Just a month after Target left the Park n’ Shop Plaza on Connecticut Avenue at Ordway Street, the new restaurant food hall will open its doors with a grand opening event on Dec. 4.

Liliana and Paulito Maslog, husband and wife and residents of Cleveland Park, said they are excited for Wonder to join the neighborhood.

Liliana Maslog was especially excited.

“You can choose whatever you want. We don’t have to decide anymore,” she said.

She shared that in her family of three, choosing dinner can be a difficult task, especially if everyone wants something different. She said that it makes things easier to be able to go to just one place rather than several places.

Paulito Maslog said he has never heard of Wonder before, but he saw the new sign and had to check it out. The couple said they are both excited for something like this to be so close.

“It is nice because it’s convenient,” Liliana Maslog said.

Jamie No, a resident of Cleveland Park, said she is happy for Wonder to open. No said she is happy that a food-hall-type place is coming to her neighborhood.

Jay Bose, a commissioner on Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C, said the ANC has not received any negative input nor concerns from residents in Cleveland Park.

“I think people are more curious than anything. I will say that in general, people here are usually happy to see new restaurants coming to the neighborhood — I haven’t gotten the impression that it will harm our existing restaurants,” Bose stated.

Bose also said that he thought with all the disruptions to D.C.’s economy, any new businesses are welcome to the neighborhood. Bose said that he has not heard concerns from the already existing businesses in Cleveland Park.

partners with “celebrated chefs and restaurants” and brings the food and menus to local communities. Wonder allows for in-person dining or takeout.

Wonder has several locations around the DMV area.

According to Wonder’s website, the company sources its food from sustainable farming practices, including sourcing meat and poultry that is humanely raised and processed.

The website said that Wonder tries to have zero waste at all of its consumer locations.

“Our goal is to leverage our real estate to make a positive environmental impact,” according to the website.

The grand opening of Wonder in Cleveland Park is scheduled for Dec. 4, with the ribbon cutting happening at 4:30 p.m. According to the event page on , the first 100 guests will receive a special Wonder gift.

Wonder did not respond to request for comment.

The post New food hall set to open in Cleveland Park first appeared on 91����.

Femme Fatale was recently awarded funds from Mayor Muriel Bowser’s , a government grant that aims to provide much-needed support for equity-impact businesses that seek to purchase commercial property in the District.��

With the grant’s help, the team was able to purchase its current retail space located in the 3400 block of Cleveland Park’s commercial corridor. Inside, you find multiple stands with miscellaneous items from different female and non-binary-owned businesses.��

Cee Smith, the chief executive officer of Femme Fatale, said the business started up as a pop-up in 2016. She said the collective would move through different neighborhoods as a pop-up before deciding to settle in Cleveland Park.��

“Essentially, we would go into the community and revitalize unused commercial space to use it as a pop-up and then move on to the next neighborhood,” Smith said. “Cleveland Park had a good neighborhood demographic and supported our needs, and it just made sense to come back and make it our permanent space.” 

According to its , the collective’s mission includes amplifying the influence of women by providing inspiration and practical support.

Smith said the team found out its current location was for sale earlier in the year. She said it made sense for the collective to pursue the goal of purchasing a space they can call its own.��

“We’ve been moving around for seven years now,” she said. “It made sense for us to take this huge next step as it was a better-supported location for, not only our business, but the community itself.” 

Intending to purchase the space, Smith said she started looking for resources and came across CPAF. She realized her business qualified to apply and decided to go through with the process.��

“It was a very grueling process. So much paperwork, so many details,” she said. “But without the grant, we would not have been able to purchase the building. So, it came exactly when we needed it. We are extremely grateful.” 

According to the CPAF’s , requirements include being a resident-owned enterprise, a small business that is at least 51% owned by an economically disadvantaged individual, or having been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias.

The program is one of many in the District providing financial opportunities to small businesses. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s , other funding opportunities include SBA’s , which assists companies with export development, and COVID-19 relief financial assistance.

Nick Rajpara, an economic development specialist at the U.S. Small Business Administration, said it is very common for small businesses to seek help from grants provided by local and federal governments, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.��

“A lot of the grants offered come mostly from local governments,” Rajpara said. “Now that we’re going back to normal operations, it is not seen as much but most businesses still seek the help.” 

According to the , small business owners continue facing challenges, such as rising inflation and supply chain disruptions, that pose a threat to their business operations.��

Rajpara said, in recent years, there’s been a growth in not only small businesses, but people launching new companies. He said there’s been a high number, particularly among women-owned businesses.��

“During the pandemic, a lot of folks launched their own enterprises or side hustles. That created a boom,” he said.�� 

Bob Ward, the chairman of , said in Cleveland Park there’s a diverse group of merchants on the commercial corridor that tie the community together.��

“I think there’s a great satisfaction of being able to live in a neighborhood where all your daily needs are met,” Ward said. “It makes the commercial area very important to people who live here and those visiting.” 

