Oftentimes, there are projects occurring in Ward 4 that you may or may not have knowledge of, or that you would like a status report given. This page is where you will be informed about such projects. It could be something major like the transportation infrastructure and economic development transformation occurring at the intersection of South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road NE along our border with Ward 5, or something as localized as curb and gutter upgrades on a block. Do you have a question about something you do not see here? Let us know and we will find out for you. Contact Brandon Todd at btodd@dccouncil.us or 202-724-8052.

Group Homes
Walter Reed
Saving D.C. Homes from Foreclosure
Riggs Road/South Dakota Avenue Project Update
Oregon Avenue
Walmart
DC Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation (CYITC) Audit Request
Minutes from January 23, 2012 Meeting on Crime
DDOT Speed Hump Request Procedures and Engineering Guidelines
Platform Work at Takoma Metro Station

Group Homes

Formally known as Community Based Residential Facilities, the preponderance of group homes in Ward 4 has frustrated some residents for years. Recognizing this frustration, Councilmember Bowser has been working to facilitate a balance between the federal requirements for group homes serving people with disabilities and the need to maintain the single family nature of Ward 4 neighborhoods. In May, Councilmember Bowser hosted a Ward-wide forum during which residents heard from, and asked questions of, District agencies involved with the regulation of these facilities as well as from Attorney General Peter Nickles. To make the operations of group homes more transparent for residents, Councilmember Bowser asked the Attorney General to research current law to see if there is a way to notify neighbors before a group home opens on a block and to encourage new operators to spread more evenly throughout the District (his opinion, along with that of the Council's General Counsel, are below). She has also requested that the City Administrator designate a single point of contact in his office to address community concerns about group homes and respond to inquiries.

District of Columbia Attorney General Peter Nickles' Opinion on Group Homes

DC Council General Counsel Brian Flowers' Opinion on Group Homes

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Walter Reed

On March 17, 2011, Councilmember Bowser joined Mayor Gray, Congresswoman Norton, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor Hoskins and other District officials to announce new federal surplus boundaries for the Walter Reed site. New boundaries were negotiated over the last few months by the District in consultation with senior officials from the U.S. Army and State Department. In four short years and after much negotiation, we’ve gone from having no part of the Walter Reed Medical Center site to potentially having access to more than half of the campus and the entire Georgia Avenue frontage. This project will be a major economic driver that will revitalize the Georgia Avenue corridor and deliver better access to quality affordable housing, retail and green space for the residents of the District and Ward 4 residents. Retailers continue to express interest in locating here.

The new federal surplus designation by the Army at Walter Reed will require the District to revise its Draft Reuse Plan and reconsider its Notice of Interest recommendations of homeless assistance providers and non-profit public benefit organizations which took place most of last year. The planning process began again this summer and is anticipated to last between seven to nine months. Planning is done by the Local Redevelopment Authority which is comprised of ANC, resident, community and business representation from the affected area as well as District government officials. Much of what was decided last year will still be included in the plan that goes forward.

The LRA needs additional input from the community and is hosting three forums to discuss the revised reuse plan. The meetings will be held 7:00pm – 9:00pm at a convenient location in Ward 4 that will be announced later.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011, 7:00 pm – Community Meeting, Ohev Sholom - The National Synagogue, 1600 Jonquil St NW

Thursday, November 15, 2011, 7:00 pm – Community Meeting, Tifereth Israel Congregation, 7701 16th St NW

Thursday, February 2, 2012 – Final Reuse Plan Presentation

To RSVP for these meetings, visit: http://americaspeaks.org/walterreedreuseplan/

Don’t miss your opportunity to lend your voice to the re-use process!

To view a site map of the Walter Reed campus, click here.

Additional information can be found by visiting the website of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development.

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Saving D.C. Homes From Foreclosure

On Nov. 17, 2010, the Saving DC Homes from Foreclosure Emergency Act became law. Councilmember Bowser introduced and spearheaded this landmark legislation. Under this new law, banks will not be able to foreclose in the District without first engaging in mediation with a homeowner. This means that the banks must meet with the homeowner and a mediator to try to work out an agreement. Mediation is a good starting point to help our residents stay in their homes, especially in light of the recent allegations of the rampant fraud in connection with the general foreclosure process. This bill mandates that banks pursuing foreclosure provide notice to the District’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB), which will then arrange and monitor the mediation process. If no agreement is reached at the end of mediation, only then may a bank proceed with foreclosing. For more information on this issue, please contact the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking at 202-727-8000 or visit www.disb.dc.gov. In addition, DISB has released a guidance bulletin (see below).

