Morning Roundup: Goodbye, Abe Edition
D.C. Police Seek Suspect in Series of Bank Robberies
Suspect in 9-Year-Old's Murder Found Dead in D.C. Jail
Photo of the Day: November 25, 2009
Ballou HS Rocks the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
WTOP's Adam Tuss reports on DDOT's plans for U Street in the wake of last week's public meeting to gather community input, and residents of the corridor may have reason for concern. Among DDOT's various proposals, they have announced they're considering adding angled parking, similar to what you see on 18th Street in Adams Morgan, to U Street.
Ever since the U Street corridor began its impressive revitalization, residents have been worried that the street could soon enough become one long extension of Adams Morgan on weekend nights, filled to the brim with drunken revelers who drove in to the city from Maryland or Virginia for a night out on the town. Already it is difficult if impossible to find parking close to U Street on the weekends, especially if there is a big concert at 9:30 Club or the Black Cat. But would angled parking actually improve the situation, or rather encourage more people to attempt to park on the busy street, effectively ruining the flow of traffic as people back in to angled spaces?
Other DDOT proposals for U Street include replacing meters with multi-space "pay and display" machines like those in Georgetown, which would allow people to use a credit card to pay, and adding Circulator service to the neighborhood. We like the idea of more convenient bus options, but considering the neighborhood has a centrally located Metro stop, it's unfortunate that DDOT is focusing on making it easier to park along U Street rather than encouraging the use of mass transit to reach the strip's vibrant nightlife offerings. Virtually no one wants U Street to become another Adams Morgan, and though the addition of angled parking doesn't necessarily mean that would be its fate, it hardly seems wise to pursue making additional parking spots the priority.
Photo by one more dreamer
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Uhhh.....what?
Angeled parking on 18th street works because curb-to-curb, the street is about 6 lanes wide. U street is 3-and-a-half lanes on the best days. Throw in the angled parking and I guarantee gridlock from Mass Ave all the way to North Capitol St.
Why in the world doesn't the DC DOT focus on repaving all of the g-d potholes and improving road conditions in the city? Why is it that every agency head in the DC government thinks him or herself a master city planner rather than responsible for fundamentals?
Oh yeah all the little angels from DC are not responsible for any mishaps in Adams Morgan. Seriously, guys: I really like this blog but you feel the need to insert some "oh BTW viginia and maryland sucks lol" note in every post and comment. Maybe the problem is you.
I think angled parking can help some urban environments by calming traffic and by providing more parking to support retail. I don't see it working well on U Street, though, which is an important traffic artery. A circulator route/improved bus service, on the other hand, would be awesome.
Anything that keeps people parking (and drinking and screaming at 1am) on U Street instead of eating up residential parking is a good thing. And wasn't DDOT supposed to install more traffic lights and stop signs on U a few years back to help deal with the hotrodding maniacs that nearly kill pedestrians?
And short of handing out free Metro tickets, how much more can they really encourage public transit on U?
Adams Morgan has been moving west for years and it's not stopping for you or anybody.
It's like Manifest Destiny, only with more shots named after sex acts.
U street is major crosstown thoroughfare during the daytime hours with few nearby alternatives, putting angled parking there would bring the already crawling traffic on that corridor to a complete stop. not sure why expanding parking would even be necessary. U street has two metro stops along that corridor.
Adams Morgan is moving west into U Street? What's next, Brookland? Chillum?
Pretty sure that's East, Jeffrey, not West. Unless you are referring to Columbia Rd and the pretty much constant # of bars/restaurants up there. On a similar note, couldn't DDOT and Parking Enforcement do a better job of enforcing parking restrictions in the area on weekends? I cannot even count the number of times I have seen cars (with DC, MD and VA plates) parked illegally on weekends with no tickets. Speaking as a resident of where AM and U Street meet, it becomes nearly impossible to find a spot on Thursday-Saturday nights after 6 PM.
Circulator service would be great, especially on the weekends. I have doubts about there being enough width to angle the parking on such a major throughway, but the biggest threat would still remain double parkers.
And guest [2], while I am a DC resident and sometimes go to Adams Morgan, I must say that nearly every single person I come across there resides across the river. Not a scientific survey by any means, but my personal experience definitely backs up the stereotype.
