Inaugural Market SW is Tonight!

This evening is the inaugural Market SW night market at Waterfront Station, located at 4th and M streets. Market SW will be from 4 to 9 pm on the vacant lot in front of Station 4 and Z-Burger. A variety of activities will be available at Market SW, including: 

• Nearly 30 vendors 
• Live painting by Art Whino 
• Asian-inspired food trucks 
• Live music 
• Beer garden 
• Live Capoeira Angola (Afro-Brazilian martial arts) 
• Community organizations/businesses 

A full list can be found here. 

The market will occur every last Friday of the month through October and is a production of Diverse Markets Management, with the support of Waterfront Station and the SWBID. Unfortunately I'm out of town this weekend, so if anyone attends the market and takes pictures, please pass them along to me. Thanks!

Tomorrow, Aya Community Markets will be set up for their weekly farmer's market from 10 am to 2 pm at the same location as Market SW. Aya moved this year from in front of Christ United Methodist Church to the Waterfront Station site.   

Little Farm Stand Taking a Test Drive at SW Duck Pond Tomorrow

On Saturday starting at 11am, The Little Farm Stand will be stationed at the Southwest Duck Pond for the day. The farm stand sells locally grown fruits and vegetables.  If the farm stand is successful, it may return for the season in 2013. Prior to the farm stand opening, the Neighbors of SW Duck Pond will have their monthly clean-up from 9am to 10:30am.  Last month, Kate Baldwin, star of Arena Stage's recent production The Music Man, stopped by the SW Duck Pond to show her support.

A Few Quick Items: Dog Park, St. Matthew's PUD, 7th Street Landing Activities, Capital Bikeshare Expansion, Kastles Roster, Fish Market Restoration, Craft Beer & Food Truck Festival

- The PAWS of SW will be submitting an application to the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to create an off-leash dog park at Lansburg Park since Southwest is the only quadrant in the city without a dog park. They will be working with the newly created "Friends of Lansburg Park" to do fundraising and organize community events, with the support of SWNA. Over $100,000 is needed to build the dog park, which will go towards ground modification, fencing, running water, and to make the site ADA accessible.  A minimum of 5,000 square feet is needed for a dog park, but the proposed dog park will not take up all of Lansburg Park. Other uses are being explored for the large, underutilized green space, including a playground, community garden, and skate park. The PAWS of SW meets at the SW Library on the first Wednesday of every month and they have a Google Group (sw-dog-park@googlegroups.com).

- The development team behind the St. Matthew's church and multifamily housing project met with the Zoning Commission last week to get approval for their PUD application.  There were so many people who wanted to testify at the meeting that it was adjourned until March 19.   Neighbors of the proposed development have created an online petition in opposition to the development. Below is a video of the March 5 meeting in case you are so inclined to watch the meeting. Rendering courtesy of Shalom Baranes Architects

Update: The second half of the Zoning Commission hearing from March 19 is now available (see below). A few follow-up items still need to be sent to the Zoning Commission and they will meet again on April 30 to make their decision on the PUD application.

- Hoffman-Madison Waterfront is proposing to offer wine and beer sales at 7th Street Landing this season on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Last year, beer and wine was sold only on Thursdays during the farmers market. The farmers market will be back on Thursday evenings with jazz performances starting on June 7 for approximately 16 weeks.  Friday evenings will bring community entertainment, while YaLa and yoga will return on Saturday mornings.  New this year will be family-friendly movie screenings on Saturday evenings. Sundays will be dedicated to recreation, including bocce, table tennis, and cornhole.

-  Renovations are planned this summer at Amidon-Bowen Elementary school.  Phase 1 will include a new administrative office suite at the front of the school, a new walk-through from the front to the play area in back, re-sized classrooms, and a new ADA-compliant entrance. All of the renovations will be complete by the end of August.  Last summer, Target donated funds to renovate the school's library. There will be an open house on Tuesday, April 10 from 6-7pm at the school where the plans will be shared with the community.

