Chevy Chase DC - Greater Greater Washington

DC has a Unicorn Lane, complete with unicorn statue

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:13:00 EDT

Everyone knows about the dignified statues in places like Logan Circle and Lafayette Square, but do you know about Unicorn Lane? It's in Upper Northwest, along Oregon Avenue, just west of Rock Creek Park (map).
Now if only we had a Hippogriff Street.

Photo by BeyondDC on flickr.

Cross-posted at BeyondDC.

7 comments

Candidates want affordable housing, balk at more housing

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:53:00 EDT

by David Alpert

One of the most significant ways to ensure some affordable housing is to provide more housing. It's not the only way and not sufficient on its own, but the clear connection between housing supply and price appears lost on multiple candidates for the April 23 DC Council at-large special election.

Photo by james.thompson on Flickr.

At a Chevy Chase Community Association meeting last week, many candidates affirmed support for affordable housing, according to a report on the Chevy Chase listserv, but then wavered or even outright opposed allowing people to rent out basements, garages, or parts of their homes to create new housing opportunities.

Lorrie Scally wrote:

Patrick Mara said "No" to the rentals because he feared they would result in an overflow of students into already crowded schools.

Meanwhile, according to Scally, "Matthew Frumin expressed his support for ADU rentals in all residential neighborhoods," while Elissa Silverman said she wants to ensure they don't impact neighbors much (similar to what she said on Let's Choose DC).

Yet, Scally said, "The candidates' presentations gave support to DC education issues and affordable housing for residents." Mara has endorsed affordable housing spending in the past; on one of the Let's Choose questions he actually answered, he said, "I'm certain we can find the millions need to fund libraries and affordable housing initiatives." He told the DC realtors, "The cultural diversity of DC is at risk if we do not protect and build affordable housing."

Anita Bonds did not attend the forum.

Adding housing must be a part of the housing strategy

About 1,000 more people move into the District each month than the number who leave. Moreover, the demand to come into DC is even greater than this.

Absent enough new housing, many people who want to come here will rent or buy units in gentrifying neighborhoods where prices are still lower than elsewhere. That raises housing prices in those neighborhoods, hastening the problem of some longtime residents being or feeling priced out, and others deciding to take a windfall and sell their houses at a big profit.

If we want longtime residents to stay, an important element of the equation is to find somewhere else for the people to live who want to come into DC. Basement and garage apartments are one important potential source. We already have large single-family houses with one or two retirees who aren't actually using the whole house. Letting them rent the space is a win-win for everyone except for those who want to keep the neighborhood exclusive and underpopulated relative to its 1950 size.

A lot of people in Ward 3 would rather the population growth go somewhere else. A lot of people vote in Ward 3, and several candidates are clearly seeking their votes. But letting a whole section of the city opt out of growth is not the right policy. It harms poorer neighborhoods by diverting more housing pressure to other areas, hastening gentrification.

How do the candidates stack up?

Four years ago, when I endorsed Patrick Mara, I perhaps assumed too readily that because he lives in a denser neighborhood and bicycles, he also supports a growing city. He might, but he came out strongly against a new matter-of-right building in Chevy Chase, opposes accessory dwellings, and refused to answer either of the two Let's Choose questions on growth. That's disappointing and a little surprising for someone who claims to want less government regulation.

I'm also disappointed Elissa Silverman has not been stronger on smart growth. She has less reason to try to pander for votes in Ward 3, when Ward 6 has become the highest-voting ward. Many of Ward 3's supposedly-liberal residents and newspapers nonetheless seem to go for whomever will lower their own taxes. As a supporter of affordable housing and equity for all neighborhoods, she also shouldn't tolerate some residents west of Rock Creek trying to redline growth and change solely to the east.

Unfortunately, while Matthew Frumin has been willing to stand up for (reasonable) growth more vocally than others, this morning's poll seems to confirm that he is most likely to play a "spoiler" role. Our readers, contributors, and I myself have often wrestled with how to think through the game theory of a race, and decide how much to weigh various policy positions or trade off candidate strengths versus electability.

This post is not an endorsement; our policy is to decide endorsements by a poll of recent, active contributors, which came out clearly for Silverman. On balance, I'm still going to vote for her, too. Besides, zoning isn't the only issue that matters, and she has some definite strengths on workforce development, oversight of city agencies, and more.

But just because we've endorsed should not prevent us from helping inform readers about candidates' positions, whether or not they comport with our endorsement (in this case, it's mostly a neutral effect), or holding candidates responsible for staking out good positions.

242 comments

5333 gets permits

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:50:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Despite fierce opposition, the Cafritz apartment building proposal at 5333 Connecticut Avenue got permits to begin construction for the matter-of-right project, including an all-glass facade which was pretty universally panned. (WBJ)

Comment

Cafritz presents Chevy Chase building to skeptical neighbors

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 10:05:00 EDT

by Steve Seelig

"This neighborhood doesn't need any revitalizing," said one resident who lives near 5333 Connecticut Avenue, NW, throwing back into developer Jane Cafritz's face a newspaper quote where she said the proposed glassy, 9-story, 263-unit residential building would revitalize the neighborhood.

Photos by the author.

Hearing this, the crowd of Chevy Chase DC residents, most over 50, erupted into applause. Over 200 residents packed the Chevy Chase Community Center Wednesday evening to hear about the project firsthand from Jane and Calvin Cafritz and their team.

One side of the parcel abuts Military Road, the major east-west corridor across the top of the District. The other borders Kanawha Street, a very narrow residential street featuring mostly mid-sized bungalows.

At the outset, Mrs. Cafritz promised the skeptical audience that the glassy design that had been circulating widely was, in fact, not the building they planned to construct. She promised a forthcoming website to collect input on design and other concerns, which would give architect Eric Colbert, one of DC's most prolific residential apartment designers, an opportunity to revisit the design.

Not what Cafritz plans to build.

Zoning permits the building as of right

A group of residents has been actively organizing against the project, but their influence is limited because the Cafritz proposal will be completely "as of right," or fitting into the existing zoning without needing any special approvals.

