Fb 02 17 2016

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The Foggy BoTTom CurrenT

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Vol. X, No. 11

Serving Foggy Bottom & the West End

Grants to fund 17th Street housing

DRAGON BREATH

■ Adams Morgan: Sites eyed

for upgraded affordable units By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer

Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced an $82 million citywide initiative to improve the city’s affordable housing options, funding 12 projects that would house a total of 1,760 residents.

The funding comes from the $100 million the mayor allotted last year for the Housing Protection Trust Fund, dedicated to preserving and producing affordable housing for the city’s low-income population. The projects the mayor and a team of officials selected include both preserving existing affordable buildings and developing new ones. Two of the seven preservation projects fall within Northwest:

Sarah’s Circle at 2551 17th St. NW and Glen Arms at 2518 17th St. NW, both in Adams Morgan. And one of the five planned allnew projects is also in Northwest, at 1433-1435 Spring Road NW. For Sarah’s Circle, the funding will allow for a “full gut rehab” of its property, executive director Jessica Petro told The Current. The affordable housing nonprofit began its housing program See Housing/Page 6

Planned shelter sites spark initial debate By CUNEYT DIL

Current Correspondent

Brian Kapur/The Current

The annual Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown rang in the Year of the Monkey on Sunday afternoon. Frigid temperatures didn’t stop revelers from enjoying Chinese Dragon dances, kung fu demonstrations and live music.

In the wake of a proposal to build a network of family homeless shelters across the District, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration is hearing general support for the idea but some concerns about the specific locations selected for the facilities. The neighborhood shelters are part of Bowser’s plan to close the dilapidated and overcrowded D.C. General facility. Every ward will house a family shelter under the proposal, except for Ward 2, where an all-women’s shelter opened last week at 810 5th St. NW with Bowser cutting the ribbon. The goal is to house residents in the other ward facilities for about 100 days until they can move to longer-term housing. The city estimates there were 1,311 homeless families in 2015, a sharp rise from 800 six years ago. At community meetings held in every ward last Thursday, the public got its first chance to weigh in

Rendering courtesy of D.C. government

Ward 1’s proposed shelter would be located at 10th and V streets NW, upsetting some nearby residents.

on the approximately $22 million project. In Ward 3, most attendees said they would welcome a shelter at Wisconsin Avenue and Edmunds Street NW, currently a grassy plot of vacant land across from the Russian Embassy. See Homeless/Page 6

WIS scales back plans for Tregaron campus

Crackdown on pub crawls to face upcoming hearing

By CUNEYT DIL

■ Alcohol licensing: Rules

Current Correspondent

Washington International School recently scaled back designs for an expansion project on its historic Tregaron Campus in Cleveland Park — a change that has reversed some community criticism. The private school at 3100 Macomb St. NW is looking to construct a new academic building and a two-level underground parking garage between the Macomb Street entrance and former Tregaron mansion. At Feb. 2 public meeting at Washington International, head of school Clayton Lewis said he has heard concerns about whether the building, initially proposed as three stories, fits with the character of the community. Architect Douglas Bothner showed new designs that bring the building down one story and

now in effect pending review Rendering courtesy of Washington International School

The latest design for the science building has won some community support, although other residents consider it inappropriate for the historic campus.

shrink the space by 1,200 square feet, making it more “compact and less of an impact.” “Sometimes the constraints actually make the project better,” Bothner told about 30 residents attending. “I have to say this makes the project better.” The Cleveland Park Historical Society ultimately See School/Page 16

By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer

An extended battle between pub crawl promoters and city officials will reach the D.C. Council within the next two months, following emergency action from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board in January. The board issued new emergency regulations on Jan. 13 restricting pub crawl activities — organized events for all-night

drinking at multiple nearby establishments — following months of complaints from citizens, police and business improvement districts. If the regulations hold, pub crawl promoters planning events for more than 200 people will have to apply for a $500 license at least 45 days before their event. Applications will be sent to the alcohol board and the Metropolitan Police Department and will need to specify plans for litter removal, hours of the event and protocols for dealing with unruly patrons who might violate laws. See Pub Crawls/Page 7

NEWS

EXHIBITS

SHERWOOD

INDEX

New animal hospital

Avian art takes flight

Heading to Cuba

Calendar/20 Classifieds/29 District Digest/2 Foggy Bottom News/13 Exhibits/21 In Your Neighborhood/18

CityPaws expands from 14th Street to additional site in Cleveland Park / Page 3

Old Print Gallery to host exhibit ‘Feathered’ starting Friday to celebrate winged animals / Page 21

Mayor Bowser and other regional leaders seek economic ties to once-isolated island / Page 10

Opinion/10 Police Report/4 Real Estate/15 School Dispatches/8 Service Directory/27 Week Ahead/3

Tips? Contact us at newsdesk@currentnewspapers.com


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