Responses to Anacostia Streetcar Meeting

Here are two great response articles to this week's Anacostia Streetcar meeting:

Substantive Streetcar Discussion! Is Anacostia Done Saying ‘No’?
Washington City Paper

"The District Department of Transportation has has whittled down its original ten options for the Anacostia streetcar line to a more manageable four since its last public meeting in the neighborhood—and may have tamped down some of the skepticism east of the river as well."

DDOT gets closer to an Anacostia streetcar alignment
Greater Greater Washington

"Last night's meeting was more productive than the March meeting because residents were able to talk with DDOT staff and examine the options more closely. In March, residents discussed the options in small groups, then presented to the whole room. It was a good opportunity for dialogue, but also gave some opponents an opportunity to grandstand against the project.

The next stage in the planning process is to develop a locally preferred alternative, which DDOT hopes to do by late fall. There is a "no-build" alternative which maintains existing transportation options. DDOT would then reallocate funds for the project to other areas."

As much as we're all a little worn down by the process, I'm glad to see the city give some new options -- and think that the alternative that brings the line on both MLK and Shannon will have the best impact on the neighborhood.

Important Streetcar Meeting Tonight!

As you know, Anacostia was built as a streetcar suburb of DC. Bringing the streetcar back is a hugely important component to Anacostia's revitalization. Please try to attend tonight's meeting and vote for route alternatives that bring the line back to the downtown Anacostia area.


Historic allignment on MLK Ave between St. Elizabeths and Capitol Hill, via David Rumsey Map Collection

Press Release: The District Department of Transportation is seeking community input to identify route alternatives that best meet the transit needs of the community.

During this public meeting, the study team will provide updates on route alternatives that are being evaluated to create a transit connection between the Anacostia Metrorail Station and the 11th Street Bridge. Residents, members of the business community and other interested parties are encouraged to attend. Childcare will be provided for children ages five and older.

Wednesday, June 29, 7pm - 9pm
Savoy Elementary School
2400 Shannon Place, SE

For more information on the DC Streetcar project, visit DCStreetcar.com.

Streetcar Meeting + Transit Happy Hour

In the next week there are two Anacostia streetcar-related events that you should definitely attend. The first is hosted by the Federal Transit Administration and the District Department of Transportation, and is related to the Phase 2 Environmental Assessment and Historic Preservation Study for the Anacostia line. From the www.DCStreetcar.com website:

The study is anticipated to be completed by September 2011 and is intended to identify the best alternatives that address the project’s purpose and need, maximize environmental benefits, and minimize the potential for adverse impacts. In addition, DDOT will evaluate potential effects to cultural resources in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

These meetings are a great way to voice support and ask questions. Citizen participation makes a huge difference.

What: Public Meeting for Anacostia Streetcar Phase 2 Environmental Assessment & Historic Preservation Study

When: Saturday, March 26, 10AM-12PM

Where: Matthews Memorial Church, 2616 MLK Ave SE

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The second event is a happy hour at Uniontown Bar & Grill sponsored by the DC chapter of the Sierra Club. The happy hour is a way to informally discuss ways to improve transportation in the District.

What: Transit Happy Hour

When: Monday, March 28, 6-8PM

Where: Uniontown Bar & Grill, 2200 MLK Ave SE

I hope to see you all at one or both of these events. The streetcar is a project that will have a major impact on the future of the neighborhood, and the city needs to hear your voices!

reminder: Anacostia had streetcars before

There's been a lot of discussion around Anacostia lately about the benefit of streetcars in the neighborhood. Many are excited about them, many aren't. Some are excited about the convenience and connectivity they'll bring, others are afraid of the impact on parking. I for one think it's kind of ridiculous that this project wouldn't happen, when it was promised back in 2007 (and years before) when I first purchased in the neighborhood. It's a big deal to backtrack on a project of this magnitude.



That said, I wanted to remind the readership that Anacostia had streetcars before. This is not a new concept. And not only did Anacostia have them, but the tracks webbed across the city to form a network that made Anacostia more connected with the city it's a part of.


streetcar down MLK, across the bridge, to Navy Yard ... yeah they had that in the 1800s

As you can see from the images in this post, Washington DC was better served by streetcar in 1891 than it is in 2011. In the meantime, society got excited about cars, tire companies bought out streetcar companies, buses emerged, and we kinda forgot about a transit option that now many other cities across the country and world are getting really excited about and is leading to billions of dollars in economic development.



