Eastbanc (left) and Toll Brothers (right) proposals for the West End Library site.

Box of trash or standard contemporary?

DCmud has more details about proposals to develop the West End Library from EastBanc and Toll Brothers/Torti Gallas. Both keep the library on the site with housing above and some retail; Toll Brothers has much more retail including a grocery store. Is it just me or does Eastbanc’s rendering look like a compacted cube of garbage?  (Tip: David A)  

Safeway taking another way

According to the Tenleytown ANC, Safeway has asked to postpone their redevelopment application. Are they rethinking the plan to create something more urban-friendly as neighbors are asking, or are they just going to leave the store as is? (Ward3DC)  

How are the bags?

Penn Quarter Living reviews area grocery stores’ bag giveaways. Giant has lots and lots of bags and is giving out multiple bags per purchase, Harris Teeter and Trader Joe’s are only offering one each, and the Adams Morgan Safeway ran out Saturday. Giant’s bags are a little smaller than the others and TJ’s have less reinforcement on the bottom, but Teeter’s sport a cheesy Redskins promotion.  

BRAC bike lanes

Three roads will get new bike lanes around Medical Center to help bicycling commuters access the enlarged BRAC facility. (Gazette)  (Tip: David A)  

Fun and games until it becomes criminal

A group of teenagers were horsing around on the platform at Union Station Metro but quickly began stealing items from other passengers. What would you have done? (Prince Of Petworth, Stephen Miller)  

Reading makes a comeback

After reading declined from 1960 to 1980 thanks to TV, it’s tripled since 1980 because of the Internet. (Wired via Matthew Yglesias)  (Tip: David A)  

Fake placard involved in NYC bomb scare

After Mayor Bloomberg cracked down on excessive free-parking placards in New York, many police keep refusing to ticket illegally-parked vehicles bearing some fake placards, like ones from the police union or police fraternal organizations. One van bearing a fraternal group’s placard was parked illegally in Times Square for two days but received no scrutiny; then, a private security guard noticed the blacked-out windows and called the bomb squad, prompting a partial evacuation of several buildings. Everything is okay, but detectives can’t explain why the van got a free pass with its fake pass. (AP via @naparstek)  (Tip: David A)