Northwest Georgetown March ANC Update
Hello and welcome to your March Northwest Georgetown ANC update!
Leaf and Tree Pickup Update
Last month I discussed the atrocious job the Department of Public Works (DPW) did in terms of collecting leaves and Christmas trees. Based upon reports I’ve heard and from walking around, the city did finally come and collect most of the leaves and trees in the past week. But I’ve observed at least a few spots that they still have overlooked. At this point, I don’t believe they will be back with large crews. So if there are still leaves or trees outside your house, I would recommend you call 311. I’ve also noticed that they missed some wreaths or garlands. I would recommend just throwing those in the trash at this point. Of course it would be better if they were composted, but I wouldn’t count on the city taking them away.
I generally try to cut DPW some slack. It is a hard job, particularly for the front line workers themselves. But the performance of the agency has definitely slipped over the last year or so. I recently expressed that concern to our Councilmember, and I encourage others to reach out to the mayor and council to let them know what we have been seeing from this critical agency recently. Hopefully some more attention to this will lead to improvements.
Dealing With Chronically Dangerous Drivers
Several weeks ago two cars collided in the intersection of 33rd and Q. I was there to observe the immediate aftermath. It appears that there were no serious injuries, but the incident points to the difficulties that the city faces getting dangerous drivers off the roads. The car that hit the other car has a long string of unpaid speeding and red light tickets. With the adoption of the STEER Act, the city has moved to make it easier for cars like this to be booted and towed (read more here on that). But bizarrely, the law does not require that the police to check whether a car is subject to towing when that car is involved in a crash like this. The police can do so, but they aren’t required. And it appears that in this case they didn’t. The car with all the tickets is still sitting on the street. I’ve called 311 myself to report it, but it still remains.
The DC Attorney General’s office used the STEER ACT recently to sue some Maryland residents for have ridiculously large unpaid fines. That’s great progress, but this crash demonstrates how a great number of dangerous drivers are still moving around DC with impunity.
Restaurant Changes
A couple new restaurants are opening in our neck of the woods. The first is a familiar name. The former Oki Bowl has moved up the street to the former Jaco Taco space. It will now be called Oki Shoten. I am working through their liquor license application. One possible concern is that they are seeking the ability to host live music. I am still trying to ascertain what they have in mind and will seek a settlement agreement that will address issues like noise, trash, hours, etc.
The other restaurant is from the same group. It is a high end sushi restaurant called Koryouri Urara. It will served omakase sushi, which is basically chef’s choice sushi. They are seeking a liquor license as well, and I will be working with them on also securing an appropriate settlement agreement.
Oki Shoten is already open. Koryouri Urara will not be open until closer to summertime, I believe.
French Market Road Closures
As part of the popular French Market in late April, the organizers are proposing a few small road closures. They are designed to give the crowds a bit more space and to limit dangerous car/pedestrian interactions.
The closures would be during the day on Saturday and Sunday and would include 33rd St. (between Dent and Wisconsin) and Reservoir Rd. (between Wisconsin and Caton). It’s always a hassle to lose parking like this, especially on a weekend when a lot of people come to Georgetown. But I think it is a worthwhile and fairly limited change. Moreover, the organizers are exploring finding nearby satellite parking for residents during this weekend. That would make a huge difference on a weekend when our few blocks feel like the center of the world.
Embassy Parking
Speaking of parking restrictions, I want to provide an update on a request for diplomatic parking. The Embassy of Romania is temporarily occupying the former Long and Fosters building at Reservoir and Wisconsin. They are requesting several on-street parking spots in front of the building on Wisconsin be reserved for diplomatic parking during business hours.
I passed a resolution through the ANC last month objecting to this request due to the fact that the building already has about ten off-street parking spots. I have since learned more information about the request. The request for the spots is primarily related to security. The State Department generally requires embassies not have non-diplomatic cars park outside its entrance. The city liaison offered to me to not have the diplomatic parking, but instead just have no parking spots at all. That would satisfy them on the security side. But that seemed like the worse of both worlds. The embassy doesn’t get parking and the residents lose the ability to park there completely. With the diplomatic parking, at least residents and visitors can park there during off business hours and the weekends. So I agreed to let the request be approved.
I mentioned that the embassy is moving here temporarily. Apparently their main building on Sheridan Circle is being renovated, which is why they need to use this building. I understand that once the work is done, they will not need the Georgetown building anymore. I was not given a time frame, but I suspect it will be at least two years.
Quick Bites
Here are a couple more quick items:
ANC meeting next Monday night.