Palisades Safeway to close
The Palisades Safeway, operating in the Palisades since 1942 at 4865 MacArthur, has been sold to a developer and will close on May 4th. The developer Trammel Crow has signed a long-term lease for the site but has not communicated with the community as to its future plans.
Verizon announces it will bring 5G to DC by year end
Verizon recently announced that it would be bringing its next generation wireless technology – 5G Ultra Wideband – to D.C. by the end of the year. Making the announcement alongside a preorder promotion for the Samsung S10 5G phone (exclusive to Verizon), the company also announced 19 other cities who will soon experience mobile speeds of up to 1 gbps, low latency gaming, faster download times and high definition video calling.
Mayor proposes major changes for K Street under Transitway project
Mayor Muriel Bowser showcased her plans to design and build the K Street Transitway, a major streetscape project on K Street NW. “The K Street Transitway project will transform Downtown with dedicated bus lanes, protected bike lanes, redesigned sidewalks, and safer intersections to help keep DC moving and growing,” she said.
The Mayor’s 2020 Budget proposal allocates $122.1 million for the K Street Transitway, a major redesign of K Street NW between 12th and 21st Streets NW, that would created a dedicated busway in the middle of the road, get rid of shielded turn lanes, and essentially remove the street’s parking lanes.
DDOT is updating the preliminary design of the project before beginning public meetings this summer to share information about the plans for the project and receive feedback from key stakeholders and the public.
DPW reopens free Food Waste Drop-off Program
Department of Public Works (DPW) reopened its free Food Waste Drop-Off program at the Uptown Farmers’ Market in Ward 4 and Brookland Farmers’ Market in Ward 5. Residents can bring their food waste to be composted at these markets in addition to the three year-round sites in Columbia Heights, Dupont Circle, and Eastern Market. Additional locations in Wards 2, 3, 7, and 8 will reopen for the season in May and June.
The food waste collected at these drop-off locations is composted locally at District community composting sites and at the Prince George’s County Organics Compost facility. Residents are encouraged to drop off food scraps of vegetables, fruits, grain, bread, pasta, and coffee grounds. A complete list of accepted items is available on DPW’s website.
Cheh introduces bill to accelerate building of more bike lanes
After the death of bicycle advocate Dave Salovesh, DC lawmakers are hoping to accelerate the building of protected bike lanes.
Modeled on her previous legislation to foster construction of more sidewalks, Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh’s latest bill intends to speed up the process of building new bike lanes by requiring DDOT to install protected bike lanes — that are already in the city’s long-range transportation plan — whenever the agency does major repairs on the road in question.
“… ‘Legislatively, I can’t build a road or cycle track. We’ve already said these are the places where we want a cycle track. Now, linked to repairs or reconstruction, you must do this. That’s our legislative mandate,’ Cheh said.
