in bloom

kittens rescued in Bloomingdale ready for adoption

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 22:59:00 +0000

It's kitten season in the neighborhood again, and along with Annette, who has five foster kittens looking for homes, here are two more available for adoption.

Fun fact: these kittens were rescued by ANC 5C-07 commissioner James Fournier in early December from the unit block of Bryant Street NW and have been fostered by Elle and Jonathan on V Street NW.

Kate Phoenix: Bloomingdale's virtual resident

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:38:00 +0000

This letter to the community was read by the author at the 2011 meeting of the Bloomingdale Civic Association.

Greetings to my Neighbors, friends, and soon-to-be friends:

My name is Kathleen Rand Reed, and until Monday, January 17, 2011, I lived at 1923 Second Street NW in the corner house on Second and Thomas Streets. As many of you know, the house was completely consumed by a two-alarm fire and was devastating both to me and the heart of the Bloomingdale and LeDroit community. You can view just how intense the fire was by the video from the DC Fire Department's website.

For fifteen years, since 1996, I both lived there and had my small business as an anthropologist and business advisor. Fortunately when this occurred, I was out for the day with my friend and neighbor, Chestivia Shoemaker of 133 Thomas Street NW (The Pink House), a long-time B'dale resident.

As you can only imagine, losing everything, i.e., books, files, equipment, household goods, clothes—just everything—is overwhelming. However, what you are left with is love of neighbors and community, your aliveness and humanity and a fierce determination to rise from the ashes—like the Phoenix—to recover and once again become or remain the neighbor and friend your neighbors and community have known you to be.

Chestivia provided that first night's restful but fitful sleep in a safe, warm, and loving environment—her home. That's where I am bunking for a while these few weeks. This past week, John Salatti, ANC Commissioner 5C04, and Robert Vinson Brannum, BCA President, have both provided an incredible amount of comfort, support and ongoing friendship, as have my neighbors, as they have asked through John and Robert and the listserv, e-mails, etc., "What can we do?" In a few days, I will be in a physical and mental position to begin to answer that question. Believe me, it takes a minute to just go through the reorganizing. That is, what one has to do—reorganize, but organize nonetheless.

Right now, I am doing what I have always done; sitting with manila file folders, hanging files, file boxes, pens, a borrowed computer (e-mails), my cell phone, and my internet account, and setting priorities for each step toward recovery. As I began these arduous and seemingly impossible tasks, I realized how vulnerable we are as individuals, but how resilient we can be as the "embrace of community" (as Salatti calls it) holds us together as a caring and supportive group of dedicated neighbors.

In honor of that spirit and through the online and digital world in which I have lived since I was in Silicon Valley, I am going to remain a Bloomingdalian but, for a while, in a different form. My "give back" to my fellow Bloomingdalians will be a sharing of my experiences from a position of not a "victim" but as a trained participant observer, as we say in anthropology. Periodically, you will receive posts here, and from the listserv and other social networking sites in our community. I will post as Kate Phoenix: Bloomingdale's Virtual Resident.
You will receive no sad, depressive, long rants of victimhood. Rather, as I interface with the social service agencies, the DC departments, the American Red Cross and a myriad of other points of discovery that each B'dale resident needs to have available in the case of any serious emergency. I will, in essence, give you the 411 in case of 911.

When the Iraq War started, the media, of which I have been a member for many years, "embedded" reporters for the live-in-your-face/hear-the-bombs drop/see-the-flashes-of-light brutality of reality of that War. Think of me, at this point, as your community and neighborhood eyes and ears of imbeddedness in what has been called "the system."

Already, I know, as I have shared with John and Robert, each resident, no matter whether property owner or tenant, needs to be listed in an ICE (In Case of Emergency) database held by the BCA or some other agreed upon entity. When a person is injured or nonresponsive, the first thing the police do is to review that person's cell phone for the ICE telephone numbers and their priority listings.

Several firemen were injured trying to locate me not knowing whether I was in the house or no. A call to the database would have put them in direct contact with me on my cell to let them know my status, at least to the extent of my answering the call. These and many more observations have been my experiences this past week as I have begun my new journey.

My email is .

Any mail can be sent to Kathleen Rand Reed, 133 Thomas Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 at Chestivia Shoemaker's house.

I look forward to turning this tragedy into a way of a WISH: working, inquiring, sharing and healing—WISH... This next phase of my life's journey, will be as a dedicated Bloomingdalian and with my apologies to State Farm, " Like a good neighbor, Kate Phoenix will be here!

Thanks and let me hear from you ....
Kate Reed/Kate Phoenix

Bloomingdale Civic Association's 2011 officers

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:14:00 +0000

At the January 2011 meeting of the Bloomingdale Civic Association held last night, elections were held for leadership roles. The new officers are:

President: Teri Janine Quinn
First Vice President: Bertha Holliday
Second Vice President: John Salatti
Recording Secretary: Elle Cayabyab Gitlin
Assistant Recording Secretary: Scott Roberts
Corresponding Secretary: Em Hall
Assistant Corresponding Secretary: Myra Dandridge
Financial Secretary: Diton Pashaj
Treasurer: Michael Fine
Delegates to the DC Federation of Civic Associations: Robert Brannum, James Fournier, Tolu Williams, Hugh Youngblood, Scott Roberts

from the neighbors: "Why I Love Bloomingdale"

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:07:00 +0000

Bloomingdale resident Michelle had a response to The Atlantic piece on gentrification that merited reprinting on its own.

