Monday night, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E, representing Burleith, Georgetown, and Hillandale, convened for their monthly meeting at Georgetown Visitation School. The commissioners discussed plans for a public recycling program, the Taste of Georgetown, Serve D.C., and the Nation’s Triathlon.

Making Georgetown less of a pain to bike around: fewer potholes, more bike lanes.

Chairman Ron Lewis opened with a report on transportation. He was pleased to announce the accruement of new maintenance trucks designed specifically to mend potholes.

“The truck pulls up to a hole and sprays it with various kinds of stuff and it’s dry by the time the truck pulls away,” said Lewis.

Lewis continued his transportation report with the announcement of a new bike lane being designated on M Street from 28th to 14th Streets. He reassured his audience that the lane would not compromise parking along M Street.

“Are you sure? L Street lost a lot of parking when they made a bike lane there,” said Vice-chair Bill Starrels.

Next on the agenda was announcement of a public space recycling program initiated by the Georgetown Business Improvement District. The program will install 160 cans throughout the Georgetown business corridor, from T St to the waterfront.

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Going forward, the Morning Digest will provide you with what you need to be prepared for the day: a daily round-up of links, local news, and important events on campus and around D.C. This series will replace the District Digest, which covered D.C. news. Yes, we felt we had to describe what that series was since none of you ever read it (and we don’t blame you).

 Don’t forget your raincoat and umbrella today: the weather forecast shows a rainy day with a high of 63 degrees.

To masticate today:

• The Kalmanovitz Initiative is hosting an event called “Justice for Janitors: A Digital History” from 1-5:00 p.m. in Lohrfink Auditorium today. They are celebrating the launch of their new website, which records and maps the history of the Justice for Janitors movement.
• The Georgetown University Astronomical Society is hosting a BBQ at 7:00 p.m. tonight at the Heyden Observatory to promote voting in a competition to win $100,000 for its restoration. You can vote for the project every day until May 10.
• If you care to listen to the Georgetown neighbors fight valiantly for issues they are passionate about, such as neon signs or the height of tree fences, the monthly Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting will be held at Georgetown Visitation School at 6:30 p.m.

What to look out for:

• Escalating political tension in Venezuela has led to the arrest of a Georgetown University graduate and filmmaker Timothy Tracy. President Nicolas Maduro’s government accused him of fomenting unrest and violence to spark a civil war, claiming he works for the U.S. government. Read more about this story in the Washington Post.
• Be sure to check out discounted and free yoga classes as part of D.C. Yoga Week, beginning today. Bikram Yoga at DuPont, Down Dog Yoga, and Georgetown Yoga are participating along with many other studios around the District.

Last Wednesday, the ANC 2E voiced unanimous opposition to the company Vornado’s bid to construct a bowling alley in the Georgetown Park Mall in their first meeting of the year. Because the upper levels of the mall house around 100 condos, residents worried that the noise from the bowling alley would bring with it objectionable noise levels.

Pinstripe’s CEO Dale Schwartz attended the meeting and outlined the company’s plans for the bowling alley. The bowling alley would contain an Italian/American restaurant, an outdoor patio, 12 lanes for bowling, and an upper level party room for birthdays, weddings, or bar mitzvahs. According to the Georgetown Dish, Schwartz made a point of saying that the that bowling alley Pinstripes “‘will not cater to a heavy drinking crowd,’ will welcome families, close early, and design and build the facility to eliminate bowling-related noise and vibration.”

Other than that, he promised that everything in the establishment would be up to the Georgetown’s high standards. As Georgetown Metropolitan reported:

The phrase “high end” was used a lot.

Specifically the phrase “extraordinarily high end wine and food coupled with a bowling and banquet experience” was used. Moreover, the food promised is going to be “Four Seasons” and “Ritz Carlton”-level quality. In a bowling alley.

Though the commission would have none of it. Residents of the Georgetown Park condos have already been through months of construction and required an absolute assurance that the bowling alley would produce no noise. Even though Schwartz gave his promise at the meeting that there would be no noise issues, the ANC required that the company make an agreement with the condos’ residents association with an “enforceable mechanism” for preventing noise before Jan. 15, when the proposal goes before the Board of Zoning Adjustment.

Note: Meeting was last Wednesday, Jan. 2, not Sunday.

In Jake Sticka‘s (SFS ’13) last week as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, the ANC held its monthly meeting on the Georgetown University campus in “recognition” of the school, as announced at the last meeting. In the meeting, the Commission planned to discuss the campus plan with students on campus but instead focused on pressing issues afflicting local residents, such as “distressing” Comcast boxes, flashing neon signs, and tall tree fences.