Attorney Whayne Quinn explained the area's zoning and noted the building conforms to all requirements. It will cover only 45% of the lot. Quinn said that the project would be only half the size of the Kenmore building, 2 blocks to the north, with half the floor-area ratio and half the units, although one neighbor commented that the Kenmore itself ought not to be something the Cafritzes would be proud to emulate.

The building will be 90 feet, the height allowed under zoning, Quinn explained. However, one neighbor questioned whether they should measure the height from Connecticut Avenue or Kanawha Street. A representative from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) confirmed that the Cafritzes could measure the building from either, and it looks like the they will choose the method that will provide the greatest height.

Jane Cafritz.

The height issue was one that resonated with the neighbors, many of whom complained about the sun shadow the building will create during the winter. None of the Cafritz team rebutted or discussed this complaint.

In one of the livelier and more bizarre exchanges, the owner of several abutting residential apartment buildings admonished the Cafritzes for building a 9-story building on a block of 8-story buildings, saying to do so is taking advantage of the neighbors.

Another neighbor raised the common complaint about school overcrowding, and argued that those moving into the development would cause additional strain on the system. In a prior meeting, Councilmember Mary Cheh had taken another neighbor to task for a similar statement, letting him know that it was the right of any resident to have the city school their children. Certainly, school overcrowding is a real concern, but Cheh was correct to point out that this is not reason to prevent anyone from living where they want in our city.

Design tries to reduce mass along Connecticut, Kanawha

Colbert said he designed the building to have more mass along Military Road. A break and driveway on Connecticut Avenue will make it appear less massive from the front.

The Cafritzes' landscape architect said they plan to provide mature trees and as much of a green buffer as possible between the building and homes on Kanawha Street, and to the rear of the building. He argued that the smaller lot occupancy would permit more trees. Despite this, some complained that mature trees would need to be cut down, as these trees lie in the proposed building's footprint.

Grainy photo of proposed footprint.

The development team's presentation emphasized that the building would embrace green elements, in construction, use of materials, energy consumption, and rainwater management. However, when pressed on the environmental benefits, the architect admitted the building was not seeking any LEED certification, because the process of doing so was "too expensive."

Almost the entire crowd applauded a neighbor who asked why the building could not be brick instead of glass. She said the glass made it look like a building at 9th and K Streets.

Mrs. Cafritz seemed open to changing the glass, although in continued questioning it did not appear Colbert, the architect, had yet started to think about this change. Also, the Washington Post reported today that Mrs. Cafritz told subsequently Councilmember Mary Cheh they plan to stick with glass

Colbert spent considerable time explaining how a glass building would be energy-efficient and that interior light would not shine on neighboring homes, although he admitted there would be considerable sun reflections from the glass.

Traffic analysis doesn't please opponents

DDOT Associate Director Sam Zimbabwe presented a traffic assessment which found the building would not have a significant effect on traffic. Zimbabwe explained to the crowd that they should expect traffic on Military Road and Connecticut Avenue to get worse over the next decade, with or without the building.

DDOT Associate Director Sam Zimbabwe presented information about the current traffic levels in the area. Traffic on Military Road and Connecticut Avenue has actually declined slightly between 2006 and 2011 according to DDOT's traffic counts, Zimbabwe reported, which drew derisive laughs from the audience.

The traffic analysis predicts that the new construction would add 97 cars to morning rush hour and 127 cars to evening rush hour, but DDOT does not view this as likely to have a significant effect on traffic.

"any intersection where one has to wait more than one light cycle is a failed intersection"

This drew murmurs from a skeptical audience. One neighbor, describing the traffic backups each rush hour on Military Road as it crosses each intersection from Western Avenue to Rock Creek Park, pointed out the classic traffic engineering rule of thumb that if drivers need to wait more than one light-cycle, the intersections are all "failing."

Zimbabwe argued that this is precisely the type of project that will help cut down on area traffic. Residents will have a shorter commute downtown, and could would walk the ¾ mile to Metro. At this, the crowd erupted into laughter.

Later in the evening, one of those laughing at this statement shouted out, in complete sincerity, "why isn't the building installing geothermal heating?" Perhaps I was the only one who found that ironic.

Can the building avoid straining the alley?

One of the main issues neighbors raised, and one that might be easy to solve, is the project's intent to use the existing residential alley for both a 197-space parking garage and delivery access. Currently, only the 20 or so homes that are on the alley tend to use it, so there would be a marked increase in traffic.

However, DDOT policy does not permit additional curb cuts into to the property. Zimbabwe explained that DDOT wants to minimize the number of separate entrances off a street, each of which create the opportunity for conflicts between turning cars and other cars, pedestrians, and cyclists, just as in an intersection.

A solution came up that could satisfy both DDOT and residents: widen the curb cut for the alley, so that the building vehicle entrance is not directly off the alley but immediately next to the alley entrance.

DDOT can't forbid residents from getting parking stickers

If traffic flow issues drew a skeptical response, the increased impact the project would have to on-street parking brought even more consternation. One neighbor handed DDOT his own parking assessment of Kanawha Street, where he said it is already difficult to find parking after 10 pm at night, He estimated he'd need to walk 4 blocks to find a parking spot after the building is completed. This fired up several in the audience, one of whom shouted, "bad parking rules."

Zimbabwe explained that while the block was not zoned for Residential Permit Parking today, DDOT would permit residents to obtain RPP stickers if they petitioned DDOT to do so, as is its policy for other blocks.

The DC Council considered a bill last year that would have let building owners work out a deal with DDOT where their building would never be eligible for RPP, or not for a set period of time. However, a group of councilmembers, led by Chairman Mendelson, voted the bill down.

Conclusions

Calvin Cafritz.

It appeared to me there that the neighbors expressed a few very valid concerns. It should be possible to address each, at least to a certain extent.