The catch-22 with gentrification does not only exist on the end of “affluent whites vs. historically poor black neighborhood” idea. Gentrification is also hurting middle-income African-Americans and minorities. By "middle-income," I don’t mean middle-class, because I am far from that monetary threshold. By "middle-income," I’m talking about myself, friends, and others who are like me: young, educated professionals who make above the poverty level, but not quite enough to afford to buy or to rent in a neighborhood that is ideal to what we are looking for. Whether it’s due to the market, neighborhood, or gentrification, landlords and owners are pricing the rent at such an unaffordable rate that the $30,000-$45,000 income we earn annually looks even more dismal than that person who falls below poverty level and is thus able to obtain assistance.

The catch-22 with gentrification lies far beyond the rent and can almost be akin to entitlement. Fine, you want to live in a neighborhood that is convenient, offers beautiful Victorian rowhouses, is in a great location and offers great services such as yoga studios, organic coffee shops, and dog parks, but please, gentrifiers, do not feel you are entitled to that. Oftentimes the people who historically lived in that neighborhood would be open to the same services, but at affordable rates. Now that these new services are in the neighborhood ... great, but it's not so great if you can't afford them. A lot of these historical neighborhoods still have families that are on tight incomes and monthly budgets, who cannot afford the weekly luxuries of organic coffee shops and specialty high-dollar pizza places. It does not mean that these services shouldn’t be in the neighborhood, but do not add these services to the neighborhood, price them to such extremes, that they are not affordable or reasonable to someone on a fixed income, and not expect a backlash. Please do not feel entitled to having a dog park because you have a dog, but there is not a place for the neighborhood children to play safely and enjoy.

I admit that I love having a variety of services that I can identify with, enjoy, and even look forward to. I have enjoyed Yoga District a few times, and I also visited Big Bear Cafe, Windows Market and Cafe, and Rustik Tavern, just as I have gone to the dry cleaners, liquor store, and corner market. The overall idea is to have a variety of services and resources for the whole community, not just a part of the community. A part of the community feels left out, and by excluding them, gentrifiers, you are making it increasingly hard. Have more forums and meetings and open discussions about what we (and by "we," I mean everyone in the neighborhood) want and need in the community.

I think Bloomingdale is a great neighborhood. I lived in three different neighborhoods upon moving to D.C., and this is the one I most consider to be a home, where I hope to be able to buy a house one day, invite friends over, and enjoy with my future family. However, please don’t price me out. I’ve lived here for two-and-a-half years now. Due to the increase in “value,” my rent has jumped from $780 to $900 a month, and I expect it will go up even more next year because of the market, influence, services, location and gentrification ... my plea to you, gentrifiers *, is to make sure to make this a mixed-income, or rather a melting-pot neighborhood with various incomes and socioeconomic statuses. Yes, the median neighborhood income is probably now well above my $39,000 annual income, but I’m a responsible citizen who works, goes to school, and adds value to our neighborhood and community at large. Please understand that this isn’t so much of a race thing as it is an entitlement thing.

* When I refer to gentrifiers, although in context it refers to white people, I’m referring to all of the people in the higher-income brackets who have been moving into historically-poor black neighborhoods pushing the home values and rents so high that people who have historically lived there can no longer afford to do so, and people who want to live there cannot afford to do so.

from The Atlantic: "The Gentrifier's Lament"

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:34:00 +0000

The Atlantic's Megan McArdle is now a resident of Ward 5 and ANC 5C, and her latest is titled "The Gentrifier's Lament."

So having finally closed on the house, we're living in what is euphemistically known as a "mixed" neighborhood, where poor black residents who have lived there for a generation or more exist somewhat uncomfortably side-by-side with more affluent whites who are drawn to the relatively cheap rents and lovely Victorian housing stock. The tensions thus built up are played out in many places, notably local politics, where a recent attempt by a local cafe to get a liquor license triggered many of the arguments that we heard after Adrian Fenty's loss in the mayoral race.

I have no idea how you could stop this process. To keep our neighborhoods the way Jacobs and I liked them would involve massive coercion not just of real estate owners, but of merchants, food vendors . . . everyone in the network of service providers that supports a neighborhood. The more people like me who move into my current neighborhood, the more services the neighborhood will attract—and those, in turn, will bring further waves of gentrifiers who will use their higher incomes to drive up rents, home prices, and the assessed values upon which property taxes are based.

