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August 2010 |
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| BID BIZ |
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Awards Extravaganza
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Last year's Momentum Awards on display at the 2009 ceremony
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What do you think makes Downtown great? The Downtown BID wants to know. We're getting ready for the 2010 Momentum Awards, where we will honor people, programs and projects that helped make visiting Downtown a remarkable urban experience in 2010. Please help us select nominees in these seven categories: Downtown Person of the Year, Downtown Experience, Downtown Detail, Downtown Partnership or Program, Public Sector, Private Sector, and Landmark Development Project.
Everyone’s encouraged to participate. Submit your nominations by August 30. A committee of Downtown BID Board members will select the candidates who best represent individual and organizational achievement. If your entrant makes the cut, prepare for an enjoyable evening out—you’ll receive an invitation for two to this annual celebration. Click here to read more about the awards and past recipients and to place an online nomination. More Momentum Award information will be coming soon. Visit www.downtowndc.org/momentum for the latest developments.
Arts Blast
Each year the Downtown BID and the Pennsylvania Quarter Neighborhood Association (912 F Street) produce The Washington Examiner’s ARTS ON FOOT sponsored by Wines of Argentina, a lively festival  that kicks off the fall arts and cultural season in Downtown. This year the festival will expand to four fabulous days, up from three days in 2009 and one day in 2005. The free outdoor event, now in its 18th year, will span four city blocks and be centered at 7th and F Streets in front of the the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and the National Portrait Gallery.
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The arts showcase will feature a four-day Art Market with 100 exhibitors and three live entertainment stages. The Art Market will run from Wednesday, September 8 through Friday, September 10 from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. It’s also part of the full festival on Saturday, September 11 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.The event is DC’s premier outdoor cultural festival, replete with music and performance stages; a neighborhood showcase of cultural venues in the surrounding blocks; a cultural corridor with hands-on activities from galleries, theaters, museums and related organizations; restaurant sampling courts; the O OrganicsTM Cooking as Art Pavilion with chef demonstrations; and a wine tasting and seminar area. New this year: the Harman Center for the Arts (610 F Street) will host a day-long showcase of DC’s upcoming theatrical season on Saturday, and the Pink Line Project will support a showcase of alternative arts spaces. Find more info at the festival website.
 Fighting Homelessness
The Downtown BID’s latest leadership paper, Ending DC Homelessness: A Unified Strategy, summarizes how the organization is helping to reduce homelessness through collaborative local, regional and national partnerships. “The BID’s philosophy is that homeless individuals are part of the city’s fabric, too,” says Chet Grey, the Downtown BID’s director of Homeless Services. “And like every other citizen—Downtown workers, residents and visitors—we need to serve them. At the same time, we’re not about maintaining homelessness or enabling the homeless; we’re about finding solutions to people living on the streets.”
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A synopsis of partnerships with local organizations |
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A profile of Grey and Jonathan Ward, clinical director of the
BID’s Downtown Homeless Services Team
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An overview of DC government efforts to end homelessness |
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Statistical facts about DC’s homeless population |
The leadership paper is the seventh in the Downtown BID’s occasional series of working papers to foster dialogue about critical issues relating to Downtown Washington’s economic, social and physical environment. In October 2008, the BID published its first homeless paper, Homelessness Downtown: Moving People from the Street to Independence, which outlined the organization’s commitment to combat homelessness through innovation and collaboration, and by being accountable.
Look for this latest report later this summer, online by at www.downtowndc.org/homeless.
 Outside View
Sidewalk cafes are a true indicator of street life and a clear measure that Downtown is becoming a place where people can have remarkable urban experiences. Thirteen years ago, there were very few sidewalk cafes in Downtown DC; today, the Downtown BID's second Annual Inventory of Sidewalk Cafes shows there are 123, with a total of about 3,300 seats. This is up from 95 cafes and 2,700 seats a year ago—a 29.5% increase.
