Cleanergate

If you've missed the news, Cornerstone Cleaners/CS Cleaners on the corner of 14th and U has gone under. Recently, a hastily scribbled note in pink highlighter appeared on the door as the only alert to customers that the shop will be closing within a month. Fine. Trouble is that the storefront has not been open to customers who have clothing inside to pick up. Those who have called the phone number posted on the sign are usually greeted by a completely full voicemail box. Despite all of the Roy Pearson jokes on DCist, this news probably isn't funny to you if you entrusted clothing to Cornerstone.

The good news: Some effort is being made by the property manager to get people into the store. The bad news: not all customers' clothing is in there; according to DCRA, some items are in a storage warehouse, and the property manager does not know where exactly that warehouse is. The store will be open this evening from 3 to 8 p.m. Jim Graham's office is on top of the issue and reports that it has arranged with the store managers to "attempt" to keep Monday, Thursday, and Saturday evening hours (more here). If you would like DCRA's assistance on this issue, they have a web page dedicated to Cornerstone.

The interesting little side story that has developed out of this incident is a testament to the power of the blog. It appears that Herb of DC may have broken the story after an attempt to liberate his shirts on Saturday, which Sommer Mathis at DCist then picked up on Tuesday. Our crack local news outlets then scrambled over to 14th Street last night to cover the incident. At least if DCist picks up a story from another blog, they will give you credit for it. Of the four major networks who reported on this story, only ABC even alluded to having gotten information from a local blog, but they certainly didn't mention Herb of DC by name. NBC 4 has been the only station to give credit to DCist on its web posting of the story. WUSA 9 was so late to the party that their website didn't carry the Cornerstone news until 12 hours after the other networks got to it. (Their post is also hardly in English with missing punctuation and the quotation, "they had electrical and their lease was up.") I find it intriguing that the local news folks appear to be monitoring the blogs for leads but don't want to let on. Yes, generally blogs are full of opinion and unsubstantiated news, but if you can verify a story that someone else broke, then I think you ought to give credit where credit is due.

Today at Noon: Live Chat with Jim Graham

Via greatergreaterwashington, comes today's opportunity to chat live with DC councilman and loitering-hater Jim Graham. Want to find out about the next round of bars to be shut down? When that anti-loitering bill will pass? Why I can't find a decent bagel on U Street? Now's your chance to ask all of these pertinent questions, and perhaps learn how you, too, can Graham-stand on the pet issue of your choosing.

Last I checked, the link provided for the chat wasn't up, but should be around the time the chat is to begin at noon.

Cafe Salsa is OPEN

Thanks to Borderstan for the tip--it seems that Cafe Salsa has (finally) opened their doors to business. Although we have yet to dine there, early returns seem to give the establishment high marks (it seems their mojitos drew in the crowds at their Alexandria location...Mrs. 14th and You happens to be quite the mojito fan, so we'll see if they're as good as advertised). No word on why the opening took so long (it seemed that they were "almost ready to open" for some time...) but at any rate we're happy to hear that they finally did.

It should be noted that only the first floor dining room is currently available, so seating will be somewhat limited. Several other dining rooms on the second floor will be open soon, offering panoramic views of the Central Union Mission and the Whitman-Walker Clinic. I jest, of course...I'm certain the view will be quite lovely.

Oh, and in case you go off hunting for Cafe Salsa's website, it seems that they don't have one. Cafesalsa.com takes you to the homepage of Cafe Salsa--in suburban Chicago. Lest you get confused or something.

Reminder: Street Sweeping Begins Anew March 23

Ahhh, springtime. The flowers begin to blossom, the temperatures begin to rise, and DC parking enforcement begins ticketing cars who dare fail to respect the street sweeping regulations.

Beginning this Monday, street sweeping regulations will once again be enforced, which means alternate-side parking will be in effect until the fall. And if you think you might get lucky as you have in years past when you avoided that $30 ticket when DC Parking Enforcement somehow missed the car you forgot to move the night before, those days are probably numbered. According to DPW's website:

Recently, DPW introduced “Sweepercam,” the newest application of license plate recognition technology to improve street sweeping effectiveness. The technology consists of cameras mounted on street sweepers to photograph vehicles illegally parked in the curb lane of residential and commercial streets during day and night sweeping hours. The sweeper operator switches on the camera, which photographs the vehicle’s license tag, the vehicle and the vehicle’s position on the street. The registered owner will receive a ticket in the mail that will include these photographs.

