Beginning this weekend, SNAP will increase enforcement of existing off-campus party policies through more “proactive patrolling and stopping,” GUSA President Clara Gustafson (SFS ’13) wrote in an email to Vox.

Gustafson sits on the Georgetown-Community Partnership steering committee, which plays a large role in implementation of the provisions included in last summer’s campus plan agreement. “[T]he neighborhood partners have felt the need for some time, since the summer Campus Plan Agreement, for an improvement in their quality of life, namely noise on the weekends. Therefore the increased and more effective enforcement of existing policies and procedures will go into effect.”

The email Dr. Todd Olson, the Vice President of Student Affairs, sent to students yesterday reminding them of the school’s and the neighborhood’s policies for off-campus parties seems to confirm this coming stricter enforcement. He did not respond to Vox‘s requests for comment.

Likely in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day events this weekend, Olson reminded students that their behavior affects those living near the school. ”First, as the weather begins to warm, it is important to remind everyone about the high standards that guide life both on and off campus,” Olson wrote. “As members of a university community, we simply cannot behave in ways that disrupt life for our neighbors.”

The email emphasized being quiet when walking by Georgetown homes and ensuring that parties remain manageable in terms of size and noise. Olson also reminded students that a first noise violation can have serious consequences, since it is considered disorderly conduct under District law.

Olson’s email intended to remind students of existing policy. “There have been no changes in University policy, and Dr. Olson’s letter served to inform, as much as to start a broader dialogue with students about the Georgetown community,” Gustafson wrote. “I am sure some students will feel put upon, and frankly—they have a right to feel that way. However I hope that that feeling gets translated into helping create an on-campus environment where we, the undergraduates, rule the roost.”

Olson also announced that the University will start providing regular bus service to DuPont Circle and Adams Morgan on Friday and Saturday nights. The bus new late-night bus service is set to start up this Friday.

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If you happen to notice a hoards of people walking in groups through Georgetown this weekend, don’t be alarmed—you’re witnessing one of D.C.’s biggest fitness-friendly annual events, the cleverly-titled WalkingTown D.C., and slightly less clever BikingTown D.C. Hosted by Cultural Tourism D.C., a non-profit organization that offers these tours for free, the Fall 2011 edition of Walking Town  is scheduled to, for the first time in the event’s history, take place for a total of 10 days, starting tomorrow, September 23, and ending October 2.

This annual event, composed of more than 175 tours through the district, is designed to celebrate the diverse culture, arts, and history of the District. Arranged by D.C.’s wards and guided by historians, tour guides, artists and community leaders of expertise, participants can either choose one ward to explore, or lace up their best sneakers to try and hit all eight. Participants can stroll through different neighborhoods throughout the city, including Georgetown. Highlights from our neck of the woods include a “Spies of Georgetown Walking Tour” on September 23 and October 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., which takes participants to the houses of the espionage specialists that have lived in the neighborhood, including that of “the auburn-haired American beauty who ‘used her charm’ during World War II.”

Although there is no need to pay for any of the events, some tours require prior reservations. The event is also on the lookout for potential volunteers, so if you’re interested in giving some time, you can consider signing up to be a Cultural Tourism D.C. ambassador or a tour guide.

And if you decide not to participate, at least try to stay out of the way of the walkers and bikers. Odds are they’re so pumped to enjoy the Georgetown scenery and architecture that trampling you will only be a minor inconvenience.

H/T Georgetown Metropolitan.

Ever wonder where Nancy Pelosi lives when she’s in D.C.? How about Politico owner Robert Allbritton? Neither did we.

Earlier this month, the Georgetowner magazine released it’s annual “Who lives here?” guide to Georgetown’s most notable residents. The map details the locations of the neighborhood’s famous residents, such as Senator John Kerry, Fox News‘s Brit Hume, and the Washington Post‘s Bob Woodward.

We only learned one thing from this map: The Georgetowner is terribly pretentious. (But, we’ll still keep our fingers crossed that Maureen Dowd will complain about the 2010 campus plan.)

It’s kind of a big deal that Jeff Jones and Michael Savage both filed to run for a seat on Georgetown’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission. Was a big deal, that is.

The contested election, which would have been Georgetown’s first since 2004, is officially down to a single candidate. In an email sent to Voice writer Mark Waterman, Savage revealed that he will not appear on the ballot this November due to a petition snafu.

