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Checking out BlueWater’s 3642 New Hampshire Avenue Project

June 19, 2013

Knowing that there have been strong opinions — both pro and con — about BlueWater’s plans for 3612-3614 Park Place, I thought it would be helpful to check on the progress of their project at 3642 New Hampshire Avenue, NW (shown below). Overall, I think BlueWater’s work on their New Hampshire property is very successful. My only aesthetic suggestion would have been to find some way to retain the appearance of a full porch but completely understand the desire to bring more sunshine into the interior.

I find that the  new windows are nice and appear to be superior to many replacement windows one commonly finds in a renovated house. They also retain the six-over-one configuration that was commonly found in the original fenestration of our housing stock and which is often lost when they are replaced. This project will also contain two 2-level living units.

From the street, even with modifications to the height of the attic level, I find the design is still compatible to the existing row.

3642 New Hampshire Ave. (center) with renovations in progress.

3642 New Hampshire Ave. (center) with renovations in progress.

Categories: Development, Housing
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Comments: 3 Comments

715 Kenyon Street Being Converted to Apartments

June 17, 2013

715 Kenyon Street, NW, is in the midst of a major renovation. If you aren’t familiar with the area, it is located on the north side of Kenyon just to the west of Georgia Avenue. According to the permit I was able to find, it is being converted from a single family house into six apartments.  I noticed that the original wood frame structure had German lap siding. When finished, the new  structure will have little resemblance to the original house. Below are some photos I took over the weekend.

715 Kenyon project from the southeast.

715 Kenyon project from the southeast.

715 Kenyon from the south. A portion of the original house is still visible.

715 Kenyon from the south. A portion of the original house is still visible.

From the alley, the east side of the building shows what appears to be a courtyard.

From the alley, the east side of the building shows what appears to be a courtyard.

The view from the alley, north of the property, gives a good indication of the scale of the project.

The view from the alley, north of the property, gives a good indication of the scale of the project.

Categories: Development, Housing
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Comments: 2 Comments

Parking Management: Here’s Another Option for Those Not on an RPP Block

June 14, 2013
Enhanced parking sign limiting parking to area residents only.

Enhanced parking sign limiting parking to area residents only.

Here’s a detail about parking in the neighborhood that I recently discovered. When ANC 1A voted to support the Enhanced Residential Parking Program that was later implemented last year, it actually included an option that allows residents living within ANC 1A (and most likely ANCs 1B & 1C) who live on blocks that are not currently in the RPP program to register their addresses in the system. The result is that the next time one gets a registration sticker for their car it will have “Zone 1″ on it instead of “No RPP”.

While this will probably not impact many households, we do still have a few streets in the community that are not part of the RPP program. But for those living on those blocks, if they have a vehicle they now have the option to get a parking sticker that will allow them to park on Zone 1 blocks if/when their blocks have no parking spots. However, if they do live on a block that constantly fills up, it would still be worthwhile to consider petitioning to be included in the RPP program.

In any event, its nice to have options.

For more details, you can contact your ANC Commissioner. A list of 1A Commissioners with contact information can be found here.

Categories: parking
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Comments: 6 Comments

Be Alert! Wheels Stolen from Vehicle on Rock Creek Church Road

June 13, 2013

I awoke this morning to find that a vehicle on the 600 b/o Rock Creek Church Road was up on blocks. The wheels were stolen during the night.  I’ve alerted MPD but have no further details at this time. However, it is a reminder to us all that we  need to be alert and report suspicious activity when we see it.

Vehicle on blocks on the 600 b/o Rock Creek Church Road.

Vehicle on blocks on the 600 b/o Rock Creek Church Road.

Categories: Crime
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Comments: 2 Comments

New Housing Coming to Sherman Avenue

June 11, 2013

I’ve just learned that three new two-family flats are currently under construction on the 3400 b/o Sherman Avenue. The site is directly south of 770 Park Road on the rear of the property, which apparently has been subdivided. The new addresses will be 3413, 3415, and 3417 Sherman Avenue. As you can see from the photo below, the foundations have already been poured. These structures will not have basements.

New foundations for 3413 to 3417 Sherman Avenue.

New foundations for 3413 to 3417 Sherman Avenue.

Categories: Development, Housing
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Comments: 3 Comments

Follow Up on More Bike Racks for Georgia Avenue

June 7, 2013
Possible new bike rack sites have already been marked for evaluation.

Possible new bike rack sites on the 3600 b/o Georgia have already been marked for evaluation.

Last week I posted about the need for more bike racks on the 3600 block of Georgia Avenue, especially in the area near DC Reynolds and Looking Glass Lounge. Since then, I have met with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association’s liaison with DDOT and the owner of DC Reynolds to review the biking needs of the street. As anyone who visits the area now will see, possible new bike rack locations have already been painted on the pavers indicating where new bike racks might go.

