Solar Capacity in Ward 3 Doubles

Thanks to this installation on Reno Road, the Solar Capacity in Ward 3 has doubled.

Klingle "Valley": The Next Step

Greater Greater Washington covers the next step for Klingle Valley, how to implement the bike path, and at what cost.

There will be a public meeting:

Wednesday, June 23, 2010,
6:00-6:30 PM (Open House)
6:30-8:00 PM (presentation and Comments)

National Zoo's Visitor Center Auditorium
3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW (Red Line to Woodley Park-Zoo)

Sustainable Forest Hills Needs Your Help

The Forest Hills area has been working with the DC Office of Planning on a Neighborhood Sustainability Indicators Study. The program needs input per the information below:

Voting is your opportunity shape the direction of this community-driven process and to help us form working groups to take action on things like energy efficiency, water quality, biking, and many other areas.

Renters, homeowners, business owners, students, and workers of the study area (see map on our website) are all invited to vote

All voting closes Sunday, February 14th, so please vote now and spread the word!

Klingle Road Update

Greater Greater Washington provides an update on the long and winding saga called Klingle Road.

New Information Pending on Spring Valley Munitions

WTOP is reporting that the Army Corp of Engineers will release a list of munitions discovered in Spring Valley in November.

Klingle Road Meeting

In the aftermath of what appears to be the final decision regarding Klingle Road, there is a meeting on Wednesday, October 7th to plan for the future of the passageway:

Supporters of turning the former Klingle Road into a major trail through Klingle Valley have an important step in the process coming up next week, a public meeting for the Klingle Valley Trail environmental assessment, the next step in trail building. Wednesday, October 7, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the National Zoo Visitor Center Auditorium at 3100 Connecticut Avenue, NW.

This public meeting is mandated by the NEPA process, and sponsored jointly by Federal and District authorities, to interact with the public about the range of alternatives for the proposed multi-use trail and drainage system improvement in Klingle Valley. Supporters, please drop by, express your support, and ensure that the Klingle Valley Trail stays on schedule. See the project web site.

ARD to Safeway: Thumbs Up!

The Alliance for Rational Development, whatever that is, appears to be giving its endorsement to the proposal for redevelopment of the Safeway site at Wisconsin and Ellicot Street.

Sure the plans (large PDF) look ok, but there is a lack of consideration of the broader community input, and broader community impact.

For example, most of the development plans take place on land zoned for residential use, however, this proposal contains no provision for such. More disappointing is the failure of the proposal to take advantage of the opportunity to include affordable, or market based housing. Indeed, this project could have at least one or two floors of residential atop the grocery store with virtually no impact on the existing residential community. Instead, in order to bypass the ongoing, or chronic opposition to density on Wisconsin Avenue, Safeway has chosen the safest route to proceed at the expense of any thought towards longer terms sustainability goals such as LEED certification, reducing auto emissions, or implementing more housing to create a greater threshold of residents to support existing retail between the Tenleytown and Friendship Heights Metro stations.

Green your Home Expo in Ward 3

Green Your Home Expo
Saturday, September 12, 2009 - 10am to 2pm

University of the District of Columbia - Outdoor Plaza
4200 Connecticut Ave, NW Washington, DC
Metro Accessible: Van Ness - UDC Station
(Event Rain Location: Cafeteria B Level, Building 38)

Sponsored by Office of Planning, District Department of the Environment, Office of Councilmember Mary Cheh, and University of the District of Columbia

Come and learn about how to green your home, your neighborhood and save money!

Activities will include: a four-hour expo featuring energy efficiency and renewable energy companies, local advocacy organizations, green product distributors, District agencies and programs, and two panel discussions with experts on climate change and greening homes.

Enjoy live music by UDC Jazz Trio, bicycle eco-tours by Wholeness for Humanity at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm, entertainment for children, and the weekly UDC Farmers' Market!