Mia Lily, a college student who frequently walks by the Cleveland Park area, said she believes small businesses are as essential in a community as retail chains.��

“I think they’re in some part the core of a community,” Lily said. “They create a more personal experience, you know? The owners make you feel more welcomed than what you feel at a Target, for example.”

For Femme Fatale, Smith said the future holds big things now that the collective has its own, permanent space.��

“We’re looking for different ways to expand and grow now that we have our flagship location,” she said. “We want to continue our mission of bringing customer sales and support to the women entrepreneurs of D.C.” 

There are at least 70,000 small businesses in the District, according to the Department of Small and Local Business Development. from SBA shows that almost 50% of employees in the city work in small businesses.��

The post ‘A huge step’: How a small business in Cleveland Park pushed to remain in the community first appeared on 91����.

Cleveland Park’s home prices were up 5.7% compared to last year, with only 20 homes selling last month, realty company Redfin . Redfin also found rental prices have also increased 12.4% over the past year.��

Bob Ward, the chair of , an urbanist advocacy group, said many people want to live in the neighborhood, but prices force renters and prospective homebuyers to look elsewhere.��

“I know many people who rented in this area and want to take the next step with their families but can’t afford it,” Ward said. “So, they look at other places in the city where it’s not as expensive to live as here.” 

Ward said the rise in housing prices in the area, and nationally, comes down to something simple: supply and demand.��

“You got demand, and you’re not changing the supply equation,” he said. “Rents will go up when there are not enough places for people to live to meet the demand of people wanting to live there.” 

According to from realty company Long and Foster, the District’s housing supply remains incredibly low as demand remains high. The median price for a home in D.C. is currently at $620,000, a 2% increase from last month. In Cleveland Park, the median price is at $420,000, according to .

Jessica Lautz, the deputy chief economist and vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors, said it’s very difficult for homebuyers to find a property because of limited inventory, posing realtors and buyers with a problem.��

“A realtor’s job is becoming difficult because they need to be able to find a buyer the perfect property,” Lautz said. “The market right now makes it difficult because buyers may not be able to actually afford the home they want given the rising rates.” 

According to new from the National Association of Realtors, the number of homes sold in the United States dropped by 21% over the past year. That’s on top of an 18% decline the year before, indicating the housing market continues to slow down amid rising price tags.��

Avi Adler, the president of the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors, said realtors in the area are extremely busy even though supply is lower and interest rates are higher.��

“Despite having less inventory and higher interest rates, realtors have to work as hard,” Adler said. “You still have buyers looking for homes and sellers trying to sell in a competitive market.”  

The Greater Capital Association of Realtors serves more than 11,000 realtors and affiliate members in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., according to the organization’s .��

Adler said one of the biggest factors contributing to the rise in prices is the lack of inventory, causing prospective homeowners to not venture into the current housing market.��

“There are fewer buyers in the market due to higher rates, but there are even fewer sellers,” he said. “As a result, you’re seeing in the area properties that are selling above list price.”

Last month, the D.C. Office of Planning introduced newly approved for Connecticut Avenue, a major thoroughfare for the area. The guidelines set a framework for integrating mixed-use development, with the goal of supporting housing at various income levels and household sizes.�� 

The guidelines are part of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s goal of constructing 36,000 new affordable housing units citywide by 2025. Almost 30,000 units have been built since the plan was announced in 2019, according to the mayor’s .

“Renters with extremely low incomes have struggled for a long time to find affordable housing. That problem has really been exacerbated in recent years,” said Andrew Aurand, the senior vice president of research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

According to its , the coalition pushes to achieve a racially and socially equitable public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes have quality homes. Just this month, it released a that tracks how governments use their federal funding for rental housing in their communities.��

Aurand said affordable housing programs are not adequately funded, leaving millions of renters in desperate need of assistance.��

“The private market is going to fail those renters due to lack of funding,” he said. “They don’t adequately serve those renters because we need to put more resources into those programs.”

Members of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission for Ward 3 did not respond to requests for comment.��

Frederick Gonzalez, a college student who just moved to Cleveland Park, said he is affected by the surge in prices as a renter, even seeking help from his family to afford rent in the area.��  

“Rent is crazy here,” Gonzalez said. “My parents have to help me with part of it because I just cannot do it on my own with how expensive it is.” 

