Wacky Weekend Sale and Plant Rescue at Old City Green this Saturday

This Saturday (August 1, 2009), Old City Green will host a "Wacky Weekend Sale," where you get twenty percent off any purchase. That's twenty percent off of their annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, tropicals, mulch, soil, garden artifacts, and pottery!

This Saturday is also "Give a Plant a Home Day." Owner Frank has rescued plants that now need a good home to rest their roots.



Old City Green
Corner of Ninth and N Streets, Northwest
Washington, DC 20001
202.412.2489

Shiloh to Sell Its Eighth Street Properties

DCist reports that the membership of Shiloh Baptist Church voted last Wednesday to move forward with plans to sell its properties at the corner of Eighth and Q Streets, Northwest (1543 8th Street and 1600 Eighth Street, Northwest, to be exact). The intent is that revenue from the sales will generate enough capital to begin renovation of its properties in the 1500 block of Ninth Street, Northwest.

This could potentially be a great thing for everyone -- church and neighborhood. Hopefully the intent to sell is sincere and the prices will be reasonable given the properties' conditions and the current market.

Hotel Florida Concept

I randomly came across this webpage for a boutique hotel concept designed by Group Goetz Architects ("GGA") to be located across from the Howard Theatre. If pursued, the boutique hotel -- dubbed "Hotel Florida" -- would be located on the triangular lot across from the Howard Theatre.

Here is GGA's description of the concept:

The 6-story building will consist of 55 hotel rooms, 1st floor retail space and an underground parking garage. Amenities, which include a lobby, administration area, lounge, bar, small conference room, reading room and movie theater, will be organized in a dramatic four-story atrium that will be visible from both T Street and Florida Avenue.

The exterior of the building is made of poured-in-place concrete, punctuated with random small openings that allow for selected views of the city from the suites. Overlapping with these openings, a metal screen with a floral pattern covers the entire South façade, further enhancing the aesthetics of the building.

The rooms are compact and laid out along the periphery of the building. Each is simply organized in a rectangular shape that can be divided by a system of curtains. This system provides guests with the option to open and close the room at their convenience; also allowing for several levels of privacy as the curtains cross and overlap. All furniture is made of a single fiberglass molded element that integrates a credenza, table, bed and bathtub.
Size: 46,000 SF

Even though the idea of a hotel on the site sounds pretty conceptual at this point, what do you think of the unique design?


Image from Group Goetz Architects

Veranda Delights

On Saturday night, we attended a birthday celebration at Veranda, located at the corner of Eleventh and P Streets, Northwest. We were reminded of how much we love the cozy neighborhood joint. Our food -- an array of small plates ranging from sliders to hummus -- was delicious. The service was great (I am now a huge fan of hostess Ann Marie). The crowd was diverse and fun. And the drinks kept flowing without breaking the bank.

Veranda's shaded outdoor seating is also fantastic (but the torrential rains on Saturday night kept us inside). It's an ideal place for some small plates and wine after work.



Veranda
1100 P Street Northwest
202.234.6870

The Nine Gets Painted

Since my last report, there has been a lot of progress on mixed use condo/retail project known as the The Nine in the 1300 block of Ninth Street. Today, workers are painting the exterior facade. I imagine the goal of this is to underscore the dramatic and beautiful transformation of 1316 Ninth Street, which was until recently just a vacant eyesore.




Thanks, Drew, for the photos!

Shakti MindBody Studio Offers Serenity on Seventh Street

Shakti MindBody Studio opened in the 1000 block of Seventh Street, Northwest across from the convention center in 2007. I can't believe I've not yet highlighted this great, unique business and all it has to offer.

Shakti* (pronounced "shahk-tee") is a vibrant yoga lifestyle and healing center. Shakti helps you incorporate the healing practice of yoga and other holistic therapies into daily living. They utilize traditional healing practices merged effectively with modern techniques in a nurturing and inviting atmosphere. Among the services offered are:

Energizing and relaxing classes: yoga, pilates, meditation and budokon
Healing therapies: Chair, Swedish and Deep Tissue Massage, Thai Yoga Massage, Reiki, and Reflexology. Hot Stone coming soon!
Naturopath, Ayurvedic and Nutritional Counseling
Life Coaching and Private Sessions
Corporate and On-site yoga, pilates and chair massage
Group Discounts for Employer Sponsored Memberships
Community Classes
Monthly Community Yoga Class
Yoga Pamper Parties
Yoga Teacher Training Program
Family, pre-natal and kids yoga

They currently offer a special of two classes for $20 and monthly memberships. Ask about massage specials and discounts for students, nonprofit employees and seniors.