Wow, that's a move totally out of the Catbert, Evil Human Resources Director playbook. In fact, we put that up there with the chump move DC is known for in this regard, which is sending the street sweeper along a street ten minutes before street sweeping regulations begin, and then two hours later a parking enforcement vehicle comes through and tickets cars that are parked there.

DPW swears that the program effectively removes significant amounts of trash, debris and pollutants from our city's streets, and they may very well be right. But it doesn't make the parking regulations any less of a pain in the a$$.

Borderstan Walk-Around

This Thursday those living in Borderstan may be interested in an important neighborhood event. From the Borderstan blog:

What: Borderstan Night-Safety Walk Around. Join police and city government staff for a quick walk around Borderstan. The purpose is to point out dark areas that need lighting, burned out street lights, overgrown trees, etc. The goal is to improve night safety in Borderstan through better lighting and visibility.

When: This Thursday, March 19, 6 p.m. The group will leave 15th and T NW at 6 p.m. and proceed south.

Who: You, your neighbors, representatives of D.C. government agencies. This includes members of the MPD, D.C. Department of Transportation and Andrew Huff, the Outreach and Services Specialist for Ward 2.

Why: You can meet members of the police who patrol West Borderstan (PSA 208) and East Borderstan (PSA 307) as well as your neighbors… and contribute to public safety by working with officials to fix lighting- and visibility-related problems.

Where: 15th Street NW, starting at T Street and proceeding south to Rhode Island Avenue NW. Join us at 15th and T or watch for us as we make our way down 15th Street NW. Our goal is to cover/talk to residents on the 1400- and 1500-blocks of all streets between T Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW

More Information: Contact Andrew Huff at andrew.huff{at}dc{dot}gov or Borderstan at borderstan{at}gmail{dot}com.

More on Proposed U Street Hotel

Images courtesy JBG Cos.

Thursday evening, representatives from the JBG Cos., developers of the planned U Street hotel at 13th and U streets, were on hand to present an overview of the project and answer questions from neighborhood residents.

Although preliminary, the plans for the hotel are impressive. Designed in a style meant to emulate "traditional" DC architecture, the hotel will top out at ten stories and include something in the neighborhood of 250 guest rooms. Other features of the hotel will include:

• street-level retail, including a locally owned restaurant, a Rite-Aid (which owns a ground lease for the location through 2026), a BB&T bank and other commercial options;
  
• an art gallery on the second floor of the hotel devoted entirely to local artists; and
  
• a rooftop bar/cafe and fitness club, featuring a swimming pool, both of which will be open to the public.

The presentation by JBG was well-designed, beginning with images of U Street in the early years of the 20th century which showed the history of hotels in the neighborhood, focusing on the since-demolished Dunbar and the (now) apartment building Whitelaw, on 13th Street.

The plan, however preliminary, was not without its detractors. Audience members, when given a chance to comment, voiced concerns ranging from the common and expected (parking) to the odd (the placement of a swimming pool ont he roof). Parking may not be a significant issue, what with the hotel being located dirctly across the street from two Metro lines and JBG's innovative plans for so-called "stacked parking" in the underground garage. It is likely, however, that their plans for the handling of deliveries and service vehicles--through a narrow alleyway entrance--will be problematic and will not doubt be revisit during the permitting phase.

One audience member protested the plans for the hotel by reading from a letter; whether the letter was authored by the reader or someone else was not clear. What WAS clear was this particular member's belief that the hotel, with its planned height of 110 feet (which the audience member deemed would make the structure a "colossus" that would "harm" the neighborhood), should not be allowed to exceed the current by-right allowance of 65 feet.

Some back-and-forth between the audience member and JBG's Matt Valentini ensued, with Valentini asserting that the project would not be "economically feasible" if constrained to the 65 foot limit (it would also significantly detract from the aesthetic integrity of the building, at least in our opinion), and the audience member berating JBG for what he deemed to be pure money-driven "opportunism" in creating a building he felt to be out of proportion for the neighborhood.