- Two Capital Bikeshare stations were installed today on the National Mall.  One is located on Jefferson Drive between 14th and 15th Streets by the Washington Monument and the other is on Ohio Drive near the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial.  Three more stations will be installed over the coming weeks.

- The Washington Kastles have completed their roster selection and will bring back most of the team from last season, including Captain Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds, and Arina Rodionova. Replacing retired player Rennae Stubbs will be Arina's sister Anastasia Rodionova.  The Kastles will have two sets of siblings with the Rodionovas and the Williams sisters, who will also return this season.

- The Housing Complex blog describes how the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team will preserve and restore the Oyster Shucking Shed and Lunch Room at the Maine Avenue Fish Market as a component of The Wharf development.  Currently, the white buildings at the market are vacant and in disrepair.  From the post:

The currently unused Oyster Shucking Shed and Lunch Room, a pair of ramshackle buildings surrounded by vending machines and ice boxes, will become a "centerpiece," according to a spokesman for the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. They've submitted an historic landmark application for the seemingly nondescript structures, which were built in 1916 and are now literally falling apart inside. They retain enough integrity, though, to "serve as reminders of the Southwest Waterfront's historic commercial and maritime industries." According to the application, the Lunch Room was home to the Cadillac Restaurant from the 1940s through the 1970s, while fish dealers used the shucking shed to prepare their catch for sale. 

- LivingSocial is hosting a Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf on the weekend of April 21-22 from 12-5pm. There will be 25 craft brewery tents, live local music, 10 food trucks, and backyard lawn games and activities. LivingSocial is currently offering a package for $35 on their website.

Photos from Premiere of 7th Street Landing Farmers Market

A large crowd descended upon the Southwest Waterfront on a low-humidity evening yesterday for the debut of the farmers market at 7th Street Landing. This was the kick-off to summer programming at the park, which will be activated Thursdays through Saturdays. Interim uses of the Southwest Waterfront over the next two years will include 7th Street Landing and Kastles Stadium at The Wharf, which will host its first match of the Washington Kastles tennis team on July 5. June's schedule of events for 7th Street Landing can be found here.  The farmers market will be held at 7th Street Landing every Thursday evening from 5-8pm until the end of September. There was a mix of produce from Arcadia Green Market, baked goods from Buzz Bakery, charcuterie hot dogs from Frank at Red Apron Butcher & Larder, beer and wine from the folks at ChurchKey and Birch & Barley, an Asian food station, King Rib BBQ, table tennis, and jazz music from Antonio Parker Quintet. Patrons that wanted to drink wine or beer at the park needed to have a wrist band and the entrances to 7th Street Landing were secured to ensure people didn't leave the area with their libations. Below are some photos from the market.



A list of fresh produce available at the Arcadia farmers market.




Here's a close-up of some of the produce.



Several varieties of hot dogs were available at Frank.

 

There was always a line at the beer and wine station.



Table tennis was available for patrons to enjoy.

 

The park was full of people for the premiere of the weekly farmers market.



Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells was spotted at the farmers market.

 

The Antonio Parker Quintet.



It was a beautiful evening to lounge around the waterfront.



7th Street Landing Schedule for June

At this evening's Southwest Waterfront meeting co-hosted by SWNA and the CBCC, Elinor Bacon and Bob Rubenkonig from the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team discussed the community benefits package they agreed to with the city (which I will post about later), and in addition, Bob went over the programming schedule for 7th Street Landing for the month of June.

Starting on June 2 and every Thursday until September 29, there will be a farmers market with jazz and blues from 5-8pm. The farmers market will feature Arcadia Green Market, Red Apron Butcher & Larder, Buzz Bakery, Frank (handmade hot dogs from Red Apron), handcrafted beers and regional wines (from the purveyors of ChurchKey and Birch & Barley), and King Ribs BBQ with Grillmaster Bufus.  Click here for more information on the security plan for the market. The following jazz and blues bands by Jazz Night in Southwest, a project of Southwest Renaissance at Westminster Presbyterian Church, will perform in June:

