Serving Communities in Northwest Washington Since 1967
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Vol. XLVIII, No. 50
The Northwest Current
UDC shows off new student center
balancing act
■ Education: Long-delayed
building set to open Jan. 20 By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer
The University of the District of Columbia will open its long-delayed student center next month at Connecticut Avenue and Van Ness Street NW. The $63 million project will pro-
vide new lounges, dining areas, ballrooms, office space, library facilities and other amenities for the school’s approximately 5,000 students. Now in its final stages of construction, the student center also boasts environmentally friendly design features that university officials hope will serve as a citywide model. Speaking at a Dec. 8 media tour of the new building, UDC President Ronald Mason Jr. said, “This building really is a symbol of where we
want to be” — state-of-the-art, sustainable and attractive. It’s the first major addition to the campus since the school opened four decades ago. The project brings 60,000 square feet of new space and 23,000 square feet worth of renovations where it connects to existing facilities. Workers are now constructing a new plaza space along Connecticut Avenue and finalizing some interior detail work, and the student center See UDC/Page 22
ANC backs Chick-fil-A outdoor seating By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Brian Kapur/The Current
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens celebrated the holidays in old Russian style. The annual Russian Winter Festival included a play based on traditional Russian stories of Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden, folk music, art activities, shopping and festive dining.
Tenleytown’s already plentiful list of chicken eateries will grow with Chick-fil-A, which is seeking city approval for a small outdoor seating area at its planned 4505 Wisconsin Ave. NW location. The Tenleytown/Friendship Heights advisory neighborhood commission unanimously voted to support the public space application last week. The outdoor area will have as many as 24 seats and possibly a fence similar to the one at adjacent Starbucks, according to Chick-fil-A development manager John Martinez. Martinez said his team surveyed the area around the storefront, previously occupied by Payless Shoes, to determine the appropriate size for the seating area. The conclusion was that the outdoor spaces at Panera Bread and Starbucks, which extend 10 feet from their respective storefronts, make the sidewalk narrow, so the Chickfil-A seating area will extend only 6 feet from the store,
Brian Kapur/The Current
The planned Chick-fil-A restaurant in Tenleytown won support for outdoor seating last week.
Martinez said. Commissioner Tom Quinn proposed the idea of Chick-fil-A collaborating with its neighbors to create a unified outdoor area so patrons of all three establishSee Tenley/Page 3
Dog photos with Santa ring in holiday season
Wilson High response to gun on campus gets mixed grades
By MARK LIEBERMAN
■ Safety: School tightens
Current Staff Writer
The holiday season is a time for celebrating the ones you love, whether human or not. This month, the Washington Humane Society is offering opportunities for dog owners to get pictures of their canine friends with Santa Claus. On Saturday, a stream of dogs and dutiful owners stopped in at the pet supply store Pro Feed D.C. in the Palisades and waited in a short line to get some face time with the big man in the red suit. Visitors came from across the city and even outside of it for this occasion. Lucian Mattia — an Arlington resident who’s fostered eight dogs from the Washington Humane Society over the last year — brought one of his foster companions, Niffler, an American Staffordshire
NEWS
security after recent incident
By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Brian Kapur/The Current
Area canines came to the Palisades on Saturday to meet St. Nicholas at Pro Feed D.C.
terrier. Mattia has hosted charity events and donated $10,000 to the society over the last decade. He attributes his love of dogs to a simple truism: “They’re better than people.” On a more serious note, Mattia said the Washington Humane Society does important work and needs all the See Photos/Page 11
SPOR TS
In Golden Triangle, Tiny Jewel Box continues to grow — Page 3
St. Albans hoops shows off defense at holiday tourney — Page 9
Two weeks after a student was arrested for bringing a gun into Wilson High School, community members have shared mixed opinions on how the school responded and what the response should be going forward. In the days following the Dec. 1 incident, D.C. Public Schools has tightened security at the high-per-
HOLIDAYS
‘Shop with a cop’ lets local kids meet MPD’s friendly side — Page 11
forming Tenleytown school. Students are required to leave the building immediately after the school day ends at 3:15 p.m., and they have been instructed not to use any side doors when entering or exiting. The school continues to use metal detectors at its front entrance, and school officials have also been checking alarms, ordering repairs for broken locks on doors and assessing security cameras, according to D.C. Public Schools press secretary Michelle Lerner. An additional special police officer has been assigned to Wilson as well, she said. See Wilson/Page 22
INDEX Calendar/14 Classifieds/21 District Digest/5 Exhibits/15 In Your Neighborhood/12 Opinion/6
Police Report/4 Real Estate/13 School Dispatches/8 Service Directory/19 Sports/9 Week Ahead/3
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