Exhibitors include:

Astrum Solar
Capital Sun Group, Ltd.
CarbonFreeDC
Casey Trees
Clean Currents
Coalition for Smarter Growth
DC Greenworks
DC Office of Planning
District Department of the Environment
E2COHOUSE
Eco-Artware
Eco-Coach
Eco-Domo, LLC
Eco-Green Living
Elysian Energy
Green Brilliance
Green Living Consulting
IONA Senior Services
Little Falls Watershed Alliance
LiveGreen
Maggio Roofing
Office of Councilmember Mary Cheh
Office Go Green
Packtoozi, LLC
Sharing Backyards
Solar Solution, LLC
Switch Renewable Energy
University of the District of Columbia
Wholeness for Humanity
Zipcar
AND MANY MORE!

For more information contact Andrea Limauro, DC Office of Planning by email at andrea.limauro@dc.gov or by phone at 202.442.7605.

Learn more about the Expo and our upcoming Neighborhood Sustainability
Indicators Pilot Project (NSIPP) (PDF) or this PDF or here.

Russert Park?

Mike DeBonis of the City Paper posted an excellent idea for a tribute to Ward 3 resident Tim Russert.

Well, allow LL to be the first to suggest it: If a recreational trail is ever built in Klingle Valley, it might be appropriate to name it in the memory of Tim Russert.

Ft. Reno update

From the Office of Mary Cheh:

The National Park Service has informed our office that soil and handheld testing has confirmed that there are NOT dangerous levels of arsenic at Fort Reno Park. The National Park Service, along with Federal and District partners, is preparing a press release to announce the results of the arsenic testing. Our office expects the National Park Service to open the majority of the park by the end of the week; however, during the testing, one small area tested positive for lead. That area will remain closed until the lead has been removed. Health officials have informed us that the lead levels are low enough that there is no health risk even if people or dogs did inadvertently play in that area.

Ft. Reno Closed Due to Contamination

NBC 4 is reporting the closure of Ft. Reno due to high levels of arsenic in the soil.

From their website:

Fort Reno Park is closed to the public after high levels of arsenic were reported, according to the National Park Service.

U.S. Geological Survey satellite imaging reports discovered the arsenic. The reports were part of USGS's ongoing work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Spring Valley neighborhood in Northwest.

The levels of arsenic found in the soil exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's safety threshold.

At about 6 a.m. Wednesday, snow fencing was set up around the park, which is bounded by Fessenden, Chesapeake and 41st streets and Nebraska Avenue.

Groups with permits to use the Fort Reno playing fields have been notified of the closure.

The National Park Service, EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, D.C. Department of Health and D.C. Public Schools are working together to determine any possible public risk and discussing courses of action.

National Park Service officials said they had no reason to suspect the high levels of arsenic and therefore did not conduct their own soil sampling or testing.

EDIT:

Here is the text of the information sheet released by the District
Department of the Environment and the Mayor on the situation at Fort Reno:

"INCIDENT OVERVIEW

On May 14th, the National Park Service issued a release stating that arsenic concentrations had been discovered at Fort Reno park and that the park would be closed until further testing was conducted. Upon this release, the District Department of the Environment was designated as the lead agency in coordinating the District's response.
Mayor Adrian Fenty held a press conference at the scene on May 14th in order to inform residents of the District's planned efforts.

WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE RESPONSE?

District Department of the Environment: Lead agency in the District's response.
National Park Service: Oversees Fort Reno park. US EPA: Conducting further soil sample analysis. US Army Corps of Engineers: Providing support. District Fire/EMS and Police Departments: First-responders. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency: First-responders. Department of Health: Advising as to any potential adverse health impacts. District of Columbia Public Schools: Determining any potential impact
on Wilson High School and Deal Junior High School, which are adjacent
to Fort Reno.

WHAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR:

The USGS previously conducted satellite imagery in order to illustrate the geographic position of arsenic concentrations, which indicated Fort Reno park as an affected site. Initial sample testing was conducted by the US Geological Survey (USGS) using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device. The testing preliminarily revealed levels of arsenic above EPA's recommended action levels (which, depending upon future use of the property could range from .4 to 40 parts per million in soil). In response, the National Park Service has erected snow fencing around the site in order to prevent any potential exposure until further testing is complete.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW:

Fort Reno park will stay closed until testing is complete in 7-10 days. Since Fort Reno park is federal property, EPA Region 3 has assigned an on-scene coordinator to collect samples for lab analysis.

