Recent Posts
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Proposed Circulator will connect Ward 7 to the rest of DC
Earlier this month the District Department of Transportation released its plan to expand the Circulator. A group of residents has proposed a similar but slightly different route. Two of the proposed routes would connect Wards 7 and 8 with Barracks Row. These routes could help solve the problem of poor connectivity east of the river. The proposed Eastern Market-Minnesota… Keep reading…
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McMillan visions take shape
Three concept ideas for the McMillan Sand Filtration site were presented Saturday. All designs attempt to meld commercial, retail, open space, and residential, while responding to community feedback. Still, some residents remain fundamentally skeptical after so many failed attempts at development. At this third community meeting, hosted by development team “Vision… Keep reading…
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C100, OP debate zoning update in Georgetown tonight
Tonight, Nancy MacWood of the Committee of 100 and Travis Parker of the Office of Planning will debate the zoning update’s effects on Georgetown this evening at 7:30 pm. Parker heads up the OP’s zoning rewrite effort, and MacWood is both an ANC commissioner in Cleveland Park and a zoning activist in the Committee of 100 on the Federal City. The Citizens’… Keep reading…
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Downtown needs a school more than a boutique hotel
Representatives from the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and the DC Department of Real Estate Services got an earful last Thursday night at a hearing on the proposed plan to declare the Franklin School building a surplus property. Declaring it surplus would clear the way to sell or lease the building, located at 13th and K Streets NW, to a private developer. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Good tech, bad tech
Paris loosens height limit; Solar panels face obstacles; VRE moving on Wi-Fi; GPS use may hinder memory; Reactions to C100 v. GGW; Arlington Trader Joe’s gets dedicated parking; Tysons Black Friday now and future; NYC rolls back bike lanes; And…. Keep reading…
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Will Wal-Mart be urban? Part 1: Brightwood
Ever since Wal-Mart announced earlier this week that they intend to build four stores in the District of Columbia, the question on the mind of urbanists has been: What will they look like? Can Wal-Mart be fit into an urban context? Will we be getting walkable, transit oriented stores like the Columbia Heights Target, or the typical sprawly suburban model with acres of parking out… Keep reading…
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WMATA creates 15-minute bus map
After we suggested making a map of high-frequency bus routes or combinations of routes and I attempted making a 12-minute map, Metro planners created one. On the new PlanItMetro blog, Metro released a draft 15-minute bus map highlighting bus routes or combinations of routes that run every 15 minutes or more. This is an important step in getting people acquainted with using buses… Keep reading…
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Raise residential parking fees on second and third cars first
Last Thursday, the Washington Post reported that as part of his final effort to close the city’s budget gap, Adrian Fenty is considering doubling the fee for residential parking passes. This is not a bad idea, but a better one would be to raise RPP fees for the 2nd and 3rd car. We charge a laughably small fee for street parking: $15 a year. Only in the world of cars is it considered… Keep reading…
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Streetcars aren’t toys, buses aren’t about respect
On Wednesday, 22 residents and business owners testified before the DC Council about DDOT’s citywide streetcar plan and the H Street-Benning Road streetcar line. This is my testimony. Good afternoon, my name is Ken Archer. I live in Georgetown with my wife and 2-year-old son. I am here to express my strong support for the comprehensive plan prepared for the Streetcar Project. I… Keep reading…
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Check out our mobile site
Greater Greater Washington now has a mobile version of the site: Keep reading…