DC Public Library’s website shows that the Arthur Capper TechExpress will close at 6 p.m. every day except Thursday and will be closed on the weekend. Sobelsohn says these hours will make it difficult for people who attend school and work to use these services. He wants to see the hours extended to provide services at least one day on the weekend and later into the evening during the week.

Ěý“It will make the facility all but inaccessible to anyone with a day job and to many school-age children as well. This is unacceptable,” Sobelsohn said.

The primary interim service for the SE Library’s closure will be the Northeast Library. The TechExpress was provided to serve those that do not live a short walk from the NE Library. Sobelsohn says an extension of hours would allow more people to use it, or residents who live farther away from the NE Library would have limited access and end up having to go to the NE Library anyway.

“For people at the Potomac Gardens housing project to get to the northeast branch, that’s 1.4 miles. From the Harris Teeter, it’s 1.7 miles. We’re talking about a 30, 40-minute walk,” Sobelsohn told a community meeting.

Cindy, a Capitol Hill resident, usually takes her two children to the library on the weekends for books. She said she would struggle to make it to the Arthur Capper Community Center most days.

Ěý“With work and the kids, we usually can’t get anything done until after 5,” Cindy said.

George Williams, Media Relations Manager for DCPL, said the NE Library has sufficient resources to support incoming library users and is preparing for an influx.

Ěý“It is a full-service facility more than twice the size of the current Southeast Library, capable of accommodating a larger number of customers and providing a wide range of Library services,” Williams said in an email. “The Library is exploring augmenting staffing at the Northeast Library during the Southeast Library modernization.”

Cindy was OK with going the extra distance to the Northeast Library if the Southeast Library would get major improvements.

“It’s a short walk for us,” Cindy said. “We are excited.”

Williams said the library had received $186,000 for the TechExpress. holds pick-up, Wi-Fi and printers, and there will be no browsable collections housed at this location. The TechExpess will have access to computers, item returns and two digital navigators to assist with troubleshooting and essential services.

According to DCPL, interim services must be covered by the project budget. In June, the city council approved funds for services at the Arthur Capper Community Center, targeted to open in February.Ěý

Sobelsohn will brief the public at 6:30 p.m. about his recommendations before the final community meeting on December 14 at 7 p.m. DCPL will also announce the opening date for the Arthur Capper Center. Sobelsohn hopes the community will come out to address their concerns.Ěý

Ěý“I’m hoping that we will fill that room and that it will be a standing room only. We need to show the powers that be how much the community cares about this,” Sobelsohn said.

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“A live Christmas tree can be a really nice thing to have in your home to make you feel good about the season,” said Heilman, co-chair of the sale. “We are helping people get to know each other and come together to celebrate the season.”Ěý

Everyone Home DC is a local non-profit that aims to support people facing housing insecurity and those experiencing homelessness. This program is part of the organization’s support for families during the holiday season.Ěý

Kate Akalonu, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Everyone Home DC, described the unique challenges the holidays pose to struggling families.Ěý

“It can be a really hard time for people for lots of reasons. If you are living in poverty or without access to resources that can help you celebrate the way that you feel like you should, it can compound a lot of stress,” Akalonu said.

Everyone Home DC wants to expand its impact in the community next year with a $2.5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund. This will bolster their efforts to combat housing insecurity and support families experiencing homelessness. The grant comes at a critical time during the holiday season and will enable the organization to sustain its existing programs and create lasting change in the Capitol Hill community.

“The main criteria around the grant was that we would support more families. So that will be one thing that we’ll be building out, and then we’ll be using it to supplement our programs and find ways to be more transformative with the work that we do,” Akalonu said.

The Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, launched in 2018 by Jeff Bezos, has issued over $639 million to organizations nationwide. The grant is awarded to organizations that help families move from unsheltered homelessness and shelters to permanent housing.

