In Shaw

1) WRN Urban Design Forum Reminder - January 30
2) DC Housing Conference - February 3
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1) WRN Forum on January 30th

Designing D.C.’s Future:
Shaping Buildings and Public Spaces to Enhance Community Identity and
Protect the Environment

with
Dhiru Thadani, Urban Designer, Ayers/Saint/Gross, Inc.
Paul Morris, Urban Designer, PB Placemaking

Monday, January 30, 2006
6:00 pm Refreshments; 6:30 pm Program
National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC)
401 9th Street, NW - North Lobby, Suite 500*

New residents, buildings and businesses are filling in vacant lots and
renovating buildings. Leading urban designers discuss how D.C. can guide new
development so that new buildings enhance neighborhoods, reclaim
auto-oriented commercial strips, restore neglected parks and public spaces,
make transit stations vibrant village centers, and build greener.

RSVP (attendance only): WRN, 202-244-1105, or e–mail:
staff@washingtonregion.net. This event is free of charge. For more about
WRN, see: www.washingtonregion.net

*NCPC is located on 9th St between E & D St; Metro Stations: Gallery Place,
Metro Center, Archives, Federal Triangle. Doors close at 7 pm; and bring
photo ID.

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2) Housing Conference: Shaping the Future of Housing in Our City, Feb. 3rd

Please join the Fannie Mae Foundation and the Coalition for Nonprofit
Housing and Economic Development (CHSTF)

Speakers include:
Rafael Cestero, Deputy Commissioner,
New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Margery Austin Turner, Urban Institute, co-author of Housing in the Nation’s
Capital 2005
Alice Rivlin and Adrian Washington, co-chairs of the D.C. Comprehensive
Housing Strategy Task Force

Friday, February 3, 2006
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (registration begins at 8 a.m.)
Continental Breakfast and Lunch will be provided
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

Registration is free, but RSVP at dchousing@fanniemaefoundation.org, or call
202-274-8145
For Further Information, go to www.cnhed.org
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|----------------------------------------|
| Blagden Alley Association |
| Monthly Meeting |
| THURSDAY, January 26, 2006 |
| 7:30-9:00 pm |
| Marthlu and Hal's |
|----------------------------------------|
| Celebrate |
| No "Street Cleaning" |
| Tickets till St. Paddy's Day |
|----------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------|
| Stoney's Is GONE |
|----------------------------------------|

The newsletter is at

http://www.pro-messenger.com/Blagden/Monthly%20Pages/2006%20Monthly%20Pages/BAN_
2006_01_P1X1.html

Major topic of the meeting:
The redevelopment of another major piece of the 1200 block of Ninth Street.
(West Side)

Also, see the new web page at http://blagdenalley.com or http://naylorcourt.com,
(depending on your persuasion).

Do hope to see you there.

Riders have suggested extending the line to Greenbelt as a way to ease crowding and to bring trains more often to the growing areas of Petworth, Columbia Heights, U Street and Shaw.

What's your opinion?

First Community Meeting
Monday, January 23, 7 p.m.
DC Housing Finance Agency, 815 Florida Avenue, NW - Auditorium
(U Street/Cardozo Metro)

Councilmember Jim Graham, WMATA Incoming CEO Dan Tangherlini, Board Member Gladys Mack, several ANC commissioners and the leaders of the Mid-City Business Association are scheduled to attend.

Extension of WMATA Yellow Line rail service? What are the Options? What are the Costs?


The WMATA Board of Directors held a town hall meeting at the Reeves Building in December where I brought up the idea of extending Yellow Line Service as a potential option for attracting, retaining, and expanding rider ship by providing more frequent service to stops along the Green Line. These stops such as Shaw, U Street, Columbia Heights, and Georgia Avenue are all being developed using Transit Oriented Development principles of high density residential and retail concentration centered on public transportation hubs. However, right now these transportation hubs are not being fully utilized primarily because of 20 year old decision that did not foresee the expansion and growth of the middle of Washington, DC.

Have you ever gotten on the Green Line late at night or on the weekend, right as the train is leaving, to then spend twenty minutes waiting on the platform for the next train? Infrequent trains during off peak hours is a result of a decision made in the 80¹s not to bring the Yellow Line service to near West Hyattsville and then build east towards Bowie as was called for in the original WMATA rail plans. Instead it was decided to build a turnaround at Mt. Vernon Square that would serve as the end of the line.
Since the Yellow and Green lines share the same tracks from L¹Enfant to Mt. Vernon Square, terminating the Yellow Line service at Mt. Vernon Square means that all the stops north of Mt. Vernon Square can only have half the possible rail service.

Since December WMATA has examined several enhanced service possibilities, the needs required to implement, and the overall costs involved for each of several options and will be providing this information at the public meeting on January 23, at the Housing Finance Agency Building. A very fitting location for this meeting given the 1000¹s of new housing units being built in the next three years within three blocks of the eastern entrance to the U Street Metro at the African American Civil War Memorial. This new urban density has spurred the necessity to reexamine the frequency of service at these stations.

My personal belief is that extending ³Yellow Line² service to Greenbelt during off­peak hours on evenings and weekends will be revealed as a cost effective solution that does not require costly new construction or the purchase of new rail cars and that will only require operations capital to implement now. The major expenses involved in the development of the Inner ³Green Line², land development, building tunnels, etc has been paid for already, yet we are not fully leveraging that investment by terminating Yellow Line Service at Mt. Vernon Square.

I want to personally thank Councilmember Graham for his leadership and follow through and WMATA for their quick action and comprehensive approach in exploring and providing an understanding for all the potential extension options. I believe this public meeting represents the recent commitment by WMATA to work to meet the needs of its riders while operating more efficiently and economically. I encourage everyone to attend this very important meeting in order to get a full understanding of all the options and to make sure that the Councilmember and WMATA get the necessary community feedback.

I look forward to seeing you all on Monday night,

Scott Pomeroy
Development Officer
MidCity Business Association
202.577.6786



The MidCity Business Association is pleased to co-host this meeting and
encourage you to forward this invite to all potentially affected
residents
or businesses at any of these Green Line stations.

|----------------------------------------|
| Pre-Monthly Meeting |
| Announcement |
| For |
| THURSDAY, January 26, 2006 |
| 7:30-9:00 pm |
| 905 M Street, NW |
| |
| 7:00-10:00 pm |
|----------------------------------------|
| No "Street Cleaning" |
| Tickets till St. Paddy's Day |
|----------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------|
| Stoney's Last Day |
| Saturday, January 14, 2006 |
|----------------------------------------|

Reminder of the annual suspension of street parking tickets.

The semi-newsletter is at

http://www.pro-messenger.com/Blagden/Monthly%20Pages/2006%20Monthly%20Pages/BAN_
2006_01_P1.html

Probable topic of meeting:
The redevelopment of another major piece of the 1200 block of Ninth Street.
(Yes, that's NW)

Do hope to see you there.

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Linda Argo

January 5, 2006 Phone: (202) 442-8947
linda.argo@dc.gov

BUILDING PERMITS MADE EASY FOR DC HOMEOWNERS

Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Launches Center that will Ease Residents through Home Permit Process
WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has developed an exciting new resource to help homeowners get building permits more easily in Washington, DC. The Homeowners Center will provide prompt and expert assistance to DC homeowners who are seeking building permits for home improvement projects.

The expert staff is ready to provide clear information about permitting regulations and the permitting process, inform homeowners about permit requirements for their specific projects, conduct plan reviews, and issue permits. All this is designed to make getting a permit as convenient as possible. On-site kiosks will help make the permit process easier for homeowners.

“Our new Homeowners Center is a great new addition to our city,” said DC Mayor Anthony A. Williams. “It’s a one-stop shop for residents who need help simplifying the permit process. The center is yet another example of making city government work better and more efficiently for District residents.”

The Homeowners Center will serve District residents by appointment and by walk-in. In addition, the Homeowners Center offers the Permit Wizard, a user-friendly computer program that will make paperwork a snap.

“DCRA has put a great deal of thought and care into developing the new Homeowners Center,” said DCRA Director Patrick Canavan. “We are committed to making the building permit process of District homeowners both smoother and easier. We have created a resource that will set the standard for helping homeowners.”

All home renovations, whether done by contractors or by the homeowner, must follow strict building codes to assure that the work is safe and that there are no fines for illegal construction. DCRA is dedicated to helping District homeowners who are seeking permits for their home improvement projects. The Homeowners Center is a one-stop-shop for owners to learn about the laws related to renovations.

DCRA’s Homeowners Center is located in Suite 2102 at 941 North Capitol Street Northeast. It is open to the public 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Homeowners Center will serve homeowners by appointment and by walk-in.

The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs opened the Homeowners Center on January 5, 2006. Mayor Anthony Williams was on hand for the launch, and was joined by representatives from Citibank, the DC Building Industry Association, the International Code Council, the Fannie Mae Foundation, and other community partners and supporters.

◊

The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs protects the health, safety, economic interests, and quality of life of residents, businesses, and visitors in the District of Columbia by issuing licenses and permits, conducting inspections, enforcing building, housing, and safety codes, regulating land use and development, and providing consumer education and advocacy services.

# posted by Mari : 2:59 PM

From Jim
Agenda for the Evening Includes a Discussion of Goals relating to the Following Committees:

Public Safety

Youth Services

Transportation

Land Use, Planning and Economic Development

Membership

Monday, January 9, 2006

Mount Sinai Baptist Church

3rd and Q Streets, N.W.

Rooms 1 and 2

7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Community Update



Happy New Year: As we enter into 2006, please know that the Bates Area Civic Association, Inc. sincerely appreciates the contribution of each and every resident to make the community a clean, safe and productive place in which to live, work, worship and raise our children. Indeed, it is our hope that this is YOUR best year ever!!!

Christmas Tree Collection Reminder: January 3 - 14, 2006

Residents who have not disposed of their trees yet are encouraged to put them - without ornaments or tinsel - in curbside tree boxes. Trees are being picked up during a special two-week collection from January 3 - 14. Residents who wish to keep their trees longer should put them out at their normal point of trash collection (curbside or alley) after January 14. DPW will then collect the trees along with the regular trash, as truck space permits over the following weeks.

Mechanical Street Sweeping Services Suspended for the Winter: January 9 - March 17, 2006

Routine residential street cleaning will be suspended from January 9 to Marcy 17, 2006. During this time, “No Parking/Street Cleaning” restrictions will be lifted. Residents and visitors who park along posted, alternate-side, daytime street sweeping routes will not be required to move their cars on street-sweeping days during this period. Residential street cleaning will resume on Monday, March 20, 2006.

Community Garden Grants Available: Community Greening Mini-grants up to $1,000 are available from Garden Resources of Washington for community & youth gardening projects located in the District of Columbia.

WHO CAN APPLY? Neighborhood & youth groups, schools, after-school programs, civic associations, churches, nursing homes, shelters, transitional housing, community gardens, etc.

FOR WHAT KIND OF PROJECT? Learning gardens, healing gardens, neighborhood beautification, community gardens, tree box beautification, butterfly gardens, food gardens, habitat gardens, rain gardens, etc.

HOW CAN FUNDS BE USED? For plants, seeds, tools, soil amendments, mulch and other gardening supplies, educational materials, community outreach. Funds cannot be used for stipends, salaries, or contractors¹¹ fees.

SELECTION CRITERIA INCLUDES: Project leadership team; detailed project plan; practical time line; realistic budget; long-term upkeep plan; and for youth projects learning goals. Special consideration will be given to groups that attend an information meeting as well as projects involving low-income DC residents and those living in poverty. For one-on-one advice about your project idea or for more information on this funding opportunity, contact GROW at grow19@aol.com, or 202-234-0591. Garden Resources of Washington, 1419 V Street NW, Washington, DC 20009,

APPLICATION DEADLINE - FEBRUARY 17, 2006 Potential applicants are urged to attend an information meeting: Bring 2-3 leaders of your project. Learn about the grant program, pick up and get tips on successful applications.