It would be nice for the Cafritzes to work on ways to minimize the building blocking sunlight for nearby residents. However, I would imagine them reluctant to relent even a bit, because the neighbors might seek a far greater reduction in height than they may be comfortable with.
The glass façade seems to be one where the Cafritzes are ready to listen to alternatives. Red brick was the consensus of the audience.
A parallel driveway immediately adjacent to the alley entrance would seem to address the concern about alley access.
The parking/traffic conundrum seems difficult to solve. Neighbors who want more underground spots would then see more traffic in the neighborhood, and might then complain about more cut-through traffic on other streets.
LEED certification ought to be in the cards. Or, at least, the Cafritzes should consider doing what Douglas Jemal did at the Babe's site, which was to design the building to LEED standard but not actually undergo through the expensive certification process.
How the property sits on the land will continue to be a bone of contention. The site plan did appear to have as much of a buffer as possible to the rear and along Kanawha Street, although much of the open space it devoted to a rear garden area for building residents.
It would not appear the Cafritzes are willing to have a smaller footprint and more massive building sited closer to Connecticut Avenue, as such building would not permit him to have the same number of smaller units that he contemplates.

Mrs. Cafritz said a website would open soon for the community to offer comments. Beyond that, it is hard to know how willing they are to have more meetings with interested neighbors, given that the project is as-of-right.

Correction: The original version of this article erroneously reported that Sam Zimbabwe had said that traffic would increase in the future, when in fact he said that it had decreased (slightly) in the past. It also said that DDOT had conducted a traffic study for the building; DDOT instead reported some information about traffic in the area, but does not do its own traffic studies for matter-of-right buildings.

53 comments

Less parking at 14th and U would solve many problems (Feb 15, 2008)
Three thoughts from Connecticut Avenue (Dec 9, 2008)
What's your experience walking on Connecticut Avenue? (Mar 30, 2010)
DDOT presents Klingle trail progress (Dec 17, 2009)
Are bus shelters too "urban" for Chevy Chase? (Sep 15, 2008)

Chevy Chase building draws a fight

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 08:52:00 EDT

by David Alpert

A group of residents is organizing to fight an 11-story by-right apartment building at Connecticut and Military. Michael Brown and Patrick Mara were quick to voice opposition to the project, while Matt Frumin and Paul Zukerberg want better communication and transparency. (Georgetown Dish)

Comment

False, alarmist flyer agitates Chevy Chase on zoning update (Apr 19, 2012)
Mara, the bicycle Republican (Sep 5, 2008)
Then and Now: The Toronto apartment building (Jul 28, 2009)
At-large forum Thursday, plus Weaver and Mara live chats (Jan 31, 2011)
Old zoning forces unneeded parking on Dupont building (Sep 7, 2011)

Not so sudden developments

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 08:26:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

After a 22-year delay, a new residential building is going up on a vacant plot along Connecticut Avenue, but that hadn't stopped some neighbors from complaining about the suddenness of the by-right project. (Post)

Comment

A suburban hotel grows in the urban city (Jan 11, 2008)
No Office Monoculture Area (Mar 6, 2008)

Passenger could reopen after a ride

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:34:00 EDT

by David Alpert

The Passenger and a new bar, Hogo, will have to close when Douglas redevelops the corner of 7th Street and New York Avenue, but the developer wants to see the popular bar return in that space or nearby. (City Paper)

Comment

Parking-free, mixed-use building is right for Tenleytown (Jan 11, 2012)
DC turns blind eye to developer's potential sign infractions (Jun 30, 2011)
DDOT proposing K Street "Feet in the Street" (Apr 5, 2010)
Gateway Market: "Chicago-projects quality" (Jul 31, 2008)
McDuffie suggests a Bladensburg Rd MARC or Metro station (Nov 15, 2012)

What's in the zoning update: Accessory dwellings

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 12:57:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Tomorrow is the first public meeting for the DC zoning update. It might also be the most important, as the tenor of the discussion could shape a lot of press coverage. DC residents, are you going?

Photo by Brett VA on Flickr.

The meeting is Saturday, December 8, 10 am to noon at 1100 4th Street, SW, plus another Tuesday in Penn Quarter and Thursday in Anacostia. In any public process, regardless of the merits, decisions get made around the people who show up. If you can make one of these, please let us know here.

Some residents feel that letting someone rent out their basement or garage, allowing a corner store near homes, or not trying to override the market by requiring unnecessary amounts of parking near transit all will completely destroy life as we know it in many neighborhoods. You can bet that many will show up in force at the meetings.

Today, we will look at one of the controversial proposals that really shouldn't be controversial: accessory dwellings.

As Lisa Sturtevant and Agnès Artemel have documented, the Washington region needs a lot more housing to keep up with job growth and replace retirees. In the District, they estimate demand for 122,613 new housing units by 2030. So far, we're not on track to build that, even with all the construction going on.

Building more new buildings or larger ones is one answer, but new and larger buildings do bring impacts; plus, they concentrate the impacts in one small area. There's an obvious, and easy, solution. Let people rent out their basements and garages in single-family neighborhoods and low-density row house zones where it's not already legal to split townhouses into multiple apartments.

These existing houses held more people per building 50 years ago, when families were larger, than they do today. Now, we have more seniors remaining in their houses as they age, but who don't need the space, but who don't have children and grandchildren living with them that they would have in 1950. More young singles and couples are waiting to have kids and could live in a smaller space like a garage or basement.

It seems like a no-brainer, but there's a lot of alarm in some of DC's wealthiest low-density neighborhoods. Some is just fear of change, or worry that parking will become more difficult, and sometimes, it's anxiety that poorer and browner people might start living nearby.

The details

The proposed accessory dwelling text is in Chapter 6 of subtitle D of the draft new regulations. In zones that don't allow 2 or more units per house already, a property owner can create one "accessory dwelling" on their lot, either in the main building or an existing "accessory" building such as a garage, but not both.

Which zones does this apply to? It'll be the single-family zones, plus zones currently called R-3, such as Georgetown, the northern part of Petworth, and parts of Ivy City and Anacostia. Those are in yellow, orange, and red on the big map here. All other row house zones, which make up the vast majority of row house neighborhoods, already allow at least 2 units per house or more; this won't change anything there.

