Share on Facebook
Showing newest 25 of 93 posts from 9/1/09 - 10/1/09. Show older posts
Showing newest 25 of 93 posts from 9/1/09 - 10/1/09. Show older posts
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thurs, Oct 1st 6:30pm -8pm SHERIDAN STATION COMMUNITY TASK FORCE MEETING
Share on Facebook
DC MUD: Sheridan Terrace Redevelopment Brings Hope to Ward 8
Please note that Sheridian Terrace is located in the BARRY FARM neighborhood.
Big changes are in the works in Washington DC's Ward 8 beginning this winter. Phase 1 of the highly anticipated Sheridan Terrace public housing redevelopment is slated to begin construction in January or February 2010 - depending on when the D.C. Housing Authority finally closes on financing for the project.
Located east of Sheridan Road and bounded by Howard Road, Sayles Place, Stanton Road, and Pomeroy Road, Sheridan Terrace’s 11 acres in
To continue reading go HERE.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
BARRY FARM (re)MIXED: The Ongoing Saga of Wilson Court
To read the Barry Farm (re) Mixed post click HERE.
To read the Washington City Paper article click HERE.
To read the Congress Heights on the Rise post click HERE.
To read the Southeast Socialite post click HERE.
To learn more about the S.O.M.E project on Mellon Street (including to voice your concerns) you can contact: Troy Swanda. He can be reached by telephone at (202) 797-8806 x1035 and via email at tswanda@some.org .
You can also contact Richard Gerlach, Executive Director of S.O.M.E at rgerlach@some.org
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Monday, September 28, 2009
WCP: Neighborhood Watch: Ward 8 Property, Fire Sale or Golden Opportunity?
Excerpt:
Posted by Dana Liebelson on Sep. 28, 2009, at 2:35 pm
The Issue: Is Ward 8 taking on more than its fair share of social housing? So Others Might Eat (SOME), a D.C. nonprofit group, bought a rundown residential property about a year ago on Mellon Street in southeast with the intention of turning the space into long-term housing for adults with special needs. The complex will offer on-site support for residents who have proven six-month recovery in issues ranging from substance abuse to credit problems. But the neighbors fear Ward 8 has become a nonprofit “dumping ground,” and think the new residents will contribute to the area’s problems. The twist is a 3.4 billion dollar Homeland Security Campus slated to open across the street in 2013. Could the property be put to better use?
Fire Sale: SOME says they have opened same-model housing in wards all over the city, including Logan Circle and Capitol Hill, and in the past the housing has raised property values. Richard Gerlach, Executive Director of SOME, told City Desk, “That property was on the market for a long, long time, so to say it’s a golden opportunity is just not true. The buildings we take over are a blight…we fix them up and they become a positive influence that promote growth.” He also stressed that the housing is independent and non-transitional.
To continue reading go HERE.
If you have disapprove of the plans for this property please contact SOME as well as ANC 8C Commissioners. Contact information is included below.
The Advoc8te just heard from an irate Congress Heights resident who just spoke to S.O.M.E. and S.O.M.E. is stating THAT THEY [some] SENT NOTIFICATION TO ANC 8C ABOUT THEIR PLANS AND REQUESTED A PUBLIC MEETING FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THEY RECIEVED NO RESPONSE FROM ANC 8C!!!!! I don't know for sure if this is the case but I believe it. ANC 8C is notorious for leaving us holding the bag by not informing the community of important issues like these. Either the leadership of ANC 8C is CURROPT OR INCOMPETENT (my vote is for both). I AM PRAYING AND PLEADING THAT WE CAN EFFECT SOME MAJOR CHANGE ON THIS COMMISSION IN THE NEXT ELECTION.
S.O.M.E.
Troy Swanda. He can be reached by telephone at (202) 797-8806 x1035 and via email at tswanda@some.org.
