Members of a Logan Circle church are up in arms over a plan to designate several newly created parking spaces near their house of worship as Zipcar-only spots.
Dozens of parishioners from the John Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (1615 14th St. NW) showed up to Wednesday night’s ANC 2F meeting at the Marriott Marquis in Logan Circle to loudly weigh their concerns about a request to establish “2-3 Zipcar-only street sparking spaces on the north side of Corcoran St. NW.”
Zipcar, which as recently as 2013 housed 20 vehicles in the lot that was later developed into the Corcoran at 14th, said the three requested spaces would help the company better service its customers in Logan Circle, one of its most popular service areas.
“We’re trying to replace what was a 20-space lot with really three spaces,” said Scott Hall, Zipcar’s D.C. area general manager. “We’ve been unable to find any replacements, private, public, anything. This has been the only possible solution for us to serve our membership.”
“I would rather have the residents have the parking spaces,” said ANC 2F chair John Fanning. But commissioner Kate Gordon, 2F-01, pointed out that, even if the spaces aren’t allocated for Zipcar’s use, there’s no guarantee that residents could actually use them.
“I’m always in favor of street parking,” Gordon said. “But the loss of that Zipcar lot has meant that more people have had to go out and buy cars or make other arrangements.”
“I would like to see us come up with a compromise,” she continued. “I don’t necessarily want to lose three potential parking spaces, but one or two we could absolutely allocate to Zipcar.”
Keith Spinner, John Wesley Church’s parking and transportation committee chairman, said in response that designating any spots as Zipcar-only would deprive the church’s congregation of parking spaces they originally planned on using.
“Right now, we have one spot, and that’s for the pastor,” Spinner said. “Our first lady has nowhere to park. Our secretary has nowhere to park.” (more…)
Tuesday: Work crews cut down mature female Ginkgo trees on the 1500-block of Corcoran Street NW. (Click to enlarge.)
The city cut down seven mature female Ginkgo trees Tuesday on the 1500-block of Corcoran Street NW. City officials talked to residents on the block before making the decision and will replace the Ginkgos with other varieties.
Still, it’s unnerving to see some pretty big holes in the shade canopy on the 1500 block, although I know how much nastiness and messiness they caused with their berries. (See Why Do Ginkgo Tree Berries Smell Like Dog Poo?) Efforts to spray the female trees over the years ultimately proved not enough to stem the smelly squishy berries.
The replacement of the Ginkgo trees follows the installation of brick sidewalks on this stretch of Corcoran.
UPDATE: I was looking at the site stats and noticed that this post from December 14, 2008, had gotten a lot of hits today. I guess the ginkgo trees are smelling like dog poo lately… and the berries are certainly falling on the Corcoran Street sidewalks. So… here you go: here is why Ginkgo tree berries smell like dog poo.
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I have never been able to figure out two things:
- Why would anyone would plant Ginkgo trees in a city, especially in neighborhoods with a high volume of pedestrian sidewalk traffic? (Yes, I am thinking of the 1500-block of Corcoran Street NW.)
- What makes Ginkgo tree fruit smell like dog poop? (more…)
The following two crimes occurred yesterday on Monday, July 13, in Borderstan… note that the assault on Corcoran Street occurred at 4 p.m. The robbery last night on S Street was first reported in the crime alert posting below.
Note: Remember that when you are talking on your cell phone, you are probably not paying attention to your surroundings. This is particularly dangerous late at night. Criminals target people who are talking on their cell phones at night on quiet streets. If you don’t believe me, ask an officer with the DC police.
Be careful out there, Borderstanians.
- Assault w/ a Dangerous Weapon (Gun): 1400 block of Corcoran Street NW on 7/13/2009 at 4 p.m. Complainant in the 1400 block of Corcoran Street, NW reports while talking on his cell phone in front of the listed location, an H/M suspect approached him from behind and pointed a black handgun at him and he began to scream. The suspect began screaming and fled northbound on Corcoran Street, NW. Lookout is for an H/M, 5’7″, wearing a white shirt, nothing further. Officer Daee, M., badge #2105 reporting. 1600 hours, CCN: 098-459, 3D PSA 307.
- Robbery (Fear): 1400 block of S Street NW on 7/13/2009 at 10:27 p.m. Complainant in the 1400 block of S Street, NW reports that while at the listed location, a B/M suspect approached and reached into a bag to imply that he had a weapon and stated, “Get the fu*k down on the ground or I’m going to kill you!” The complainant complied. The suspect reached into the complainants pockets while stating, “Give me what’s in your pocket!” Stolen from the complainant were a black ICE cell phone, a black Blackberry cell phone and $40.00 in U.S. Currency. The suspect fled southbound on Johnson Avenue, NW. Lookout is for a B/M, 5’6″- 5’8″, dark complexion, wearing a white tank top, black pants and a black sweater covering his face. Officer Arhin, G., badge #2077 reporting. 2227 hours, CCN: 098-635, 2D PSA 208.
“Early Fall Morning on Corcoran Street” (photo from One Photograph A Day).
It’s a beautiful fall day in the wonderful land of Borderstan. Here’s a morning pic of the 1500-block of Corcoran Street NW, courtesy of One Photograph A Day:
Washington, D.C.–Today was a beautiful Fall morning. Lupe and I went for an early walk to the park. It was crisp and sunny. The street was still quiet. It was very nice.
Borderstanians: PLEASE send us your pics… something we can post! Dogs are good!
Juno sits on her front porch on Corcoran Street NW.
Juno got all decked out last year for her first Christmas season.
- Name: Juno (Juniper Thor, if you’re fancy.)
- Sex: Female
- Age: 1-1/2 years old
- Breed: Shih Chon (Bichon–Shih Tzu mix)
- My People: Courtney and Luke
- All About Me: I like everyone! I’m very friendly, and will jump on your head, especially if you are a bigger dog. And let’s face it, everyone is bigger that I am. I enjoy long walks in the park, particularly P Street for fetch and Logan Circle for socializing, taking time to sniff the roses–and everything else, including treats. Sometimes I get popcorn, but not often. I dislike bath time, the vet, brooms, skateboards, and the vacuum cleaner. I’m very cuddly, and sometimes barky, but only when I’m bored. I adore having my tummy rubbed. Other dogs, look out! I have a tendency to snuggle up to your people–I can’t help it if you get jealous!