The most effective rebuttal to the height argument came when Valentini and architect David Schwarz unveiled a scaled model of the hotel as it would appear along with other currently existing neighborhood buildings. After studying the model for several moments, one audience member asked "which one is the hotel?" A better argument could not be made that the planned structure is not disproportionate--at least from our perspective.

As was noted previously, the current plans at this point are very preliminary, and it was noted that the D.C. Planning Office had not yet received anything with regards to the project. With the anticipated time needed to secure the proper variances and permits for the construction of the hotel, the timelines discussed for completion was construction commencing in 2011, with completion by 2014.

Community residents and other interested parties who wish to view more about the project or make comments are encouraged to visit the CSNA's "U Street Hotel" page, which has links to JBG's presentation as well as numerous images, information and more.

14th Street Circulator Line To Commence Next Month

According to a transportation report provided at the March CSNA meeting, a new Circulator bus line linking McPherson Square with Logan, U Street, Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, Adams-Morgan and Woodley Park will debut beginning next month.

The new line will begin at McPherson Square (14th and I streets) and run north along 14th Street to Irving Street. From there, it will run west along Irving, south on Mount Pleasant, southwest along Columbia Rd., then west on Calvert across the Ellington Bridge to Woodley Park. The line will run every 10 minutes from 7 AM - Midnight Sunday through Thursday, and until 3 AM on Fridays and Saturdays.

EDIT: Courtesy of the Washington Business Journal, a map showing the new route can be found here.

We feel that this expansion of the Circulator service is both welcome and long overdue. 14th Street has long needed an expansion of transportation options, and linking a neighborhood such as Logan and U Street with Adams-Morgan and Woodley will provide a much-needed transportation option between those popular areas, and will also provide a quick link between Logan and the Orange/Blue lines at McPherson.

The Circulator presents an enticing option over bus transit for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its dependable frequency and the fact that the number of stops is limited. It's also cheaper than a MetroBus ride ($1) and accepts SmartTrip cards. In other words, we look at this as a win for all involved.

The Circulator's website can be found here; unfortunately you won't find any news about this expansion in service. The most recent news item is a press release from 2007, so perhaps their website isn't the best place to find information about their service.

Cardozo/Shaw Neighborhood Association Meeting Tonight

For those who are able to make it, the CSNA will be hosting their monthly meeting at the Source (1835 14th Street), and will be covering a number of interesting/timely items. From their website:

Agenda items include:

• a presentation by JBG Companies on their proposed "U Street Hotel" project,
• updates on the new Circulator bus line,
• U Street Streetscape project, and
• applications for new and existing alcohol (ABC) licenses in the CSNA area.

The 14thandYous may or may not be able to attend, but if anyone does we'd love to have some feedback on what gets discussed.

The Sad Saga of 14th and T, and What It Means For U Street/Logan Development

Image courtesy of the City Paper

The current issue of the City Paper includes a sorry tale of woe regarding the situation with the building located at 14th and T streets. Though it's not overly in-depth, it does take you through a nice history of the building, from its beginnings as a factory for Model T cars, up to its current status as the (maybe?) future home of Minneapolis-based furniture retailer Room & Board.

The piece is both fascinating and frustrating, as one learns how the massive edifice went from abandoned warehouse, to a church, to a condo building, to a future home of a Diner and Dave Chappelle-back comedy club, to the future home of Room & Board, to its now uncertain situation.

Undoubtedly, the most aggravating part of the story comes from the March 2008 time period. It was at this time that plans were formulating for Tryst and Diner owner Constantine Stavropoulos to open up a new cafe/diner on the first floor of the building, with the second floor featuring Riot Act Comedy Club (co-owned by Dave Chappelle) and Boundless Yoga operating on the third floor. The City Paper quotes Stavropoulos as saying that the deal fell apart due to a failure to secure tenant allowances, which Stavropoulos called "crazy." However, that relates only a portion of the story.