The proposed from the Office of  Planning say Cleveland Park’s population has grown at about a third of the rate compared to the rest of the District and is increasingly out of reach for a growing range of household incomes, with the demographic being overwhelmingly white and wealthy.��

Ruben Tapia, a resident who just moved out of the area, said he decided to move due to his apartment building’s increasing rent.��

“Rent keeps increasing and minimum wages do not,” Tapia said. “I earn an hourly, minimum wage and couldn’t keep up with prices. So, I decided to leave.” 

Lautz said residents can encourage state and local governments to reevaluate laws, such as density restrictions, to curb the rising issue.�� 

“I do think there is a role where we can encourage local governments to reevaluate local laws to build more properties,” she said. “Looking at that can be quite helpful, as well as looking at adaptive reuse.”

Adler said he hopes interest rates will come down in 2024, as this would bring a housing market where buyers and sellers would engage in larger numbers.��

“Washington D.C. is a competitive, transient market since a lot of people come in and out of the area,” he said. “Lower rates are a key factor in seeing more engagement and a more dynamic market.”  

The Office of Planning previously told 91���� that zoning changes would be initiated in the neighborhood to encourage developments.

The post Housing prices raise concerns among Cleveland Park residents first appeared on 91����.

The Historic Preservation Review Board voted 5-0 during a last month to allow its members to consider the Bowser administration’s design guidelines for integrating high-rises into the area, which is currently lined by one and two-story buildings.��

Heba ElGawish, a senior cross-system planner with the D.C. Office of Planning, said the next steps include initiating zoning changes within Cleveland Park.��

“The housing equity report assigned the greatest production goals at approximately 2,000 affordable housing units in the area by 2025,” ElGawish said. “The next step would be to initiate these zoning changes to incentivize developments.”  

According to the , these production goals fall under Mayor Muriel Bowser’s order to address a number of housing challenges in the District.

Bob Ward, the chair of Cleveland Park Smart Growth, an advocacy group for urbanists, said many residents are skeptical of change due to the neighborhood’s historic nature.

“I think you have people who fought the good fight to make Cleveland Park a historic district,” Ward said. “They might be a little hesitant to change as a result of that.” 

According to Cleveland Park Smart Growth’s , the organization’s mission includes ensuring an economically vibrant, sustainable, and socially inclusive neighborhood in the greater Cleveland Park area.

Ward has chaired the organization since 2018. He said the advocacy group grew from a community-led effort to allow for greater density on Connecticut Avenue.��

“There are a lot of areas in the city that are attracting a lot more restaurants, retail, and exciting places,” he said. “We consider this area an opportunity-rich neighborhood that can compete with those other neighborhoods due to our schools, walkability, and metro proximity.”

The “,” crafted by the Office of Planning, seek to amend zoning regulations to allow for high-rises of up to 75 feet. Currently, the district is zoned to accommodate 40-foot-tall buildings along the area.��

During its September hearing, the Historic Preservation Review Board cautioned that its support of the guidelines does not mean the board would approve future projects, since the panel is still regulated by preservation law and needs to review each case for their own merits.��

Stephen Hansen, the executive director of Cleveland Park’s Historical Society, said the organization is not satisfied with the approved guidelines, as they contradict the Historic Preservation Board’s standards.

“We’re not satisfied with the lack of sensitivity towards historic preservation,” Hansen said. “We are not opposed to increased development, but our position is, since it is a historic district, do it right.” 

The Cleveland Park Historical Society is the neighborhood’s historic preservation organization. It was established in 1987 after the area became a national registered historic district, according to its .��

Hansen said the organization has produced its own set of design for Cleveland Park’s historic commercial corridor. In the guidelines, the organization highlights that historic preservation requires maintaining properties and places in active use, as well as accommodating improvements to sustain their viability.��

“We know there will be future development in Cleveland Park,” he said. “We just wanted it to maintain the historic character and how low-scale the neighborhood is. I hope those are protected and maintained.” 

Jill Hall, the president of the Rosedale Conservancy Board, said it is important the interests of the community are a priority when it comes to development.��

“Whatever is done, I hope it is done responsibly and with the best interest of the community in mind,” she said.��

The Rosedale Conservancy, a green space long recognized as Cleveland Park’s “village green,” is protected from development in perpetuity due to residents’ efforts to preserve the property and keep it open to the public, according to the group’s .��

Hall said the space brings the community together, as many residents consider it an urban oasis and the heart of the neighborhood.��

“The more we can do to bring people together in the community, the better,” she said. “We’re lucky that this land existed, that it was undeveloped, and that the community was able to find a way to preserve it.” 

Members of the  Advisory Neighborhood Commission for Ward 3 did not respond to requests for comment.��

Thomas Schneider, the owner and operator of Native Roots Conservation Landscaping, said the community is very engaged in preserving historical, green spaces in the area.