The Downtown BID and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) have encouraged the increase in the number of outdoor cafes and supported their use. Through its participation in various city task forces, the Downtown BID has actively promoted sidewalk cafes as a high priority amenity. The cafes encourage more vibrant street life, offer a place to sit and relax, see and be seen and meet friends and bring more pedestrians to the neighborhood. “There’s no rule that says public spaces have to be boring,” according to Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BID. “Working along with our partners, we can transform the public environment in Downtown in ways that foster a sense of community and well-being.”
Spreading the Word
Downtown BID executives are called on occasionally to share ideas, experiences and insights with domestic and international visitors. Last month, Rick Reinhard, the Downtown BID’s deputy executive director, briefed a Venezuelan delegation on BIDs and also told how Downtown’s remarkable transformation is linked inextricably to the Downtown BID’s ability to forge critical partnerships, act as a catalyst, provide bold leadership in everything it does and re-position the Downtown brand to deliver a remarkable urban experience. Venezuela has no BIDs but is exploring creating them.
The visitors included:
- Werner Ignacio Bieler Romero - economic development director for the Maracaibo mayor
- Franco Cafoncelli Tedesco - chairman of Grupo Marmoca
- Rafael Angel Diaz Oquendo - general director of DPZ Abogados (law firm)
- Jesus Gabriel Lombardi Boscan - president of the Maracaibo Chamber of Commerce
- Francisco Jose Martinez Garcia - director of Group MM, C.A. (Maquinarias & Minería – Machinery & Mining Industry Company)
- Ada Evelyn Raffalli de Stuyt - director of Stuyt Raffalli Real Estate Consultants
- Eveling Coromoto Trejo Alvarez - president of Fundación Niños del Sol (Children of the Sun Foundation)
All were invited to the US under the auspices of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. Their US program was arranged with assistance from the World Learning Visitor Exchange Program (1015 15th Street), which bridges differences and promotes understanding through citizen diplomacy and exchange.
Going the Extra Mile
The June SAMs of the Month have more than six years of experience among them: Safety/Hospitality Team Member Cheryl Brown and Maintenance Team Member Maria Caravante.
 Cheryl Brown joined the SAM Hospitality team in 2006 and is a member of the morning “Meet & Greet” team. No surprise there. Brown is quick to smile, thus earning her the nickname “Smiley.” Genuinely delightful in conducting her duties, she quickly established herself as a dedicated and conscientious employee and has been a SAM of the Month three times. Recently, she helped deter a potentially dangerous situation by notifying the proper authorities. Smart, dependable and adaptable to change, Brown is a former before and after school  care worker for summer camp programs. Says she: “I’ve always wanted to be the person to welcome people and give them that good feeling of being home.” The grandmother of two certainly has succeeded in fulfilling this goal.
Maria Caravante became a Maintenance SAM in 2008. She works as a zone cleaner and has performed her duties admirably throughout the month of June. She is courteous, diligent and dependable. When Caravante is not keeping sidewalks and curb lines clean, and public spaces beautiful, the mother of three enjoys cooking, especially plato tipico, her favorite dish. Originally from El Salvador, Caravante is a former construction worker. This is her first SAM of the Month recognition.
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| DEVELOPMENT DOINGS |
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"The city must make strategic investments, such as in Metrorail, streetcar and neighborhood commercial centers, to grow the city's tax base."
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A Mixed Bag
Although the US and DC economies are in recovery, the turn around is likely to be long and slow. Hence, unchanged revenue estimates from DC’s Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi for fiscal years (FY) 2010 through 2014. FY 2011 is projected to be the low revenue year for DC—declining $135 million from the current fiscal year—while FY 2012 is projected to be up $90 million. As hard as it may seem, the information contained in his letter to Mayor Adrian Fenty and DC Council Chairman Vincent Gray is relatively good news, as many cities and states continue to experience a deterioration in their revenues; DC is holding steady for now.
On an absolute basis, the unchanged revenue estimates mean DC might have to cut spending or increase tax rates in FY 2012, as the FY 2011 expense budget was financed using the city's rainy day and federal stimulus funds. According to Gerry Widdicombe, the Downtown BID’s economic development director, “DC has, generally speaking, the highest tax rates in the region. General tax increases will hurt the city's competitive position—its ability to attract jobs, businesses and residents. Thus, the city needs to focus on managing expenses to balance DC's budget in the short-term. For the long-term, the city must make strategic investments, such as in Metrorail, streetcar and neighborhood commercial centers, to grow the city's tax base to continue to make important social investments in schools, affordable housing and job training.”
