The NorThwesT CurreNT
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Landmark for Palisades park draws backers
Wilson High safety is again under scrutiny
ULTIMATE WIN
■ Tenley: Student stabbed
near school during robbery
By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer
To many Palisades residents, the community’s recreation center building is forgettable at best — a modest facility at 5200 Sherier Place NW without the space and amenities today’s families expect — and plans for its replacement are overdue. But when the D.C. Historic Preservation Office reviewed an application to designate the site as a landmark, the agency concluded that the property has historical significance going back 10,000 years. A report issued Friday pointed to research that found undisturbed Native American artifacts there from 8000 B.C. to 1700 A.D. The agency also concluded that the site’s 1936 field house building is worthy of designation, along with most of the surrounding land on the property. The report says the building was carefully sited, nicely represents Depression-era architecture and public works goals, and remains substantively See Palisades/Page 18
By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
The Wilson High School community remains on alert after several high-profile instances of violence involving its students this year, and community leaders and city officials are calling for a collaborative effort to address the issues. The latest incident took place Monday morning, when a Wilson student was stabbed in the leg dur-
ing an attempted robbery near the intersection of Grant Road and Brandywine Street NW across Nebraska Avenue from the school, according to media reports. Police are investigating the case but no suspect has been identified, according to Metropolitan Police Department Cmdr. Melvin Gresham. “While this event did not occur on campus, we are committed to providing safe passage for students, to and from school each day, and will continue working closely with all community resources to keep our students See Wilson/Page 16
Cathedral Commons plan for eatery heads to hearing ■ Zoning: Restaurant Silver
Brian Kapur/The Current
Wilson High School’s Ultimate Frisbee team captured the D.C. State Athletic Association championship for the second straight year with an 11-6 win over School Without Walls on Sunday. See story, page 13.
worries about effect of delay By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Metro pitches concepts for Tenley blocks By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Community members have been complaining for years about safety and aesthetic issues surrounding the Tenleytown/AU Metro station plaza, saying the crosswalks are treacherous, the intersections are confusing, and the surroundings are ugly. On Saturday, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority presented three possible redesigns during an open house Saturday at nearby Wilson High School. The design alternatives respond to the long-standing complaints, but they have raised fresh concerns among some residents about the loss of parking spaces.
Vol. XLIX, No. 17
Serving Chevy Chase, Colonial Village, Shepherd Park, Brightwood, Crestwood, Petworth & 16th Street Heights
Brian Kapur/The Current
Metro has offered plans to alter 40th Street and Fort Drive NW.
The proposals follow a Metro study completed in March 2014, which revealed spotty parking space enforcement; heavy vehicle congestion, particularly during the midday and evening hours; and confusing parking signage. In this location, 40th Street and Fort Drive run one-way in opposite
directions between Albemarle and Brandywine streets NW, separated by a narrow median and lined with bus stops and 76 parking spaces. In addition to the Metro station, the streets serve the Whole Foods Market commercial building, as well as Wilson High School and the adjacent aquatic center. Key recommendations from the 2014 report included decreasing right-of-way conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles; expanding bicycle access and spaces for pedestrians and the community; and adding bus shelter and layover areas to minimize confusion and discomfort. All three of the newly proposed alternatives include improved disability access with See Tenley/Page 26
The Cathedral Commons retail complex might be adding another restaurant — but not before addressing concerns from community members and neighborhood leaders. The Zoning Commission voted unanimously on Monday to hold a full public hearing, likely in July, on a minor modification request to the building plan from the developer, the Bozzuto Group. Bozzuto had hoped to get quick approval from the Zoning Commission to allow Silver Diner to install a new, all-day restaurant concept called Silver in the building’s remaining street frontage in the 3300 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW. Current zoning rules for the project limit the developer to using 20 percent of the building’s linear frontage for restaurants, fast-food establishments and prepared food shops. Bozzuto hopes to increase the limit to 23.42 percent, allowing for a restaurant that
Brian Kapur/The Current
Silver would move into Cleveland Park’s Cathedral Commons.
takes up a 93-foot-wide space between the Allure Spa and SunTrust bank. The application was originally slated for expedited review as a minor matter, but Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C (Cleveland Park, Massachusetts Avenue Heights, Woodley Park) unanimously called for a more thorough process to evaluate aesthetic and parking impacts. In response, Bozzuto and Silver agreed to shrink the proposed front signage from 36 to 30 inches tall, still above the maximum of 24; increase the validation period for street parking from 90 minutes to two hours; and address flaws in See Restaurant/Page 18
NEWS
SPORTS
SHERWOOD
INDEX
Affordable housing
Thrilling win
Kicking off soccer
Calendar/20 Classifieds/29 District Digest/4 Exhibits/21 Getting Around/26 In Your Neighborhood/6
Commission seeks to boost inclusionary zoning despite developers’ concerns / Page 5
Maret staves off Sidwell’s late rally to win a pivotal MAC game on the baseball diamond / Page 13
Mayor holds groundbreaking ceremony for the new D.C. United stadium in Southwest / Page 10
Opinion/10 Police Report/8 Real Estate/17 School Dispatches/15 Service Directory/27 Sports/13
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