“The ‘not in my backyard’ factor is very strong,” Schneider said. “So, the threat to Cleveland Park is not as strong as in other areas.”  

The administration guidelines also work to set a framework for integrating mixed-use development, with the goal of supporting the need for housing at various income levels and household sizes while sustaining a commercial corridor for residents and visitors.��

The say Cleveland Park’s population has grown at about a third of the rate of the rest of the District in the past decade and is increasingly out of reach for a growing range of household incomes, with the demographic being overwhelmingly white and wealthy.

ElGawish said the goal of implementing the new guidelines is to speed up the production of affordable housing in the area.

“Part of the update to the comprehensive plan was to look at where can we accommodate this type of growth and opportunities,” she said. “We discovered that was primarily looking at transit corridors like Connecticut Avenue.”

ElGawish said the design guidelines are the first to bridge smart growth planning with historic preservation goals, especially when it comes to housing affordability.��

“We can really look at them as setting a precedent for how historic districts and preservation can really contribute to District-wide goals of housing equity,” she said.�� 

Ward said change cannot happen overnight in the neighborhood, but he will be supporting a  process that benefits the community even if it takes years.��

“At the end of the day, you got to make decisions that are best for the neighborhood,” he said. “If what they’re proposing is good for the community, then I’m going to be there to support.” 

The city is seeking the construction of 36,000 new housing units by 2025, according to the mayor’s . Almost 30,000 units have been built citywide since the plan’s announcement in 2019.

The post Cleveland Park residents concerned as city advances Connecticut Avenue design guidelines first appeared on 91����.

Holding big, colorful signs, more than a dozen people rallied about two hours on the 3400 block of Connecticut Avenue to protest the city’s plan to add protected bike lanes on the road. They were soon joined by a smaller group of counter protestors voicing support for the project.

The proposed bike lanes would be part of larger changes envisioned for the 2.7-mile stretch of Connecticut Avenue between Cleveland Park and Chevy Chase. According to the District’s Department of Transportation’s , the project’s goals and benefits include reducing crashes and enhancing safety for all roadway users.

Lee Mayer, the president of Save Connecticut Avenue, an organization that opposes the city’s plan, said the protest’s purpose is to spread his organization’s main message: “No bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue.”

Too Dangerous for Bikes.

“Riding a bike on Connecticut Avenue is way too dangerous,” Mayer said. “This organization is not against bike lanes. We’re just against them in this area.”

Mayer said his organization has been protesting the project since 2019, with members even starting a petition against it last year. He said bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue would not be safe for drivers, pedestrians, and even cyclists.

“Protected bike lanes aren’t protected where there are intersections and driveways,” he said. “We are even worried about cyclists, even though they don’t want to listen.”

Ron Kahn, a member of Save Connecticut Avenue, opposes the bike lane project. He said he came from his home in Chevy Chase, Md. to stand with protesters, adding that government officials are not considering the input of residents.

“We are fighting DDOT because their planning process is very flawed,” Kahn said. “They do not consider the input of citizens, especially the elderly. They just make decisions and don’t communicate.”

Sheryl Barnes, a long-time Cleveland Park resident, said the project could impact her day-to-day. She said she had to implement changes into her routine due to current construction projects going on in the area.

“I don’t shop here anymore,” Barnes said, pointing to the businesses along the crosswalk. “I live down the street, and I used to come here. Now, it’s very difficult to get parking, so I don’t do it anymore.”

Bikers Buy Stuff.

“This project has been going on for the past 4 years,” said Steve Seelig, a member of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.

91����ington Area Bicyclist Association founded the “I Bike, I Buy Stuff” campaign to promote support for the bike lane project. According to its , the campaign focuses on reminding business owners on Connecticut Avenue that many of their customers are people who bike.

Standing a few feet away from the Save Connecticut Avenue members, Seelig said he came out to the area on his bike to speak out against the organization’s members. He said the implementation of a bike lane in the area will keep commuters safe, including himself.

“I’m a senior citizen! I ride my bike!” he said. “The notion that elderly people are somehow disadvantaged by having bike lanes is just a false statement. If there is not a bike lane here, I won’t be able to do it.”

Avni Gokser, a cyclist from the area and supporter of the project, said it is important to have a bike lane on a busy street like Connecticut Avenue.

“I’ve been riding in this area for almost 40 years,” Gokser said. “It is important to have a bike lane in this area.”

DDOT plans to have the concept designs for the project finalized by fall of 2o23.�� Seelig said his group will keep pushing for the project to move forward.

“This our street. We live here and we want it to be safer,” he said. “We want there to be a bike lane so everyone has a safe place to be.”

More than 100 miles of protected bike lanes now exist throughout the District, according to the mayor’s .