Chinatown Play
All eyes are on Chinatown, where Monument Realty has landed the financing—$11.5 million—to purchase the 8,000-square-foot (SF) lot at 627-631 H Street, known as Gallery Square. The property, once home to the popular China Doll Gourmet restaurant and located next to Vapiano (625 H Street), the hip new pasta and pizza restaurant, is zoned for residential or commercial use. Monument will market the space for a pre-lease agreement or build-to-suit lease before developing it as an office building with ground floor retail. Both Monument and Douglas Development (702 H Street) have their eyes on another prize—the boarded-up property at 675 H Street, once home to CVS. Stay tuned.
 Intellectual Property
Another out-of-area university is set to offer classes in Downtown DC. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology will open a campus at 901 15th Street this month, with classes beginning on August 30. The location will put the nation’s largest non-profit graduate school focused exclusively on psychology and related behavioral sciences three blocks from the White House and closer to the national dialogue on mental health. The school now has campuses in Chicago, Los Angeles and Westwood and Irvine, California. Last summer, New York University (NYU) announced plans to open its first domestic site outside of New York at 1307 L Street. The school will break ground on the multipurpose center next month.
Museum Woes
Plans to open the Armenian Genocide Museum of America at 615 14th Street by next year have been shelved. Back taxes, a messy litigation case and an inability to obtain financing all plague the Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial Inc.’s (AGMM) efforts to break ground on the 50,000 SF museum complex, which also would include an education center and library. AGMM, owner of the long-vacant and historic Federal American National Bank building, has received a two-year extension from DC’s Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) on zoning variances first received in 2008, according to the Washington Business Journal. If the organization fails to pay its taxes on the bank building and other surrounding properties that it owns, the Office of Tax and Revenue will auction liens on the properties during its annual tax sale in late September. “From our point of view, it continues to be a source of great sadness,” said Richard H. Bradley, the Downtown BID’s executive director, who was quoted in the Journal article.
Top Honors
Kudos to 500 New Jersey Avenue, recently named the grand winner of this year’s The Office Building of the Year (TOBY) Award, one of the real estate industry’s most prestigious awards program. The building is managed by Cassidy Turley and won in the Under 100,000 Square Foot Building category. Located three blocks from the US Capitol, it was completed in 2004 and is distinguished by two curtain walls of glass punctuated by a steel tower at its apex.
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| DOWNTOWN DISH |
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 Momma Mia, What Heaping Platefuls!
It will be hard to miss Carmine’s, the family-style Italian restaurant opening at 425 7th Street this month. The place where “every meal is served in the style of an Italian-American wedding feast” will occupy 20,000 SF, seat about 650, have a bar and offer nine private dining rooms. Chef Terry Natas, formerly of Virgil’s in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen and the executive chef at Carmine’s Bahamian location, will head the kitchen. More important for the Downtown and DC economies: the restaurant, part of the New York-based Alicart Restaurant Group, has created more than 250 jobs. Carmine’s has four 15,000 SF restaurants located in New York’s Theater District and Upper West Side; Atlantic City; and Paradise Island, Bahamas. The chain specializes in southern Italian cuisine and serves platters that are large enough to feed four to six people. Alicart also plans to bring its Virgil’s real BBQ and Artie’s delicatessen restaurants to DC in 2011. For more information, visit www.alicart.com.
Reserved for Good Times
If you’re looking for a place to dine, knock back a drink or two and catch cabaret type performances, Sax Restaurant & Lounge (730 11th Street) might be the place for you. Billed as a new tavern that will serve petit, modern French cuisine, Sax will be located in the space once occupied by Posh Restaurant & Supper Club, which closed when its lease expired in February. No word yet on an opening date.
 Best Of Downtown
Kudos to the Downtown BID area eateries featured in Washingtonian magazine's "The Best Of Issue," which highlights more than 200 of the best people, places and things to do in the Washington metropolitan area.