Residents who have vegetables from the Fort Reno park's gardens are advised to stop consumption until test results are announced. For residents who have been consuming these vegetables recently, if precautionary measures are needed, information will be forthcoming.

DCWASA and the Army Corps regularly test arsenic levels within the water reservoir under Fort Reno park. As an additional precaution, they will conduct a test specifically for arsenic in order to verify their previous results .

Satellite imagery also indicated potential contamination at the track at Wilson High School.

Since the new Wilson HS track was constructed subsequent to the satellite imagery, arsenic contamination has either been remediated or contained and does not pose a threat. However, student access to soil berms adjacent to the track will be closed off until monitoring is undertaken.

DDOE will consult with EPA and the National Park Service in order to determine if testing is needed at additional properties and what, if any, closures or remediation actions should follow.

INFORMATION ON ARSENIC

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that when present in high concentrations can produce toxic effects or an increase in cancer risk. It is most commonly used in pesticides and wood preservation, although previously identified cases of arsenic in the District were due to historical military uses. The primary exposure route associated with arsenic in soil is ingestion. Compared with the ingestion route, inhalation or dermal exposure pose only marginal risks when arsenic is found in soil. There is minimal risk from brief exposure, unless a high quantity of arsenic is directly ingested. The primary health concern associated with arsenic exposure is cancer. However, it can produce non-cancer health effects such as gastrointestinal impacts, headaches, and cardiovascular impacts. (EPA)

Klingle Vote: Nay

A contributor to the Columbia Heights Listserv has reported that Council Member Jim Graham's effort to have the budget restored for the Klingle Road restoration has failed. According to David Alpert of greatergreaterwashington.org:



The motion failed with only a few Councilmembers (update: only Graham, Bowser, and Schwartz) in favor. This is the end of the road for the road, at least for a while.

There is an update from the City Paper.

EDIT: and this from the Washington Post.

City Paper: Klingle Road is Dead

Loose Lips reported in the April 24th edition of The City Paper a brief history of Klingle Road. Today, in a Council mark-up, the monies earmarked by the Mayor for this project were eliminated in committee. Mike DeBonis has the full story.

Klingle Road: Mary Cheh Responds

From the ongoing discussion on the Cleveland Park Listserv:

There have been a few recent posts concerning Klingle Road, including one purporting to quote me as not concerned with Porter Street. The undocumented quote is simply false. But the current dialogue on this list serve offers the opportunity to again set out my position, a position I have consistently held and shared.

The particular segment of Klingle Road under discussion (and there are many pieces of Klingle Road around the area) is less than one mile long, and I think it should remain closed. It has been closed for about 17 years. This section begins at Porter on the west side of Rock Creek Park and travels in a south westerly direction to Woodley, where traffic empties onto local streets. DDOT determined that closing it had a negligible effect on traffic flow because it was very lightly used.

Restoring the road is economically unsound and environmentally harmful. Restoration will cost at least $11 million dollars, and maintenance will be very expensive since the area is subject to severe flooding. The former road was both narrow, with 2 lanes and no city land for shoulders (still the case today), and subject to severe icing. The federal and local dollars can and should be reallocated to any number of greater needs.

At the same time, this land is a beautiful addition to the park and an opportunity to add an additional buffer to the creek and its tributaries. A road causes significant run-off, adds pollution, and degrades the beauty and health of the area. Not surprisingly the environmental groups such as the Sierra Club favor the continued
closure of the road. And, because of the width constraints, a road would eliminate the prospect for a pedestrian and bike trail, which I favor.

We have precious few opportunities to add valuable green space to the City, and this is one we should be eager to have. We have to know where to grow and to build (along major corridors and transit nodes) and where not to (along park land and environmentally delicate areas such as wetlands).

I realize that this issue has been debated for a long time and that opinions have been divided. Two former mayors favored closure and a previous Council voted 8-5 to open the road. Yet the matter arises again because budget decisions must be made by those now entrusted to make them. And, of course, a new legislature may, and on many
occasions has, seen an old issue with new eyes and with a new calculus.