ANC 8C COMMISSIONERS FOR TERM 2009 - 2010
William Ellis/8C01
202.872.2644
8c01@anc.dc.gov
Dion Jordan/8C02
8c02@anc.dc.gov
Mary Cuthbert/8C03
202.246.9410
R. Calvin Lockridge/8C04
202.562.4974
Vacant/8C05
Vacant/8C06
Cardell Shelton/8C07
*No contact information posted on ANC 8C website
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
WASHINGTON TIMES: D.C. activists 'rebrand' neighborhoods
John Muller SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
When 33-year-old Charles Wilson challenged D.C. Council member Marion Barry for his Ward 8 seat last year, the Anacostia resident finished second with less than a third of the vote. However, Mr. Wilson's aggressive campaign helped inspire a network of young residents. An outgrowth of the network is the River East Emerging Leaders (REEL), created to strengthen bonds among residents, businesses and government in Wards 7 and 8.
When 33-year-old Charles Wilson challenged D.C. Council member Marion Barry for his Ward 8 seat last year, the Anacostia resident finished second with less than a third of the vote. However, Mr. Wilson's aggressive campaign helped inspire a network of young residents. An outgrowth of the network is the River East Emerging Leaders (REEL), created to strengthen bonds among residents, businesses and government in Wards 7 and 8.
"REEL started out of a need to get the progressively focused and young-at-heart residents actively involved in the community-building process," says Mr. Wilson, who works for the accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP. "There was a need, and it wasn't happening."
Part of the need grew out of reality - underdevelopment, socioeconomic stigma - and the perception that neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River are unsafe and the people who live there are bad.
Regan Ford, Ward 7 representative on REEL's steering committee, says the organization is "returning that old-school feel of community," and the group's greatest strength is "empowering folks with information."
REEL is working to "rebrand" Southeast Washington and enhance its positive qualities, Mr. Wilson said.
"We want people to talk about our historic neighborhoods," Mr. Wilson says. "Our great views of downtown, community activism and the potential of our communities. And most of all, our great residents."
In November 2006, Mr. Wilson co-founded the Historic Anacostia Block Association, which he still serves as president. The group recently received the Vision Award from the Committee of 100 on the Federal City and has been awarded grants from the D.C. Historic Preservation Office to assist residents with home improvements as part of the city's historic-grant program.
To continue reading go HERE.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
QUOTE OF THE DAY
-Alfred North Whitehead
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Plan To Open 51 Unit Transitional Housing for Homeless, Mentally Ill and Recovering Addicts on Mellon Street SE. Neighbors Voice Strong Disapparoval Of Project and Lack Of Community Input.
WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS STRONG ANTI-TOMFOOLERY LANGUAGE.
"This would be a great place for brand new condos with an underground parking garage. Given its very close proximity (walking distance) to the new home of the Department of Homeland Security the units would sale quickly."The Advoc8te definitely agrees that this is a great housing opportunity that is not being realized to bring quality, possibly market rate residential housing to a neighborhood that is literally just across the street from what will be the Department of Homeland Security campus and it's 14,000 jobs. There are already great single family homes and condos on that street however they are constantly combating the nuisance of a few problem properties and the litter and loitering that spill over from the St. Elizabeth's Mental Hospital. The Wilson Court property on Mellon Street if developed properly could really do wonders for not only that block but for the entire neighborhood! A large, well maintained property that would attract responsible, working residents with income to spend in the community would do a lot to anchor that street and restore it back to the greatness that it once was. Homeowners with roots in the community are more likely to be involved in the positive progress that it takes to move the community forward.
Unfortunately, according to one of the comments in the article posted by Southeast Socialite it seems that So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.) who recently purchased the property may have other plans for it and those plans don't include raising the economic bar of the neighborhood. According to a reader comment posted on the Southeast Socialite blog:
Supposedly the architectural drawings were to be complete 8/1/09 and construction should start 10/16/09--to be complete by year end of 2010.
The building is slated to provide long-term supportive housing for special needs single adults, all with initial incomes at or below 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and most at or below 30% AMI. Nine of the 51 units at Mellon Street will be wheelchair accessible to serve people with mobility impairment issues. SOME will provide through its annual fundraising the on-site supportive staff to address mental health problems, substance abuse recovery issues, money management, credit repair, educational and recreational opportunities.
