Belated Review of Third Greenleaf Planning Meeting

There was a Greenleaf community meeting back in the summer which gave an update on the long process ahead to redevelop Greenleaf as a mixed-income community. There were two other community meetings in March 2016 and October 2015 where input was gathered on the redevelopment plan. 

In order to start the redevelopment process, the Housing Authority has made a commitment to using a “Build First” model, so existing residents are not displaced from the neighborhood while the public housing complex is redeveloped over the next several years. Two nearby publicly-owned sites have been identified as potential candidates to build the initial phase of the redeveloped Greenleaf. One is the parking lot adjacent to MPD’s First District headquarters at the northeast corner of Delaware Avenue and M Street. The other site is the DC FEMS Engine 7 repair shop at Half and M streets. 

Greenleaf boundaries in orange; pins show potential "Build First" sites

The preliminary development plan developed by the consultant HR&A Advisors would first involve the construction of a mixed-income building at the selected “Build First” site so some of the existing residents can move there to allow for a phased demolition of the existing Greenleaf buildings, starting with the townhouses along M Street. In the preliminary development plan, there are a mix of housing types and heights. Generally, the building heights are highest along M Street and taper down to the north and south. The redevelopment of the 15-acre site is split into four blocks: 

• Block A is bounded by 3rd Street to the west, Delaware Avenue to the east, M Street to the south and L Street to the north. An affordable seniors/disabled 11-story apartment building with 272 units would be built along M Street with about 15,000 SF of ground floor retail. The northern portion of the block would be developed with a mixed-income nine-story multifamily building with 214 units. 
• Block B is bounded by 3rd Street to the west, Delaware Avenue to the east, L Street to the south and K Street to the north. The west portion would have about 37 townhouses and the east side of the block would be a seven-story multifamily building with about 207 units, with some townhouses on the lower floors. 
• Block C is bounded by 3rd Street to the west, Delaware Avenue to the east, K Street to the south and I Street to the north. The west portion would have about 37 townhouses and the east side of the block would be a mid-rise multifamily building with about 340 units, with some townhouses on the lower floors. 
• Block D is bounded by Delaware Avenue to the west, King-Greenleaf Recreation Center to the east, King Greenleaf Ballfield to the south and M Street to the north. On the northwest portion of the block, an 11-story building would be constructed along Delaware Avenue with about 320 units and 7,000 SF of ground floor retail. A second 11-story multifamily building would be constructed on the northeast portion of the block – this one would have about 420 units, with some townhouses on the lower floors. The south portion of the block would include 42 townhouses. 

Excluding the “Build First” phase of development, nearly 1,900 units would be built at Greenleaf, replacing the existing 493 units of affordable housing and adding a significant amount of market-rate housing. Nothing new has happened since the July meeting, but the next step in the process is to come to an agreement with the District on a site to do “Build First.” Following that, the redevelopment plan needs to be finalized and then the Housing Authority will issue a RFP to select a developer partner.

Pool Schedule Released

DPR has announced pool and spray park opening dates and operating hours for the summer season. In Southwest, Randall Pool and East Potomac Pool will open on Memorial Day weekend (May 28-30) from 12-6pm. The pools will be open only on weekends through June 12. Starting on June 18, the pools will be open most days of the week, starting at 11am and will remain open until Labor Day (Monday, September 5). Meanwhile, the new King-Greenleaf Spray Park at Canal and N streets will open for the summer on Saturday, May 28, operating daily from 10am-7pm. The spray park will close on Labor Day. 

On a separate note, the SW Duck Pond, which has been closed for construction, is expected to reopen on July 4.

King-Greenleaf Playground Progress Photos

The new King-Greenleaf playground is coming along nicely compared to how it looked back in March. The play surface has now been installed, as well as new landscaping and sidewalks. It now looks almost ready to open! With rising temperatures, it would be nice if the splash park opened soon. Below are some progress photos of the playground and splash park that were taken last week.

Condition of playground in March.

