Park Van Ness

Greater Greater Washington reports on the BF Saul redevelopment proposal for Van Ness Square. Dubbed Park Van Ness, this mixed-use development would replace the surface parking lot and commercial building which straddles the east side of Connecticut Avenue adjacent to Soapstone Creek.

Van Mess to Van Ness?

Forest Hills Connection and the Coalition for Smarter Growth are sponsoring a walking tour of Van Ness on October 13th to help envision opportunities for improvement along the Connecticut Avenue Corridor. Read more here or register today.

More afoot with Van Ness Square?

A recent CityBiz article suggests coming changes for Van Ness Square at 4455 Connecticut Avenue.

Van Ness History

The Prince of Petworth blog has an interesting write-up of 4400 Connecticut Avenue, NW in Van Ness. Did anyone else know there had been an ice rink and bowling alley in that space?

Glover Park Streetscape

Glover Park has been undergoing a streetscape process for several years. DDOT and OP have put a lot of effort into making the area more walkable, more pedestrian friendly and more like a neighborhood village, than a pit stop along the Wisconsin Avenue Corridor. The Georgetown Patch has a nice review of the plans. A similar treatment could be a nice addition for Cleveland Park, Tenleytown and Friendship Heights.

UDC Breaks Ground

The Washington Post provides brief coverage of the groundbreaking for the UDC student center in Van Ness.

Zoning Commission Approves UDC Plan

The Zoning Commission has approved the UDC Campus Plan (case 11-02) and construction of a new LEED Platinum student center. This will be a major step forward for the University Campus and the Van Ness area.

Next up? American University.

March 14th: Connecticut Avenue Design Charrette

From the DC Office of Planning:

Residents and other stakeholders are invited to participate in the upcoming Design Charrette for open space along Connecticut Avenue from Albemarle to Tilden Street.

When: March 14th, 2011
Where: University of the District of Columbia; 2nd floor of Building 38, Windows
Lounge

Charrette program:
3:30-4:00 Project Presentation
4:00-5:30 1stBreak-out design session
5:30-6:00 Break
6:00-6:30 Presentation of results of first break out design session
6:30-8:00 2ndBreak-out design session
8:00-8:30 Summarize and wrap up

How can you contribute? Come share ideas, design solutions,place-making ideas, mobility suggestions. You can drop in at any time during the charrette/design workshop,or you can actively participate in a full design breakout session or both(they will build on each-other);or just attend the 8pm summary and wrap-up.

This Design Charette is part of the Connecticut Avenue Van Ness-UDC metro Commercial Corridor Enhancement Study process led by the District Office of Planning, funded by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government, and in partnership with the UDC Sustainability Initiative and the UDC School of Architecture.

For more information on this project, please contact:
Andrea Limauro at the DC Office of Planning.
202–4427605
Andrea.limauro@dc.gov
www.planning.dc.gov

DC Mud on Walgreens

The Walgreen's invasion of Ward 3 and the District has begun. The new store in the former Yenching Palace site in Cleveland Park appears to be open for business. However, the Van Ness store may require some more thought according to DC Metro Urban Diary.

It certainly seems like a lost opportunity not to maximize the site across the street from the Van Ness Metro.

Wilson Swing Space Solidified

As the long awaited plans for Wilson High School are reaching the final stages, the plight of the students appears to be resolved. DC Wire reports that Building 52 of the UDC Campus will serve as the physical plant for the high school during the 2009-2010 construction period.

Van Ness Walgreens Update

An update on the previously discussed Walgreens in Van Ness from the Tsarchitect blog.

Drive Through Pharmacy?

The Greater Greater Washington Blog mentions a proposal for a drive-through pharmacy in Van Ness:

Not another drive-thru: Walgreens is planning to build on a former gas station at Veazey and Connecticut, right by the Van Ness stop, reports reader Steve. The somewhat-good news: they're seeking a variance to build only 27 parking spaces instead of 40 (it should be even fewer). The less-good news: Walgreens gets to keep all the curb cuts the gas station had, and so they're building a drive-through. We should not be building drive-throughs in urban areas, especially not next to Metro stations.


More on this later.