The NorThwesT CurreNT
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Vol. L, No. 24
Serving Chevy Chase, Colonial Village, Shepherd Park, Brightwood, Crestwood, Petworth & 16th Street Heights
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Council eyes Ward 4 grocery change ■ Development: Beer, wine
restrictions limit Walter Reed By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Supermarkets in Ward 4 would be permitted to sell beer and wine under a proposed D.C. Council bill, but some residents disagree about how broad that exception to existing restrictions should be.
Years ago, the council responded to residents’ requests to ban new grocery-store alcohol licenses in Ward 4, given complaints about a proliferation of small outlets selling beer and wine. Now, developers of the expansive Parks at Walter Reed complex have been struggling to secure a full-service grocery store to anchor the site’s “town center” portion on Georgia between Dahlia and Elder streets NW. Though Whole Foods and Weg-
mans had publicly expressed interest in the site, the project team has said stores are reluctant to come if they can’t offer beer and wine. And in fact, Wegmans recently decided instead to settle at the Fannie Mae redevelopment in Ward 3. In response, Ward 4 Council member Brandon Todd and his atlarge colleague Anita Bonds cointroduced a bill on June 6 that would allow full-service grocers See License/Page 12
Bridge hazard still forcing trail closure By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Brian Kapur/The Current
With St. John’s College High School boys basketball coach Sean McAloon leaving for another coaching gig, the Chevy Chase school has hired his former assistant coach Patrick Behan (shown) as a replacement. Behan was on McAloon’s staff from 2012 to 2014 before becoming coach at WCAC foe St. Mary’s Ryken, where he won the league’s coach of the year honor last season. See story, page 9.
The trail beneath the Foundry Branch Bridge in Glover Archbold Park near Foxhall has been closed for the past 10 months, as plans have stalled to resolve safety concerns by repairing the deteriorating structure. Meanwhile, the agencies involved in the site appear to differ on its future. The National Park Service — which controls Glover Archbold as part of its Rock Creek Park portfolio — closed a quarter-mile portion of the northsouth trail last August, from the intersection of Foxhall and Canal roads NW north to where a side trail connects to P Street. Since then, signs posted at the trail entrance near Foxhall Road continue to warn that the increasing instability of a long-abandoned trolley bridge that crosses above part of the trail “poses a safety hazard to park visitors.” See Bridge/Page 15
Mark Lieberman/The Current
Although pedestrians can easily access the closed trail, the National Park Service says it’s dangerous to pass under the deteriorating trolley bridge.
Whole Foods renovations delayed amid lease dispute
Eaton parents wary over shelter’s impact By CUNEYT DIL
■ Glover Park: Work would
Current Correspondent
Parents at Eaton Elementary remain concerned that a new family homeless shelter will overwhelm their already crowded school, but Eaton’s principal said the school can handle it. The city is planning to construct short-term housing at 3320 Idaho Ave. NW, part of a citywide effort to replace the dilapidated D.C. General, and schoolaged children there would be within Eaton’s boundary during the school year of their stay. City officials attended a community meeting on the issue last Tuesday, where many parents expressed fears that the school would not be able to provide adequate special services to children of homeless families. Others worried it might be difficult to mesh residents experiencing homelessness with the school community.
take 6 months but can’t begin By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer
Brian Kapur/Current file photo
Eaton Elementary, located at 3301 Lowell St., is the in-boundary school for the planned family shelter. Eaton principal Dale Mann said the school could use additional support staff or training from D.C. Public Schools to address any special needs, such as mental or financial, of students from homeless families. He also echoed concerns of overcrowding, saying that some classes currently reach 27 students, See Eaton/Page 15
A recent lawsuit and “stop work” order have raised further questions about Whole Foods Market’s Glover Park store, which closed abruptly in March after the D.C. Department of Health found repeated evidence of rodent infestation. Although the 2323 Wisconsin Ave. NW supermarket was cleared to reopen, the company took the
opportunity to remain closed and carry out a complete renovation — much to the chagrin of customers, who blasted the lack of notice and scarcity of details about when the store might reopen. Whole Foods’ effort to move quickly may have backfired in other ways as well. Last month, the store was ordered to cease interior demolition without a permit. Separately, Whole Foods last week sued its landlord, Wical Limited Partnership, alleging that Wical improperly threatened to terminate its lease and continues to obstruct the renovation. See Lawsuit/Page 3
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Calendar/18 Classifieds/26 District Digest/4 In Your Neighborhood/14 Opinion/6 Police Report/8
Specials at local restaurants to precede this year’s annual cooking competition / Page 17
With St. John’s boys basketball coach headed elsewhere, former assistant takes the reins/ Page 9
Real Estate/13 School Dispatches/10 Shopping & Dining/17 Service Directory/24 Sports/9 Week Ahead/3
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