ANC2E: Cannabis, Vandalism, Fire, Traffic Study, TJ St. Project

BY PEGGY SANDS

The Georgetown-Burleith-Hillandale Advisory Neighborhood Commission’s June 29 meeting for July started with a grateful goodbye to ANC2E Chair Elizabeth Miller. Her family’s downsizing move from Q Street to O Street puts her two blocks out of her single-member district, and therefore she had to resign. “I’ll still be around though,” Miller said. The full agenda of the fivehour meeting proved there was a lot to be around for. The following are some highlights.

The crime report from two Metropolitan Police Department officers focused on a new campaign to close down large illegal marijuana retailers and distributors in D.C. “There are only a few authorized medical marijuana shops in D.C. – fewer than ten. Gifting marijuana legally is allowed for a home grower to a friend in need, perhaps. But people taking out business licenses to distribute large amounts of marijuana as gifts, that is not allowed.

As for the fire at the gravesite of seven-yearold Nannie at Mt. Zion Cemetery at 27th and Q Streets, both MPD and a D.C. arson investigator announced that “a person of interest” had been identified and is being questioned. The person is homeless, frequents the cemetery and is known as a “mental illness services consumer,” as one of the officers put it. No charges have been made as yet. There is no known motivation, police told commissioners.

“There is also no indication at all of any accelerant that was used in the fire,” added the investigator. “Most of the items burned were toys made of light plastic that easily catch fire in an open flame.”

Black Georgetown Chairman Neville Waters and former advisory neighborhood commissioner Monica Roche, who each have family members buried at the historic Black cemetery, expressed concerns about a possible hate crime.

Investigators of the two-alarm fire at Ristorante Piccolo at 1068 31st St. NW, early in the afternoon on June 29, was trying to determine the cause and damage — much from heavy water usage — the DC Fire & EMS spokesperson reported to the ANC.

Details of a holistic transportation study exclusively for Georgetown were laid out by DDOT project director Ted Van Houten. Beginning in March of 2023 with a public meeting, there are two more town meetings scheduled along with report draft reviews. A fund of $75,000 has been activated to pay for any recommendations that may need implementing in the near future, such as a speed bump during the study period. About $3 million has been allotted for future projects identified by the study. Those can include new parking signs, areas, and the like. An interactive project map will be maintained by the agencies involved. The study and final recommendations are scheduled to be completed by March 2024.

Commissioner Kishan Putta announced that the new principal for Hardy Middle School is Maurine Westover.

New outdoor street furniture for Georgetown –some of it from Vienna, Austria – was discussed at length following a Georgetown Business Improvement District proposal to replace the multicolored but tired-looking metal bistro furniture found throughout Georgetown’s outdoor parks and miniparks up and down Wisconsin Avenue and M Street and at Georgetown Waterfront Park. Bold-color, minimalist plastic settees, chairs and tables — as seen in Vienna, Austria — was included in a BID proposal. But there were criticism of the Enzi-style pieces. Former advisory neighborhood commissioner Tom Birch, who is on the board of the Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park strongly objected to the design as “inappropriate” to the natural environmental mission of the waterfront park.

“Maybe we could just try some of the pieces in the park for a month or so,” suggested commissioner Topher Mathews. “No!” said Birch. “That’s a camel’s nose under the tent.”

What the commissioners did approve unanimously were the reconstruction plans for two Georgetown houses of worship.

The Georgetown Lutheran Church — the town’s oldest congregation — at 1556 Wisconsin Ave. NW will restore its bell tower, including replacing steps, reopening louvres and doing roof repairs, along with other restoration work supported by grants. An addition to the Jewish orthodox synagogue, Kesher Israel, at 2801 N St. NW will also involve some renovation work. That project will be done in two phases.

Well over an hour was spent discussing the preliminary plans of a huge project along Thomas Jefferson Street — the complete reconfiguration of the two large office buildings, from K Street to almost mid-block — that calls for 300 apartments (with some 300 parking places supposedly) and some ground floor retail. The buildings will be redesigned with serrated floors and spaces and includes an alleyway that connects 31st and Thomas Jefferson Streets

However, there are significant objections from owners of apartments in the adjacent Wadsworth House with 32 condominiums on 31st Street. Resident and former advisory neighborhood commissioner Bill Starrels (who is a photographer for The Georgetowner) pointed out that there will be serious and documented impacts on the owners, pedestrians and many visitors to that section of Georgetown. “We are all for converting office buildings to needed apartments and used spaces,” Starrels told the commissioners, “but this is a larger scale project than even Washington Harbour. The proposed massing and height alone must be considered carefully.”