The building currently includes one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. SOME will convert the property into 36 single room occupancy (SRO) units and 15 efficiencies, including two for on-site staff.
SOME plans to install a solar water heating system as part of the green design. Part of the first level will be used as community space to provide educational and socialization activities for the residents.
Development Team
The members of the development team include:
• Developer—SOME, Inc. is the sponsor and developer of the project. SOME’s service and development experience is described above. The contact person for this project is Troy Swanda. He can be reached by telephone at (202) 797-8806 x1035 and via email at tswanda@some.org.
• Architect— Nelson Architects was selected as the architect for SOME’s Mellon Street Project.
• General Contractor— SOME requested that Eichberg Construction look at the property for advice on the condition of the building and work needed for renovation. They have not been formally designated as the General Contractor though, as the project has not been put out to bid. SOME will collect at least three proposals from general contractors before making a decision.
SOME has a pipeline of potential residents who graduate from our other programs and are now ready for the independent yet supportive environment that will be offered at Mellon Street. For instance, graduates of their substance abuse programs and transitional housing who have steady income will “thrive” in the drug and alcohol free housing provided at Mellon Street. Potential residents will also come from their Mental Health programs, including their transitional housing program for adults with mental illness. "
If this is true then The Advoc8te is royally P-I-S-S-E-D off!! I really like S.O.M.E. and what they do in the community but why does Ward 8 and our Congress Heights neighborhood in particular have to be the exclusive locations of all these damn grouphomes!!! We are drowning in transitional housing, group homes and substance abuse treatment centers that provide treatment for the entire District!!! If these plans are in fact accurate then this latest group home would be located NEXT DOOR to another large group home - in a residential neighborhood. Some folks may say that the overabundance of group homes in Ward 8 is because of the overabundance of homeless and addicts in Ward 8, but The Advoc8te has to ask what came first? The chicken or the egg? If you place a large portion of the group homes and mental shelters in Ward 8 and funnel the Districts poor and disadvantaged to Ward 8 of course there are going to be a lot of people seeking their services and let’s be honest; most potential residents or current residents don't want to live next to a group home or a shelter or a drug treatment center. And thus over time you are left with what is typically less expensive real estate which is far more attractive to non profits who are looking for places to expand and thus the cycle continues. It may not be politically correct but group homes for the mentally ill or homeless shelters often attract unwanted attention and for most neighbors present challenges in terms of litter, loitering and noise which is why placing them primarily in residential neighborhoods is problematic. Patients of these homes (especailly recovering addicts) are often easy targets for drug dealers who set up shop near these places. The community has been complaining FOR YEARS about the challenges faced by patients of Saint Elizabeth's who are just turned out during the day and are left to loiter, sleep, drink , eat and litter throughout the immediate neighborhood. The issues experienced in Shepherd Park is a perfect example.
As a resident of the immediate area around Saint Elizabeths and as a resident on a street where group homes are currently being snuck under the radar THIS ROYALLY PISSES ME OFF!!
I can't help but feel (and what I know) that this type of thing would NOT happen in an affluent community in Northwest! The Advoc8te doesn't know when or how Ward 8 was elected "back yard and spare closet" of the entire District but it needs to STOP! There is so much negativity surrounding Ward 8 and most of it is not even our fault. Traditionally, the city stores the majority of its more "unsightly" city services and disadvantaged residents here and then refuses to provide the adequate support services such as agressive drug treatment, job training, transportation, community clean up or productive day time activities and then we in the community are left to hold the bag. Not only are we left to hold the bag but then we as a community are held responsible for every act of violence, every vacant house, every drug corner, every run down block. Ward 8 didn't just get a bad reputation as being the place for the poor and the disadvantaged the City gave it to us and the City was alright with it as long as all the "unsightliness" stayed hidden on the other side of the bridge - away from their image as a forward moving city. It also doesn’t hurt that most of the disadvantaged don’t vote so it’s much easier to herd them like cattle to one location. There has been a bad habit of clustering poor and disadvantaged people in one area and it needs to stop!