Streetcars are going to change things. They will take getting used to. But they are a sustainable, convenient, and development-inspiring mode of transportation that will change this neighborhood for the better. Now is the time to support and embrace.

map images courtesy of the Library of Congress

Streetcar Survey + Happy Hour

In case you missed last week's meeting, there is an online survey to give input on the next phase of the Anacostia streetcar line. One of the reasons I first invested in Anacostia was because I was excited about positive changes like the streetcar - and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. Let's support this improvement and help it get here ASAP!

Click Here to go to DDOT's survey

Also, check out Greater Greater Washington's ideas for running the line down MLK Avenue. Why have the line if it isn't conveniently located?

** Update 1/21/11 **

On Thursday, January 27 at 6PM, the DC chapter of the Sierra Club will hold a happy hour for streetcar supporters to celebrate recent victories and to discuss what next steps should be taken in their campaign to make streetcars a viable transportation option for as many residents of the DC metro area as possible. The happy hour will take place at SOVA, which is located along the route of the proposed H Street / Benning Road NE line. To learn more about DC's streetcar initiative, visit www.streetcars4dc.org

Anacostia Streetcar Meeting Tonight!

Late notice, I know, but there is a kick-off meeting for the environmental and historic preservation impacts of Phase 2 of the Anacostia Streetcar tonight from 6:30-8:30 at Savoy Elementary. Phase 2 is the section that will bring tracks from the Anacostia Metro, down MLK Ave, to the 11th Street Bridge. In other words, this is the section that really affects the Anacostia neighborhood!




View New Anacostia Streetcar plan in a larger map

The sections in green and blue above is the line that this meeting is about. It would be great to have a good showing at the meeting from neighborhood folks.

map courtesy of Greater Greater Washington

Streetcar Meeting Tonight - come support!

So it turns out that certain adjacent neighborhoods and some local organizations are advocating Against the streetcar alignment on MLK. Tonight there is a Ward 8 Streetcar meeting and we need you out there to vocally support this important project. I don't know about you, but this added connectivity is one of the reasons I moved to Anacostia to begin with.

When:

Monday, November 2 from 7-8:30 P.M.

Where:

Savoy Elementary School
2400 Shannon Place, SE

What:

the meeting will consist of display boards, maps, information about the proposed system, and opportunities for participants to speak individually with and ask questions of project team members. The open houses are open to the public, and no RSVP is necessary.

For further information, please visit www.ddot.dc.gov/dcstreetcar or contact the project hotline at (703)682-5060.

Please go!

Streetcar Tracks Coming Towards the Costia

after many years, the streetcar tracks are finally being installed along Firth Sterling Avenue in Barry Farm ... soon to wind towards the Metro station then into Anacostia.


how exciting are new tracks?! my generation has barely ever seen this happen.

On the left, observe a young professional walking on a dirt sidewalk from the Metro to the Anacostia Naval Station / Bolling Air Force Base. She will pretty definitely be a rider on the new line.

*goodlinks: expect the unexpected

vacant home on W Street SE - ready for revival

A Class 4 tax rate for blight? via Washington Business Journal
the DC Council recently lowered the vacant property tax rate from $10 per $100 of assessed value to $5. But Ward 4 councilwoman Bowser is fighting to recognize the benefit of a higher tax: property owners are finally acting.

Art Monk and Charles Mann Sell Former City Property for Millions, Bail On Anacostia Job Training Center, via Washington City Paper
for many years the Good Samaritan Foundation has been promising to open a job training center in the old Carver Theater on MLK Ave near the metro station. Now its former-Redskins founders have sold the building to Howard Road Academy. Another school on our main street within a block from Metro?

And We've Got Tracks, via Barry Farm (re)Mixed
the Anacostia Streetcar Line is finally under construction, and tracks are actually being laid on Firth Sterling Avenue now. Nobody yet knows if this will be a boon for the neighborhood, but my fingers are crossed that investors and developers see this exciting new form of transportation as reason to start building.

