1

LNVISICN ADAMS MCkGAN

nASL I

An Lxam|nat|on of the V|ta| Components that Compr|se
Adams Morgan 1oday



2


DLDICA1ICN

1bls pobllcotloo ls JeJlcoteJ to tbe ftleoJs ooJ oelqbbots of AJoms Motqoo wbo come toqetbet
to beqlo tbe looq ooJ Jlfflcolt ptocess of Jeveloploq o vlsloo fot oot commoolty.
1bey beqoo tbelt lobots lote lo tbe sptloq of 2012 ooJ bove completeJ tbe fltst leq of tbelt
jootoey lo tbe sommet of 201J. uesplte o votlety of cbolleoqes tbey temoloeJ commltteJ to
tbelt tosk ooJ tbe poqes tbot follow ote testomeot to tbelt JeJlcotloo ooJ effotts.
1bls commoolty soys tbook yoo to tbe ovlsloo AJoms Motqoo wotkloq Ctoop.
Iooe 26, 201J

3

!"#$% '( )'*!%*!+

I. Cverv|ew
1. 8ackground
2. Lnvlslon Adams Morgan: AbouL Lhe uocumenL
3. 1he Adams Morgan 8oundarles
4. PlsLory and CommunlLy CharacLer
3. opulaLlon CharacLerlsLlcs

II. Current Commun|ty L|ements and Ana|ys|s
6. Lconomlc uevelopmenL
7. Land use and Zonlng/PlsLorlc reservaLlon
8. 1ransporLaLlon
9. Pouslng
10. LnvlronmenL/SusLalnablllLy
11. CommunlLy laclllLles and Servlces
4

#,-./01234

Lnvlslon Adams Morgan" came abouL ln Lhe sprlng of 2012 ln response Lo Lhe rapld changes ln
developmenL ln Lhe Adams Morgan. CommunlLy members ofLen found Lhemselves aL odds wlLh
one anoLher over Lhe dlrecLlons LhaL varlous proposed commerclal and resldenLlal pro[ecLs
pro[ecLed for Lhe communlLy.
Whlle all of Lhe varlous facLlons had Lhe besL lnLeresL of Adams Morgan ln mlnd lL was clear LhaL
everyone was speaklng from Lhelr vlslon for Adams Morgan and noL from a vlslon developed
from a communlLy consensus.
1he lssue was furLher helghLened by Lhe facL Lhe Cfflce of lannlng does noL have a small
area" plan for Adams Morgan.
WlLh Lhese reallzaLlons a commlLLed group declded Lo begln meeLlng regularly ln concerL wlLh a
commlLLee of Lhe Adams Morgan AnC Lo develop an overall vlslon of Adams Morgan LhaL
would serve as a boLh a reference and a gulde for undersLandlng Adams Morgan's presenL and
lLs fuLure.


3

Lnv|s|on Adams Morgan: About the Document

1hls documenL ls an aLLempL by your frlends and nelghbors Lo provlde all of Lhe resldenLs of Lhe
Adams Morgan communlLy wlLh a plcLure of where we are Loday and Lhrough Lhls documenL
provlde some lnslghL and dlrecLlon abouL where we should be headed ln Lhe fuLure.
CommunlLy plannlng ls a long and arduous process, however, lL ls generally recognlzed by
urban and communlLy planners LhaL an analysls of Lhe communlLy ls Lhe flrsL sLep ln Lhe
plannlng of Lhe fuLure for Lhe communlLy. Cur analysls by deflnlLlon wlll always be unflnlshed as
Lhe communlLy Lransforms lLself almosL dally. 1he conLrlbuLors Lo Lhls analysls are noL
professlonal, researchers or urban planners buL merely commlLLed advocaLes for Adams
Morgan who are maklng Lhls efforL ln addlLlon Lo meeLlng Lhelr own personal challenges ln
everyday llfe.
We have been forLunaLe Lo have Lhe help and asslsLance of Lhe CaLhollc unlverslLy School of
ArchlLecLure and urban lannlng's graduaLe sLudenLs and professor buL even Lhelr asslsLance
was consLralned by Lhelr responslblllLles Lo Lhelr academlc endeavors.
?ou wlll flnd Lhls documenL offers llLLle personal oplnlon buL relles heavlly on publlshed daLa
abouL our communlLy lncludlng, buL noL llmlLed Lo, currenL Census daLa, and publlshed research
daLa from local governmenL, area Lhlnk Lanks, and oLher local sources.
naLurally, wlLh nearly LhlrLy people worklng on Lhe documenLs dlvlded lnLo research areas
accordlng Lo Lhelr lnLeresL, Lhe sources wlll vary and ln some cases overlap. Powever, we have
Lrled Lo reduce such lnsLances and Lo facL-check Lhe daLa conLalned ln Lhls reporL, buL Lo be
sure, we wlll have goLLen aspecLs of lL wrong and for LhaL we apologlze ln advance. 1hls
documenL ls meanL Lo be only a sLarLlng polnL" Lo provlde some sorL of framework from whlch
Lhe communlLy can go forward Lo offer lLs suggesLlons and ldeas abouL whaL Lhe communlLy
should look llke ln each of Lhese areas golng forward and perhaps offer some sLraLegles Lo geL
us Lhere.
All of Lhe secLlons LhaL comprlse Lhls reporL wlll be made avallable onllne by Lhe end of CcLober
aL hLLp://envlslonadamsmorgan.anc1c.org/ and we lnvlLe each and every resldenL Lo revlew Lhe
reporL and begln Lhlnklng abouL Lhose ldeas and vlslons you have for Adams Morgan and
sharlng Lhem wlLh Lhe Adams Morgan Worklng Croup and your fellow communlLy members.
We wlll Lry Lo posL Lhe ldeas onllne, wlLh or wlLhouL aLLrlbuLlon, as Lhey are recelved. ?our ldeas
abouL our schools, our buslness communlLy, our parks and recreaLlon, or our zonlng laws are
whaL we are looklng for. Lvery fourLh Wednesday ln Lhe monLh from CcLober 2013 Lhru Lhe end
of March 2014 we wlll llsLen Lo and record your ldeas. ln addlLlon Lhere wlll be oLher speclal
6

opporLunlLles Lo share your LhoughLs Lhrough surveys and a slmple onllne posLlng of your ldeas.
1hese ldeas collecLlvely wlll shape a formal vlslon of Adams Morgan's fuLure, whlch hopefully
wlll lead Lo meanlngful medlum and long-Lerm changes for our communlLy.

1be AJoms Motqoo wotkloq Ctoop

7


#1234,0567





8


9

857910: 1; 9<6 )1==2359:

Adams Morgan, long consldered one of Lhe mosL dlverse communlLles ln WashlngLon, u.C., was
and conLlnues Lo be a pace seLLer for dynamlc WashlngLon communlLles. Cne gulde book
descrlbed Lhe communlLy, as a mlxLure of !ewlsh, WhlLe, Afrlcan Amerlcan, Afrlcan and Plspanlc
enLrepreneurs ln worklng and llvlng along slde of governmenL clvll servanLs, llberal and
conservaLlve acLlvlsL professlonals and arLlsL all llvlng and worklng ln one communlLy.
Adams Morgan was once known slmply as 18
Lh
and Columbla" whlch referred Lo lLs ma[or
crossroads. 1he communlLy LhaL we now call Adams Morgan ls one of Lhe many by-producLs of
Lhe desegregaLlon of Lhe schools ln Lhe souLh and WashlngLon was no excepLlon. 1he new
name came from Lhe Lwo elemenLary schools whlch were lnlLlally segregaLed buL moved Lo a
peaceful and quleL desegregaLlon because Lhe black and whlLe communlLles of Adams Morgan
bullL upon a LrusL LhaL had exlsLed before desegregaLlon. ln furLherance of Lhelr efforLs, Lhey
formally creaLed Lhe Adams Morgan 8eLLer nelghborhood Conference, whlch became Lhe
acLlve lnsLrumenL LhaL spared Lhe communlLy several poLenLlally caLasLrophlc developmenLs,
whlch would have poLenLlally desLroyed lL.
1he communlLy prospered ln Lhe perlod afLer Lhe flrsL WWl and conLlnued Lo grow ln affluence
unLll Lhe 1960's. 1he growLh of Lhe suburbs and Lhe deslre for more land and space coupled
wlLh Lhe urban unresL of Lhe perlod saw a large exodus of many affluenL famllles. 1helr exodus
paved Lhe way for a younger audlence, Lhe boomers, who flocked Lo Lhe area ln Lhe years
followlng Lhe 1960's. ArLlsL, muslclans and anLl-esLabllshmenL groups found a refuge ln LhaL era.
1hose LhaL seLLled ln Adams Morgan durlng Lhls perlod llked Lhe communlLy's dlverslLy, lLs
cheaper renLs, and lower houslng prlces and began Lo seLLle here on a more permanenL basls.
1he large amounL of avallable renLal unlLs were slowly buL surely converLed Lo cooperaLlves and
condomlnlums and Lhe relaLlvely lnexpenslve houslng sLock became hlghly prlzed houslng for
urban professlonals.
1oday, Adams Morgan, llke many uC communlLles, ls dlverse, buL less so Lhan lL was ln lLs
earller perlods, and lL has losL much of lLs lnexpenslve houslng and aparLmenL sLock Lo Lhe new
reallLles of Lhe markeLplace. lLs Lownhouses and aparLmenLs are hlghly soughL afLer by Lhose
wlshlng Lo en[oy urban llvlng.
lLs lnLernaLlonal shops and resLauranLs and lLs exLenslve nlghL llfe conLlnues Lo make lL a
desLlnaLlon for vlslLors from ouLslde Lhe clLy and resldenLs of uC.

