President's Message
/By Eric Langenbacher, president@burleith.org
I hope everyone is enjoying the fine spring weather—even if the cherry blossoms were not as magnificent as most years because of the cold snap a couple of weeks ago. There is a lot going on during this busy time of the year, so I will provide just a few highlights here.
I want to alert everyone that the Burleith Citizens Association now has a Facebook page and a Twitter account. Please check out these new resources. Big thanks to Kishan Putta for taking the lead on this.
On March 15, the BCA and the Neighborhood Study Group hosted a community meeting devoted to zoning issues, and the new 2016 zoning code in particular. Notes from the meeting will be posted on the website very soon. The main speaker was Joel Lawson, Associate Director, Development Review, from the DC Office of Planning. Important points include that Burleith is now an R-20 zone with a 35-foot height limit (unless the adjoining house is already 40 feet). Also, a new rule has recently been passed that limits house extensions to 10 feet beyond where the neighboring structure has been built-out. The Neighborhood Study Group plans to distribute a survey to the community to gauge neighbors’ opinions about the existence (or not) of development issues in the neighborhood. There will also be future meetings about the options to manage change and eventually a vote on whether or not the community wants to proceed in a specific direction.
The Arcadia book on Burleith has now been published, and I would encourage everyone to purchase a copy. One of the authors, Ross Schipper, provided a well-attended book talk at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library’s Peabody Room on March 25. The BCA is working on a book launch event for the community in May. More details will follow.
The Ellington renovation is in its last stages and the contractor has re-affirmed that everything will be ready for the start of the 2017–2018 school year. There are apparently about 300 workers on the site now with approximately 100 cars being parked on our streets. We have raised concerns repeatedly with the contractor, but there has not been relief. Once the garage is finished, some workers can park there. The city has promised continued enforcement of parking violations. We are continuing our efforts to get relief.
Finally, I would like to extend my gratitude to all of the neighbors who have volunteered their time to the community. I would also like to thank all of the advertisers who have generously supported the Burleith Bell and our website. I encourage all Burleith residents to take a look at the ads and to patronize these local businesses.