Set in a "Bohemian Chic Urban Hang Suite," Shakti is an eco-friendly urban sanctuary for cultivating a healthy body, finding peace of mind, and opening your doors to personal freedom.






The owners invite you to come relax, take a class and have some tea!


Shakti MindBody Studio
1015 1/2 7th Street, NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20001
info@shaktimindbodystudio.com
202.783.6463


*Shakti is the Divine force manifested to destroy negative forces and restore balance. It is the Mother goddess, the source of all, the universal principle of energy, power and creativity.

Another Shady Car Lot Gone

Mr. Q at Q Street News reports that the used car lot at P and Marion Streets, Northwest, is no more. Likely part of the Mayor's recent push to to eliminate these dangerous and unsightly conditions in District neighborhoods, it's great to see yet another car lot disappear from Shaw.

In related former used car lot news, preliminary site work at the corner of 9th and P Streets took place this past weekend. As you may recall, a beautiful new mixed use development is planned for the lot, which formerly housed Wings Motors.

Wired Opening on Seventh Street

En route to the gym this morning, I noticed an ABRA placard across from the convention center at 1015 1/2 Seventh Street, Northwest under Shakti MindBody Studio. The notice, available here, is for a tavern to be called Wired. According to the application, the nature of the operation is a "New tavern offering snacks such as chips and cheese, live jazz music, DJ, karaoke and dancing."

I couldn't find out anything else from a brief internet search, but I am intrigued and excited about the potential for this new business!

Corduroy 's Second Floor Bar Offers a Delicious Value

Corduroy is regarded as one of Washington's best restaurants, and we're fortunate that it calls Shaw its home. Most regard Corduroy as a special occasion kind of place (and it is, for the record, an awesome venue for a special occasion), but its upstairs bar makes it much more accessible for the foodie on a budget.

For $30 every night (Monday through Saturday, 5 to 10 pm), the upstairs bar offers a three course prix fixe menu. The current menu offerings follow:

First Course
Soup of the day,
Fillipino style spring roles,
Mr. Calza's green salad with sherry vinaigrette,
Local caesar salad, or
Salad of local beats, carrots and goat cheese.

Second course
Delmonico steak with lyonnaise potato,
Fish of the day,
Duck confit with shitake mushroom and frisee, or
Wild mushroom linguine.

Dessert
Flourless chocolate cake with coconut sorbet,
Selection of ice cream,
Pistachio bread pudding, or
Fresh fruit sorbet.

Additionally, the upstairs bar offers a happy hour special in which wines by the glass are $7.

Corduroy
1122 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.589.0699

Development Pipeline Updates from ANC Meeting

At its July 2009 meeting, ANC2C apparently received status updates regarding several (but not all, apparently, e.g., Addison Square formerly known as Kelsey Gardens) major Shaw area projects in the pipeline. Here is a summary of what was reported on the Shaw Yahoo! message board (originally recounted by Commissioner Sule, I believe):

The Howard Theater (renovation of historic theater in the 600 block of T Street, Northwest, into a live performance venue with restaurant and bar) - Work began recently on the front facade. The anticipated opening is late 2010 or early 2011. The Howard Theatre acquired 1830 Wiltberger Street, Northwest, which will house the Washington Jazz Institute.

The Convention Center Hotel (mostly new construction of convention center headquarters hotel at Ninth Street and Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest) - With financing in place, hotel may break ground on October 1. Construction should take three and a half years.

CenterCity - (mixed use development of ten acre site of old convention center) - The developer, Hines/Archstone, is attempting to secure financing, which is, in part, dependant on finding an anchor office tenant.

Shaw Junior High School - (demolition and replacement of school facility on Rhode Island Avenue) - A budget of $54 million is being put in place for the complete demolition and reconstruction of the school.

Broadcast Center One - (mixed use office/retail/residential development at Seventh and S Streets, Northwest above north exit to the Shaw/Howard Metro Station) - Project could break ground later this year if financing falls into place. Financing is apparently tied with securing a co-anchor tenant to occupy the office portion of the building along with financially troubled RadioOne (originally slated to be the one and only anchor tenant). The residential portion of the project will now be apartments and not condominiums.

Parcel 42 - (all-below-market building planned for Seventh and R Streets, Northwest) - The project lacks financing in part due to the income cap for residents.

City Market at O - (mixed use grocery/retail/hotel/condominium/senior housing project bounded by O, P, Seventh and Ninth Streets, Northwest) - The groundbreaking should occur in late 2010.

Convention Center Hotel Financing Approved

The Washington Business Journal reports that the Council passed legislation today that will enable construction to begin on the the 1,167-room Marriott Marquis Convention Center Hotel at Ninth Street and Massachusetts Avenue. Specifically, the legislation provides that the city will finance $206 million of the project’s final cost -- with another $2 million dedicated to apprenticeship programs for D.C. workers -- while the developers contribute $331 million in debt and equity.

Back in June, the Business Journal reported that construction could start this Fall if the Council passed this legislation today. I've got my fingers crossed that the hotel indeed breaks ground in the coming months. Completion of the hotel -- which will, among many other things, bring ground floor retail to lower Ninth Street in Shaw, keep convention-goers in the area, provide jobs, help attract conventions, and give us a beautiful, iconic building where surface parking now exists -- will be a major boon to the area.

New Construction on Tenth Street

Construction is well underway on a three story row home on a formerly vacant lot in the 1500 block of Tenth Street.

Alternative to Massive Parking Lot Proposed for Bundy School

I am remiss for not having written about the ongoing debate regarding the current vacant lot behind Bundy School in the 400 block of P Street (not to be confused with the adjacent athletic fields, known as Bundy Athletic Fields). As I understand it, the lot is currently slated to become a massive parking lot for child advocacy group Safe Shores, which will soon occupy Bundy School. Some neighborhood residents have proposed reducing the size of the parking lot to accommodate a park (in particular, a dog park) while allowing for adequate off street, confidential parking for the reutilized Bundy School. The Washington Post and Greater Greater Washington report on the topic today.

I agree with park proponents that a large parking lot abutting P Street is harmful to the neighborhood. The oversized surface lot will create a dead-zone along P Street and will represent a missed opportunity for adding vitality to the block. A park, particularly a dog park, will attract users throughout the day and throughout the week, which will provide added security to the street and will enhance the adjacent and nearby parks, Safe Shores, schools, businesses, and residences as a result. Also, a dog park is needed in the eastern Shaw area, as none currently exists despite the area's numerous dog-owning citizens.

For more information, check out the Friends of Bundy Park webpage.

Shaw Neighbors Work to Remove Billboard Blight

Shaw residents have been working to get the city to require the removal of billboards located at the intersection of New Jersey Avenue and P Street, Northwest. According to a posting to the neighborhood Yahoo! list serve, "This has been an issue for decades and the residents have never been able to get the government to move on the issue, despite the billboards being illegal, with various DC Code, Zoning, and Property Tax irregularities or violations." You can help the movement to bring down the billboards by signing the petition, which available at an informative website set up for the issue, http://shawbillboardblight.org/.

Gardening Questions Answered at Old City Green Tomorrow

Old City Green has a neat offering tomorrow for gardners with questions (like what are those black spots on my rose bushes?!). From the email announcement:

We have an exciting opportunity coming up this weekend for anyone enthusiastic about gaining more gardening knowledge. This Saturday all day (9-6) we will have a Master Gardener on site to answer any questions you may have and to conduct surveys regarding your outdoor home garden habitats. Our friend Mary from UDC Cooperative Extension Services will be at OLD CITY green all day Saturday offering her expertise to any and all who would like it.

So whether you're green (in a "new" kind of way) to gardening, trying to be more green, or are as green as they get but just have something you want a second opinion on; come on down to OLD CITY green this Saturday and visit Mary the Master Gardener!Hope you have great rest of the week and hope to see you soon!

-Frank and the OLD CITY green team

Sounds like a great opportunity!

Old City Green
Corner of 9th and N Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.412.2489

Pipeline: The Jazz @ Florida Avenue

Last week while walking down Florida Avenue east of Ninth Street, a friend asked me about the development plans for the three WMATA parcels. Last I heard, WMATA selected Banneker Ventures LLC, Metropolis Development Company, LLC, and District Development Group, LLC to develop the parcels.

Coincidentally, the day after my friend asked me about the parcels, I saw this Washington Business Journal article about developers of affordable housing projects seeking a portion of the $33.7 million that the city will receive in federal stimulus money from the Treasury Department. The article names a handful of developers seeking funding and the projects for which the funding is sought. The WMATA Florida Avenue project is one of the projects listed and, for the first time, I learned the name of the project: The Jazz @ Florida Avenue. The article states that Banneker Ventures LLC and Bank of America CDC are the parties seeking funds on behalf of The Jazz @ Florida Avenue.

I did a little more digging and found a few additional details about the project. In conjunction with the application for stimulus funds, the developers submitted this Project Narrative (PDF). It is 14 pages long, so I'll just share a few of the sound bytes most interesting to me:

The Project will include three adjacent buildings, featuring a total of 124 apartments and 20,000 square feet of ground floor retail. The Project will also feature one level of below-grade parking in each building, containing a total of 61 parking spaces, as well as public plazas fronting 8th and 9th Streets, NW and Florida Avenue, NW. The development will be a mixed-income project where at least 20% of the total residential units will be affordable at 50% of area median income. . . . The unique floor plans and stylistic finishes include 9 foot ceilings, in-unit laundry, granite countertops, and ceramic kitchen tiles.

. . . .

The Project will entail three newly constructed buildings, each including residential apartment units and retail space. A graceful sequence of new distinct glass and brick buildings will give a rich and varied texture to the 7th Street/Florida Avenue/U Street urban fabric. Each of the buildings will have four stories of residential units. . . . Each building will have private residential courtyards located over the retail which will provide enjoyable outdoor recreation space for the residents. . . . The retail space, consisting of 20,000 total square feet, will be spread out on the ground floor of each building.

. . . .

Torti Gallas and Partners are the architects of the project. According to the application for funding (available here in PDF), Construction should start in May 2010.

Garden Party at Old City Green

Sorry for the late notice, but stop by Old City Green tonight (Friday, July 3, 2009) for a garden party. Here are the details from the email:

Since our last GARDEN PARTY was so much fun, we've decided to have another one. Friday July 3rd at 7:30pm. Bring a dish for 5. Or bring a beverage or two of your choice. We'll have the BBQ running and the music playing. And of course if you are a muscian, you are welcome to play for us.

Bring $5-$10.00 for our fundraiser forNew Community for Children. NCFC-DC.org
WE'D LOVE IT IF YOU CAN JOIN US!

Sounds really cool! What a neat, laid back opportunity to mix and mingle with neighbors.


Old City Green
Corner of 9th and N Streets NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.412.2489

Wine Bar Coming to Ninth and U

Prince of Petworth reports that a new wine bar, to be known as Dickson Wine, will occupy the space formerly home to Project 4 Gallery (which moved to Thirteenth and U Streets) across from Nellie's. The wine bar's name apparently derives from the stone carving above the building's entrance, and the liquor license application states that "there will be light fare, charcuterie, and a DJ or small band with an occupancy of 75."

Fringe Festival 2009

This year's Capital Fringe Festival is about to begin and, as always, we're close to the cutting edge action. Check out the full calendar here. One event particularly close to home for me is by banished? productions at the Arthur S. Flemming Center (1426 9th St NW). From the press release:

Marking the 100th anniversary of Futurism, banished? productions cordially invites everyone to celebrate the passé-ist glory of Futurist degustation: a tactile seven-course “meal” of gastronomic revolution!
Pasta Prohibited!
ONLY 8 PERFORMANCES
at the Arthur S. Flemming Center (1426 9th St NW)
Sat 07/11: 7p, 9:15p
Sun 07/12: 3p, 6:15p, 8:15p
Mon 07/13: 7:30p
Sun 07/19: 4p, 7:30p
R.S.V.P. or food-related concerns to info@banishedproductions.org

Course 1: Polyrhythmic Salad
Course 2: Aural Sensations
Course 3: Aerofood
Course 4: Magic Food
Course 5: Visual Nutrients
Course 6: Totalrice
Course 7: Tactile Vegetable GardenDigestivo

Tickets on sale today! 4 ways to get your tickets...
*Call 866-811-4111
*Buy Online here!
*Visit the Festival Box Office @ 607 New York Ave NW
*Cash only admissions 1 hour before performance @ Arthur S. Flemming Center, 1426 9th St NW DC

Celebrating Wagtime

It is a crime that I have not yet posted multiple photographs of the newly overhauled Wagtime Pet Spa and Boutique located at 1232 Ninth Street, NW. The four story building, which underwent a massive, top-to-bottom, inside-and-out, awesome-attention-to-detail, amenity-intense renovation over the past year, looks amazing and offers so much under one roof (from pet grooming to boarding to supplies). I will take photographs and post them soon so we can collectively gush about this gem on our main streets.

This past Saturday, I attended a party celebrating the completion of Wagtime's renovation. The event was so cool -- the entire facility was open for perusing, dogs abounded (some for adoption), people mingled, wine, beer and appetizers were plentiful, and live music filled the air. I loved checking out the doggie-roof-deck (yes, boarding dogs have access to a private roof deck!), where a bulldog was keeping cool in a kiddie pool.

If you haven't seen Wagtime recently, you must check it out. It really is an asset to our neighborhood.


Wagtime Pet Spa and Boutique
1232 9th Street, NW
202.789.0870 (daycare and boarding)
202.234.8825 (grooming and dog walking)