I respect that people still have differing views about this, and that many hold their views fervently. But my decision, known to all when I ran for election, is one I reached based on my best judgment and my best estimate of good public policy.

Thank you for reading this perhaps overly long post.

-Mary Cheh

Klingle Road in Trouble

Mike DeBonis of the City Paper has updated the committee talley for the Mayoral proposal to fund the study to reopen Klingle Road. According to DeBonis,

Brown’s conviction also means that the mayor’s $2 million Klingle Road line item isn’t going to make it out of the council’s committee on public works and the environment. Committee chair and Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham favors spending the money, as does Ward 4’s Muriel Bowser, but the other three committee members—Mary Cheh of Ward 3, Yvette Alexander of Ward 7, and Brown—are all now unequivocally on the record against it.

Palisades Park Update

A recent announcement for an upcoming Palisades Citizens Association meeting mentioned as a primary discussion point the entrance to the Palisades Park:

This meeting will feature a discussion of design ideas for the Palisades Park entrance (and other neighborhood issues of concern) with Mayor Adrian Fenty, Council member Mary Cheh, and Department of Parks and Recreation Director Clark Ray.

Also, for those who have not received a copy of the newsletter, I am attaching a
link to the PCA website ( www.palisadesdc.org ), which features an excellent article by Mark Binsted on what can be done with the entrance to Palisades Park. In it, he updates everyone on DC¢s efforts to come up with a design, and discusses various options that have been discussed in the past as a way to jumpstart ideas and comment.

The post on the PCA Listserv prompted a few comments:

Now that we have more space why not have a one way u-shaped road going in and out of the parking area in a continuous loop and make room for more parking? Surely all this could be engineered with enough green space, planting, and built in traffic control to assure appropriate speed as well as lovely views, so that neighbors will not have to look at a parking lot. The temporary driveway built for the construction work shows the possibilities. There would seem to be plenty of room for better access, more parking, and some kind of square-like space.

I'm not sure I see the likely use of a basically empty, large green square on the Sherier Place side, since usually parents and grand parents want to be near where their children are, which will be up by the playground. Perhaps there is another group of park users who have been under-served by what we have now, who do not want to be near the play ground or the ball fields or the rec center, or out behind the rec center looking over to Virginia. It seems to be intended by the designers as a gathering place but I'm not sure there is a lot of demand for gathering there. The empty lot we have always had there (next to the torn down house) has always been used simply as a pass through to the recreational areas. If there is a group, perhaps older residents who do not want to go up the slight hill, perhaps the gathering space could be reduced somewhat so as to accommodate more other users of the park as well as improved traffic flow.

I can imagine that the large empty green squares so loved by the designer of the designs in the newsletter might be used, but I can also imagine that they wouldn't be used all that much, or wouldn't need to be quite so large to accommodate those who might use them. It's hard to know, but the parking would certainly be used, since the cars are already there most weekends.



Another option:

The main group of users that is actually underserved sometimes and potentially underserved at others is people wanting to use the park as recreational green space. While the improvements to the park are lovely, professional, and raise the standard of what constitutes a neighborhood park to new heights, one thing that is missing is space for general recreation. This might include children older than playground age playing soccer or football, but not in one of the leagues that seem to be able to and desire reserve the green space at a higher frequency than before. One of reasons parking has become an issue is that the park improvements have increased out of neighborhood traffic as our park is now a true city park, rather than a neighborhood park. It is desirable by all organized recreation groups and community use appears to be more difficult. While there are ways that the entrance can be improved to facilitate multiuse (benches on the sides, shrubbery to block parking, etc.,) it would be wonderful to increase the amount of open space that can be used on an adhoc basis. Has the idea of moving the parking lot closer to Sherrier, lining it with Leyland Cyprus (to hide it from residents), and then having the current parking used as open green space (two small for organized leagues, but just the right size for kids pickup) been considered?

Now that there is a wide open space in that area, it will be interesting what design and use ideas are floated and implemented.

