If you’re looking for something to do in the neighborhood on Saturday, the Park Morton neighbors are hosting a block party on the 600 block of Morton Street from 1 pm to 6 pm. Full details in the flyer below.
Posted tagged ‘Park View’
Block Party on the 600 Block of Morton Street, NW, Tomorrow – 1-6 pm!
July 12, 2019MPD Fourth District Leadership Meets with Park View Community on Public Safety
June 27, 2019
MPD Fourth District Capt. John McDonald (left) and Commander Randy Griffin (right).
In response to recent violence in the Park View neighborhood and staffing changes within the Metropolitan Police Department ((MPD), MPD Scheduled a community meeting on June 26th at the Park View Recreation Center. The meeting was well attended and included ANC1A Commissioners Michael Wray and Kent Boese as well as representatives from the Mayor’s and Councilmember’s offices.
The meeting was presided over by the new 4D Sector 3 Police Captain, John McDonald and Fourth District Commander, Randy Griffin.
While there was little information the officers could share about the active homicide investigations related to the June 19th shooting death of 29 year-old Juan Marcell Grant on the 700 block of Princeton Place, NW and the June 22nd shooting of two people on the 600 block of Morton Street where 45 year-old Melton Grant was killed, they did respond to overall public safety concerns and share some information.
Commander Griffin shared that the murders are unrelated and acknowledged that the gun related crimes are up in many parts of the city, not just in Park View. He also shared that the typical age range for those involved in shootings is between 18 and 24/25. It was interesting to note that Captain McDonald shared that MPD officers in the Morton Street area have also been shot at themselves while on patrol and that special officers have been assigned to the area. Additionally, on Morton Street MPD is collaborating with the DC Housing Authority Police for that area.
According to MPD, often what is happening is that a petty argument escalates quickly and one person has a firearm, often illegal, who then used it. For this reason, MPD has made illegal gun retrieval a priority as part of their response.
Additionally, the meeting afforded an opportunity to have a more robust conversation about public safety in general, address tensions between newer residents and long-term residents, and emphasized that staying alert and being aware of your surroundings is instrumental in staying safe when out in the community.
At the close of the meeting the Park View Rec Center staff also gave an overview of their programs and what they are doing to help reduce violence in the neighborhood, including a summer basketball tournament for young men ages 16-18 and a series of community events in the works for Friday’s this summer.
38 New Housing Options Being Added in Historic Church Conversion on Park Road, NW
May 14, 2019
The redevelopment of the historic Park View Christian Church on Park Road is nearly complete.
The conversion of the historic Park View Christian Church building and parking lot is quickly nearing completion, with the new construction now on the market and some of the condos in the historic building still receiving finishing touches. In all, the project is adding 38 new condos (including Inclusionary Zoning units) to the Park View community.
The buildings were open over the weekend and I managed to swing by and check them out. According to the developers Web site, units start at $290k, and from what I saw they go up to about $900,000, depending upon the unit size and location. I noted that five of the condos already have contracts pending.
You can see the range of prices and floor plans here.
There are a lot of things I like about this project. Top of my list is that it adaptively reuses a history building (and they are doing a good job of this). I also like the fit and finished that have been used throughout, that there is a range of unit sized, including two-level units, and that many of the upper units have dedicated outdoor space. I also like that this project was large enough to include units that are more affordable to the neighborhood than many developments bring.
You can see images of the units on their Web site, or I have included a few below I took on my visit.
MPD 4D Weapon Recovery Report from April 20th
April 23, 2019Adding more to the conversation about gun violence in the surrounding community, the latest Fourth District Weapon Recovery email from Saturday, April 20th, is below. As has been pointed out to me, it is interesting that all the listed locations this time are in the Park View, south Petworth area.
The email from MPD 4D:
Every day, the Metropolitan Police Department works to recover and investigate illegal firearms in Washington D.C. In addition to our patrol officers, the Department has specialized units—such as Crime Suppression Teams (CSTs)—who work tirelessly to safely and respectfully secure illegal firearms and get them off of our streets. On Friday, April 19, 2019 , the Fourth District Crime Suppression Unit recovered 5 firearms off the streets in the Fourth District.
A Ruger .308 caliber rifle was recovered in the 800 block of Quincy Street, Northwest. CCN: 19-066-645
A KelTec Sub2000 9mm carbine rifle was recovered in the 800 block of Quincy Street, Northwest. CCN: 19-066-645
A Ruger .357 revolver was recovered in the 800 block of Quincy Street, Northwest. CCN: 19-066-645
A Colt .38 Special revolver was recovered in the 600 block of Park Road, Northwest. The following person was arrested: 20 year-old Reginal Steele, of Northwest, D.C., for Carrying a Pistol Without a License. CCN: 19-066-728
A Armscor Model 1600 .22 caliber rifle was recovered in the 600 block of Rock Creek Church Road, Northwest. CCN: 19-066-738
The Metropolitan Police Department also recovers firearms with the assistance of anonymous tips made through MPD’s anonymous tip line. Anyone who has information regarding gun recoveries should call police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, information may be submitted to the TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411. The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $2,500 to anyone who provides information that leads to the recovery of an illegal firearm hidden in the District of Columbia.