I want the services, but I don't want this to price out all the people who already live there. Unfortunately, it's a package deal.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

ANC 5C 2010 candidate list now final

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:31:00 +0000

DC's Board of Elections and Ethics (DCBOEE) have released the final ANC 5C candidate list and ballot order for the 2010 general election. The big change? Long-time incumbent Marshall Phillips, Sr., is not on the list, presumably having withdrawn after having his petitions challenged by Deborah Steiner. Though there is talk of organizing a write-in campaign for Phillips, this leaves the 5C 08 field wide open for first-time candidate Jioni Palmer, who's now raised over $2,000 in contributions online.

John Salatti is running unopposed in 5C 04, as is Hugh Youngblood in 5C 03, and both are expected to win handily. The only race in Bloomingdale, then, is in 5C 07, where James Fournier is challenging Barrie Daneker. Fournier has raised nearly $600 in contributions online as of today, and his campaign signs are prominently displayed by both Rustik and Timor Bodega. Daneker, the incumbent, released a campaign statement, which inspired an active comment thread, and was also quoted in a Washington Blade story about gay incumbents in ANC races, which Fournier responded to.

Rustik has already proven to be a popular spot for candidate events. Salatti will be hosting a meet-and-greet there this Saturday, October 23, from 2 PM to 4 PM. Darin Allen, who is challenging Mary Lois Farmer-Allen in 5C 06, will also have an event at Rustik later that evening, from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

The 2010 tab of the ANC 5C Election Results spreadsheet will be updated with candidate information and vote totals as they are reported by DCBOEE.

Rustik Tavern now open to the public

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 03:19:00 +0000

Finally!, originally uploaded by evoque.

See you there.

get out and vote! if you did, what was it like?

noreply@blogger.com (in Bloomingdale) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:41:00 +0000

Judging by the @BloomingdaleDC Twitter stream, it looks like quite a few neighbors have already gone out to the polls today.

If you're not sure about where to vote, use the DCBOEE polling place locator. As a general rule:

If you live north of Rhode Island Avenue NW, you live in Precinct 135. You'll be voting at Mt. Bethel Baptist Church, which is located on the corner of First Street NW and Rhode Island Avenue NW. The entrance to the polling station is on Rhode Island Avenue NW.
If you live south of Rhode Island Avenue, you live in Precinct 19. You'll be voting at Dunbar High School, which is located near the corner of New Jersey Avenue NW and O Street NW. The entrance to the polling station is on New Jersey Avenue NW.

View Precincts and Polling Places in a larger map

What was your voting experience like today?

empty chairs at empty tables

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:31:00 +0000

Rustik Tavern, originally uploaded by Scenic Artisan.

It's been a month or so since the open house at Rustik. At the time, owner Diton Pashaj told people that he hoped to be in business by the end of August. Now that it's September, though, the natives were growing restless.

@phillipstutts:

@rustikdc Hey guys, any update on progress? We had a neighborhood party yesterday and everyone was speculating! :)

@BloomingdaleDC:

so, @RustikDC, it's been a month since your open house - got any news or updates to share with the neighborhood?

Thankfully, Rustik was ready to answer questions.

@RustikDC:

@BloomingdaleDC we passed 5 of 7 inspections. We anticipate to pass the other 2 at the beginning of next week, and then just getting ready.

It was a neighbor, however, who brought the latest and greatest news about Rustik to our attention.

@candrews:

Woo @Urbandaddy says @RustikDC is soft opening...sometime this month. http://bit.ly/bAKj2N #bloomingdaledc

Although the menu has yet to be finalized, Rustik has confirmed that it does plan to be open for business this month. Is it time to organize a neighborhood meetup on opening night?

blogger breakfast with Harry Thomas, Jr.

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:26:00 +0000

Tomorrow morning, I'll be headed to Trinidad's Capital City Diner for what Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. is calling a blogger breakfast, where he "will share his vision for Ward 5 and the challenges and issues facing his constituents." Is there a specific question that you want him to answer? Post in the comments below, and I'll make sure he hears them.

I'll be live-tweeting the breakfast from @BloomingdaleDC and using the #Ward5 hashtag from 8:30 AM onwards.

2010 ANC 5C election preview

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:09:00 +0000

By 5 PM this Friday, September 3, candidates for the 12 seats on ANC 5C are required to file their Declaration of Candidacy and Affidavit of Qualifications with DC's Board of Elections and Ethics, along with a petition containing 25 or more signatures from residents of the SMD. @DCBOEE have been updating a list of ANC candidates circulating petitions, and all information used below is sourced from the latest version of that file.

SMD 5C 01
The current commissioner, Anita Bonds, has yet to pick up a nominating petition. The incumbent since 2006, she is being challenged by first-time candidates Kimberly Tignor and Bradley Ashton Thomas.

SMD 5C 02
Incumbent Sylvia Pinkney, who will be finishing her first term, faces former commissioner Joyce Robinson-Paul, who served three consecutive terms starting in 1998.

SMD 5C 03
The current commissioner, Stuart Davenport, will not be running for reelection. First-time candidate W. Hugh Youngblood has no challengers.

SMD 5C 04
Although there were rumors of a former commissioner going up against incumbent John Salatti, he's currently unopposed in his run for a third consecutive term. Maybe the yard signs scared off any other candidates.