Everyone Home D.C.’s programs

Everyone Home D.C. has programs throughout the city that support unhoused residents and those facing housing insecurity. They offer a Family Homelessness Prevention program that provides financial assistance and connects people with supportive resources. Everyone Home DC offers short-term rentals for families experiencing homelessness through their Rapid Re-housing program. This provides access to employment preparation services, transportation assistance, mental health services and educational training.Ěý

In Capitol Hill, Everyone Home DC funds a street outreach program that supports individuals in the Eastern Market neighborhood. This program builds relationships with unhoused people and provides services that aim to supply stable housing. They fund Shirley’s Place Day Center, which provides people experiencing homelessness with a safe place to spend their day and gain access to showers, laundry, phones, computers, and food.Ěý

In 2022, Shirley’s Place provided 1751 individuals with 5,377 meals. Everyone Home DC provided housing stabilization to 411 families facing homelessness, including 735 children and 92 families secured their own apartments through programs. The Rapid Re-housing program supported 81 families transitioning out of homelessness.

“I think that as a society, we are collectively stronger if everybody’s taken care of and if we are all taking care of each other,” Akalonu said.

D.C. Trends

According to a recent study by the , 12% of D.C. residents are experiencing housing insecurity. Children, Black and Hispanic residents, and households with children were more likely to be housing insecure compared to their representation in the D.C. population, according to the report.

One in four children ages 17 and younger face housing insecurity, with black residents in DC disproportionately affected, comprising 41% of the population, with over 60% facing housing insecurity, Akalonu said.

“We’re seeing that the numbers are trending up,” Akalonu said. “The lunches that we distribute from the day center have been increasing. So we’re definitely seeing a need there. Housing insecurity just remains a consistent concern for the city.”

Community Partnerships

Everyone Home DC partners with the community to create a network of support for residents of Capitol Hill.

“You know, Capitol Hill does have kind of a small-town feel to it. So we try to foster that small town feel where we know our neighbors, and we help our neighbors,” Heilman said.Ěý

Everyone Home DC receives support from community members and organizations across the country. Their partners include DC’s Department of Human Services, DC Central Kitchen, The Morris & Gwondolyn Cafritz Foundation and Unity Healthcare.

“We can only really accomplish the work that we do every year through the support of people in our community and all the different partners that we have,” Akalonu said.

Everyone Home DC also runs a holiday donation drive to support families during the holiday season. They accept gift cards that will be distributed to struggling families to create a meaningful holiday experience. In 2022, they distributed 500 cards to families to fund school supplies, Thanksgiving meal ingredients, and the gift-giving holiday season.

“As an organization, and with the support of our community, I think there’s just a lot of collective energy right now around the work that we’re doing,” Akalonu said. “We’re really looking forward to leaning into that and seeing what we can accomplish in the year ahead.”

Everyone Home DC is looking forward to 2024 and is currently working on expanding programs through the Bezos grant.Ěý

“We are seeing a lot of growth, and we’re just really excited about what we’re going to be able to accomplish in 2024,” Akalonu said.Ěý

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Cannabis gifting

Over 100 businesses in D.C. provide cannabis to consumers through a gifting system that is believed to be a loophole in D.C.’s Initiative 71 (I71) cannabis possession . Under this system, customers purchase a non-cannabis item, and an equivalent amount of cannabis is “gifted” to them for free.

The Medical Cannabis Amendment Act (MCAA) aims to bring many of these illegal gifting shops into the legal medical cannabis framework that already exists in D.C.Ěý

Starting November 1, 2023, applications for previously unlicensed retail stores will be accepted by D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA). This would allow retail gifting stores to receive their medical cannabis retail license.Ěý

Under the MCAA, eligible applications must not be within 400 feet of a previously submitted retailer application. Applications falling under this regulation are reviewed in the order they were submitted until the ABCA approves one.

Lisa Scott, President of the D.C. Cannabis Business Association, believes this has the potential to create a scramble for stores to be the first to submit their application, securing their location for the future.

“You have to be the first one. It’s just like first come, first serve. So if you have a store to your right and a store to your left, and they all three put their applications in, whoever gets approved first will probably be the one to stay.” Scott said.

Chander Jayaraman, the chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6B’s Alcoholic Beverage & Cannabis (ABC) Committee, believes that the licensing process will be highly competitive.Ěý

“So what’s going to happen come November one is, we’re going to have a host of these applications from different retailers, I 71 stores that are all located all around. And the limitation is that you cannot have more than one within 400 feet of each other,” Jayaraman said at an ANC meeting on October 3.

“It sets up kind of a Hunger Games kind of situation. Where the first people to get the right documents into them and get approved and approval from us. They get all the others within the same block or out,” Jayaraman said.Ěý

There are three ways to apply, online, in-person and through email.