To minimize the impact on neighbors, there are a lot of conditions attached to accessory dwellings:

601.4 Either the principal dwelling unit or accessory dwelling unit shall be occupied by the owner of the lot coterminous with the accessory dwelling.
602 ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT LOCATED WITHIN A PRINCIPAL BUILDING
602.1 In all R zones except [R-4 zones and on alley lots], one accessory dwelling unit shall be permitted by right in the principal dwelling, subject to the following provisions:
(a) The principal building shall have at least two thousand square feet (2,000 sq. ft.) of gross floor area, exclusive of private garage space;
(b) The accessory dwelling unit shall not occupy more than twenty five (25) percent of the gross floor area of the principal dwelling;
(c) No more than one entrance per story shall be located in each building façade that faces a street;
(d) The total number of persons that may occupy the building, including the principal and accessory dwelling units combined, shall not exceed six (6);
(e) An accessory dwelling unit may be added where a use category permitted as an accessory use is already located in the principal building; and
(f) The Board of Zoning Adjustment may grant, through special exception, approval to locate an accessory dwelling unit within a principal dwelling that does not meet up to two of the conditions of this section provided the applicant demonstrates that the application complies with the general special exception criteria of Y Chapter 8, and the general purposes and intent of this chapter.
603 ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT LOCATED WITHIN AN ACCESSORY BUILDING
603.1 In all R zones except [R-3 and R-4 zones and on Alley Lots], one accessory dwelling unit shall be permitted by right in an existing accessory building, subject to the following conditions:
(a) The accessory building shall conform to all applicable setback and lot occupancy regulations;
(b) The accessory building shall be legally existing on [EFFECTIVE DATE], and shall not be expanded.
(c) The floor area devoted to the accessory dwelling unit shall not exceed 900 square feet;
(d) The foot print of the accessory dwelling building may not exceed 450 square feet.
(e) The accessory dwelling unit within an accessory building shall have pedestrian access to a public street via an alley, yard, an easement recorded with the Office of the Surveyor, or any combination of these pathways;
(f) The closest façade of the accessory building shall be separated from the closest façade of the principal building by a distance of thirty (30) feet minimum;
(g) A deck or balcony is permitted as a portion of any story of the accessory building; provided:

(1) The deck or balcony is located entirely within the permitted footprint of the accessory building; and
(2) The deck or balcony is oriented so as to not face a principal building on an adjoining property in an R zone; and

(h) An accessory building that houses an accessory dwelling unit may not be used at the same time for any other accessory use, other than as a private vehicle garage for either occupant of the property.
(i) The Board of Zoning Adjustment may grant, through special exception, approval to locate an accessory dwelling unit within an accessory building that does not meet up to two of the conditions of this section provided the applicant shall demonstrate that the proposal complies with the general special exception criteria of Y Chapter 8, and the general purposes and intent of this chapter.

One of the most key provisions here is that the owner has to live in either the main house or accessory unit. In a long letter to the Current, chief opponent Linda Schmitt talked about how when she was growing up, people looked out for the kids in the neighborhood because they knew them, and letting the neighborhood turn into one filled with "renters" (a code word, perhaps?) would destroy this. But it can't, because the owners will still live there, and their tenants could only add even more "eyes on the street" (or backyard).

The condition (b) in 603.1 is new since earlier drafts. Schmitt and other opponents raised alarm that this provision could start a boom of people building new garage-type buildings in their backyards to rent out. That seems a little unlikely, but the Office of Planning nevertheless changed the code to say that only existing, not new, garages and other accessory buildings can have accessory dwellings without a special exception hearing.

That hasn't stopped Schmitt from claiming that OP is "driving a relentless agenda" to, among other things, "allow 22-foot high expansion of garages for apartments or enterprises of varying descriptions. That's higher than second storey windows!" Actually, the existing code lets accessory buildings be 20 feet, and OP says "we're proposing an extra two feet to account for the slope of a roof." 2 feet doesn't seem like much of a "relentless agenda," but okay.

This does mean that even if someone builds a garage 2 years after the new code goes into place, sells the house, and 20 years from now someone wants to rent it out, they won't be able to. I'd suggest changing 603.1(b) to also allow renting out accessory buildings some number of years, like 5 or 10, after the accessory building is built; nobody is going to build one just to wait a decade and then rent it.

Also, why should it be okay to rent out a space above a garage if you're using the garage for car storage, but not if the ground floor is an art studio for the owner? The Board of Zoning Adjustment can give a "special exception" to this provision, but that's a cumbersome process; it still seems to unnecessarily privilege car parking.

Overall, OP has created an excellent proposal that bends over backward to accommodate existing residents' legitimate concerns while avoiding some of the more onerous limitations of Montgomery County's proposal. It's still getting fierce opposition from the vast majority of posters on lists like Chevy Chase's, along with the usual snide comments about people under 40 daring to participate in civic discourse.

Some areas, especially in that part of the city, have many seniors living in big houses. That means these blocks are far emptier of children and other people than they were when those residents were younger. Some want to be able to rent out parts of their homes to get more income, while others simply want to keep out the same kinds of people who used to live there or they themselves used to be. We shouldn't dismiss those views, but neither should public policy cater to this desire.

Please go to tomorrow's meeting, or the ones Tuesday and Thursday, and either support, or ask OP to further loosen, their proposals for accessory dwellings, corner stores and more. Tell us here which of these meetings, or the ones in January, you can make, so we can all be sure that there's a strong contingent of support for a growing and more livable DC at each one.

