Hello, Capitol Hill and DC! Let’s get right into it. First item: Dogs. Acadia and Charlie were both stolen over the weekend– Acadia on Friday and Charlie on Saturday– and they were both reunited with their owners within 24 hours. WUSA has more on Acadia’s return and more on Charlie’s story, which is quite the caper. Nextdoor was buzzing about a thwarted theft attempt outside the 3rd and F NE Union Kitchen location, where the owner came outside to stop the theft. Please, neighbors: Don’t leave your dogs tied outside while you pop into stores, especially when it’s really hot.
The DC council is voting twice today on ANC boundaries– specifically, boundaries for the part of the Hill that is moving to Ward 7. It looks like, unlike earlier boundary drafts, the west-of-the-river Ward 7 will be within the 7D umbrella. As you may recall, ANC commissioners had asked for a standalone ANC west of the river, so that there would be some cohesion among neighbors sharing a similar geographical area. 7D as it currently stands extends to Deanwood. The Hill Rag has meeting information as well.
If you don’t want your correspondence stolen, you might not want to use the official blue USPS mailboxes, as it appears there have been increased check thefts thanks to stolen arrow keys. The thieves open the mailboxes and falsify checks. Delegate Norton wrote a letter expressing her dismay at this situation to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and expecting next steps to address this situation. We hope she’s not holding her breath.
Bisnow reports that Mayor Bowser thinks it’s “strange” that people are wary of developers, unlike other large businesses coming to change the District’s landscape: …”not a negative view of the grocery stores, not a negative view of the retail centers or the beautiful affordable housing projects… So I think there just has to be more discussion with communities about how we work together to deliver what they want.” I don’t know, Mayor. Could it be because not all developers are, well, good?
But speaking of development, the Commercial Observer notes that The Douglass will be the first property to be developed on the eastern bank of the Anacostia, south of the Douglass bridge, establishing the Bridge District. The Douglass will have around 10% of its units priced 50 to 60% below median family income.
And The Stacks also broke ground on Buzzard Point, right next to Audi Field. The project will have 1,100 units and reportedly over 10% will be affordable. Cision PRNewswire
WUSA is keeping an eye on Potomac Gardens and the poor living conditions of the neighbors in the complex. WUSA asked Mayor Bowser what she thought about neighbors’ concerns and she gave a 21st century “Let them eat cake” kind of answer:
“What would you say to that woman when she says, ‘we don’t need WIFI we need help?’,” WUSA9 asked.
“Well, I wouldn’t agree with that statement because everybody needs to be connected to jobs, to education, to healthcare so it’s not a one or the other issue,” responded Bowser.
Many detractors of road safety argue that car-friendly cities are good for the elderly, for mobility and safety. Based on an accident that happened to an older neighbor of hers, neighbor and Greater Greater Washington contributor Caitlin Rogger busts this myth: car-friendliness is not age- (or child-)friendly. This quote is particularly poignant:
Drivers and driver-first systems actually put seniors at greater risk than they do the general population, a fact conveniently left out of anti-bike advocates’ groundless claims of ageism. According to the American Auto Association, a 70-year-old is more than three times as likely to be killed by a driver moving at 30 miles per hour than a 30-year old is.
Unfortunately, most people still commute everywhere by car– a fact that has not changed in 50 years. WTOP discusses the findings of the State of the Capital Region 2022: Commuting Patterns and Transportation Infrastructure. There are some glimmers of hope, though: public transit is growing in the suburbs and exurbs. Yay!
In case you missed it, Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen sent a Ward update on Friday. Click here to read it. Of special interest to most may be the Gun Violence Reduction Strategic Plan.
Axios breaks down several key issues surrounding homelessness in the District, and one of our Eastern Market Street Sense vendors, Phillip Black, is featured among those Chelsea Cirruzzo interviewed.
Incidentally, a great way to support Street Sense vendors is to download the app and have it handy on your phone. It’s available for both iOs and Android.
Serve Your City has written a three-part series on the lack of support of Black students by DCPS. They are also extremely critical of two ANC 6B commissioners. You can find the whole series here, here and here.
As you start making your choices in the primary, don’t forget we have YouTube conversations with Robert White and James Butler for mayor, as well as Erin Palmer for chairwoman of the council. Also, we’re leaving this tweet right here: