Recent Posts
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Issue with Silver Spring apartment plan is design, not height
Neighbors in downtown Silver Spring say a proposed 11-story apartment building is too tall for the area. But as the project goes to the Montgomery County Planning Board, whose staff recommend approving the project, there are still problems with the proposal. It’s not the height, but the design of a single, long building instead of two. In 2009, local developer Robert Hillerson… Keep reading…
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Candidates take a stand on ethics proposals
We’ve heard a lot of ideas for rules that will clean up DC’s political culture, from the backers of Initiative 70, from multiple DC councilmembers, and from citizen groups like DC for Democracy. What do our at-large candidates think? This week, Let’s Choose DC, a partnership of Greater Greater Washington, DCist, and PoPville, asked the candidates… Keep reading…
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Be civil toward your government employees
Please, offer your nearest local government employee a hug or at least a handshake. Repeat often. I recently took a job in the nonprofit sector after eight years of working in our local government. First as a Council staffer, then a mayoral aide, then an agency spokesperson and senior manager, I have worked with hundreds of my fellow District residents in resolving their issues… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: A rising tide
Vote again; Trinidad on the rise; Auction heats up; Drive people around for money; Where the bike crashes are; Where the jams are; And…. Keep reading…
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Oops, and a weekend open thread
A post accidentally went live this morning which was supposed to run Tuesday at the author’s request. We have deleted it and rescheduled it for Tuesday. Keep reading…
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Blue skies and rainy days in the Flickr pool
Here are our favorite new images from the Greater and Lesser Washington Flickr pool, showcasing the best and worst of the Washington region. Keep reading…
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Rebuild of the Blairs will turn Silver Spring parking into parks
With 1400 apartments, a strip mall and an office building around a huge parking lot, the Blairs are a suburban relic in the middle of downtown Silver Spring. Over the next 15 to 20 years, it could become a city in its own right, with new housing, commercial space, and a network of new streets and parks. The Rockville-based Tower Companies showed me their long-term plan for the redevelopment… Keep reading…
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Ticket scofflaw drivers with bus-mounted cameras
How do you stop car drivers from blocking bus lanes? Put cameras on buses, of course. Unfortunately, transit lanes are often clogged by car drivers who either don’t know or don’t care that cars are not allowed in them. Enforcement is difficult, because violation is often so rampant that it’s not practical for the police to pull over every violating car. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Stay safe
Dangerous intersections; Bad scheduling kills door bill; Communication breakdown; Don’t play favorites; A very particular set of skills; Don’t dis Anacostia; And…. Keep reading…
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AAA fights to keep unnecessary parking rules
Many AAA members would be surprised to learn that their roadside assistance fees also go to fund a vigorous pro-asphalt, anti-environment lobbying effort. Now, the organization is also spending members’ money to advocate for antiquated car-centric urban policies that will keep DC’s transportation options firmly mired in the 1950s. In last week’s Washington… Keep reading…