*Mon Jan 9th, 6:30 pm, Woodridge Library, 18th & Rhode Island NE

* Tues Jan 10th, 6:30 pm, Lamond-Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota NE, at Kennedy (M-Ft.Totten)

*Wed Jan 11th, 6:30 pm, Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Library, 7420 Georgia NW, at Geranium

*Thurs Jan 12th, 6:30 pm, Takoma Library, 5th & Cedar NW (M-Takoma)

*Sat Jan 14th, 10:00 am, Washington Highlands Library, 115 Atlantic SW, at South Capitol

*Sat Jan 14th, 1:00 pm, Capitol View Library, 50th & Central Ave SE (M-Benning Road)

*Tues Jan 17th, 6:30 pm, Mt. Pleasant Library, 3160 16th NW, at Lamont

*Wed Jan 18th, 6:30 pm, Woodridge Library, 18th & Rhode Island NE

*Thurs Jan 19th, 6:30 pm, Lamond-Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota NE, at Kennedy (M-Ft.Totten)

*Sat Jan 21st, 10:00 am, Capitol View Library, 50th & Central Ave SE (M-Benning Road)

*Sat Jan 21st, 1:00 pm, Washington Highlands Library, 115 Atlantic SW, at South Capitol

*Sun Jan 22nd, 2:00 pm, Martin Luther King Jr Library, 901 G NW (M-Gallery Place)

For detailed driving or bus/metro transportation directions, see www.dclibrary.org or call the library.

# posted by Mari : 2:58 PM

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 5C

POST OFFICE BOX 77761

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20013

TELEPHONE: (202) 832-1965/1966

www.anc5c.org

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE



Monthly Meeting

The agenda for the evening will include:

Election of Officers for 2006

Metropolitan Police Department

re. a public safety report.

Office of Ward 5 C/M Vincent B. Orange

re. a Ward Five Community Update

Application before the Board of Zoning Adjustment

re. Richardson Place, N.W.

Where: St. George’s Episcopal Church
150 U Street, N.W.
When: Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Time: 7:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.

# posted by Mari : 2:57 PM

Normally I avoid national politics like the plague. Today I'm in a good mood and posting here like crazy and got this today. Disclaimer- I am a ModCon.

"SupremelyScrewed.com" Gives DC Citizens Chance to Question Alito;
New Grassroots Effort Aims to Overcome Lack of Representation in U.S. Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mike Panetta
(202) 253-6534
mike@mikepanetta.com

Washington, DC (January 9, 2006) -- In an effort to highlight the
lack of voting representation in the United States Senate for citizens
of our nation's capital, Mike Panetta, a DC-based professional
political consultant and grassroots activist, today launched
SupremelyScrewed.com, an online campaign that empowers District
citizens to submit their own questions to the Senate Judiciary
Committee for Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito.

"The Supreme Court hands down decisions that affect the lives of
everyone in this city, yet we have absolutely no say in who gets to
sit on the bench," said Panetta. "Every other American citizen has two
Senators to represent and vote a nominee up or down. Those of us in
the District are supremely screwed when it comes to sitting a new
justice."

Questions collected on the web site (http://www.supremelyscrewed.com)
will be delivered to the Senate Judiciary Committee during nomination
hearings and all attempts will be made to have them introduced into
the hearing's official record. "I got tired of complaining and decided
to do something about it. Hopefully this web site will get some
official degree of representation in this nomination process for
District citizens."

Panetta is a professional political consultant with the firm
Grassroots Enterprise (www.grassroots.com), and has long specialized
in high-impact grassroots movements. His previous campaigns have
included DropCropp.com, which sent over 1,000 letters from DC
residents in less than 24 hours to DC Council Chair Linda Cropp after
she withdrew her support of the Washington Nationals in December 2004.
(The site was later changed to "Thank Cropp" once she changed her
vote.) Panetta was also a founder of
TaxationWithoutRepresenationStadium.com, a campaign that raided almost
$100,000 in pledges to brand the Nationals' home turf "Taxation
Without Representation Field at RFK".

Panetta is 34 years old and lives in Woodley Park.