“On September 7th, fellow ANC 2E-03 candidate Jeff Jones challenged my nominating petition,” Savage wrote. “His audit of my petition showed that not all signees were registered in our Single Member District and were, therefore, ineligible to sign the petition.”

Although Savage’s name will not appear on the ballot, he can still run as a write-in candidate for Single Member District 3, which stretches from the University’s front gates to Wisconsin Avenue and is bordered by Volta and N Streets. He plans to make a decision about a potential write-in campaign “in the next few weeks.”

Vox can think of one ANC commissioner, Bill Skelsey, who won as a write-in candidate. But, he did it while unopposed.

Photo: ANC2E

Georgetown’s old-time, cobblestone streets are about to get a makeover.

According to DCmud, who spoke with a DDOT official familiar with the project, the D.C. government will begin to rebuild O and P Streets in “early November.”

Last March, DDOT revealed the extent of the planned repairs. Because the cobblestones sunk below the streets’ trolley tracks, which run down the middle of each road, city workers will need to remove both the cobblestones and the tracks, lay a new foundation, and then put it all back together.

At the time, a DDOT official predicted that the whole process will take 18 months.

A long-term project that will require noisy construction equipment? The neighborhood will love this!

Photo: Flickr user “brownpau“

In what may be the summer’s most astounding news, The Georgetowner has printed a joint op-ed from the Burleith Citizens Association, the Citizens Association of Georgetown, the Foxhall Community Citizens Association, the Glover Park Citizens Association, and the Hillandale Homeowners Association dissing Georgetown University’s 2010 Campus Plan. In short, our parents had the moon landing, and we will always remember where we were when we heard about this astonishing op-ed.

The news developing around this event has already taken on some bizarre elements. The op-ed decries the increased enrollment of 3,400 students that the plan proposes, but does not specify whether these students will be traditional undergraduates or mostly adults enrolled in the School of Continuing Studies who already have houses in like, Virginia. (Update: Early reports from months and months ago have University officials saying that this is, indeed, the profile of those some three-thousand students. We are still standing by for a response from the BCA and CAG).

Mysteriously, the op-ed also criticizes Georgetown University for building a roof over Kehoe Field, but it is possible that in its feverish coverage of this unfathomable news, Vox has missed out on valuable information concerning the involvement of Georgetown’s field sports athletes in a conspiracy to throw disruptive parties. As for the 80-plus-foot smokestack that Georgetown intends to build over its heating and cooling plant, at this time, there is no evidence that the smokestack will negatively affect surrounding air quality, but we will inform as soon as we can verify the assumption that it will.

Walter Cronkite cried on TV when he read this op-ed.

Want to commemorate this astonishing moment in history? Email Vox at blog@georgetownvoice.com to request a Campus Plan lawn sign.

If I were a betting blogger, I’d say that the city probably won’t let Mehmet Kocak reopen Philly Pizza. Call it superstition, but when your entire neighborhood is organized against you, the mayor’s attorney compares you to a brothel, and Mayor Adrian Fenty himself shows up at your store’s fresh grave to dance on it, that spells death for your chances of making it in Georgetown.

But Kocak isn’t so easily phased, and this week, he continued his bid to get a new Certificate of Occupancy from the Department of Consumer Regulatory Affairs—the same department that shuttered the same storefront back in March of this year. The Georgetown Dish reports that he went before the DCRA to make his case earlier this week. And while they’re light on the details, it’s clear from the attendance at that hearing—DCRA Director Linda Argo, a lawyer from Attorney General Peter Nickles‘s office, ANC Commissioner Bill Starrels, and the residents who fought to shut him down and their lawyer, Marty Sullivan—that Kocak is going to be under a lot of scrutiny.

Sullivan says that they already have reason to worry if Kocak does reopen Philly Pizza, or some other store at the Potomac Street location. While he’s advertising his new store concept as a prepared food shop, akin to Subway, Commissioner Starrels said that Kocak has also applied to operate a 500-degree-plus oven—for pizza.

“I don’t think [Kocak] has earned any credibility,” Starrels told the Voice in July. “I hope that Peter Nickles will do everything in the law and his power to protect my constituents from having to suffer under these people again and from this place reopening.”

I’m going to go look up the Vegas odds, but I’m guessing they’re not in Philly Pizza’s favor.

This week, Vox wanted to offer the Class of 2014 a few recommendations of places to visit in the Georgetown neighborhood. Today, we cover daylife—check back later this week for what to do on nights and weekends. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments!