SMD 5C 05
Incumbent Denise Wright will have to work for a second term, as first-time candidate Tim Clark will be challenging her bid. Good news for this SMD, as the last time it saw a race was in 2002 before going without a commissioner in 2004 and 2006.

SMD 5C 06
Mary Lois Farmer-Allen is running for her fifth consecutive term in office, but first-time candidate Darin Allen is looking to change that. Farmer-Allen won office despite challengers in 2002, 2004, and 2006, and ran unopposed in 2008.

SMD 5C 07
This will be the first ANC election where incumbent Barrie Daneker faces an opponent, as first-time candidate James Fournier will be challenging him for the seat.

SMD 5C 08
Another long-time incumbent, Marshall Phillips, Sr., faces a challenge from a first-time candidate in Jioni Palmer. Phillips is also seeking a fifth consecutive term in office, but this will be the first ANC election where he faces an opponent. Palmer has raised $1,653 in donations via ActBlue—an impressive feat considering that contributions to ANC campaigns have a $25 limit—and is the only ANC 5C candidate with a campaign Web site.

SMD 5C 09
Incumbent Silas Grant is running for reelection and currently faces no challengers in his bid for a third term in office.

SMD 5C 10
Incumbent Tim Day is running for office—just not this office. Day is instead running as the Republican candidate for the Ward 5 DC City Council seat. This SMD previously had no commissioner from 2002 to 2008, and if no one steps up to the plate, the cycle might start all over again.

SMD 5C 11

Like 5C 10, this SMD went commissioner-less from 2002 to 2008. This race looks to be a rerun of the 2008 election, when Ronnie Edwards won election by nine votes over Allison Defoe. Defoe is once again challenging Edwards for the seat.

SMD 5C 12
Like 5C 11, this race will be a rematch between the candidates in the 2008 election, as incumbent Gigi Ransom is once again facing a challenge in Derrick Holloway. Holloway previously held the seat in 2004 and 2006 before losing the 2008 race to Ransom.

The 2010 tab of the ANC 5C Election Results spreadsheet will be updated with candidate information and vote totals as they are reported by DC's Board of Ethics and Elections.

a look back at ANC 5C's election results

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:23:00 +0000

Since it's election season again, a brief history lesson on ANC 5C's election results seems in order.

All data used in tabulating these election results comes directly from DC's Board of Elections and Ethics, which has ANC election results going back to 1998 available online.

Summary:

There were six uncontested seats in 2000, the most ever going back to 1998. On average, four seats have gone uncontested in the past six election cycles.
In the four elections from 2000 to 2006, three SMDs had no candidates running for ANC commissioner.
It wasn't until 2008 that ANC 5C elected the full complement of 12 commissioners, making it one of the largest in DC.
Turnout was highest in 2008, with a total of 8,584 votes cast in ANC 5C. The lowest number of votes cast was 3,451 in 2002.

Commissioners:

The longest-serving commissioner, with six consecutive terms in office since 1998, is Marshall R. Phillips, who served two terms in 5C-09, and became the commissioner in 5C-08 after the redistricting.
Jim Berry of 5C-01 was the second longest-serving commissioner, winning four consecutive terms from 1998 to 2004.
In the three elections from 1998 to 2002, 5C-12 had no commissioner.
In the three elections from 2002 to 2006, both 5C-10 and 5C-11 had no commissioners.

You can view more detailed election results for the following years:

Rustik to hold open house on August 7

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 03:02:00 +0000

Rustik owner Diton Pashaj just sent out the announcement:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

First, please accept our apologies for not announcing this earlier. As you all know, Bloomingdale has been long waiting and teased with news about a sit-down eatery, and we did not want to add more to the tease. We wanted to be sure and be as close as possible to this reality.

Originally, Rustik Tavern was going to open in a different location, but some miscommunications and surprises forced us to abandon the idea. Soon after, we partnered with Alex Duni, owner of Baraki, and since May we have been working on building out the location. We are pleased to inform that construction has nearly finished, and we will be seeking our inspections from the city soon. As much as we would like to set a specific date for our opening, we are reluctant do so because of all the surprises we are so used to encounter. All we can say is—It may just be sooner than you think!

Doors will be open on Saturday, August 7th, during the art festival, for anyone who would like to come in to take a look, ask questions or just say hi. We look forward to meeting all and everyone of you.

In the meantime, feel free to visit our website, www.rustikdc.com, and sign up for our newsletter.

How about a neighborhood meetup once it opens?

ANC 5C aftermath: news and views

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:46:00 +0000

There was lots of online chatter regarding last night's ANC 5C meeting, so here's a link list of the coverage in the local media. This list will be updated as additional coverage goes live.

Twitter:

Media:

Blogs:

Listservs (may require membership to read):

If you have any relevant links not listed here, please post them in the comments, and they will be added.

