Serving Foggy Bottom & the West End
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Vol. VIII, No. 31
The Foggy BoTTom CurrenT
Proposals aim to disperse embassies
PAT R I O T I C PA R A D E
■ Zoning: Dual efforts target
chancery overconcentration By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer
In parts of the city with large numbers of embassies, some residents have long chafed under the resulting parking pressures, noise impacts and nighttime dead zones. Now, proposals from the Nation-
al Capital Planning Commission staff and the D.C. Office of Planning each seek to address that. The federal recommendation, set for a hearing tomorrow, would encourage chanceries to be located outside of residential neighborhoods. Separately, the Planning Office wants to eliminate a policy that encourages embassies to cluster primarily in the Massachusetts Avenue and 16th Street corridors. Current regulations and policies
encourage foreign countries to locate their chancery offices in areas with an existing diplomatic or institutional presence, as designated by a diplomatic overlay zone. As part of a broader effort to rewrite the city’s land-use regulations, the Office of Planning worked with affected communities — most notably Sheridan-Kalorama, which has the highest number of embassies. “We tried to find a way that See Embassies/Page 7
ANC hears doubts on St. Thomas project By GRAHAM VYSE Current Staff Writer
Brian Kapur/The Current
The Crestwood Citizens Association’s annual Fourth of July parade featured children showing off their decked-out bikes, strollers, scooters and other vehicles.
The Dupont Circle advisory neighborhood commission is set to vote tonight on a historic preservation application for St. Thomas’ Parish, formally wading into community controversy over the design and scope of planned construction at 18th and Church streets. The project, consisting of a new church and a 60-unit residential building, has sharply divided the neighborhood in recent months. The proposal has left the parish pitted against critics who worry the changes will complicate traffic, reduce green space and offend the area’s architectural character. The parish has sought for several years to accommodate a growing congregation by replacing its original Gothic sanctuary — which was destroyed by a 1970 fire — but previous construction proposals were abandoned due to prohibitive costs. This year’s plans came about when the century-old Episcopal institution
Logan neighborhood pilots bike safety signs
Brian Kapur/The Current
A proposed 60-unit residential project would help fund a new church for St. Thomas’ Parish.
decided to sell parts of its half-acre property to residential developer CAS Riegler, securing the money it needed for reconstructing the church as an addition to the existing 1922 parish hall. See Church/Page 10
School boundary proposals criticized at council hearing
By KAT LUCERO
By GRAHAM VYSE
Current Staff Writer
Current Staff Writer
In Logan Circle, bike riders are now reminded that “All are safer when cyclists use the street … NOT the sidewalk.” That’s the message on 100 D.C. Department of Transportation signs that community members posted in early June throughout parts of the neighborhood with heavy bike traffic. D.C. law permits bike riding on sidewalks outside the Central Business District, which is bounded by Massachusetts Avenue to the north, 23rd Street NW to the west, 2nd Street NE to the east, and Constitution Avenue and D Street SW to the south. But in neighborhoods immediately north of Massachusetts Avenue, which have a high concentration of
Northwest residents dominated a D.C. Council hearing on school boundaries late last month, leading the pushback against proposed changes to the way students are assigned to the city’s public schools. Over the course of six hours on June 26, the council’s education committee heard from parents, PTA presidents and other stakeholders, the vast majority of whom objected to plans crafted by Deputy Mayor for Education Abigail Smith and her advisory committee.
NEWS
Brian Kapur/The Current
New signage in the Logan Circle area encourages cyclists to stay off crowded sidewalks.
residences and businesses, bikers and pedestrians have clashed on sidewalks. The topic has also inspired heated exchanges in public meetings and online discussions. “There’s been a lot of complaints in the last couple of years from pedestrians in this area about bicyclists on the sidewalks — either hitting them or almost hitting them,” Jim Sebastian of the Transportation Department said in See Signs/Page 10
SPOR TS
Agency seeks input on long-term plans for Navy Hill campus — Page 2
NCS standout on basketball court to play for Stanford — Page 11
Intended to address overcrowding at high-performing schools and underutilization of space at others, the proposals have been refined since April to incorporate public feedback. Nevertheless, Smith’s effort continues to meet widespread resistance, including from families losing rights to desirable schools and critics who say education officials should focus on expanding quality, not changing assignment policies. “The deputy mayor says that we can do both at the same time, but we can’t,” Washington Teachers Union president Elizabeth Davis said at the See Schools/Page 5
INDEX
NEWS
Bowser heralds new endorsement from Williams at parade — Page 3
Calendar/14 Classifieds/22 District Digest/4 Foggy Bottom News/11 Exhibits/15 In Your Neighborhood/12
Opinion/8 Police Report/6 Real Estate/13 Service Directory/19 Theater/17 Week Ahead/3
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