Greater Greater Washington

Remember when a few people opposed bikeshare?

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:28:00 EDT

It's been fascinating to watch some of the coverage and debates over bike sharing in New York. In so many ways, it mirrors what happened in DC. At first, many people didn't understand it or opposed it. Once it opened, fears faded away.

Photo by DDOTDC on Flickr.

DC saw some contentious public meetings about whether stations belonged in certain neighborhoods. That's all long gone. Now, when an ANC takes up bike sharing, it's usually either to push for more stations or debate whether a station belongs in one spot or across the street.

New York started with the "don't understand it" phase. Some, like Gothamist and Reuters' Felix Salmon, first jumped on the fact that it will cost $77 in overtime fees to keep a "Citibike" for 4 hours. That is steeper than it needs to be, but it's also looking at the wrong thing.

Very few people will keep a bike that long. The purpose of bike sharing is for short point to point trips, not long rentals. But a lot of folks initially placed the system into their mental box of "bike rentals," and evaluated it accordingly. That'll pass, if it hasn't already, once people actually get to try using it.

Last night, at a public meeting in Brooklyn Heights, a few residents argued against bikeshare stations on their streets. Bikeshare supporter Mike Epstein (who's also a personal friend) tweeted some of the objections from the meeting:

Mike Epstein @mikepstein
"This is a terrific idea" but "not compatible with residential streets" #bikenyc

Mike Epstein @mikepstein
This guy is afraid of a bikeshare station turning into a place for people to hang out, but says he likes the program and will join. #bikenyc

Has a single station in DC turned into a "place for people to hang out"? Not that I'm aware. But some people worried about that here, too.

A BID employee from Montague Street, in Brooklyn Heights, wanted to keep 5 parking spaces instead of add 39 bikeshare docks, while a MetroTech BID representative was pleased there aren't stations in their area.

DC residents know what will happen:

Bryant Turnage @turnageb
They'll eat those words once it's live. RT @mikepstein "I love bike share, but I don't want it on my block." #bikenyc meets classic NIMBYism

Kriston Capps @kristoncapps
@turnageb @mikepstein It's going to be so annoying when everyone comes around on #bikenyc and NYers are all so proud they invented bikeshare

The system will open, and residents will realize that bike sharing is nothing like their worst fears. Neighbors will clamor for stations. Actually, many already are. Residents in Park Slope, which isn't getting Citibike yet, are eager for expansion.

Meanwhile, pass the popcorn.

12 comments

Capital Bikeshare introduces new 5-day pass (Mar 14, 2011)
Mickey on the Bikeshare (May 6, 2011)
Could bikeshare directions come to Google? (Jun 16, 2011)
Tell DDOT where you want a Capital Bikeshare location (Jun 17, 2010)
New York public spaces good and bad (Oct 8, 2006)

"Degree density" maps show region's east-west divide

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:49:00 EDT

by David Alpert

What's the difference between Friendship Heights and Capitol Heights? The number of people with college degrees.

Degree density in and around DC. Each blue dot represents 1,000 people 25 and over with a college degree; each pink dot, 1,000 people 25+ without. Maps by Rob Pitingolo.

Rob Pitingolo has done a lot of research on which places have more or fewer people with college degrees. DC has the fourth most college degrees per square mile of any city in the nation, but that doesn't apply everywhere in the region or everywhere in DC.

Rob created these maps that show the locations of people with and without college degrees aged 25 and over.

There seems to be a fair amount of mixing in Virginia, but in DC and Maryland, the divide is starker. East of the Anacostia, blue dots are very few; west of Rock Creek and in the central city, they overwhelm the pink dots.

A lot of news stories talk about the DC region in terms of the division between black and white. The city's history of racial segregation has left a legacy of educational and socioeconomic inequality. As a result, many commentators use race as a simplistic shorthand for conflicts that are really about college educated versus not, or wealthy versus poor, or young versus old.

