A Couple Quick Wednesday Night Items: For the Dogs

There will be a Grand Opening celebration on Saturday Sunday from 12-3pm for the new dog park at Lansburgh Park, located at Delaware Avenue and K Street. The PAWS of SW Dog Park Group has been working to get this dog park built for several years and it finally opened last month. In addition to a dog park, other recent improvements to Lansburgh Park include a community garden and new basketball courts. A leash-cutting ceremony will be held for the dog park at 12:30pm. Invited VIP guests include Sam the Bloodhound, Bo and Sunny Obama, and Corporal Chesty XIV.

Over at Sky House East apartments, local rescue dogs from Homeward Trails were invited to use the Grroom pet grooming station located in the building’s basement. A promotional video of the pet space is below:

SW Dog Park is Complete

A new dog park at Lansburgh Park, located along Delaware Avenue is now open for use. After several years of fundraising by the PAWS of Southwest, the 10,000 square-foot off-leash Lansburgh Dog Park was recently completed by the Department of General Services and will operate as a Department of Parks and Recreation facility. There are two fenced off areas - a 2,000 square-foot area for small dogs and 8,000 square feet for large dogs; each section has water stations. There are also seating areas for dog owners to relax and watch their canine companions play.

The Lansburgh Dog Park is open from 7am to 9pm Monday - Friday and 8am to 9pm Saturday - Sunday and holidays. All dogs using a dog park must be licensed and registered in the District of Columbia. All dogs are required by law to be vaccinated and registered. All dogs must display a Dog Park Registration Tag, and other tags as required by law. There is a limit of 22 dogs in the dog park at any time.

Lansburgh Park has received several improvements in the past two years.  Last year, the run down tennis courts were replaced with basketball courts and the SW Gardens group received a grant from Fiskars to transform a portion of the park into a community garden. The PAWS of Southwest and the SW Gardens group are both fiduciary subsidiaries of SWNA, which announced that a second grant was recently awarded to the group in order to expand the garden with more raised beds.

A Few Quick Saturday Morning Items: GSA Open House, Circulator Pop-Up Meetings, Running of the Chihuahuas, New Amidon-Bowen Windows

The GSA will host an open house on April 30 at the SW Library to solicit input on their RFQ involving the transfer of the Cotton Annex and GSA regional headquarters in exchange for construction services at GSA HQ and up to three historic properties at St. Elizabeths. As a part of the RFQ process, GSA needs to perform an Environmental Assessment, which involves community engagement, hence the planned open house. In addition, the GSA will be accepting comments on the "scope" of the Environmental Assessment through May 14. Comments can be sent by email to cottonannexrob@gsa.gov to via snail mail to:

Suzanne Hill, Regional Environmental Planning Officer

U.S. General Services Administration, NCR

301 7th Street, SW, Room 4004

Washington, DC 20407

 Image courtesy of GSA

DDOT will be hosting a series of "pop-up" meetings next week to solicit feedback on the Circulator system. One will be held at the Waterfront Metro station on Thursday, April 24 from 3:30-6:30pm. A survey to gather feedback will open April 22 on the DC Circulator website. Each participant will be entered to win a $50 SmarTrip card with a winner randomly selected after the survey closes on May 9.  As a part of the Mayor's FY 2015 budget proposal, the Union Station - Navy Yard Metro Circulator line will be extended to Southwest.

The third annual Running of the Chihuahuas will take place on May 3 at Gangplank Park at The Wharf (between 6th and 7th streets) from 12-3pm.  The entry fee is $20 and there will be cash prizes totaling $500. Entry fees will benefit animal charities. In previous years, PAWS of Southwest was the beneficiary, but the dog park is now fully funded and should open within the next couple of months at Lansburgh Park. Be on the look out for a leash-cutting ceremony soon. 



Renovations continue at Amidon-Bowen Elementary. The latest improvements include new windows, which have been installed over the past couple of weeks. Other improvements that have been made over the past couple of years include a substantial interior renovation that happened two summers ago, as well as a new playground and soccer field.

2013 in Review

Since 2013 has come to a close, let’s take a brief look back at the major events that shaped the year in Southwest and what is in store for 2014. 