• June 2: Antonio Parker Quintet
• June 9: Queen Aisha & Friends
• June 16: Thad Wilson Jazz Ensemble
• June 23: David Cole Blues Band
• June 30: Nasar Abadey Quartet

On Friday evenings, there will be Summer Rhythms and a Food Truck Roundup from 6-8pm.  The following bands will perform in June, provided by DC Harbor Cruises:

• June 3: Patrick Alband and Noche Latina (Latina and Salsa)
• June 10: Crawdaddies (Cajun Soul)
• June 17: New Legacy Jazz (Big Band Swing)
• June 24: Higher Hands (Fusion)

Each Saturday morning in June there will be Waterfront Yoga from 10-11am provided by Flow Yoga on The Wharf with Caitlin Uzzell.  In addition, King Ribs will provide breakfast BBQ. All events at 7th Street Landing are free and open to the public. Activities at all events include Bean Baggo, Table Tennis and Bocce and free WiFi access. A monthly schedule of events for 7th Street Landing will be placed in The Southwester.

ANC 6D Meeting Recap

- Redistricting: At-large council members Phil Mendelson and Michael Brown attended the ANC 6D meeting – both of whom are members of the special committee in charge of redistricting. After a brief presentation by the council members, the floor was open to questions and comments from commissioners and the audience that lasted over a half hour. Just about all of the comments revolved around the proposal by Ward 8 council member Barry to annex Near SE and/or Near SW - everyone was against. The initial mark-up of the new Ward boundary map will be done after the council’s next meeting on May 25 and the entire process must be complete by mid-July. Once the redistricting map has been finalized, Ward taskforces will be created to work on ANC boundaries. After the council members left, commissioners Garber and Litsky introduced a resolution to keep Near SW/SE in Ward 6 which passed unanimously.

- Consolidated Forensic Laboratory (CFL): The new CFL under construction at 4th and E Street is 55% complete and on track for completion by June 2012. Components of the facility currently underway include waterproofing of the lab space and installation of the sun shade louver system along E Street, which is one of the green components of the building (the CFL is aiming for LEED-Gold certification). Next month, the protected sidewalk along the west side of 4th Street will be removed. It may be moved into the curb lane of 4th Street or removed completely – approval for shifting the structure to 4th Street is pending DDOT approval. The protected sidewalk is being moved so new sidewalks, trees, and plants can be installed from July – November. By Halloween, the exterior of the building should be complete. So far in 2011, 113 tradesmen have been hired, out of which 67 (or 59%) are District residents. Through the duration of the project, 257 tradesmen have been hired, of which 133 (or 52%) have been District residents, and only three have been Southwest residents.

- 4th & M Street Intersection: Commissioner McBee mentioned that DDOT has issued a notice of intent for changes to the 4th & M Street intersection. Back in March, the ANC voted to request DDOT to make the following changes:

• Restore left-turn traffic signals on east & westbound M Street to turn on 4th Street.

• Allow drivers to make left turns on two lanes of northbound 4th Street towards M Street so employees at Fort McNair can get out of the neighborhood faster (the left lane would be left turn only and the next lane will allow cars to either turn left, go straight, or turn right).

• The Metrobus stop will return to the northeast corner of the intersection.

• U-turns will be illegal again on M Street.

• Restrict drivers from turning left from southbound 4th Street onto M Street (drivers leaving Safeway can use I Street as an alternative to go towards Near SE).

Within the past couple of weeks, DDOT has made changes to the 4th & I Street intersection (as I tweeted previously) which include the conversion from a “Barnes Dance” hybrid to a normal intersection. There is no longer a pedestrian-only window at the intersection; however, pedestrians are given a couple extra seconds to cross the street before the traffic light turns green for vehicles. This was probably done to facilitate the movement of vehicles from the Waterfront Station Safeway towards Near SE since the left turn lane from southbound 4th Street to M Street will be eliminated once that intersection is reworked by DDOT.