10

>1?2@,9513 )<,0,-9605795-7

1ota| opu|at|on and Age
Accordlng Lo Lhe 2010 census Lhere were 16,433 persons llvlng wlLhln Lhe Adams Morgan
boundarles. 1hls number reflecLs Lhe raLher sLeady populaLlon census over Lhe lasL 40 years. 8y
conLrasL, uC as a whole had been loslng populaLlon buL ls now on a growLh curb clLy wlde. We
see a 30 decllne ln chlldren llvlng ln Lhe Adams Morgan caLchmenL area from 14 of Lhe
populaLlon ln 1980 Lo 7 accordlng Lo Lhe 2010 census. Powever, we are seelng a poLenLlal
lncrease ln chlldren under 3, whlch should be born ouL ln Lhe 2013 lnLerlm Census.
kace and Lthn|c|ty
Adams Morgan remalns a raclally dlverse communlLy when compared Lo oLher communlLles
boLh LasL and WesL of 8ock Creek ark. 1he 2010 census showed LhaL ls abouL 68 whlLe, 13
Plspanlc, 12 Afrlcan-Amerlcan and 6.7 Aslan. 1he Plspanlc populaLlon has decllned over Lhe
years and Lhe Afrlcan-Amerlcan populaLlon has shown Lhe blggesL decllne from 29 ln 1990 Lo
12 Loday. 1he fasLesL growlng populaLlon ln Adams Morgan ls Aslans who have grown 3
slnce 1990.
See compleLe Lables aL: hLLp://www.scrlbd.com/collecLlons/4261292/All-CaLhollc-unlverslLy-Maps


11




12



13

%3A57513 "4,=7 B10/,3
%-131=5- C6A6@1?=639
%D6-295A6 +2==,0:

>,09 EF !<6 G67546395,@ )1==2359:

Adams Morgan ls a vlbranL and flnanclally sLrong communlLy maklng lL one of Lhe mosL affluenL
ln WashlngLon, uC. 1he Lnvlslon 1eam worklng on Lhls pro[ecL dlvlded Lhe Adams Morgan
economlc analysls lnLo Lwo parLs. arL l examlned Lhe economlc healLh of our resldenLs and
arL ll looks aL our commerclal vlablllLy.
Adams Morgan's medlan household lncome ls above average for uC buL below average of
medlan household lncome for norLhwesL, uC. Cur medlan household lncome for 2012 was
$73,972, whlle medlan household lncome for all of Lhe ulsLrlcL of Columbla was $39,100, and
for all of norLhwesL WashlngLon lL was $77,333
1
. er caplLa lncome ln 2012 for Lhe 16,633
resldenLs ln Adams Morgan was $62,348, whlch broughL over 1 bllllon dollars ln lncome Lo Lhe
Adams Morgan communlLy. 8y conLrasL, per caplLa lncome for Lhe ulsLrlcL of Columbla was
$41,726. er caplLa lncome ls pro[ecLed Lo rlse Lo $74,191 ln 2017, whlle Lhe per caplLa lncome
of Lhe ulsLrlcL of Columbla ls pro[ecLed Lo rlse Lo $48,334. er annum caplLa lncome esLlmaLes
for Adams Morgan are pro[ecLed Lo brlng $1.23 bllllon lnLo Lhe communlLy by 2017.
Cur lncome dlsLrlbuLlon flnds our pooresL resldenLs are over age 73 wlLh household lncome of
less Lhan $13,000, whlle Lhose wlLh lncomes ln excess of $200,000 are beLween 43 and 34 years
of age.
art II: 1he 8us|ness Commun|ty

Adams Morgan ls recognlzed as a vlbranL enLerLalnmenL zone wlLh a mlx of bars and
resLauranLs LhaL consLlLuLe an evenlng economy" and a unlque seL of small reLall buslnesses
LhaL serve boLh vlslLors and resldenLs allke. 1he breakdown of our commerclal buslnesses ls:
303 buslnesses, 30 non-proflLs, and 12 governmenL faclllLles. A furLher breakdown flnds 108
food and beverage ouLleLs, 68 reLall esLabllshmenLs, and 123 servlces organlzaLlons.

1
0nless otheiwise stateu, the souice of uata in the iesiuents-pait of this Phase 1 iepoit is ESRI's Community
Analyst softwaie, which can be accesseu online at: http:www.esii.comsoftwaieaicgiscommunity-
analyst.


14

ln addlLlon, nelghborhood grocery needs are meL by chaln grocerles -- Safeway, Parrls 1eeLer,
MeLro MarkeL and Lhe ?es Crganlc food chaln. An lssue of conLlnulng concern ls Lhe lncreaslng
renL levels ln whaL were once affordable parLs of Lhe communlLy whlch forces ouL small reLall
buslnesses ln favor of nlghLllfe clubs and oLher hlgher paylng LenanLs.
We do noL have Lhe flscal lnformaLlon on Lhe economlc lmpacL LhaL Lhe buslness communlLy
brlngs Lo Adams Morgan and Lo Lhe ulsLrlcL of Columbla, buL we know LhaL lL ls subsLanLlal and
Lhe hope LhaL Lhe reLall, resLauranL, and enLerLalnmenL area wlll grow ln a manner LhaL ls
sulLable Lo Lhe buslnesses and Lhe resldenLs of Adams Morgan.


13

Lnv|s|on Adams Morgan
Lconom|c Status of Adams Morgan
Introduct|on

1he Lconomlc uevelopmenL Worklng Croup broke lnLo Lwo Leams Lo prepare Lhls reporL on Lhe currenL
economlc sLaLus of Adams Morgan. 1he flrsL Leam focused on descrlblng Lhe economlc condlLlons of
resldenLs, and Lhe second, composed of members of Lhe buslness communlLy and represenLaLlve
organlzaLlons, focused on descrlblng Lhe economlc condlLlons of buslnesses ln Adams Morgan. 1he
reporL ls Lhus dlvlded lnLo Lhese Lwo secLlons.
"F )200639 %-131=5- +9,927 1; "4,=7 B10/,3 G67546397

1. Adams Morgan Medlan Pousehold lncome ls above average for uC buL below average for nW
uC.

2012 Medlan Pousehold lncome ln Adams Morgan was $73,972. 8y conLrasL 2012 Medlan Pousehold
lncome for Lhe ulsLrlcL of Columbla was $39,100 whlle 2012 Medlan Pousehold lncome ln norLhwesL uC
was 77,333.
2

WlLh a per-caplLa lncome of $62,348, Lhe 16,633 resldenLs of Adams Morgan broughL over $1 bllllon ln
lncome Lo Lhe Adams Morgan nelghborhood ln 2012. 8y conLrasL per-caplLa lncome for Lhe ulsLrlcL of
Columbla ln was $41,726, and per caplLa lncome for norLhwesL uC was $32,110 ln 2012.
er caplLa lncome ln Adams Morgan ls pro[ecLed Lo rlse Lo $74,191 ln 2017, whereas per caplLa lncome
ln uC ls pro[ecLed Lo rlse Lo $48,334 and per caplLa lncome ln norLhwesL uC ls pro[ecLed Lo rlse Lo
$61,027 ln 2017.
1hus, resldenLs ln Adams Morgan are Lhus pro[ecLed Lo brlng $1.23 bllllon lnLo Lhe nelghborhood per
annum by 2017.


2
unless oLherwlse sLaLed, Lhe source of daLa ln Lhe resldenLs parL of Lhls hase 1 reporL ls LS8l's CommunlLy AnalysL sofLware,
whlch can be accessed onllne aL: hLLp://www.esrl.com/sofLware/arcgls/communlLy-analysL. uslng Lhls sofLware, Lhe borders of
AnC1C were used Lo clrcumscrlbe Lhe nelghborhood, and reporLs were Lhen requesLed on Lhe enclosed area.
16


2. ulsLrlbuLlon of Medlan Pousehold lncome ln Adams Morgan.

Medlan Pousehold lncome ln Adams Morgan ls roughly dlsLrlbuLed ln Lhlrds, wlLh a Lhlrd of Adams
Morgan households (32.6) earnlng less Lhan $30,000, a Lhlrd (30.1) earnlng beLween $30,000 and
$100,000, and a flnal Lhlrd (37.3) earnlng over $100,000.

Medlan Pousehold lncome ln Adams Morgan ls pro[ecLed Lo rlse Lo $83,232 by 2017, wlLh a decrease ln
Lhe number of households earnlng less Lhan $73,000 from 30.3 Lo 42.4, and an lncrease ln
17

households earnlng more Lhan $73,000 from 49.3 Lo 37.3.
3
1he blggesL lncrease ls pro[ecLed Lo occur ln Lhe number of
households earnlng beLween $100,000 and $130,000, whlch ls expecLed Lo lncrease by 2.

3. Adams Morgan has wealLhy mlddle-aged resldenLs and poorer senlors.

1he dlsLrlbuLlon of 2012 Medlan Pousehold lncome across age groups shows LhaL low-lncome households earnlng less Lhan
$13,000 per household are concenLraLed ln Lhose aged over 73, wlLh almosL 1 ln 3 (19.1) ln Lhls age-group earnlng less Lhan
$13,000. 1hose earnlng over $200,000 per household are prlmarlly Lhose aged beLween 43 and 34 years.



3
Assumlng a slmllar populaLlon Lo LhaL ln 2012. Average Pousehold slze ls pro[ecLed Lo remaln almosL consLanL, from 1.63 ln 2012 Lo 1.64 ln 2017. (LS8l
Pousehold lncome roflle). unless oLherwlse sLaLed, Lhe source of pro[ecLlons ln Lhe resldenLs-parL of Lhls hase 1 reporL ls LS8l's CommunlLy AnalysL
sofLware. ro[ecLed lncome ls expressed ln currenL dollars.
18

3. Adams Morgan has a poorer norLheasL.
1he geographlc dlsLrlbuLlon of 2012 Medlan Pousehold lncome across Lhe nelghborhood lndlcaLes LhaL
lower-lncome households are locaLed ln Lhe norLheasL of Adams Morgan, wlLh Lhe lowesL-lncome
households found wlLhln a Lrlangle bounded by Luclld SLreeL Lo Lhe souLh, Columbla 8oad Lo Lhe
norLheasL and 16
Lh
SLreeL nW Lo Lhe easL.




19




1hls paLLern of a poorer norLheasL ls supporLed by hlsLorlcal daLa showlng hlgher levels of
unemploymenL ln Lhls parL of Lhe nelghborhood Lhan elsewhere.




20

6. 8elaLlvely sLrong Medlan Pousehold lncome growLh ln Lhe norLheasL wlll sLlll leave lL relaLlvely
low-lncome compared Lo Lhe resL of Adams Morgan ln 2017.

ro[ecLlons of Medlan Pousehold lncome growLh beLween 2012-2017 clalm a hlgher raLe of growLh for
Lhe lower-lncome norLheasLern corner of Lhe nelghborhood.





21

Powever 2017 Medlan Pousehold lncome pro[ecLlons lndlcaLe LhaL Lhe norLheasL wlll noneLheless
remaln relaLlvely low-lncome whlle Lhe norLhwesL, speclflcally along Lhe easLern shore of 8ock Creek
ark beLween ConnecLlcuL Avenue and Parvard SLreeL nW, wlll experlence hlgher Medlan Pousehold
lncome Lhan before.




