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City Cast DC

 on how WMATA should redevelop the two-acre site around the Brookland-CUA station. The goal is to increase ridership by adding more housing and retail to the area. Tristan Navera from Washington Business Journal 

The redevelopment is part of a 10-year strategic plan passed earlier this year that emphasizes more development in underused areas around stations. Metro says the Brookland station renovation could support almost 500,000 square feet of new construction, generating 320,000 more trips per year.

Right now, a parking lot and bus turnaround surround the station. While it sees a fair amount of traffic, the land could be more efficiently used in a fairly congested urban area.

WMATA is considering adding around 400 apartments with possible retail on the first floor. But it’s still up for debate. At the public hearing last week, people said they want grocery stores, bike lanes, affordable housing, and more.

“I think the best outcome will be if everybody compromises a little, and this site changes into something respectful of the neighborhood. But it’s gonna be a struggle,” said Navera. Get your voice in the mix and 

🎧 But first, get more details

Tomorrow is your last chance to weigh in on how WMATA should redevelop the two-acre site around the Brookland-CUA station. The goal is to increase ridership by adding more housing and retail to the area. 

Brookland Metro Is Getting an Upgrade

Local Civics

D.C.’s got some of the big changes coming to local transit this fall. Here are the big four you need to know about:

 and letters to the system’s color-coded line names. But it’s starting with a smaller change: directional indicators like “West towards Virginia” on digital maps in stations to make navigation easier.

Metro is also rolling out all door bus boarding this fall (with new fare boxes at the back door too) to speed up the boarding and decrease delays. It is also replacing the decades-old fare boxes with ones that process SmarTrip taps faster.

All D.C. buses will now be equipped with dash cameras to catch and fine drivers blocking bus lanes or stops. Metro says blocked bus lanes are slowing buses down to an average of 9.8 mph. This change should improve service.

You’ve probably seen the 5-foot-tall, saloon door-style fare gates being put up in some Metro stations. Metro claims they have cut down fare evasion by more than 70%. They soon plan to soon have the beefed-up gates at all 98 stations.

Want more details? We covered these changes and more on our podcast. 

4 Metro Updates You Need To Know

COVID-19 hospitalizations in D.C. have been rising this summer, but it definitely doesn’t feel like a pandemic out here. Everyone's out and about. So how seriously should we be taking this? We asked Politico health reporter Chelsea Ciruzzo what we should be doing.

Hospitalizations in D.C. have risen 29% between June and July, meanwhile in Maryland they rose 39% in the same time frame and Virginia rose 15%. The majority of cases are from a new variant EG.5. Although these numbers might seem alarming, they are still far below what they were during the peak pandemic. The community 

Sadly, D.C. has discontinued its free rapid testing program. The easiest way to get a test is at your local drugstore. They run between $10 - $25. You can also pick one up from your doctor's office or order them on Amazon for quick delivery. PCR testing is only available at your doctor and 

Cirruzzo adds that “DC Health is taking their stockpile of tests and masks and giving them to community organizations, which will be handing them out at local events,” so keep an eye out.

A new booste​​r is expected to get FDA approval in mid-September, with shots available later this fall. Cirruzzo confirmed that D.C. has already ordered the vaccines, which they will give to public and private providers. But this time, you need to go through your doctor or pharmacy to get it using insurance.

Stay true to the best practices we all know and love. Masking, washing hands, and staying home when you’re feeling sick to protect others.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in D.C. have been rising this summer, but it doesn’t feel like a pandemic out here. Everyone's out and about. So how seriously should we be taking this? 

Staying On Top of DC's COVID-19 Surge

Earlier this week, D.C.’s 911 call center acknowledged they made a dispatch error that delayed the emergency response to a flooded doggy daycare the week before. The 911 dispatcher told firefighters that the business simply had a water leak, creating a lack of urgency.

The mistake caused an almost 30-minute delay in the emergency response, and 10 dogs drowned. The agency blamed staff shortages, but this is far from the first time the call center has messed up.

The agency has had consistent systemic problems for years. In the last three years alone, they have confirmed over 11 mistakes.

Dave Statter, who has been covering the agency for 40 years, told us, “They make mistakes and don't seem to learn from them. Things like delaying calls, bad addresses, not noticing that a call needs to be dispatched, or not paying attention to what the caller is saying.”

A follow-up audit of D.C.’s 911 system in March found it only implemented 

 deemed necessary to bring it up to national standards.

