4500 WISCONSIN RENOVATION CELEBRATION
From: "Laura Young" <lyoung@madisonretail.com>
Attached please find an invitation for a Renovation Celebration at 4500
Wisconsin Avenue to be held on January 29.  Armond Spikell informed me
that you have an e:mail distribution list that you could use to forward
this invitation around.  We would be very appreciative if you could
forward to everyone linked to this project because we would love a large
turnout.
Name of web site: << Invitation for Renovation.pdf >>
Type:  Acrobat (application/pdf)
Encoding: base64
Laura Young
Director of Marketing & Research
Madison Retail Group

-----------
From: KS -- the above web site has a neat picture of what the building
will look like with the addition.
 
 
 

RETAIL INFORMATIONAL MEETING
From: "Carolyn Long" <carolynlong@earthlink.net>
For those who were unable to attend, here is a report on the Retail
Informational Meeting of January 15. The Upper Wisconsin Avenue Corridor
is divided into Friendship Heights, "Middle Wisconsin," and Tenleytown.
We were given a dose of reality from Len Harris of the Retail Services
Group regarding the sorts of businesses we can expect to come into the
currently under-served areas of Middle Wisconsin and Tenleytown. With
the exception of the former Sears Building (owned by Madison
Retail/Roadside Developers) and the 4500 block of Wisconsin including
(among others) a mattress store, American Valet dry cleaner, Tenley
Liquor, Radio Shack, Moto Photo, Payless, Fresh Fields/Hollywood
Video/Circle Park (owned by George Pedas) the rest of  the Tenleytown
business district and Middle Wisconsin is owned by individual landlords.
This is very different from Friendship Heights and Bethesda Row, which
are each owned by a single developer. This enables the owner to have
control over the sorts of businesses that go into these attractive and
highly successful shopping areas. For those worried about Tenleytown
turning into another Friendship or  Bethesda, according to Mr. Harris,
"it'll never happen," unless one developer buys up all those small
buildings. On the other hand, now that it's official that Best Buys (and
probably Container Store) are coming into the Sears Building, the
individual landlords in the 4400 block and elsewhere may be motivated to
upgrade their buildings and we can expect that to attract other
retailers to Tenleytown, at last shedding our shabby image. Retailers
are concerned with such issues as size, location, rent, linear footage
on the street, overall appearance of the building, and other tenants in
the building.

Most neighbors have expressed the desire for independent retailers
rather than chains. Two things are at work here: landlords would rather
rent to chains because they have a proven track record--they aren't
going to fail. But chains are accustomed to the suburbs, where they can
build a "big box" of 100,000 square feet, or to strip malls where they
get 30 x 100 feet. Nowhere in Tenleytown is that sort of space
available, so we aren't likely to get WalMart, Target, Home Depot, or
the like, or even chains that have smaller stores, like The Gap.
Independent retailers have to work extra hard and provide something
special to secure a rental space and make a success of it. That's why we
MUST support Middle C and any other such business that we're lucky
enough to get.
 
With development comes parking problems. Retailers are reluctant to go
into a place with inadequate parking. Some of us at the meeting argued
that many neighbors WALK to the stores on Wisconsin, but evidently that
doesn't matter.

Finally, we were advised not to take an "us vs them" attitude toward
developers, but to work with them. This, however, doesn't address the
question of  developers who just come in and begin construction without
meeting with the community, something that hopefully is a thing of the
past.
 
 

THANK YOU   FROM:  "COLLINS, ROBERT (OP)" <ROBERT.COLLINS@DC.GOV>
Kathy: When you send out your next communit-e newsletter, can you please
thank everyone for the tremendous response that we have received up to
this point.  Because of the large volume I have not been able to thank
everyone individually.  Also please indicate that there is still time to
send me responses to the three questions if they have not already.  I
will be forwarding you the final details on the February 3-6 Charrette
soon.
Robert Collins
Neighborhood Planning Coordinator - Ward 3
DC Office of Planning
 
 
 

BEST BUY TO MOVE INTO SEARS/HECHINGER BUILDING
**** From: <Burchard.Robert@epamail.epa.gov>
A story in the January 14 Washington Post says that we're getting a Best
Buy in the Hechingers' building.
 
 

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT
From:  <Browningcb@aol.com> (Cheryl Browning)
The next monthly meeting of Tenleytown Neighbors Association will
feature a speaker, Karina Ricks of the D.C. Office of Planning, who will
discuss Transit Oriented Development (TOD).  TOD is a city planning
concept that concentrates on areas surrounding metro stops to encourage
use of mass transit, provide for density relatively higher than
surrounding neighborhoods, provide mixed use buildings (such as what the
Hechinger building will be), and create a public center that is
pedestrian-friendly.  The meeting will be held on Thursday, February 13,
7 pm, at the Tenley Library (4450 Wisconsin Avenue), second floor.  All
are invited.
 