Race is immutable, but other characteristics are not. If our divisions are really about black versus white, they're not going to change unless some people move out of the city, and that's not what we want to happen. But education levels can change, and it's good for everyone if we can help all people in our region access better education.

16 comments

Maps show racial divides in Greater Washington (Sep 21, 2010)
A demographic portrait of the District: 2008 (Oct 5, 2009)
Thundersnow traffic illustrates east-west divide (Jan 27, 2011)
Gentrification east of the river, pt. 2: Economic development (Nov 9, 2010)
On the calendar: Biking west, retail/zoning north, buses east (Mar 2, 2011)

Would a Silver Spring arts center work?

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:02:00 EDT

by Dan Reed

A group of Silver Spring residents want to turn an old police station into an arts center modeled on the Gateway Arts Center in Prince George's County. However, building an artist community in Silver Spring will require something that's hard to find here: housing that artists can afford.

The police station today. Photo by the author.

The Gateway Arts Center is successful partly because it's located in a more established artist enclave, the Gateway Arts District, located along Route 1 in Prince George's County. Like downtown Silver Spring, it's one of 19 Arts & Entertainment Districts designated by the state of Maryland, making it eligible for grants to support the arts and arts-related uses.

But the district has also drawn artists for decades. Each year, it holds a yearly studio tour with nearly 120 local artists in 17 venues.

Not only that, but the Gateway Arts District has lots of old houses and warehouses that are cheap and easy to repurpose. There aren't a lot of buildings like that in Silver Spring anymore. Artists who lack places to work need affordable places to live as well.

Being in downtown Silver Spring less than a mile from the Metro, the 2½ acres the police station sits on are very valuable. Perhaps a better use for this site would be a mix of studio space and artist housing, not unlike Renaissance Square and the Mount Rainier Artist Lofts, two apartment buildings in the Gateway Arts District, or the Brookland Artspace Lofts, a building in Northeast Washington. All three buildings rent apartments and live-work units at subsidized rates to people who earn their living making art.

These buildings, which are each 100% occupied, offer artists who often have low incomes a quality place to live. According to the Census, the median rent in below-the-Beltway Silver Spring is $1206 a month, but actual apartment listings suggest that's only enough for a one-bedroom apartment. Meanwhile, a one-bedroom in the Brookland Artspace Lofts with studio space rents for $970, while a two-bedroom is just $1,205.

We could turn the police station into an arts center as proposed, but also build low-rise artist housing around it. A smaller community garden could be built, or it could instead be located in any of the 46 other parks in below-the-Beltway Silver Spring and Takoma Park. The lawn in front of the police station could still become a small public space for the neighborhood.

The Mount Rainier Artist Lofts. Image from Google Street View.

This proposal would cost more to build and may require public money. The Brookland Artspace Lofts in the District, developed by the same company that built the apartments in Mount Rainier, received $11 million in construction funding and tax credits from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development. If a funding source is found, however, artist housing could provide more customers for local businesses while developing a more substantial and diverse arts scene.

When I suggested this to Karen Roper and Steve Knight, two of the residents leading the push for the Station Arts Center, they were skeptical. "It's a little more unstructured and bohemian," Knight says. "I know one of the artists we talked to, she's married and has a house and a family." He wants to know "how strong of a need" there is for artist housing in Silver Spring.

"My neighbors ... bought their houses cheap" decades ago, says Roper. "They're looking for studio space." She notes that "two, possibly three" buildings with subsidized apartments will be built on Fenton Street in coming years, while a developer wants to renovate the Eagle Bank building at Sligo Avenue and Fenton Street into "microlofts," or small apartments geared at single adults.

One of the reasons the county may support the current Station Arts Center proposal is because of their experience with the new police station in White Oak. Plans to sell extra land around the station to build a mix of affordable and market-rate housing in 2009 were met with intense community opposition before they eventually backed down. Whether the county uses the old police station property to meet its affordable housing goals or make money by selling it to a private developer, dealing with angry neighbors will be inevitable.