ANC 5C writes up a guide to liquor licensing

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:59:00 +0000

This week's ANC 5C meeting of the whole included—what else?—discussion of the liquor license applications that have come up in Bloomingdale. As resident Scott Roberts reports on the Bloomingdale listserv:

I arrived late—and walked into—can you guess?—a heated discussion about the liquor license pursuit of Big Bear Cafe. There are a group of nearby neighbors who circulated a petition opposing the granting of the liquor license. ANC 5C Commissioners Gigi Ransom and Sylvia Pickney discussed a document that they have put together—a draft document—titled "ANC 5C Guide on DC Alcoholic Beverage Licenses: Draft June 11, 2010, Edit: July 5, 2010." As the title suggests, it is intended to serve as a guide for the commissioners and the community about ABC licenses. And again, the commissioners stated that the document is a work-in-progress.

ANC 5C 04 commissioner John Salatti has shared the latest version with us, and you can view it online.

shady salesmen going door-to-door

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 02:55:00 +0000

Two neighbors from the northern end of the neighborhood report separate incidences of men posing as ADT sales representatives going door-to-door on First Street NW this evening.

From @phillipstutts on Twitter:

@BloomingdaleDC - White guy knocking on doors on 1st St NW falsely claiming to be from ADT Security. Cops called. Be on alert.#bloomingdaledc

Neighbor AG sent this e-mail:

I live on first between Adams and Bryant and had a really shady occurrence this evening. My doorbell rang around 7pm and I found a gentleman in my entry way (between my front door and my entry door) in a golf shirt and khaki shorts. I prop my door open about an inch as I was super spooked out that he let himself in the first door. (I am an idiot for not locking it!) He was insistent on talking to me about my security system, no uniform, no nothing and would NOT leave when I asked him to. He even had a random computer print of my wall unit...looked like he printed out an 8X10 digital photo. He never stated he was from a particular company. He finally left and I ran to my window to see him get in a random Chevy. He saw me in the window (I was attempting to get his license plate) and just waved at me until he drove away! It was beyond weird. I called the cops and after investigating we realized I was the 2nd person to call and ADT (the other call said the intruder said he was from ADT) did not have anyone out on the beat...they don't do that.

So beware of these guys, they are out scheming something! My guy was a white male about 6"1, blond hair, clean cut, looked like a ken doll and the only thing I know about the other complaint is that it was an African American male.

Spooky, keep your eyes open!

This is a common enough occurrence around the country that ADT posted a safety tip on its Facebook page:

Important reminder -- ADT sales and service people should always provide a photo ID and business card when they come to your door. As with any stranger approaching your home, you should always ask for identification.

If you are approached by anyone matching the descriptions above, please call MPD 5D directly at (202) 698-0150.

new bodega opens up in the neighborhood

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:42:00 +0000

Cookie's Corner is now open!

new bodega/sandwich shop in LeDroit Park now open, originally uploaded by evoque.

It's on the LeDroit Park side of Second Street NW, but I'm guessing the sister bodega to Simon Matehme's LeDroit Park Market will have plenty of customers from Bloomingdale, especially with Parker Flats just across the street.

It's very neat and tidy inside, with plenty of stand-up counter space in the square bay window for folks who want to eat their meals there, and there's a fair selection of sundries available. ~~No beer or wine is currently being sold, presumably as they're still working on the licensing, but hopefully in the future, it will be available as well.~~ Looks like beer and wine is also for sale, though the license is presumably for off-premise consumption.

inside the new bodega/sandwich shop on 2nd Street NW and Elm Street NW, originally uploaded by evoque.

Only had time to go in and snap a photo, but I'll try and get the full menu online tomorrow.

here a dry cleaner, there a dry cleaner

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:00:00 +0000

The building at 1821 First Street NW looks like it's almost complete, which likely triggered the following petition from ANC 5C 04 commissioner John Salatti:

Although we definitely appreciate the owners’ efforts to rehabilitate a long-vacant building and put it back into useful service, we do not support the opening of a second dry cleaning establishment. This area needs a variety of services that we do not have currently and which we as neighbors would support heartily. These services include sit-down, full-service restaurants, boutiques, stationery and card stores, consignment shops, electronics stores, child-care centers, hardware stores, bakeries, delicatessens, diners, pet grooming establishment, vet clinic, bank, etc. These are businesses that we want, that we need, and that we will patronize. We are not likely to patronize another dry cleaning establishment.

As of this writing, there are now 101 signatures, though since none are publicly visible, it's hard to say how many neighborhood residents actually signed it. The Housing Complex piece likely drew signatures from outside the community as well, and maybe there will be a few more due to this post. I can understand that folks are disappointed about getting another dry cleaner when there's City Cleaners just a block away, but this is something that could likely have been addressed by the community when the sale of the building went through, or even earlier, when the for-sale signs went up. It could have happened even as late as March of this year, which is when the business permits were approved.

I'll admit to slacking off on this personally. I actually started to draft a post that was focused on the environmental impacts that a dry cleaner would have on the property a couple of months ago: namely, the fact that if the building were ever to be reused for another purpose, it would have to undergo remediation to remove the chemicals used in the dry-cleaning process from the site. Since that would be a pretty expensive undertaking, once a property is used as a location for a dry cleaner, it generally stays that way.

