Big Weekend at Congressional Cemetery

May 3, 2013

Historic Congressional Cemetery is hosting two big events this weekend.

  • On Saturday, May 4, the Cemetery is hosting Sousa Palooza, a tribute to the great American conductor and composer John Philip Sousa. Attendees can participate in a scavenger hunt, participate in a free docent-led tour and enjoy musical performances throughout the day. The event runs from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Should be a great time!
  • On Sunday, May 5, the Cemetery will host another Notes from the Crypt chamber music concert at 4:00 pm at the Chapel. Tickets, which are $20 ($15 for students and seniors), can be purchased online or at the door. Proceeds go to the Association for the Preservation of the Historic Congressional Cemetery. I highly recommend attending this concert – its a great way to end a beautiful weekend.

Finally, Congressional Cemetery is competing with 24 local historic sites to win a $65,000 grant in the Partners in Preservation program. You can help the Cemetery win a grant by voting each day until May 10 at https://www.preservedmv.com/. You can also earn additional points for the Cemetery by using social media to encourage others to vote.  

Thanks for supporting Congressional Cemetery!

Leave a Comment » | Congressional Cemetery | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

1550 Penn Ave SE Project: Second Community Meeting Set for March 25

March 20, 2013
A used car lot is currently located at 1550 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.

A used car lot is currently located at 1550 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.

A second, follow-up community meeting to discuss plans for an 80-84 unit residential building at 1550 Pennsylvania Avenue SE will take place Monday, March 25, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at the Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel (1800 E Street SE). Attendees can enter the cemetery via the 17th & G Street SE or 18th & E Street SE gates.

NOVO Development will share updates on their building plans and answer resident questions. In addition, representatives from the District Department of Transportation will be present to answer questions related to the variance requests and traffic flow around the site. My recap of the first community meeting on the plans has additional information about the project and the developer’s zoning requests.

ANC 6B will consider NOVO Developments variance and special exception requests in April. The commission’s planning & zoning committee will hear the case on Wednesday, April 3, 7 pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington (1901 Independence Avenue SE). The full commission will then consider the committee’s recommendation and take a final vote during its April 9 full commission meeting, 7 pm at the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE).

Leave a Comment » | Barney Circle, Congressional Cemetery, Development, Penn East | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Friday Updates: Reservation 13, KFC Site, Dead Man’s Run

October 5, 2012
  • Yesterday, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development’s (DMPED) office released a Request for Expressions of Interest for development of parcels F1 and G1 on Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront. Development teams must submit responses by Monday, January 7. I’m working with my ANC 6B colleagues and DMPED to schedule a community meeting to update residents on the RFEI process and timeline. I also plan to post some additional information on the RFEI soon.
  • At a neighborhood meeting last night, Paul Millstein of Douglas Development said the company hopes to begin building a two-story retail/office building at the old KFC site (1442 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) in the next 60 days. Construction would take 4 months and Douglas would seek tenants once the building is finished. Millstein shared updated plans (pdf) for the building and said that a planned roof deck would be limited to the Pennsylvania Avenue side. Douglas Development is also  trying to determine whether or not they will have to re-appear before the Board of Zoning Adjustment to request variance relief for the project, which would delay construction (they originally sought and were granted relief from BZA for a two-story retail building at the site two years ago). Since the only change is in the design of the facade, Commissioner Jared Critchfield (6B06) and I will ask our colleagues at next Tuesday’s ANC 6B meeting to send a letter to the Zoning Administrator encouraging him to allow the project to move forward without additional BZA review. If you have any questions or concerns about the updated plans, please contact me.
  • I’m looking forward to participating once again in the Dead Man’s Run 5K tomorrow (Sat., Oct. 6), 6 pm at Congressional Cemetery (1801 E Street SE). If you haven’t registered, I encourage you to do so by visiting the Congressional Cemetery website. All proceeds go towards the preservation and maintenance of the cemetery. Hope to see you there!   

1 Comment | ANC 6B, Congressional Cemetery, Development, Penn East, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Weekend Quick Takes: 17th & 19th, MPD, Barracks Row, Dead Man’s Run

September 21, 2012
  • The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will announce its safety improvement recommendations for 17th and 19th Streets on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 6 pm – 7:30 pm at Friendship Charter School Blow Pierce Campus, 700 19th Street NE. DDOT will have short, mid-range and long-term recommendations for the corridors based on feedback the agency received during the July public charrettes. If you can’t attend, I plan to live tweet from the meeting.
  • There have been a number of thefts from auto and burglaries around Hill East in the past few weeks. The Metropolitan Police Department encourages residents to remove any valuable items (even pocket change) from your parked vehicles. And keep reporting any suspicious individuals and activities to 911. MPD has told me that resident calls have led to some recent arrests. The September PSA 108 newsletter (pdf) has more information on public safety in our neighborhood.
  • The annual Barracks Row Fall Festival is tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 22) from 11 am – 5 pm. The festival will feature great food, a petting zoo, a military cooking competition and much more. I’ll be “staffing” the ANC 6B booth with colleagues during the festivities – please stop by and say hello!
  • Register today for the 2nd Annual Dead Man’s Run 5K taking place Saturday, Oct. 6, 6 pm at Historic Congressional Cemetery. Race proceeds go to the restoration and preservation of the cemetery. I participated in the inaugural run last year and had a great time. Come out and support our neighborhood landmark!

Leave a Comment » | 17th Street SE, 19th Street SE, Congressional Cemetery, PSA 108, Public Safety | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Weekend Quick Takes

June 1, 2012
  • Earlier this week, UrbanTurf DC reported that the vacant apartment building at 321 18th Street SE will become a 10-unit condo building. Lock 7 Development recently purchased the building, which has been vacant for years. I’m looking forward to seeing a neighborhood eyesore transformed!
  • DDOT representatives will provide an update on the Capitol Hill Transportation Study during the Wed., June 5 meeting of ANC 6B’s Transportation Committee. The meeting will take place at Payne Elementary School (1445 C Street SE) from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm. Speeding on 17th, 19th and Independence will be discussed.
  • In a recent interview, DC Department of Human Services Director David Berns, Washington City Paper’s Lydia DePillis asked DC Department of Human Services Director David Berns whether the city has any plans to decrease and/or re-locate some of the homeless population at Reservation 13. Director Berns replied that the city is working to find more subsidized, affordable housing so that capacity can be reduced at DC General. Sounds like a good plan, but it is going to take time and money. I plan to continue urging the city and DHS to move forward on strategies that will reduce overcrowding at DC General and prepare the Hill East Waterfront for development.
  • The Association for the Preservation of the Historic Congressional Cemetery is holding a party on Friday, June 8 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm to celebrate the publication of a new book on Congressional Cemetery. For $30, you can attend the party, take a tour and get a copy of the book. Learn more and reserve a spot on the Congressional Cemetery website.

Leave a Comment » | 17th Street SE, Congressional Cemetery, Development, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront, Transportation | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

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