Statter says the problems come from a lack of training, poor management, bad pay, and poor standard operating procedures that have been ignored by city leadership. “[911 center workers] aren’t equipped to succeed – from having the right policies and procedures to having the right bosses above them,” said Statter.

 to make sure your calls are heard … and understood.

Earlier this week, D.C.’s 911 call center made a dispatch error that delayed the emergency response to a flooded doggy daycare. The agency blamed staff shortages, but this is far from the first time the call center has messed up.

Why DC’s 911 System Needs Fixing 

Finally, FINALLY, progress is being made on the McMillan sand filtration site on North Capitol Street NW. The development would turn the overgrown 25-acre industrial lot in the middle of D.C. into housing and community space called the Reservoir District.

 while red tape, local squabbles, and multiple lawsuits held up development. Mike Neibauer who's been covering it for the Washington Business Journal says, “There were protests, there were appeals, there were protests about the appeals. There were people chaining themselves to things.”

But finally, we are past all that, and the city is free to start developing the site.

Local leaders have promised that the unused space will become a park, community center, and pool as early as next year. Then, the city is bringing in developers to build out retail, 146 town homes, two new apartment buildings, restaurants, and allegedly, a Harris Teeter by 2026.

As it is, the corridor feels more like a highway with the National Children's Hospital to the north, so the city is doing everything it can to lure people in, including giving it a fancy PR name: the Reservoir District.

Some residents opposed giving one of D.C.’s few open spaces away to developers. “There were all sorts of arguments against it,” said Neibauer, “It's too tall, too dense, that it's gonna cause a traffic nightmare. It's not next to the Metro.” However, the pros of more housing, boosted economic development, and walkability ultimately prevailed.

I lived by this site for years and am personally thrilled to see it turn into something functional for the public (not to mention close-by groceries!).

“I'm just glad to see it move forward, because in the end, what you have is a derelict site that’s historic and deserves to be something,” concluded Neibauer. 

 on our podcast, then tell us what you think of it!

What do you think about the Reservoir District?

Progress is being made on the McMillan site on North Capitol Street NW. The development would turn the overgrown 25-acre industrial lot in the middle of D.C. into housing and community space called the Reservoir District.

The McMillan Reservoir Is Getting Developed

Finally, local and federal leaders (and myself) can agree on something. Pennsylvania Avenue needs a redo. They’ve agreed to overhaul the thoroughfare, and it could fundamentally change how we use downtown.

The plan is to replace the 1.2-mile strip connecting the Capitol and the White House with a pedestrian-friendly boulevard reminiscent of Paris’ Champs-Élysées. The mock-ups depict fewer or no car lanes, more green spaces, pop-up markets and cafes, art displays, and event spaces.

The National Capital Planning Commission released three concepts for public review last year and is using the feedback to narrow down the options. Two consultant teams join the project this fall: one to make a final master design and another to implement it

Right now, the iconic avenue has light traffic and few businesses, but it’s frequently shut down for protests, events, and funeral processions. The new designs would permanently enshrine space for these community events rather than cars.

Mayor Murial Bowser says the redesign is central to the city’s downtown recovery plan. “To truly unlock the full potential of Downtown DC, we must reimagine a new future for Pennsylvania Avenue,” Bowser 

It will be another two years before the plans are even finalized and longer still until one is implemented. However, the city is also planning some shorter-term enhancements like better sidewalk connectivity and more bike and transit space in the interim.

What do you think of the new look?

Here's What Penn Ave. Could Look Like

Congressman James Comer (R-KY) has introduced legislation that could give the old RFK site back to D.C. and bring the Commanders back to the District after years of playing at Fedex Field.

Right now the site is owned by the Department of Interior. Its lease with D.C. only runs until 2038 and can only be used for sports and recreation. This has hindered the city's ability to attract developers and start new projects there. 

 Congress is considering giving D.C. a 99-year extension on the lease, with no use restrictions.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has been a strong champion for returning the Commanders to RFK, even going around city officials to ask House Republicans to work with her on it.

According to Washington Post Commanders beat reporter Sam Fortier, the team desperately wants out of the dilapidated Fedex Field which they’ve played in for nearly two decades.

“The fan base of this team has degraded in the last 24 years under Dan Snyder. Being at RFK, which people call the spiritual home of this franchise, would do immeasurable good and would be a fig leaf to the fan base,” Fortier told City Cast DC.