The post Residents take to the street to argue over bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue first appeared on 91����.

The Endangered Animals Art Project will consist of 10 sculptures placed on lamp posts along Connecticut Avenue, each depicting an endangered animal local to the region.

“We want it to feel as local as possible and really relevant to where we are because public art has to do with where we’re situated,” project manager Hannah Jacobson Blumenfeld said. “We want to honor that and reflect that in the sculpture.”

The District’s only endangered species — the Hay’s spring amphipod — is currently the one animal confirmed to be featured in the project. A tiny freshwater crustacean shaped like a shrimp, it is found exclusively in Rock Creek Park.

The amphipod is colorless and semitransparent because it lives mostly underground, although the upcoming sculpture may take some liberties with its pigment.

“That’s sort of our mascot because it is very, very specific to Rock Creek Park,” Blumenfeld said. “Which feels special and important to showcase that.”

Carolina Mayorga, the project’s lead artist, is creating the Hay’s spring amphipod piece. The rest of the artists have yet to be decided but they will all be local residents like Mayorga. Blumenfeld said an artist interest form would go live this week and a panel will be organized later to choose the creators.

The project’s organizers plan to complete installation around fall 2023. Each lamp post will have a unique QR code attached to it that leads to information on the sculpture, its artist, the represented animal and anyone who sponsored it.

One sculpture will be placed outside the Woodley Park Metro station, with another near the Cleveland Park Metro stop. The rest of the art will be located on the east side of Connecticut Avenue, the same side of the street as the National Zoo.��

Blumenfeld said the chosen posts are spaced out evenly to create a sense of connection between the two neighborhoods.

“The idea of connecting neighborhoods through a walking path and using sculpture and art as a wayfinding mechanism is a really special part of this project,” Blumenfeld said.

Cleveland Park Main Street, Woodley Park Main Street and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop partnered to organize the project.

CPMS Manager Cassandra Hetherington said the idea came from her wanting more public art in the area, as well as something to further connect the two neighborhoods to the zoo.

“It’s a way of really creating community through public art,” Hetherington said.

While the art project is divided between Woodley Park and Cleveland Park, WPMS Executive Director Robert Meins said the two neighborhoods both have the same interest in highlighting the zoo, which brings a lot of customers to local businesses.

The art project will also be a hub for community events. This includes scavenger hunts leading people to each sculpture and trick-or-treating at the lamp posts on Halloween.��

Hetherington said she wants to have afternoon concerts at each installation with local musicians playing songs about animals. Meins said it would be “fantastic” to have an expert from the Smithsonian Institution or World Wildlife Fund deliver a talk about the endangered animals.

The project draws inspiration from the in Capitol Hill, which Blumenfeld also managed for CHAW. Installed in 2014 and expanded in 2020, it features 20 animal sculptures illustrating various lettered street signs in southeast D.C.

Blumenfeld said her experience with the previous installation helped her better prepare for the endangered animal project’s logistical requirements.�� 

“Working in a public space brings different constraints, but also leads to increased creativity,” Blumenfeld said.

The art needs to be placed at a certain height on the lamp posts to — the alphabet animal project’s original koala went missing soon after being installed. The sculptures must also be made with specific materials that last in the elements. They cannot weigh more than seven pounds because of wind, Blumenfeld said, but also need enough holes so air can blow through.

The project is currently in the fundraising stage. Hetherington said the organizers need to raise a little under $20,000 before applying for matching funds from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Fundraising efforts will focus on both individual donations and larger business and nonprofit sponsors.��

The organizers will host fundraising events next year, including a trivia night in February run by Capital Trivia, Hetherington said. Prospective players should expect some questions about endangered animals.

Hetherington said the project has already received positive feedback from the public. The Advisory Neighborhood Commissions serving Woodley Park and Cleveland Park have also expressed support, as well as the neighborhoods’ citizens associations, Meins said.

“I think after two and a half years of the [COVID-19] pandemic, people really want to be involved in something that is positive and that brings people together,” Meins said.

The post New street art project will bring endangered animals to northwest DC first appeared on 91����.

After reading comments from other Cleveland Park residents on the internet, Lebert realized he was not the only one who wanted a cafe close by.

“I wanted to get out there and say there’s demand for a coffee shop,” Lebert said.

In September, Lebert started a called ‘Cleveland Park Needs a Coffee Shop.’ On it, he now interacts frequently with local Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, people who live and work in Cleveland Park and even the regional chain Compass Coffee.

“His Twitter account has really caught on because there’s such a high demand for [a coffee shop],” said Bob Ward, Cleveland Park Smart Growth chair.