From an October 2008 post from greatergreaterwashington (subsequently picked up by Borderstan), we learn of the ardent opposition to the developer's plans by ANC2B09 commissioner (and ANC2B chair) Ramon Estrada, in particular the "24 hour aspect" of the operation. This, in spite of the fact that many in the Logan/U Street corridor had advocated for the project as a way to both increase the vibrancy and security of the area. (Estrada, it should be noted, has also strongly advocated for a reduction in the size of the proposed project at 14th and U streets). The idea for the diner/comedy club went by the wayside, and furniture retailer Room & Board stepped in to claim the spot (although that deal now appears in doubt due to the economic calamity).

So, why bring this up now? Well, for one the City Paper has dredged it up as an example of urban development and local government involvement gone awry. But, perhaps more importantly, with several new operations, along with two massive developments, set to descend upon the neighborhood during the coming months and years, it's important for the community to understand how these types of decisions get made.

I wrote in an earlier post that I could foresee problems with the proposed operating hours of two forthcoming 14th Street restaurants/lounges, and this is precisely the reason why. Even with strong community support, the voices of a few prominent (or loud) members of the community can dictate neighborhood developmental policy, frequently to the detriment of the community as a whole. The ramifications of this type of behavior extend far beyond that of the development in question. DC as a whole is changing, and it's not merely U Street and Logan that have reaped the benefits. Business owners are presented with the ability to pursue opportunities in neighborhoods such as Columbia Heights, H Street, Petworth and other locales should they find the climate there more hospitable.

This doesn't mean that the interests of residents and others in the community should be ignored; far from it, in fact. But stories such as the one at 14th and T show the consequences of ignoring broad-based community sentiment in the name of protecting the interests of a vocal minority.

Pick Me! Pick Me!

The annual Washington City Paper Best Of poll is out. Log on and vote for your favorite local institutions. Walking around the neighborhood, I've seen that Miss Pixie's and Java House, among others, are lobbying for your vote. And, of course, we wouldn't be hurt to be named your favorite blog.

Spotted in Georgetown This Weekend

Note the handsaw that is attached to the hood. Note, too, that the Wicker-mobile is parked illegally. Can you imagine going to impound lot and describing this vehicle?

We're just going to give this one a big old WTF and move along.

Two New Restaurants/Lounges Coming to 14th Street

Big news this week for the 1800 block of 14th Street: it seem that two new establishments are headed to the block, and they both sound pretty exciting.

The first is Blu Restaurant and Lounge, which is set to fill the space between and Pulp and Home Rule formerly occupied by the Latino grocery store. According to the ABRA application posted to the window, Blu is planning to host live bands and a DJ, serve "light food" and will have something called a "summer garden," although we're not entirely certain what that is.

I haven't been able to obtain independent confirmation of this, but it seems that there is a Blu Lounge already in operation in Bethesda. You can check out their website here for a taste of what is (likely) coming to 14th Street.

One potential hang-up for them: they are looking for operating hours extending until 2 AM Sun - Thurs and until 3 AM on Fri-Sat. Now, the 14thandYous don't happen to have a problem with those hours--14th street is a commercial corridor, and in our opinions there could stand to be a bit more late night activity in the area that isn't occurring behind the Mr. Wash--but we know of plenty in the neighborhood who are likely to raise a fuss and voice all manner of concerns over the heathen debauchery that would no doubt take place should Blu be allowed to remain open until that ungodly hour on a school night.

Our prediction: they'll get until midnight Sun-Thurs, and until 2 AM Fri-Sat. Stay tuned...

A few paces down the block, Masa 14 is about to rear its head. Unlike Blu, Masa is shaping up to be more of a full-service restaurant, with cuisine that is--if their ABRA application is to be believed--is severely geographically challenged.

Masa's sign indicates that they will be serving "Mediterranean fusion, with a focus on Latin and Asian tapas". Now, I'm no geography major (help me out here IMGoph) but it seems that any restaurant focusing on Latin and Asian tapas would have a difficult time qualifying their food as remotely "Mediterranean," but perhaps there is an angle to this that I am missing.

Perhaps most importantly, the application takes great pains to note that there will be no nude dancing at this establishment. So, all of you expecting to get "Camelot on 14th," well...I'm sorry. You'll just have to wait.

