Gt 04 09 2014

Page 1

Inside

Serving Burleith, Foxhall, Georgetown, Georgetown Reservoir & Glover Park

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Vol. XXIII, No. 37

The Georgetown Current

Candidates look ahead to November

:

■ Education: Lottery, feeder

patterns under consideration

Current Staff Writer

By GRAHAM VYSE Current Staff Writer

Deputy Mayor for Education Abigail Smith unveiled initial proposals over the weekend to redraw D.C. school boundaries and reform the way District students are assigned to public schools. Developed by an advisory committee that Smith chairs, the proposals include three policy scenarios. Each aims to address issues such as overcrowding and underutilization

Brian Kapur/The Current

Youngsters and parents alike got a chance Saturday to enjoy the newly opened Bright Horizons, an early education and preschool center in Georgetown. The grand opening included a ribbon-cutting and a range of children’s activities.

By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer

REAL ESTATE

DC Design House offers diverse look at interior styles — Pullout

GR

EAL

EST ATE

of school facilities, which have cropped up across the District since boundaries and assignment policies were last overhauled in 1968. At the first public meeting on these ideas — held Saturday at Dunbar High School — the deputy mayor stressed that the scenarios were meant primarily to begin community conversations and would almost certainly be revised. She explained that the final reform plan, which Mayor Vincent Gray is scheduled to announce in September, would be shaped by feedback from D.C. residents over the coming months. See Boundaries/Page 5

Georgetown tree box plan clears preservation hurdle

Rendering courtesy of EastBanc

EastBanc has revised its design for a five-story condo building.

designs last Thursday. “The preferred scheme that was presented last week was a move in the right direction,” but members felt it still needs some tweaks, commission secretary Tom Luebke said in an

Cadets, Bulldogs collect key wins on the diamond — Page 11

may help boost tree canopy Current Staff Writer

interview. At that Thursday meeting, the board also informally supported rough plans for an addition at HydeAddison Elementary School and requested a revised design for a mixed-use project proposed at 3000 M St., according to Luebke. On the Exxon project, Luebke said the board suggested revising the first floor to make the upper levels look less like they’re “floating,” as well as additional vertical design elements. “It feels like it’s an office building or an embassy, and it needs to feel more residential,” he said. The board also asked EastBanc to reduce the height of its rooftop mechanical equipment so that it will See Projects/Page 3

SPOR TS

■ Environment: ‘Flexi-Pave’

By BRADY HOLT

Board calls for tweaking Exxon condo plans A plan for condos at the site of the Key Bridge Exxon station is moving closer to fruition, but the Old Georgetown Board continues to seek architectural refinements. EastBanc is proposing 26 to 28 luxury condo units in a five-story, 50-foot-tall building at 3601-3607 M St., in a project dubbed “Hillside.” The board had previously signed off on the size of the building despite community objections, but members requested revisions to architectural details. The board — part of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts — reviewed the company’s latest

RIN

District details options for school boundaries

toddler t u nes

By GRAHAM VYSE With the end of the Democratic primary last week, victorious candidates turned their attention to the general election, setting out to broaden their appeal before facing voters again this fall. After defeating Mayor Vincent Gray to win the Democratic mayoral nomination last Tuesday night, Ward 4 D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser sought to unify the activist base of her party, which had been divided by a crowded field. In her victory address, Bowser explicitly called on Democrats to stick with their nominee in the general election, where she will likely face atlarge Council member David Catania, an independent. “Are we loyal, Democrats?” Bowser asked. “The residents of the nation’s capital have always elected a Democratic mayor and a Democratic president — and in big numbers. We’re going to do it again in November.” The focus on bringing the Democratic Party together continued FriSee Election/Page 5

SP

Georgetown’s commercial streets may soon be getting leafier. The Old Georgetown Board last Thursday approved the use of a rubbery new surface in tree boxes along Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, which city arborists say will help trees survive in the neighborhood’s tough conditions. The Flexi-Pave material is a porous rubber made from recycled tires that covers the dirt in tree boxes, fitting flush with the sidewalk. It’s designed so pedestrians on crowded, narrow sidewalks can step into the tree boxes without trampling the dirt (which harms tree roots) or tripping over uneven surfaces. “I think it’s going to be a big win in a few years when we have a lot more healthy trees in Georgetown,” said John Thomas of the D.C. Urban Forestry Administration. The Old Georgetown Board — part of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts — had to sign off on the use of

SHERWOOD

Bowser may avoid full complement of campaign forums — Page 8

Brian Kapur/Current file photo

Officials say trees have trouble surviving on the busy sidewalks.

Flexi-Pave because the neighborhood is a federally protected historic district. Initially there were some concerns that preservationists would reject the rubber surface as not in keeping with Georgetown’s character. But according to Tom Luebke, secretary to the Fine Arts Commission, the board members said they had no objection as long as their staff identified a suitable color for the material. “They thought it was a reasonable way of dealing with it, understanding the constraints,” said Luebke. Flexi-Pave is being eyed only for See Trees/Page 5

INDEX Calendar/37 Classifieds/46 District Digest/4 Exhibits/39 In Your Neighborhood/10 Opinion/8

Police Report/6 Real Estate/Pullout School Dispatches/7 Service Directory/43 Sports/11 Theater/41

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