Again, I like S.O.M.E. and what their overall mission is but if these plans are true then I am totally not in favor of it and I have no qualms about saying that! The last thing we need in our community is another group home - especially one of this size!!! This neighborhood is on the verge of returning to its former glory yet with every step we take forward there is another entity (goverment or non profit) ready to set us back. You may be thinking that The Advoc8te is a cold heartless witch but I am not. I just don’t understand why MY street, MY neighborhood, MY ward ALWAYS has to be the social services center of the ENTIRE District of Columbia?! We get all the responsibilities with none of the rewards.
We want shops, restaurants, quality housing options, coffee houses, etc. We want businesses that will bring much needed services and jobs to the community!!! WE DON'T WANT ANOTHER GROUP HOME THAT WILL DRAIN OUR ALREADY LIMITED RESCOURCES AND THAT WILL ADD TO THE PERCEPTION THAT WORD 8 IS ONLY THE PLACE FOR NON PROFITS AND THE DISADVANTAGED.
Heaven forbid we want to maintain and increase our property values! There needs to be a moratorium on group homes and non profits in Ward 8. Let them open these centers in NW or NE!!!! At the very least there needs to be some notice to the community. I have sat in ANC 8C meetings for almost two years and this is the FIRST I have heard about this property being turned into a group home!! That totally doesn't shock me because overall ANC 8C has been woefully incompetent and curropt for YEARS (that's right I said it) so instead of being on the ball and informing the community of these plans instead they opt to have a 45 minute presentation on kidney health!!! This is another reason how these types of plans end up sprung on the community - the lack of a feasible challenge by our ANC Commissioners because most of our ANC Commissioners are woefully unqualified (speaking for ANC 8C anyway). The community suffers and the ANC complains when in fact it is as a result of their negligience they have created the problem. Anyone who has a group home or a drug treatment center on their street knows it is nearly impossible to get them out once they are in. Instead of promising to "whoop residents' asses" perhaps our "Chairwoman" Mary Cuthbert should get on the ball and get on this RIGHT AWAY! I can assure her and the rest of the ANC 8C Commisioners that the last thing that residents on Mellon Street want to see is yet ANOTHER group home, especailly a 51 unit one! To be fair this isn’t the only group home slated for the neighborhood where there has been a lack of community notice. On the 400 block of Oakwood Street a group home for troubled youth is being set up as we speak by a DC Fireman– on the downlow and under the radar of the neighbors and ANC 8C. Please note this group home is going in right across the street from a house that sells drugs. What in the world? Why wasn’t the community informed?!
BTW -The Advoc8te is aware of a responsible developer who wanted to purchase this property for a reasonable price and turn it into condos but the current owner (who also wanted to turn it into condos) wouldn't sell it because he wanted more money despite the fact that the property was vacant and run down. Looks like the owner found someone willing to pay the price.
What I and what the community wants to see is SOMEthing that will move the community forward on an economic level - not further establish us as the designated social services arm of the entire District of Columbia! Every quadrant of the city should be doing their part! Ward 8 needs to stop being the most obvious option just because it is perceived to be the cheapest option and the path of the least resistance!
The Advoc8te wants to know what do YOU think? I would love to hear from a representative of S.O.M.E.
To learn more about the S.O.M.E project on Mellon Street (including to voice your concerns) you can contact: Troy Swanda. He can be reached by telephone at (202) 797-8806 x1035 and via email at tswanda@some.org.
Better still get on the phone or send an email to your ANC Commissioner and demand they find out what the heck is going on and get on the ball! I will be sending an email to my SMD Commissioner ASAP. Since construction is slated to begin in October there needs to be an emergency meeting to ensure that the neighborhood has a voice in this project!
ANC 8C COMMISSIONERS FOR TERM 2009 - 2010
William Ellis/8C01
202.872.2644 ac01@anc.dc.gov
Dion Jordan/8C02
ac02@anc.dc.gov
Mary Cuthbert/8C03
*no contact info posted on ANC 8C Website
R. Calvin Lockridge/8C04
202.562.4974
Vacant/8C05
Vacant/8C06
Cardell Shelton/8C07
*No contact information posted on ANC 8C website
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Ward 8 Farmers Market Today from 9am - 2pm! Come and get some good eats!!!