24 comments

Support accessory dwellings in Montgomery today (Sep 11, 2012)
Why the angst over accessory dwellings? (May 31, 2012)
Legalize two-family houses in Montgomery County (Jul 31, 2012)
Rewritten DC zoning code corrects past mistakes (Feb 8, 2012)
Multi-family conversions, alley and accessory dwellings under attack (Apr 29, 2008)

Mapping DC's power outages

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 08:27:00 EDT

by Thaddeus Bell

DC's power outages from this weekend's storm lie predominantly on the edges of the city. In the ZIP code encompassing Chevy Chase 64% of households were without power yesterday. (Post)

Comment

Chevy Chase won't be a historic district (Oct 21, 2008)
HPRB might prohibit my rocking horse! (Sep 9, 2008)
False, alarmist flyer agitates Chevy Chase on zoning update (Apr 19, 2012)
Are bus shelters too "urban" for Chevy Chase? (Sep 15, 2008)
When stocking up for the weekend, think about your long-term emergency kit (Aug 26, 2011)

False, alarmist flyer agitates Chevy Chase on zoning update

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:04:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Did you know that DC's zoning rewrite will change residential streets in low-density neighborhoods into dense commercial ones? Encourage the building of mega-mansions close to lot lines on all sides? Bring a fraternity house next door to your home?

Photo by Leo Reynolds on Flickr.

If you didn't know that, congratulations! You are well informed. The zoning rewrite will not do any of this.

However, a flyer being distributed in Chevy Chase is trying to alarm residents with a combination of outright falsehoods and misleading spin.

It begins:

The city Planning Office (OP) is completely rewriting the city's zoning codes. Their task morphed from simply making the code more "user friendly" to fundamentally altering neighborhoods across the city through dramatic zoning changes.

THESE CHANGES WOULD FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE CHEVY CHASE FROM A QUIET, RESIDENTIAL AREA TO A MORE TRANSIENT, BUSINESS-ORIENTED AREA
SPECIFIC AREAS OF CONCERN. We identified four major areas of concern to Chevy Chase. Each is explained below:
CHANGE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES INTO BUSINESS AND RENTAL UNITS

TURN RESIDENTIAL STREETS INTO COMMERCIAL "TRANSIT ZONES"

NO "TRANSPARENCY" IN DEVELOPING THESE REGULATIONS

COMPRESSED SCHEDULE FOR FORMAL ADOPTION OF REGULATIONS

The hysteria goes beyond the excessive capitalization. Each of these 4 items, and the preamble, is false.

Very little will change in Chevy Chase

The zoning update will not "fundamentally change" Chevy Chase. Almost all its land is zoned for low-density residential development. OP has made it absolutely clear that "transit zones" will not apply to the low density residential areas at all, even when they are near transit. That means that single-family housing, even if it's just a few hundred feet from a Metro station, won't change.

The zoning update will allow a few limited "corner" stores in residential areas, but these also won't apply to the low-density areas like Chevy Chase. No homes can "change into business" units in the neighborhood.

The Office of Planning has bent over backward to ensure that very little will change in single-family home neighborhoods like this. Some think they should have been more aggressive in removing regulations which so severely limit what a homeowner can do with his or her property, but they chose a more conservative path. That hasn't stopped charges that they are plotting wholesale destruction of neighborhoods.

Furthermore, the zoning update has been going on for over 4 years. OP has had hundreds of public meetings and offered to meet with any organization that wishes it. They return phone calls promptly and very patiently explain complex concepts. It is laughable to suggest that there has been "no transparency" or a "compressed schedule."

OP has posted documents from each phase online. The current draft chapters are available to anyone, even though it's not even a finalized draft for official public comment. If all of this is compressed, what would not be a compressed schedule? What is enough "transparency"?

Flyer's facts are simply wrong

The flyer claims that OP is reducing rear setbacks from 25 to 20 feet, but according to Dan Emerine of the Office of Planning, that is not true at all. The flyer says that side setbacks can decline from 8 to 5 feet without mentioning that anyone building with a 5-foot setback on one side has to leave 10 feet on the opposite side, for lots at the minimum allowed width.

Houses in single-family neighborhoods like Chevy Chase are constrained more by the lot occupancy, which limits the percentage of land a house can cover, than the side setbacks. Those lot occupancy limits aren't changing, meaning that houses can't cover any more footprint. Property owners will just have a very tiny bit more flexibility in where their houses sit on the lot.

It says that "'non-profit and institutional uses,' ... including fraternity houses, 'service organizations' and a variety of non-profits" can locate in residential houses. Emerine said more permissive rules for some institutional uses were part of an early draft shown to the Task Force, but the current plan is to leave the regulations for institutional uses as restrictive or more so than today.

Also, fraternity houses definitely don't qualify under the definition of institutional or service organizations. The misunderstanding stems from an erroneous chart that went out to a few people, Emerine noted. OP corrected the chart, but the fear stuck.

The flyer says,

The "transit" streets would see blocks of houses replaced "as a matter of right" by commercial activity or more dense residences (think multi-family). These changes could occur not only on Military, for example, but on any street within 500 feet of it. Streets like Chevy Chase Parkway, Nevada Ave, 32nd Steret, 27th Street, etc.—a two block swath outward from the transit street.

Actually, no. This sounds like something that came out of a game of "telephone" where people tried to explain the zoning update to one another. One person noted that there will be transit streets; another mentioned some sort of 500-foot radius around the streets; and the author concludes that any residential property within 500 feet can suddenly house large apartment buildings.

It can't. A transit line could affect commercial areas or multi-family residential areas within 500 feet, but not single-family residential areas. Some people in DC think it should, but OP doesn't agree.

The rewrite will indeed make some changes to the code, though in places like Chevy Chase they are very minor. Accessory dwellings like garage apartments will become legal. A building 40 feet tall, as zoning allows today, could hold 4 ten-foot stories instead of just 3 taller stories.

Residents should indeed learn about and understand the changes in the zoning update, and make up their own minds. But they should form conclusions based on the truth, not distortions that prey on people's fears.

Alarmism doesn't help solve real problems

People in Chevy Chase have real concerns that nobody should dismiss. Many dislike teardowns and "McMansions" replacing historic homes. But the changes in the zoning update will have little effect. Would anyone replace a building only to move it laterally by a few feet? How many property owners who don't want to tear down and rebuild their entire house today, suddenly would once they can rent out a garage apartment? Very, very few, if any.