As of July 2022, the majority of the D.C. Council opposed a new stadium at the RFK site, saying the land could be put to better use. However, two of those members are no longer there and Mayor Muriel Bowser continues to be enthusiastically supportive. “What the council thinks is a major question. And we won't know until it comes down to a vote,” said Fortier.

Our podcast City Cast DC covered what the new Commanders ownership could mean for this debate.

New owner, new stadium?

Could the Commanders Return to DC?

The Smithsonian Institution’s Asian Pacific American Center abruptly canceled the 

 weeks before it was scheduled. This year’s event was going to be the first since 2019 and was highly anticipated by the community.

They cited “unforeseen circumstances,” but partners of the festival feel the cancellation may be rooted in censorship of trans and nonbinary Asian American voices.

 condemning the decision to cancel. They wrote that the decision compounds violence against Asian American communities and is dismissive of their work.

The Smithsonian allegedly flagged the festival's trans programming as being too controversial. The event was canceled shortly after, raising “disturbing questions” for partners of the festival. Authors of the letter wrote they were “deeply troubled” by this.

The signatories request the resignation of the acting director of APAC and a promise to reschedule the festival in 2024. They also demanded to have a stand-alone Trans and Nonbinary Reading Room event this year.

The Smithsonian Institution’s Asian Pacific American Center in Washington, D.C. abruptly canceled the festival weeks before it was scheduled. Here's why. 

Smithsonian's Asian American Literature Festival Chaotically Canceled

Smithsonian Literature Festival Chaotically Canceled 

There's a big debate happening in Shaw over potential new condos at 1515 Ninth Street NW. A local developer wants to replace the vacant building and parking lot with a six-story-high, 45-unit building. But some residents see the development as a "monstrosity" that will ruin the neighborhood.

Shaw resident Brian Janovitz’s home would abut the new development and believes it will “exacerbate all the existing problems in the area — rats in the alley, lack of parking — but it’ll also change the aesthetic and character [of the neighborhood].”

The developer, Monarch Urban, bought the property and adjacent parking lot in February from Shiloh Baptist Church, who had previously used it as a daycare but not for a while. Eighteen percent of thehe proposed new building’s units would be affordable housing.

The Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for the area, Alex Padro, believes the building would enrich Shaw and D.C. generally. “An empty parking lot doesn't serve anyone,” Padro said. “And additional housing is a top priority for the city and for the neighborhood.” Plus, he says construction is nothing new to the neighborhood. But some residents say this reasoning is faulty.

The project has garnered over 50 letters, with dozens strongly opposed. But the project is still expected to proceed. Most leaders and organizations in the area have given the green light.

The ANC zoning committee is recessed in August but will make a decision on the development this fall. We had Padro and Janovitz on our podcast so you can 

Should new condos fit "neighborhood character"?

DC Neighborhood Shaw Debates If New Building Must Fit Community Character

Shaw Condo Meets Resident Pushback

Last week, more than 160 people testified at 

. It’s meant to address the District's rising crime rates and would mean harsher sentences, more court discretion, and tighter security.

The hearing highlighted long-running tensions in the city. Those in favor say stricter policies are the only way to get a handle on crime. Others find the bill a return to the failed “tough on crime” policies of the past.

Increase the penalties for gun-related crimes and possession.

Increase the reimbursement available for home security systems.

Tilt the scales toward more pretrial detention.

Give judges more discretion in releasing felons under the 

Permit DNA collection from sexual assault suspects earlier in the legal process

The bill’s provisions are complicated, to put it lightly. Aside from the dozens of ANCs, returning citizens, business owners, and advocates who all expressed conflicting views on the issue, there was also a 

 impasse, with the U.S. Attorney for D.C. for the bill, and the city’s attorney general strongly against it. Confusing.

Overall, violent crime in the District has spiked 21% this year, and homicides have been at levels not seen since the ‘90s. The majority of these have been in Black-majority neighborhoods in Southeast. 

 that out of the 111 homicides this year, 71 of them have been in Wards 7 and 8.

Members of the D.C. Council are likely to debate the bill next week, before closing their spring session.

Last week, more than 160 people testified at D.C. Council’s public safety hearing to discuss Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed anti-crime bill. It’s meant to address the District's rising crime rates and would mean harsher sentences, more court discretion, and tighter security.