I don't know what Anonymous Idiot #1 is talking about, U St. is six lanes curb to curb for most of its length; but Anonymous Idiot #1 does have a point that agency heads should divest themselves of their illusions of grandeur and just do their jobs. Considering that you have jerkoffs double-parking on just about every block of U St. between 10th and Connecticut after 10pm on weekends anyway, this isn't the worst idea I've ever heard.
Don't be mad bc we're richer than you and don't live in the ghetto trendy slums ... DOWN WITH DCIST!
I always double park on U St. when I can't find parking. Couldn't DDOT just encourage more double parking? It's cheap, easy and effective.
Is it really so difficult? "Angled parking"??? I don't know about any of you, but I was taught to parallel park when I was young, not to "angle park"
Circulator service would be best because while there is green line service, it's not convenient to population centers like Dupont and downtown without transfers. Circulator service that goes from Dupont to U street would be fantastic.
Rather than the aforementioned angled parking, I sincerely wish they would consider widening the sidewalks and putting in more DDOT bike parking.
Even at the expense of the curb lanes.
-Downtown Rez
I'm rich as hell and I prefer to live in the city/"ghetto trendy slums" than in the burbs.
Honestly, guest 13, what an idiotic thing to say.
On an actual important note, I agree that angled parking will only add to the traffic frustration that is U Street. There's got to be a better solution.
Oh god please no! As hillrat already pointed out, people double park on U Street CONSTANTLY as it is - but it's not just after 10pm. I live there and trust me, it's pretty much all day every day. I can pretty much guarantee that a few more parking spots is not going to stop anyone from double parking, thus making the already bad driving situation even worse. Maybe the cops should start by ticketing the double parkers.
As for the parking situation - the problem is that every public parking lot there was in the area is now in the process of being turned into condos - so, fewer parking spots, more people. People are going to continue to drive into the neighborhood to hang out and without a significant size public garage, those of us who live there will continue to get screwed. Ah well, at least there's the angled parking down by Logan circle now as a parking "last resort".
Circulator service would be awesome, particularly if it's tied into an area--i.e. the 14th St. corridor--that isn't well served by Metro. A Circulator route running along U St., 14th, K St. and 16th would be just fine, thank you.
Given how prone people are to double-parking between 15th and 12th on U, angled parking seems only like a sure fire way to have constant gridlock on that stretch. DC should probably rethink angled parking spots, especially if they're going to be back-in only spots.
Not sure if everyone knows about it, but Metro is now supposed to be running those little U St. Link busses from Woodley Park Metro every 10 minutes, which should be helpful. So that's about the same as what Circulator service would do.
First: Why the heck do you even bother reading this website then?
Secondly: I'm not mad that you're richer than me, but the reason I live in the "ghetto trendy slums" as you call them is because I can't afford to live in the suburbs and don't want to commute anyways. You sound quite angry for a Thursday afternoon...
Also, U St. is pretty far from ghetto, it is a vibrant multi-cultural area, so just relax.
I am only removing comments that consist entirely of expletives directed at the site and our readers. Take a look at our commenting policy and try participating in the conversation in a constructive manner.
Why would you need a Circulator bus up 14th and down 16th between K & U? You've got the S buses on 16th, the 50-buses on 14th and the 90-buses going cross-town (including the Link).
Surely just increase the frequency of these lines.
I thought everyone was supposed to be parking at the Reeves Center lot? I guess they're scared of all the ghosts of the people who were knifed/shot at Coach & Four.
The Woodley Park link was supposed to run every 10 minutes FROM THE BEGINNING. I guess they managed to make all that U Street/18th Street gridlock that made them run every 25-40 minutes magically disappear.
Obviously no one from DDOT has ever even been on U Street. They probably think it's a dirt road full of jazz hepcats in zoot suits and blind tigers. Surely, there's enough room for citizens to angle park their Model Ts without being clipped by the streetcar.
You go Sommer...and the new guest 13, I don't think you're an idiot at all. It was the old guest 13 who was painfully ignorant!
Angled Parking? Crazy idea in a bad way.
Banning all private cars between Florida Ave and the Mall, and between North Capitol and Rock Creek? That's the sort of good crazy idea DDOT should be working on. We could call it an anti-terrorist measure: no car bombs, less money spend on gasoline.
25-
Hey... Now there's an idea. And maybe down the line we'd end up with a few extra carbon credits to trade!
And fewer "code red/orange" days, too.