The campus plan: No questions? Moving on
Chairman Ron Lewis said that the campus plan is now being implemented and is off to a good start. He said that the “approach to partnership” and improved relationship between the school and various neighborhood communities was important in the approval of the plan.

“We expect that to continue,” said Lewis ‘The issues are not easy, even in implementation.”

Lauralyn Lee, Associate Vice President for Community Engagement and Strategic Initiatives at Georgetown, said she is pleased at how quickly the school and neighborhood created a working relationship.

No one in the audience had questions about the campus plan.

Comcast boxes are no longer “making an aesthetic wreck”
Last month, many residents expressed concerns about small, refrigerator-sized boxes sprouting up in Georgetown’s brick sidewalks—without the ANC’s approval.

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Comcast is finally in discussions with the Georgetown neighborhood and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) after residents became angry with the placement of “small refrigerator-sized green utility boxes” around the Georgetown neighborhood. Many residents were upset by this as they had not agreed to the placement of the boxes and felt that it was ruining the aesthetic of the Georgetown neighborhood.

“This business is coming into our community and is just making an aesthetic wreck of what we try to conserve in our historic district,” said Commissioner Tom Birch in an ANC meeting on November 1st. Usually, any architectural changes in the area must be approved by commissioners in order to preserve the historic feel of the neighborhood.

Other residents complained that Comcast had left “a pile of bricks and plywood” after placing the box and one resident claimed that the boxes were so unsightly, they “wouldn’t even be approved of in a tacky, suburban area.”

In the recent discussions, Comcast stated that it had obtained the appropriate permits for construction in the area. However, according to the news site TheWrap.com, Comcast is  now working with “interested parties” to find “mutually beneficial solutions as we continue to provide Georgetown customers with our innovative products and services”. Spokeswoman for Comcast Aimee Metrick said in a statement that Comcast was unaware that it had to meet any additional requirements.

Georgetown residents like Birch hope that the boxes can be removed from the street and placed in locations in which they won’t be disrupting the historical feel of the neighborhood, such as to rooftops or other alternative locations. Birch mentioned that in addition to being an eyesore, the boxes could have a negative effect on the real estate values of properties around the neighborhood.

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At last night’s meeting with the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, the commissioners focused on the rerouting of the G2 bus, a plan for the “distressing” and unsightly Comcast boxes, and the move of a Wisconsin Avenue Capital Bikeshare station.

To recognize (verb): to acknowledge formally. as (a): to admit as being lord or sovereign
At the Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commission’s monthly meeting this Wednesday evening, the commission agreed to discuss Georgetown’s Campus Plan on Georgetown’s campus, which will be held in the Leavey Center on Dec. 3, “in recognition of the Georgetown Community.” One commissioner joked that he would prefer to hold the meeting in Gaston Hall.

A job well done
The commissioners applauded the completion of the O and P street “rehabilitation,” which the Citizens Association of Georgetown nominated for an award for excellence in historic preservation. This construction project rerouted the G2, which ran from Georgetown’s main gates to Dupont Circle and Howard, to not go past Wisconsin during the construction. The Commission said it would not return to its normal route until mid-December. Students have expressed frustration through an online petition, demanding the G2 return to its normal schedule.

“It was an extremely job well done,” Commissioner Jeff Jones said on the O and P Street construction work.

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Yesterday afternoon, the Graduate Student Organization hosted a panel discussion with the purpose of examining the D.C. political and social environment. Discussion topics ranged from the “Nimbyism” to public transportation in the District.

The panel consisted of prominent political blogger and author of “The Rent is Too Damn High,” Matthew Yglesias, Editor in Chief of greaterreaterwashington.org and expert on urban planning David Alpert, and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Jake Sticka (COL ’13). Scott Stirrett (COL ’13), co-founder of D.C. Students Speak, facilitated the discussion.

A relevant topic examined during the panel was Nimbyism. “NIMBY” is an acronym for the phrase “not in my backyard,” which is used to describe the opposition towards new developments (such as sewage plants or drug treatment centers) that may be beneficial for society as a whole, but that are considered detrimental to the communities they are located in.

As Georgetown considers building another campus, this issue becomes an important one for the university and it’s students, because many community groups will advocate against the expansion of the university into “their backyards.” However, Yglesias commented, “universities are in many ways an asset, even if sometimes people have some kinds of annoyances with it.”