22


#F )200639 %-131=5- +9,927 1; "4,=7 B10/,3 #275367767
H




1ypes of Crgan|zat|ons |n Adams Morgan




1ypes of Crgan|zat|ons |n Adams Morgan

8uslnesses 303
CovernmenL 12
non-roflLs 36
1oLal number of CrganlzaLlons ldenLlfled 371

4
1hls daLa was collecLed by Laklng Lhe Adams Morgan 8lu membershlp llsL and supplemenLlng lL wlLh Lhe
observaLlons and research of lndlvldual members of Lhe Lnvlslon Adams Morgan Lconomlc uevelopmenL Worklng
Croup. 1hls descrlpLlon ls as of Aprll 2013.
23




1ypes of 8us|nesses |n Adams Morgan







1ypes of 8us|nesses |n Adams Morgan

lood & 8everage 108
8eLall 68
Medla 2
Servlces 123
1oLal number of 8uslnesses ldenLlfled 303

24



1ypes of Iood & 8everage 8us|nesses |n Adams Morgan








1ypes of Iood & 8everage |n Adams Morgan

8esLauranL 80
Cafe 3
8ar 22
8akery 1
1oLal number of lood & 8everage 8uslnesses ldenLlfled 108


23


1ypes of keta|| 8us|nesses |n Adams Morgan



1ypes of keta|| 8us|nesses |n Adams Morgan

ArL 3
8lcycle 1
8ooks 2
CloLhlng 11
Convenlence SLore 8
LlecLronlcs 2
llowers 1
lurnlLure 4
Crocery 11
Pardware 1
!ewelry 3
Llquor 3
Mlsc 2
Muslc 3
news 1
harmacy 2
hone 6
1oLal number of 8eLall 8uslnesses ldenLlfled 68
26

1ypes of Serv|ce 8us|nesses |n Adams Morgan


1ypes of Serv|ces In Adams Morgan

AccommodaLlon 8
ArchlLecLure 8
ArL 4
AuLomoblle 3
8anklng 8
LocksmlLh 1
PealLh & 8eauLy 34
lnsurance, 1ax & AccounLlng 7
Laundry 12
Legal 8
Medlcal 9
Mlsc. 2
arklng 2
eL-care 3
hoLography 1
rlnLlng 1
8eal LsLaLe 6
Shlpplng 1
SLorage 1
1ravel 6
1oLal number of Servlce 8uslnesses ldenLlfled 123

27


1ypes of Non-rof|ts |n Adams Morgan






1ypes of Non-rof|ts In Adams Morgan

ArLs 3
AssoclaLlons 8
uevelopmenL 2
LducaLlon 3
PealLh 6
Pouslng 3
lnLernaLlonal uevelopmenL 3
8ellglous 3
8esearch 3
8esldenLlal 12
Soclal Servlces 4
1oLal number of non-roflLs ldenLlfled 36

28



1ypes of Government Crgan|zat|on |n Adams Morgan







1ypes of Government Crgan|zat|ons |n Adams Morgan

Lmbassy 1
llre 2
Legal 1
Mall 2
ollce 2
8ecreaLlon 2
School 2
1oLal number of CovernmenL CrganlzaLlons ldenLlfled 12


29


30

%3A57513 "4,=7 B10/,3
$,34 I76J K1353/J ,34 8579105-,@ >06760A,9513
%D6-295A6 +2==,0:

Adams Morgan has proven Lo be a sLrong lure for developers compeLlng for Lhe scarce avallable
land whlle sLlll belng a vlbranL desLlnaLlon for newcomers Lo Lhe clLy and Lhose already llvlng ln
WashlngLon who wanL Lo Lake advanLage of Lhe wonderful amenlLles of our communlLy.
Adams Morgan ls sub[ecL Lo zonlng regulaLlons governlng growLh and land use for commerclal,
lndusLrlal, and recreaLlonal areas of our communlLy. Zonlng classlflcaLlons allow cerLaln uses
elLher by maLLer of rlghL or Lhrough approvals granLed by uC's 8oard of Zonlng Ad[usLmenL.
1hls board lssues walvers, denlals, or approvals for mosL bulldlng pro[ecLs ln our communlLy
LhaL requlre local and clLy approval.
1he currenL codes mosL relevanL Lo us lnclude: (k)-|ow dens|ty, moderate dens|ty, and mu|t|-
un|t res|dent|a|, (C) -Commerc|a|, (S)-Spec|a| urpose, (Ck) Commerc|a| kestr|cted and (DD)-
Downtown, Cver|ay and var|ous zones. Powever, Lhe enLlre zonlng sysLem ls undergolng
revlew Lo updaLe Lhe currenL code developed ln 1938 -- one of Lhe oldesL ln Lhe counLry
alLhough lL has been amended over 1,000 Llmes.
Adams Morgan's resldenLlal nelghborhoods, whlch are predomlnaLely row houses wlLh an
lnLermlxLure of Laller aparLmenL bulldlngs, ls currenLly zoned (k-S-8), whlch ls a medlum denslLy
zone, and (k-S-D) a hlgh denslLy resldenLlal zone. 1hese Lwo resldenLlal zones comprlse Lhe
ma[orlLy of land area ln Lhe nelghborhood.
n|stor|ca| reservat|on
Adams Morgan ls forLunaLe Lo have much of lLs hlsLorlc characLer preserved Lhrough deslgnaLed
as PlsLorlcal ulsLrlcLs. 1hese dlsLrlcLs are proLecLed under Lhe PlsLorlc Landmark and PlsLorlc
ulsLrlcL roLecLlon AcL of 1978. 1he PlsLorlcal reservaLlon 8evlew 8oard ls charged wlLh belng
Lhe waLchdog" charged wlLh keeplng Lhe hlsLorlcal characLer of our communlLy.
8ecenLly, however, Lhe deslgnaLlon as hlsLorlcal dlsLrlcLs has done llLLle Lo proLecL Lhe hlsLorlc
characLer of Adams Morgan. As proflled ln a recenL lssue of Lhe kalorama ClLlzen's AssoclaLlon
(kCA leb. 2013-lssue 2), developers are belng granLed approval from Lhe PlsLorlcal reservaLlon
8evlew 8oard Lo creaLe large and lnapproprlaLe sLrucLures LhaL are ouL of keeplng wlLh Lhe
hlsLorlc characLer of Lhe nelghborhoods. 1he converslon of whaL were once row houses lnLo
31

mulLl-unlL dwelllngs has aroused communlLy concern and a deslre Lo develop sLraLegles Lo
address Lhls challenge before we lose Lhe hlsLorlcal characLer of our communlLy.
Cur commerclal sLrlps have several zone deslgnaLlons. 1he lower end of 18
Lh
SLreeL along
llorlda Avenue ls zoned C-2-A, meanlng a relaLlvely low-denslLy mlxed use commerclal. A hlgher
denslLy commerclal zone, C-2-8, beglns half way up 18
Lh
SLreeL and encompasses Lhe
lnLersecLlon of 18
Lh
SLreeL and Columbla 8oad. 1he C-2-8 zone conLlnues along Columbla 8oad.
1hls deslgnaLlon corresponds Lo Lhe Adams Morgan 8lu area. 1he WashlngLon PllLon ls Lhe slLe
of Lhe only medlum-hlgh denslLy, C-3-C, zone wlLhln Adams Morgan.
Cur communlLy has Lwo predomlnaLe zonlng overlays LhaL proLecL and encourage speclflc
usages needed ln a communlLy wlLhouL havlng Lo change Lhe underlylng zonlng deslgnaLlons.
1he mosL noLed zonlng overlay, Lhe 8eed-Cooke Cverlay, encourages new buL measured
developmenL whlle proLecLlng Lhe nelghborhood's rlch characLerlsLlcs. Adams Morgan also
lncludes a ulplomaLlc Cverlay creaLed Lo comply wlLh Lhe lorelgn Mlsslons AcL, whlch allows for
Lhe locaLlon of chancerles wlLh Lhe approval of Lhe 8oard of Zonlng Ad[usLmenLs.
A crlLlcal concern for Adams Morgan resldenLs ls Lhe uC Cfflce of lannlng's Zonlng 8egulaLlons
8evlew whlch could poLenLlally lmpacL our currenL sLaLus quo. lnslde Lhls secLlon Lhe reader wlll
flnd an analysls of Lhe proposed changes LhaL have been developed by several knowledgeable
lndlvlduals and clvlc organlzaLlons based ln Adams Morgan.
See maps aL: hLLp://www.scrlbd.com/collecLlons/3613334/Land-use-Zonlng-Worklng-Croup
32

!"#$ &'&()$#$ *&$ +,#-#'&(() .+'/ 0) 1'' &'. 2&,,) 3&,-,+4/ #' 5&,6" &'. 7"/' 89.&7/. #' 19,#( :;<=
0&$/. +' 7"/ 9,+9+$/. >?? .,&@7 7"&7 *&$ &4&#(&0(/ &7 7"&7 7#A/B !"/ 3&,-,+4/$ &,/ *+,C#'- +'
&'+7"/, 89.&7/B
K1353/ G6/2@,95137 G6A56L

8ackground on the 2on|ng kegu|at|ons kev|ew
uC's Zonlng 8egulaLlon 8evlew exerclse, whlch has been golng on slnce 2007 alms aL masslve
revlslon of Lhe currenL zonlng 8egulaLlons, whlch daLe from 1938 and have been ofLen and
exLenslvely amended.
Status update. lL ls now nearlng Lhe flnal sLages, followlng submlsslon of a compleLe proposed
drafL for Lhe Z88 by Lhe uC Cfflce of lannlng (C) Lo Lhe Zonlng Commlsslon on !uly 29, 2013.
1he Zonlng Commlsslon has now begun publlc hearlngs on Lhe drafL LexL and wlll evenLually
voLe on lL.
varlous nelghborhoods acLlvely consulLed wlLh C Lo secure changes Lhey see Lo be ln Lhelr
lnLeresLs ln Lhe flnal drafL ln order Lo avold belng compelled Lo Lake on Lhe greaLer burden of
convlnclng Lhe Zonlng Commlsslon Lo alLer provlslons LhaL C has recommended. C, belng a
parL of Lhe LxecuLlve 8ranch, ls pollLlcally accounLable, aL leasL ln Lheory, Lhe Zonlng
Commlsslon, as an appolnLed body esLabllshed by Lhe ulsLrlcL's charLer, ls noL, and Lhe burden
of convlnclng lL on any glven polnL may be much heavler.
1he general LhrusL of C's proposals, for areas llke Adams Morgan, has been Loward greaLer
commerclallzaLlon of resldenLlal areas, dlscouraglng Lhe provlslon of parklng, and posslbly some
lncrease ln denslLy, wlLh llLLle lf any efforL speclflcally almed aL helplng nelghborhoods preserve
Lhe physlcal characLer and general amblence of Lhelr nelghborhoods. 1hls has been done ln
large parL expressly for purposes havlng Lo do wlLh promoLlng envlronmenLal susLalnablllLy
Lhrough goals such as walkable nelghborhoods" and dlmlnlshed auLomoblle use. lL goes
wlLhouL saylng LhaL Lhese are laudable ln Lhe absLracL, buL Lhey can go badly awry ln Lhe
parLlcular case lf a nelghborhood's speclal dlsLlngulshlng characLerlsLlcs are noL Laken lnLo
accounL.
rob|em areas. We would suggesL Lhe followlng as of speclal concern Lo Adams Morgan, Lhe
llsL ls noL necessarlly exhausLlve.
1. 1he proposa| to a||ow a w|de var|ety of commerc|a| and other non-
res|dent|a| uses |n Adams Morgan res|dent|a| ne|ghborhoods. As of fall 2012, broad caLegorles
of uses were Lo be allowed ln resldenLlal zones by Lhe relaLlvely easlly avallable devlce of
33