“I don’t expect to get it through the first review of the architectural review board,” said the architect. The ANC approved a resolution of general support.

The next ANC2E meeting is scheduled for Sept. 5.

Looking for a First Home? Try Georgetown

You know what they say -- location, location, location. While that phrase is of course hackneyed, it’s 1,000 percent true for Georgetown. If you’re a longtime renter looking to buy your first home, our community is truly an ideal place to take the plunge. Sure, a lot of properties can be expensive. However, the right purchase can be a fruitful and fulfilling investment. Where else can you own a part of history?

Property in Georgetown is on track to continue becoming even more of a hot commodity than it already is. Washington Fine Properties says buyers love Georgetown’s historical ties and modern city life. And Georgetown is the best of both worlds.

Also, the neighborhood has seen several high-end retailers like furniture brand Blu Dot, department store Showfields and the longtime shops and boutiques we used in our June cover story call Georgetown home.

For young first-time buyers, there’s so much to do for families. Rose Park, Volta Park, the Georgetown Waterfront and all of the seasonal activities from the Georgetown BID, Georgetown Main Street and the Citizens Association of Georgetown are ideal places and things-to-do to keep little ones busy.

Keep in mind, the housing market here is competitive. If you find your dream home, it’s best to work with a realtor to get things moving.

Most important, get to know the neighborhood. We here in Georgetown are a welcoming bunch! We encourage potential buyers to visit the community often. Hold on to this copy of The Georgetowner for reference. Get to know our restaurants, neighborhood library, schools and shops. Speaking of shops — check out our Discover Georgetown Map we launched in a beta version this month. In it, you’ll find multiple options for local boutiques, places to eat and exciting things to do. Happy exploring and we can’t wait to welcome you to the neighborhood!

Safe at Home? D.C. Fears

Washington, D.C., once again is generating headlines in a bad way. But do we feel what the victims of crime feel? So far, we’ve been hearing the news rather than directly experiencing it … So far.

Such as … “9 people, including 2 kids, are shot and wounded in the nation’s capital as violence mars July 4.” Searingly ironic and deplorable was a July 3 shooting near the U.S. Capitol, as CNN reported: “A former Afghan interpreter who immigrated with his family to America in 2021 was shot and killed early Monday in Washington, D.C., while on an extra shift as a Lyft driver…” Nasrat Ahmad, 31, died of a gunshot wound. Need we continue or provide more details?

The frustration and sorrow of this local and national epidemic seems to be numbing us. Someone, anyone? Is our society helpless or hopeless?

At least, our Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto responded to the continued violence with a round of new legislative proposals, including her “Prioritizing Public Safety Emergency Amendment Act,” as chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety on the D.C. Council.

“The crime and violence we have seen in recent days and months is evidence that we must move with urgency to address the crisis we’re

Biden’s 2024 Playbook May Result in Victory

BY JULES WITCOVER

President Joe Biden has hit the ground running. Instead of heading for cover as his presidency encounters uncommon political challenges from a growing field of potential Republican opponents to his reelection next year, he has decided to focus on the presidency he already holds.

experienced a sea change in attitude since the days when Donald Trump was president. A president can set the tone for the country, holding it to a higher standard, filtering down to society as a whole.

seeing in our city,” she said. “The measures I am introducing… are necessary to prevent repeat offenders from further harming and traumatizing our community, hold perpetrators accountable, protect and support victims, ensure police are able to keep our community safe, and increase accountability and transparency around our public safety apparatus.”

Pinto’s legislation would encourage crime data-sharing among city agencies, protect victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, shore up accountability for offenders and address criminal violence.

Testifying before Congress a few months ago, Council Chair Phil Mendelson said, “There is no crime crisis” in Washington. A day ago, however, Mendelson said: “You can get away with murder in this city.” He supports Pinto’s bill.

The Metropolitan Police Department reports a 17-percent increase in homicides so far this year over the same period in 2022, along with a 33-percent increase in violent crime. MPD estimates a 30-percent increase in overall crime.

As we write this, the Council is considering Pinto’s bill with slight changes. Perhaps a reason to hope will return. Enough with words. Act now, or more will live in fear. Or, die.

The president has engaged in much foreign and domestic traveling, demonstrating his political style and energy, building more support from voters who up until now have seemed to denigrate his experience and skills, and above all his personal authenticity as a national and world leader. That experience is an unusual example of his on-the-job-training, developed in his 36 years in the Senate and his vice-presidency.