 
 

OTHER COMMENTS ON WISCONSIN AVENUE DEVELOPMENT
**** From:  "Evan Wilson" <oryannave@hotmail.com>
Thru: tenleytown@yahoogroups.com
A hardware store would be great as would a walmart or target type store.
Curently you have to go out to the burbs to get to this kind of store
which needless to say is a really big pain in the butt!

**** From: "Donna Gregory" <donnagregory77@hotmail.com>
The best things about Wisconsin Avenue: You can get things you want
close by, things that families and average people might want or need
including:
---  a bite to eat at a reasonable restaurant with decent atmosphere
including GUAPOS and Buon Appetito among others. A movie (4 theaters is
even more than one could hope for) but where to go afterward. The
Cheesecake factory  overflows...
---  a book or CD for yourself or gift at a book store
---  basic stuff at Linen N Things
---  a A LIBRARY book for yourself or your kids (very important cultural
place)
---  A thingamajig basic item or specialty item at Rodmans
---  Starbucks for coffee (could use a competitor)
---  PAYLESS! and LORD AND TAYLOR and HECHTS, Hollywood and Fresh
Fields.

THE WORST thing is traffic and parking.  Stop and go in front of MAZZA
traffic. Speeding on Wisconsin. Nowhere to park to run in and get
something.  Having to PAY $5 to park at Chevy Chase Pavillion.  Having
pedestrians jaywalk so you fear for their lives at your hands.

The priority should be to keep the area traffic from getting any worse
while at the same time adding missing elements. We do need the hardware
store as well as funky interesting places like Middle C (indep owned)
and what I would also call a smaller Target or Wallmart for basics.
AND NO we don't want our neighborhood to be a cut thru. VAN Ness in the
morning is backed up to 43rd at times. Someone needs to fix that!!

WE all HATE to have to drive 20 miles to the mall and spend our money in
MD and VA.  I did this on Sat. I drove all of 3 miles downtown (I know I
should have take the metro) to a store that had what I wanted and
couldn't find reasonable parking so I went to Pentagon City Mall.  It
was not where I wanted to be!!!

Probably the major impediment will be the people of the neighborhood. We
have many interests to consider. Janney is a major consideration if you
are going to add housing in high rises. I agree we don't want more
Mattress Stores. Personally I am concerned about traffic, speeding and
noise.

This process seems like a good start.  Hope somebody smart with good
people skills --who really listens and uses the info-- is in charge in
DC. (Not like the American University development disaster).
 

**** From: "Carolyn Long" <carolynlong@earthlink.net>
1. What is the best of Wisconsin Avenue--key qualities and assets?
---- Wisconsin Avenue is a short walk from the charming, low-scale,
single-family neighborhoods that abut it on either side. One seldom
needs to use a car, with Metrorail and Metrobus so easily accessible.
---- At present, the blocks on either side of the Tenleytown Metro have
several businesses and restaurants that my husband and I use frequently:
Middle C, Fresh Fields, CVS, American Valet, Tenley Liquor, El Guapo
Mexican Restaurant, Starbucks, Subway, Hibachi Brothers, and Framers'
Workroom. The Tenley Library is a great asset. Also within walking
distance is the Post Office and Johnson's Flower and Garden Center, and
a little further up the Avenue is another cluster of desirable
restaurants-Mediterranean Deli (Lebanese), Buon Appitito (Italian), and
a Thai restaurant.

The 1926 Masonic Temple building (4443 Wisconsin) has just been
beautifully restored; the American University building (formerly
Immaculata College), St. Ann's Church, and Eldebrooke Methodist Church
are fine buildings. These would be worthy of landmark designation.

 2. What are your ideas for improvement, and what do you see as
impediments to these
improvements?
Ideas for improvement:
---- The intersection of Wisconsin and Albemarle, site of the Metro
station, is the heart of Tenleytown. The four corners of this
intersection should be graced with outstanding architecture. The fact
that we're going to get a new library is a perfect opportunity to
replace that shabby 1959 box with something really exciting. The city
should hire a top architect to design something compatible with the
to-be-renovated Sears Building across the street. Then we need buildings
that are equally good on the east side of Wisconsin; these sites are
presently underutilized and unsightly.
---- The rest of the two-block area is an architectural hodgepodge. A
few of the store buildings have charm (American Valet and El Guapo plus
another one at the end of the 4400 block, presently occupied by a
Chinese carry-out), but most of them could be replaced or at least get a
"facade lift."
---- I am particularly offended by the ugly hulk of the Wisconsin
Building (4435 Wisconsin) that abuts the lovely Masonic Temple.
---- Into these better-looking buildings we need to attract better
businesses: bookstore, restaurants, antiques, toys, housewares, art
gallery, clothing store, office supplies, and especially a small
hardware store (not a big-box Home Depot or Lowes).
----  Replace the surface parking lots at CVS, Domino's Pizza, and
Payless Shoes with buildings of 2-4 stories that would have retail or
restaurants facing the street and hide a multi-level parking garage
behind an attractive facade.
---- Reconfigure the Fresh Fields/Hollywood Video/Circle Park structure.
Move Hollywood Video to a new location and expand Fresh Fields, putting
a safe and attractive pedestrian entrance in front. One must currently
walk through an ally lined with trash dumpsters and compete with cars
entering the parking garage. Enclose the parking decks with an
attractive facade.

