by David Bardin The venerable Committee of 100 for the Federal City has announced through its chairman, George Clark (of Forest Hills), that one of its five 2012 Vision Awards will go to a remarkable project. Here are excerpts from my nomination of RiverSmart Washington: RiverSmart Washington is a partnership led by the District Department […]
Ask the Tree Expert: Healthy Diversity
By Bill Eck ISA Certified Arborist MA-4657A Who decides which kinds of city trees to plant and where? And how do they make their decisions? I did a little research online and it looks like DC’s Department of Urban Forestry has the responsibility for planting along the city streets. I’m very curious about how […]
High-Rise Life: Rent Control 101
by Barbara Cline Rent control is one of the city’s longest-established and most significant policies for maintaining affordable housing in the city. Our Forest Hills high-rise community contains over a dozen apartment buildings that fall into this category. Ward 3 has the second-largest number of units which are “potentially subject to rent control,” according to […]
New Zoning Regulations: Don’t Be Too Detached
Marjorie Rachlin has done a lot of sleuthing on behalf of Forest Hills Connection into the current effort to rewrite decades-old zoning regulations. Here’s her take on how this will affect neighborhood homeowners. by Marjorie Rachlin DC Office of Planning (OP) is in the midst of a major rewrite of the zoning regulations, and some […]
Downspout Initiative: $50 Rebate Program
Reposted with permission from the Rock Creek Conservancy District homeowners can help reduce polluted runoff by disconnecting downspouts for $50 each! When it rains, water from rooftops runs into gutters and then through downspouts. “Connected” downspouts send rainwater directly into the storm/sewer system. Downspouts that divert water to driveways, sidewalks, or alleys are “indirectly” connected. […]
High-Rise Life: Guess Who’s Coming To Town?
by Barbara Cline Remember that charming couple you sat next to at a recent family wedding? Those people who are your second cousins twice-removed and live in California? You remember the fun you all had, particularly after the third (or was it the fourth?) champagne toast to the newlyweds. And then you impulsively invited them […]
A Sewer Runs Through It: DC Water Presentation
By Ken Terzian An April 24th community meeting with a presentation by DC Water General Manager George Hawkins gave neighbors lots of information about challenges, successes, and plans for improvement throughout the water and sewer system. With an increase in the 2013 budget being proposed to their board, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer […]
Ask the Tree Expert: Emerald Ash Borer
By Bill Eck ISA Certified Arborist MA-4657A The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was first introduced from Asia into the port of Detroit in the 1990s. It has since killed upwards of 100 million ash trees in 14 states, and it threatens to kill an estimated 7.5 billion ash trees in North America. EAB has now […]
High-Rise Life: Caught Up in the Laundry Room Spin Cycle
By Barbara Cline Have you ever gotten up at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning to do a load of laundry because you know you will have to compete with 100 other people for those eight machines? You quietly dash onto the elevator and ride downstairs to check if any machines […]