speclal excepLlon". 1hese lncluded eaLlng and drlnklng esLabllshmenLs", reLall", servlce",
and arLs deslgn and creaLlon", each of whlch ln Lurn lncludes a llsL of speclflc uses ranglng from
pawn shops Lo beer and wlne carryouLs Lo meLal worklng shops Lo fasL food [olnLs Lo real esLaLe
offlces. 1hey were Lo be allowed Lo locaLe anyplace farLher Lhan 300 feeL (abouL 1 block) from
our commerclal areas (whlch are C2-A and -8 mlxed use" zones).
lrom as far back as 2009, when Lhe kalorama ClLlzens AssoclaLlon adopLed a resoluLlon on Lhe
sub[ecL, Lhls proposal has drawn opposlLlon from Adams Morgan and uuponL Clrcle on Lhe
grounds LhaL our nelghborhood ls already superbly walkable." We have long sLruggled Lo
malnLaln Lhe characLer and populaLlon of our resldenLlal nelghborhoods and people dolng
buslness or lnvesLlng ln our commerclal sLrlps don'L need compeLlLlon from nearby resldenLlal
blocks.
Also, Lhe proposed LexL would carry forward an archalc provlslon LhaL allows any blg (10,000 Sl
or more) hlsLorlcally deslgnaLed bulldlng Lo be converLed Lo offlce use. lL was orlglnally
deslgned Lo allow adapLlve re-use of ungalnly old manslons. 8uL ln Adams Morgan lL would
allow any medlum-slzed or larger aparLmenL bulldlngs ln our hlsLorlc dlsLrlcLs Lo be Lurned over
Lo offlce use, and should be sLrlcken.
19,#( 89.&7/. we ooJetstooJ tbot tbls ptovlsloo wlll be JtoppeJ ftom tbe teslJeotlol zooes
foooJ lo AJoms Motqoo (pteseotly k-5-8 ooJ -u).
resent status: ln response Lo varlous ob[ecLlons, C modlfled Lhe LexL by enlarglng Lhe 300-
fooL buffer Lo a quarLer-mlle (1320 fL.), whlch would probably proLecL all of Adams Morgan's
resldenLlal nelghborhoods as well as uuponL Clrcle's. 1he problem ls LhaL, posslbly
lnadverLenLly, Lhey omlLLed some of Lhe commerclal uses menLloned above (e.g. eaLlng and
drlnklng esLabllshmenLs", among oLhers) from Lhe llsL of uses sub[ecL Lo Lhe quarLer-mlle buffer.
C has promlsed Lo correcL LhaL omlsslon, aL leasL as Lo all buL offlce", buL has noL yeL done so
ln Lhe publlshed LexL as of Aprll 2013.
19,#( 89.&7/. we ooJetstooJ tbot tbese ptoblems wlll be cottecteJ lo Ols oext Jtoft ooJ Ol
wlll cootlooe to wotk wltb commooltles oo Jetolls.
2. kemova| of m|n|mum park|ng requ|rements. Adams Morgan wlll be a
1ranslL Zone" by reason of proxlmlLy Lo a MeLro sLop and or ma[or bus faclllLy, and Lhus wlll
have no requlremenLs LhaL bulldlngs have a mlnlmum number of parklng spaces. Adams
Morgan's speclal problems as Lo parklng - grossly excesslve demand and lnadequaLe supply -
are well known, and C has already heard some concerns from Adams Morgan (e.g. a kCA
resoluLlon). 1hls does seem an area approprlaLe for exempLlng Adams Morgan - parLlcularly ln
llghL of Lhe facL LhaL lL has been relaLlvely easy Lo geL 8oard of Zonlng Ad[usLmenL varlances
from parklng mlnlmums, and ls llkely Lo conLlnue Lo be.
34

3. oss|b|e eros|on of requ|rements for a||otment of space to res|dent|a| use |n
our commerc|a| str|ps. Cur mlxed-use commerclal sLrlps are parL of whaL deflnes Lhe characLer
of Adams Morgan. 1he whole polnL of a mlxed use zone ls LhaL bulldlngs be [usL LhaL: LhaL Lhey
malnLaln a porLlon for resldenLlal space LogeLher wlLh space devoLed Lo commerclal use
(usually on Lhe lower floor or floors). 1here has ofLen been pressure from some properLy
owners on our sLrlps Lo geL around Lhe requlremenL and enlarge Lhe proporLlon of commerclal
use.
C's currenL proposals do noL change Lhe general rule as Lo Lhe requlred raLlo beLween
resldenLlal floor area and commerclal floor area ln our C2-A and C2-8 zones. (nor do Lhey
change Lhe currenL helghL llmlLs, currenLly 30 and 63 feeL, respecLlvely.) 8uL Lhey lnclude some
new condlLlons whlch appear Lo allow excepLlons LhaL would dlmlnlsh or ln some cases
ellmlnaLe Lhe requlremenL. We suggesL LhaL Lhese should be scruLlnlzed very carefully, wlLh a
vlew Lo whaL lmpacL Lhey could have on Lhe characLer of our commerclal sLrlps ln flve or Len
years' Llme.
1be Aptll Jtoft ellmlooteJ moxlmom petceotoqe of lot occopoocy tepoltemeots fot botb zooes lo
AJoms Motqoo locloJloq keeJ-cooke. lt ls oot cleot wbot qooJ potpose bls woolJ setve. 1be
Jtoft ollows locteoseJ belqbt ooJ ovetoll lloot Ateo kotlo (lAk) lo c2-8 lf loclosloooty 2ooloq
tepoltemeots (teqotJloq ptovlsloo of less-tboo-motket-tote Jwellloq oolts) ote met. Ooe sttooqe
ooJ posslbly mls-JtofteJ ptovlsloo woolJ oppeot to ollow ooy smoll ot meJlom-slzeJ bollJloq lo
c2-A to bove two floot of commetclol ose wltboot teqotJ to tbe totlo betweeo ooo-teslJeotlol
ooJ teslJeotlol spoce lo tbe bollJloq.
4. 2kk and |ssues of the sca|e and dens|ty of Adams Morgan res|dent|a|
ne|ghborhood, poss|b|e downzon|ng
1he problem here ls noL so much whaL Lhe proposed regulaLlons Jo, as lL ls whaL Lhey sboolJ do
LhaL Lhey foll Lo do. lor a decade or more Adams Morgan has seen, even ln hlsLorlcally
deslgnaLed resldenLlal areas, a sLeady flow of row house redevelopmenL pro[ecLs almed aL
crammlng ln as many dwelllng unlLs as Lhe markeL wlll bear and Lhe 8egulaLlons allow. 1hls ls
done usually by Lurnlng exlsLlng row houses lnLo sLrucLures groLesquely ouL of scale wlLh Lhelr
nelghbors ln helghL, mass or boLh, and ofLen defaclng Lhe bulldlng ln Lhe process. 1he process
has conLlnued unabaLed durlng Lhe recesslon. lolks ln every parL of Adams Morgan have
sLruggled or are sLruggllng Lo cope wlLh lndlvldual pro[ecLs, ofLen wlLh help from Lhe AnC, kCA
or lmprompLu coallLlons. PlsLorlc preservaLlon wlll proLecL facades ln Lhe deslgnaLed PlsLorlc
ulsLrlcLs, buL can dlscourage Lhls sorL of over-developmenL only around Lhe marglns.

33

1he currenL Comprehenslve lan, produced ln 2006, whlch provldes LhaL zonlng shall noL be
lnconslsLenL," conLalns numerous provlslons speclflcally almed aL proLecLlng row house areas
from Lhls sorL of over-redevelopmenL (noLe by Larry: 1hese were generaLed for Lhe mosL parL
by Ann Pargrove's presence on Lhe Comprehenslve lan 1ask lorce.) neverLheless, C's drafL
does llLLle lf anyLhlng aL presenL Lo address Lhe problem and Lo some exLenL exacerbaLes lL, as
seen above.
Cne Comprehenslve lan provlslon alms aL provldlng resldenLlal areas such as Adams Morgan,
whlch are zoned 83-8 or hlgher, a Lool for addresslng Lhls problem on a block-by-block or even
area-wlde basls. 1hls ls Lo spllL Lhe currenL 8-4 zone lnLo Lwo sub-zones, A and 8. CurrenL 83-8
and u zonlng found ln Adams Morgan has no llmlLs on Lhe number of unlLs. 8-4 has a llmlL of
Lwo unlLs. 84-8 would have a somewhaL hlgher llmlL on Lhe number of unlLs - perhaps four -
and mlghL dlffer from Lhe currenL 8-4 ln oLher respecLs Lo make lL more conslsLenL wlLh currenL
acLual condlLlons on Lhe ground ln Adams Morgan row houses overall. 8uL lL would reLaln Lhe
currenL 8-4 helghL llmlL of 40 feeL, whereas 83-8 has a llmlL of 30 feeL and 83-u 70. Some
converslon Lo 8-4 has already Laken place ln uuponL Clrcle and elsewhere, and some of our
nelghbors are now acLlvely pursulng Lhls opLlon. (1hls wlll be parL of an efforL uenls !ames ls
organlzlng wlLhln kCA on proLecLlng our hlsLorlc dlsLrlcLs.)
8-4 zonlng ls currenLly descrlbed as Lhose areas now developed prlmarlly wlLh row dwelllngs,
buL wlLhln whlch Lhere have been a subsLanLlal number of converslons of Lhe dwelllngs lnLo
dwelllngs for Lwo (2) or more famllles" - whlch accuraLely descrlbes much of Adams Morgan.
lor homeowners whose block-faces would quallfy, such a converslon would reduce Lhe
maxlmum allowable helghL and place a fuLure llmlL on Lhe number of dwelllng unlLs LhaL a row
house could conLaln. lL would Lhus puL an end Lo Lhe pracLlce of Lacklng unslghLly, ouL of scale
Lop-knoLs or overbearlng rear exLenslons on a row house ln order Lo cram ln seven or elghL or
more Llny unlLs, and would help Lo reLaln slngle- or dual-famlly occupancy as a slgnlflcanL
componenL of our row house nelghborhoods.
WhaL needs Lo happen now wlLh Z88 ls Lo geL C Lo lmplemenL Lhls Comprehenslve lan
provlslon by lncludlng a spllL 8-4 ln Lhe proposed regulaLlons. 1he [ob of geLLlng secLlons of
Adams Morgan row houses acLually rezoned would come laLer, and would requlre a concerLed
efforL on Lhe parL of resldenLs concerned as well as Lhe AnC and oLher groups.
19,#( 89.&7/. we ooJetstooJ tbot ptovlsloos ooswetloq to tbe mooJote fot o tevlseJ k-4 wlll be
locloJeJ lo some fotm lo Ols oext Jtoft. lot AJoms Motqoo teslJeots lotetesteJ lo posslbly
Jowozooloq ftom tbe pteseot k-5, tbe ptoblem wlll be to eosote tbot tbe cotteot k-5 ls Jeolt
wltb lo os sotlsfoctoty o moooet os posslble lo tbe oew Jtoft, bot ot tbe some tlme to eosote
tbot o oew tow boose zooe JetlveJ ftom k-4 teolly meets oot oeeJs. 1be lottet wlll be mocb
36

mote teoJlly Jooe lf we ote oble to wotk wltb Ol oo petfectloq tbe oew zooe befote tbe Jtoft ls
floollzeJ.