Masa also seems to afflicted by the same operating hours delusion as Blu, so perhaps they can band together on this one?

Interestingly, assuming both places move forward with their plans, it will mean that every storefront on the east side of the 1800 block is filled. So, cheers to that.

The Remaking of U Street's Intersections

One of the things that has always fascinated me about U Street was the fact that while the street itself is one of the most lively and vibrant in the District, two of its most significant intersections--13th and 14th streets--kind of, well, suck. At 14th street, you have a dry cleaners, a McDonald's, a vacant building and the colossal stretch of asphalt otherwise known as the Reeves Center. Not exactly the most welcoming and "Exciting!" statement about the neighborhood, eh?

13th street is at least a bit better, although a Starbucks, Rite-Aid, overpriced restaurant and vacant building hardly qualifies as unique or particularly lively.

Luckily, even in the midst of this economic "situation" there are some projects that look to be getting off the ground that look to improve the situation and correct a significant (and long-neglected) issue of density in the area, or lack thereof.

First, there is the massive "Utopia" development, located at 14th and U street.

Image courtesy of DC urban development guru DCMUD.

The Utopia project, which recently received HPRB and BZA approvals to move forward with a slightly modified design, will occupy a gigantic tract of land along the 14th and U street intersection. The building is being designed by Eric Colbert and Associates, which is a good thing if you are a fan of the litany of so-so urban dwelling mediocrity that has sprung up throughout our fair city recently. (Perhaps I am a bit harsh; after all the rendering above doesn't look THAT bad...)

More important than the architectural team however, the development will bring a much more appropriate level of density and development to a corner that is currently just this side of being blighted. The developer, Georgetown Strategic Capital, was forced to forgo plans for a rooftop deck (darn those clinking glasses), but will nonetheless still provide 230 rental apartments and up to 20,000 square feet of retail. You will likely be able to kiss the Taco Bell goodbye, but perhaps a new upscale pet salon is coming? I kid, I kid...I'm sure the retail will be great. Don't go looking for el cheapo apartments here though; apparently Donatelli Development's Ellington is being used as a benchmark for the project, and they aren't exactly giving away units there.

And for those who are wondering: assurances have been made that business currently in operation--the yummy Coppi's and the lovely jazz club Utopia, among others--will remain in business during construction, largely due to the fact that the buildings they in habit will remain largely unchanged (hence the HPRB approval).

The other major development project currently underway--and perhaps a bit more unexpected--is JBG Co.'s boutqiue hotel planned for 13th and U Streets, in the space currently held by Rite-Aid. (Those of you who rely on Rite-Aid for late night runs of cat litter, plastic wrap and cheap candy need not fear; the Rite-Aid will remain.)

The proposed LEED-certified four star hotel--which looks borderline art-deco, if the supplied image from JBG can be believed--would have approximately 250 guest rooms, 23,000 square feet of retail, a "signature" restaurant, a rooftop bar and a public art gallery. Whew.

This proposal is exciting for a number of reasons. First, it addresses another chronically underused corner along U Street. Secondly, the proposal for a hotel--a hotel! on U Street! Good heavens!--means a definite uptick in foot traffic for the neighborhood, which bodes well for area businesses. Finally, the idea that a developer would push forward with proposal for a hotel in this part of the city shows how "mid-city" is increasingly becoming a destination not only for the locals, but for the visiting set as well.

This, of course, may also bring its drawbacks. More taxis doing illegal mid-block u-turns? Check. More families from Florida driving below the speed limit with the map light on trying to figure out what street might come next sequentially after R, S and T? Check. More high school kids talking too loudly into their cell phones about how they just had the Best Chili Dog Ever at Ben's? Check. But hey, we live in a tourist theme-park of sorts, so I guess it's not so bad if some of them want to come crash up here for a few nights. Word of warning to the tourists though: if you encounter a purple-colored sex toy in the alley behind your hotel room, don't even think about recycling it. You have no idea where that thing has been.

Finally, across the street, U Street Girl noticed a construction permit in the window of the old Pink November shop. I haven't heard any formal announcements yet, but since neighborhood shoe repair artist extraordinaire George was asked to relocate to other premises last year, it's a safe bet that something is in the works.