Regulatory Guidance Related to the Implementation of the Saving D.C. Homes From Foreclosure Emergency Amendment Act

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Riggs Road/South Dakota Avenue Project Update

Below is an update from DDOT on the Riggs Road/South Dakota project:

The South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road construction project is now approximately 50 percent complete. Construction activities have slowed due to unforeseen field conditions and utility conflicts that were not anticipated. DDOT is taking the following actions to address the issues at hand and recover lost time.

* DDOT has procured the services of a design consultant to address the utility conflicts. DDOT is coordinating the resolution of the utility conflict issues with the respective utility companies and plans to have a redesign completed by mid August. With the redesign on hand DDOT will be prepared to resume the construction work.

* DDOT is in the process of selecting a construction management firm for this project, the selected firm will be adding additional project support through the end of the project. Included in the services that will be provided by the selected construction management firm will be a dedicated community liaison that will be providing on-going community outreach support through the end of the project.

* DDOT is investigating the possibility of modifying the project construction phases in order to expedite the remaining work that needs to be completed.

We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding while we work on resolving the pending issues and bring this project back on track for completion as quickly as possible. Upon execution of the modified construction phases DDOT will release an updated schedule for the remaining work on this project. In addition, the project team will conduct a formal public meeting to share the project schedule and how it plans to move the project to full completion.

Weekly Progress Report - 4/20 - 4/26/12

Public Outreach Coordinator: Veronica O. Davis 202-450-5267 -- vdavis@nspiregreen.com.

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Oregon Avenue

Councilmember Bowser sent the below letter on August 29 to DDOT Director Terry Bellamy concerning the Environmental Assessment Report related to Oregon Avenue NW. For additional information, contact Judi Gold at jgold@dccouncil.us or 202-724-8052.

Letter to Terry Bellamy

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Walmart

Visit this section for updates on the proposed Georgia Avenue and Riggs Road/South Dakota Avenue Walmart developments.

Councilmember Bowser responds to news of Walmart plans for Ward 4 - 11-18-10
A Walmart plan I can support - 2-9-11
Bowser Mailer on Riggs Road/South Dakota Avenue Development
Office of Planning Fact Sheet
Fort Totten Square Fact Sheet
Background on Fort Totten Square
Fort Totten Square Renderings
Questions Check List for Fort Totten Square
Wash. Business Journal Article on Walmart Community Benefits Agreement - 11/22/11
DDOT Weekly Progress Report - 1-12-12
DC Office of Planning Letter Announcing Filing of Large Tract Review - 2/23/12
Large Tract Review Application for 300 - 320 Riggs Road NE

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DC Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation (CYITC) Audit Request

Councilmember Bowser on January 6, 2012 wrote to the District's Inspector General Charles Willoughby and DC Auditor Yolanda Branche requesting an audit of the CYITC.

Letter to Willoughby and Branche

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Minutes from January 23, 2012 Meeting on Crime

Councilmember Bowser with Chief Cathy Lanier hosted a meeting on an uptick in crime on Monday, January 23. Minutes from this meeting can be found below.

January 23, 2012 Crime Meeting Minutes

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DDOT Speed Hump Request Procedures and Engineering Guidelines

If your block is interested in having a speed hump installed to assist with traffic calming, download DDOT's Speed Hump Request Procedures and Engineering Guidelines by clicking here or visit DDOT’s website here.

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Platform Work at Takoma Metro Station

As part of its system wide safety improvement program, Metro has begun an approximately eight month platform repair and tile replacement program at the Takoma Metro Station. Most of this work will take place between 10pm-4:00am when the trains are not operating, although there will be some single tracking and station closures, but most importantly for the residents in the immediate area, there will be some very loud noise at times between 10:00pm-4:00am because some very heavy equipment must be used. From now until the end of June, 2012 there will be weeknights and weekend nights between 10pm-4am when there will be this loud noise and then it should taper off until the summer. The loud noise will not be consistent throughout the platform work. Metro has established a hot-line should you have questions/complaints. Residents should call 1-866-476-4201. Please let my office know if you have any difficulties getting through to Metro on this number or if you are not getting responses.

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