At a recent meeting of the Federation of Citizens' Associations to discuss the issue, several people asked whether the zoning code would allow certain types of changes to properties—but the current code already allows those changes.

McMansions are legal under current zoning. Anyone can tear down their home in Chevy Chase; the neighborhood overwhelmingly rejected a historic district that would have prevented that.

Chevy Chase residents worried about certain types of building should advocate for zoning changes which actually address their concerns rather than just taking a knee-jerk position of opposing the zoning update. OP has added some restrictions in the zoning code: Geoff Hatchard and I pushed for limits on locating parking in front of commercial buildings, and OP even agreed to accelerate that provision.

Unfortunately, instead of trying to work with OP to use zoning to solve the neighborhood's problems, a number of people have decided to simply oppose the entire endeavor and refuse to speak with OP staff to separate truth from fiction. Residents of Chevy Chase should look for real information, not agitprop.

18 comments

Why doesn't the Committee of 100 adore the zoning update? (Nov 19, 2010)
Civil debate shows common ground on the zoning rewrite (Nov 23, 2010)
Ensuring retail and residential diversity in zoning (Jan 29, 2009)
C100, OP debate zoning update in Georgetown tonight (Nov 22, 2010)
84-year-old zoning fight foreshadows those that follow (Feb 18, 2011)

One man owes $17 million in back taxes

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:32:00 EDT

by Eric Fidler

The District placed a tax lein on the house of a Chevy Chase man they say owes the city $17 million in back taxes. The next-highest alleged tax delinquent owes the District a far smaller sum of $856,439. (Post)

Comment

Chevy Chase won't be a historic district (Oct 21, 2008)
HPRB might prohibit my rocking horse! (Sep 9, 2008)
Taxes lowest for DC residents and car-free Virginians (Feb 22, 2011)
Is there a tea party urbanism? (Feb 9, 2011)
Combined reporting levels the tax playing field for local businesses (Oct 28, 2009)

HP shouldn't be a weapon

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:27:00 EDT

by David Alpert

At least one Chevy Chase historic preservation "organization" was formed for the sole purpose of stopping some proposed development. When preservation is used that way, preservation loses. (City Paper)

Comment

Chevy Chase won't be a historic district (Oct 21, 2008)
HPRB might prohibit my rocking horse! (Sep 9, 2008)
HPO writing new rules for establishing historic districts (Nov 20, 2008)
Historic preservation is a political movement (Nov 7, 2008)
Silver Spring taxidermy (Jun 5, 2008)

And..

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:52:00 EDT

by John Muller

Metro executives are eating well. (Examiner) ... How do you cross the street in Chevy Chase DC? (PoP) ... Md. Del. Sheila Hixson is pushing for sales taxes on online purchases. (WBJ) ... Long DC taxi rides will soon no longer have a cap of $19. (WTOP)

Comment

Chevy Chase won't be a historic district (Oct 21, 2008)
Pedestrian killed on Connecticut Avenue (Oct 2, 2008)
HPRB might prohibit my rocking horse! (Sep 9, 2008)
Brooklyn puts retail in municipal building (Oct 31, 2007)
Orange win would make DC Council most colorful in history (Apr 25, 2011)

Columbus Plaza getting fixed, finally

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:02:00 EDT

by David Alpert

After Labor Day, work will finally begin on a reconfiguration of the roadways and parkland outside Union Station 7 years in the making. It would be even better with fewer bollards. (City Paper)

Comment

Then and Now: Union Station (Feb 22, 2009)
Breakfast links: Mo' train money, mo' problems edition (Oct 1, 2008)
Why all the wailing over the Union Station railyard project? (Jan 24, 2011)
Union Station Intermodal Transportation Center meeting tonight (May 29, 2008)
Union Station latest photo flashpoint (Jun 3, 2008)

The Ward 4 WMATA Board

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:25:00 EDT

by David Alpert

All 3 of DC's current WMATA board members live in Ward 4. New member Tom Bulger takes Metro regularly, but not from home to work, since he lives in the Chevy Chase area without good transit access. (Examiner)

Comment

Bowser, Bulger get WMATA Board, Wells gets planning (Jul 12, 2011)
WMATA Board ponders cutting late-night service (Feb 10, 2011)
Letter: For WMATA Board, think Greater Greater Washington (Jun 9, 2011)
Feds name Mort Downey, Marcel Acosta to WMATA Board (Jan 24, 2010)
Where's Michael? DC needs active WMATA Board members (Mar 11, 2010)

Greens not for transit

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:37:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Arlington's Green Party will oppose the Columbia Pike streetcar because they think "it is a precursor to gentrification." But keeping neighborhoods hard to reach isn't the answer; improving affordable housing is. (Sun Gazette, RPUS)

Comment

Skip the housing, get the affordable housing tax credit? (Jan 12, 2009)
Virginia's answer to DC's streetcars (Dec 18, 2009)
Cities are more than just poverty (Dec 19, 2007)
Gray promises transit and bicycle funding at first town hall (Oct 6, 2010)
Chris Zimmerman for Arlington County Board (Oct 21, 2010)

No ultimatum to Walmart

Sat, 28 May 2011 09:28:02 EDT

by David Alpert

Mayor Gray's reported ultimatum to Walmart about opening a store in Skyland was made in "jest", says DMPED Victor Hoskins. Councilmember Yvette Alexander says the Mayor was just pushing for a citywide Community Benefits Agreement. (City Paper)

Comment

Chevy Chase residents oppose proposed Metrobus cuts

Sun, 22 May 2011 13:34:00 EDT

by Jamie Scott

WMATA is proposing to eliminate the E6 route to help close a $66 million budget shortfall. But residents of Chevy Chase oppose cutting the route, which serves a retirement home in Northwest.

Photo by philliefan99 on Flickr.

