Rhode Island Insider


Here is an email I received from Derrick Woody concerning Rhode Island Ave NE redevelopment and how you can participate during the summer (also read through the copy that is attached below- click on the link to open the PDF...let me know if it doesn't open for you and i will email a copy to you):

District Releases Draft Plan for Rhode Island Avenue, NE
Community Input Solicited over Summer Months
Contact: Sean Madigan, (202) 615-2029 (cell); Feras Sleiman, (202) 251-8829 (cell)
(Washington, DC) – The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development today released for public comment an economic development plan for the Rhode Island Avenue NE Great Streets Corridor. The document “Rhode Island Avenue: Diamond of the District” outlines recommendations which are expected to guide an estimated $1.2 billion in private and public investment in a mix of uses through the year 2025.
“Rhode Island Avenue, NE corridor is a place where people want to shop, live, work and play,” said Deputy Mayor Valerie Santos. “A tremendous amount of work with the community and Advisory Neighborhood Commissions has gone into preparing this asset based strategy. We encourage and invite the community to continue to provide feedback to help finalize this plan.”
The draft plan can be found on the Deputy Mayor’s website at dcbiz.dc.gov under “Great Streets” then “THINK Rhode Island Avenue” or go directly to http://dcbiz.dc.gov/dmped/cwp/view,A,1365,Q,608751.asp. (Scroll down to the bottom of the webpage.)
Comments on the plan should be submitted in WRITING ONLY to Coordinator – Great Streets Initiative, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 317, Washington, DC 20004 or via email to derrick.woody@dc.gov.
The District plans to convene a public meeting or hearing the week of September 7, 2009 to formally receive any other comments on the plan before it is finalized.

http://rhodeislandne.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/draft_ri_ave_plan_-_june_17_2009_-_opt1.pdf

UPDATE: The public hall license was investigated by a resident of Woodridge today down at the City Government building and it was discovered that the Masonic Lodge at 2245 RI Ave NE (next to the Family Dollar) does NOT in fact have a public hall license. In other words, they are not allowed to have any public events or parties at this location. So if you see one of their parties going on, please contact the police and be sure to give them this information.

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I wrote a blog post a while back about the Masonic Lodge at 2245 RI Ave, NE that operated a public hall. Every Friday for the past month (and in the past) they have thrown parties there with (majority) of the attendees from Maryland. There have been reports of people urinating on our lawns, fights, gunshots, loitering, trash, drugs, and alcohol being a regular part of the “policing” that the neighborhood would have to put up with and fight. The police have been fantastic at responding and closing the place down.

As of yesterday, the Grand Master of the Lodge contacted a neighbor that has been fighting the public hall and liquor license of the Lodge (which resulted in them getting shut down) and declared that they will be back and operating this Friday. That neighbor and I went down to the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration to inquire. We confirmed that they attempted to obtain a liquor license for a day for the Lodge and were denied. In fact, as we were told, ABRA knows NEVER to issue another liquor license for that location.

Problem #1: Liquor License RESOLVED.

Now on to problem #2: Public Hall License. This Lodge has acted irresponsible, and disregards neighbors concerns about their events, therefore, the entire neighborhood will be fighting to have their Public Hall license revoked.

Stay tuned.

This was posted by on the Brookland Yahoo Listserv. Be careful.

Everyone should be extra vigilant as the man who killed the young woman early this morning (May 31, 2009) in the 1900 block of Newton St. NE is still at-large!

For those who may not know – a young woman was stabbed multiple times at approximately 3:00 am this morning on the 1900 block of Newton St. NE. (on the John Burroughs School field). The assailant escaped through the adjacent alley and has not yet been apprehended by police.

Please spread the word as there has very limited media coverage of this tragic incident that has occurred right here in our community – and the perpetrator is still at large – this means everyone is at risk even as I type this email.

Please get the word out to others so that they may take necessary precaution.

The John Burroughs PTA has been notified and extends its deepest concerns for the loss of this young woman and is willing to help the community in any capacity needed, given this tragic situation.