Fred Moosally, the Director of D.C.’s ABCA, said they are ready for the rush of applications on November 1.

“It’s imperative that we have exactly who got where first. So we’ll be there. In the event folks come early, we’ll be there early to prepare for that. We’ll obviously be monitoring the activity online. In terms of the filing, making sure the systems are working, checking email. We’ve been through this experience many times through you know, liquor license moratoriums, where there’s limited amount of spots,” Moosally said.

Unlicensed stores

Andrew Frenkel, chief managing officer for Taste Budz, has seen the expansion of these unlicensed cannabis stores firsthand.

“I moved here in December, and I’ve probably seen over 100 shops open, you know, on H St. George Avenue, Georgetown, Cap Hill. I mean, these shops pop up, left and right. And the thing is, like we said, originally, they’re not; they’re thinking quick cash, they’re doing cash only, they’re not paying taxes, they have a six-month lease, and they’re just going to run it until they can’t,” Frenkel said.Ěý

Upon entering Taste Budz D.C., one is met with a well-lit, marbled space furnished with a vast array of cannabis products. Behind a security wall formerly used by a BB&T bank, “bud-tellers” assist customers. This modern experience exemplifies businesses seeking to bring greater legitimacy to the cannabis industry in D.C.

“They want it to be like a safe, peaceful environment. You know, they don’t want like, you know, as bad as it sounds like they don’t want it to be an environment that they have in their mind,” Frenkel said.Ěý

The number of unlicensed stores is much greater than seven current medically licensed stores, and the sale of medical cannabis has grown over the years.

“We’re not out here trying to be thugs and drug dealers, and all that kind of stuff. I mean, there’s a lot of consumers. If the consumer demand wasn’t there, none of this would exist,” Scott said.

Medical Cannabis Amendment Act

The MCAA became law on March 22, 2023. It eliminates the cap on the number of medical licenses available in D.C., permits adults to self-certify their medical use license, enables unlicensed gifting stores to acquire a medical license, and paves the way for businesses to become safe-use facilities where adults can consume cannabis on the premises.

Considering D.C.’s limited options, Scott sees this as a positive step forward.

“The D.C. government found a way to open the door by releasing the ceiling of how many licenses they can get out,” Scott said. “We don’t really have a choice. I mean, that’s the workaround to get people who want to be in the business.”

Before the implementation of the Medical Cannabis Amendment Act, the overarching regulation of cannabis in D.C. was guided by the Harris Rider bill, which stipulated that no funds could be used to legalize or reduce penalties associated with the recreational use of cannabis products.

Regulations

Illegal, unlicensed cannabis stores have greater autonomy over their products than medically licensed stores. Medical stores must purchase their products from other licensed producers instead of gifting stores that can source their products from producers with little oversight and regulations.

“I do think that there’s quite a bit of counterfeiting when it comes to name brand, West Coast brands,” Frenkel said. “There’s a couple of brands that people can get the packaging for and then create the product themselves because the name brand sells for more.”

The MCAA is aiming to grow the medical industry and with it, decrease the number of illegal stores. It allows illicit stores to become licensed to avoid future enforcement measures.Ěý

“There’s an opportunity for these stores to come in, become legal, not have to worry about, you know, the possibility of enforcement,” Moosally said. “The bill also contains a provision that does not have enforcement start until 315 days when the lobbying takes effect, and then the light took effect on March 22, 2023. So enforcement can’t start until January 31, 2024.”

Supply and demand

Frenkel said the store intends to apply for a medical license and, while excited about the prospects of a growing medical cannabis industry, has reservations about whether this aligns with the needs of businesses.

“The biggest issue with licensing is having enough marijuana for everyone. Because if you become a medical licensed dispensary, you’re required to get your product from licensed growers and agricultural like dispensaries in D.C., which there are very few of right now,” Frenkel said. “If all of those I71 shops go away, and there’s just a handful of medical shops, we’re all going to be at each other’s throats trying to get the best quality weed for the best price.”

To compensate for this, D.C. has already increased the number of producers and manufacturers that are able to supply medically licensed stores to meet the demands of a growing industry.