We'll continue to do a reasonably acceptable job of keeping you up-to-date on the various happenings related to the u Street projects. What do you think about the proposals? Comments? Concerns? Please share them below.

Crime Update: MPD Make Arrest in Dupont Street Robberies; Asian Businesses Targeted by Robbers

A couple of pieces of crime-related news to pass on to this morning...

First, from our good friends over at Borderstan, comes this encouraging piece of news, in the form of a release from MPD 2nd District Commander Matt Klein:

"Over the past three days, the Second District experienced a series of street robberies in which victims were knocked to the ground and had purses or other property taken from them. I am happy to report that last night, we arrested 2 subjects that we strongly believe were responsible for the vast majority of those violent cases. The arrests were made after bringing in additional resources to the Georgetown and Dupont area in order to provide support to 2D units as well as provide high visibility to prevent further crimes. These subjects were apprehended as a result of excellent work by patrol officers, members assigned to our office of communications, and MPD detectives."

To which we say: bravo! To anyone who has never attended an ANC or public safety meeting in our community, you may not be aware of how hard our local MPD officers work to ensure the safety of our neighborhood's citizens. Now that the above-mentioned suspects have been taken off of the street, it's up to our not-quite-so-helpful D.C. court system to keep them off.

A second piece of not-so-great news comes from this week's Current, and was also mentioned at the February ANC meeting:

About 15 Asian-owned establishments in D.C. have been robbed since last fall, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, which is continuing to nvestigate the incidents.

[...]The robberies have been concentrated largely in the 4th District near Georgia and New Hampshire avenues, but a few took place in the Dupont Circle and Logan Circle areas.

Included in this list is Logan's own "Great Wall" restaurant, home to some of the best crispy chicken this blogger has ever encountered. The robberies have typically occurred late at night or early in the morning, with the individuals entering through unlocked doors in the backs of the business. Anyone with information regarding the robberies are encouraged to contact MPD.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't also point out one final piece of positive news form our area: according to Lt. Hauser's report from the last ANC meeting, crime overall has dropped precipitously from last year, particularly thefts from autos which are down 66% from the same period last year. Lt. Hauser credits this to arrests of several prolific car burglars in the area, as well as increased awareness on the part of the neighborhood citizenry.

We'll see if the trends hold when the weather warms up, but for now...we'll take it.

Tom Sietsema Reviews Posto

In this week's Washington Post Magazine, Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema gives a (mostly) positive review to recently opened Logan Italian bistro Posto, which is located in the former Viridian space on 14th Street.

Posto is the latest venture for Tosca owner Paolo Sacco, and by all accounts it's a winner. Among some choice Sietsema quotes from the article:

On the sausage and cheese appetizer: "The chef knows quality, and Posto's servers know the drill, which runs to delicate prosciutto and fierce coppa, buttery burrata and sharp Parmesan, the genuine article."

Regarding Posto's pasta dishes: "If there's one course you shouldn't miss, it's pasta. Venini makes all but the spaghetti himself, and whatever shape of pasta you choose is filled or topped with something lovely and cooked as it should be, al dente."

Posto's baby chicken dish elicited this quote: "The entree is boned and served on a dark bed of soft kale, everything lightened with a drizzle of lemon butter sauce. It's a chicken you won't soon forget."

Summing up the restaurant: "...if it's a delicious pasta or a seductive scene you're seeking, this is "the spot" to be."

Sietsema gives Posto two stars ("Good"), which if you have spent any time studying Sietsema's rating proclivities, is certainly high praise. The 14thandYous are looking forward to trying Posto for the first time in the very near future. For those who have been, what did you think? Its popularity seems to attest to its quality, but then again I can count no shortage of establishments in DC that are popular and yet seem, to us at least, to be "crap." So let us know if you enjoyed your experience there.

Finally, one quote in particular from Sietsema caught our eye: "If there's any doubt Logan Circle can use more restaurants, this newcomer disproves that notion."

Indeed, that's something we've argued for awhile, most recently in a post about the limitations of the arts overlay district and its potential effect on continued development in Logan. Here's hoping that the continued success of places like Posto will lead the city's powers-that-be to rethink their strategy.