Floor plan of typical apartment at Brookland Artspace Lofts.

That's why Roper and her neighbors are trying to start the conversation about development. "We wanted to get out there and make our pitch before somebody came in and did the same old, same old," she says. "I would like to see some imagination in this county. It's not about how much you develop, it's about how you develop."

Roper wants the Station Arts Center to distinguish Fenton Village from the rest of Silver Spring, calling it the "only thing that represents us and who we are."

As I've written before, having spaces for making art makes our community stronger. Even if I don't agree with every part of the Station Arts Center concept, I'm glad that neighbors are being proactive about what they'd like to see in their community.

That said, Karen Roper might be okay with a few more apartments if they allowed the neighborhood to keep its artistic flair. "I'd rather live in a dense, crowded place with artists and musicians," she says. "When you take that character away, you just have a bunch of crap next to each other."

11 comments

Residents want to make police station into arts center (May 15, 2012)
Silver Spring bike station gets planning money (Nov 3, 2010)
Taxpayers foot bill for parking giveaway in Silver Spring (Mar 28, 2012)
Old buildings are the key to affordability (Jan 19, 2012)
How Silver Spring Park could be a good neighbor (Feb 23, 2010)

Support a growing city and join Pro-DC

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:20:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Want to see the District of Columbia become even better than it is? I'm pleased to announce Pro-DC, a group formed to organize residents to support positive change in DC's zoning update and beyond.

Photo by Samantha's Photography on Flickr.

Pro-DC is a project of the Coalition for Smarter Growth and Greater Greater Washington. We believe in helping DC grow, thrive, and become more livable for everyone. I hope you will join the email list today.

The zoning update is helping make DC more inclusive, livable, and walkable through some very important policies, such as accessory dwellings, corner stores, and removing outdated parking requirements. These changes will help older residents age in place, help newer residents afford to live and stay in DC, encourage more retail, and make streets safer.

Members of Pro-DC don't need to agree with every element of the zoning update. I don't. But we also believe that DC will grow and change regardless of public policy, and that our zoning should shape that growth in a positive way that improves the quality of life, increases amenities, and strengthens affordability for all residents.

In coming months, there will be some major battles over the zoning update that cut to the heart of how people see DC's future. These positive changes won't become reality unless decision makers hear from residents who share the vision. I hope you will join the email list, and ask your friends to do the same.

18 comments

Join Tommy Wells for reelection kickoff Saturday (Mar 25, 2010)
Pop the top or pack 'em in the back? (Apr 23, 2008)
Greater Greater Washington is now Greater Greater Wells (Apr 1, 2012)
Is DC's zoning update "too timid"? (Feb 9, 2012)
NIMBYism strong on Upper Wisconsin (Feb 22, 2008)

Breakfast links: A new era in Ward 5

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:50:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Photo by Tyler Nelson on McDuffieForCouncil.

Councilmember McDuffie: Kenyan McDuffie "trounced" other candidates to win the Ward 5 special election with 45% of the vote, at least twice the votes of anyone else. The ward has now replaced its prison-bound former councilmember with a former Justice Department attorney. (Post)

Metro opens doors?: Doors opened on two 1000 series cars on a Red Line train while it was moving between Van Ness and Tenleytown. Metro officials say it is too early to tell if all of the 290 1000 series cars will have to be taken out of service. (Examiner)

Res. 13 starts slowly: DC will rebid the 2 plots on Reservation 13 closest to the Metro. Officials hope this will kick-start the rest, but residents had hoped to continue with the 2 developers who'd already submitted bids the last time. A Redskins training facility is not part of the plan, at least for now. (City Paper)

Budget harmony: The DC Council unanimously passed the budget with money added for affordable housing and human services. (Post) ... Without a tax exemption for out-of-state bonds, more DC residents are buying DC's own bonds. (Post)