Impediments to improvement:
---- I suspect that given the present shabby appearance of Wisconsin
Avenue, business owners look and move on. The area around the Metro is
particularly unsightly. There are SIXTY newspaper boxes around the Metro
station on the east side-many are filled with trash. Metro uses the
surrounding sidewalk as a staging area for escalator repair. It has
become a hang-out for youths who may appear threatening to some. The
area is often strewn with trash. It may also be that some of the
impediment to attracting desirable businesses rests with the
landlords/rental agents-without knowing their policies, I cannot comment
further.
---- Walking in the area of Wisconsin, Albemarle, 40th Street, and Fort
Drive is dangerous. Drivers disregard the rights of pedestrians in the
crosswalks.

3. What are the priorities--where should we start?
---- Get every landlord and rental agent for the commercial properties
on board with this project. Especially-now that the mattress store at
the corner of Albemarle and Wisconsin (4445) has moved out, persuade the
landlord (Jemal?) to find a more desirable tenant.
---- Ensure that the city budgets adequate funds for the new library-not
only a beautiful building, but staff, books, furniture, and equipment.
---- Get rid of the big tower!
---- Clean up the area around the Tenleytown Metro station.
---- Ensure pedestrian safety.

--------
You might want to call your readers attention to an article in the
Post's Business section, Monday, Jan. 13, about how hard it was for
developers to bring about the changes on Bethesda Row. Although I don't
think most people want Tenleytown to up as upscale and shee-shee as
Bethesda Row, a somewhat more "home-town" version of this is what at
least some of us have in mind. How hard will it be to get the present
building owners or new developers to invest in this?
--------
As you might have seen in the Business section of yesterday's Post, Best
Buys in definitely coming into the old Sears store at Wisconsin and
Albemarle. They plan to open next fall. I would not like to see a
WalMart in our neighborhood--I can tell you so many awful things about
this company. Target has nice merchandise. But the problem with both
these chains is that they are "big box" stores with no windows,
surrounded by huge parking lots. Unless they'd be willing to modify
their standard plan and give us some decent architecture (which they'd
never do--this is one reason Home Depot didn't meet the challenge of the
Sears building) I wouldn't want them
in Tenleytown.
 

**** From: <Pavukmatt@aol.com> (Cheryl Browning & Matt Pavuk )
We are responding to the three questions that were propounded to the
community about the Wisconsin Avenue commercial corridor.  We very much
appreciate the opportunity to have our views considered during this
process.

Just to give you some background, we are both attorneys in private
practice who have lived in Tenleytown since August 1983.  At that time,
Tenleytown was still a fairly seedy place, with several massage parlors,
an infamous strip joint and a number of rowdy bars.  While some of the
more questionable elements on the commercial strip have moved on, we are
concerned about the shabby commercial corridor and very much want to
have a say about both what is needed in this area, and what should be
preserved.  Cheryl is president and both of us are directors of
Tenleytown Neighbors Association, which is a neighborhood organization
striving to emphasize the history of this area while improving its
appearance.

 We have decided to respond to the questions propounded in an outline
format.
1.  Good things on Wisconsin Avenue
a) The mix of retail is generally good (except for the lack of a
hardware store).  We like the fact that a number of the stores are not
chains and are smaller in scope and size.  We are very concerned about
the model that the commercial developer has used on Connecticut Avenue
around Dupont Circle: which was apparently to hike up the rents to the
point that the only people interested and available to pay the freight
are chain merchandisers.  We want to make sure that redevelopment does
not drive out the barber shop, the restaurants, the liquor store, the
dry cleaners, the music store, the antiques shop (at Fessenden), the
framing store, the used CD store, etc. - stores that give the
neighborhood its character.
b) There is a nice mix of restaurants.  Many of them are not chain
restaurants (or restaurants with only a few branches.)  Many of them are
affordable, with a few high end restaurants (Murasaki, Matisse) thrown
into the mix.  Then there is the Steak and Egg Kitchen--cheap and retro.
c) Residents are within walking distance to the subway, Fort Reno Park,
the library, schools of all levels and many commercial establishments.
d) There are pockets of excellent landscaping, including Tenley Circle,
AU Tenley Campus grounds and Tenley Hill complex (in back).
Preservation of the few existing trees (especially at Tenley Circle)
should be encouraged.
e) There are two exceptional mixed use projects.  Tenley Hill has a nice
design, landscaping and has installed an excellent bakery in the ground
floor.  The complex at 4000 Wisconsin (west side)--brick in keeping with
surrounding area, nice shops, nice design, in scale with surrounding
areas.
f) Restaurants with sidewalk cafes add to the charm of the streetscape.
(Guapos, restaurants on 41st Street, Murasaki).
g)  Nice architecture of St. Ann's Church and Eldbrooke Methodist
Church.