I also think a U/14th/K/16th Circulator line would be awesome, presuming that they actually buy more buses and don't just canibalize the other lines. Did anyone else notice how when they extended the crosstown Circulator to go up Wisconsin Ave, the wait time for buses jumped from 10 to 20 minutes? I suspect they haven't purchased any new buses since the program started. Cheap bastards.
It's ironic, considering that I've been thinking that the best thing in the world for Adams Morgan would be to go back to parallel parking, and use the extra real estate to extend the sidewalk, providing more space for outdoor seating, more room to walk without having to lean up against the fences or cars to let people pass, and more room for proper bike racks. It's so crowded down there and the sidewalks just aren't wide enough for such a busy commercial district.
And bad news: people will still park in residential neighborhoods along U Street if they switch to angled parking. Adding angled parking isn't going to add 1,000 spots or anything. The few spots that would be added would certainly fill up as people hear that "parking is easier" on U Street, and you'd be right back where you're at now.
Sort of like adding a new lane to I-66 past Vienna. It'd be great, until it filled up with everyone who moved even further out.
Bad idea, DDOT.
Angled parking is horrible for cyclists of which there are plenty of in that neighborhood. Also removing the parking meters for "smart meters" eliminates defacto bike racks from the area, which will just lead to more people driving, making the situation worse.
If DDOT would raise the cost of street parking to mirror the costs of pay lots, the city could use that revenue to fund alternatives- another garage in the neighborhood, better bus service, light rail, bike facilities, etc.
how about we just make it illegal to park on these DC streets unless you have a DC tag. It will force people to use public transportation.
Don't be mad bc we're richer than you and don't live in the ghetto trendy slums ... DOWN WITH DCIST!
---------
I hate to break it to you, but living in NW DC costs more than living in Arlington, Fairfax, PG County, etc. Have you ever driven down Rt 1 or Columbia Pike at night?
Banning all private cars between Florida Ave and the Mall, and between North Capitol and Rock Creek? That's the sort of good crazy idea DDOT should be working on. We could call it an anti-terrorist measure: no car bombs, less money spend on gasoline.
Ban all bicycles in this area as well. You can walk.
Why not simply expand the Link route to something more in line with what people are requesting. Here's my proposal:
Woodley Park to 18th and Columbia
South on 18th to U
East on U to 14th
South on 14th to P
West on P to Dupont Circle
North on Connecticut to Woodley Park
Have buses run every 10 minutes in both directions so you never have to go the long way around the loop. It cuts a few blocks of U St off of the original Link route, but it also connects Dupont to U St and ties together all the major nightlife districts in the area.
I'm not sure if angled parking is the answer for U Street, but it works well on 18th. More cars fit in that area than would otherwise, and they're great as a traffic calming device. Whatever happened to the proposal to take away that retarded service lane on Connecticut in Cleveland Park, and add angled parking with a widened sidewalk?
I agree with whiteknuckled. Let's create more sidewalks, not more parking spots.
More parking = more cars, more cars brings more congestion, congestion = slower buses, slower buses = more cars, etc. Good luck trying to take the 90 bus home TO Adams Morgan from 9th and U Sts. on a Friday or Saturday night. It's faster to walk. It would only get worse if there were more cars and less street on U St.
#29:
You don't want to get rid of the current parking meters, but you want them to mirror the cost of pay lots? What are people supposed to do -- feed $10 in quarters into the machine??
how about we just make it illegal to park on these DC streets unless you have a DC tag. It will force people to use public transportation.
You're not forcing anything, except bars and clubs out of business. They'll just drive someplace else rather than deal with a downtown parking ban. And even if you did get one, who would enforce it? The cops who aren't writing tickets for the double parking cars in front of Ben's Chili Bowl or Shiloh? Flush twice.
And short of handing out free Metro tickets, how much more can they really encourage public transit on U?
Uh, maybe running the green line metro a little more often than once every 20 minutes on late nights.
Separate Once-every-ten-minutes buses connecting Adams Morgan and U St. to the Woodley and Dupont metro stations, respectively would help, too.
I don't think anyone at WMATA has realized that once bus or metro arrival frequency declines between once every 10 minutes, all but the most desperate are going to stop using it.
People don't come to U St or AM to "drive". They come there to walk, shop, sit, eat, and drink.
It makes infinitely more sense to create more spaces for those activities than parking.
how about we just make it illegal to park on these DC streets unless you have a DC tag. It will force people to use public transportation.
