BUSINESS 5 A D.C. Circulator bus. (Courtesy Photo/Google)
Deanwood Leaders Excited About D.C. Circulator Possibilities James Wright WI Staff Writer
Plans to bring the D.C. Circulator—the District government’s public bus system managed by the D.C. Department of Transportation-- to the Deanwood section of the city has neighborhood leaders upbeat about the possible expanded transit options and its potential to increase economic development. “The D.C. Circulator coming to Deanwood is one of my top priorities as an advisory neighborhood commissioner,” Anthony Lorenzo Green, who represents single-member district 7C04 said. “For many years, Deanwood was considered this faroff Northeast community in D.C. for many years that was considered living in the country. That’s not the case now but we are in a fight to reimage our area to get more attention from the city.” Green’s sentiments about Deanwood—bordered by Eastern Avenue to the northeast, Kenilworth Avenue to the northwest, Division Avenue to the southeast and Nannie Helen Burroughs to the south— are prevalent among leaders in Ward 7 as the neighborhood gains in reputation as having lots of affordable housing units. The website, realtor.com, re-
ported single-family houses in Deanwood ranging from $125,000 to $1.1 million while in the District overall a similar house could cost $809,500 according to the website Curbed DC in June 2019. Green said as more people come to Deanwood to live, they want more transit options other than the Metro Station located in the western part of the neighborhood and the Circulator would work as a transportation option. DDOT has discussed with advisory neighborhood commissions and civic and community groups in Ward 7 about expanding the D.C. Circulator service there for a number of months. The agency has drawn up a plan of seven routes of which three have stops in the Deanwood neighborhood. One route would start at Union Station and end up at the Deanwood Station by going through East Capitol Street and servicing the Stadium-Armory and Benning Road Metro Stations while another proposal starts at the New York Avenue station and head to Deanwood Metro and terminate at the Benning Road station. The third route would start at the Skyland Town Center and move north to the Minnesota Avenue station and terminate at the Deanwood Metro. Green said he wants more than
Estate Planning is Financial Planning April is financial literacy month. On behalf of all estate planning attorneys I am proclaiming that we are standing up to be counted as a vital part of Financial Literacy. We are often overlooked and excluded when the discussion of financial literacy is presented. Typically, there is a cursory discussion that says get a Will. The Financial Literacy courses spend substantial instructions regarding creating a budget, reducing debt, savings, investing and home ownership. The end of the course typically says, “and complete a Will to have your affairs in order”. I agree with the importance of living with intentionality financially. I agree that it is necessary to have a budget road map that creates a strategy for living and spending. A budget allows your money to have an assignment. That is one of the key statements of estate planning. There is no reason to change the philosophy of how your money is treated after you pass away. Estate planning is about being strategic in planning for the future, including the use of resources. I agree with reducing debt and investing as a focused strategic plan. We are all aware of the many “Go Fund Me” pages we see when people have passed away without Life Insurance. The presumption that I have is there was not only no money to provide resources to be laid to rest, there is no money to pass on. We should indeed have a strategic plan not to burden our family with our passing. The Black community has been subjected to hundreds of years of discrimination and exploitation financially by Banks and Insurance Companies. We have been overcharged and undervalued such that we were denied access to insurance for our lives but allowed just to pay for our death policies, in many cases costing more than that would be paid out. One guaranteed bet we can make is that we won’t leave this life alive. We can invest in ourselves and our families by securing life insurance that offers a benefit that can support our families when needed by providing a platform for stabilization or a platform for jumping to a higher position. Life insurance has a great capacity for impact if we choose to make the investment on ourselves for our families or loved ones. Yet, we know that money without instructions often will simply evaporate. Estate planning provides the opportunity to give the money that is left behind instructions. We want our loved ones to be prudent with the resources that are left behind. Grief and Greed are two of the strongest emotions that we deal with during highly emotional times. Strategically planning allows for planning that will guard against the devastation that can occur and manipulation that may be employed I agree that homeownership is one of the best ways in which we can increase net worth. We all have to live somewhere. Homeownership allows us to make an investment that enables us to continue to live where we choose, control the costs and simultaneously creating an appreciating asset. It also provides a home for our children and our children’s children that will provide a base of financial and emotional support. Yet, we have seen what happens when there is no strategic plan. We have seen family houses that are sold because one of the heirs wants his or her portion. We have seen abandonment because everyone was responsible but no one took responsibility. Estate Planning is such a significant part of financial planning. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. When we know better we do better. It’s not just enough to learn the distinctive components of financial literacy. It’s vital to create a comprehensive plan to build for the future. Let’s leave an inheritance to our children’s children. The Griffin Firm, PLLC www.yourestateplanningattorney.com (202)379-4738 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite 440 Washington DC 20015 1401 Mercantile Lane Suite 383 Upper Marlboro MD 20774 100 International Drive 23rd Floor Baltimore MD 21202 1100 Peachtree ST NE Suite 200 Atlanta GA 30309 2530 Meridian Parkway Suite 300 Durham NC 27713 one D.C. Circulator route coming to Deanwood. “If we could get two, that would be great,” he said. The Circulator has been in Ward 7 previously but it didn’t extend to Deanwood. The former route grazed the ward’s southern edge near Skyland and the District closed it due to low ridership in 2018.
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Antwan Holmes, who represents 7C07, agrees with Green on Deanwood being a part of a new Circulator route that will help his constituents who sometimes struggle with getting to Metrobuses. “When it comes to Metrobus, Metro seems to want to close routes that come through Deanwood, like the U4 which starts here and ends
up in River Terrace,” Holmes said. “Routes like the U4 are what our residents need. I feel the Circulator can fill those routes that Metro may want to cut. The Circulator could complement the well-used X2, X9 routes.” While advisory neighborhood commission 7F chairman Tyrell M.
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