37



38

!8% G%%CM)''N% 'O%G$"P






1he 8eed-Cooke (8C) Cverlay ulsLrlcL was esLabllshed Lo proLecL exlsLlng houslng and
provlde for Lhe developmenL of new houslng, malnLaln helghLs and denslLles aL
approprlaLe levels, encourage small-scale buslness developmenL LhaL wlll noL adversely
affecL Lhe resldenLlal communlLy, ensure LhaL new nonresldenLlal uses serve Lhe local
communlLy by provldlng reLall goods, personal servlces, and oLher acLlvlLles LhaL
conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe saLlsfacLlon of unmeL soclal, servlce, and employmenL needs ln Lhe
8eed- Cooke and Adams-Morgan communlLy, and proLecL ad[acenL and nearby resldences
from damaglng Lrafflc, parklng, envlronmenLal, soclal, and aesLheLlc lmpacLs. 1he
maxlmum helghL permlLLed ln Lhe 8C Cverlay ulsLrlcL shall noL exceed forLy feeL (40 fL.)
plus roof sLrucLure as deflned ln Lhls LlLle, provlded, LhaL ln Lhe 8C/C-2-8 Cverlay ulsLrlcL,
a maxlmum helghL of flfLy feeL (30 fL.), plus roof sLrucLures, shall be permlLLed Lo provlde
for Lhe on-slLe consLrucLlon of low and moderaLe lncome household unlLs for a LoLal gross
floor area equal Lo flfLy percenL (30) of Lhe addlLlonal gross floor area made posslble by
Lhe helghL bonus. no planned unlL developmenL shall exceed Lhe maLLer-of-rlghL helghL,
bulk, and area requlremenLs of Lhe underlylng dlsLrlcL. Where Lhere are confllcLs beLween
Lhls chapLer and Lhe underlylng zone dlsLrlcL, Lhe more resLrlcLlve regulaLlons shall
govern. lor more lnformaLlon, lncludlng prohlblLed uses and allowable lncluslonary
Zonlng modlflcaLlons, see ChapLer 14 of Lhe Zonlng 8egulaLlons.


39

%3A57513 "4,=7 B10/,3
!0,37?109,9513 Q10.53/ R012?
%D6-295A6 +2==,0:

1he nelghborhood now called Adams Morgan began Lo be urbanlzed ln Lhe laLe 19
Lh
cenLury as
publlc LransporLaLlon sLarLed Lo make Lhe area more accesslble Lo Lhe already seLLled areas of
WashlngLon ClLy. ulsLance from Lhe cenLer and Lhe rlse ln elevaLlon had unLll Lhen llmlLed
developmenL ln Lhe area Lo large esLaLes. WlLh Lhe comlng of elecLrlc sLreeLcars ln 1892, Lhe
nelghborhood's flrsL houslng boom Look off. 1he hlsLory of Adams Morgan has been closely
llnked wlLh LransporLaLlon concerns ever slnce. ln 2006, a comprehenslve reporL on Adams
Morgan's LransporLaLlon problems was done as parL of Lhe preparaLlon for Lhe evenLual 18
Lh

SLreeL SLreeLscape pro[ecL. Many of Lhe recommendaLlons of LhaL reporL regardlng 18
Lh
SLreeL
were elLher lmplemenLed or were dlscarded afLer careful sLudy. Powever, Lhe problems
ldenLlfled ouLslde of Lhe lmmedlaLe sLreeLscape area largely sLlll exlsL and LhaL sLudy served as a
basellne for Lhe LransporLaLlon worklng group's reporL whlch covered mass LranslL and more
lndlvldual forms of LransporLaLlon: prlvaLe cars, blcycles, and walklng.

1he WashlngLon MeLropollLan Area 1ranslL AuLhorlLy (WMA1A) provldes mosL of Lhe mass
LranslL for Adams Morgan Lhrough lLs MeLro bus and subway sysLem. ln addlLlon Lo Lhe MeLro
sysLem, Adams Morgan ls served by: Lhe ClrculaLor bus sysLem LhaL ls Lhe producL of a
publlc/prlvaLe parLnershlp beLween Lhe uC ueparLmenL of 1ransporLaLlon (uuC1), uC Surface
1ranslL, lnc., and, Lhe varlous 8uslness lmprovemenL ulsLrlcLs ln uC. Cverall, Lhe worklng group
concluded LhaL Adams Morgan ls well served by uC's mass LranslL sysLems alLhough
lmprovemenLs would be useful ln some areas.

1he 2006 reporL made clear LhaL Lhe lncreaslng number of cars comlng lnLo Adams Morgan ls
more Lhan Lhe sLreeL neLwork can absorb resulLlng ln lnsufflclenL parklng spaces for resldenLs
and vlslLors. 1oo many cars enLerlng Adams Morgan wlLh nowhere Lo park has Lhe poLenLlal Lo
creaLe a safeLy problem wlLh Lrafflc [ams and congesLlon LhaL reduce Lhe ablllLy of emergency
vehlcles Lo move qulckly. ln Adams Morgan Lhere has been a very llmlLed adopLlon of Lrafflc
calmlng sLraLegles compared Lo some oLher uC nelghborhoods. arklng meLers already exlsL ln
mosL of Lhe commerclal areas of Adams Morgan, however, Lhe Llme LhaL Lhe meLers are ln use
as well as Lhe cosL could be ad[usLed based on demand Lo furLher ease congesLlon. 1he use of
peak-load prlclng (also known as performance parklng) has begun Lo be lmplemenLed ln uC and
mlghL be a useful opLlon for Adams Morgan.
40

8lcycles are an lmporLanL - and growlng - mode of LransporLaLlon ln Adams Morgan and across
uC. 1he worklng group felL LhaL Adams Morgan ls well-served by Lhe CaplLal 8lkeshare program,
whlch has flve sLaLlons ln Lhe nelghborhood and anoLher close by.
Adams Morgan, wlLh lLs close ln-Lown locaLlon, ls an area LhaL generally has a very good layouL
for pedesLrlan Lravel. Slnce walklng was Lhe baslc nelghborhood mode of Lravel when Adams
Morgan was flrsL developed, all of Lhe sLreeLs of Lhe area were deslgned Lo have sldewalks, and
over Lhe years any new work has been generally well-planned wlLh respecL Lo pedesLrlan Lravel,
and mosLly well malnLalned.


41

LNVISICN ADAMS MCkGAN
WCkkING GkCU CN 1kANSCk1A1ICN ISSULS

IN1kCDUC1ICN
1he nelghborhood now called Adams Morgan began Lo be urbanlzed ln Lhe laLe 19
Lh
cenLury as
publlc LransporLaLlon sLarLed Lo make Lhe area more accesslble Lo Lhe already seLLled areas of
WashlngLon ClLy. ulsLance from Lhe cenLer and Lhe rlse ln elevaLlon had unLll Lhen llmlLed
developmenL ln Lhe area Lo large esLaLes. WlLh Lhe comlng of elecLrlc sLreeLcars ln 1892 Lhe
nelghborhood's flrsL houslng boom Look off. 1he hlsLory of Adams Morgan has been closely
llnked wlLh LransporLaLlon concerns ever slnce. ln 2006 a comprehenslve reporL on Adams
Morgan's LransporLaLlon problems was done as parL of Lhe preparaLlon for Lhe evenLual 18
Lh

SLreeL SLreeLscape pro[ecL.
3
Many of Lhe recommendaLlons of LhaL reporL regardlng 18
Lh
SLreeL
were lmplemenLed or were dlscarded afLer careful sLudy. Powever, Lhe problems ldenLlfled
ouLslde of Lhe lmmedlaLe sLreeLscape area largely sLlll exlsL and Lhe sLudy, whlch was funded by
Lhe lederal Plghway AdmlnlsLraLlon (lPA), wlll serve as a basellne for Lhe Lnvlslon Adams
Morgan worklng group sLudy. 1hls noLe wlll look ln Lurn aL mass LranslL ln Adams Morgan and
Lhen aL more lndlvldual forms of LransporLaLlon: prlvaLe cars, blcycles and walklng.
6


MASS 1kANSI1
1he WashlngLon MeLropollLan Area 1ranslL AuLhorlLy (WMA1A) --provldes Lhe Adams Morgan
area wlLh lLs baslc publlc LransporLaLlon sysLem ln Lhe form of Lhe MeLro 8us SysLem and Lhe
MeLro Subway SysLem LhaL provlde servlce for boLh able bodled and handlcapped passengers.
A complex sysLem of granLs and paymenLs from Lhree reglonal auLhorlLles, plus LhaL of Lhe
lederal Plghway AdmlnlsLraLlon and Lhe ulsLrlcL ueparLmenL of 1ransporLaLlon (uuC1)
prlmarlly fund Lhe WMA1A sysLem. 1he uS Congress, Lhe uC Councll, Lhe naLlonal CaplLol
lannlng Commlsslon (nCC) and Lhe MeLropollLan Councll of CovernmenLs (CCC) also lmpacL
WMA1A's plans and pollcles. WMA1A ls Lhe lederal, sLaLe, and dlsLrlcL sLaLuLory auLhorlLy as
Lhe area's lead plannlng and coordlnaLlng body for LransporLaLlon maLLers.
1he uC ubllc School (uCS) sysLem ls also a ma[or provlder of bus servlces
for school chlldren ln Adams Morgan and clLywlde, and varlous agencles,
lncludlng WMA1A, provlde speclal [lLneys for elderly and handlcapped

3
18
tb
5tteet AJoms Motqoo 1toospottotloo ooJ lotkloq 5toJy llool kecommeoJotloos kepott, Pn18 ulsLrlcL of
Columbla, .C., March 2006. 1hls reporL drew on AJoms-Motqoo lotkloq, 1tooslt ooJ 1tofflc lmptovemeot ueslqo
ltoject, 1991. hLLp://www.scrlbd.com/collecLlons/3613360/1ransporLaLlon-and-1ranslL-Worklng-Croup

6
1ables and a map from Lhe 5kl commoolty Aoolyst on LransporLaLlon ln Adams Morgan wlll be avallable on Lhe
worklng group's webslLe. hLLp://www.scrlbd.com/collecLlons/3613360/1ransporLaLlon-and-1ranslL-Worklng-Croup

42

passengers for boLh polnL-Lo-polnL Lravel and connecLlons Lo bus sLops and subway sLaLlons.