Residents from the Knollwood senior community and other Chevy Chase residents came out in strong support of keeping the E6 bus line at WMATA's public hearing in Tenleytown Tuesday night. Councilmembers Mary Cheh (Ward 3) and Muriel Bowser (Ward 4) also spoke in support of the E6, which serves parts of both wards. Residents had a chance to ask questions about other issues, including customer service and SmarTrip problems.

Metro would eliminate the E6 route and other routes to help balance the FY12 budget. The proposal would also cut service on the N8 and K1, extend headways for weekend rail service, and eliminate the Anacostia special fare.

The E6 carries an average of 373 riders per day, according to WMATA, and eliminating the route would save an estimated $385,000. To replace the Knollwood portion of the E6, Metro would extend the M4 along Western Avenue to Oregon Avenue. Most residents testified in support of the E6, and a small number spoke about changing or eliminating the N8. No one spoke in support of the N8 as is, and no one spoke on the proposed K1 or V8 changes.

Cheh, Bowser, and others testified that the E6 serves upper Connecticut Avenue and Friendship Heights, both important commercial and medical destinations for seniors. They argued that cutting the E6 would hurt local businesses and burden seniors trying to reach doctors' offices.

Knollwood employees also use the E6. One resident said the M4 begins too late in the morning for staff members to arrive on time. The M4 terminates at Tenleytown and residents connecting to Friendship Heights would have to transfer to the 30s, take the Red Line one stop, or walk down Wisconsin Avenue. Although they are close, the extra commute time and walk to Friendship Heights would unfairly burden seniors and disabled riders. Several residents said shifting ridership to the M4 would create significant overcrowding and slower service.

One Barnaby Woods resident said the neighborhood is wealthy and many residents have cars. If Metro were to eliminate the E6, he would simply drive instead. The E6 is the only transit connection for many Chevy Chase residents, and some said eliminating the service would effectively isolate this section of Upper Northwest.

Metro's budget gap is $66 million. Cutting the E6 would only save $385,000, a tiny portion of this gap. Certainly, if this argument were made for every cut, it could cumulatively fail to close the gap. But because this route provides direct transit access for seniors, it is not a wise choice. Cheh indicated at the end of her testimony that the Committee on Transportation and Public Works may have found additional funds to save the E6.

The committee report does identify sources of revenue to help fund the District's WMATA subsidy, and perhaps some of this money could continue to fund the E6. Metro is considering asking the three jurisdictions for more funding.

Some residents also spoke about the N8. The N8 runs eastbound on Yuma Street from 49th Sreet to Tenley Circle. Metro estimates an average daily ridership of only 300. Eliminating service on this route would save an estimated $516,000.

Yuma Street residents are concerned that the street is too steep and with low ridership, N8 drivers often speed down Yuma, making it dangerous for children and other pedestrians. One Yuma Street resident joked that more people had spoken to save the E6 route than ride the N8.

An American University student did speak in support of the N8, saying it helps students living in Glover Park travel to AU. She supported moving the N8 off Yuma to create a more direct connection to AU, but said the route should stay.

No one spoke on the K1 or V8 routes.

In addition to public testimony on the proposed service changes, Metro officials gave a short presentation on the FY12 budget and took questions from the audience. Residents asked about customer service and problems with the weekly bus pass.

Several residents said they have had negative encounters with bus drivers and station managers, including problems using the 7-day bus pass. WMATA CFO Carol Kissal said the agency had fixed the bus pass issue and apologized for poor bus driver service. Kissal said customers will be able to load their SmarTrip cards online this summer.

Few at the meeting spoke about extending weekend rail headways, though one man commented that stopping weekend rail service at midnight would be a mistake. A representative from Amalgamated Transit Union 689, which represents Metro employees, said the union opposes service cuts because it will hurt bus and rail operators.

The WMATA panel included General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles, WMATA board members Tom Downs and Mort Downey, and Barbara Richardson, Assistant General Manager of Customer Service, Communications and Marketing at Metro. The agency held two hearings each in the District, Maryland, and Virginia. The entire docket, including all proposed bus and rail service changes, is available here.

11 comments

Metro outlines service cuts for current year (Dec 18, 2009)
Chevy Chase won't be a historic district (Oct 21, 2008)
Prince George's residents speak out against bus cuts (Mar 31, 2010)
Metro's menu contains four budget options (Jan 19, 2010)
Residents support the Purple Line at Bethesda/Chevy Chase hearing (Nov 19, 2008)

Upper NW livability study, part 2: Circles and conflicts

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:48:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Yesterday, we looked at the recommendations for bike boulevards and pedestrian improvements in DDOT's Rock Creek West II Livability Study. It also considered recommendations from several other studies, including traffic studies of two circles and a pedestrian audit of Connecticut Avenue.

Pedestrians crossing Chevy Chase Circle. Image from DDOT.

For the study, Parsons Brinkerhoff analyzed two large and often vexing circles, Chevy Chase Circle on Connecticut Avenue and the DC line, and Ward Circle at Massachusetts and Nebraska Avenues. DDOT analyzed Chevy Chase Circle in 2002, and Ward Circle had its own safety audit in 2009.

At Ward Circle, Nebraska Avenue cuts through the center while Massachusetts Avenue and turning traffic circumnavigates the edge. The earlier study analyzed the possibility of closing those lanes, as DDOT did to Thomas Circle years ago. The study estimated that doing so would, not surprisingly, slow traffic. The new report avoids recommending this, though it says such a move still might eventually be "desired for placemaking reasons."

Guide sign at Logan Circle. Photo by thisisbossi on Flickr.

Instead, at Ward Circle, the report suggests adding leading pedestrian intervals, where pedestrians can start crossing before turning cars get the green. More descriptive guide signs, like the ones at Logan and Thomas Circles, would help drivers understand the location of the different roads and what lane to use to reach each.

At the Massachusetts Avenue intersections, the report recommends adding traffic signals. This would help pedestrians cross more safely, especially as more development at American University increases the numbers of people crossing streets in this area. It would also simplify the merging and weaving between cars already in the circle and cars entering at Massachusetts Avenue.