11th Street Bridge Under Troubled Wires, via DC Mud
it's no secret that overhead wires aren't allowed in the Federal City, but now the National Capital Planning Commission is threatening to disallow wires crossing the new 11th Street Bridges, arguing that they might interrupt important views to the city's monumental core.

Waterfront Precidents, via City Block
following up on a discussion about narrowing the Anacostia River to encourage more urban development on both sides, this blogger explores urban waterfronts around the world and compares their features to our own waterway.

Streetcar Action: via Barry Farm (re)Mixed

Click Here for original post

Streetcars? Who has them? Seattle, Los Angeles, Charlotte, New Orleans, Portland, San Francisco, Tampa. . . and D.C. Or at least "soon" enough.

Why should Barry Farm be excited about the streetcar? Because studies have shown streetcars stablize communities and promote neighborhood improvements. Development is much more likely to occur in areas containing a fixed transit improvement rather than a bus which can be moved at any time. In other words, a fixed transit improvement represents a long term commitment to broad based connections to other parts of the area.

The most often cited economic development benefit of streetcars is Portland. Portland's service was opened in 2001 and has resulted in a development-to-transit-ratio of 18:1. In other words, every $1 spent on the streetcar resulted in $18 of development in the immediate area. Memphis, Tennessee, implemented a similar streetcar in 1993 and now estimates to-date development activities because of the streetcar at more than $2 billion.

Want to see an example of streetcar success and the surrounding development? Take a Ride on the Seattle Streetcar. It's a short 4-5 minute video that I think you might enjoy. I did (but then again I can be a bit nerdy). And the Seattle Streetcar website is pretty cool too.

But on to more important stuff. The Anacostia Streetcar Project. The problem? I haven't heard much about it. Everyone is talking about Benning Rd and their streetcar developments. And rightly so, check their progress:

I mean, wow. Bada bam, bada boom--yea, I'm impressed. So today I've been dedicated to figuring out what's going on with the Anacostia Streetcar. All I have to say is, if ye seek, ye shall find.

First things first. The Anacostia Streetcar Alignment plan (courtesy of DDOT):

The alignment will begin at the Maintenance Facility running north into Firth Sterling Avenue to Howard Road and the Anacostia Metro Station. Turning north into Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, it will continue through Historic Anacostia and terminate at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Good Hope Road. The tracks will extend across the 11th Street Bridge once the new bridge opens.

What the DC streetcar will look like:

And a nifty little video DDOT put together back in 2006 about the streetcar and why we should have it. It's about 12 minutes long, but interesting. Watch Video: Transit Futures – The Washington Streetcar.

In early August, the Washington Business Journal did a story on the revival of the D.C. Streetcar Plan. You can read that here. In that article they point out that work has started along South Capitol Street. And well you guessed it, they are right on point. Haven't I been commenting on the construction happening along Firth Sterling Avenue? Or rather wondering what was going on? In addition to the confirming images below (Firth Sterling Avenue) and my aimless wandering around trying to make sense of concrete barriers and construction signage, I finally found some helpful information.

The last time I visited DDOT's web page there was not much information on the Anacostia Streetcar Project, but somebody has been updating. More importantly, it appears that DDOT will be providing updates for every week they work on it. If you click here, you will be able to pick a status report going back to March 2009 when the project started.

The latest update is for August 7th and it states that "the installation of electrical manholes and combined system duct-bank on Firth Sterling/South Capitol is nearing completion. Street light foundation installations are progressing well. Installation of new sidewalk along the east side of South Capitol Street has begun and is [also] progressing well. Sub-grade preperations for the new track slab continue along South Capitol Street as well as OCS foundation installations..." What has been happening since then? "Sub-grade preparations for the new track slab along South Capitol Street. Installation of new storm drain lateral piping along with new catch basins/water quality inlets, and grate inlets will continue for the new road work along South Capitol and Firth Sterling Streets as well as the installation of electrical manholes and combined system duct-bank. OCS foundation installations and roadway excavation along the SE side of Firth Sterling to begin . . ."

