The NorThwesT CurreNT
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Vol. XLIX, No. 18
Serving Chevy Chase, Colonial Village, Shepherd Park, Brightwood, Crestwood, Petworth & 16th Street Heights
Palisades Park gets landmark status
BLAST OFF
■ Preservation: Board calls
both building, site significant
By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer
The Palisades Recreation Center won landmark designation Thursday, with a majority of Historic Preservation Review Board members saying the property is significant for both its 1930s
development and also for the archaeological artifacts believed to be on the site. The designation follows heated debate within the neighborhood, with the local citizens association saying that an overwhelming majority of Palisades residents opposed preserving the 1935 field house at 5200 Sherier Place NW. Many neighbors feared that designation would greatly complicate plans to construct a replacement
community center — driving up costs and forcing an addition to be constructed on valued green space rather than the existing footprint. In designating the landmark, most preservation board members said that even though the field house isn’t grand, it represents the early history of modern recreation in the District. Furthermore, they said, it was carefully designed both to fit in with its surroundings See Landmark/Page 6
AU faces criticism over housing shortfall By CUNEYT DIL
Current Correspondent
Brian Kapur/The Current
Actress Mary Ann Jung presented a one-woman show at the Tenley-Friendship Library on Thursday about America’s first female astronaut, “Sally Ride: Shoot for the Stars!”
Questions about American University’s student housing plans for next year turned testy last week, when neighborhood leaders scolded the school for wanting to delay an on-campus housing requirement outlined in its campus plan. That requirement, made through the Zoning Commission campus plan process in 2011, mandates that university house 67 percent of its undergraduate students in on-campus dormitories by fall 2016. American is currently building three new residence halls with a total of 590 beds on its East Campus project to fulfill that requirement. The project was originally scheduled to be finished in time for the on-campus housing deadline, but construction delays have pushed the completion date to December 2016, university officials said. See Housing/Page 9
Brian Kapur/The Current
Delays to the East Campus project and unexpected enrollment jumps have left American University scrambling to identify housing options for the fall.
City to study traffic in southern Ward 4
Police boost efforts to tackle Tenleytown crime concerns
By BRADY HOLT
■ Public safety: Wilson,
Current Staff Writer
Many transportation decisions are driven heavily by sheer data — crash statistics, traffic volume and other factual information about a given street. But with its series of livability studies, the D.C. Department of Transportation tries to get a better picture of residents’ concerns in particular neighborhoods and develop a network of solutions to address them comprehensively. The agency kicked off its sixth livability study — the second to take place in Northwest — on Thursday, in the “Rock Creek East II” location that includes the neighborhoods of 16th Street Heights, Brightwood Park, Crestwood and Petworth. The department estimated that about 30 community members attended a presentation and began noting areas
Metro seen as focus points
By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Brian Kapur/The Current
Arkansas Avenue NW, which falls within the study area, has seen community concerns over speeding cars and cut-through traffic.
of interest. The study’s recommendations are expected in draft form next month and to be finalized in September. They will likely target speeding vehicles, confusing roadways, and areas with unsafe or inconvenient See Traffic/Page 5
Police and city government leaders assured Tenleytown residents at a community meeting Saturday that they’re prioritizing crime prevention in the neighborhood in light of a recent string of robberies. The Metropolitan Police Department’s 2nd District Cmdr. Melvin Gresham told residents his team has responded to the recent
headline-generating crime incidents with increased patrols around Wilson High School and the Tenleytown Metro plaza. The department also added daily briefings from the department’s intelligence and school resource divisions and frequent coordination with Metro transit police. “We’ve actually taken a very aggressive role in addressing this issue,” Gresham said. Meanwhile, Metro Transit Police Chief Mitchell Dowdy said Tenleytown receives disproportionate attention from his officers among neighborhoods along the See Safety/Page 2
NEWS
SPORTS
PASSAGES
INDEX
Shelter alternatives
Meaningful win
A win to sing about
Calendar/22 Classifieds/29 District Digest/4 Exhibits/23 In Your Neighborhood/18 Opinion/10
Agency, Cheh spar over viability of three suggested options for Ward 3 facility / Page 3
St. Albans and Cathedral row to regatta victory before emotional post-race ceremony / Page 13
Ellington School’s show choir picked as national champions in Orlando competition / Page 8
Police Report/12 Real Estate/19 School Dispatches/16 Service Directory/27 Sports/13 Week Ahead/3
Tips? Contact us at newsdesk@currentnewspapers.com