Condition of playground last week.

Splash park back in March.

Splash park last week.

Construction Update - Playgrounds

 

Two playgrounds are currently under construction in the neighborhood – both are part of the Play DC playground improvement program. One is located at King-Greenleaf Recreation Center at 201 N Street and the other is at Randall Recreation Center, located at South Capitol and I streets. King-Greenleaf’s new play equipment has a nautical theme. In addition to new play equipment, there will be a splash park. Below are some construction photos: 

Splash park

New play equipment

Playground sign

Over at Randall Recreation Center, the playground was delayed for over a year before construction began in late 2014. At one point, the site was under consideration for a charter high school, but KIPP decided to build elsewhere in the city amid neighborhood opposition. A skate park and splash park that would have fronted I Street have been removed from plans for phase one of the playground due to lack of funding. The playground equipment at Randall also has a nautical theme, but focused on pirates. Below are a couple construction photos: 

New play equipment

New sidewalks

Both playgrounds should be complete later this spring.

A Few Quick Items: New Douglass Bridge, Wharf Update, Greenleaf Shelter, Transpoint Lease

The Washington Business Journal reports that DDOT has narrowed down the list of teams that can compete for the contract to build a new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, traffic ovals on either side of the bridge, and the reconstruction of the I-295/Suitland Parkway interchange. Funding has been secured for the $622 million project, which covers Phase One of the South Capitol Corridor project. The current bridge design concept was criticized by the Commission of Fine Arts back in September, who wanted a more contemporary design for the span.

Rendering Courtesy of DDOT

According to the Washington Business Journal, the DC Court of Appeals last month did not overrule the decision by the Zoning Commission to approve the portion of The Wharf's Stage 2 PUD dealing with Parcel 11, where St. Augustine's Episcopal Church will get a new sanctuary and Hoffman-Madison Waterfront will build a mixed income condo building. Owners of the townhomes at Tiber Island Cooperative appealed the Zoning Commission ruling claiming that the planned condo building did not respect the historic designation of the townhomes across the street. The ruling clears the way for this part of the project to move forward. While the new St. Augustine's is being built, parishioners will be worshiping elsewhere in Southwest.  Hoffman-Madison Waterfront will be at Monday's ANC meeting to give an update on The Wharf.

Rendering courtesy of MTFA Architecture

Two recreation centers in the city have been set aside as temporary shelters for newly homeless families due to the increase in the homeless population as mentioned in a Washington Post article. One of those centers is King-Greenleaf Recreation Center. Homeless families started coming to King-Greenleaf last week. The temporary shelter will be in place until the end of hypothermia season on April 1.It is estimated that anywhere from 500 to 1,000 newly homeless families will need to be housed before the end of the season. Only a few families have used the rec centers in the first couple of days. From the article:

Thursday night was the first night families were referred to a rec center. Seventeen were referred, and nine wound up staying. And by Friday, the number was down to one.

With the clock ticking on GSA's pending lease expiration on April 30, 2015 at the former Coast Guard headquarters in Buzzard Point, the Navy issued a contract for remodeling the Navy Yard building that was damaged in September as a result of the mass shooting that occurred. About 3,000 employees were moved temporarily to Transpoint since the building was empty following the departure of the Coast Guard. From the Washington Business Journal article:

Monday Properties, according to the Navy, "has stated its intention to not renew a lease with the GSA."

Perhaps the owner is weighing its options with the prospect of a new soccer stadium being built two blocks away? Maybe. Further down the article, Tim Helmig from Monday Properties stated the following:

The company "welcomes any discussion to extend," and that Transpoint is an ideal facility for federal employees to occupy. "GSA and Monday Properties have worked together and were in discussions about extending the lease, but those discussions have not taken place since December of 2013."

