A regular summary of irregular news and notes from neighborhood blogs and email lists around the District.
Hine Times: The Eastern Market Metro Community Association has deigned several elements critical to the redevelopment of Hine Elementary School, as Stanton-EastBanc seeks the approval of the Historic Preservation Review Board. The five priorities of the neighborhood are: “1) Keep 8th Street free of retail, 2) limit residential buildings to R4 zoning and 40 foot heights, 3) limit the north building to residential use only, 4) protect resident’s National Environment Policy Act compliance rights regarding noise studies and other environmental impacts, and 5) provide an opportunity for wider community engagement, including construction of a three-dimensional model (in community context) that can be put on public view for comment and questions.” The third point is the stickiest; one commenter declares, “This is NIMBYISM. This is on a six lane thoroughfare across from the metro. There is no reason to keep this small or to micromanage the hell out of this project. If you want retail on Barracks Row and in this area you need more people – you need density.”
Don’t Fill It Up: A member of the MPD-1D email list, which serves downtown, Southwest, and parts of Capitol Hill, asks, “This morning, I found the gas cap cover on my car open and the lock mechanism broken. I’m wondering if you had any thoughts on whether this was just a random act of vandalism? or have gas prices brought gas siphoning back into fashion, i.e. has gas become a “valuable” that it’s no longer safe to leave in one’s parked car?” An MPD official responded, “While I cannot say for certain that this was a random act of vandalism, I can say that there have been no reported cases of gas siphoning,” while another list member thinks that “gas siphoning go on the uprise everytime gas prices go above $3.50 a gallon.”
The Angry Neighbors: The Georgetown Metropolitan goes long on the changes made to the Georgetown University campus plan. But the biggest change of all might be that GU is totally over pandering to the neighborhood and has decided to appeal to a higher power: “GM doesn’t believe these changes have anything to do with trying to appease the neighbors. That’s not going to happen. GM believes, however, that these changes are about appeasing the Office of Planning. From what GM hears, if OP comes down on the side of the neighbors, GU will be facing a steep uphill climb to get a plan anything like what they proposed.” There’s a lot stacked against GU, and it seems as if the town-gown battle will only get uglier.
Jazz Hands: HR-57, the venerable jazz institution formerly located in the U Street NW corridor, is making its debut on H Street NE this weekend. The club’s soft opening is tonight at 9 p.m., reports Frozen Tropics. Capitol Bop has more details. The best news of all? It’s still BYOB.