March 13, 2014

Noise Task Force begins increased enforcement TONIGHT

CM Graham's legislation to add Adams Morgan to the Great Streets Initiative

Reminder: Rock and Roll Marathon rolls through Adams Morgan on Saturday!

Hierarchy's next event - March 15th - to benefit Sitar Center

Taste of Adams Morgan - April 29th

The Way Home Campaign to end chronic homelessness in DC

Registration is now open for BTWD - May 16th, 2014

Noise Task Force begins increased enforcement TONIGHT

MPD, DCRA and ABRA established a Noise Task Force in 2012 and started conducting noise checks in 2012 as well. Beginning tonight THURSDAY there will be an increased effort. The Task Force will begin conducing noise checks Thursday through Sunday nights every week from 10 pm to 3 am. They are doing this in part to respond to noise complaints in real time.

All ABRA Licensees were sent a letter earlier this week to alert them to this increased effort. However, the Task Force is not looking for noise only from ABRA licensees but from all businesses regardless of whether there is an ABRA license or not. They are looking for loud mechanical noise (machine, apparatus, instrument or amplification of the human voice, musical instrument or other noise-making article, mechanical equipment such as heating or cooling systems). They are NOT looking for noise from people talking inside a restaurant (for example). They will be taking noise readings from outside the property not inside.

The Task Force will be developing a FAQ sheet which will be available on the MPD, DCRA and ABRA websites that describes the role of each agency in abating noise and where to file a complaint and what the process includes.

As part of the Noise Task Force’s other educational efforts, a business will receive a written warning instead of a fine for a first-time violation of the Noise Control Act.  In those instances where multiple establishments are located near one another, the noise task force will not be disrupting the operations of nearby businesses in the evening in an effort to conduct noise checks at a different nearby establishment. The fine for the first offense (after the written warning) is $1,000 and increases with each offense.  If the citation is contested, it would go to the Office of Administrative Hearings. The citation is issued to the business owner NOT the property owner.

More information is available on the ABRA website at: abra.dc.gov or by contacting Jessie Cornelius (ABRA) 202.442.6954; jessie.cornelius@dc.gov .

CM Graham introduced legislation to add Adams Morgan to the Great Streets Initiative

In 2006, Great Streets began as a three-prong, commercial revitalization initiative to transform emerging corridors throughout the District of Columbia into thriving and inviting neighborhood centers. Led by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) in conjunction with the Office of Planning (OP) and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Great Streets has grown into a multi-year, multi-agency program that utilizes public actions and resources to leverage private investment in retail, office space, housing, and cultural facilities across the District.

DDOT and DMPED function as the implementation arms of Great Streets, along with support from multiple other agencies, such as the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). DDOT is responsible for revitalization in the public realm through street infrastructure improvements, while DMPED and its partner agencies are responsible for revitalization in the private realm through economic development projects.

Within DMPED, Great Streets has two (2) tiers of investment:

  1. the Small Business Capital Improvement Grants, and
  2. the Catalytic Investments .

The purpose of the Great Streets Small Business Capital Improvement Grants is to support existing small businesses, attract new small businesses, increase the District’s tax base, create new jobs for District residents, and transform emerging commercial corridors.

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) awards grants to small businesses of up to $85,000. Grant funds can be used to reimburse awardees for expenses that they have incurred through improving their place of business. Business owners with locations along the Great Streets corridors may apply for the Small Business Capital Improvement Grants.

Eligible Applicants for the Capital Improvement Grants:

There are two types of eligible applicants as follows:

1) Owners of small retail or service - oriented businesses

(preference will be given to businesses  with less than 20 locations in the United States); or 2) Real estate developers that have secured one or more small retail or service- oriented businesses as tenants and propose to improve a property for these tenants.

The following types of businesses are ineligible to receive funding under the Program:

·Nightclubs

·Bars

·Phone stores

·Non-profit and government entities

Until now Adams Morgan has not been included in the Great Streets Initiative.

On February 26th, we sent an email to a number of DC Government officials, including CM Jim Graham, about the addition of Connecticut Avenue to the Great Streets Intiative. Connecticut Avenue was added during the FY2014 budget however the grant deadline was in February 2014. This raised serious concerns because for most people there is not any section of Connecticut Avenue throughout the District of Columbia that could be considered ‘emerging’ by any definition.

In response, on March 4th, CM Graham introduced legislation to add Adams Morgan (and other Ward 1 neighborhoods) to the program, see for the complete legislation: http://dcclims1.dccouncil.us/images/00001/20140306164538.pdf

The boundaries as written in the legislation need to be expanded to include all of the AMPBID boundaries but this is a great start and we are appreciative. Stay tuned for news about the hearing and we hope we can count on your support!

Reminder: Rock 'n' Roll Marathon rolls through Adams Morgan on Saturday!

Don't forget!

Road closures in the Adams Morgan area this Saturday, March 15 for the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon!

Detailed information including the course map, street by street road closure grid, meter/bump cross points, no park zones, alternate routes and directions, and a helpful interactive map also are available on our community website at: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/usa/road-closures

Questions?  Contact:

Karen Havill Bingham

Community Relations | Event Insurance

Competitor Group Inc.