I'll be there today. Will you? Bring some friends!
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Friday, September 25, 2009
ANC 8C 2009 Audit Report Now Posted on WWW.DCAUDITOR.ORG
To view or print a copy of the audit report go HERE.
To view past ANC reports go HERE.
ANC 8C COMMISSIONERS FOR TERM 2009 - 2010
Vacant/8C05
Vacant/8C06
To lodge a complaint on goverment waste or fraud you can contact the DC Auditor:
Office of the District of Columbia Auditor.
717 14th Street, N.W.
Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20001
202-727-3600(P)
202-727-0427(confidential fax)
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Sat, Sept 26: National Book Festival on the Mall!
Public contact: Roberta Stevens (202) 707-1550
Website: www.loc.gov/bookfest/
Website: Pressroom
August 4, 2009
Authors James Patterson, George Pelecanos, Nikki Grimes, Marilynne Robinson, Daniel Silva Join National Book Festival Lineup; New Social Networking and Interactive Features Engage Book-Lovers Online
Authors James Patterson, George Pelecanos, Nikki Grimes, Marilynne Robinson, Sharon Creech, Daniel Silva and W. Ralph Eubanks will be among the writers and illustrators joining the stellar lineup for the ninth annual National Book Festival, to be held on the National Mall from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26. The event is free and open to the public.
Patterson will present at the Mysteries & Thrillers Pavilion, and also at the Teens & Children pavilion this year. He is the author of the widely popular Alex Cross series of thrillers set in Washington, D.C., and writes novels aimed at teens as well. Authors Daniel Silva and George Pelecanos—the author of 15 crime novels set in and around Washington, D.C.—will present in that pavilion.
Also coming to the Teens & Children pavilion will be authors Nikki Grimes, Sharon Creech and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, who will appear with his collaborator, Carmen Agra Deedy. Authors joining the popular Poetry & Prose pavilion include Marilynne Robinson, Julia Glass and W. Ralph Eubanks. These authors are among the more than 70 celebrated writers and illustrators participating in this year’s event. (An updated list of authors follows below).
To provide festival-goers with the latest event news and information, the Library of Congress has added a variety of social networking features, including updates through Twitter and Facebook. To receive up-to-the-minute information for this year’s event such as author activities, day-of event details and much more, follow the Library on Twitter (@librarycongress, hashtag #nbf) or become a Fan of the Library on Facebook (www.facebook.com/libraryofcongress ).
Book-lovers will also enjoy the launch, at the festival, of the website Read.gov, which will pull together all of the Library’s literary-promotion programs into a single, accessible platform for readers of all ages.
The Library also will offer a new collection of podcasts, featuring interviews with festival authors. Available free of charge through the Library’s website or on iTunes, these personal interviews make it possible for book-lovers around the country to participate in the event. Event webcasts will also be made available on the Library’s site this year and have been archived from previous festivals.
Don't forget to download and display the festival poster in your home, school, local library and community. It can be found at www.loc.gov/bookfest/2009/poster.html . Right-click it to download.
Members of the media can register for the festival via the online media pressroom and request interviews with authors at www.loc.gov/pressroom .
For more information about this year’s National Book Festival, visit www.loc.gov/bookfest .
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Thursday, September 24, 2009
BEYOND BREAD: Healthy Corner Stores in DC
To read the article go HERE. Including a list of the cornerstores where you can now pick up a healthy treat!
Contact D.C. Hunger Solutions (kroberts@dchunger.org or 202-986-2200 x3041) for more information or for promotional materials to share with your neighbors, friends, clients, and community.
