                   Ronnie Edwards – Former Chairman of ANC 5A*

                   Terri Quinn – Chairwoman, ANC 5E*

                   Sandra Seegars – Former Chairwoman of ANC 8E*

                    Dennis Starks -  Chief of Enforcement, D.C. Taxi Cab Commission

Reading of the Obituary ~~~~~            Silence

Reflections ~~~~~~~~~                   2 minutes please

Eulogy ~~~~~~~~~~                      Colin Ransom

Video Presentation ~~~~~~~~~            Michael Henderson

Benevolence Closing ~~~~~~~~            President, Patricia McGuire

* Denotes Advisory Neighborhood Commission member