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| HOTEL HAPPENINGS |
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Setting the Stage for Opportunity
Construction will begin on the Marriott Marquis hotel, the much-ballyhooed convention center property planned for Massachusetts Avenue and 9th Street, as early as this month. Following a year of lawsuits and countersuits, the $537 million, 1,167-room hotel finally will be erected near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place). The Convention Center cannot operate at full capacity or compete with other major convention destinations now because dedicated hotel rooms and available ballroom and meeting room space are not competitive with other cities. A headquarters hotel will allow DC to realize fully its convention center investment. DC has been trying to build a dedicated convention center hotel since before the Convention Center opened in 2003. The 14-story hotel will be partially financed with $272 million in tax increment financing (TIF) and create about 2,000 jobs for DC residents. A development team led by Quadrangle Development Corporation has received a 99-year lease to build the hotel on city-owned land. We hope to see fencing around the area soon.
 Eye-Catching Properties
Downtown has become a hotbed for investors looking to snap up hospitality properties. Bethesda-based Pebblebrook Hotel Trust is buying Hotel Monaco (700 F Street), the award-winning luxury boutique hotel, for $74 million, or about $404,000 a room. The deal follows the $95 million, or $401,000 per room, acquisition in March of the Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square (806 15th Street) and the recent purchase of the Red Roof Inn (500 H Street) for $40 million, or about $200,000 per room. Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group LLC currently owns the 183-room Hotel Monaco and will continue to manage the property once the deal with Pebblebrook, a publicly-traded real estate investment trust (REIT), is consummated.
In other news, The Madison Hotel (1177 15th Street), built in the early 1960s by the late developer Marshall Coyne, is on the market. No word yet on a buyer for the 353-room property, a Loews Hotel that is home to Palette, the popular bar and restaurant.
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| RETAIL RAMBLINGS |
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 Fashion Central
It's here! After much fanfare, Forever 21, the popular teen and young adult clothing store, has opened at 1020 G Street in the former Woodward & Lothrop building. The Los Angeles-based retailer replaces west elm, the furniture retailer, which closed in April. The store, which has a 10-year lease with Douglas Development (702 H Street), is now on two levels and a mezzanine at what is its first DC location. It will expand to three levels by September and occupy a total of 65,000 SF. Together with H&M (1025 F Street) and Zara (1025 F Street), Forever 21 is contributing to the bustling shoppers’ goods destination in Downtown.
Moving On
Central Liquors resided for more than 20 years at 917 F Street but recently moved to 625 E Street. The liquor store is one of DC's oldest and finest purveyors of premium spirits and has been a local mainstay since 1934. Its professional staff is well versed on the finest alcoholic beverages, especially scotch, whiskey and wine. Wine-tastings are held almost daily. For more information, visit www.centralliquors.com.
End of a Decade
Say farewell to Borders (600 14th Street), which plans to close by September 1 due to recessionary woes. Everything in the store--from DVDs and books to music and stationery—is on sale. The retailer has occupied space in the historic Hamilton Square building, formerly home to the old Garfinkel’s department store and soon to be partially occupied by a restaurant owned by Clyde's Restaurant Group, since 2000. For more information, call 202.737.1385.
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| AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD |
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 Establishing a Connection
They’re talking a lot about “connectivity” over at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (641 D Street). The popular Downtown institution created a new connectivity director position earlier this year and is looking, among other things, to spearhead long-term partnerships with local organizations and institutions for the theater. The new director, Rachel Grossman, has been charged with further fostering the “explosive engagement” Woolly has with its community, which is at the core of its mission.
With more focus on “audience design” versus traditional “outreach” or “community engagement,” the theatre can ensure that target audiences will see plays that have deep and lasting value to them. An example: Woolly’s 2010-2011 season, “A Striptease of Your Subconscious,” will feature House of Gold, about a six-year-old beauty queen and America’s obsession with youth, beauty and race. What would happen if the theatre, say during the play’s November presentation, partnered with the National Museum of Crime and Punishment (575 7th Street) to depict how the media portrays young girls? Woolly hopes to make powerful connections such as this through community partnerships. Interested? Contact Grossman at 202.289.2443.