Metro 8uses

Adams Morgan ls presenLly served by 13 bus rouLes Lravellng norLh/souLh on 16Lh and 18Lh
SLreeLs and ConnecLlcuL Avenue (from Callfornla Lo llorlda) and easL/wesL on Columbla 8oad.
1hls represenLs a reducLlon of flve rouLes from Lhose llsLed ln Lhe 2006 sLudy and Lhe addlLlon
of Lwo new rush hour buses, Lhe 43 on Columbla 8oad and Lhe S9 on 16Lh SLreeL. 1hls ls ln
conLrasL Lo Lhe 2006 uuC1 reporL, whlch recommended
overall enhanced bus servlce for Adams Morgan. 8ecenL
developmenLs have also feaLured Lhe ellmlnaLlon of any non-
rush hour and weekend bus servlce beLween Lhe 1afL 8rldge
and Lhe ConnecLlcuL Avenue PllLon. 1he only poslLlve
lmprovemenL ln bus servlce for Adams Morgan has been Lhe
ClrculaLor connecLlon Lravellng beLween Woodley ark and
Columbla PelghLs Lhrough Adams Morgan (see below) Lo Mcherson Square.

CurrenL problems wlLh bus servlce, ln addlLlon Lo LhaL now experlenced by ConnecLlcuL Avenue
resldenLs, lncludes:

* lack of on-Llme buses and Lhe absence of real Llme dlsplays of esLlmaLed arrlval Llmes" for all
MeLro buses aL bus sLops and shelLers--llke Lhe dlsplays aL MeLro subway sLaLlons. Papplly, a
conLracL was flnally awarded ln lebruary 2013 by uuC1 Lo geL Lhls servlce operaLlonal,

*mornlng, laLe afLernoon, and evenlng rush hour problems wlLh 42s and S2 and S4 buses LhaL
are Loo [am-packed Lo sLop for addlLlonal passengers, especlally on16Lh SLreeL for Lhe S buses,
and ConnecLlcuL Avenue for Lhe 42 -- and someLlmes Lhe 43, a rush hour bus LhaL has been
recenLly added and has served Lo greaLly lmprove Columbla 8oad and ConnecLlcuL Avenue
servlce. ln addlLlon, Lhese problems are beglnnlng Lo be allevlaLed on Lhe S llne by Lhe addlLlon
of Lwo souLhbound S2 and S4 buses on 16Lh SLreeL LhaL sLarL aL Luclld SLreeL and LermlnaLe aL
larraguL Square. 1hese addlLlonal buses operaLe beLween Lhe hours of 7:43 and 9:13 a.m.,
furLher, addlLlonal MeLro buses, lncludlng sLreLch buses, are belng provlded for Lhe evenlng
norLhbound rush hour and laLe nlghL employmenL shlfL changes along Lhe 16Lh SLreeL corrldor
beLween SLreeL and ark 8oad, schedullng changes LhaL reflecL servlce-worker shlfL changes
on Lhe 42 llne are badly needed,

*frequency remalns a problem even on Lhe good llnes, especlally ln Lhe laLe evenlng--norLh
bound for servlce workers and souLh bound for enLerLalnmenL venue Lravelers,

*bunchlng" remalns a problem on Lhe 42/43, S1/S2/S4 and 90s llnes,

*baslc malnLenance of fare card machlnes on all of Lhe older buses and cleanllness on Lhe 18Lh
and llorlda/u 90 buses ls poor,

43

*comforL and operaLlng condlLlonlng on Lhe new MeLro buses ls a greaL lmprovemenL. Clder
MeLro buses do noL always have operaLlng alr condlLlonlng and have very uncomforLable seaLs,

*aL many of Lhe sLops, uW has placed Lrash collecLlon recepLacles dlrecLly ln fronL of where
passengers geL on and off Lhe bus,

*Lhere are Loo few bus shelLers and Loo few bus sLops. 1he
uuC1 reporL sLrongly supporLed more bus shelLers buL
recommended fewer bus sLops,

*slgnage, especlally lndlcaLlng bus rouLes LhaL sLop aL MeLro
subway sLaLlons, should be lmproved. 1hls was anoLher sLrong
recommendaLlon from Lhe uuC1 reporL and remalns Lo be
lmplemenLed. 1he only ma[or lmplemenLaLlon has been Lhe
lncluslon of Lhrough Adams Morgan" on buses and subway sLops,

*Lhe absence of lnformaLlonal ouLreach lnformlng Adams Morgan resldenLs and vlslLors of Lhe
rouLes and schedules of such llLLle known MeLro buses as Lhe P1 (Lhe rush hour bus LhaL runs
Lhrough Adams Morgan on Columbla 8oad and ConnecLlcuL Avenue beLween 8rookland and
oLomac ark) and how Lo Lransfer Lo uuponL Clrcle buses when Lravellng Lo CeorgeLown and
Poward unlverslLles and Lo Slbley and CeorgeLown PosplLals uslng and C SLreeL bus sLops for
Lhe u2 and Lhe C2, for example, and where Lo caLch Lhe ClrculaLor bus Lo Lhe CeorgeLown
buslness dlsLrlcL, Lhe sLop ls below uuponL Clrcle on 19Lh and n SLreeLs.

*Lhe lack of Lrafflc safeLy lmprovemenLs, especlally aL Lhe dangerous lnLersecLlons of 18Lh aL
Columbla and Adams Mlll 8oads and LhaL of llorlda Avenue and u/vernon SLreeLs. 1here are
also currenL safeLy concerns regardlng Lhe sharlng of cenLer lanes among Lurnlng vehlcles, large
dellvery Lrucks, and MeLro buses on 18Lh SLreeL and Columbla 8oad. 1he only safeLy
lmprovemenL daLlng from Lhe uuC1 2006 reporL ls Lhe ellmlnaLlon of Lhe sllp lane for rlghL
Lurns from Columbla onLo Adams Mlll, whlch has Lhe unlnLended consequence of maklng lL
dlfflculL for buses Lurnlng lefL from Columbla 8oad and pedesLrlans crosslng Adams Mlll and
18Lh SLreeL.

CLher recenL lmprovemenLs have lncluded Lhe lnLroducLlon of SmarL1rlp cards for bus as well as
subway usage and Lhe ellmlnaLlon of paper Lransfers.


Metro Subway System

MeLro's subway sysLem ls a [oy for users--when lL ls fully operaLlonal and ls runnlng on
schedule, oLherwlse lL ls slmply Lolerable. lundamenLal problems lnclude:


44

*poor malnLenance of all aspecLs of Lhe sysLem--especlally ralls and swlLchlng mechanlsms,
passenger cars, and escalaLors and elevaLors and lncludlng, surprlslngly, Lhe lnLegrlLy of subway
sLaLlon walls and celllngs,

*a poor safeLy record sysLem-wlde, wlLh ma[or
lncldenLs aL boLh uuponL Clrcle and Woodley
ark sLaLlons (noL Lo menLlon Lhe Lraglc accldenL
ln !une of 2009 near 1akoma ark where 9
people dled),

*MeLro's unpreparedness for snow and lce,
causlng lL Lo shuL down above ground servlce
whlle below ground conLlnues ln full operaLlon,

*lnfrequenL Lralns on holldays and weekends,
especlally when ma[or Lrack work and malnLenance ls scheduled,

*Lhe fallure of WMA1A Lo aggresslvely lead ln Lhe developmenL and coordlnaLlon of a
sysLemaLlc approach Lo shuLLle and feeder buses Lo subway sLaLlons,

*Lhe lack of funds LhaL would enable WMA1A Lo run any klnd of 24 hour, seven day a week
schedule.

DCS and Spec|a| Needs 8us Serv|ces

More needs Lo be done Lo ensure LhaL safeLy and Llmellness are aL hlgh performance levels ln
Lhese lmporLanL areas of bus and subway servlces.

Iares |n the WMA1A System

Cnly senlors and young sLudenLs geL good deals on publlc LransporLaLlon fares wlLhln Lhe
ulsLrlcL, fares are especlally onerous on Lhose who commuLe Lo work from beyond Lhe ulsLrlcL
llne. lor low-wage workers, who are forced lnLo Lhe ouLer suburbs due Lo houslng cosLs, Lhls
dlsproporLlonaLe LransporLaLlon cosL as a condlLlon of work ls egreglously unfalr.


C|rcu|ator 8us Serv|ce
1he ClrculaLor's dlsLlncL red buses are unllke any oLher publlc LranslL servlce around Lown-wlLh
low floors, blg wlndows and mulLlple doors for easy on-and-off servlce. Also, passengers don'L
need a bus schedule, Lhe ClrculaLor comes every 10 mlnuLes and each rlde only cosLs $1.
MeLrorall rlders uslng SmarL1rlp cards are also ellglble for dlscounLed Lransfer fares.

43

1he ClrculaLor ls Lhe producL of a unlque publlc/prlvaLe parLnershlp beLween Lhe ulsLrlcL
ueparLmenL of 1ransporLaLlon, uC Surface 1ranslL, lnc. and Lhe varlous 8uslness lmprovemenL
ulsLrlcLs (8lus) LhroughouL uC. 1he ldea for a qulck, efflclenL, low-cosL, publlc-LranslL sysLem
orlglnaLed ln Lhe naLlonal CaplLal lannlng Commlsslon's 1997 "LxLendlng Lhe Legacy: lannlng
Amerlca's CaplLal for Lhe 21sL CenLury" vlslon for Lhe ulsLrlcL. 1he uownLown 8uslness
lmprovemenL ulsLrlcL (uownLown 8lu) was an early champlon of lLs lmplemenLaLlon.

now more Lhan a decade laLer Lhe uC ClrculaLor ls expandlng Lo llnk culLural, enLerLalnmenL
and buslness desLlnaLlons wlLhln Lhe clLy's cenLral core and ulsLrlcL nelghborhoods. 1wo new
rouLes were added ln March 2009 and Lhe mosL recenL, ln CcLober 2011. now Lhere are flve
ClrculaLor rouLes ln all, provldlng easy connecLlons Lo nelghborhoods LhroughouL Lhe ulsLrlcL
and lnLo 8osslyn, vlrglnla. 1hls dynamlc LranslL sysLem promoLes ease of movemenL ln our
world-class caplLal clLy and complemenLs MeLro's LranslL servlces LhroughouL Lhe reglon.

1he Woodley ark-Adams Morgan-Mcherson Square rouLe was added ln March 2009. 1he
rouLe hours are:
Sunday - 1hursday: 7am - MldnlghL and
lrlday and SaLurday: 7am - 3:30am.
lL makes sLops ln Lhe followlng locaLlons ln Adams Morgan:
Otlqlootloq ot wooJley lotk lo tbe Jltectloo of Mclbetsoo 5poare
18Lh SL. nW/CalverL 8oad
Columbla 8d/CnLarlo SLreeL nW
Otlqlootloq ot Mclbetsoo 5poote lo tbe Jltectloo of wooJley lotk
Columbla 8d nW/CnLarlo SLreeL
Columbla 8d/18Lh SL. nW/Adams Mlll 8oad

Slnce Lhe Woodley ark/Adams Morgan/Mcherson Square rouLe began ln March of 2009, Lhe
peak monLhly rldershlp was 132,700 passengers ln CcLober 2011. 1he average monLhly
rldershlp on Lhls rouLe ls abouL 130,000 passengers.

