1600 block of 17th Street NW: Looking south on 17th Street, the news sidewalks and curbs on the west side of 17th Street NW are visible. (Borderstan)
New sidewalks and curbs are being installed on the west side of 17th Street between Q and R Streets NW. It looks like the race is on to get the west side of 17th Street done in time for spring. A number of restaurants on the strip between P and R have outdoor seating. Get updates on the 17th Streetscape project at project Web site.
Severe winter weather slowed construction work on the 17th Street commercial strip. The above image shows what the area around 17th and Church Streets will look like after work is completed. (17thstreetscape.com)
The field office of the 17th Streetscape project issued another progress update on construction work. Not surprisingly, the severe temperatures and snowstorms delayed work. The question now is whether the sidewalk work will be done in time for restaurants to open their sidewalk cafes in April (look for an update here at Borderstan this week).
According to DDoT, as of February 19, “Due to the severe weather condition, the pace of the construction work was slowed down tremendously for the the last five weeks. From January 18th through February 4th, the contractor was forced to work short weekdays because of heavy rain and snow. From February 5th through February 17th, the project was totally shut down due to the heavy snow. The remaining two days of the week were devoted to snow removal, anchoring steel plates and patching asphalt damaged by snow plowing trucks. During the last two weeks all lanes on 17th Street were open for vehicle and pedestrian traffic.”
The Streetscape project is revamping the 17th Street NW corridor north of Massachusetts Avenue with brick sidewalks, new tree boxes and other improvements. The DC Department of Transportation is posting updates about the project on a mini site devoted solely to 17th Streetscape.
The first of a series of public meetings on the future of the 17th Street NW corridor takes place Wednesday evening, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at Cobalt, 1639 17th Street NW. (Photo: Luis Gomez.)
The first of a series of planning meetings on the 17th Street NW corridor (which I believe is roughly from P to S) is tomorrow evening, Wednesday, August 5, at Cobalt, which is located on the third floor at 1639 17th Street NW. The city’s streetscape project begins this fall, so this is a timely discussion and meeting.
Here are details from ANC 2B Commissioner Jack Jacobson:
There will be a public meeting on February 17 at which the final plans for the 17th Street NW Streetscape will be presented. (more…)
ANC 2B/Dupont Circle is one of the largest in the city, with nine single-member districts. (Map: ANC 2B Web site.)
Looks like the February meeting of ANC 2B/Dupont Circle on February 11 has a couple of interesting items on the agenda:
- “Final DDOT presentation of 17th St Streetscape for approval”
- “Review of Concept Plans for Whitman Walker Project (2B09)”
Cairo Liquor at the corner of 17th and Corcoran NW. (Photo: Luis Gomez, One Photograph A Day.)
Here are two takes, two wrap-ups, two reviews… on the Monday night public meeting on 17th Street NW and the liquor license moratorium that expires at the end of March:
- From Friends of Jack – Listening Session on 17th Street Moratorium.
- Greater Greater Washington – Balancing 17th Street’s retail: a moratorium, parking policy, or something else?
Note: ANC 2B Commissioner Jack Jacobson chaired the Monday night meeting on 17th Street. He represents district 4, which includes most of West Borderstan. From Jacobson’s posting on the meeting:
This will not be the only community meeting on the issue, and I was so excited that the dialogue was civil and constructive. In addition to other public meetings on the issue, I will be hosting my own meeting within my SMD to garner input from my constituents on 17th Street and the moratorium, and look forward to recieving community input from even more of you.
To make your voice heard on the 17th Street moratorium issue, please email comments to [email protected], and please include your full name and address, or your business name and address, when submitting testimony. The public comment period closes on February 11 at 7:00 p.m.
DDOT’s proposed streetscape plan for 17th Street NW. Click to enlarge image. (DDOT image via Greater Greater Washington.)
Over at Greater Greater Washington, there is a posting, “Missed opportunities on 17th Street,” that talks about the good things in the D.C. Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) proposal to spruce up 17th Street NW — and what is lacking. (You may recall that the final public meeting for input was held recently.)
Last week, DDOT presented mostly-final plans for the 17th Street streetscape redesign in Dupont Circle, from Massachusetts to New Hampshire Avenues. This busy commercial street could use a facelift. And the project will make some valuable improvements and repair run-down elements to make a positive difference for the street. Unfortunately, though, the plan is more notable for the potential improvements it doesn’t contain than those it does.
Jack Jacobson, ANC 2B-04 commissioner (courtesy Friends of Jack blog).
Jack Jacobson, ANC 2B-04 commissioner, has a brief review of Wednesday night’s final review meeting of plans for the 17th Street NW streetscape. From Jack’s blog, Friends of Jack:
Last night, DDOT held a 5th community meeting on the redesign and redevelopment of 17th Street. Although the plans are not perfect, I think they represent a very good step in the right direction, and with the community input DDOT recieved last night, I think the final plans will be even better. For sidewalk treatment, the planners listened to the community and to the ANC and have proposed a sort of concrete sidewalk – in line with DDOT’s own rules and the historic nature of the district – along with brick “edging” to give the sidewalk better visual appeal.
Jack Jacobson Contact Info
You live in Jack’s district, 04, if you live inside these boundaries: west side of 15th Street to east side of 17th Street and north side of Q Street to south side of S Street NW. If you have a question about ANC 2B issues or need help with constituent services, contact Jack at [email protected].
ANC 2B/Dupont Circle Info
- Web site
- Map (with district boundaries)