You're not forcing anything, except bars and clubs out of business. They'll just drive someplace else rather than deal with a downtown parking ban.
I know you're right Monkey, but still the idea of sticking a poop-covered finger into the eye of the suburbanites in the form of a blanket parking ban makes me feel all warm and tingly inside my pants.
Random thought - peopel are trying to have conversations with guests, the only way you can refer to them is by their comment #, but when you go in to pull comments, people's # shifts....perhaps a random identifier would be more helpful than calling htem all "guest" - you know, like "guest11" could leave comment #11, but if you pulled that one they would still be called guest11 - does that make sense?
HR, that just mean it's time to go to the rest room and relieve yourself. Or better yet, relieve yourself all over someone from VA or MD. Now there's a thought. They sure wouldn't come to U Street if they thought all we'd do would be to piss on them.
Eek, I think I'm channeling Monkey over here.
hillrat - So basically you're just left with stinky fingers, tingling pants, and a failed business, kinda like the last guy in Doc Johnson's Marital Products (and Porno Booths) before it became the Spy Museum.
Hate to agree with Ryan, but a streetcar line down U makes more sense than angle parking.
I like thefreefood's idea. The current transit i clearly set up for travel into and out of the downtown area, not around town. That's why I like the Circulator idea, because it targets the movement of people across town as well. The U St-Adams Morgan link is a great concept, but I can go to AM on foot faster, and why would I want to go to Woodley besides the metro stop? If there was a fast link down to Dupont (either by way of Logan or New Hampshire), I'd take it all the time.
thefreefood's idea for the Link bus is fantastic. Connect U Street to AM, Woodley, Dupont, and 14th Street, and run 'em in both directions. Should be a no-brainer.
The wise axiom goes: You design places for cars, you get more cars. You design them for people....and..well, you know the rest.
So basically you're just left with stinky fingers, tingling pants, and a failed business, kinda like the last guy in Doc Johnson's Marital Products (and Porno Booths) before it became the Spy Museum.
That's an average Thursday for me; but unlike the guy at Doc Johnson's, I don't usually get a "happy ending."
I know that DC residents and businesses are dependent on, and have to accommodate, suburbanites driving into DC; but can't you just let me fantasize about giving some guy in a striped shirt a parking denial Dirty Sanchez?
"a streetcar line down U makes more sense than angle parking."
yes, Yes, YES!
...And wider sidewalks and more bike parking.
-Downtown Rez
Monkey, what's so funny about your comment (23) is that DDOT's headquarters are in the Reeves Center at 14th & U. Intentional?
It doesn't seem to me that the area has much of a parking problem apart from weekend nights -- I almost never have trouble finding parking at other times. I'd much rather see a wider sidewalk, maybe even with some street trees! (A girl can dream, right?) I also think it would be a great idea to scrap the angled parking in AM and expand the sidewalks.
Angled parking should be used only as a last resort. It's screwed traffic up on 8th Street SE pretty good. All it takes is one idiot that can't figure it out and you've got gridlock for five blocks.
"Why would you need a Circulator bus up 14th and down 16th between K & U?"
------------------------------------
Because there is nothing tying those streets together. Also, you mention a variety of bus routes available, but those lines can take forever to travel only a few blocks, because the buses are frequently making stops at every block. The Circulator isn't constrained the same way, the stops are more infrequent. And with frequent service travelling in a loop, it would encourage more people who are in the "in-between" neighborhood between U St. and Dupont to hop on the bus rather than drive or cab it.
"a streetcar line down U makes more sense than angle parking."
----------------------------
Most definitely. If/when D.C. finally gets the streetcar line thing up and running, U St. and 14th would both be prime candidates for a line.
Ban cars that aren't locals. Seriously. Works in crowded European cities.
I vote Yes.
"Uh, maybe running the green line metro a little more often than once every 20 minutes on late nights."
That's not fair, they come every 17 minutes.
I think that we all need to calm down because clearly DDOT should be trusted. They'll make sure to correctly fix everything from parking to traffic on U Street--our biggest woes.
Must I point out how much the multi-space meters in Georgetown has made it easier to park? And, the back-in-only parking in Adams Morgan has made it so one does not have to do the 18th Street Slalom ever again.
Since its inception, DDOT's ideas have been successful and swiftly implemented with little to no hiccup in people's routine.