King-Greenleaf Playground to be Upgraded; New Randall Programming to Begin

Last month, Mayor Gray announced that eight additional playgrounds have been added to the original list of 32 playgrounds that will be upgraded under DPR’s Play DC Playground Improvement Initiative. King-Greenleaf is one of the eight new playgrounds added to the upgrade list for improvements in 2014. Randall is one of the original playgrounds on the upgrade list, but that project has been delayed due to the uncertainty earlier this year revolving around KIPP DC’s unsolicited proposal to redevelop the Randall Recreation Center, pool, and ball fields to a new charter high school campus. At least 20 of the original 32 playground upgrades have been completed so far. Once I get an update from DPR about timing for King-Greenleaf and Randall, I’ll pass that along.

Concept plan for Randall Rec. center playground. Courtesy of DPR.

Separate from the Play DC initiative, planning for the Southwest Playground Project at 3rd and I streets is moving along. A builder RFP was issued by the Department of General Services (DGS) in October, although additional funding is still needed in order to complete the project since labor costs are higher than originally estimated. Build Day is tentatively scheduled for spring 2014, but the exact timing will not be known until a builder is selected by DGS.

Randall Recreation Center.

Meanwhile, Randall Recreation Center is gearing up for new programming that will begin the week of January 6th. Sasha Bruce Youthwork, Inc. has put together a programming guide for classes at the rec. center during the winter months.  Classes for people of all ages are available, including art, fitness and exercise, as well as youth-oriented activities. The Tot Lot program for toddlers ages 18 months to three years old is already underway. Programming has been very limited at Randall for several years and the effort to bring more activity to the rec. center has been a collaborative effort between the CBCC, SWNA, DPR, Sasha Bruce Youthwork, Inc., and others.

All classes are free, but registration is required. Register in person on Mondays between 4 and 7pm, or send an email to Clynthia Graham to request an electronic registration form. More information is available by calling 202-554-6973.

Volunteers Needed for SW Youth Tennis Club

The second season of the Southwest Youth Tennis Club will begin this summer.  Below is information from

the press release:

This season, free lessons will be offered on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings from June 20 through July 28 (excluding July 4th) at the King-Greenleaf Recreation Center Tennis Courts, 201 N Street, SW Washington, DC. Practice sessions may also be scheduled depending on the students’ needs. The Tennis Club can accommodate up to 40 students. 

This year, the club needs volunteers to: coach and teach tennis to 10-18 year-old beginners; practice with the students; distribute leaflets announcing the free lessons; pick up and deliver refreshments; take action photos of the students, and make wake-up/reminder calls. Interested volunteers should email Kay Hixson at swtennis2012@gmail.com.

Photo from last season courtesy of Kay Hickson

Old Friendship Baptist Church Grounds to be Used for Baseball

While redevelopment of the Old Friendship Baptist Church site at Delaware Avenue and H Street is on hold, the owner has leased the grounds to the Batter Up Foundation for use by DC RBI as a bullpen, batting cage, and storage space. The Batter Up Foundation is a non-profit organization affiliated with Major League Baseball that helps to bring baseball to inner-city youth in several cities across the country.

The grounds of the church are being set up as a batting cage, bullpen, and storage.

Next door to the church at Randall Recreation Center, the local DC Junior RBI Little League team has been practicing for the past couple of months at the ball field. Even though some of the 14 kids on the team are local Southwesters and attend Jefferson Middle School, this is the first season that the team has been practicing in Southwest. Coach Andrew Williamson, who is in his fourth year of coaching with DC RBI, said that DC RBI draws kids from Wards 5, 6, 7, and 8 and the Randall Rec Center ball field is ideal since it's centrally located, lighted, and easy to get to for the players. The Randall field has been underutilized by youth - the only people using it previously has been adult softball teams. Coach Andrew says DC RBI has been working with DPR, King-Greenleaf Recreation Center, and community leaders to bring the team to Randall. "We want people to know that kids here have an interest in baseball," said Williamson.

The ball field at Randall Recreation Center is behind the church.