When you’re really sick of Leo’s …

Clyde’s: The original location of the Clyde’s Restaurant Group, Clyde’s offers upscale, traditional American food in a casual setting. Clyde’s claims that its appetizer menu inspired “Afternoon Delight,” but we’re pretty sure songwriter Bill Danoff (FLL ’68) had something else in mind—no matter how much we love the restaurant’s crab cakes and chili.

Sweetgreen: Opened in 2007 as the brainchild of three recent Georgetown alumni, Sweetgreen specializes in creative—and in our opinion, delicious—salads, as well as Sweetflow frozen yogurt. Sweetflow, which tastes like frozen nectar handed down from God himself, is even sold on the streets of D.C. via the Sweetflow Mobile.

Qdoba: Every Monday night, hungry students flood into Qdoba on M Street. Why? Because it’s half-price burrito day! The large meals, free sodas, and 50 percent discounts at this chain fast-food restaurant are an inexpensive alternative to Leo’s.

Tackle Box: ”To-go” and “seafood” don’t often work well together, but Tackle Box pulls it off. As the casual, cheaper version of parent restaurant Hook, Tackle Box offers fresh fish prepared to order and available for dine-in or take-out. (Our favorite meal? The fish tacos.)

Martin’s Tavern: If you’re looking to dine at a restaurant that has served every sitting president from Harry Truman to George W. Bush—Barack Obama hasn’t been there, yet—then Martin’s is the place to go.

1789: The most upscale of the Clyde’s Restaurant Group restaurants, a meal at 1789 is a popular option—if your parents are in town. The pricey restaurant is a favorite of a number of famous Washingtonians and politicos, including Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman, but is also more than a little bit out of most students’ price ranges. But if you want to go, try making a reservation while they offer their prix fix summer special.

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For more than a year, rumors suggested that Georgetown Public Library would re-open in Fall 2010. Now, that target date is a bit more specific.

According to a D.C. Public Library representative who contacted Georgetown Metropolitan, the library plans to officially open its doors in October. The re-opening is quite the accomplishment, considering that after a three-alarm fire destroyed the building in May 2007, reconstruction efforts were wrought with legal tussles and finger-pointing.

The fire, which was allegedly caused by heat guns, led to a $13 million lawsuit brought by the D.C. government against a Dynamic Corp., a construction company contracted to work in the library. After the city blamed Dynamic Corp., the company turned around and contested the suit, claiming that the D.C. Fire Department botched the investigation.

Luckily, the lawsuit didn’t ultimately derail the reconstruction process. GM has the rundown of the library’s renovated look, but personally, we’re just happy to see it re-open. (Have you ever seen the library’s DVD collection? It’s a hidden gem, we swear!)

Last night’s Advisory Neighborhood meeting was pretty long for my taste. Discussion included streetcars and the ANC’s preference for having them built without overhead wires and without dedicating an entire lane of traffic to their operation—but aside from that, (and streetcars aren’t even coming to Georgetown until after an environmental review that will start in 2012 or 2013) there wasn’t much more to it, as far as Georgetown students are concerned, than extended bar and restaurant hours and public safety improvements. Here’s the wrap:

Dining in the wee small hours of the morning

What’s that old saying? When the mice are away, the Advisory Neighborhood Catmissioners will unanimously pass a resolution that allows every bar in Georgetown to seek permission to start serving alcohol at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday for the entire month that the FIFA World Cup is taking place, with less than five minutes of discussion … and will play?

Something like that. But that’s pretty long for an aphorism, so let me break it down a little further.

At last night’s ANC meeting, commissioners responded to a bill passed by the D.C. City Council that will allow D.C. bars to seek exemptions to open at 7 a.m. from June 11 – July 11 for the World Cup.

Bars still need permission from their respective ANCs to seek an exemption from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, however, and Vox‘s guess is that if Georgetown University was still chock full of students, this would have been a serious issue.

But like we said, there was only about five minutes of mild discussion. Under D.C. law, bars can start serving at 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday and at 10 a.m. on Sunday, but few Georgetown bars are actually licensed to open that early. The ANC resolution will not only allow bars to seek exemptions from ABRA  to open at 7 a.m. but also to serve alcohol during the revised hours for the entire month of the World Cup, provided they serve food and open their outdoor seating areas at their normal hours only. (In one of our favorite parts of the meeting, commissioners wondered why bars had to open so early for the World Cup. Student Commissioner Aaron Golds (COL ’11) explained that it’s because the World Cup was being held in South Africa this year).

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