At Chevy Chase Circle, the recommendations include the same guide signs, as well as large overhead signs for each cross street. To help pedestrians, the crosswalks to the center of the circle would get more signs and stop bars in the short term, and signals in the long term.

Finally, the study recommends signals where Western Avenue touches the circle, which would reduce delays for both Western Avenue drivers and those on some other streets where they often have to wait as cars come into the circle from Western.

HAWK signal in Alexandria.

Besides the earlier DDOT traffic studies, this report also includes a few recommendations from the recent Connecticut Avenue Pedestrian Action (CAPA) audit, such as a HAWK signal and curb extensions at Connecticut Avenue and Northampton Street.

Another CAPA recommendation, for adjustments to the intersection of Veazey and Connecticut, conflicts in some ways with UDC's own recommendations, and the Office of Planning is doing a streetscape study of the area as well. DDOT plans to integrate all three to create a final plan for this area.

CAPA also suggested narrowing the slip lane and adding a raised crosswalk on the south corner of Connecticut and Nebraska and retiming the signals to help pedestrians; these recommendations didn't gain the needed consensus within DDOT. Finally, CAPA wants to increase pedestrian crossing times at many intersections on Connecticut; DDOT says their safety and signals team is reviewing those recommendations.

CAPA recommendations for Connecticut Avenue and Veazey Terrace (left)
and Nebraska Avenue (right).

DDOT has many different groups that try to balance conflicting needs and often come to different conclusions about moving vehicles as fast as possible versus maximizing pedestrian safety. Sometimes one view wins out; sometimes another.

Implementing the recommendations will require money, though federal funding can pay for much of it and, at least for now, there are pots of federal money that have to go to pedestrian and bicycle projects. Everything in the Rock Creek West II Livability Study would cost about $9.4 million.

DDOT has identified funding for some of these items, though projects not completed quickly could wait some time. However, having a plan for pedestrian improvements makes it more likely that future road reconstruction projects or development projects would incorporate these changes, if DDOT hasn't been able to make them already.

8 comments

What would make Connecticut Avenue safer for pedestrians? (Oct 20, 2010)
Upper NW study suggests traffic calming, bike boulevards (Mar 14, 2011)
What's your experience walking on Connecticut Avenue? (Mar 30, 2010)
Don't start dancing yet, Georgetown: Barnes Dance not always the answer (May 12, 2010)
How to improve pedestrian safety on Connecticut Avenue? (Oct 3, 2008)

Upper NW study suggests traffic calming, bike boulevards

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:23:00 EDT

by David Alpert

DDOT has completed its "livability" study for upper Northwest neighborhoods, which recommends a number of changes to calm speeding traffic and improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.

42nd and Albemarle. Photo from DDOT.

The study focused on Friendship Heights, Chevy Chase DC, Forest Hills, AU Park, and Tenleytown. DDOT tabulated motor vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle crashes; surveyed residents to find out about problem spots; and analyzed the street network.

Recommendations include adding bulb-outs to aid pedestrian crossings, small roundabouts to slow traffic, speed cameras, and new "bicycle boulevards" that have bikes and cars share the road at slow speeds.

Here's a video about bike boulevards from New York:

The bicycle boulevards would go on certain streets which travel through residential areas but stretch long distances. This not only gives cyclists a safe and comfortable through route but also discourages motor vehicles from using the streets for long trips, instead pushing them to use the major arterial routes and making the resident streets quieter and safer.

Map of proposed bike boulevards.

Several other roads would get "sharrows," which also promote sharing space between bikes and cars but don't give priority to bicycles.

For a number of intersections, DDOT is proposing curb extensions, or bulb-outs. Some, where there is a high volume of pedestrians, would be paved, adding space for pedestrians to wait and also shortening the crossing distance.

In other places, they would be "green curb extensions," where most of the added space is filled with plantings and designed to capture and hold stormwater that runs off from the surrounding street.

Curb extensions would go along River Road at 45th/Fessenden (paved) and 44th (green), on Davenport at Reno Road and Connecticut Avenue (both green) and 36th (paved), and at a lot of corners in Tenleytown.

Recommendations for Tenleytown.

At some places where three roads come together, small side roads serve as slip lanes encouraging fast turns and speeding. The study recommends closing a small section adjacent to main streets at 36th Street between Connecticut Avenue and Fessenden Street, and Brandywine Street between 42nd and River Road.

The former road space would either become a basic grass area or get additional stormwater facilities, like rain gardens, to capture and store rainwater and runoff.

From Albemarle to Brandywine Streets just east of the Tenleytown Metro station, between the Whole Foods and Wilson High School, is a pair of parallel roads, 40th Street and Fort Drive. They are only a median's width apart and serve essentially as two directions of one street with a median in between. The report calls the intersection between these and Albemarle Street "awkward, confusing, and obstruct[ing] some views."

40th Street and Fort Drive. (North is to the right.)

It suggests reversing the direction, so cars travel clockwise instead of counterclockwise, and replacing parallel parking adjacent to the median with angled parking, almost doubling the amount of parking. A break in the median for U-turns, currently adjacent to Albemarle, would be moved to the center of the block, lining up with the Whole Foods while also adding crosswalks there.

42nd and Warren.

42nd Street and Warren Street meet in a large, gently curving triangular intersection which also encourages speeding. The plan suggests a pair of small neighborhood traffic circles, essentially small islands in the middle of the intersection which drivers have to travel around more slowly instead of zooming through the large intersection.

These items are far from all the suggestions for improving safety and mobility in Upper Northwest. Part 2 will look at Ward and Chevy Chase Circles, other ideas that didn't make it into the report, and when all of this might actually become a reality.

8 comments

Upper NW livability study, part 2: Circles and conflicts (Mar 15, 2011)
Choose bike boulevards over bike lanes around H Street, NE (Dec 14, 2010)
DDOT may restore two-way traffic on 15th Street (Jan 10, 2008)
What would make Connecticut Avenue safer for pedestrians? (Oct 20, 2010)
The waiting game: Two intersections now safer for pedestrians (Aug 26, 2009)