Dear friends and neighbors,
Happy Spring! Hope you’re enjoying this glorious season and that your allergies under control. Here’s a few updates on the neighborhood and activities of our Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
A family-friendly community
A report came out recently that grades states on how family-friendly they are. I was disappointed that DC only ranked a B-; 10th out of 51 states. In many areas, DC is outstanding:
“The District of Columbia’s Earned Income Tax Credit was the most progressive, being both refundable and exceeding 50 percent of the federal credit.”
“Historically, the District of Columbia was the most advanced in terms of child care and early learning policies.”
“To date, no state has adopted a comprehensive child care and early learning system that ensures families have nurturing child care and early learning options when and where they need them that don’t break the bank and compensate early educators well. As of the 2021 report card, the District of Columbia came the closest with Birth to Three DC and universal pre-K for 4-year olds.”
“The highest-performing states for long term care were Minnesota, Washington, and the District of Columbia.”
“A total of nine states and the District of Columbia have some form of fair scheduling policies.”
The main strike against DC seems to be the availability and affordability of child care: “the average price of child care for two children in a center is more than the average rent or mortgage.”
These are the policy indicators, but what makes a community family-friendly is more than city-wide policies. Are there good playgrounds? Are the schools good? Are the streets safe? Are there fun things to do with your kids? Is there access to nature and outdoor activities?
In general, I think our community is pretty family-friendly. We can always do more. I worry a lot about dangerous traffic. Child care is a serious problem for our community. It would help if the local schools offered pre-K 3 and didn’t have to lottery pre-K 4 slots.
My kids are in middle school now, so I feel like I’m losing contact with the struggles of families with younger kids. I’d love to hear from you about how our community can be more family-friendly.
Reckoning with our history
Our neighborhood has a shameful history of racial exclusion that has been hidden for too long. St. Columba’s Episcopal Church has led a group of local congregations to create a dynamic exhibit documenting the stories and legacy of this history. The exhibit opens on April 11 at the Cleveland Park Library and will run for several weeks. There will also be a series of events and speakers to bring out different dimensions of this history. In particular, I recommend hearing Bob Ward on “The Untold History of Cleveland Park”, Thursday, May 2, 6:15pm-7:30pm at the Cleveland Park Library. Bob, a neighbor, has been digging into the data and legal frameworks that contributed to the emergence of a largely white and wealthy Cleveland Park. It’s really eye-opening. See more here and the schedule of events here.
A safer, more inclusive Connecticut Avenue….
More than two years after the Mayor approved safety improvements on Connecticut Avenue, which would include bike lanes, progress is stalled. The Mayor appears to be slowing the process down. Ward 3 Councilmember Frumin has written to the Mayor asking to move the project forward without delay. But we don’t have a sense of how to unstick it.
Meanwhile, Connecticut Avenue remains a very dangerous street, with hundreds of crashes since the mayor approved changes. Our neighborhood has the dubious honor of hosting the worst pedestrian intersection in the city. Be careful.
Groceries for Woodley Park, or not.
In the Fall, a small grocery expressed interest in moving into Woodley Park; to the vacant space that used to be Ace Hardware near the Woodley Park Metro station. Because the space is pretty small for a grocery, they would need to put trash outside and proposed a dumpster for trash on 24th Street. They proposed to build a more attractive enclosure for the dumpster so it wouldn’t be an eyesore, and to have daily trash pickup to keep vermin under control.
Excited to have more grocery options for residents Woodley Park, the ANC sent a letter supporting the proposal. Unfortunately, in February, the DC Public Space Committee denied the trash enclosure, so the new grocery probably won’t materialize. Some residents are trying to get the Public Space Committee to reverse their decision with a petition.
School boundaries
As noted in an earlier newsletter, there was a proposal to shift the boundaries of Oyster-Adams and Eaton Elementary. Large numbers of families opposed the change and signed petitions. The good news is that the revised plan from the Mayor’s Deputy for Education eliminates the boundary change and this seems likely to be the final result. Any changes are meant to take effect starting school year 2025/26. See the latest presentation (h/t to John Goodman and WPCA).
All the parties
After a long saga, the Cleveland Park Promenade (formerly the “service lane”) is finally completed. I won’t belabor the struggles and controversies, but we now have a lovely, pedestrian-friendly space that we should use and celebrate! The restaurants are in-process applying for patio seating, landscaping is in going in, benches are being commissioned. It’s already great, and it’s going to be grand. Come for a ribbon cutting live music, business specials and more. April 6 is a “Party on the Promenade” starting at 4pm. Details here.
Next is ribbon cutting for the new Endangered Animals Sculptures, which are being installed on Connecticut Avenue. Our ANC pitched in to commission 10 local artists to create sculptures of endangered species which will be attached to street posts on Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland and Woodley Park. Visitors can look for new animals as they walk to the Zoo, and educational information will be provided at each installation. Ribbon cutting is 11am on April 27 at 3000 Connecticut Avenue. Following the event, we’ll take a walk to see the sculptures and enjoy live music along the corridor. This is public art that promotes livability, walk-ability, and delight in our neighborhood. My favorite is our own local endangered species, the Hay’s Spring Amphipod, discovered at Hay’s Spring just off Cathedral Road. Can’t wait to see the sculpture.
In June, we celebrate Cleveland Park Day with an outdoor vendor market, live music, pet fashion show, happy hour and business specials, and a Kids Zone. I think they’re planning a dunk tank where residents can dunk their favorite ANC commissioner. Bring your grievances. Sounds fun, right? June 2, noon to 5pm. See here.
Update on ANC activity
The next meeting of ANC3C will be 17 April 7pm. Agenda and registration will be posted here. Let me know if you have issues or concerns to raise.
You can see what we did in February here.
As always, I’d love feedback. Even negative feedback is helpful to improve what we’re doing.
Other items of interest
Woodley Park Yard Sales: April 6th, 9am, between 2200 Cathedral Ave and 2700 Woodley Place. Tools, camera gear, lighting, collection of misc things for the curious or hobbyist (rain date April 7th).
Repaving coming to a street near you: DDOT is planning to repave in the next 2 weeks:
27th Street NW Between Woodley Road NW and Garfield Street NW
33rd Place NW Between Garfield Street NW and Cathedral Avenue NW
Cleveland Avenue NW Between 30th Street NW and 31St Street NW
Davis Place NW Between Tunlaw Road NW and 39th Street NW
Fulton Street NW Between 35th Street NW and 35th Place NW
Macomb Street NW Between 38th Street NW and Idaho Avenue NW
Massachusetts Avenue NW Between Edmunds Street NW and 35th Street NW
Newark Street NW Between 38th Street NW and 39th Street NW
Red line stations closing this summer: Beginning in early June, Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma stations on the Red Line will be closed for repairs. The closure will continue through early September. More closures and plans here.
Please feel free to pass this newsletter along to friends and neighbors, especially if they live in the neighborhood.