The plan as it currently stands is to install 4 more bike racks for the time being. Because the particular type of installation for the pavers requires large holes to be drilled about 12-18 inches deep, all locations need to be cleared through Miss Utility, which has already been contacted.

In terms of rack installation time, once the locations clear Miss Utility, installation of the racks will be scheduled with DDOT. Installation of the additional 4 racks should be no more than a month.

Once these are installed, this stretch of sidewalk will be at capacity for bike racks. I have also asked DDOT about bike corrals since I know that demand for bike parking will only increase in this area. Bike corrals are going to take much longer to figure out however … and I’m not yet sure whether or not Georgia Avenue being a U.S. highway will be an obstacle or not. Still, should a bike corral be approved, I think the most promising location would be the northern-most parking space(s) on the west side of Georgia just south of Princeton Place.

I’ll provide more details as they become known. I’m grateful to those who commented on last week’s post as they were helpful during Tuesday meeting.

Categories: Bikes and bike racks
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Konfidential Street Art

May 31, 2013

Here’s some street art I found on Georgia Avenue this week. One was at Georgia’s intersection with Columbia Road, and the other was just north of Kenyon Street. I wonder if there are other examples in this series — clearly by the same artist.

Konfidential 1

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Categories: Art
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Do You Enjoy Living in the Park Morton Neighborhood?

May 31, 2013
The Park Morton neighborhood in the 2013 WDCEP Neighborhood Profiles publication.

The Park Morton neighborhood in the 2013 WDCEP Neighborhood Profiles publication.

If you live within a half mile radius of 640 Morton Street, NW, the Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) thinks you live in the Park Morton neighborhood, at least according to their 2013 Neighborhood Profiles publication (see full listing here). Sadly, like last year, when it comes to the Park View community the Washington DC Economic Partnership again missed the mark and got everything wrong. Last year, when they released their 2012 profiles, they completely erased Park View from the publication. After meeting with the WDCEP folks last year, they corrected the mistake by including Park View in the Petworth/Park View listing since its focus area radiated out from the Georgia Avenue Metro station.

This year, WDCEP has again included Park View in the Petworth/Park View heading of that section … but the entire profile promoting the area only describes and highlights Petworth. It seems to me that its time for WDCEP to straighten this out once and for good. The Petworth neighborhood profile does not need to include Park View in the heading since nothing in the profile is about Park View … and as there is no such neighborhood as Park Morton, simply correct that heading to Park View and, as the profile does, promote the Park View neighborhood.

Categories: Development
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Comments: 10 Comments

Thriving 3600 Block of Georgia Avenue Needs More Bike Racks

May 30, 2013
Bike racks near DC Reynolds and Looking Glass Lounge continue to be in high demand.

Bike racks near DC Reynolds and Looking Glass Lounge continue to be in high demand.

It seems like only yesterday that I was working with DDOT to bring more bike racks to the 3600 block of Georgia Avenue, but in reviewing my notes it was actually in December 2011 that this need was last addressed with additional racks installed in June 2012. Here we are nearly a year later and despite the additional racks installed last year the area near DC Reynolds and Looking Glass Lounge still doesn’t have adequate capacity for those who choose to bike to the area.

In contacting DDOT on behalf of the businesses, I’ve learned that there is a possibility that additional bike racks could be available as early as mid-June. So, I’ll be meeting with a representative of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, who is the bike rack contractor for DDOT, to walk the block next week and evaluate how many additional bike racks can be added and where.

For those who have traveled to the area frequently by bike, I’d be interested in hearing your experiences with the bike racks there. How often have you had to lock your bike to something other than the racks and, ideally, how many more racks do you think would be adequate for the volume?

Categories: Bikes and bike racks, DDOT
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Comments: 12 Comments

Plans Now Known for Redevelopment of 610 Newton Place

May 17, 2013
610 Newton Place

610 Newton Place as it was in November 2012

In early February, I was able to report that the long empty apartment house at 610 Newton Place was destined to be developed. Along with the large empty lot behind it, the property changed hands in November 2012 from the New Commandment Baptist Church to new owners for $1,425,000. Construction permits for the new one story addition at the existing building with a new three story rear addition were issued on May 14th, so the property should quickly become an active work site.

Newton Street elevation showing addition of third level.

Newton Street elevation showing addition of third level.

The development as designed is completely as a matter-of-right and will add an addition to the rear of the two-story structure as well as add a third story. According to the plans, the original structure will be converted into two two-story, two-bedroom units. The new construction will add an additional ten units, all two-bedroom, for a total of twelve two-bedroom units. The four uppermost units also have their own roof decks.

Below is the floor plan of the third floor addition. All in all, I think this is a very positive development for this block of Newton Place.

The floor plan of the third floor. Newton Street is at the top of the plan.

The floor plan of the third floor. Newton Street is at the top of the plan.

Categories: Development, Housing
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Comments: 5 Comments

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