Washington Post on Sears House

Sylvia Moreno reports on the Jesse Baltimore Sears house in Palisades.

A Great "Smart Growth" Question

A well regarded contributor asked an interesting question on the Chevy Chase Listserv:

Why isn't that 6,000 SF home built on the 5,000 SF lot "smart growth"? In the burbs, such a house would be located on a lot at 2-3 times that size. Aren't we always being told that we need increased densification to prevent sprawl? Especially at sites, like this one, that are within easy walking distance of Metrorail stations?

For what it's worth, I agree that scale matters in terms of neighborhood liveability and have been critical of this "smart growth" logic. But it's worth pointing out the hypocrisy here. Somehow bigger is always better on or near Wisconsin Avenue and zoning restrictions are meant to be waived, but, a few blocks away, apparently some of the city's most restrictive zoning classifications just aren't restrictive enough to keep out the barbarians.

There have been at least two appropriate responses:

Smart growth concentrates DENSITY where infrastructure is already in place, such as along major roadways, near metro stations, and in areas where there is ample sewer and water capacity, etc.---not building an oversized single-family home. McMansionization does not add density and has nothing to do with the principles of smart growth.

and

I'm pretty certain that no Smart Growth proponent has ever espoused building larger single family homes as a means to increase density (since it doesn't). Bigger can be better along Wisconsin to the extent that "bigger" means an increase in people or dwelling units per acre where transit infrastructure exists. Claiming hypocrisy because the same person supports increased density along Wisconsin but opposes mansionization is a canard.


This doesn't seem to be a very difficult concept to grasp; that concentrating density along transit corridors to PROTECT residential neighborhoods at risk for redevelopment work hand in had with broader "Smart Growth" policies.

Parking debates on Listservs

Maybe it is the summer doldrums, or maybe it is the lack of concentrated parking issues when many people are at the beach, but for some reason, parking seems to be a hot topic in both Cleveland Park and Friendship Heights.

In Cleveland Park, the issue seems to stem around residential versus commuter parking in zoned areas, given the proximity of the Metro. Residents are being creative in possible solutions including the creation of sub-zones, alteration of the duration of allowable time, or the creation of visitor passes.

On the Tenleytown Listserv, residents share a similar fate, but are also concerned with the folks are are using the surface parking to shop at Mazza Gallery and other retail along Wisconsin Avenue. The concern is that while there is plenty of available parking, it is dramatically underutilized, according to a recent Friendship Heights Traffic Study(PDF):

Mazza Gallery - 850 Garage Parking Spaces
Weekday AM 20% Utilization
Weekday PM 30% Utilization
Saturday 40% Utilization

Chevy Chase Pavilion - 675 Garage Parking Spaces
Weekday AM 60% Utilization
Weekday PM 80% Utilization
Saturday 50% Utilization

5225 Wisconsin (Bambule/Elizabeth Arden) - 235 Garage Parking Spaces
Weekday AM 80% Utilization
Weekday PM 80% Utilization
Saturday 20% Utilization.

On contributor complained that the existing parking structures are underground and "creepy". This combined with the expense (as compared to public lots in Bethesda, MD) prompted calls for a municipal parking garage in Friendship Heights.

For a group of people who have consistently opposed new development, partially on the basis of traffic issues in the community, this is an odd request. As noted by one commentor:

You believe that the city should spend money acquiring a piece of property and then spending 30 Million plus on a parking garage (and also preclude generating any future property or sales taxes from the lot) so someone can drive...and have cheap, convenient and essentially subsidized parking?

So the question isn't whether there is adaquate parking because there clearly is but whether the public sector should spend money to make parking, and hence driving, easier?

But the same folks who are clamoring for a parking garage are the same people who routinely are complaining about traffic which is clearly contradictory unless you intend to beam the cars into the garage somehow?

It will be interesting to see if the ANC's and City Council pick this issue up again. The last time proved to be too difficult to arrive at any conclusions for best practices going forward.

Lead Hazard at Turtle Park

Channel 9 reports their discovery of lead paint on fences at Turtle Park. Read the online excerpt for more.