Dog Park Grand Opening

The City's first off-leash dog park opens today at 11th Street and Rhode Island Avenue, NW. After the "leash cutting" ceremony this afternoon, you and your pooch can roam freely in the 15,000 square foot park, using the separate fenced in areas for pups under 25 pounds and for larger dogs. This freedom is, however, temporary. When the construction of the new Shaw School begins in June 2010, the park will close. For more information, consult the DC Department of Parks and Recreation press release here.

ANC2f Votes for Single Sales Ban and Elimination of Zipcar Lot

In case you missed the scintillating ANC2f meeting on Wednesday night (and judging by the number in attendance, it's likely that you did) there were a couple of noteworthy items that came out of it. Chief among them is the controversial "single sales" ban for Ward 2, which is currently in effect under a temporary "emergency" arrangement.

At Wednesday's meeting, the ANC voted 3-1 to support the ban based on community testimony and the belief of ANC chairman Charles Reed that the issue is simply "a good law". In essence, the ban forbids the sale of any single container of beer, ale or liquor in containers smaller than (I believe) 72 oz. The purpose of the ban, as discussed by Reed, is to decrease the amount of public drunkenness and associated disorderly behavior. Though direct evidence linking single sales with the societal plagues that are said to accompany it is lacking, there was sufficient community testimony to support the ANC's vote on the ban. The lone dissenting vote came courtesy of commissioner Dustin Cole, who cited a concern that the ban disproportionately affected smaller, independent businesses. This concern stems from the fact that the P St. Whole Foods was able to successfully stave off enforcement of the ban in their store, claiming that the type of single sales that they engage in are, in effect, too pricey to be consumed in mass quantities in public. Its doubtful the local corner market could make a similar argument.

The 14thandYous are sympathetic to this argument. While we don't necessarily disagree with the Whole Foods waiver, we're curious as to what bureaucratic hoops the company had to go through in order to obtain an exemption from the ban, and question whether a small, independent establishment would have the time and financial resources to obtain an exemption. In addition, some public comments from the audience came alarmingly close to a racially tinged argument, with one citizen in attendance voicing approval for the ban by decrying the "Hispanic men who sit around all day drinking" along a particular stretch of road in the neighborhood. Certainly we can discuss an issue like this without calling out particular races for this behavior?

Done properly, and with proper oversight by ABRA, a single sales ban could have a net positive effect on community safety and aesthetics. However, its implementation needs to be undertaken carefully and with accommodations in place for local businesses in addition to the Whole Foods of the neighborhood.

The second (surprisingly) controversial issue of the evening came in the form of a complaint by the ANC against Zipcar. The complaint was twofold: One, that Zipcar was utilizing parking spaces in several locations throughout the neighborhood in violation of DC parking laws, and that Zipcar had failed to follow through on a promise to landscape and "beautify" their lot at the corner of 14th and Corcoran streets. The first issue is pretty black-and-white, and (based upon later testimony) seems to have been taken care of. the second issue however seemed to particularly irk Commissioner Reed, who was also bothered by the fact that the Zipcar rep happened not to be in attendance when the issue was addressed at the meeting. The representative, it turns out, would later appear, but Reed was set on moving forward against Zipcar, calling for a vote to have the ANC issue a letter to the DC government requesting the elimination of not only the illegal parking spaces, bu Zipcar's 14th St. lot as well. The motion passed, again by a 3-1 vote, with a dissenting vote again by Dustin Cole, who (appropriately, we might add) voiced concern over a seemingly rash action against a company whose services are used by a number in the neighborhood.

As I mentioned above the Zipcar representative later appeared, and the issue was raised again. Despite some back-and-forth with the representative, Reed was eventually satisfied with the efforts undertaken by Zipcar to landscape the lot (even offering a few suggestions of his own, including constructing a fence around the lot--is that particularly good idea?) and offered to table the earlier vote. So, rest easy Logan, cooler heads prevailed and Zipcar isn't going anywhere.

One final note from the meeting: it seems that the DC Parks Department has turned down a request from the neighborhood do construct a dog park in the (nearly vacant) school lawn at 11th and Q streets, citing an upcoming renovation of the project--a renovation, we should add, for which no timeline is available and no details have been forthcoming. Hmmm, sounds a bit odd. Regardless, Shaw resident George Kassouf, who has been leading the charge for the construction of the dog park, remains undeterred and expressed hopes that he could convince the Parks Department--who apparently did not even review the proposal--to reconsider their decision.

