The Northwest Current
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Vol. L, No. 47
Serving Communities in Northwest Washington Since 1967
GDS project draws ANC support
TURKEY TROT
■ Development: Agreement
would set morning traffic cap By KIRK KRAMER Current Staff Writer
Georgetown Day School’s plans to expand its Tenleytown campus won a key endorsement last week, as the local advisory neighborhood commission signed off on a compromise regarding the
school’s anticipated traffic volume. The decision by ANC 3E (Friendship Heights, Tenleytown) follows months of sometimes contentious debate about Georgetown Day’s plans for 4203 Davenport St. NW, the site of a former Safeway next door to the GDS high school campus. The school purchased the property in 2014 to create a unified campus, with the intention of relocating its lower/
middle school from the Palisades to the old Safeway site. According to ANC 3E chair Jon Bender, Georgetown Day’s original proposal included 864 predicted vehicle trips to the school during the peak morning rush hour, which the commission said was not acceptable. School officials came back with a promise of no more than 595 permitted trips during any single morning See Traffic/Page 11
West End Library set to open next week By GRACE BIRD Current Staff Writer
Brian Kapur/The Current
So Others Might Eat hosted its 16th annual Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger on Thursday morning at Freedom Plaza. Proceeds from the 5K race and 1-mile children’s run will benefit the group’s programs for the homeless and hungry.
After years of planning and construction, the new West End Library branch will celebrate its grand opening at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 9 — showing off a modern space with ample room to enjoy upgraded technology, light-filled meeting areas and 40,000 books. The soon-to-open library at 2301 L St. NW occupies part of the ground floor of a new mixed-use building, which also includes luxury residences on the upper floors and street-level retail. The project was completed through an intricate partnership involving the District government, EastBanc, JBG Smith and Clark Enterprises. The city granted the use of underdeveloped public land — holding the old library and a small police building — and, in exchange, the project team provided the new library at no out-of-pocket taxpayer cost. See Library/Page 5
Brian Kapur/The Current
The D.C. Public Library system is putting the final touches on the new West End branch, constructed as part of a new mixed-use project.
Georgetown to light up for the holiday season
Council set to review plans for BID in Dupont Circle
Current Staff Writer
■ Business: Group aims to
By GRACE BIRD
Georgetown is set to showcase nine illuminated art installations in the neighborhood this holiday season starting Dec. 8. The annual monthlong light festival, called Georgetown GLOW, is organized by the neighborhood’s business improvement district. “Public art is just something that’s increasing in every neighborhood. People want to make art accessible,” Georgetown BID vice president Nancy Miyahira told The Current. “While there are things in the world right now that feel somewhat divisive, we still have things that connect us.” Since its conception in 2014, the yearly GLOW light festival has grown from a few days to nearly a month. The event is partly funded by a $150,000 grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and
spruce up area north of circle By ZOE MORGAN Photo courtesy of the Georgetown BID
Artist Robin Bell’s 15-minute looped video “GLOW Structural Remix” pays homage to Georgetown’s history and evokes the colors of winter.
Humanities, Miyahira said. The BID is slated to host several holiday events around the neighborhood during Georgetown GLOW. A silent disco is planned for Dec. 9 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Washington Harbour, near an art installation dubbed “Horizontal Interference”; an “all-night” See Art/Page 15
Current Staff Writer
Northern Dupont Circle may be getting a business improvement district, an organization that would add a new levy on commercial property owners to help boost activity in the neighborhood. Ward 2 D.C. Council member Jack Evans introduced a bill earlier this month that would authorize the creation of a BID encompassing a stretch of Connecticut Ave-
nue north of Dupont Circle, as well as some of Massachusetts Avenue west of the circle. Evans told The Current that he thinks a Dupont BID would “have a very positive and substantial impact” on the neighborhood and said that he believes the bill is likely to pass. The Committee on Finance and Revenue, which Evans chairs, has scheduled a hearing on the bill for Dec. 13. “I think that it’s important to have a BID to try to get the city to focus on our neighborhood and to focus on some of the improvements that we desperately need See Dupont/Page 5
NEWS
SPORTS
HOLIDAYS
INDEX
SunTrust plaza
Riding tall
Homes for the holidays
Calendar/18 Classifieds/23 District Digest/2 Holidays in Washington/12 In Your Neighborhood/8 Opinion/6
ANC urges agencies to hold off project approvals until court decides pending case / Page 3
Roosevelt doubles up with gridiron titles for DCSAA as well as DCIAA Stripes division / Page 9
Seasonal Logan Circle, Spring Valley house tours this weekend to display varied designs / Page 13
Police Report/4 Real Estate/17 School Dispatches/10 Service Directory/22 Sports/9 Week Ahead/3
Tips? Contact us at newsdesk@currentnewspapers.com