It’s all about the neighborhood
The Petworth Community Market was crowded and loud today and a lot of fun. Tons of great vendors, some new and other more established vendors selling tasty food. The Market was celebrating back-to-school season with a bunch of education-oriented vendors. Check out a video from Girls Rock DC and see some pictures after the break...
Read MorePic courtesy Friends of the Soldier's Home
The Friends of the Soldier's Home has one of its regular "Saloon Nights" coming up next week, and they're looking for volunteers to join the awesome veterans at the Armed Forced Retirement Home for some drinks, some songs and always a fun time.
I volunteer with the Friends and have attended a Saloon night, and it's a great time drinking, eating, singing and talking with the men and women who live at the AFRH. They're all really interesting to chat with, and it's a guaranteed good time. Plus it's nice to hang out with neighbors. (And hey, if you're a parent of a Creative Minds Charter School child, consider giving back to the AFRH by volunteering with the Friends of the Soldier's Home.)
If you're interested in spending a couple of hours shooting the breeze with retired veterans, considering volunteering with the Friends on September 1st from 6-8pm. Note that you need to be 21 and over to volunteer for this particular event (it is "saloon night" after all...).
To volunteer, send an email to the volunteer coordinator, Lori Lincoln (but only if you're sure you're going to attend). She'll get back to you with details of where to go, etc.
Mark your calendars for upcoming FOSH events!
- AFRH Resident/Staff Baseball Game on Wednesday, September 9th
- JINGO for all ages on Thursday, September 17th
- Happy Hour on Tuesday, September 29th
- Fall Family Festival on Sunday, October 4th
The next Petworth Jazz Project is this Saturday, August 29th on the lawn at Petworth Park (8th and Taylor St NW) featuring kids music by Baba Ras D and the "punk funk jazz" of Butcher Brown.
Read more after the break ...
Read MoreIf you’re already a member of a listserv, then you know about the plethora of information out there from neighbors, some useful, some not so much. But some people, long-time residents and new comers alike, don’t know all the different options available to stay informed on events and information in the area. To help that, I’ve put together a new page on Petworth News with a list of area listservs that you might find useful. Read more about area listservs...
Read More(Cover of The Left-Hand Way, courtesy Tom Doyle.)
Author Tom Doyle will be at the Petworth Library to discuss his contemporary fantasy series Wednesday, August 26th at 7pm.
The first book, American Craftsmen, is about two modern magician soldiers who fight their way through the legacies of Poe and Hawthorne as they attempt to destroy an undying evil - and not kill each other first.
In the sequel, The Left-Hand Way, the craftsmen are hunters and hunted in a global race to save humanity from a new occult threat out of America’s past.
Come by to talk with the author and support your local Library!
I spoke with Alex McCoy, one of the three founders of the new new Southeast Asian restaurant coming to 845 Upshur Street, to talk more about his goals with the restaurant, some menu ideas, the ambiance, and his thoughts on Petworth. Read the interview and see some photos of menu ideas after the break:
Read MoreIf you're a fan of the elevator at the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro station, it's going to be "rehabilitated." (I'm assuming that means a replacement or at least an update to include air fresheners...)
According to an email from Ann Chisholm at WMATA, the elevator will be out of service on August 25th until December 2015.
Shuttle service can be arranged by calling 202-962-1825.
Here's hoping they get all the escalators fixed before August 25th.
(h/t Commissioner Zach Teutsch)
Image courtesy of Raymond Bryson.
By now you might have seen the bright Petworth mural in the alley next to Willow, Help-U-Sell and Petworth Citizen on Upshur Street. The mural was the brain child of Petworth residents Tom Pipkin and Rob Mandle. Tom and Rob wanted to add a little artwork and color to the neighborhood that would reflect and complement the community's energy, vibrance and sense of connection.
Both are very active residents in DC and in Petworth in particular... Read more after the break:
Read MoreA car crashed into the middle of Grant Circle last night. This isn't the first time this has happened... at least once a year there's a story about a car driving into the circle park, running over bushes and even taking out the lights.
Read MoreRooney Properties, who purchased the former Sweet Mango Cafe's foreclosed building at 3701 New Hampshire Avenue NW this past April, told the Washington Post that they are looking at options to save the Chuck Brown mural painted on the side of the building.
The developer's current plans call for construction to begin on the new building next summer and to find ways to preserve the mural. (See my previous article on the 21-unit building to replace Sweet Mango Cafe.) None of the plans seem to involve saving the actual wall where it now stands, but involve pictures or perhaps moving it someplace else.
“I love the mural,” said Lex Lefebvre, director of development for Rooney Properties, to the Washington Post this week. “We obviously know the mural has a lot of significance in the neighborhood and so we talked about a couple of ways we can incorporate it into the new project.”
Current design for the new 21-unit apartment building to replace the Sweet Mango Cafe building.
While the mural is relatively recent, having been painted in 2012, it's a local favorite. There has been a fair amount of unhappiness at the potential loss of the mural (as well as Sweet Mango Cafe).
Apparently one of the ideas the developer has to preserve the mural is to take high-resolution photographs of the mural and hang photos in the lobby of the new building.