DDOT is NOT considering angled parking for U St. I was at they meeting; they specifically ruled it out due to the extreme width needed to make it practical. (It isn't mentioned in the WTOP article either.)
What IS exciting is they they have revised their initial plans for the 1700 block of U St, hoping to put that block on a "diet" and remove one east-bound lane to make the sidewalks wider (and thus ADA-compliant). This is a great idea.
Drawings of the plans are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77945684@N00/970486480/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77945684@N00/970486440/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77945684@N00/970486396/
There are only 3 important topics in the Nation's Capital: parking, parking, and parking.
Widening the sidewalk on U St is a great idea. I was just remarking the other night how incredibly narrow it gets once you have newspaper boxes, bikes, and people lining it.
And, yes, guest comments need to have their post numbers retained, even if comments get deleted above them. It makes things oh so confusing, and typing out the time takes longer and is a lot harder to find. And I'm not about to create YET ANOTHER account just to post on DCist. Whatever happened to Typekey?
"DDOT is NOT considering angled parking for U St."
-Thanks for the info, Guest (aka anon-non-idiot) 56
-Downtown Rez
Or better yet, relieve yourself all over someone from VA or MD.
As long as we're applying scatological trappings to our petty regionalisms: when I see District cars hogging valuable asphalt in Baileys Crossroads and Potomac Yard and Clarendon and Pentagon City, I'd sure like to be able to smear dog feces on them. I mean, I already do it. I use gloves and everything. But it'd sure nice to be officially sanctioned, even rewarded. For doing the good work of the municipality and all.
#60-
Given VA's 1.2 BILLION (imagine Carl Sagan Saying it) dollar shortfall, I'd imagine you'd be washing their VA sales-tax paying asses, rather then wasting that good-as-gold excrement by creating some lame, amateur, art project.
God, it feels good to write that.
They should build a height limitation bar over the main roads leading to U Street so that SUVs would be unable to reach the area.
U Street has the dense development required to be a walker's paradise, but there is not enough room to walk. There also isn't enough room for biking, or busses, etc. Why? Because the space is designed to move more cars, not more people. It's auto-centric to the point of undermining transit.
DDOT is currently encouraging the least efficient use of space possible - multiple lanes of car traffic and two lanes of auto parking, and not enough space left over to make more efficient uses of space viable. Adding more parking adds even more cars, further reducing efficiency of the space, so there is even less space to move people.
Take away space for cars to drive and park - you will have more space for people, bikes - even buses and trams, all of which use space much more efficiently. Since cars are so inefficent with space, you can only increase transit efficiency by removing them.
Just put up some retractable bollards like they have on the hill, at the boundaries to the U-Street / Adams morgan RPP area - an e-z pass version of an electronic parking permit gets you in free, or for a charge on the e-z pass if you don't have a permit. That'll reduce the auto traffic, and free up the parking spaces locals, and reduce drunk driving, etc. - just what everyone wants! I saw one of these in Europe.
All together people: less parking = fewer cars = LESS BUSINESS. Ask ANY business owner on U Street whether they'd support a "pedestrian-centric" plan to eliminate street parking on U. And no this won't "encourage them to use public transit." This will encourage them to go elswhere.
Hey, while we're at it, let's just get rid of all cars on U Street, from Florida Avenue to Florida Avenue. Make it some tree-lined paradise, like in front of the White House. It'll be full of bikes and rollerbladers and Judy Garland in a parasol screeching, "Clang, clang, clang went the trolley!" And then someone shoots her in the face.
They tried that before downtown. Anybody remember Hubert Humphrey Memorial Plaza in front of MLK Library? It stoppped being a dead zone when they opened it back up to traffic. They still haven't gotten rid of the stink of urine though. But by all means, give it a try. I'm sure it will end up like Bourbon Street, except the vomit will smell like Belgian ale and tapas instead of muffalettas and Hurricanes.
Right. You won me over when you pointed out that Bourbon St has no foot traffic or business.
-Downtown rez
Hey, this monkey is completely in favor of DC repealing open container laws, strip club restrictions, and public urination ordnances! Bring on the drive-up margarita windows and Lucky Dog vendors!
Without those, U Street will never be a destination like Bourbon Street. I kinda think the neighbors want to keep it that way, too. Add parking restrictions to the mix, and people are going to think twice about blowing $10 on a burger at Pollys WITH FRIES EXTRA. But I'm sure it will get as warm a welcome as it did in Bethesda and Silver Spring.