Crime Report
Crime in the Downtown BID area continues to fall, proving that the area remains a safe and friendly environment for workers, visitors and residents. According to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), crime ebbed 45% in June 2010 compared with June 2009. Violent crimes—sexual assaults, robberies and assaults with a deadly weapon—were down 38%, while crimes involving property—burglaries, theft, stolen automobiles and theft from automobiles—were down 46%. The only sore spot: robbery, which rose 14%, from seven incidents in 2009 to 8 in 2010.
A spurt of iPhone robberies occurred near Downtown Metrorail stations during the first three months of the year. Adolescents snatched phones from people who were either talking on them or holding them. Increased vigilance by the MPD and Metro Transit Police eventually discouraged these crimes. Another trend: the area near 12th and K Streets, typically prone to multiple thefts from autos parked on the street and in garages—especially during the summer months—witnessed less criminal activity because of proactive planning and patrolling by the MPD.
Welcome to the BID
The Downtown BID wants to extend greetings to Douglas Wilson Cos. (1200 G Street), the court-appointed receiver for four high-profile projects in the Washington metropolitan area valued at more than $378 million. The company has bicoastal headquarters in San Diego and Miami and opened an office in the G Street Center building in July, putting it close to key government officials. Douglas Wilson offers business workout and problem resolution, asset management and disposition, real estate brokerage and development and residential and commercial construction management.
Back on Track
Following the death in March of Miles Groves, its founder and longtime president, the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) spent months studying how best to reorganize. Well, the Board has restructured and elected officers. It also has established an office and recruited volunteers to provide continuity to its work, which entails representing residents who choose to live in the heart of Downtown DC. Regular meetings will resume in September at Calvary Baptist Church (755 8th Street) and there will be speakers on occasion. DNA has established a new mailing address and is considering changing its email address. Some current projects include enforcing a voluntary agreement with The Muse Nightclub & Lounge (717 6th Street); changing Penn Quarter’s zoning regulations; and establishing voluntary agreements with the proposed Museum of Arts and Sciences (915 F Street)—a multi-purpose facility that plans to have entertainment, educational offerings and a nightclub element—and Hill Country (410 7th Street), the BBQ restaurant with live music. For more information, visit www.dcdna.org.
 More Best Picks
In addition to Downtown restaurants, Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas (1401 Pennsylvania Avenue) Bike and Roll (1100 Pennsylvania Avenue) and E Street Cinema (555 11th Street) all made Washingtonian magazine’s “The Best Of Issue”—with the multiplex cinema mentioned not once, but twice! It received a rave review for having the best drinks at the movies, including glasses of red and white wine, champagne and a small selection of beers, and was named the Washington metropolitan area’s best movie theater. E Street Cinema specializes in indie, foreign and documentary films. Elizabeth Arden, located inside the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, was named best day spa, while Bike and Roll’s Monuments @ Nite Tour was cited for having the most adventurous tours of DC at night.
Help Wanted
The National Building Museum (401 F Street) is looking for docents to lead tours for the upcoming exhibit, Designing for Tomorrow: America’s World Fairs of the 1930s, which goes on display in October. Docents will learn how to facilitate and create interpretive programming for school children, families and adults. Volunteer applications are due by August 15 and training classes will begin on September 20. For more information, contact Carly Shaw at 202.272.2448, or click here.
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| GREEN GAINS |
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 Saving Trees
It’s been a long, hot summer. Everyone, from pets to humans to trees, has felt the sweltering effects of this year’s heat wave. To save Downtown’s street trees, the Downtown BID urges property managers to help monitor and water the area’s 2,685 street trees—125 of which are newly planted. If you already assist in this regard, please continue these activities. If not, the Downtown BID urges you to assume responsibility for the care of those trees near your building. To assist you in this effort, the Urban Forestry Administration (UFA), part of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), is offering free, slow-drip watering devices to DC property owners who agree to water DC street trees. For more details, call 202.671.5133, or click here.