MPD Investigating Princeton Place Homicide
April 22, 2019On Friday afternoon, April 19th, MPD responded to shots fired on the 700 block of Princeton Place. Sadly, the shooting resulted in the loss of life. Below is the announcement MPD shared on their listserv:
At approximately 4:04 pm, members of the Fourth District responded to the 700 block of Princeton Place, Northwest for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located an unconscious juvenile male inside the home, suffering from several apparent gunshot wounds. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services arrived on the scene and the victim was transported to a local hospital and succumbed to their injuries.
The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411.
I am grateful to both Patrol Chief Lamar Greene and Forth District Captain Sean Conboy who called me on Friday to brief me on the incident and discuss overall efforts to address crime in the neighborhood.
Regarding what neighbors can do to assist with solving Friday’s homicide, I’ve been informed that while canvassing the neighborhoods, detectives observed security cameras affixed to residences that are within a four block radius of the offense. Many of those cameras are registered with the Capital Shield Program. If any resident has video that you think may assist with the investigation, please contact me at 1A08(at)anc.dc.gov and I can provide you the contact information or put you in contact with directives working on this case.
Chief Newsham also personally responded on Friday, and below is his statement from the scene.
The Arcade Sunshine Apartments Turned Out Great
March 26, 2019
(Lobby at entrance to 715 Lamont Street, NW.)
Over the weekend, I had a chance to catch up with 1A09 Commissioner Michael Wray and tour the Arcade Sunshine apartments at 715 and 735 Lamont Street, NW. As many may recall, this is a project that has been in the works since mid-2014 and when fully completed will add about 225 units of housing and 102 parking spaces for its residents. I’m particularly please as I was able to negotiate the preservation and reuse of the Lamont Street facades into the new development creating an interesting mix of old and new.
The site was originally constructed as an industrial cleaners ca. 1919 and was in continued use as such until its recent conversion into new housing. It is currently leasing providing the opportunity to schedule a tour.
I’m providing photos here so you can get some idea of how well it turned out. You can also review the apartment floor plans here.
715 Lobby and common areas
Public Park Morton Steering Committee Meeting Scheduled for Thursday, February 28th
February 27, 2019Curious about where things stand with the redevelopment of Park Morton? Then join the Park Morton Steering Committee on Thursday, February 28th to learn about recent events and updates to the redevelopment effort. See the flyer below.
2nd Annual Lower Georgia Ave Chili Cook-Off is This Sunday at Reliable Tavern
February 7, 2019The 2nd Annual Lower Georgia Avenue Chili Cook-Off will be at Reliable Tavern this Sunday from 2-4 pm. Come out, meet your neighbors, and enjoy FREE chili tasting from some of Lower Georgia Ave’s favorite restaurants’ chefs! These tasty dishes aren’t on the menu as each entry is prepared just for this one-time event! I’ve been informed that this is a family-friendly event and all ages are welcome.
Reliable Tavern will be hosting this event in their basement (stairway entry). Featured restaurants are DC Reynolds, The Midlands, NuVegan Café, The Looking Glass Lounge, and a mash-up with Timber Pizza Company & Call Your Mother Deli.
This event is organized with the support of Georgia Avenue Thrive, District Bridges’ Lower Georgia Ave Main Street, and the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development.
Sneak Peek at Sonny’s Pizza
February 6, 2019During this past weekend’s Georgia Avenue walk with District Bridges, we were lucky enough to catch up with Max Zuckerman at Sonny’s Pizza. Max gave us a quick tour and I can honestly say is looks amazing. Sonnys is weeks away from opening so be on the look out for another food option in the neighborhood soon.
Below are a few photos I took to provide a hint of what to expect … however I’ll also say that I’m not sharing photos of the entire space to be prepared to be pleasantly surprised during your first visit.
(ANC1A Commissioners Michael Wray (1A09) and Rashida Brown (1A10) with Jennifer Kuiper (District Bridges) outside of Sonny’s.)
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Left to right, Jennifer Kuiper (District Bridges), Rashida Brown (1A10), Max Zuckerman (Sonny’s), Kent Boese (1A08).
Arcade Sunshine Transformation from Dry Cleaning Plant to 225 New Apartments is Amazing
February 5, 2019
Entrance to the new apartments at 713 Lamont Street, NW
It has been interesting to watch the transformation of converting the Alsco/Linen’s of the Week building into 225 new units of housing right off of Georgia Avenue. The community first learned about the proposal in 2014. Today, the property has progressed to the point where both the 713 and 733 Lamont Street buildings are now leasing. In visiting the Arcade Sunshine Web site, you can see both the floor plans for 713 Lamont as well as the floor plans for 733 Lamont.
While the conversion of the historic laundry plant is nearly complete, the owners still plan to construct a few more housing structures on the parking lot to the west, and they also own the land behind the building that connects to Morton Street.
From beginning to end, once ANC1A and the developer was able to agree upon saving the historic facades of the 713 Lamont building, this has been a class act with an exciting outcome. This is adaptive reuse at its best. It includes significant underground parking, adds 225 new apartments to the neighborhood on a property that has never supported housing in its long history, and has done so in a way that incorporates historic structures and facades to create a new outcome that is both exciting and enhancing the architectural fabric of the surrounding community. I’m a big fan of this project.
Below are a few more photos of the (nearly) completed project.
"The territory comprising Park View extends from Gresham Street north to Rock Creek Church Road, and from Georgia Avenue to the Soldiers' Home grounds, including the triangle bounded by Park Road, Georgia Avenue, and New Hampshire Avenue" (from Directory and History of Park View, 1921.)
Park View, D.C. 