Clever Monkey, making that comparison between U and Bourbon. As if the open container/strip club thing would ever happen in DC, where we like to keep our politicians and personal debaucheries well-closeted.
But it's a marvelous way incite the CAVE* people.
*Citizens Against Virtually Everything
-Downtown Rez
The problem with creating more sidewalk space in an urban setting is the same problem you have with building more roads: increased capacity means increased use. But in the case of the former, restaurants have a nasty habit of claiming that space as their own for outdoor dining (a lot of the time, illegally), then you're back to crowded sidewalks again.
Now, I want space on the sidewalk as much as anyone else. When I'm wandering down U Street screaming at my shoes and digging my drawers out of my ass while mubling racist epithets under my breath, I like nothing more than some space for me and my multiple personalities. Maybe they could widen the south side of U, leaving the north side open for parking. I'd suggest they plant some more trees while they're at it, but they've proved themselves pretty inept in that department. They can't even keep the ones they've planted alive.
Monkey-
I only give you a hard time 'cause we agree so much. It's the love, really. Okay, enough of the love.
Where to start debunking the BS you just wrote?
First, DDOT UF pretty much kicks patootie at planting trees. But they don't water any of the ~18,000 trees in DC. Think about it: How physically would they, and would you want your taxes to pay for it if they did? Eh... NO. Anyway, that leaves it up to the private (or semi-private) sector to do that. On U Street, that means individual businesses, or the U St Mainstreets/BID. Scott Pomeroy, I know, would see to it. Good man, that Scott.
Second, more sidewalk cafes on U would be a good thing. Sure, DDOT PS needs to enforce the 10' (6' in "exceptional" cases) pedestrian right of way BUT U Street doesn't even *have* 6' in many places as things now stand. It is quite simply the worst heavily walked corridor that I know of. Being afraid of sidewalk cafes eating up newly-created sidewalks simply cannot be a reason for not making those sidewalks wider, agreed? (as an aside, this is entirely apart from DDOT renting the PS for the ridiculously low sum of $5/sf/month. This in a market where rents are more often $45-$75/sf/month triple net. Talk about a biased market incentive...)
Third, thanks for trying to meet me half way with the widening/parking option. I feel the love.
Oh yeah, #70 was by AI
-downtown rez
I have a great idea to get rid of the parking problem on the weekends -- start enforcing the drunk driving laws in the hot spot areas! I can't tell you how many drunk suburbanites I've seen pee on the sidewalk after a night of debauchery and then drive away. These are not designated drivers eating up our parking spaces.
Guest 60:
The clear difference is that localities you mention in the DC burbs don't have Congress artificially fucking with their parking restrictions like we do in DC (does anyone really think Congress would go along with making residential street parking in DC for residents only, like other cities do)?. Hence DC's ludicrous laws allowing nonresidents to park on any residential street overnight, on weekends, and two hours each day.
Try doing that in many of the high density suburbs. I bet your sweet ass you'll be towed faster than you can say 'suburbia', as many suburban residential areas have rightly insisted on very strict parking regulations.
DC bears some blame. The city really needs to build some parking garages.
Hillman - I agree, but municipal parking garages downtown is a non-starter. I can't see anyone on the Council buying in. And they seem dead set on selling as much DC-owned property as possible to finance their pet project earmarks.
They could easily "retrofit" the Reeves Center with 4-hour meters. And that fug Death Star MLK Library was made to be a parking garage; perfect location, too.
MLK ( photo at: dclibrary.org/mlk/ ) was actually designed to have exposed vertical polished steel structural members, have the horizontal cladding done in green marble, and have another floor on top.
Obviously, it wasn't quite built to design. Call the finished product the result of "value engineering", and hope the same philosophy doesn't cause our stadium doesn't age so poorly.
Check out the July InTowner for some interesting discussion of the MLK library's history, and some proposed renovation plans.
-downtown rez
I always feel like people who comment on this blog have never been to the places in question. They're misinformation and misconceptions abound.
I thought DDOT was planning to add angled parking parking to 14th street, not U street. Not sure if that would work any better, but that street is wider and it would force some of the drivers onto 14th street, possibly creating business opportunities for restaurants/bars? I don't know. Seems like a better fir for the angled parking though.