Roads getting safer: DC is on pace to have a record low number of traffic fatalities (just 6 so far this year), suggesting safety initiatives, bike infrastructure, and traffic enforcement cameras may be working. (TBD)

Tweaks to Ike Memorial: Frank Gehry has modified a statue of Eisenhower to show him as a cadet in the planned memorial, but won't remove huge huge steel tapestries which have drawn the most criticism from architects and the Eisenhower family. (Examiner)

Speed camera torched: Someone set a speed camera on fire in Catonsville. It had just been installed near a school where neighbors complained of speeding drivers. Some commenters applauded the action. (Patch, Ben Ross)

Norton not allowed to represent: Congress won't let Eleanor Holmes Norton speak at a hearing on a bill about abortions in DC. DC Vote wants residents to bring pothole complaints and other requests to Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), the bill's sponsor. (DCist)

New Urbanists are the adults in the room: New Urbanists have won in the battle against sprawl and might be the only ones with a clear notion of how poor infrastructure choices damaged America as well as how to fix it. (Business Insider, charlie)

And...: 2 Metro staircases will use durable granite. (Examiner) ... The Potomac is one of America's most endangered rivers. (Post) ... Park Police continue to harass pedicabbers. (TBD) ... More car sharing would significantly reduce emissions. (Streetsblog)

Have a tip for the links? Submit it here.

48 comments

Metro crash roundup: Second draft of history (Jun 25, 2009)
Weekend links: The end (Apr 1, 2012)
For Ward 5 Council: Kenyan McDuffie (Sep 10, 2010)
Ask GGW: What will happen to the 1000 series railcars? (Oct 21, 2011)
Time to reaassemble railcars into single-series trains (Mar 15, 2010)

McDonnell's roadblocks threaten Silver Line's phase 2

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:34:00 EDT

by Stewart Schwartz

Virginia Governor McDonnell says he fully supports the timely completion of Phase 2 of the Silver Line. Yet his administration's political roadblocks are the biggest threat to the project.

Dulles rail construction. Photo by wfyurasko on Flickr.

In a Washington Post op-ed this weekend, McDonnell wrote, "Unfortunately, the project has been marked by many controversies, ranging from escalated costs, the prospect of soaring tolls on the Dulles Toll Road, legal and labor issues, and the overall accountability, membership and transparency of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA)."

The governor is blowing out of proportion MWAA's governance, legal, and labor issues in a way that unfairly sows doubt about the transit line. Today's interim report by the USDOT's Inspector General found real transparency, spending, and accountability problems at MWAA, but does not find that the agency mismanaged the Silver Line project.

The high tolls are a direct result of the state's failure to invest its own money in this critical transportation project, placing the burden fully and unfairly on northern Virginians. Instead of making the case to the Loudoun Board of Supervisors for the importance of moving forward, McDonnell's administration is making it easier for them to vote no, endangering the whole project.

The Governor just threatened again, via a budget amendment, to withhold the state's meager $150 million contribution to Phase 2 if his new appointees to MWAA were not seated immediately instead of on July 1st. Fortunately, the Virginia House of Delegates voted yesterday to kill the amendment, stopping this latest threat.

One of the main points of disagreement between the McDonnell administration and MWAA has been Project Labor Agreements (PLAs). These have been successful on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Dulles Rail Phase 1 projects.

PLAs are not just about regulating union labor and wage rates for workers. They also require unions to help secure an adequate supply of skilled trades for these massive projects, and to ensure effective coordination among the dozens of trades and subcontractors, both union and non-union, for smoothly functioning, safe, and timely construction. The preference for PLAs in the bidding process seems a reasonable solution. We should move forward with these provisions.

The governor says he is greatly concerned that Virginia doesn't have a majority of seats on the MWAA governing board, which controls Dulles and Reagan National Airports, as well as the Dulles Toll Road and the Silver Line project. But this regional agency has effectively served our region for a long time, completing major and complex expansions of both airports.