- Team to End AIDS: The ANC approved (6-1) the use of Town Center East Park temporarily by the Team to End AIDS endurance program to use as a staging area for their weekly runs around the city on Saturday mornings from May 21 – December 1 in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon and other races. The use of Town Center East Park is temporary due to the proximity of housing and potential disruption of library patrons as 70-100 runners gather at the park each week. The ANC is looking into other locations where the running group may gather instead, including the northwest parcel of Waterfront Station and 7th Street Landing.

- 7th Street Landing Farmers Market: Bob Rubenkonig and Elinor Bacon from Hoffman-Madison Waterfront presented their security plan for the weekly Mobile Market, which will take place each Thursday from 5-8pm (June 2 – September 22). The park will be reconfigured for market days, with security barriers erected along the top border by the CaBi station and near the entry points to the waterfront promenade at the water-facing side of the park, resulting in three entrances. Near the top entrance, there will be six market vendors set up and behind them new benches will be installed. A stroller corral will be located in the top right corner of the park and the port-o-potties will remain on the opposite corner. Prepared fresh foods will be sold near the music stage (while jazz is being performed) and on the opposite side near the DC Harbor Cruises kiosk. Beer and wine will be sold on the left corner near the water-facing side of the park, next to one of the prepared fresh foods booth, and seating will be located in the center of 7th Street Landing. Bracelets will be required to purchase beer or wine and 100% ID check will be in effect. There will be 3 security officers and 10 staff members at the market, including those from the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture and Hoffman-Madison Waterfront.

- Lucky Kabob liquor license: The ANC unanimously approved Lucky Kabob’s application for a CR-01 liquor license (may serve beer, wine, and spirits) at the restaurant, located at 1548 1st Street. Lucky Kabob opened last year and according to the proprietor, has done pretty well so far. After a six-month probation period, the ANC will reconsider the restaurateur’s request to allow dancing at the establishment at weddings, parties, etc. The Indian restaurant’s operating hours are as follows:

Carry Out

Monday – Friday: 7:30am – 7:30pm; Saturday: 9am – 7:30pm; Sunday: 10am – 5pm

Dine In

Monday – Friday: 10am – 9pm, Saturday: 10am – 9pm

More Details About 7th Street Landing's Schedule

7th Street Landing will be activated again each week this summer with activities from Thursday to Sunday. In this month's The Southwester, there are some details about what the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team has planned for the waterfront park. As mentioned previously, there will be a mobile farmers market on Thursday evenings from 4:30pm-7:30 pm starting on June 2. The Mobile Market is a retrofitted school bus that runs on bio diesel from the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture. The mobile market will feature organic produce, beer and wine sales from Churchkey, baked goods from Buzz Bakery, and meats from Red Apron Butchery.

In addition to the mobile market, there will be jazz performances on Thursday evenings hosted by Westminster Presbyterian Church. Friday evenings will bring music performances from local artists to the park from 5:30pm - 7:30pm as well as BBQ from King Rib (that was previously on the property of St. Augustine's Church) and other food trucks. Saturday morning yoga will return to 7th Street Landing at 10am, as well as breakfast items from King Rib. BBQ will also be served for lunch on Saturday & Sunday from 12pm-5pm. The weekly events at the park will last this year until September 25. Interim programming at 7th Street Landing will take place over the next couple of years as the Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team goes through the PUD process and gets ready for development of The Wharf by the end of 2012.

Farmers Market Coming to 7th Street Landing

Starting in June, the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture will be bringing a mobile food market on Thursdays to 7th Street Landing at The Wharf.  The Mobile Market is a retrofitted school bus that runs on bio diesel. Here's a description of the Mobile Market according to the Arcadia Center's website:

Our Mobile Market will retail local produce and artisan foods to urban dwellers both in central, downtown areas, as well as neighborhoods that typically don't have access to fresh food.  The mobile market will offer recipes, cooking demos, and fun food education to encourage better eating and home cooking, and will happily accept SNAP and WIC.