Cleveland Park was once home to multiple coffee shops — including the first Starbucks on the East Coast, which .��

For Lebert, the closest coffee shop is a Starbucks in Van Ness. The trip is about 12 minutes one way, which Lebert said is not feasible when going out on his lunch break. The closest independent cafe to Lebert is further north in Van Ness, requiring an even longer bus ride.��

Alongside a convenient caffeine fix, Lebert said a nearby coffee shop could also offer an alternative workspace in a city full of teleworkers. As of August, over half of the District reported working from home at least part of the week, according to the .

Such a workspace would benefit Cassandra Hetherington, manager of the District Bridges Cleveland Park Main Street program. Hetherington does not have an office in Cleveland Park and said she works out of whichever business lets her stay and use its internet when in the neighborhood.

“Every person that talks about what Cleveland Park needs, [a coffee shop] is really the first thing that they say,” Hetherington said.

Lebert said he hopes the movement has started conversations on how to bring new businesses to Cleveland Park, which has seen multiple neighborhood shops close recently.��

“The coffee shop is part of this broader goal of bringing some growth and life to Cleveland Park,” Lebert said.��

The neighborhood has multiple available lots well suited for a cafe, partially due to said recent closures, according to Lebert and Ward. These spaces are all on Cleveland Park’s main street near the Cleveland Park Metro station.

A few examples include the recently closed Al Volo restaurant space with its large outdoor patio. The former California Tortilla shop inside the historic Sam’s Park and Shop also has both a patio and a large indoor seating capacity.

The lot once home to St. Arnold’s Mussel Bar is another potential location with its large windows and seating options both indoors and outdoors. The retail space currently being added to the Macklin apartment building will include a public seating area “perfect” for a coffee shop, Ward said.��

“We have no shortage of places to put a coffee shop,” Ward said. “We just need an intrepid investor who’s willing to take a risk on Cleveland Park.”

While the neighborhood is open to whichever coffee shop comes first, there is a preference for a local D.C. brand. Lebert said it would fit well in the neighborhood, which is already home to many locally owned shops and restaurants.

“So many of the best coffee shops in the city are run by people who come from the city, live in the city, and that would be nice to see,” Lebert said.��

While some of Cleveland Park’s restaurants do have coffee on their menus, Lebert said these offerings are not the same as a sit-down cafe. To him, the desire for a full coffee shop is also about “so much more than just the coffee.”

Lebert said a coffee shop is an important “third place” — a term in sociology referring to a social setting outside the home or work — where people can work, meet with friends and further connect to the community. Studies these third places increase civic engagement and establish a sense of neighborhood belonging.

“A coffee shop really is one of those things that can bring a community together,” Ward said.

These benefits may soon be coming to Cleveland Park, as local officials take more interest in the calls for a cafe.

Tammy Gordon, the ANC 3C06 candidate, is running on a platform that includes bringing a coffee shop to Cleveland Park. A resident of the community for over a decade, she wants a local cafe just as much as her neighbors.

“We’re all wanting to walk up the street and get a great latte during the day,” Gordon said. “That’s just not something that really is offered.”

Gordon said her approach to bringing a coffee shop to the neighborhood would be two-fold. She plans on working with ANCs and the broader District government to make Cleveland Park as “business friendly as possible.” This includes advocating for legislation and zoning that attracts business owners to the neighborhood.

Gordon said her experience in public relations and marketing within the restaurant industry could also help secure a coffee shop in the community.

“One of the best things I can do is be an evangelist for the Cleveland Park neighborhood,” Gordon said.��

This includes utilizing her contacts in the hospitality industry and publicizing how much the neighborhood wants a coffee shop. Gordon said she could connect business owners to landlords, the main street association or other ANC commissioners to “help make their entry into Cleveland Park easier.”

“We’re really looking for that kind of business to come in and invest in our community and we want to invest in them,” Gordon said.

The post ‘Cleveland Park needs a coffee shop’ movement gains steam first appeared on 91����.

Van Thof is raising suicide awareness in other ways on her own. She places stickers around the neighborhood and its bridges reading “Don’t Jump.” An embedded QR code leads to a memorial website with an calling for the suicide barriers.��  

She continues to try to get in touch with city council members and Mayor Muriel Bowser to share the story of her late partner Dr. Peter Tripp.

Tripp, 29, died by suicide at the Taft Bridge on April 13.��

“Peter in life was so much more than everything I can say about him in death,” Van Thof said.��

The veterinarian loved to read fantasy and philosophy books and play board games. He was the oldest brother of four. Van Thof said Tripp was an “avid” platelet donor and also donated bone marrow and stem cells.

Tripp had no documented history of mental illness, did not voice concerns or struggles to his partner and had never sought mental health support, Van Thof said. If a barrier had been on the bridge, Van Thof said she believes Tripp could have received help.