2.  Things to change
a) Small, shabby looking commercial buildings throughout the upper
Wisconsin Avenue area, especially in the 4400 through the 4600 blocks.
They look too old-fashioned and could be taller as they are right on
Wisconsin Avenue.  These are the perfect sites for mixed use residential
and commercial projects.
b) Poorly maintained sidewalks.  The landscaping was so bad along
stretches that the neighbors try to get together several times a year to
pull weeds, mulch, etc.  Lots of trash on sidewalks.  Also, there is gum
all over the sidewalks.  There needs to be a Business Improvement
District explored (even if on a smaller scope than downtown).  The BIDs
use companies with names like "Gum Busters" to remove the gum, and have
very much helped downtown.  Possible impediments: A lot of the
commercial buildings are individually owned, and the building owners may
not want to change the buildings.  One building in the 4400 block (at
Grant Road) is historically designated.
c) The half built tower on 41st Street is horribly obtrusive and
possibly dangerous to Wisconsin Avenue traffic.  Matt noted that a few
weeks ago that ice was flying off  the existing tower at 4000 Chesapeake
and landing as far as 650 feet away.  The tower on 41st Street is well
within 650 feet of Wisconsin Avenue.  Possible impediments: The court
could rule in favor of American Tower Company and allow them to complete
the tower on 41st Street.
d) There is not enough public parking now, and if retailers move in who
are dependent on car traffic, then more parking needs to be provided.
There is essentially no parking for Ward 3 residents who want to take
Metro downtown but do not live near Tenleytown; the one commercial lot
charges $20 per day - we believe that is to discourage Metro commuters
from parking there so that they can service Whole Foods and other local
retailers.

3.  Priorities
a) Gum and trash--probably the easiest to solve so it is listed first.
The merchants need to band together in some fashion to correct these
problems and the work needs to be on-going.  A Business Improvement
District is indicated.
b) Shabby commercial buildings need to be replaced with structures more
appropriate to a main city thoroughfare.  It seems that if the right mix
of office and residential spaced is allowed above the existing
commercial corridor, then rents for the businesses at ground level can
be set at rates which will allow the neighborhood businesses and the non
chains to survive.  This should be a requirement for any variances
sought in building along the commercial strip.
c) Parking needs to be carefully planned and expanded.
d) District needs to maintain its stance against the tower on 41st
Street.

SECONDARY STUDY AREA
1.  Good things
a)  Stable, well-kept neighborhood with diverse population and a nice
mix of house styles.
b) There is a lot of green space, nice yards, older trees and federal
parkland to enjoy.
c)   There are older homes,  many on Grant Road historically designated.
d)   Tenleytown Neighbors Association is working on putting a Heritage
Trail into Tenleytown, in conjunction with the D.C. Heritage Tourism
Coalition.  This is designed to bring in tourists who are interested in
history walks, and hopefully they will also patronize neighborhood
merchants.

2.  Things to change
a) The National Park Service should be urged to develop a master plan
for the entire Fort Reno Park site, with some public amenities such as
benches, picnic tables, and trails.  Currently, the Park Service seems
intent on developing the park piece-meal, concentrating only on soccer
fields.  Possible impediments: unknown.
b) The schools need to be upgraded and improved.  While the public
schools in Tenleytown have generally good reputations, Janney is too
small, and all three are suffering from lack of capital maintenance
budget.  Developers should be required to contribute to school
maintenance fund. Likewise, the horribly designed library is scheduled
to be torn down and rebuilt, and developers should be required to
contribute to its maintenance fund as well.  Possible impediments: some
proposed projects might not require zoning variances, and hence, it
might be difficult to negotiate amenities.

3.  Priorities
a) Not changing the nature of the residential neighborhood from single
family homes and duplexes unless and until housing options on Wisconsin
Avenue are exhausted.
b) Having a plan for contributions by developers on large scale projects
which will funnel additional resources into the public library and the
schools.
c) Approaching the National Park Service about a master site plan.

Please feel free to call us if you have any additional questions.
Matt's work number is (202) 371-0962 and Cheryl's is (202) 887-1779.
 

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