That said, I do have to wonder exactly what the petition is meant to achieve. Online petitions are easy to set up and don't require the time and effort of someone going door-to-door to talk to their neighbors in person, but I think the ease of use comes with a cost. There's something effective about handing over a sheaf of papers with the signatures and addresses of those who live in the neighborhood, and a printout of a Web page seems sterile in comparison to pages scrawled over with ink. Will a petition—of any variety—change the owners' plans for 1821 First Street NW? Probably not, but hopefully it's made the signatories take notice of the goings-on in Bloomingdale.

the results are in: safety walk survey says ...

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:49:00 +0000

Thanks to all of you who filled out the safety walk survey posted some weeks back, we've got some great responses. Here are the results.

The safety walks should occur twice a month.
Safety walks should take approximately one hour.

When asked what the safety walks should look out for, here are the responses:

any issue or problem that a resident has - i.e. dumping in an alley, unsecured vacant residences, broken street lights, graffiti, construction projects, etc. the walks should also focus on meeting new neighbors

I love that it's a way for me to meet neighbors... maybe once in a while we could end at someone's house! That would be amaaaaaazing :)

drug activity, vagrants in abandoned buildings

Signs of criminal activity, general property neglect and city services needed

drug dealers, abandoned and dumpy property, gang tags, trash and illegal dumping, assessment of streets (speed humps), examples of what works - trees, gardens, parks and community gathering spots (have members of Casey Trees participate).

start and end at local businesses - windows cafe, big bear, etc - so people can socialize with each other, and patronize local shops.

Cleanliness of the neighborhood; visit local businesses where most criminals hang out and show that the community is united and not putting up with crime.

signs of criminal activity and abandoned or run down property

Pointing out to MPD the trouble spots that we as residents know and see every day.

Canvassing a different area each time such that every street and ally is eventually covered. If any area has particular issues, give that area special attention by hitting it over and over at the beginning or end of the walk if possible.

Focus on problems not things - signs of criminal activity; problem areas where drugs or noise are issues

Making a positive presence

A chance to meet our officers and point out areas of concern

dog poop, criminal activity, trash dumping, graffiti, street damage (potholes, broken curbs, missing or damaged or graffitted signs, loose tv or phone wires), bicyclists who chain their bikes to our trees damaging them when they could tie them to fence or lamppost), stores without trash bins regularly emptied, other signs of neighborhood nitwittery

Respondents were also asked to identify where the safety walks should go.

Different parts of the neighborhood depending in where they last went.

Different parts of the neighborhood based on who comes out to walk.

Between 2nd NW & Lincoln Ave, north of florida and south of W.

All along 1st St NW from Rhode Island up through Bryant and down 2nd and Flagler.

please, please, please, please include kelly miller housing project. i know this isn't in bloomingdale, per se, but it affects bloomingdale - because a 100% lowest housing model doesn't work. this lies between 2nd and 4th, and V and W. also, please include 2nd street - between 2nd and flagler, and v street - between 2nd and flagler.

Alleys, knock on people's door whose house are looking a mess and ask them if they can do something about it, the Park off U St and V St.

Definitely need to walk the alleys.

Around the current problem areas; ask participants (although they usually request)

alleys

where teens or people are "hanging out"

Through Crispus Attucks Park

By our Bloomingdale businesses

First and U, Alley between unit Bryant and Adams, Alley between unit [block of] Adams and W, 2nd and W

The most popular days for safety walks to occur, in descending order, are Saturday (17), Sunday and Monday (14), Friday (12), Tuesday (11), then Wednesday and Thursday (10). On the weekends, most respondents selected Other as their time choice, so maybe a safety walk and brunch is in order?

Last but not least, suggestions were solicited as to how the safety walks could improve.

every so often, have an after-walk reception at a local business to 1) introduce neighbors to local proprietors and 2) hopefully encourage residents to shop in Bloomingdale more often

I picked the latest time available, and that works best for us with a child under 1 year old, but I would encourage for those who are inclined to try and make these as reasonably late as possible. For example, it's still light out in the summer at 8pm. Might help to have a 9 to 10pm walk during those months?

Also, I think it should rotate days each time out. That should help the participation level as well as keep the nefarious elements off guard as to when to expect to see the safety walkers.

Of course, any time we are able to do so, we should have some form of law enforcement with us, whether they are on duty in an official capacity or off duty law enforcement neighbors/volunteers/retirees.

As it becomes appropriate, maybe engage one of the local businesses to host a "thank you" get together for the safety walkers with some food and beverage? Some sort of recognition anyways...

I'd also come up with some basic guidelines and goals so any overly enthusiastic safety walkers can be reigned in and any dissenters can be presented with a clear explanation as to why this is happening. It would also help with outreach to recruit safety walkers. Imagine walking up to a suspicious person (ie - those kids in front of the DC Mini Mart on 1st St.) with a flyer and saying, "Hi, I'm John, I'm a Bloomingdale resident who is committed to helping our neighborhood be as safe as possible. I hope you can join our safety walk team. What's your name? Do you live in the neighborhood?"