Practice is held twice a week (Monday and Wednesday evenings) from 6:30 - 8:30pm. The first game of the season will be this Saturday, but the team plays their games at a little league field east of the Anacostia. The team mostly plays against other teams in DC, but also a few in Virginia and Maryland.

This isn't the first site in Southwest that has temporary uses on it while development has been delayed. Besides the parking lots along South Capitol Street, St. Matthew's has used their site at Delaware Avenue and M Street as a Christmas tree lot and community garden, and the northwest parcel at Waterfront Station has been used as a field for Ultimate Frisbee.

The Washington Business Journal also has a story on DC RBI's lease, and mentions in its article that Washington Parks and People will also lease part of the grounds for use as an urban agricultural site.

Ward 6 Easter Fest

A Few Quick Items: FANtastic March 10K, Maine Avenue Construction, SW Comm-Unity Day

- The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is sponsoring a 10K walk/run to benefit the Southwest Playground Project - the FANtastic March 10K will take place on Sunday, September 18th around monumental Washington. The entry fee is $50 and includes breakfast, a FANtastic t-shirt, and a barbeque at the conclusion of the run at Hains Point. In addition, the Mandarin will make a corporate match up to $10,000 towards the Southwest Playground Project. To date, about $1,750 has been raised out of the $10,000 goal for the event. Click here to sign up for the 10K. Other recent corporate contributions toward the playground include a $5,000 grant from the Safeway Foundation and $1,250 from Station 4 during their soft opening on June 26.

- DDOT began road work today on eastbound Maine Avenue from the northbound 14th Street Bridge ramp to 12th Street. According to DDOT:

The project will replace the existing 4-foot-wide sidewalk with a new 14-foot-wide trail, accommodating both bicyclists and pedestrians, and replace the existing road surface. Installation of new storm water drainage elements, bio-retention areas, trees, lighting, signs, curb, gutter and fencing is also included in the project. To accommodate these amenities, on-street parking in this area will be eliminated. The number of vehicular lanes will be reduced from two to one and some driveway entrances to businesses will be realigned.

Construction will take place Monday – Friday from 7am to 7pm and sometimes on weekends from 8am to 5pm. During construction, the eastbound sidewalk and the Maine Avenue entrance to the Fish Market will be closed. Access to the market will still be open via Water Street. The work will be completed around mid-October.

- The 5th Annual SW Comm-Unity Day is set for Saturday, August 6 at the King-Greenleaf Recreation Center from 9am - 8pm. The day-long event will offer free activities for the entire family. SW Comm-Unity Day stems from the annual Unity Day event that used to occur each summer when former residents of Southwest that were displaced during urban renewal would come back to the neighborhood. For more information, check the SW Comm-Unity Forum’s website.

SW Youth Tennis Club in Search of Volunteers

The following message is from the SW Youth Tennis Club

The SW-DC Youth Tennis Club is looking for Volunteer Tennis Instructors!

Commit 5 to 10 hours over 5 weeks this summer July through mid-August. You pick the time.

If you are an Intermediate tennis player and like kids, you have the skills we need. Most of the SW kids ages 10 to 16 will be beginners, and need help with the basics.

(Activities at Randall and King-Greenleaf tennis courts)

 

In addition, we're looking for a social media guru to set up our blog/TW/FB/YouTube presence focusing on our opcoming tennis activities, and a graphic designer to work on our logo and visual pieces (membersip cards for the young people, etc.).

 

Donations of used tennis equipment will also be accepted.

 

To sign up, call or email Kay Hixson (202-646-0551 or kay@KHAsolutions.com)

Free Pet Vaccinations Offered by DC Government

The DC Department of Health (DOH) is hosting its annual free pet vaccination clinics in all eight wards and the Ward 6 location will be held at King-Greenleaf Recreation Center this Saturday from 1pm – 4pm. According to the DOH's website, pet vaccination clinics are open to the pets of District residents, and will feature free vaccinations for both cats and dogs, as well as the sale of dog licenses. King-Greenleaf Recreation Center is located at 201 N Street.