Serving Dupont Circle, Kalorama & Logan Circle
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Vol. IX, No. 46
THE DUPONT CURRENT School neighbors band together
FREEDOM SONG
■ Town-gown: Group urges
city to limit university growth By ELIZABETH WIENER Current Staff Writer
Rightly or wrongly, neighborhood groups see themselves in a David-and-Goliath struggle when they fight university expansion or student housing near their homes. Now the “Davids” are teaming up to
present a united front against several universities currently plotting their growth for the next 10 years. The newly formed District-Wide Coalition of University Neighborhoods hopes to maximize clout at the D.C. Zoning Commission, which rules on campus plans, and with city officials who could change the rules of the game. And the group hopes to provide a counterweight to the Consortium of Universities of the
Washington Metropolitan Area, which helps its members develop their growth plans. On the opening evening of hearings on Georgetown University’s campus plan last Thursday, members of the citywide coalition arrived to listen to and to show support for the several Georgetown neighborhood groups fighting what they call a proposal for “aggressive growth.” The school, which calls the plan See Universities/Page 5
Court reaffirms tenant purchase law By ELIZABETH WIENER Current Staff Writer
Bill Petros/The Current
The Cadet Corps of the African American Civil War Museum performed Saturday at the opening ceremony for National Geographic’s celebration of D.C. Emancipation Day.
The D.C. Court of Appeals last week rejected what judges called an “ingenious mechanism” for circumventing the city’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, which requires landlords to offer tenants a right to buy their units before apartment buildings are sold. The case, involving six rental buildings in Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle and Columbia Heights, could be the last vestige of a controversial — and now illegal — practice that allowed landlords to claim they had not actually sold a building if they transferred only a 95 percent interest and shifted the rest later. Outrage at the socalled 95-5 transactions led the D.C. Council to tighten the tenant opportunity law in 2005. But in this case, a three-judge panel said that owners Howard and Maxine Bernstein tried to get around the law in mid-2004 by selling a 99.99 percent interest in 11 See Ruling/Page 7
Matt Petros/The Current
The appeals court ruling will allow tenant groups at the Barclay, above, and Lanier apartment buildings to pursue challenges to the sale of the properties.
Dog’s death worries Dupont community
Group aims to get branch of top-performing school
By JESSICA GOULD
By JESSICA GOULD
Current Staff Writer
Current Staff Writer
Neighbors are calling for increased caution amid reports that a small dog was fatally injured April 5 at the S Street dog park in Dupont Circle. According to Circle Dogs chair Jeff Hosley, the small dog, Dolce, crossed the path of two larger dogs that were playing, and they trampled over Dolce. Dolce, a Chihuahua or Chihuahua mix, was transported to a nearby animal hospital, Hosley said, where she was put to sleep. “Nothing could be done,” he said. Circle Dogs, an all-volunteer, nonprofit group, partners with the Department of Parks and Recreation to take care of the park. After news of the incident made its way through the community, group members began to investigate the matter, Hosley said.
U Street area resident Mary Siddall wants her children to have a world-class education. And she’s covering all the bases. Or rather, the BASIS. Siddall is chair of the committee to bring a BASIS charter school to D.C. “It’s the world’s best education,” she said. “That’s what I want for my children,” who are 4, 9 and 11. According to the school’s website, Michael and Olga Block opened the first BASIS campus in
BUSINESS ■ CB2 brings modern style to historic Georgetown. Page 23 ■ Mayor ponders height limit changes to boost wards 7, 8. Page 23
Bill Petros/Current File Photo
Dogs large and small mingle at the S Street park where a pup named Dolce was trampled April 5. They posted requests for information on the group’s Facebook page, and followed up with people who were present at the time of the incident. “At first, we thought it was an act of aggression,” he said. But, after speaking with witnesses, Hosley said, he’s See Dog/Page 9
EVENTS ■ Arena Stage brings ‘Ruined’ to D.C. stage. Page 19. ■ Renwick exhibit combines computers, craft. Page 29.
PA S S A G E S ■ D.C. native to shoot feature film in her hometown. Page 15. ■ Potomac Video fetes 30 years despite plans to shut a store. Page 15 .
Tucson, Ariz., in 1998, with a mission to provide American students with an education equal to their peers in top-performing schools across the world. To that end, the school tests students at every grade level to ensure they have mastered the coursework and that they meet international benchmarks for achievement. Students are required to take a minimum of eight Advanced Placement classes in order to graduate. Teachers, meanwhile, are experts in their fields, Siddall said, with advanced degrees from top colleges. See School/Page 5
INDEX Business/23 Calendar/24 Classifieds/37 District Digest/4 Dupont Circle Citizen/13 Exhibits/29 In Your Neighborhood/8
Opinion/10 Passages/15 Police Report/6 Real Estate/21 School Dispatches/16 Service Directory/32 Theater/28