D.C. Healthy Corner Stores
Martin Luther King Grocery - 2420 M. L. King, Jr. Ave. SE
Secrets of Nature - 3923 S. Capitol St. SW
Dollar Plus - 3921 S. Capitol St. SW
Elmira Grocery - 4401 S. Capitol St. SW
K & H Grocery - 3333 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE
Liff’s Market - 600 Alabama Ave. SE
Suburban Market - 4600 Sheriff Road NE
A-1 Grocery - 615 Division Ave. NE
Penn Dollar Plus & Food Store - 2529 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
Jones Grocery Store - 4350 Texas Ave. SE
Dollar Plus - 4514 Benning Rd. SE
People’s Market - 3041 Naylor Rd. SE
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Sponsored Post: SAVOY COURT CONDOS - Open House Every Sat and Sun 12pm - 3pm
To learn more about the condos at Savoy Court or to arrange a viewing visit the Savoy Court website at http://www.savoycourt.com/ or call 703.254.3902.
OPEN HOUSES ARE HELD EVERY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM 12PM - 3PM.
Special incentives for buyers and a limited number of units are available for lease or no risk lease-to-own. Click HERE to learn more about the Savoy Court lease-to-own program.
Open houses are Saturday and Sunday 12pm - 3pm.
Savoy Court is located in Congress Heights in River East in a quiet, wooded neighborhood just 10 minutes from downtown and across from the new Southeast Federal Center and the new home of the Washington Nationals. Savoy Court offers direct access to I-295/Anacostia Freeway and SW/SE Freeway, and is just minutes from Bolling Air Force Base and the Capital Beltway. A Metro Bus Stop with a frequent rush hour schedule is right in front of the building, and the Congress Heights and Anacostia Metro Rail Stations are nearby.
This one of a kind condominium community benefits from the DC government’s revitalization of Congress Heights and new employment opportunities. Federal government plans for St. Elizabeths alone could bring 14,000 new Homeland Security jobs just two minutes from Savoy Court. Savoy Court is less than 2 miles from The Shops at Park Village (which includes a new IHOP and Giant) and the new $27 million Town Hall Education Arts & Recreation Campus (THEARC), a 110,000 square foot, state-of-the art campus. Other exciting plans include an array of shopping, dining and entertainment options. All of which makes buying a Savoy Court condo a smart investment!
BEAUTIFUL HOME FEATURES
Unique, contemporary floor plans
New wood floors
Carpeting in bedrooms
Stainless steel kitchen appliances
Natural maple kitchen cabinets with sliding shelves
Overhead track lighting and under-cabinet task lighting
Ceramic tile floors and walls in bathrooms
27" stacked washer and dryer
New central air conditioning and heating
Quartz countertops
GREAT COMMUNITY FEATURES
Renovated, 1940s brick exterior with stylized art deco entryways
Lavishly landscaped courtyard with expansive trellis structure
Structured cabling system (internet, cable, satellite)
Rooftop deck
Exercise room
Large storage bins available
Limited garages available for purchase
Minutes from Downtown DC
Two nearby Metro Rail Stations
Metro Bus Stop in front of building with a frequent rush hour schedule
Satellite-ready with master dish
Electronic access control
Studios from $149,900
One Bedrooms from $162,900
Two Bedrooms from $229,900
Incentives on select homes:
$5,000 in Closing Cost Assistance.
One Year of Condo Fees Prepaid.
Lease-to-Own Program
For some people, it’s hard to know whether today is the right time to buy. Savoy Court is now offering a risk-free option for you through our Lease-to-Own program. By taking advantage of this program, you can Live in Luxury while saving for a down payment or obtaining credit repair assistance. Get more comfortable with making the leap into a home purchase while you make rent payments. With our lease-to-own program, you don’t have to wait to enjoy your new home.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
One Bedrooms from $162,900
Two Bedrooms from $229,900
Incentives on select homes:
$5,000 in Closing Cost Assistance.
One Year of Condo Fees Prepaid.
Lease-to-Own Program
For some people, it’s hard to know whether today is the right time to buy. Savoy Court is now offering a risk-free option for you through our Lease-to-Own program. By taking advantage of this program, you can Live in Luxury while saving for a down payment or obtaining credit repair assistance. Get more comfortable with making the leap into a home purchase while you make rent payments. With our lease-to-own program, you don’t have to wait to enjoy your new home.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
THROWBACK THURSDAY: "Tender Kisses" - Tracy Spencer
After a brief vacation THROWBACK THURSDAY is back!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
DC WIRE: 11th Street Bridge Plans Gets Go-Ahead
By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
The D.C. Council approved a plan Tuesday to accept property from the federal government so the city can begin construction of the 11th Street bridge.