The Wharf 

Arguably the largest development project in Southwest took a major step forward in 2013 when the Zoning Commission approved the Stage 2 Planned Unit Development (PUD) application for phase one of the Wharf. While ground breaking was supposed to occur by the end of 2013, the timeline has slipped to 2014 since a financing agreement has not been made public yet. Meanwhile, the houseboats at the Gangplank Marina were moved this fall to make way for construction and businesses along the waterfront were given notice to vacate within five months. 

Rendering courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront

Apartment Wave Hits Southwest 

Leasing began in April at Camden South Capitol, the first new rental apartment building to open in Southwest in decades. So far, more than half of the units at the 276-unit building have been leased; however, the ground floor retail space at South Capitol and O streets is still vacant. Camden hopes to attract a restaurant to the space, located across the street from Nationals Park. 

In addition, leasing was supposed to begin on December 2 at the East tower of Sky House, the adaptive reuse of the former EPA towers at Waterfront Station, but it was delayed by a month to January 2. There are a total of 266 units at the East tower, located at 1150 4th Street, with 20% set aside as affordable housing for residents earning up to 50% of Area Median Income. A second 264-unit tower will open in spring 2014 at 1151 4th Street. 

Waterfront Station 

Aside from Sky House, other activity is underway at Waterfront Station. The last retailer to open along 4th Street was Z-Burger back in 2012. Since then, it was learned in May that the two vacant storefronts on the northern end of 1101 4th Street have been leased by restaurateur Atul Bhola to open Masala Art, an Indian restaurant. This would be the second Masala Art restaurant – the other restaurant is located in Tenleytown. Building permits are stuck on the windows and visible work on the tenant build-out began in November. It is rumored that the restaurant will open in June 2014. This leaves two vacant retail spaces at Waterfront Station – one each at 1100 and 1101 4th Street. 

Meanwhile, planning is underway for a residential building by Forest City and Vornado on the vacant northwest parcel next to the future Masala Art. A PUD was filed in late 2012 and the project went through the zoning approval process in 2013, with PUD approval received in September. The 360-unit building will have all market-rate units and approximately 5,300 square feet of ground floor retail space. There will be 12 two-level townhouse units with private entrances on Makemie Place and along a private drive to be built to the north of the project. Construction may begin sometime in 2014. 

Rendering courtesy of Waterfront 1001 4th Street, LLC

Town Center East 

In June, HPRB designated both multifamily buildings at Town Center East and the grounds as historic. The buildings, located on 3rd Street between K Street and M Street, were designed by I.M. Pei and built in 1960-61. The owners at Waterfront Tower, along with the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, applied for historic designation in response to a PUD submitted by The Bernstein Companies to build two large multifamily buildings on the parking lots of the existing Pei buildings and a smaller building on the courtyard separating the two existing buildings. After the HPRB designation, the Bernstein Companies altered their plans and among several things, removed a small building that was to be built along 3rd Street. After reviewing the changes, the ANC reversed their prior disapproval with the PUD and offered conditional support in September.

Rendering courtesy of Maurice Walters Architect, PC

Randall 

 

A contentious proposal to build a charter high school for KIPP DC kept the future of the Randall Recreation Center site at South Capitol and I streets in limbo. Back in the fall of 2012, the District government announced that Randall would be one of 32 playgrounds across the city that it would improve during the 2013 fiscal year. In addition, the plaza area facing I Street would be upgraded with a skate park and fountains. The project was put on hold while the KIPP proposal was being vetted, but ultimately, the city decided against the KIPP proposal. It’s unknown at this point when the playground and plaza area will be improved, but presumably it will happen sometime in 2014. Meanwhile, some limited programming was implemented over the summer at the recreation center, which has been underfunded and underutilized for years. More robust programming is now underway, which started this week. 