In writing the first and comprehensive biography of Joe Biden as vice president and now as president, I have traveled extensively with him in Delaware and retain an essential source in his sister and long-time campaign manager Valerie Biden Owens. His ambitious plan called Bidenomics includes creating 13 million jobs and cutting inflation in half, improving the economic infrastructure while maintaining price controls.

After the 6-3 Supreme Court decision ended affirmative actions in college admissions, Biden declared that discrimination by race still exists in America. The Court also struck down Biden’s plan providing student loan forgiveness. He has pledged to install “a new path” to achieve the same objectives. “I’m never going to stop fighting for you. We’ll use every tool at our disposal to get you the student debt relief you need,” he declared.

Biden will also replay his successful strategy of 2020, casting himself once again as the alternative to the man he disparagingly calls “the former guy.” The country has

For Biden, being the best person he can be is almost a religion for him. Whereas the former president offered derisive remarks that led to polarization, this president sees himself as a unifier who refuses to tolerate bullying.

While Biden’s age is cited as a deterrent to a second term, he is also considered safe. “This is a guy just coming to work every day, calling it as he sees it, with no self-interest,” says David Plouffe, the 2008 Obama-Biden campaign manager. The burden of high office, like all else in his life, Biden said, “is my responsibility, and I’ll meet it. I’ll always believe governing, quite frankly, and life for that matter, is about connecting with people. That won’t change.”

Biden is proud to be a reliable safe haven for voters who have seen Trump to be a threat to the American election process with his attacks of a “rigged” process. Once again, not being Donald Trump may well give Joe Biden a second term in 2024. Now it will be up to the news media and members of the journalism profession to handle the upcoming battle with steadiness and accountability as the nation makes its choice between polar opposites.

Longtime Georgetown resident Jules Witcover has been writing from Washington on politics and history since 1954, first for the Newhouse Newspapers, then the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun and later as a syndicated columnist. His 20 books include “Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption.”

Neighbors & Legends: Jim Hoagland

BY SAM SALLICK

Meet a Georgetown neighbor who was face to face with Saddam Hussein, Moammar Gaddafi and Vladimir Putin.

Jim Hoagland may not even be the most famous journalist on his own block, but the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner from Rock Hill, South Carolina is one of the most esteemed international reporters of his era.

Hoagland has been a Georgetown resident for nearly 30 years, saying his wife, author Jane Stanton Hitchcock, was “the one who really developed a love for this house.” Hoagland’s East Village block contains enough journalistic firepower to start a newsroom, including famed reporter Bob Woodward, NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, Financial Times Bureau Chief Edward books. He talked about the journey that placed him at some of the most important international events of our time.

Starting his career right after leaving the University of South Carolina, he worked at local newspapers in the Palmetto State. He also lived in Europe for many years, spending time in Aix-En-Provence, Paris and Germany, where he spent two years serving in the U.S. Air Force. He came back to the United States in 1966, where a fateful conversation would change his career forever.

On a trip to Washington to inquire about a job working for Congressman Tom Gettys of his native South Carolina, the brother of a friend, introduced him to Washington Post Executive

All of a sudden, another guard stops and takes control of us to take us to Saddam. Before seeing him, we had to wash our hands with this blue liquid because they were afraid we were going to kill him.” Steady nerves through such situations are part of what made Hoagland such a respected reporter. His career has put him in close quarters with leaders as wide ranging as Putin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela, as well as many American presidents and secretaries of state.

Another example of Hoagland’s storied career is when he talked to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. After raising tough questions at a press conference about Black September and the Jordanian Civil War, the Dictator had an aide pull him aside. Hoagland said that was “about the only time I have ever been nervous about meeting somebody.” Gaddafi said, “Why do you drink poison?” After asking for clarification, he figured out that Gaddafi was talking about drinking alcohol. He responded by saying, “How do you know I drink alcohol?” That type of understated fearlessness personifies Hoagland.

Unsurprisingly, Hoagland said the stories he is most proud of are the two for which he was awarded Pulitzer Prizes (in International Reporting, and Commentary.) His first came in 1971, when he wrote about apartheid in South Africa. Hoagland recounted in an NPR interview in South Carolina that it struck him how similar apartheid was to the segregated South during his childhood. The other, in 1991, was for a 10-part series he wrote on the lead-up to the First Gulf War and the problems facing Mikhail Gorbachev. According to Hoagland, “the way I covered Gorbachev, I thought was an interesting story and a very consequential one.” The Soviet Union collapsed that same year.

Sitting by the pool and reading with his dog Chloe by his side, Hoagland can reflect on a remarkable career that has informed millions of readers and influenced policy makers all over the world. As Georgetowners, we are lucky to call Jim Hoagland our neighbor.