No, but I wanted to add that I live with six other people in an intentional community in Bloomingdale, and we'd love to participate in a neighborhood activity like this, especially one that focuses on smart safety procedures. Mondays are the one night we are all guaranteed to be available. Thank you for organizing!

have public officials participate (if they aren't already) - city council staffers, DCHA, parks and rec, streets dept, etc. THANKS!

Let people know they can offer to "host" the walk by having their house be the starting point. Whether we meet inside or gather outside, people who need neighborhood support can request that we congregate their first to be visible.

No suggestions for a day.

If there is a walk on a Friday - I would try to host another "wrap up session" [aka a happy hour]. We had a couple last summer, or summer before

A lot of the walks happen in the afternoon and during the week. I really appreciated the opportunity to attend one of these walks during my maternity leave, if only for the rare chance to meet the police on the beat in our hood. If you held one or two on the weekend, those of us who work may be able to attend every now and then. I think there is a real benefit for the weekday walks -- you will get more people who know the day in and day out problems on the street. Those of us who work during the day can be somewhat helpful though. And it is such an important thing to meet those people responsible for helping keep this neighborhood both safe and a place where common priorities are identified. Thanks!

carry a flyer to hand out to encourage others to partipate and let people know what we're doing and why

occasionally have a party to celebrate the work of the safety walkers

All these suggestions are great, and the folks who are busy organizing Bloomingdale's safety walks appreciate the feedback you've provided!

Big Bear Cafe news and views: a roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:54:00 +0000

By popular demand, here's a link list of coverage of Big Bear Cafe's liquor license application in the local news and media. Links to news, blog posts, and discussion threads appear in chronological order.

Twitter:

In the news:

On the blogs:

From the listservs (may require membership to read):

If I'm missing any links, please let me know via comments. I'll keep updating this post as needed.

opening up the floor for discussion

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Sun, 16 May 2010 14:22:00 +0000

Eckington and Edgewood have them, so why shouldn't we?

Subscribe to in Bloomingdale Visit this group

The BloomingdaleDC listserv, moderated by Scott Roberts, is a fantastic resource for anybody who wants to keep up with the goings-on in the neighborhood, but it's more of a newsletter than a discussion group. My hope is that the in Bloomingdale group will give neighbors an open forum for conversation and allow them to respond more promptly to what's being talked about.

ANC 5C versus Big Bear Cafe, round 2

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:25:00 +0000

Last night, the ANC 5C Committee of the Whole elected to table the vote on Big Bear Cafe's request for a temporary 45-day liquor license until next Tuesday, May 18. Washington City Paper's Lydia DePillis was in the audience for the meeting, and her excellent recap already is abuzz with comments from fellow attendees and residents. The #ANC5C stream also has some great live remarks from neighbors who were present for the meeting, and even now, the @BloomingdaleDC stream shows that folks are still talking about it.

There are no details as to the proposed May 18 meeting, other than that ANC 5C have decided to hold it at Catholic University, but if you live in or know people who live in any of the 5C SMDs, please have them call and e-mail their ANC commissioner and let them know how you feel about this issue. You can use our guide to the ANC system or go straight to our ANC 5C SMD map to find out who to contact.

More of interest, however, is the role of DC's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) and what input the ANCs have in the process of liquor licensing. I contacted ABRA this morning to ask what the ANCs could do to help or hinder the liquor licensing process, and in so many words, I was told that while ANCs could deny the issuance of a temporary license, they could not stop ABRA from issuing a permanent license. The following is quoted directly from ABRA's own ABC Licensee Handbook (PDF).

Page 1-39:

If you applied for an ABC license but have not yet been approved, the Board may issue you a temporary ABC license known as a stipulated license. This license requires you to request a stipulated license and support from the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) overseeing the ward in which your establishment is located. In offering their support, your ANC commissioners carefully consider whether they believe that your restaurant will responsibly serve alcohol until your official ABC license is issued.

A stipulated license is open to public protest, meaning that once you receive your stipulated license, the public has 45 days to file an official protest against the issuance of the license. To obtain a stipulated license, you must submit to the Board your request and written correspondence from an ANC Commissioner stating that the ANC has voted not to object to the issuance of the license, pending completion of the 45-day protest period. If a valid protest is filed within the 45-day period, you must stop serving alcoholic beverages under the stipulated license. The license will expire when you receive a permanent license or when you are protested, whichever comes first.

So while ANC 5C may still choose to deny Big Bear's request for a temporary license, they do not have the power to deny the issue of a permanent license; that is solely ABRA's decision. This does not mean Big Bear is out of the woods just yet, however.

Page 1-67:

Upon receiving an application for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of an ABC license or for a substantial change request, the Board provides notice to all ANCs within 600 feet of your establishment’s current or planned location. An ANC may at that time choose to initiate a protest against the proposed action. During the protest process, the ANC(s) may wish to enter into a voluntary agreement with your establishment before they vote to protest. Note that an ANC protest carries significant weight before the Board. Community/citizens associations, if they are incorporated, may also choose to protest.