The project, slated to cost $365 million, will be the largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by the D.C. Department of Transportation, Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) said today.
"This project will help the traffic nightmare that exists for people who commute every day from the east to west side of the (Anacostia) River," Gray said. "And for those who travel west to east going down the Southeast/Southwest Freeway, this will be a major step forward."
Dr. Gridlock, Washington Post reporter Robert Thomson, explained the project in a recent column this way: "Drivers heading southbound on the Anacostia Freeway don't have a direct link to the bridges, which connect with the Southeast-Southwest Freeway. A direct link would ease travel to downtown Washington, Georgetown and Northern Virginia. ... The new bridges will connect the two freeways. They also will connect local traffic to the Navy Yard, the Marine Corps Barracks, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Anacostia Park, and Historic Anacostia."
To continue reading go HERE.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Washington Post Staff Writer
The D.C. Council approved a plan Tuesday to accept property from the federal government so the city can begin construction of the 11th Street bridge.
The project, slated to cost $365 million, will be the largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by the D.C. Department of Transportation, Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) said today.
"This project will help the traffic nightmare that exists for people who commute every day from the east to west side of the (Anacostia) River," Gray said. "And for those who travel west to east going down the Southeast/Southwest Freeway, this will be a major step forward."
Dr. Gridlock, Washington Post reporter Robert Thomson, explained the project in a recent column this way: "Drivers heading southbound on the Anacostia Freeway don't have a direct link to the bridges, which connect with the Southeast-Southwest Freeway. A direct link would ease travel to downtown Washington, Georgetown and Northern Virginia. ... The new bridges will connect the two freeways. They also will connect local traffic to the Navy Yard, the Marine Corps Barracks, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Anacostia Park, and Historic Anacostia."
To continue reading go HERE.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Harry Jaffe: D.C. Council passes a toothless ethics code
By: Harry Jaffe
Examiner Columnist
September 23, 2009
Up on the dais, there were huzzahs all around Tuesday when the D.C. Council passed its new "Code of Official Conduct."
I use the term "new" very loosely; the code passed yesterday is an amalgamation of various rules and regulations and suggestions that have been around for some time. I would have at least added "don't talk on your cell phone during meetings." I have seen council members questioning a witness with a cell phone to their ear.
Nevertheless, many of the 12 members praised Chairman Vincent Gray for his "leadership" in trying to assemble a "new" ethics code. Gray's code reads like the one you can find on the city council's Web site; but like all the old codes, it lacks one crucial component -- consequences, as in penalties, as in pain.
To continue reading go HERE.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Examiner Columnist
September 23, 2009
Up on the dais, there were huzzahs all around Tuesday when the D.C. Council passed its new "Code of Official Conduct."
I use the term "new" very loosely; the code passed yesterday is an amalgamation of various rules and regulations and suggestions that have been around for some time. I would have at least added "don't talk on your cell phone during meetings." I have seen council members questioning a witness with a cell phone to their ear.
Nevertheless, many of the 12 members praised Chairman Vincent Gray for his "leadership" in trying to assemble a "new" ethics code. Gray's code reads like the one you can find on the city council's Web site; but like all the old codes, it lacks one crucial component -- consequences, as in penalties, as in pain.
To continue reading go HERE.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
QUOTE OF THE DAY
-Owen Feltham
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
WBJ: D.C. targets blighted property, not vacant ones
Washington Business Journal - by Jonathan O'Connell Staff Reporter
Less than a year after doubling D.C.’s vacant property tax rate, the D.C. Council terminated the vacant rate altogether on Tuesday and created a new rate to target owners of blighted or nuisance property.
Last year, the council doubled the vacant rate from $5 per $100 of assessed value to $10 per $100 of assessed value at the suggestion of Councilman Kwame Brown, D-at large. It was an attempt to nudge owners of vacant homes and nuisance properties into action. The $10 rate was more than 10 times the residential rate of 85 cents and more than five times the commercial rates of $1.65 to $1.85, prompting complaints from some homeowners and real estate investors.