It is true, however, MWAA could be much more transparent and accountable, as the IG report notes. The Coalition for Smarter Growth was among the first to raise this issue in 2006 when the Kaine administration proposed handing control of the project over to MWAA. Pressure from the governor, our federal and state legislators, and local elected officials has resulted in key reforms at MWAA. These reforms should continue, but so should the Silver Line.

The attacks on MWAA may have more to do with securing state control of future toll road revenues, for use on road projects like the Northern Virginia Outer Beltway and other rural highways, than about fixing the governance of MWAA.

We can't know that for sure, but it's very plausible given the administration's power grab at the Virginia Port Authority. After reorganizing the port authority's board to ensure control from Richmond, the administration pressed new board members to approve diverting $250 million to Route 460, a rural highway between Hampton Roads and Petersburg that Hampton Roads leaders say is not their top priority. A similar effort by the governor to secure a controlling majority on MWAA in order to do the same thing would not work to the best long-term interests of Northern Virginians.

McDonnell says that he could not even contemplate funding another $300 million for Dulles rail without raiding other projects throughout the state. But is he setting the right priorities? What money might actually be available?

The governor is proposing to spend over $750 million on the Route 460 project. Another $244 million is being earmarked to the controversial Charlottesville western bypass, a road that appears to be ineffective and a waste of money. Millions are going to the Coalfields Expressway to support mountaintop removal in an area with little traffic.

Even accounting for these projects, there may be another $400 million available in the $1.5 billion Public-Private Transportation Act fund. Setting different priorities would free up hundreds of millions more.

It's hard to respond to the governor's argument that Northern Virginia is getting its fair share of the state's funding without seeing the full picture. A clearer accounting of complicated funding flows would be helpful for both the public and legislators. Certainly, making significant investments in addressing the transportation needs of Northern Virginia should be a priority given the importance of the region to the state's economy.

Perhaps symbolic of the administration's priorities, Virginia Deputy Secretary of Transportation David Tyerar made two recent trips from Richmond to Leesburg to appear before the Loudoun Board of Supervisors. He didn't go to make the case for Dulles Rail. Rather, he spoke to promote the Outer Beltway.

The governor and secretary revived planning for the Outer Beltway, added it as a new Corridor of Statewide Significance, and are exploring the route for yet another public-private partnership. Yet this highway would do little to help massively congested corridors like I-66, Route 50, and Route 7. The contrast between the obstacles put before Dulles Rail by the McDonnell administration and their full-court press for the Outer Beltway couldn't be starker.

If the Silver Line's phase 2 fails, it will be on Governor McDonnell's watch. He should lead the way to compromises that will allow the project to move forward, and focus more of the state's transportation resources on this economically critical project.

36 comments

Thwarting unlikely terror attacks beats building decent transit on MWAA's Silver Line priority list (Nov 8, 2010)
Anti-transit ideology endangers Silver Line (May 11, 2012)
Virginia insiders pulling bait-and-switch for Outer Beltway (Feb 25, 2011)
McDonnell transportation plan: Mortgage future, build roads (Dec 10, 2010)
MWAA: A public authority in even more need of scrutiny (Mar 7, 2011)

Metro tests secure parking with new "bike and ride"

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:31:00 EDT

by Matt Johnson

Metro riders now have the option to use secure bike parking at the College Park station. At a grand opening today, WMATA officials welcomed riders to the new indoor storage facility.

All photos by the author.

The new "bike and ride" facility is located in the bottom level of the parking garage at the College Park station. This area was originally set aside for future retail, and has now been configured to accommodate parking for approximately 120 bicycles.

At the opening, Deputy General Manager Carol Kissal announced that by next summer, Metro would be opening new bike and ride facilities at Vienna and King Street stations, and hopes to expand the program further.

For WMATA, increasing secure bike storage is an obvious choice. The facility at College Park currently can handle 120 bicycles, but parking capacity can be doubled with the installation of more double-decker racks. The facility takes up about the same amount of space as 10 car parking spaces, according to officials.