“There’s several large cultivation centers, two to be exact, that are expected to open in the first half of 2024 that are rather large. We’ve had thus far, as of October 23, We’ve had 68 cultivation center applications that we processed,” Moosally said. “In addition, there’s existing cultivation centers already open, that have the ability to increase their capacity, as more stores come in on board. They’ll be able to increase how much cultivation cannabis they produce.

Customers

Frenkel said the current system works for people and isn’t sure a large push towards a regulated medical industry is best for consumers.

“I think consumers want it to be as easy and discreet as possible. It’s like buying alcohol, no one has to know, they can use cash, they can use a card,” Frenkel said. “I think with the medical side, there’s a lot more things you have to do to get through the door that is going to turn people away.”

Medical cannabis in DC

Medical cannabis sales have steadily risen since its establishment in D.C., even with competition from I71 gifting stores. As of September 2023, sales have reached $2,679,127 more than they did in September 2022 and have more than doubled sales over the same period in 2019, according to ABCA

The MCAA also aims to provide restitution to those harmed by cannabis laws. It requires that social equity applicants are issued at least 50% of all new licenses, and 75% of their application and licensing fees are waived for the first three years, according to the ABCA website.

The number of approved social equity applicants determines the number of future medical cannabis retailers.

"The amount of non-social equity applicants we can issue during this open application period is solely based on how many social equity applicants we get. So, if we get 20 social equity applicants, we can approve 20 from non-social equity applicants. So that'll be a huge factor in terms of how many get approved, will be based on how many social equity applicants apply," Moosally said.

The best example of who might qualify under this program is anĚý individual related to someone who has been convicted of a drug-related offense and has an income that does not exceed 150% of the median family income.

“It's for people who have been harmed through the criminal system. And the people, these people who wanted to be in a business, but they weren't able to get licenses and actually become a legal business,” Scott said. “So it's basically reparations for social equity, for social equity applicants. It's basically reparations.”

D.C.'s cannabis landscape is set to change quickly in the coming months. It is navigating a path towards greater legitimacy, regulation, and social equity that is marked by both excitement and concerns as it strives to meet the needs of consumers and businesses.Ěý

“We won’t wait until the end of the period at the end of January to start processing. We'll start processing them on November 1,” Moosally said.

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A large police presence closed Van Ness Street between Connecticut Ave and Reno Road Wednesday night. This area is the location of many embassies, including China’s, Ghana’s and Pakistan’s.

Similar protests have taken place across the world this week. Protesters in Jordan attempted to access the U.S. Embassy, and large groups of protesters have rallied in Greece, Lebanon, Egypt, and Turkey.

Since the attack, Israel has bombed the Gaza Strip, leaving over 2,000 people dead, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Samia, a protester who did not give her last name out of fear of backlash, said, “The world is protesting everywhere.”

This demonstration follows protests at the Capitol, where hundreds were arrested calling for a cease-fire in Gaza Wednesday.

Samia said protesting in front of the Israeli Embassy was important to her and her family. “It felt like it was the closest I could get to being in Palestine and showing my disgust to the Israelis,” Samia said.

Protesters had a moment of silence for those lost in an explosion at a Palestinian hospital Tuesday that killed hundreds.

President Biden visited the Middle East this week, and some protesters in the District on Wednesday criticized the Biden Administration’s support of Israel.

“I wish the U.S. government would wise up and understand that as great a country as it is, it needs to get its principles straight, and it needs to stand behind humans and human rights because this is not a Palestinian-Israeli issue; it’s a human issue,” Samia said.

More protests are planned around D.C. this week as the situation in the Middle East continues to develop.

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Demonstrators dawned keffiyehs, flags and traditional Palestinian garb as they chanted “Cease fire now” and “Free free Palestine.”Ěý

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) organized the march to support the Palestinian people in the wake of the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Taher Herzallah, a member of AMP, helped lead the protesters.Ěý

“We gather today under the raindrops as our families in Gaza are enduring the drops of missiles on their homes,” Herzallah said. “This act of genocide that we are witnessing in real-time, all green-lit and supported by this White House right here, shame.”

The march started in Lafayette Square and circled the block, marching through the Black Lives Matter Plaza, finishing directly in front of the White House with the crowd chanting “Biden, Biden you can’t hide.”