According to our ANC 5C SMD map, the only SMD in 5C located within 600 feet of Big Bear Cafe is 5C 01, represented by Anita Bonds. All the other surrounding SMDs are at least 1,000 feet away: 5C 06, represented by Mary Lois Farmer-Allen; 5C 02, represented by Sylvia Pinkney; and 1B 01, represented by Myla Moss.

The protest process is clearly outlined in the handbook, with ABRA mediating between the licensee and protestors. ABRA suggests the use of a voluntary agreement as a way to resolve disputes, but notes on Page 1-71 (in italics and underline):

You are not required, however, to enter into a VA or use the ANC’s VA template. You always retain the right to have your application adjudicated by the Board.

It is obviously in Big Bear's interest to be a good neighbor and develop a voluntary agreement that will provide clear guidelines on noise, hours of operation, parking, etc., so I hope that regardless of the ANC 5C vote, the owners and operators will plan to work with the community there.

Though no vote was taken by ANC 5C on Big Bear's temporary liquor license last night, I'm encouraged by the fact that this issue has neighbors talking to each other and feeling the need to be more involved with their community.

Big Bear Cafe's alcohol licensing: why and how you can help

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Tonight at 7 PM, ANC 5C's Committee of the Whole will have their monthly meeting at St. George's Episcopal Church (160 U Street NW). Of interest to Bloomingdale residents will be the presentation made by Big Bear Cafe representatives asking the commissioners to vote in favor of their request for a temporary license that will allow the cafe to serve alcohol while the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration reviews its application for a permanent license.

The presence of Big Bear and its effect on the neighborhood has been discussed here before, and if the comments are any reflection on the state of the neighborhood, not everyone will agree on how the Committee of the Whole should vote. There are folks who don't want to have another establishment that provides liquor in the neighborhood, though Big Bear serving a pint of beer and the local corner stores selling six-packs and 40s is apples and oranges. There are folks who are concerned about noise and rowdiness. There are folks who simply don't want it to happen. There are folks who will be there to speak on behalf of the temporary license. There are folks who signed a petition to support Big Bear. Most importantly, there are folks who will go to their first or second ANC meeting tonight because they care about this issue. They may support it or they may not, but they'll care enough to be involved.

If you will be attending tonight's meeting, you can and should bring suggestions and recommendations not only for Big Bear and its liquor license request, but also for any other community issues you are aware of. There will be opportunities to speak following the commissioners' comments, so be courteous and wait to be recognized before having your say. ANC 5C covers a big area, so the commissioners have other things to discuss on the agenda before Big Bear can make its presentation.

If you'll be live-tweeting the meeting, please use the #ANC5C hashtag so folks can find your tweets — thanks!

Bloomingdale and the DC ANC system

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:51:00 +0000

In preparation for tonight's Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting, here's a quick primer on the ANC system and how it affects you as a resident of Bloomingdale and the District of Columbia. I don't claim to be an expert on ANCs, so if you can clarify or correct anything in this post, please leave a comment.

View ANC 5C SMDs in a larger map

DC's ANC system was created via a 1974 referendum to the District's charter that established these local bodies of government, with elections for the first commissioners held two years later in 1976. Each commissioner is elected to a two-year term to represent a single-member district (SMD) whose boundaries are set by the DC Board of Elections and Ethics per information from the 2000 Census. Although the map above shows SMDs that are larger than others, each commissioner serves approximately 2,000 residents in their SMDs. This makes ANCs the body of DC government that has the closest and most local official ties to a neighborhood.

What do ANC commissioners do? Overall, they "consider a wide range of policies and programs affecting their neighborhoods," such as:

Traffic
Parking
Recreation
Street improvements
Liquor licenses
Zoning
Economic development
Police protection
Sanitation
Trash collection

In their official capacity as ANCs, commssioners can present their positions and recommendations on issues to various District government agencies, the Executive Branch, and the Council, as well as present testimony to independent agencies, boards, and commissions.

What does it mean for you in your day-to-day life as a resident? Here are just a few recent issues where an ANC commissioner made a difference right here in the neighborhood:

Bloomingdale falls within the boundaries of ANC 5C and is neatly sliced up into three SMDs, as listed below.

ANC 5C 03, served by Stu Davenport
ANC 5C 04, served by John Salatti
ANC 5C 07, served by Barrie Daneker

If you don't know which SMD you live in, use the DC Citizen Atlas to locate your ANC commissioner.

All three of our commissioners are up for election this year, so if you're interested in representing your SMD, the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions and the DC Board of Elections & Ethics can help you file your candidacy.

in the back

noreply@blogger.com (Elle Cayabyab Gitlin) — Tue, 04 May 2010 13:11:00 +0000

Three Garage Doors, originally uploaded by Ronnie R.

This is a great HDR-enhanced photo of the old stable doors in the alleys between the 100 blocks of V and W Street NW. Most of Bloomingdale's streets have a central alley running parallel to the streets, but this alley, like Bloomingdale Court, form the only stable blocks in the neighborhood.

View Alley between V and W Streets NW in a larger map

There's a small garage/mechanic's shop still operating out of this stable block, and neighbors have told me that some time ago, a developer wanted to buy up the property to build housing on it. It never happened, and so life in the back goes on.