WMATA is trying to encourage more people to bike to their stations, and providing a secure place to park is an important aspect of achieving that goal. By 2020, the agency hopes to triple the number of people cycling to their stations.

The entrance kiosk at the new Bike and Ride.

Parking costs 5 cents per hour during the day and 2 cents per hour overnight. Riders gain access to the facility and pay for parking with an access card from a company called BikeLink. There are no annual fees, only a one-time $5 fee for customer ID verification.

BikeLink will manage the facility for WMATA, and has the incentive to encourage bicycling to the station, since they take home the revenue generated by the facility. WMATA will win by getting additional rail and bus fare revenue from those who chose to College Park because of the facility.

WMATA chose College Park for the pilot program because it's already one of the top stations for cycling. In the 2011 bike parking census, it came out in third place systemwide. Additionally, the space in the garage was available, and a third of people parking at the station come from three miles away or less, which means many are already within biking distance.

Parking at the bike and ride.

Also demonstrating their commitment to bicycling, Kissal, Assistant General Manager Nat Bottigheimer, and several other WMATA employees biked to College Park from the WMATA headquarters near Judiciary Square.

This facility is a great addition to the Metro network and promises to be the first of many similar secure bicycle parking areas around Metro.

28 comments

Metro trying new technology, communication with parking (Jan 24, 2011)
More people walking, biking, riding the bus to Metro stations (Jun 5, 2009)
Metro proposes quintupling bicycle access mode share (Dec 6, 2010)
Metro improves bike parking at NoMa station (May 3, 2012)
Inauguration every day? Metro studying bike/ped access (Aug 11, 2009)

Give up your seat on the bus or train to those in need

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:23:00 EDT

by David Alpert

If you see person with a disability, an elderly person, or a pregnant woman on a crowded bus or train, please give up your seat!

Photo by Dan4th on Flickr.

Reader Melissa experienced the worst of human nature in a recent ride on the K Street Circulator around 10:30 one day. She was about 8 months pregnant and had a seat next to a window.

An elderly gentleman of about 80 got on the bus, and couldn't sit down. Melissa decided to give him her seat, but the other woman in the seat next to her wouldn't move over to the window. The man couldn't climb over, so he gave up and told Melissa just to sit back down.

Later, a woman on crutches got on, and Melissa again gave up her seat and moved to the back of the bus. But a stop or two later, as the bus filled up further, she saw the woman on crutches moving toward the back of the bus; it turns out some other, able-bodied person, had taken the seat!

Melissa made "a stink about a pregnant lady giving up her seat for someone on crutches," she says, and only then did people offer seats to both of them.

Folks, many people don't want to go around loudly asking others to give up seats. If you see someone who is less physically able than yourself on the bus, please volunteer the seat. If someone asks you to give up a seat or move over to accommodate someone, please cheerily agree.

In particular, the row of seats nearest the door is reserved by law for seniors and persons with disabilities when necessary. If you're in one of those, it's extra important to give up your seat.

Meanwhile, Emily (@TheFrogget) was riding the G8 bus in Bloomingdale. A mom placed her folded stroller on a shelf next to the door; Emily was sitting in the seat immediately adjacent, but there was a seat right across the aisle.

Emily says, "I got the stink eye for 30 mins and then a scolding when she got off. If the bus had been full, I would have happily given her my seat. But there was an open one 3 feet away." The woman didn't ask Emily to move, just fumed that she didn't.

It seems to me that while anyone should have been willing to give up a seat for the mom and child had there been no seats, there's no rule that the seat has to be the one they specifically want when there's another within easy eyeshot of the stroller. On the other hand, if the woman had asked nicely, I'd hope Emily would have happily moved over. Only the woman didn't ask.

What do you think? Have you had any bad (or good) etiquette experiences on buses?