Dog Owners Rejoice!

This past Wednesday, the ANC 2F commissioners voted unanimously (as usual) to write a letter to the DC Department of Parks and Recreation in support of a proposed dog park. Dog Owners of Greater Shaw is leading the charge to convert a portion of the Shaw Field area at 11th Street, NW and Rhode Island Avenue to a fenced field for dog owners to walk and play with their unleashed pets. You may know Shaw Field as the park with the skateboarding area located at the crazy intersection of Q, 11th, and Rhode Island. The recreation field, usually used for soccer, extends north along 11th Street. To create the dedicated dog area, Dog Owners suggests that the soccer pitch be relocated along the eastern side of the skateboard section and that the current soccer pitch and adjacent field be reserved for four-legged creatures and their human friends.


Dog lovers, whether owners or not, can sign an online petition to support the proposed park. You must, however, live within a 10-block radius of the site to sign the petition. Cheaters are weeded out daily by address. Already, hundreds of Shlogan residents have signed. Not only does Dog Owners of Greater Shaw have the support obr/f the community and our ANC commissioners, but Lt. Mike Smith has also written a letter in support of the dog park application. Reasons for residents, both dog owners and non dog owners, to support the park include the following:

Increased resident usage of Shaw Field would deter crime.

Dog parks create social pressure for owners to consistently pick up pet waste. The park also localizes waste, reducing sanitation problems along our sidewalks.

Both dogs and their owners are more physically and mentally healthy when they have a place to play together. Happy and healthy dogs are less likely to be nuisances to their neighbors.

(This list is partially taken from Lt. Smith's letter.)

For the record, I do not own a dog. Our one-bedroom apartment won't allow for a pup to bound around. As well, my cat might beat it up, and Mr. 14th & You's cat might have a heart attack. But one day I hope to be responsible enough and to own a large enough home to have my own dog. Until then, I'm happy to live vicariously through the hundreds of dog owners I've seen out in our neighborhood.

Attn: Dog Owners

The first of what is likely to be a series of Logan Circle public discussions about dog parks will take place at tomorrow night's CDC meeting (6-8, Washington Plaza Hotel). The meeting agenda seems to suggest that no one particular aspect of the proposed dog parks will be addressed. So if you want to suggest sites, protest sites, or volunteer to be part of a citizen action group, this is probably your meeting.

Other issues to be covered at the meeting include the creation of two parking spaces at 934 N Street, presentation by developer Giorgio Furioso, and discussion of a plan to form a committee to work with the Office of Planning. (On what the committee will be working is unclear. The agenda states that the goal is "promoting workable regulations to implement the regime.")

I wish I could have given you all more time to plan to attend the meeting, but I just received notice of the agenda on the Logan Circle listserve today. I think that Mike Bernardo is doing a great job of running the CDC meetings well, but it would be nice if we could get more advanced notice of scheduled meetings an agendas. I would also like to see more detailed agendas; items like "presentation by George Kassouf" aren't really helpful.

Other Notes from Wednesday's ANC Meeting

Some other news bits of interest from the ANC meeting:

Logan residents are looking for places to start dog parks in the area. The action is in response to recent rule making that allows for citizens to petition and apply for areas to be designated dog parks. Sites currently being considered are Bundy Field, the Kennedy Recreation Center, the Shaw Recreation Center, and the south half of the Garrison Elementary School field. As a first step the group making the application must first check the land ownership records through DPR. Then, as part of a lengthy proposal process, neighbors will be consulted regarding the plans. I'm sure that most or all of a future ANC meeting will be devoted to this issue.

Ed Six reports that the Crime and Public Safety Committee compiled a list of vacant properties in our ANC and shared their findings with DCRA and the Office of Taxation. The goal is to ensure that owners are being charged higher tax rates for vacant properties in the hopes that they will be motivated to sell or renovate. A little extra tax revenue never hurts either.

The developer of the Metropole has gone bankrupt. A new very preliminary plan under consideration will alter the building design to include and interior courtyard with restaurant. [I'm fairly sure that I heard Commissioner Reed say that it was the Metropole developer that went bankrupt. However, a comment caused me to double check my facts, and it appears that it was the contractor who went bankrupt. That probably explains why the construction company banner on the site is now Foulger Pratt.]