Palestinian militants led by Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on Israel on October 7. Israel retaliated by attacking Gaza with missiles, killing civilians and military targets.Ěý

Hamas has killed about 1,300 people in Israel as of Saturday, according to Israeli officials. Israel has killed about 2,000 people, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Moshe Rosen, a Jewish supporter of Palestine, said that he was there because the Israeli government’s actions did not reflect every Jewish person’s values. He supported Palestinians’ grievances with their treatment by the Israeli government.Ěý

“There is a build-up of frustration, and it comes to a point where people say we tried a diplomatic way and it’s not working, and it explodes,” Rosen said. “In essence, you could call Gaza one of the largest prisons in the world.”

Rosen criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions towards the people in Gaza in response to the initial attack.Ěý

“They just want to go home; they just want to live in peace,” Rosen said. Other Jewish protesters held signs that read, “U.S. Jews say Netanyahu and his far-right govt. do not represent us,” and “Israel does not speak for us.

“In no way of form what’s going on in Israel reflects on our Jewish values,” Rosen said. “Anti-Zionism is not Anti-Judaism, Israel and Judaism are separate.”

Gaza has faced economic hardships and has lacked necessities like food, water and medical care for about 16 years under an Israeli blockade, according to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on October 9 vowed a “complete siege” of Gaza and cut off all the entry of supplies, fuel and humanitarian aid to the 2.3 million people living in the strip.

An Egyptian-American Christian, Ian Tennison, chanted with the demonstrators and said this was a human rights issue. He said he stands with Palestinians who are affected by Israel’s response.Ěý

“I’m out here to show the Palestinians that other Arabs are listening, other Arabs are with you,” Tennison said. “Many American Jews are on our side because they rightfully acknowledge that genocide, apartheid, settler colonialism are not Jewish values and in reality are things that they have been subjected to for centuries.”Ěý

Tennison said, “This is a war off of occupation, settler colonialism,” and affects all Arabs, not just Palestinians.

Jinan Deena, a D.C. resident, joined the protest to stand in solidarity with her family, who is sheltering in the West Bank.

“I’m protesting for the freedom and liberation of the Palestinian people and we need an immediate ceasefire, we need humanitarian aid to reach Gaza,” Deena said. “We just want people to understand that Palestinians are human, and as much as people are calling for peace, peace can not come without freedom.”

Deena said people not familiar with the history of Palestine need to understand the conflict did not begin just this month.

“Palestinians have been under occupation for 75 years,” Deena said. “They have been brutalized, they have been ethnically cleansed, homes demolished, schools bombed, and I really want people to give humanity to the Palestinian people above all else.”

Israel has ordered the evacuation of roughly one million Palestinians in the northern part of Gaza. This has intensified the already devastating effects on its estimated two million citizens and is a step towards a reported ground invasion by Israeli troops.Ěý

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ĚýDCPL and Little District Books took part in Banned Books Week, an annual event that seeks to bring awareness to movements that limit literature access and celebrate the freedom to read.

Amir Younes, a Little District Books employee, emphasized the importance of these events to bring awareness to the growing trend of censorship in public libraries nationwide.

“I think it’s very important to have the freedom and support the freedom to read,” Younes said.

ĚýLittle District Books and other Capitol Hill businesses participated in a DCPL scavenger hunt where challenged books were hidden for customers to find.Ěý

“So, we have a couple of banned books hidden in the store that they can take to encourage reading those stories,” Younes said.

ĚýBook bans by the numbers

ĚýIn D.C. the challenges libraries face reflect a broader national trend.

The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) recorded 1,269 attempts to censor library books and resources in 2022. This was the highest number of book ban attempts in over two decades, according to a. This number nearly doubled the 729 challenges reported in 2021.

ĚýIn 2023, the OIF recorded 1,915 unique titles that were challenged, a 20% increase from the same period in 2022, according to a. These challenges predominantly targeted books written by or about people of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community.

In recent years, banning LGBTQ+ literature has been a concerning issue for advocates.

“I think in a broader sense too, the correlation between, or just the fact that so many of the books that are either have been banned or are under review feature stories about queer folks,” Andrew Tisell, a Little District Books employee, said. “It’s about upholding the status quo, upholding heteronormativity and homophobia,” Tisell continued.

ĚýLibraries as advocates

ĚýDCPL has played a crucial role in supporting the freedom to read.