“Successful suicides are impulse decisions, and that’s why this barrier is so important,” Van Thof said. “I know that if it was there, it would have cut through that impulse for Peter.” 

After recent media coverage on the barrier movement, Van Thof said she is optimistic and “definitely seeing progress.”

“It seems like there’s a lot more support than negativity,” Van Thof said.��

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is now working with her to spread awareness and lobby the necessary local politicians. Getting the word out now will hopefully streamline the project later, Van Thof said.

 “When there is an action step my goal really is to have all of D.C. behind it,” Van Thof said.��

The first step is funding, Van Thof said, followed by approval from various city and federal groups. The city then must hold public hearings to gather public opinion on the project.��

Van Thof was told it could take six months to start the process, but said she thinks it will take a couple of years before construction begins.��

“It’s going to be a long road, but it’s better to know that now and I don’t really care how long it takes,” Van Thof said.

A D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner investigation found 50% of deaths by suicide involving a bridge between January 2010 and June 2022 occurred at the Taft Bridge, ANC 3C Commissioner Janell Pagats .

The project has earned support from some members of local government

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C passed in favor of the barriers on June 22. The resolution noted barriers were built on the nearby Duke Ellington Bridge in 1986, a decrease in suicides there. Plans to build similar fencing on the Taft Bridge were made around the same time but “delayed and subsequently abandoned,” according to the resolution.

ANC 1C passed the on July 20, after Pagats shared it with ANC 1C Commissioner Fiona Clem. While a majority of the Taft Bridge falls under ANC 3C, a portion is zoned in ANC 1C.

“The bottom line is that we did this to support our neighbor,” Clem said.��

The commissioner said she believes the ANCs’ support is critical. The resolution shows “if and when” D.C. Council pursues the project, the neighbors who would be affected are behind it, Clem said.�� 

Like Van Thof, Clem is aware the project could take a long time.

“Changing infrastructure in Washington D.C. takes a while,” Clem said.

A DDOT spokesperson said currently, there are no plans to install suicide barriers on Taft Bridge, citing “extensive coordination” needed between the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission, National Park Service and State Historic Preservation Office.�� 

CFA Secretary Thomas Luebke stated in an email the organization looks forward to reviewing a design but first needs DDOT to submit a proposal.

In addition to CFA approval, Clem said D.C. Council needs to approve the project and the resulting legislation would then need approval from Congress.��

A spokesperson for D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) said Cheh thinks it is “a good idea worth exploring” and “urges” the mayor to consider funding sources.

“Barriers on bridges save lives,” said Jill Harkavy-Friedman, senior vice president of research at AFSP.��

Harkavy-Friedman stated in an email bridge barriers reduce the number of suicide deaths by 40% to 100%, depending on the location and structure.��

“Currently, the most effective tool we have for reducing the number of suicide deaths is by limiting access to lethal means because that allows time for the crisis to de-escalate and for help to arrive,” Harkavy-Friedman said.

The researcher also said studies have shown full-length barriers do not lead to suicides on nearby bridges or by other methods. A in Australia found these barriers are cost-effective. Conducted across the country, it reported a return of $2.40 for every $1 invested over 10 years on top of reduced suicide rates.�� 

After barriers are installed on Taft Bridge, Van Thof said she will turn her focus to “the rest of the bridges that kill people in D.C.” and work to pass the . Introduced in Congress last year, the bill establishes a U.S. Department of Transportation program to install bridge barriers nationwide.

“I wish none of it was necessary,” Van Thof said. “I wish I wasn’t here doing this, but this is what [Tripp] would want. This is how good of a person he was, that he would do something like this.”

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The would include adding bike lanes along the 2.7-mile stretch of Connecticut Avenue from Legation Street to Calvert Street, NW. The $4.6 million project would also remove the street’s reversible lane system, which allows traffic to flow in either direction to reduce rush-hour delays.

While vehicles driving along Connecticut Avenue may usually encounter reversible lanes, traffic has not been reversing directions during the coronavirus pandemic. But many residents hope that change becomes more permanent.

“Connecticut Avenue is our main street. … It’s where our grocery store, our pharmacy and everything else is,” said Bob Ward, a Cleveland Park resident of 17 years. “But it’s also like a commuter highway.”

Northwest residents hope that removing the reversible lane system and adding bike lanes can help make Connecticut Avenue safer and prevent confusion for drivers entering a reversible lane. Ward, who heads , a group of residents focused on development issues, said residents in the area have been concerned about safety along Connecticut Avenue for years.

Efforts to remove the reversible lane system along the traffic-heavy street date back to at least 2003, according to the reversible lane study project website.

Neighborhood commissions in Northwest D.C. have also formalized their support for reducing the speed limit for vehicles from 30 mph to 25 mph.