The Downtown BID—especially Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance employees, known as SAMs—the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA), and Downtown property managers all work together to promote Downtown tree care. The Downtown SAMs and our summer interns are distributing and filling the watering devices to care for some of the newly planted trees. OAPIA and the Downtown BID created and distributed a bilingual flyer—in English and Chinese—urging Chinatown property owners and tenants to water trees in front of their property. Many of the new trees were planted in Chinatown, which has at least eight different species.
Downtown SAMs and other Downtown BID employees and interns are alerting some property managers about the need to water trees during this heat wave. Everyone’s assistance is needed. The Chinatown Cultural Community Center (616 H Street) has enlisted 18 summer interns, all of whom live in DC and more than half of whom reside in Downtown, to help water trees. Have questions? Feel free to contact Hiram Brewton, the BID’s environmental services director, or Lindsay Mamula, one of our placemaking interns, with any questions. They may be reached at 202.661.7571 and 202.638.3232, respectively.
Green Gains
Both the DC and federal governments have named executives to lead their sustainability efforts. Christophe A.G. Tulou is the new director of the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), where he will lead the city’s environmental agenda on climate change, water quality and energy conservation. Downtown BID Executive Director Richard Bradley and Scott Pomeroy, the environmental programs manager, recently briefed Tulou on greening initiatives in the Downtown BID area and how they support the city’s commitment to sustainability.
Eleni Reed is the General Services Administration’s (GSA) first chief greening officer, a position that will aggressively pursue innovative sustainable practices within GSA’s large portfolio of government-owned and leased buildings. The Downtown BID tracks the number of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Energy Star buildings in the Downtown area, including GSA buildings, which are leading by example following President Obama’s executive order on sustainability, issued in October.
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| TRANSPORTATION TALK |
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 A New Bike World
The Downtown BID area will receive 11 extra bike-sharing kiosks once Capital Bikeshare, DC and Arlington County’s new regional bike-sharing program, is up and running this fall. The additions will bring the number of area kiosks to 15, complementing those already located near the Gallery Place, Judiciary Square, Metro Center and McPherson Square metrorail stations. Downtown BID staffers are notifying property managers that the kiosks are being installed in public spaces near their buildings. Tenants in surrounding buildings also are being notified to generate interest in the expanded bike program. Capital Bikeshare will build on the success of the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) SmartBikeDC program and will have 1,100 bikes at 114 stations, making it the nation’s largest bike-sharing network. DC will have a total of 1,000 bikes at 100 locations in all eight wards. The city now has 100 bikes in 10 locations. For a map of the proposed locations and more information about Capital Bikeshare, including how to sign up to receive updates, visit www.capitalbikeshare.com.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) filed an initial application with the US Department of Transportation last month to snag $11.5 million in stimulus funds known as TIGER II grants to help finance the regional bike-sharing program and bike access improvements. If awarded, the program could grow to include another 2,000 to 3,000 bikes throughout the region. Although local money has been secured to match the federal TIGER II funds, corporate sponsorships are being sought at various levels to grow and better support the system. To inquire about corporate sponsorships, e-mail Paul DeMaio at paul@metrobike.net, or call 202.684.8126.
Streetcar Action
The DC Council has approved legislation that will allow overhead wires on the streetcar lines now under construction along Benning Road and H Street NE. The legislation repeals a 19th-century federal ban on the wires but retains a ban on wires in historic neighborhoods and tourist destinations. It also creates a “public process” for deciding whether overhead wires are acceptable on other parts of the proposed 37-mile, eight-line system and requires the mayor to occasionally review whether areas powered by wires could be converted to other alternative power. Richard Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BID and president of DC Surface Transit, Inc. (DCST) testified in favor of the overhead wires at a June Council hearing. He cited their affordability, reliability and serviceability and noted that overhead wires can blend seamlessly into the fabric of the public realm with attention to good urban design.
Growth Spurt
A new DC Circulator route will connect Georgetown and Rosslyn, Virginia, bringing the number of operating routes on the popular surface transit system to six. Service will begin on September 1 and replace the Metro Connection, known as the “Blue Bus,” which links Rosslyn to Dupont Circle via Georgetown. Commuters taking the new route will be able to connect to the Georgetown-Union Station bus to make their way into Downtown. The DC Council approved the Circulator’s extension from Georgetown to Virginia in February.