Streetcar Serv|ce
7


7
Sources: hLLp://ddoL.dc.gov/uC/uuC1/AbouL+uuC1/ubllcaLlons/uC+1ranslL+luLure
46

ln Lhe flrsL half of Lhe LwenLleLh cenLury, Lhe ulsLrlcL had a robusL sLreeLcar neLwork wlLh more
Lhan 200 mlles of Lrack and mulLlple companles provldlng servlce. 8uL, llke many uS clLles, Lhe
ulsLrlcL shelved Lhe sLreeLcars ln favor of buses and Lhe lasL day of sLreeLcar servlce ln Lhe clLy
was !anuary 28, 1962.
1oday, many regreL Lhe shorLslghLed declslon-maklng LhaL sllenced sLreeLcar llnes across Lhe
counLry and sLreeLcars are now maklng a comeback. SLreeLcars are runnlng once agaln ln places
llke orLland, SeaLLle, and 1ampa and Lhey've been credlLed wlLh boosLlng economlc
developmenL along Lhelr rouLes.
Pere ln Lhe ulsLrlcL, Lhe sLreeLcar consLrucLlon LhaL ls underway now ls rooLed ln a plannlng
process LhaL began several years ago Lo shape Lhe fuLure of LranslL ln Lhe clLy. 1he
comprehenslve ulsLrlcL of Columbla 1ranslL lmprovemenLs AlLernaLlves Analysls (uCAA) sLudled
gaps ln LranslL and ldenLlfled ways Lo beLLer meeL Lhe needs of resldenLs. CuL of LhaL, uuC1
began focuslng on expandlng LranslL servlce wlLh Lhe uC ClrculaLor, express MeLro bus rouLes,
bus rapld LranslL, and sLreeLcar.
1he sLreeLcar offers an array of beneflLs. llrsL, lL wlll make lL easler for resldenLs Lo move
beLween nelghborhoods. lL wlll also spur economlc developmenL. unllke buses, flxed rall llnes
have demonsLraLed Lhey can be caLalysLs Lo aLLracL lnvesLmenLs ln houslng, reLall and
commerclal properLles.
1he goals of Lhe new uC SLreeLcar sysLem are slmple:
Llnk nelghborhoods wlLh a modern, convenlenL and aLLracLlve LransporLaLlon alLernaLlve
(baslcally sLreeLcar ls 'sexy' and sLudles have shown LhaL people who won'L rlde Lhe bus
wlll rlde Lhe sLreeLcar).
rovlde quallLy servlce Lo aLLracL and reach new LranslL rldershlp.
Cffer a broader range of LranslL opLlons for ulsLrlcL resldenLs
8educe shorL lnner-clLy auLo Lrlps, parklng demand, Lrafflc congesLlon, and alr polluLlon.
Lncourage economlc developmenL and affordable houslng opLlons along sLreeLcar
corrldors.
WlLhouL sLreeLcars, Lhe prospecLs for publlc LransporLaLlon ln Lhe ulsLrlcL are much less
promlslng. 1he forecasL calls for a 32 percenL lncrease ln Lhe number of LransporLaLlon Lrlps ln
Lhe ulsLrlcL by 2030. Already, many MeLro bus rouLes and MeLrorall llnes are operaLlng aL or
above capaclLy, and congesLlon on Lwo MeLrorall llnes was expecLed Lo become
unmanageable" by 2013. lL ls clear Lhere ls a need for more LranslL servlce and Lhe uC
SLreeLcar ls an lnvesLmenL LhaL wlll pay Lremendous dlvldends for ulsLrlcL resldenLs.

hLLp://ddoL.dc.gov/uC/uuC1/Cn+?our+SLreeL/Mass+1ranslL+ln+uC/uC+SLreeLcar/uC+SLreeLcar+Cvervl
ew

47

1he uC SLreeLcar uevelopmenL lan ls organlzed lnLo Lhree phases:
llrsL hase - lncludes AnacosLla Llne, P and 8ennlng 8oad, along wlLh unlon SLaLlon/MounL
vernon Square, k SLreeL, M SLreeL SL, MLk !r Avenue, and Lower Ceorgla Avenue.
Second hase - lncludes Ceorgla Avenue, Congress PelghLs, llorlda Avenue, u SLreeL Lo CalverL
SLreeL (Adams Morgan porLlon), 8hode lsland Avenue SouLh and norLh and CeorgeLown.
1hlrd hase - lncludes MlnnesoLa Avenue, 8olllng Al8, Columbla 8oad (Adams Morgan
porLlon), Mlchlgan Avenue and 7
Lh
SLreeL.
1here ls noL a Llmellne yeL for Lhe second and Lhlrd phases LhaL would lnclude Adams Morgan
sLreeLs.
AU1CMC8ILLS
1he 2006 uuC1 reporL made clear LhaL Loo many cars are comlng lnLo Adams Morgan for Lhe
sLreeL neLwork Lo absorb and LhaL Lhere are lnsufflclenL parklng spaces for resldenLs and vlslLors
allke. Mayor Cray's LransporLaLlon vlslon for uC also encourages less rellance on Lhe
auLomoblle and more walklng and use of publlc LransporLaLlon. 1oo many cars enLerlng Adams
Morgan wlLh nowhere Lo park creaLes a volume of Lrafflc on Lhe sLreeLs and aggresslve behavlor
on Lhe parL of Lhe drlvers generaLlng a safeLy problem.
Many of Lhe problems creaLed by Loo many cars such as speedlng, lllegal Lurns, lllegal parklng,
creaLlon of ad hoc loadlng zones, and lgnorlng red llghLs, sLops slgns and pedesLrlan crosswalks
are agalnsL Lhe law. 1he vlew of many resldenLs ls LhaL Lhe MeLropollLan ollce ueparLmenL
does noL adequaLely enforce Lhe exlsLlng Lrafflc laws.
ln Adams Morgan Lhere has been a very llmlLed adopLlon of Lrafflc calmlng sLraLegles compared
Lo some oLher uC nelghborhoods. 1rafflc calmlng devlces lnclude roundabouLs, speed bumps,
speed cameras, rumble sLrlps, pedesLrlan refuge areas, ralsed crosswalks, and one-way sLreeLs.
1he 18
Lh
SLreeL sLreeLscape pro[ecL led Lo some marglnal lmprovemenLs along LhaL
Lhoroughfare buL oLherwlse calmlng efforLs are mosLly absenL from Adams Morgan oLher Lhan
speed bumps on Lanler lace and on Champlaln SLreeL under Lhe Marle 8eed School's overpass.
ln conLrasL, ln Sherldan-kalorama Lhere are speed bumps on kalorama 8oad and Callfornla
SLreeL.

48

1here ls a llmlLed neLwork of one-way sLreeLs ln Adams Morgan compared Lo Lhe uuponL-Logan
Clrcle area where a large number of crossLown sLreeLs are one-way.
Such sLreeLs can calm Lrafflc buL Lhe 2006 reporL dld noL recommend
Lhe expanslon of Lhe exlsLlng neLwork Laklng Lhe vlew LhaL Lhe cons
largely counLerbalanced Lhe pros. Powever, Lhe lncreaslng volume of
Lrafflc has exacerbaLed Lhe problems on narrow sLreeLs slnce LhaL Llme.
1he one-way sLreeL ln fronL of Parrls-1eeLer helped LhaL area wlLh Lhe
hlgher Lrafflc volume. WlLh Lhe consLrucLlon of Lhe Adams Morgan
PlsLorlc PoLel, Lrafflc wlll lncrease on Champlaln and Luclld SLreeLs.
new houslng along 17
Lh
SLreeL wlll also lncrease Lrafflc volume.
AddlLlonal one-way sLreeLs could also reduce Lhe opporLunlLles for Laxls and oLhers Lo clrcle Lhe
nelghborhood excesslvely.

1he 2006 reporL devoLed conslderable Llme Lo looklng aL Lhe gaLeways Lo Adams Morgan,
speclflcally Lhe lnLersecLlons of 18
Lh
SLreeL wlLh Columbla 8oad and llorlda Avenue. Whlle
vlews dlffer on Lhelr effecLlveness, some lmprovemenLs were made aL llorlda Avenue and 18
Lh

SLreeL. LxcepL for Lhe backlogs of cars comlng norLh on 18
Lh
SLreeL Lurnlng rlghL on llorlda
havlng a problem because Lhe rlghL-Lurn lane ls very shorL, Lhe slLuaLlon was lmproved ln LhaL
area, parLlcularly for pedesLrlan safeLy. Powever, Lhe lnLersecLlon of 18
Lh
and Columbla ls sLlll
unsaLlsfacLory. lor a number of reasons lncludlng Lhe large expanse of Lhe lnLersecLlon, cars
ofLen don'L yleld Lo pedesLrlans.

8ecenLly Lhe communlLy has learned LhaL Columbla 8oad beLween Champlaln SLreeL and
MozarL lace wlll become even more heavlly used for loadlng zones wlLh Lhe consLrucLlon of
new condos and reLall space aL Lhe locaLlon of Lhe old CnLarlo 1heaLer. uuC1 needs Lo clarlfy
Lhe rules for loadlng zones along 18
Lh
SLreeL and Columbla 8oad (e.g., ls unloadlng from Lhe
mlddle of Lhe sLreeL legal? Are Lhere Llme resLrlcLlons?) and Mu needs Lo enforce Lhe law.

ark|ng
arklng meLers exlsL ln mosL of Lhe commerclal areas
of Adams Morgan and so Lhere appears Lo be llmlLed
scope for lncreaslng Lhe coverage area. Powever, Lhe
Llme LhaL Lhe meLers are ln use as well as Lhe cosL
could be changed. 1he use of peak-load prlclng (also
49

known as performance parklng) has begun Lo be lmplemenLed ln uC and would appear Lo be a
useful opLlon for Adams Morgan. Powever, peak prlclng would only make sense lf Lhe meLers
were ln use durlng Adams Morgan's peak hours lncludlng weekday evenlngs and on weekends.