“Libraries play such an important part in our communities, so to use their spaces and platform to advocate against book bans is a really good thing,” Tisell said.

DCPL has checked out the top 13 most challenged books over 3000 times,Ěýaccording to DCPL. George Williams, a Media Relations Manager for DCPL, stated in an email, that DCPL has yet to receive challenges to items in its collection.

Ěý“DC Public Library collection development guidelines support the American Libraries’ Bill of Rights and the principles of intellectual freedom,” Williams wrote in an email to the Wash.

ĚýYounce said that DCPL’s support helps bring awareness to movements to ban books and supports efforts to increase access to marginalized voices.

“I think it’s amazing., I think that they know what they stand for, and I support it. I love DCPL, I love all the events that they do,” Younes continued.

ĚýA unique haven for the LGBTQ+ community

Ěý“All of the books here are written by queer people or have representation,” Younes said.

ĚýLittle District Books is unique because its entire selection is dedicated to historically marginalized voices and promotes the Capitol Hill neighborhood’s ability to engage with them.Ěý

“I think our store plays a really important role for the queer community at large in DC. While other stores in town do have LGBTQ+ sections, having an entire store dedicated to our voices and stories is unique,” Tisell said. “We fill a really important role in that there is a need,” Tisell continued.

Ěý

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Brian Ready is the Executive Director of Barracks Row Main Street, an organization that enhances and preserves the business community.

Ready expressed some business owners’ concerns with this project, which aims to increase the access, safety and efficiency of buses that drive along 8th Street. “Some businesses are saying that the people that are riding the bus are not necessarily people that are working or dining or enjoying what’s going on,” Ready said.

8th Street is a vital bus corridor with multiple WMATA and circulator bus lines passing through the area.

“It’s the second most important route in the whole WMATA system based on population served, geographic and network connectivity,” Andrew Grinberg, a transportation planner for DDOT, told a community meeting Thursday.

Ready said some businesses responded negatively to the changes, specifically a plan to reduce the number of parking spots along 8th Street, between E Street and I Street. “When you have something that is being used and you take it away, it will have an impact, positive or negative, I’m not sure,” Ready said.

“The proposed concept, as we have presented it right now, would result in a net loss of about 8%, so we would lose about 50 parking spots,” Grinberg said.

ĚýWhile acknowledging the efforts of DDOT, Ready suggested that there might be overlooked variables that only business owners see, such as the revenue from customers that drive from Virginia or Maryland.

“There was a lot of discussion about are we pushing cars away from 8th street, onto the side streets. Marginally, yes,” Grinberg said.

Community Outreach

In the public input phase of this project, DDOT found that community members were concerned about angled parking spaces that create traffic and safety concerns along 8th Street. “We have done a fair amount of community engagement,” Grinberg said.Ěý

Ready responded positively to the DDOT’s efforts to listen to business owners’ concerns.

“They are doing a decent job, could they do better, yes,” Ready said. “The businesses don’t have a vote on the ANC (Advisory Neighborhood Commission),” Ready added. “Many of our business owners don’t live in the district…they have less say on what goes on.”Ěý

Barracks Row Main Street is preparing a letter to DDOT to establish business owners’ input on the project. “I think the businesses are bringing up some really good points, that’s the reason I’m happy the Department of Transportation is listening to the businesses,” Ready said.

“At this point in the process, what DDOT is putting forward, we are taking feedback, we’re not saying this is a final plan,” Grinberg said.ĚýĚý

ĚýSupport from residents

Mark Sussman, founder of Hill Family Biking and a Capitol Hill resident, agreed with some of the proposed changes. “This angled parking concept works really well in Boise, Idaho; it doesn’t work really well in Washington, D.C.,” Sussman said.

Sussman believes that greater access to Barracks Row would alleviate some potential losses caused by the parking changes. “More people are going to be able to get to the corridor because bus service will be more efficient and effective. Right now, that’s not necessarily the case,” Sussman said.

Sussman believes this project will benefit businesses and the community as a whole.

“Allowing for bus lanes, that will reduce conflict along 8th Street, allowing these buses to move, and move thousands of people per day, while also keeping curbside parking for people to frequent businesses…it’s a win-win,” Sussman said.

This project is still in the concept development phase and a is available on DDOT’s website until October 10, 2023.

Ěý

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