Results tagged “nationalcapitalplanningcommission”

Mayor Fenty's office sent out a press release on Wednesday to announce that the District will spend $2.5 million to improve the 17th Street levee. As you may recall, the Federal Emergency Management Agency proposed new flood maps in January to include an area in Southwest Washington from the Lincoln Memorial to Fort McNair. The change would have required many private property owners to purchase mandatory flood insurance, but FEMA recently agreed to delay implementation of the new maps. The city hopes the plan will prevent insurance premiums from spiking in the proposed flood plain.

As we mentioned earlier this week, sometimes we don't envy Washington's urban planners. Their challenges often encompass issues as varied and complicated as economic development, land use planning, sustainability, design and social justice. Add to that the design politics associated with the symbolism invested in the nation's capital, and planning for D.C. becomes a unique urban problem to tackle. Not that it stops us from trying. Yesterday, the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission...

Whether we make the mental connections or not, everything about our city is interrelated: • The health of the Anacostia and Potomac watersheds is directly affected by runoff from roads; • Our roads are designed and routed to ease our daily commute to get to and from jobs created by regional economic growth policy; • Growth is dependent on a reliable and expanding base of skilled workers; • Workers attracted by lively mixes of shops,...

>> You might want to pick up your porn before heading to the beach this summer. Ocean City has passed a moratorium on sex shops of all kinds. We can only see this as a boon to Washington's own hard-working purveyors of such merchandise. Not that anyone at DCist has any idea where such stores might be. [WTOP] >> One D.C. blogger has already had it up to here with clueless tourists on the Metro....

The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority is getting ready to raise rates, a move which could cost the average resident $100 more per year. The hike wouldn't take hold until next year, but officials say they plan an additional 8.5% increase in 2009 followed by 9.5% increases in both 2010 and 2011. WASA plans a public hearing on the move, but, of course, neither the D.C. Council nor customers have any say on the issue.

Happy Mardi Gras, Washington. Great news for all those planning to expose themselves to garner beads! (We're unsure if any local bars enforce such strict bead acquisition standards, but you can let us know in comments.) It's already above freezing and temps are heading up to 50 today. That's right, the big five-oh. We predict the risk of falling on your ass will be reduced by 76% by the evening commute. Of course, now we've...

For all their symbolic power and grand civic functions, D.C. buildings built in the last half century have hardly created much buzz in terms of architecture, due in part to Washington's reputation for staid and conservative design tastes. On the occasion that a renowned contemporary designer finds a willing local patron, their scheme rarely makes it through National Capital Planning Commission review without serious revision or delay, as with Norman Foster's glass canopy finally under...

Good morning, D.C. Seeing as we're in the midst of the annual summer spike in crime, you might be feeling a little vulnerable right now. Well, good news! It turns out that we can at least stop worrying quite so much about terrorist attacks — according to DHS, anyway. In order to justify the recent cuts to anti-terror funding for the District, the agency has begun explaining that we simply aren't that likely to be a target. Doesn't that make you feel better? Sniper Receives Six Life Terms: John Allen Muhammed received six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole in Manassas Maryland yesterday, the Post reports. Muhammed had previously received a capital sentence in Virginia, where he is now imprisoned on death row. The sniper's prosecution may not yet be over: he could still face trial in Louisiana and Alabama. Post Cuts Its Rolls: Fishbowl reports on the latest news from 15th Street. Apparently the Washington Post is trying to trim its fat in the face of declining circulation. Despite our occasional complaining about the venerable paper, we're sorry to see the cornerstone of D.C. media paring itself down (we wish we could say we aren't part of the problem, but we stopped subscribing when our paper started getting stolen every morning). All told, seventy reporters, photographers and administrators have accepted early retirement offers — head over to Fishbowl for the set of names. You might be surprised to see who is (or isn't) on the list. Stadium Gets Commission's OK: WJLA brings word that the National Capital Planning Commission has approved the first phase of the Nationals' new stadium. Some board members expressed reservations related to the building's potential for blocking views of the Capitol, but the final vote was unanimous. This Day In DCist: One year ago today we focused on organizations that do good and took a second stab at guessing who would jump into the mayoral race. Briefly Noted: Alleged weekend carjackers arrested... BGE rate hike still being argued over... "Ursprache" is winning word at Scripps Spelling Bee... More delays at Wilson Bridge... Water restrictions coming for Howard & Anne Arundel counties... Times thinks yesterday's traffic jam was one of the worst of all time, presumably because it happened near their offices... Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Burnt Pixel

Arguments over where to put new monuments on the National Mall have grown increasingly frequent and divisive as the front lawn has filled up. In 2003, Congress banned new construction on the Mall's cross-axis, beyond what had already been approved. In 2004, the National Museum of the American Indian and the World War II Memorial opened, and recently, a trapezoidal spot just northeast of the Washington Monument was chosen as the location for the National...

Thanks to our friends over at FreeRide, we've learned that Sue Palka, Fox 5's weathercaster, has some fans. More than just fans, though, she has a fansite. Why? According to the site, "She's smart, she's sassy, and (we bet) she can drink you under the table. Does she get the weather right? Who cares? It's always sunny when Sue's around!" Maybe. But we've always been big fans of Michael Gargiulo and Shawn Yancy. Williams Demands...

Good morning, Washington. This photo is of an installation at the Corcoran Gallery of Art by artist Sam Gilliam, as part of a retrospective on display through January. The photo was taken by Flickr user pattista. Today will be partly cloudy and windy with highs in the 40s. King Memorial Crosses Approval Hurdle: The preliminary design for the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial was unanimously approved yesterday by the National Capital Planning...

In a redeveloping city, where space is scarce and small squabbles over any piece of property has the potential to turn into a large heated community debate, the city's lack of available national monumental space could dominate the District's urban development discourse for much of the 21st century.

Today will be mostly sunny blustery and cold with highs around 30. This photo of Lafayette Park was taken by Thomas Michael Corcoran. D.C. Government: Rolling in Dough: D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi announced yesterday that the D.C. government had a surplus of $318 million in 2004 and has amassed $1.2 billion in savings. After withholding most to accommodate for expected increases in healthcare for city employees and other expenses, Gandhi is...

(Photo of 19th Street at Dupont Circle by Mike Grass) What's the Navy's East Potomac Secret? In a city full of open secrets, one mystery seems to be baffling those have been visiting East Potomac Park. According to the Post, the Navy has been constructing something behind some fences. But what it is exactly is all up to speculation. The Post throws out these suggestions: a sensor station guarding the 14th Street bridges; an...

The Old Patent Office, the 1830s-era building in Gallery Place that is the home to the National Portrait Gallery, just got a major infusion of needed cash to build an enclosed canopy over its courtyard. The Post reports that Washington philanthropists Robert and Arlene Kogod have given the Smithsonian Institution $25 million for the project. That gift will help make the great enclosure (pictured here), designed by the esteemed Sir Norman Foster who designed a similar glass roof at the British Museum, a reality.

D.C.'s lobbyists aren't leaving town, but K Street could look very different in the coming years if the vision of planning officials is carried out. The AP, via WTOP, reports that the National Capital Planning Commission is looking at a plan to reconfigure the thoroughfare to accommodate a transit-way. That would mean the service lanes, along with parking would be eliminated. Additionally, portions of the reconfigured K Street would cut into parks at Farragut, McPherson and Franklin squares. There are many details left to be worked out.

The National Mall is officially crowded. Now that the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian is set to open next week, all the usable space intended to be used for museums, monuments and other important national sites have been taken. The Post explores the politics of the National Mall in this morning's edition. Everybody wants a piece of it, but there's no room to spare.