Robert Finley, who chairs the neighborhood commission representing Cleveland Park, Woodley Park and surrounding areas, said he noticed collective support among residents he spoke with to remove the reversible lanes along Connecticut Avenue.

Neighborhood commissioners expected to hear from the department about next steps during the summer, Finley said. They’re unsure when DDOT will announce whether it will support the proposal, go with another option that doesn’t include bike lanes or keep the reversible lanes in place.

DDOT did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.

In response to public questioning, DDOT said the proposal supported by the four neighborhood commissions is a safer option than another option which would remove the reversible lanes without implementing bike lanes. This is because it would reduce collisions between cyclists and vehicles while also keeping pedestrians safe from cyclists riding along the sidewalk.

Janell Pagats, a neighborhood commissioner who represents part of Woodley Park, said she’s witnessed various accidents and near accidents along Connecticut Avenue. Pagats has lived across the street from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for over 11 years.

Over 1,500 crashes were reported to police within the 2.7 mile Connecticut Avenue stretch during 2015 through 2019, to a report released by the department in June 2020. Over two-fifths of the collisions took place during reversible lane operation.

The study also said about a third of the crashes reported during reversible lane operation from those five years involved a pedestrian, and about a fifth involved a cyclist.

Pagats, who chooses not to drive a car, said adding bike lanes along Connecticut Avenue can also help the District move away from carbon-intensive methods of transportation.

“We need to make big, bold moves,” Pagats said.

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“Even if it doesn’t really change anything, there’s a satisfaction I have in my heart that I did my part for change and justice for the lives that have been lost,” Adejumoke said. “That’s why I did what I did. That’s why this means the world to me.”

Adejumoke is one of hundreds that congregated in front of the embassy gates Sunday in support of the #EndSARS movement, a series of protests against Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad currently spreading across Nigeria and its diasporas.

‘We are tired. Nigeria needs help.’

Calls to disband the undercover unit of the Nigerian Police Force started on Twitter in 2017 after of SARS agents abusing their power to extort money and terrorize citizens. Created in 1992 to investigate violent crimes, the unit was “” by Inspector General Ibrahim Idris following the 2017 demonstrations and pressure from Amnesty International.

The movement revitalized on Oct. 3 after a showed SARS agents fatally shooting a young man in Delta State. This sparked a series of mass demonstrations in Nigerian cities as citizens shared their experiences with SARS officers extorting bribes, sexually assaulting women, brutalizing young men and other abuses of power.

When Aminat Adedeyinbo and her cousin found out about the protests from relatives in Nigeria, they were inspired to bring the movement to D.C. They decided to contact the club promoters that typically sponsor parties in the DMV area to help mobilize the Nigerian-American community.

“The DMV is full of Nigerians and we figured if they can come out for parties, they can come out to this,” said Nonye Emecheta, one of the organizers.

Fellow organizer Emma Samuel said the American diaspora has a responsibility to use its visibility in the West to raise awareness for serious issues back in Nigeria. Adedeyinbo echoed this sentiment and said she hopes that demonstrations in the West inspire foreign governments to intervene.

“This fight is beyond Nigeria now, we’re calling on international bodies to intervene,” she said. “We are tired. Nigeria needs help.”

To date, protests have also taken place at embassies in London, Dublin, New York City, Waterloo and Southfield, Michigan.

‘Now they want to shoot us.’

Abiodun Durosinmi sees police misconduct as one of many “symptoms” of Nigeria’s bad governance, “not the root of it.” He attended the protest to express support for the movement and spontaneously decided to the crowd.

Durosinmi said the battle against corruption is an inherited fight that past generations have been fighting — one that started as a war on the British colonial regime and became a battle against the neocolonial structures that continue to oppress the Nigerian people.

Speaking for over 10 minutes, he advocated for decreasing the salaries of senior government officials and redistributing it to other civil servants, like policemen. Durosinmi argued that police officers resort to bribes and other forms of corruption “as a result of poverty and low standard of living.”

“Police personnel are like you and I. They are as hungry as I am. They are as angry as I am,” Durosinmi said. “If you don’t give quality of life to the man wearing the uniform, the man carrying the weapon, you will never see the desired change.”

This sentiment has been across the movement as and other senior officials continues to increase. Buhari announced the disbandment of SARS in a on Oct. 11, but protests continue as many argue that, without structural change, the disbandment of the unit will change very little for Nigerian citizens.

PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE: The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force has been dissolved WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

The Inspector General of Police will communicate further developments in this regard.

— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident)

Adedeyinbo and other organizers said that they will continue to organize protests in D.C. on a weekly basis until “people start to really listen.” Sunday’s demonstration was the second protest held at the embassy.

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