Next door to the pool and recreation center, Telesis/Rubell have been advancing their plans for the Randall Junior High School site. According to the revised PUD, a non-profit contemporary art museum from the collection of the Rubell family will be located in the original 1906 center building - the first floor of the museum will be used as a community cultural space that is open to the public, with an art gallery featuring local artists, 100-seat auditorium, library, bookstore, café, and meeting space. The upper two levels will house the museum exhibits. Other arts-related uses will be located in the west wing – perhaps a culinary incubator. A destination restaurant with outdoor seating will be in the east wing (both wings were built in 1927). Behind the center building, a new three-story addition will house additional exhibition space for the art museum. Two 12-story towers with 550 residential units will wrap behind the historic buildings and courtyard. The courtyard will be open to the public and six commercial spaces may be created on the ground level facing the courtyard containing artist studios. Twenty percent of the residential units will be set aside as affordable to households earning up to 80% of AMI. The ANC gave qualified support for the PUD and the Historic Preservation Review Board approved the project in November, while the Zoning Commission generally showed support for the project at the hearing in December. The PUD is likely to receive approval during the first half of 2014 with construction on the first phase (including the historic buildings and at least one of the residential buildings) either in late 2014 or 2015. 

Rendering courtesy of  Bing Thom Architects

SW Community Gardens Lottery and Meet & Greet

 

A lottery will be held on Thursday for plots at the new community gardens at Lansburgh Park, located at 1098 Delaware Avenue.  There are 22 individual plots and two wheelchair-accessible plots. These plots are available for individuals or small groups (up to three people). Some expectations for garden plot users:

• Plant your garden plot every year before May 15
• Pull weeds right away
• Grow organically which means do not use chemicals
• Take care of the plants all summer (water them every day when it's hot)
• Clean up the garden in the fall
• Pay garden dues ($30 per plot per year)

If you are interested in an individual plot, sign up by tomorrow (September 11) by calling 202-417-8577 or email and give your name & phone number for the drawing. The drawing will be held on Thursday, September 12 at 7pm at Lansburgh Park. There is no need to be present at the drawing in order to secure a plot. Residents of Greenleaf, James Creek, and Syphax Gardens will have priority for 4 of the plots.

Storage shed at SW Community Gardens.

 

Another option for those who can't commit much time to their own plot is to join the Garden Crew. The Garden Crew shares 10 garden plots and work together to take care of the plants and teach people about gardening. The produce grown will be distributed among garden crew members and the community in general. Those who are interested in this option can call the number listed above, send an email, or visit the SW Community Garden Group website.

Map of recent and planned improvements to Lansburgh Park.

There will be a Meet and Greet event this Sunday at Lansburgh Park that will be co-hosted by the SW Community Garden Group and PAWS of SW, the group that's bringing a dog park next to the community garden. The Meet and Greet will be be from 11am to 2pm. Tours of the gardens will be available as well as an obstacle course for dogs. Gardening and dog skills demonstrations will be presented throughout the event. There will be a special appearance by Sam the bloodhound, MPD's newest detective. Light refreshments will be served.

Public Kickoff Meeting for Southwest Neighborhood Plan (Small Area Plan)

A Public Kickoff meeting related to the Southwest Neighborhood Plan will be held on September 11th from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at Arena Stage. Over the next 6 months, the DC Office of Planning will be engaging Southwest residents and stakeholders to create a community led plan to guide the changes in the Southwest neighborhood for the next 5 to 10 years. The Southwest Plan will focus on four key elements – people, parks, connections, and building.  

The project area contains a number of underutilized District-owned properties, including Randall Recreation Center, NE parcel of Waterfront Station, First District headquarters, Lansburgh Park, the DMV inspection station, and DCFD Repair Shop/Engine Co. # 7, among others. One of the main reasons for the Southwest Neighborhood Plan is to provide guidance for the future of these parcels. It was reported in Housing Complex earlier this month that a couple of the parcels that may be in play to trade for land in Buzzard Point for a new DC United soccer stadium are 1001 and 1101 Half Street, home to the DMV inspection station and DCFD Repair Shop/Engine Co. #7, respectively. 

OP has created a project website and will soon create a second website called “Engage Southwest” where community members can interact. Other ways to participate in the process include using social media (use the hashtag #SWDCPlan on Twitter, “like” posts on Facebook, etc.), submitting hand-written comments or questions at the public meetings, calling the Office of Planning at 202-442-7600, or sending an email to Melissa Bird, Ward 6 Planning Coordinator.