In other news, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has begun a six-month planning effort to guide the Circulator’s expansion over the next five to 10 years. Input from riders and other stakeholders will be used to evaluate the current system and identify future corridors for new service. To participate in an online survey and sign up to receive e-mails about public meetings and other ways to get involved, visit www.DCCirculator.com.
 Travel Options
goDCgo, an initiative of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), has all the transportation information you need to make getting around the Washington metropolitan area easy. It helps workers, visitors and residents make more informed choices about their daily travel and promotes sustainable transportation modes such as biking, walking, carpooling, vanpooling and using transit to limit the amount of single-occupant vehicle travel in DC. Employers looking to start or expand a transit benefit program can check out goDCgo’s complimentary Employer Services program. It’s cool. Just have your benefits coordinator contact a goDCgo Employer Services consultant at info@goDCgo.com or 202.299.2186. The employer consultants are available to assist your organization every step of the way to make offering commuter and transportation benefits a piece of cake—and they’ll even attend your annual benefits fair!
 Favorable Changes
No cash to pay your fare home? Charge it! Recent upgrades to 100 vending machines throughout the Metrorail system make it easier for you to purchase passes and farecards, add value to existing SmarTrip cards and download SmartBenefits using cash or credit/debit cards. About 66% of the transit system’s vending machines now accept American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB and Discover cards. Metro’s on a roll. Now, it also allows you to access SmarTrip information—including your card balance and usage history—at an enhanced website accessible through its homepage, www.wmata.com. Just click on the SmarTrip icon and select “Managing Your SmarTrip Account.” You can even add multiple cards to your account, report a lost or stolen card, request a replacement card or transfer the balance to another registered card. BlackBerry and iPhone users can visit smartrip.wmata.com/mobile to retrieve account information.
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| NEWS YOU CAN USE |
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 A Roadmap for Homelessness
The US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) has released the nation’s first comprehensive plan to prevent and end homelessness. Entitled Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, the report is the result of a collaborative effort among 19 federal agencies, including the US Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Veterans Affairs (VA) and Health and Human Services (HHS). Its four key goals include ending chronic homelessness and homelessness among veterans by 2015; preventing and ending homelessness for families, youth and children by 2020; and setting a path to end all types of homelessness. The plan calls for joint action by the 19-member USICH and local and state partners in the public and private sectors.
For a copy of the report, visit www.usich.gov.
Limiting Access
Several faith-based and nonprofit organization across the country distribute food to homeless and other people on the streets, usually providing food in parking lots, parks or other public spaces. Although these charitable actions are extremely well meaning, they often create chaos and much uncollected trash. As a result, some cities have created laws, policies and tactics to limit groups from sharing food with homeless people, according to a new report published by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.
A Place at the Table: Prohibitions on Sharing Food with People Experiencing Homelessness, highlights food sharing restrictions in 23 communities and offers alternative solutions and programs that city officials can adopt, including working with food sharing groups, promoting innovative programs in communities and utilizing federal nutrition programs. To address this issue, the Downtown BID is building a coalition of food service providers, advocates and government agencies and encouraging street food programs to form a partnership with government officials to find solutions to the problem and develop alternatives to servicing meals on the streets and in parks. The Downtown BID believes that food programs continue to encourage homeless people to live on the street without connecting to critical services. For a copy of the report, visit www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/foodsharing,
 Reviving the Mall
The National Park Service (NPS) has officially released its final long-range plan for the National Mall, which provides guidelines on how to improve America’s backyard. The plan took four years to refine and modify and included public, consulting agency and professional comments—including substantial input from the Downtown BID—along the way. NPS’s preferred alternative now combines ideas from other management alternatives to best achieve the plan’s goals. The wear and tear from more than 25 million visitors annually has contributed to the deterioration of the historic landscape and its vistas, which also lack basic and convenient services such as restrooms, water and food. NPS will complete planning this month and render a Record of Decision, followed by a summary plan describing and illustrating the preferred alternative, or proposed agency action. To view the plan, click here.