Another idea, according to Lefebvre, is that the wall facing north on New Hampshire Ave will be blank in the current design (as opposed to the southern facing wall the mural is now), and that perhaps that northern wall space can be used for a new mural.
The Post article states that: "But Lefebvre noted that the building’s neighbor is allowed to build against that wall, so the spot is not ideal. The mural could also be placed in the lobby of the apartment building or in one of the retail spaces. 'We are certainly looking at all options,' Lefebvre said."
There is a new restaurant, "3701 Jerk Station," temporarily in the building. They're hoping to reopen in the same location after the current building is torn down and the new building is completed.
Source: Washington Post
The fourth Petworth Dance Project is set for this Saturday, August 8th at the Petworth Park (8th & Taylor St NW). There's a special kids' dance class at 6:30, and then the first dance starts after that.
Saturday's dance project should be special, as one of the companies performing is Aras Dance, led by Sara Herrera-Kopetchny, who runs the Petworth Dance Project. Also performing is Coyaba Dance Theater.
Timber Pizza Co. will have their mobile brick oven on-site for fresh pizza -- 10% of the proceeds go to support the Petworth Dance Project, so come hungry for culture and mozzarella and basil!
In an effort to continue to help raise funds for the Petworth Dance Project, Sara Herrera-Kopetchny will be teaching a dance class on Friday night. If you have ever wanted to try contemporary dance, here's your chance to learn. More info.
Friday August 7th from 7pm-8:30pm at Dance Loft on 14th, All levels, 18 and up, $10 cash only at the door.
Expand to see larger view.
The magic of the Petworth Library isn't just about books... on Tuesday, it's also reptiles!
On Tuesday, August 4 at 4:00, meet reptiles from all over the world in this wild, educational show featuring a giant snake, alligator, tortoise, monitor lizard and other amazing reptiles. This program is for ages 5 and up.
Petworth Neighborhood Library
4200 Kansas Ave NW
Image courtesy of UrbanTurf
If you were wondering what was going to happen to the Sweet Mango Cafe after it closed earlier this year, wonder no more. Looks like it's going to be torn down to build a 21-unit apartment building at 3701 New Hampshire Ave.
According to DC UrbanTurf, "the 65-foot, five-story residential development will have one and two-bedroom residential units on floors two through five and there will be retail on the ground floor."
And of course, the developer wants to get a variance to reduce the amount of required parking spots down from the 13 the zoning laws call for (not sure what the final desired number is). The developer will need to go before ANC 4C and ask for a letter of support, and then the DC Zoning Board will have to approve their request for the variance.
Considering it'll be an apartment building with 1-2 bedroom units located across the street from the Petworth metro and a block from Safeway, etc, I would image that they'll get that variance approved.
7/31 Update: For those lamenting the loss of Sweet Mangos Cafe, bear in mind that the restaurant closed in March 2015 due to financial troubles (the building went into foreclosure). It was subsequently purchased by Rooney Properties for $2,430,000. There had been rumors of a new restaurant, but since the lot is zoned for residential as well, it's not a surprise that it's being redeveloped into a larger building. This redevelopment into a new mixed-use building is not the cause of Sweet Mango's demise.
According to a Park View blog post from April:
"The property is zoned GA/C-3-A. C-3-A permits matter-of-right medium density development, with a density incentive for residential development within a general pattern of mixed-use development to a maximum lot occupancy of 75% for residential use and 100% for all other uses and a maximum height of sixty-five (65) feet. Additionally, the Georgia Avenue (GA) overlay stipulates that the ground floor level of each building shall have a uniform minimum clear floor-to-ceiling height of 14 ft. To accommodate this, buildings permitted an additional five feet of building height over that permitted as a matter-of-right in the underlying zone, meaning that any new development on the site could be up to seventy (70) feet."
Chuck Brown mural on the side of the former Sweet Mango Cafe
It will be a shame to lose that awesome mural, though. The mural was put up in 2012 to honor iconic DC musician Chuck Brown (the mural was drawn from a 1992 photo taken by Washington City Paper) who passed away that year (here's his Washington Post obit). Sounds like a great opportunity for ANC Commissioner Timothy Jones (4C08) to reach out to the developer and work with them to get a new mural created at that location.
There's been some lively discussion on this topic on the Petworth News Facebook page. Feel free to add your thoughts on FB or below.
One resident posted this option on the Petworth News Facebook page:
Courtesy Mike Henry
Sources: DC.UrbanTurf, ParkViewDC
Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd held a meeting at the Fourth District Headquarters last Thursday night, July 23rd. The meeting was an opportunity for residents to get a quick update on crime in the Fourth District and asks questions of Chief Lanier and 4D Commander Manlapaz.
Brandon opened the meeting by thanking everyone and mentioned that he was now 60 days into his term as councilmember. He called the Public Safety Meeting to make sure residents were able to share their concerns and to discuss the recent uptick in break-ins and robberies in the area.
Read my full notes and see pictures after the break:
Read MorePetworth News, a neighborhood blog on local news, information & events about the Petworth area in Washington DC.
Petworth News is a news site about Petworth area neighborhoods in Washington DC, written by Drew Schneider and other amazing contributing writers. It features facts and objective reporting, as well as an occasional subjective point of view and opinion.
Volunteer with the Friends of the Soldier's Home!