Southwest Neighborhood Plan coverage map courtesy of Office of Planning

Lansburgh Park to Get New Additions This Summer

Progress is being made to bring new amenities to Lansburgh Park, the largest park in Southwest (if you don't count the National Mall), located along Delaware Avenue roughly from K Street to L Street and backs up to the DMV. Two organizations have been busy raising funds and garnering support to build a dog park and a community garden. The PAWS of Southwest have received approval from the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to build a 10,000 square-foot dog park to the east of the tennis courts. There will be two areas - a 2,000 square-foot area for small dogs and 8,000 square feet for large dogs. The project is fully funded and plans are to break ground this summer. The District will contribute towards the basics and PAWS will fund the rest. A new blog was created to help the SW Waterfront community with tips for handling and training your dog in an urban environment called Waterfront Woof League.

Meanwhile, the SW Community Gardens group has plans of their own for a garden to be located to the northeast of the tennis courts in a 6,500 square-foot space. DPR has also been working with the garden group, which is affiliated with the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly. The group was recently the recipient of a $50,000 grant in a nationwide competition from Fiskars called the 2013 Project Orange Thumb Garden Makeover. According to the press release:

Their proposed “Lansburgh Park Community Garden” was envisioned as a place for meditative gardening and community programming for veterans, youth and seniors. The new [6,500] square-foot garden will provide educational opportunities and give community members a place to reap the rewards of growing their own fresh food. Plans are underway for a one-day Fiskars Project Orange Thumb garden makeover in partnership with The Home Depot Foundation in July 2013.

Volunteers from the community will be needed to help put the garden together.

Amidon-Bowen Opens New Doors

(This post is an abbreviated version of the South by West article that will appear in September's Hill Rag.)

While children were enjoying their summer break, crews worked seven days a week to complete a $5 million renovation at Amidon-Bowen Elementary School, the only elementary school in Southwest. Gone are the red walls and window air conditioning units. In their place is a more modern-looking school for a neighborhood that is rapidly changing. Mayor Gray and DC Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson were on hand today to celebrate the completion of renovations and the first day of school.

New lobby area.

 Renovations at Amidon-Bowen include a new ADA-compliant entrance, a new administrative office suite, a new walk-through from the front to the play area, a new air conditioning system, and re-sized classrooms with technology upgrades and moveable walls. Additional improvements such as a water feature near the front entrance were not included as a cost savings measure. Despite the removal of the water feature from the plans, a maritime theme now permeates throughout the school, where creatures found in the Chesapeake Bay such as barracudas and turtles serve as “mascots” for each grade level pairing along with a new color scheme including blue, green, purple, and orange

.

The basketball court will be replaced with a soccer/football field and running lanes.

Shortly after the completion of interior renovations, work on some exterior sections will begin. Funding is already in place for the play areas, which will cost $500,000; however, the $1 million needed for installing new windows has yet to be secured. Improvements to the play areas will include two playgrounds, a turf football/soccer field, and a couple of running lanes. The fence near the front of the property will be pushed closer to I Street to make room for a playground for older children. A second playground for younger children will be placed in the back of the property and will be separated from Amidon Field by a controlled-access fence. Currently, there is a playground located closer to the school building, but the positions of the new playgrounds will help reduce noise into the classrooms. The site of the current playground will be replaced by a grassy area. PTA President Marty Welles would like to incorporate the “mascots” and color scheme inside the school to the new playgrounds to help tie the spaces together. The football/soccer field will replace the basketball court that is currently on site – the court will be rebuilt this fall at Lansburgh Park where a neglected tennis court now stands. Next to the turf field will be two running lanes. All of these areas will be open to the public outside of normal school hours. In addition to play areas, a greenhouse is planned for an area next to the playground reserved for younger children. A greenhouse will be able to grow herbs and flowers in the winter time whereas the majority of the growing season for the raised garden beds currently in place occurs when school is not in session.  

Amidon's recently renovated library.

Other recent improvements to Amidon-Bowen include an upgrade to the school’s library last year, courtesy of a grant from Target with new books, technology updates, new furniture, carpet, and shelves. Also, volunteers from Joel Osteen’s group made some landscape improvements outside of the school last spring when the televangelist held a spiritual event nearby at Nationals Park. Future unfunded phases of renovations, in addition to new windows, include improvements to the gymnasium and all-purpose room, as well as improvements to interior systems, such as the installation of an elevator.

Update: There will be an open house on Saturday, September 8 at the school from 10am - 12pm.

Upcoming SW Movie Nights at Lansburgh Park

Prior to the August 13 movie night, the KanKouran West African Dance Company will do a performance at 7pm.