In a preliminary July vote, the council agreed to return the rate to $5. But in passing final budget legislation Tuesday, councilmembers — again at Brown’s suggestion — did away with the vacant rate altogether, saying it had produced unintended consequences, and replaced it with a $10 rate that will apply only to blighted properties. A blighted property is “unsafe, insanitary, or which is otherwise determined to threaten the public health, safety, or general welfare of the community” because of broken walls, roofs, windows, balconies or other poorly kept features. Boarded up properties will also count as blighted.
Share on Facebook
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
PSA 705 Mtng Tonight to Discuss Nuisance Properties.PLEASE COME!
Tonight's PSA meeting will be held at 6:30pm at the UPO Petey Greene Center at 2907 MLK Ave SE (corner of Mellon and MLK).
Special guests will include representatives from DCRA and Legal Services to discuss tools to combat nuisance properties.
Please come as these series of PSA meetings is to actively combat known problem properties.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
QUOTE OF THE DAY
-Henry Miller
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
WASHPO: D.C.Council to Consider Ethics Code for Members
By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
As the investigation into Marion Barry's use of tax dollars intensifies, D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray unveiled a proposal Monday to establish the city's first "Code of Official Conduct" for council members.
Under the proposal, which Gray (D) plans to introduce as emergency legislation Tuesday, the council would have a unified written ethics code to guide members for the first time since it was formed in 1973.
The proposal states that council members need to uphold "unusually high standards of honesty, integrity, impartiality" and that the "avoidance of misconduct and conflicts of interest on the part of council members is indispensable." It largely would put into place the formal ethical guidelines that many state and local governing bodies have been guided by for decades.
"This will help create more clarity in the future," said Gray, adding that he might late propose additional rules.
To continue reading go HERE.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
BEYOND DC: I can has streetcar?
Construction is starting! DDOT is now physically laying tracks for the Anacostia streetcar. The years of false starts and frustration are finally giving way to actual progress.
Construction of tracks on South Capitol Street and Firth Sterling Avenue is expected continue at the rate of about two weeks per block, and to last through December. After that will come construction of the second phase of track along MLK Avenue, and installation of overhead catenary wire and stations. Eventually (who knows when), the streetcar vehicles themselves will be shipped over from Europe. River East blog Barry Farm (Re)Mixed has some photos of construction.
To continue reading go HERE.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
JAYBIRD'S JOTTINGS: River East
Excerpt:
River East
As a resident of Ward 8 I am tired of Ward 8 being the backyard or the spare closet of the District of Columbia… What we want (and thank goodness it is happening) is more diversity. Diversity in terms of race, socioeconomic standing, jobs, dining, shopping, etc. Ward 8 is a community of residents with hopes and dreams -not a social experiment. – Nikki Peele, Author, Congress Heights On The Rise
In Washington DC, at places like RFK Stadium and Nationals Park, millions of non-residents have set foot in the Southeast part of the District, where the overwhelming majority are African-American. A smaller percentage, however, have ventured across the river to the historic neighborhood of Anacostia or nearby ones like Congress Heights.
Slowly, things are changing, as this part of the District is finally beginning to see some redevelopment come their way. The biggest and most recent example is the ground that was broken last week for the new Department of Homeland Security HQs, which will rise on the campus of St Elizabeth’s Hospital.
Bloggers are also bringing a lot of attention to the area. Three were spotlighted on The Kojo Nnamdi Show several weeks ago. David Garber’s story is particularly compelling. Described by City Paper as “one of Anacostia’s few white guys,” he moved there in 2007 after growing up in the suburbs of Northern Virginia. A pioneer of sorts, Garber has organized events in the community. His blog (And Now Anacostia) has documented life there and has served as a rich source of information.
To continue reading go HERE.
For more Congress Heights and River East news visit The Congress Heights Examiner website, http://www.examiner.com/x-13507-Congress-Heights-Community-Examiner
Share on Facebook
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)