58 comments

Circulator starts banning unfolded strollers (Jan 13, 2010)
DC Dems should appoint a caretaker to Kwame Brown's seat (Nov 14, 2010)
Allow unfolded umbrella strollers on Metrobus (Feb 15, 2011)
Circulator thrombosis (Mar 16, 2009)
Circulator could fill Shuttle-Bug's role for Southwest (Aug 9, 2010)

Residents want to make police station into arts center

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:15:00 EDT

by Dan Reed

Next year, the Montgomery County police department's Third District station will move to a new facility in White Oak, leaving their current building at Sligo Avenue and Grove Street in downtown Silver Spring. While some neighbors worried that the site would be redeveloped as housing, resident Karen Roper saw a chance to bring local artists together.

The police station today. Photo by the author.

Roper, who lives in adjacent East Silver Spring and sits on the board of their civic association, has long been active in local affairs. When the police announced their move in 2009, she began exploring ways to repurpose it with the help of her neighbors Steve Knight, his wife Karen Burditt, and Dan Morales, all architects.

"I realized ... that we needed to start earlier on getting behind things that we wanted," she says. "Knowing that the police station was going to move, I started talking to the neighbors around it."

Many of those neighbors were artists who lacked space to work. "[They] have outgrown working in their attics or basements and they're ready to move to something bigger or more serious," says Knight.

Roper worries that new development would make downtown Silver Spring "an audience district" by pushing them out. "We're an arts district that has no space for artists," says Roper. "East Silver Spring is full of artists. That's who we've always been."

The Gateway Arts Center in Brentwood. Photo by Anne Marchand on Flickr.

One of those artists, Laurie Breen, located her studio in the Gateway Arts Center in Brentwood, which opened two years ago in a former government surplus warehouse. Run by the Gateway Community Development Corporation and the Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation, the center holds classes, has two galleries, along with studios for 13 artists.

Roper wanted to create a place like that in Silver Spring. Her group envisions turning the 1960's-era police station into the Station Arts Center, a place where local artists can make and display their work and residents take classes. The parking lot in back would be turned into a community garden with 44 plots and "plenty of parking," while the front lawn would become an outdoor hangout like "the Turf," the temporary green that stood where Veterans Plaza is today.

The station is located between downtown's high-rises and the porch-fronted bungalows of East Silver Spring, and both Roper and Knight refer to it as a good place for a "transition" or "buffer" between the two while reinforcing the community's character. A thousand units will be built in Fenton Village over the next few years, says Roper, but "there's no green space, there's no community gardens, and there's no space for artists."

Knight and Burditt introduced the Station Arts Center concept in a column for the Silver Spring Voice. To "prove a need and a desire" for the project, the group is circulating a petition.

Civic groups and the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board have also been receptive. "When I pitched the idea of an arts center and community garden, people loved it," Roper says, adding that David Dise, director of the county's Department of General Services, called it the "best proposal he'd ever heard for Silver Spring."

Roper, Knight and Morales took a quick tour of the police station and found it wouldn't take much to turn it into an arts center.

"I think you could go in there on Day 1 and have a fairly reasonable artist space," says Knight, noting that the building and its mechanical systems were in good repair, but could be reconfigured easily. "I don't think there's anything sacred [architecturally] about the building. It provides a pretty good blank slate to start with." There are also more unusual features, like an underground shooting range beneath the parking lot, which Roper says would make a "cool darkroom" for photographers.

There are some issues, namely a lack of natural light. But "if the resources presented themselves," Knight says, "it wouldn't be really impinging the building's structural integrity if you wanted to punch some more windows into it."

Roper's excited about the building's aesthetic qualities. "The police station is funky and square and 60's in look ... it lends itself well to an arts center," she says.

The Parks Department is "extremely enthusiastic" about the community garden, she adds, because the site is already publicly owned and fenced off, requiring little additional work. Knight notes that there was a "pretty positive response" to one at Fenton Street Park, two blocks away.

