Photo by thisisbossi on Flickr.

This week brings your last chance to testify on DC’s proposed zoning update, your first to learn about parking meters on the National Mall, and your second to discuss north-south streetcar implementation.

Speak up or be left out: Hearings this week will be your last chance to speak out on the proposed changes to DC’s zoning code. The final code will have important implications for parking minimums, corner stores, accessory dwelling units, and more. Residents who wish to testify in person must do so at the meeting for the ward where they live. If you have not already signed up, visit the Coalition for Smarter Growth’s sign-up center for assistance. The times, dates, and locations for this week’s meetings are below the jump.

Also after the jump: proposed redesigns for MLK Jr. Memorial Library and Franklin Park, an update on stopping M-83 in Montgomery County, and the second series of public meetings on the North-South DC Streetcar study.

Here’s when the final DC zoning update meetings will be held. (The meeting for wards 5 and 6 already took place last Saturday.)

  • Wards 1 & 2: Thursday, February 13 at 6:00 pm, DC Housing Finance Authority building, 815 Florida Avenue NW.
  • Wards 3 & 4: Tuesday, February 11 at 6:00 pm, Woodrow Wilson High School Auditorium, 3950 Chesapeake Street NW.
  • Wards 7 & 8: Wednesday February 12th at 6:00 pm, Department of Employment Services, 4058 Minnesota Avenue NE.

Paid parking for a Circulator?: The National Park Service has plans to install multi-space parking meters on the National Mall, which could make more spaces available and discourage commuter parking, encourage public transit use, and fund affordable transportation options, including a Circulator. To learn more, join park staff tomorrow, Tuesday, February 11 at the NPS Capital Region Headquarters, 1100 Ohio Drive SW. The meeting begins at 6 pm in the cafeteria.

Stopping M-83: Montgomery County residents who oppose the M-83 highway can learn more about efforts to stop it this Tuesday, February 11. Join the Action Committee for Transit as they host Margaret Schoap, of the Coalition for Transit Alternatives to Mid-County Highway Extended, at 7:30 pm at the Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Place.

MLK revamp: The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library is slated for renovation. The architects of the renovation proposals will present their proposals this Saturday, February 15 at 10 am in the library’s Great Hall, 901 G Street NW. You can also stream the presentations live on YouTube or in a Google Hangout.

Dedicated lanes for North-South streetcar?: DDOT is hosting a series of public meetings next week to discuss the planned route for a north-south streetcar line. One big question is whether the planned route will include dedicated lanes. The meetings are:

  • Tuesday, February 18 from 3:30-8:00 pm (presentations at 4:00 and 7:00 pm), Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, 1100 4th Street SW.
  • Wednesday, February 19 from 10 am-12 pm, MLK Library, 901 G Street NW.
  • Wednesday, February 19 from 3:30-8:00 pm (presentations at 4:00 and 7:00 pm), Banneker Recreation Center, 2500 Georgia Avenue NW.
  • Thursday, February 20 from 3:30-8:00 pm (presentations at 4:00 and 7:00 pm), Emery Recreation Center, 5701 Georgia Avenue NW.

A friendlier Franklin Park: The National Park Service will present concept design alternatives for the restoration and transformation of Franklin Park next Wednesday, February 19. The concept design alternatives were developed based on desired park uses and programs prioritized from both public comments submitted to NPS and feedback received at a meeting last fall. The public meeting will be held from 6 to 8 pm at the Hilton Garden Inn, 815 14th Street, NW. To learn more about the Franklin Park project, visit its website here.