P: 615.216.6091 | C: 615.828.1435

E: kbingham@competitorgroup.com

Hierarchy's next event: March 15th to benefit Sitar Center

Please join the hyper-local events outfit, Raise Your City , at Adams Morgan's newest venue Hierarchy on Saturday, March 15th at 9:00 PM with The Intentional for a special evening of music, art, and philanthropy.

Profits will go to one of Adams Morgan's favorite non-profits, Sitar Arts Center . Tickets are $10 in advance and $20 at the door .

Music by Pleasure Curses , The Walking Sticks , Wanted Man , and DJ Provoke
Art Exhibition by: Kelly Towles
Live Painting by: Rose Jaffe
Photography by: Studio 1527

Raise Your City is a social movement bringing grassroots fundraising, arts and music promotions, and city partnerships to new frontiers. Our virtuous nightlife movement welcomes non-profits, musicians, artists, and businesses that share a commitment to orchestrating social change in their community.

Sitar Arts Center provides after-school, weekend and summer classes in the visual arts, music, drama, dance, digital arts and creative writing to over 700 students a year. Through a compassionate community, opportunities for growth and skill-building, high expectations, caring adult mentors and helping students discover their inherent gifts, Sitar transforms the lives of the District's children and youth. www.sitarartscenter.org

Reminder: Taste of Adams Morgan - April 29th

Taste of Adams Morgan

Interested in attracting new patrons to your business and raising money for a worthwhile cause?  Then we have the event for you!

Mary’s Center and the Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District (AMPBID) would like to invite the restaurants of Adams Morgan to participate in the Second Annual Taste of Adams Morgan set for Tuesday, April 29th, from 5:30-9pm.

Last year’s event raised over $3,500 and we need YOU to make this year’s event an even greater success!

Similar to last year, Taste of Adams Morgan will provide city-goers with a chance to sample from Adams Morgan’s best restaurants while supporting their neighborhood and Mary’s Center, in the process.

Tickets will be available for purchase online as well as the day of the event with proceeds going to Mary’s Center.  Each ticket may be redeemed for one pre-fix “taste” at the participating restaurants, so with tickets in hand, attendees can stroll down 18th Street at their leisure, ready to whet their whistles and partake in some of the best dishes that Adams Morgan has to offer.

Not familiar with Mary’s Center?

Just off of 18th Street at the corner of Ontario and Kalorama (we are neighbors!), Mary’s Center’s bustling main offices have been serving the DC metro area since 1988.  Entering our 26th year, with now six locations and two mobile medical units, Mary’s Center continues to fulfill its mission of building better futures through the delivery of health care, education, and social services.  We embrace culturally diverse communities and provide them with the highest quality of care, regardless of ability to pay.  Learn more about President/CEO Maria Gomez and Mary’s Center on our website: www.maryscenter.org .

Interested in participating in Taste of Adams Morgan ?  For more details, please contact Monique Perry at mperry@maryscenter.org or call (202) 420-7113.

The Way Home Campaign to end homelessness in DC

Adams Morgan Businesses are Invited to Partner with The Way Home Campaign to End Chronic Homelessness

Each day, many of you who own bars, restaurants and storefronts are confronted with the effects of homelessness: people forced to sleep behind loading docks or battle mental illness in the public. After the police have been called, disturbances die down, but as we all know, these steps don't lead to a lasting solution.
But there is a lasting solution: "Housing First." Housing that is permanent, affordable, combined with supportive services (PSH) and prioritized for those that are most vulnerable to ensure those who need housing most get housing first. The housing first model worked for both Salt Lake City and Phoenix, which have both ended chronic veterans homelessness this year.
The Way Home Campaign is working to end chronic homelessness across the District by 2017 by fully funding the "Housing First" model. With already over a thousand supporters, the campaign has gained a lot of momentum since its launch in January of this year. The campaign has met with the Mayor and nearly all of the council members and candidates. But there is more to do.
The Campaign would like to invite Adams Morgan businesses to become campaign partners and join the other local businesses, non-profits, advocacy groups and faith based organizations supporting the end to chronic homelessness. Your expertise, your networks, and relationships with customers are incredibly valuable in marshaling support for this great cause. In return, as its been shown, we believe that customers reward companies that are engaged in their community.
If you have any interest in or questions about partnering with The Way Home Campaign, please feel free to call Olivier Kamanda (202) 386- 2926 or email kamanda@gmail.com .

Registration is now open for BTWD - May 16th, 2014

Bike to Work Day 2014 - May 16th

On Friday May 16, 2014 Commuter Connections and, Adams Morgan non-profit, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) invites you to join over 10,000 area commuters for a celebration of bicycling as a clean, fun, and healthy way to get to work. Attend one of 79 pit stops throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia to receive refreshments, and be entered into a raffle for bicycles being given away. Free T-shirts available at pit stops to the first 14,000 who register and attend.

The BTWD web site has launched and registration is now open: www.biketoworkmetrodc.org

We have partnered with City Bikes for our Adams Morgan pit stop again. They will be donating a bike for the raffle and will have their very popular bike clinic too. Any Adams Morgan business is welcome to participate that morning by donating give aways and food for the more than 400 people who come through.