Leveraging Technology
Say goodbye to long lines or waiting on hold. The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) launched a new phone-based scheduling system last month that allows contractors and residents to arrange construction inspections 24-7. The new interactive voice response (IVR) system literally dips into DCRA’s inspections scheduling database, picks the earliest available date, assigns an inspector and then keeps track of that inspection until the results are available. Just dial 202.442.9557 to plan an inspection, get inspection results within 48 hours and make cancellations. Last year, the agency introduced its Postcard Permit and Supplemental Permit application system, which allows customers to submit online permit applications for 50 of the most common home improvement and small construction projects. For more information visit www.dcra.dc.gov.
Job Readiness
Hurry! Take advantage of free vouchers now being distributed by the District Department of Employment Services (DOES) for online technology training or certification. A partnership with Microsoft Corporation’s Elevate America initiative will allow more than 11,000 DC residents, regardless of income, to use the vouchers for intermediate level technical skills training, IT professional enhancement training or the certification exam. The vouchers will be available through August 25 or while supplies last. For more information, visit jobs.dc.gov or DOES One Stop Career Centers.
Paper Trail
To expedite the second level appeals process, the Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals now has a new application form for real property assessments appeal. Petitioners appealing assessments for commercial property also must file a Schedule A, or property information sheet. To review the forms, click here.
Creative Capital
DC’s “creative sector” acts as a local economic driver by creating a significant number of jobs, income and revenues for the city and its residents. It accounts for more than 75,000 jobs—about 10% of all jobs in DC—about $5 billion in wages and more than 10,000 establishments. Now a new report, the Creative DC Action Agenda, spells out a comprehensive plan for taking this sector of the economy to another level. Commissioned by the DC Office of Planning (OP) and the Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP), the report identifies challenges, opportunities, an action agenda and immediate priorities.
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Enhance the support system to take better advantage of the city’s deep creative assets |
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Promote DC’s creative economy and increase the market for creative products
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Enable youth to explore and capitalize upon their creative talents |
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Provide new career opportunities for residents and an enhanced talent pool for creative businesses and organizations |
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Promote new enterprise development and small business growth among creative firms and entrepreneurs |
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Develop diverse creative neighborhoods and spaces throughout DC. |
Segments of the creative economy include museums and historical sites, media and communications, performing arts and music, culinary arts, buildings arts and visual arts and crafts. For a copy of the 80-page report, click here.
Complaining Gets You Somewhere
Know of a broken parking meter, potholes or incorrect signs in your neighborhood that never seem to get fixed? Gripe about it. The Washington Post stands ready to listen. The newspaper invites readers to submit problems that the government should fix. Reports are then emailed to the appropriate agencies responsible for fixing the problems; the Post then follows up by reporting on the most pressing issues in The Daily Gripe, its online outlet for reporting problems using a SeeClickFix map and text widget. The feature appears in the Post’s local news section. For more information, click here.
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| MEETINGS AND MORE |
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Thursday, August 12, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
National Capital Planning Commission
Sustainable Seven Minutes & Change Toward a Better Region
401 9th Street
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) invites planners and planning aficionados to this casual summertime salon to discuss regionalism in the National Capital area. There will be seven to eight rapid-fire presentations on planning topics of personal and professional interest. Presenters will have seven minutes to talk using 21 slides—without bullet points and paragraphs—and no planning jargon, guaranteed. Rooftop networking will follow the highly visual presentations. This event is free, but seating is limited. To RSVP for rooftop admittance, contact speakerseries@ncpc.gov or call 202.482.7200 by August 11.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Downtown BID
Safety Alliance Meeting
1250 H Street
This monthly meeting for property and security managers in the Downtown BID area provides an opportunity to exchange information and express concerns about personal safety and auto, office and nuisance crimes. The Commander of the Metro Transit Police Department and representatives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) First District and the US Park Police’s Central District routinely attend this free meeting. Space is limited. For more information, and to RSVP, contact Hiram Brewton at hiram@downtowndc.org or 202.638.3232.
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