While on the subject of community groups, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions were also mentioned. ANCs were established in 1974 as a form of local government for D.C. communities. Today, they deal with policies that affect their neighborhoods, such as Zoning and Sanitation.

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Administrators have promised student representatives will take a spot in the Georgetown Community Partnership negotiations, starting with Georgetown University Student Association President Clara Gustafson (SFS, ’13). A press release was sent to campus media announcing this new development.

The campus plan agreement led to the creation of GCP, which is the new negotiating body for future discussions between the University and neighborhood groups. GUSA advocated strongly for student representation in the GCP, as the decisions made during these conversations will have a direct impact on the future of student life at Georgetown.

Advisory neighborhood commissioner Ron Lewis was also recently named co-chair of the GCP.

According to the press release, administrators promised student representation on the steering committee and on other committees, indicating that there will be at least a handful of students in the conversation.

“Since student interests were not adequately represented in the campus plan negotiations, it is of utmost importance that students are part of the GCP, which will set the tone for neighborhood relations going forward,” Gustafson said in the press release. “I really look forward to working with neighborhood leaders on safety, transportation, housing, and other student and community concerns, and I hope to involve as many other students as possible.”

Post to be updated with more details soon.

Encore, Olson, Encore!

At yesterday’s meeting with the advisory neighborhood commission, Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson listed all the University’s plans to reduce off-campus partying in West Georgetown, Burleith, and Foxhall. According to the Georgetown Dish (Vox was not able to attend the meeting), upon hearing Olson’s promises of on-campus social life, the crowd broke out into an impromptu applause in enthusiastic support of the University’s new efforts. Olson also introduced the new Lauralyn Lee, associate vice president for community engagement.

As we know from the past few weeks, the changes include new food trucks available around campus from Thursday to Saturday as well as the abolishment of tight on-campus party registration rules. Now, students will be able to host on-campus parties without advance registration. Olson also mentioned the New South Student Center as a method to refocus student life on campus, and reiterated the University’s plan to house 90 percent of undergraduates on campus by 2025.

“I don’t believe there are any questions to Todd about moving forward. The ANC was supportive, and we’re supportive of the Georgetown Community Partnership,” Commissioner Ed Solomon said to Vox. “We all agree that the program is a result-oriented partnership…when the programs are all implemented. I think we’re all speaking the same thing. There wasn’t really any controversy.”

Please, no goose lighting

In other news, the ANC also discussed two new restaurant additions to the Georgetown area: Good Stuff Eatery and ShopHouse. Good Stuff plans to open in December at 3291 M Street, and the ANC approved the awning, doors, and signs. According to the Patch, the ANC did request a change from the restaurant’s proposed goose lights to a slightly less bright choice.

The opening date for ShopHouse remains unclear, but will open either at the end of this year or the beginning of next.

Here we bring you ANC candidate Craig Cassey (COL ’15) running for Single Member District 04, which comprises Georgetown student housing. Yesterday we asked the same questions to Peter Prindiville (SFS ’14) which you can find right here.

Which aspects of the campus plan provisions do you like/dislike most?

The aspects of campus plan that I like most probably consists of the addition of the food trucks as well as the support for the New South Student Center, and then the removal of restrictions regarding parties. Those are clearly favored by most students and are essential for allowing the university to become the hub of student social life.

That being said, the movement of Magis Row is one of my least favorite aspects of the campus plan, especially because these people represent a lot of what Georgetown is; they’re a living learning community to the extreme and they embody the passion for education. Moving them is not fixing a problem. Having said that, we need to take what we can in stride and if that means giving up some ground in terms of Magis Row and using that decision to enable other things such as the New South Student Center, then I think that would be worth it.

If you could change something about the ANC as an institution, what would you change?

First off, as a potential student ANC commissioner, I would love to see more students on the board. We now have the potential of three students on the board, so over these next few years I would love for more students to get registered in that third district which is half student and half community members. So there is potential for a student to win that seat eventually.

Along with that, I think the placement of the meetings could be changed. Currently they are held off campus at the same location every time. We could take two, three months of the year and bring them on campus. I think that would show strong support from the community members and the university towards creating a more cohesive community as well as showing our desire to work together in a partnership.

I also think transparency in government is always an added benefit. Any way the ANC board could become more transparent or communicate more to the process would be beneficial for the student body.

If you could play beer pong with any ANC member, who would it be and why?

Instead of playing beer pong, I’d love to have a one-on-one basketball match on the Volta courts against Jeff Jones. I’d love to show him what a Hoya’s got… though I’m not quite as tall.

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