Meanwhile, the lawn in front of the police station would become a "front yard" that Knight compares to "the Turf." It would be a "more casual outdoor space for people where you can just walk out, lay out a beach towel and get a tan."

"We're not going to blanket the police station in Astroturf," he jokes.

Though the design isn't finished, Roper estimates that it will cost $750,000 to renovate the police station. She is currently looking for a nonprofit group to operate the arts center, which would sustain itself by renting between 25 and 50 studios to working artists, offering classes to the public and some sort of "retail place."

"All we need from the county is a short-term lease," says Roper. "We don't need any funds from them."

Will the Station Arts Center plan work? We'll look at it in more detail tomorrow, along with one change I think could make it better.

9 comments

Would a Silver Spring arts center work? (May 16, 2012)
Wells, Catania organize Park(ing) Day on Pennsylvania Ave (Sep 15, 2011)
Silver Spring Civic Building takes shape (Apr 29, 2010)
New York, San Francisco "instant plazas" could inspire East Silver Spring (May 28, 2009)
Veterans' Plaza in Silver Spring worthy of The Turf's legacy (Aug 12, 2010)

Breakfast links: Shape DC's future

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:10:00 EDT

by David Edmondson

Photo by In Shaw on Flickr.

Live in 5? Vote! (McDuffie!): Ward 5 goes to the polls today to choose a replacement for Harry Thomas, Jr. We have endorsed Kenyan McDuffie. Turnout will likely be light, so votes are critical to shape the future of the ward.

Budget boosts housing, delays NoMa park: Kwame Brown's proposed budget changes restore affordable housing funding, taking money from NoMa parks. It also allows later bar and restaurant hours but only around certain holidays, and avoids higher alcohol taxes. (Post, Washington Times)

Taxis get better: The taxi stand at Union Station now has a police officer keeping order, ensuring that the past chaos of involuntary group rides, refusals by drivers to take people to certain destinations, and the like are a thing of the past. (Post)

Bike & Ride opens today: WMATA's first new secure biking facility, called a Bike & Ride, opens today at College Park station. Metro wants to triple its bicycle access by 2020, and Bike & Rides are planned to be a big part of that increase. (TBD)

What to do with Franklin: Franklin Square could transform from a haven for the homeless to a centerpiece of a new living downtown. But it'll take a long time... and what about the homeless? (Harry Jaffe)

Pepco trims trees: Pepco is cutting back trees in Maryland that have caused so much damage to its infrastructure during storms. Residents disagree: is this long overdue, or is it an unnecessary loss of nature? (Post)

Fly to PDX, SJU, AUS, SFO: DOT has awarded 4 new nonstops from DCA to destinations beyond the 1,250 mile perimeter: Portland, San Juan, Austin, and San Francisco. The recent FAA reauthorization created the 4 new exemptions. (The Hill)

Nothing new under the sun: Opposition to the Golden Gate Bridge was just as fierce as opposition to major projects today. The arguments are uncannily familiar: no unbiased numbers, proponents are moving too fast, and more. (SFGate)

Santa Monica fights meter feeding: Santa Monica is installing sensors that will prevent drivers from feeding meters beyond the time limit. But perhaps they would be better served by changing to performance parking? (Huffington Post, Neil)

Los Angeles grows up: Atlantic Boulevard is emblematic of both old car-centric LA and the emerging transit city championed by the local council of governments and Mayor Villaraigosa. New development engages the street next to old strip malls, and highways mix oddly with the new light rail. This city is changing. (LA Times)

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Gray budget boosts streetcar, traffic cameras; cuts housing (Mar 23, 2012)
For Ward 5 Council: Kenyan McDuffie (Sep 10, 2010)
Metro tests secure parking with new "bike and ride" (May 15, 2012)
Kenyan McDuffie talks education and growth (Mar 1, 2012)
Switching to CNG buses could help long-term WMATA budget situation (Apr 15, 2010)