The Arcadia Center is a non-profit organization launched last year by National Restaurant Group's Michael Babin, who operates restaurants in the metro area including Rustico, Tallula, and Birch & Barley.  Back in December, The Washington Post did a story on Babin's new venture at Woodlawn Plantation near Mount Vernon, where over 100 acres have been set aside to establish the Arcadia Center. From the article: 

Last month, the 42-year-old restaurateur broke ground on the site that will become the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture, a nonprofit venture aimed at training young growers, educating kids about farming and, perhaps most significant, scaling up the regional food economy by coordinating sales and delivery of the area's sustainably raised foods to restaurants, schools, groceries, institutional clients and consumers.

The Hoffman-Madison Waterfront team, the developers of The Wharf at the Southwest Waterfront, will soon be rolling out their full programming schedule for 7th Street Landing and 9th Street park, where a tennis stadium will be built for the Washington Kastles later this spring. Last fall, 7th Street Landing hosted jazz nights, yoga, food truck corrals, lawn games, and other events.

USDA Farmers Market Starts Friday

At market this week: strawberries, blueberries, lettuce, onions, radishes, Swiss chard, spinach, tomatoes, squash, new potatoes, honey, broccoli, cabbage, herbs, empanadas, breads, kettle corn, soap, plants and much more. Vendors include: Terrapin Station, Calvert Kettle Corn, C&T Produce, and Penn Farm.

FRESHFARM Market Opens Today!

This is a reminder that the FRESHFARM Market at the Health & Human Services building at 200 Independence Avenue debuts today from 2:30pm-6:30pm. It will be open every Wednesday until October 27th. Local farmers and producers include: Blades Orchard, DiBonaventure Bakery, Down to Earth Farm, Evensong Farm, Firefly Farm, Floradise Orchids, LynnVale Studios, Springfield Farm of Kent County, Three Springs Fruit Farm and more. Also, EBT/Food Stamps can be redeemed at the information table for fresh and healthy foods at the HHS market.

ANC 6D Meeting Tonight

The agenda for tonight's ANC 6D meeting has been posted online. There are several SW-related items, including an upcoming Near SW/SE Candidate Forum, the new FRESHFARM farmers market at the Department of Health & Human Services, the South Washington Collaborative Health Fair in August, a resolution on the District-owned northeast parcel at Waterfront Station, a triathlon, a new TOPP meeting, the pump for the pond at Town Center Park, 14th Street Bridge Environmental Impact Statement, and summer school programs at Amidon-Bowen Elementary. The meeting will be held at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church located at 600 M Street, starting at 7pm.

FRESHFARM Market Coming to HHS

On my morning run along the National Mall yesterday, I noticed there was a small vegetable stand set up in front of the Health & Human Services (HHS) headquarters building at 200 Independence Avenue. Then, I read in the Washington Business Journal’s Top Shelf Blog that starting on June 2, a FRESHFARM Market will arrive at HHS, the first FRESHFARM Market to open in Southwest, although other farmers markets in the area have operated at the former DOT headquarters (now Constitution Center) and the USDA Parking Lot at 12th & Independence Avenue. The FRESHFARM Markets’ Mission Statement, according to their website, is the following:

FRESHFARM Markets strives to build and strengthen the local food movement in the Chesapeake Bay region. We use our markets to create vibrant urban and community places, to provide economic opportunities for farmers and to showcase our region's agricultural bounty. We aim to create a sustainable urban-rural partnership that brings the blessings of healthy local food to our communities and sustains the working landscapes that feed us.

The HHS FRESHFARM Market will be run in collaboration with FedStrive, a new comprehensive health & wellness program initiated by the department of Federal Occupational Health (FOH) that’s being tested on HHS employees. According to an interview done by Corporate Wellness Magazine of FOH Director Dr. Gene Migliaccio last month, FedStrive hopes to achieve the following:

FedStrive hopes to bring a take charge approach to health, wellness, and work/life balance. Putting an emphasis on statements like “I want to be ____,” Federal employees are encouraged to fill in the blank and strive to accomplish their personal wellness goals. To help maintain momentum, the FedStrive program will also offer incentives to HHS Federal employees in the form of free Fitness Center memberships or other non-cash incentives.

The HHS FRESHFARM Market will operate on Wednesdays from 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm and will run until October 27th.