The report also comments that the orginial contract value is $24,994,526.28 No complaints about the District's investment coming from this peanut gallery commentor.

*goodlinks: the growing focus

the S. Capitol Street Bridge from Poplar Point

Consolidation for Homeland Security, Headaches for Preservationists, via New York Times
most in River East are excited about the upcoming move-in of 14,000 employees to our hood, but others still fear the campus' character will be lost

Alexander calls on all residents to protect the environment, by Greater Greater Washington
councilwoman Yvette Alexander (Ward 7) went on NPR's Kojo Nnamdi show to denounce the claims that the Anacostia bag bill is harmful to low-income residents: "No matter what your income ...it does not excuse you from being environmentally conscious and responsible."

Anacostia Streetcar Plan Runs Into Delays, via Washington Post
in an annoying but not-surprising twist, the Anacostia streetcar is now delayed until 2012. since we're delaying it, howabout running it up MLK to St. E's, then down Malcolm X to the maintenance facility?

DC Unwanted, via the Examiner
so I guess stadiums aren't the pay-anything-to-get-one economic revitalizers everyone used to clamor for. PG County has joined DC (remember Poplar Point?) in dropping plans for a new stadium-based development for MLS's most successful soccer franchise

more on the streetcar line

Greater Greater Washington has a very comprehensive run-down of the initial Anacostia streetcar allignment. Turns out it will not be going to Bolling AFB, but will instead be from W Street to a maintenance facility just past the Anacostia metro station on Firth Stirling Ave, with additional funding under request for an extention to Good Hope Road:


View Larger Map



for BeyondDC's confirmation scoop, Click Here
also, for a video of the November 7 hearing, Click Here

more as I hear it...

map courtesy of David Alpert at GGW

*goodlinks: big news day

I'll follow up on these when I have a chance, but for now...

Initial Anacostia Streetcar Line to be Extended: Now from Bolling AFB all the way to Good Hope Road (!)

Moving Metro Headquarters to Anacostia is Fenty's Top WMATA Priority

St. Elizabeth's East Campus Redevelopment Plan Unveiled: New Metro Station Proposed
For the plan itself, Click Here (PDF)

Precedent! DC Council Orders Utility Lines Buried in Brookland: Outside of Federal City / Georgetown

photo by DG-rad

Anacostia Streetcar Meeting

If you are interested in the Anacostia Streetcar Demonstration line and the future of streetcars in the District, this is an important meeting to attend.

When:

Monday, July 14, 2008 at 11:00 A.M.

Where:

Council Room 412, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

What:

Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham is hosting a meeting to discuss questions related to the importance and funding for streetcars from the Anacostia Metro station to Bolling Air Force Base. The meeting will also have implications for streetcar lines on MLK and throughout the city.

Hope to see you there!

*Update*
My personal opinion? While I am completely all for streetcars in every section of this city, and am glad that the plans include tracks over here (part of the reason I moved here), I am not convinced that the Metro to Bolling AFB line is the best first streetcar line. I know that the line will get used, but think that building almost any of the other lines (MLK, for example ...or H Street NE) would be a more guaranteed success that would better show the city the true necessity and success potential of the streetcar investment.

That said, I think that this demonstration line will be among the easiest to build, since some of the tracks already exist and it will mostly follow a path that is very open and available to be built on.

the overhead mess, and some history

We need to solve the overhead wires issue. There are simply too many.

I was trying to find something on the Congressional ban of overhead wires throughout much of Washington, DC, but all I found was a blurb regarding overhead wires for streetcars--a topic still in the news this month as both Anacostia and H Street NE prepare for their lines.

This is from 112 years and 2 days ago:

Click to Enlarge




...as well as some random but interesting information on a rail line to and through Anacostia (Uniontown):

Click to Enlarge




Click Here for information on the old German Orphan Asylum

Did you know: before MLK Avenue was renamed, it was called Nichols Avenue (with the section in Historic Anacostia called Monroe Street), and before that it was called Asylum Road after St. Elizabeths. Kind of creepy, but it would be pretty sweet if that name was still around.

Click to Enlarge

1886 map portion courtesy of the library of congress