Carage space-Lhere ls very llmlLed off-sLreeL pald parklng ln Adams Morgan. resenLly Lhere
are 234 garage spaces aL 1711 llorlda Avenue and 271 spaces ln Lhe 18
Lh
SLreeL garage ln
Adams Morgan. Clven land usage Lhere would appear Lo be llLLle scope for lncreaslng Lhe
number of commerclal parklng garages ln Adams Morgan. Powever, Lhe effecL on parklng
should be Laken lnLo conslderaLlon as Lhe communlLy dlscusses developmenL pro[ecLs for 1711
llorlda Avenue, whlch ls currenLly a parklng garage. ln Lhe pasL, Lhe redevelopmenL of Lhe
Marle 8eed CommunlLy CenLer has been dlscussed lncludlng Lhe
consLrucLlon of a parklng garage. Such a re-developmenL pro[ecL
would llkely face communlLy opposlLlon for a number of reasons.
1o encourage dayLlme buslness ln Adams Morgan Lhere ls a
dayLlme parklng dlscounL aL Lhe 18
Lh
SLreeL garage. WlLh valldaLlon
from any Adams Morgan buslness (no purchase necessary)
cusLomers can park for up Lo 4 hours for $7 (3 p.m. exlL requlred)
or up Lo 2 hours for $3. 1hls ls avallable 7 days a week.

ln 2012, Lhe uC Councll flnallzed leglslaLlve changes Lo Lhe 8esldenLlal arklng rogram (8)
program ln Adams Morgan LhaL provldes for supplylng each of Lhe roughly 7,000 households
wlLhln AnC1C (Adams Morgan) wlLh a vlslLor pass puLLlng furLher pressure on avallable sLreeL
parklng. 1he new regulaLlons also creaLed resldenL-only parklng on one slde of sLreeLs
deslgnaLed 8. Clven LhaL 8 ls only ln effecL durlng 7:30 am-8: 30 pm durlng weekdays
when parklng ls noL ln such shorL supply, Lhe lnsLlLuLlon of Lhe resldenLs' only zones dld noL
have a large effecL. lL dld however puL blg pressure on local nonproflL organlzaLlons LhaL rely on
volunLeers drlvlng Lo asslsL Lhem durlng Lhe day. lollowlng Lhe communlLy process LhaL
CeorgeLown used for managlng lLs parklng regulaLlons could be a good example for Adams
Morgan.

8ecenLly Lhe uC Cfflce of lannlng has proposed Lo remove Lhe requlremenL for developers Lo
provlde mlnlmum" amounLs of parklng ln cerLaln newly named zones (l.e. mlxed-use LranslL
zones and aparLmenL LranslL zones) and locaLlons close Lo MeLro sLops or hlgh servlce bus
corrldors. 1hls sLep may noL be sulLed for an area such as Adams Morgan where parklng ls ln
shorL supply. Powever, Lhls ls conslsLenL wlLh Lhe uC Cfflce of lannlng and uuC1's ob[ecLlves
30

Lo reduce Lhe number of vehlcles drlvlng Lhe sLreeLs of uC and
encourage people Lo use mass-LranslL and oLher means of
LransporLaLlon.

8ecenLly Lhe lssue of valeL parklng has arlsen ln parL because of
Lhe unsaLlsfacLory conducL of one of Lhe operaLors of valeL
servlce. lf Lhe vlslon for Adams Morgan ls one of reduclng Lhe
number of cars enLerlng Adams Morgan, parLlcularly durlng Lhe
enLerLalnmenL zones peak hours, Lhen lncreaslng Lhe use of valeL
parklng may be quesLlonable. 1axls would seem Lo be an
aLLracLlve alLernaLlve. AlLernaLlvely, valeL can be seen as a poslLlve amenlLy LhaL helps
dlscourage drlvers from clrcllng looklng for parklng. Some hlgh-end resLauranLs across Lhe clLy
rely heavlly on valeL parklng Lo brlng cusLomers Lo Lhem.

llnally, Lhe reservaLlon of cerLaln spaces for car-share companles such as ZlpCar ls a parklng
lssue, buL Lhls sub[ecL ls covered ln anoLher porLlon of Lhe worklng group's reporL. WheLher or
noL ZlpCar parklng should be allowed aL publlc parklng locaLlons ls a sub[ecL of conLroversy.
8ICCLLS
8lcycles are an lmporLanL - and growlng - mode of
LransporLaLlon ln Adams Morgan and across uC. As
evldenced by uC's 8lcycle MasLer lan (Aprll 2003),
Adams Morgan 1ransporLaLlon and arklng SLudy
(March 2006), and Lhe Mayor's vlslon for a
SusLalnable uC, our clLy governmenL ls lnLenL on
promoLlng and expandlng blcycle use LhroughouL
Lhe ulsLrlcL. lor example, ln hls susLalnable vlslon plan, Lhe Mayor seL a goal LhaL by 2032 aL
leasL 73 of all Lrlps orlglnaLlng ln Lhe clLy wlll be by walklng, blklng, LranslL, or oLher clean
LransporLaLlon alLernaLlve, and LhaL Lhe ulsLrlcL wlll compleLe 80 mlles of blke lanes.
1he promoLlon of blcycles ls also evldenL ln Lhe clLy's rapldly growlng CaplLal 8lkeshare
program, whlch was launched ln AugusL 2008 and now lncludes over 173 sLaLlons provldlng
over 1670 blcycles Lo over 24,000 annual members ln uC and norLhern vlrglnla. ln Adams
Morgan, Lhere are 6 CaplLal 8lkeshare sLaLlons.
31

WlLhln Lhe lasL flve years, oLher Lhan CaplLal 8lkeshare, Lhe SLreeLscape ro[ecL has llkely had
Lhe largesL lmpacL on blcycles ln Adams Morgan. lor example, Lhe pro[ecL creaLed blke lanes,
provlded addlLlonal blke racks, and creaLed blcycle-frlendly Lrafflc calmlng lnLersecLlons.
We now have blcycle lanes along Lhe ma[or sLreeLs of Adams Morgan, lncludlng Lhe followlng
locaLlons:
CalverL SLreeL, golng Lo 8ock Creek ark and lLs blke paLh
Columbla 8oad
And several secondary sLreeLs, such as Luclld SLreeL, W SLreeL and Adams Mlll 8oad.
Cne problem, Lhough, LhaL cycllsLs someLlmes encounLer concerns Lhe conLlnulLy of Lhe local
blke lanes, whlch on occaslon wlll falrly abrupLly dlsappear from Lhe sLreeL, or wlll shlfL Lhelr
locaLlon on Lhe roadway wlLhouL noLlce.
1he CaplLal 8lkeshare program of renLal blkes has been
expandlng wlLh sLaLlons now aL 18
Lh
SLreeL and Columbla 8oad,
aL Columbla 8oad and 8elmonL 8oad, on 18
Lh
SLreeL ouLslde of
Lhe Marle 8eed CenLer, aL 16
Lh
SLreeL aL Parvard, and aL Lhe
lnLersecLlon of llorlda Avenue and CnLarlo 8oad. AddlLlonally,
Lhe sLreeL-surface blke" logo or sharrow" has been placed
along many ma[or sLreeLs. A sharrow (a blend of share and arrow) ls a shared-lane marklng on
a lane of a paved road's surface lndlcaLlng LhaL blcycllsLs may use any porLlon of Lhe full wldLh
of Lhe lane.
1here are also a number of blke racks LhroughouL Adams Morgan, especlally aL Columbla and
CnLarlo near Lhe offlces of Lhe WashlngLon Area 8lcycllsL AssoclaLlon (WA8A), and aL Lhe Marle
8eed CenLer. 1he number of racks conLlnues Lo grow.
Looklng Lo Lhe fuLure, blcycles offer a healLhy, clean form of LransporLaLlon LhaL has Lhe
poLenLlal Lo ease slgnlflcanLly Lhe burdens of Lrafflc and polluLlon. Powever, Lhls growLh musL
be done responslbly. ln a mulLl-modal LransporLaLlon sysLem such as ours, expandlng cycllng
noL only has cosLs (e.g., slgnage, blke racks, and blke lanes), buL may also lncrease safeLy
hazards and rlsks. WlLhouL Lhe proper faclllLles and rules ln place, cycllsLs pose lncreased safeLy
rlsks Lo Lhemselves and oLhers, lncludlng pedesLrlans and drlvers. 1hls safeLy concern ls
parLlcularly relevanL Lo Adams Morgan, whlch, accordlng Lo Lhe 2006 sLudy, had some of Lhe
hlgher-volume blke crash locaLlons ln Lhe ulsLrlcL.
CLher lLems for conslderaLlon:
8lcycle SafeLy and Access
uc low & leqlslotlve nlstoty
8lcycle ollcy ModernlzaLlon AmendmenL AcL of 2008
32

8lcycle 8eglsLraLlon 8eform AmendmenL AcL of 2008
8lcycle SafeLy AmendmenL AcL of 2008
Chlld PelmeL SafeLy AmendmenL AcL of 2000
uc Moolclpol keqolotloo
uCM8 18-12: 8lcycles, MoLorlzed 8lcycles, and Mlscellaneous vehlcles
Ceoetol lofotmotloo
uC 8lke rogram lacL SheeL Summer 2012
Safe 8lcycllng ln Lhe WashlngLon Area 8rochure
5tooJotJs & 5peclflcotloos
8lcycle laclllLy ueslgn Culde
1toospottotloo lloos & 5toJles
uC 8lcycle MasLer lan

8lcycle arklng
uc low & leqlslotlve nlstoty
8lcycle CommuLer and arklng Lxpanslon AmendmenL AcL of 2007
8lcycle CommuLer and arklng Lxpanslon AmendmenL AcL of 2010
uc Moolclpol keqolotloo
uCM8 11-2119: Cff-SLreeL arklng 8equlremenLs
uCM8 18-1208: 8lcycles 8acks
uCM8 18-1209: arklng 8lcycles on ubllc Space
uCM8 18-1210: 8emoval of 8lcycles from ubllc Space
uCM8 18-4028: 8lcycle 8acks
Ceoetol lofotmotloo
lAC: 8lke 8acks & CLher SLreeL lurnlLure Mayoral Crder
8lcycle CommuLer and arklng Lxpanslon AmendmenL AcL of 2007
5tooJotJ Opetotloq ltoceJote (5Ol)
8lcycle 8ack lacemenL ln ubllc Space
5tooJotJs & 5peclflcotloos
8lcycle 8ack ueslgn Culde
8lcycle arklng Culdellnes

WALkING
Adams Morgan, wlLh lLs close ln-Lown locaLlon, ls an area LhaL
generally has a very good layouL for pedesLrlan Lravel. 1he
Adams Morgan locale ls made up of four dlsLlncL, smaller
nelghborhoods whlch were all bullL up abouL 1900 when walklng
was Lhe naLural and Lyplcal way of geLLlng around locally.

1oday we are also forLunaLe LhaL Lhe ulsLrlcL governmenL ls well
aware of Lhe lmporLance of nelghborhood Lravel, and ls ln lLs
33

dally operaLlons of malnLenance and lmprovemenL rouLlnely looklng ouL for Lhe welfare of lLs
walklng resldenLs. 1he Mayor's vlslon for a SusLalnable uC lssued ln 2012 ldenLlfles
LransporLaLlon as one of Lhe ma[or componenLs Lo conslder when plannlng beLLer use of
energy. 1he reporL noLes LhaL walklng and blklng can reduce obeslLy and can help Lo malnLaln a
person's overall healLh. As menLloned earller, Lhls sLudy seLs a goal of havlng 73 of all clLy
Lrlps be by walklng, blklng or LranslL.

Slnce walklng was Lhe baslc nelghborhood mode of Lravel when Adams Morgan was flrsL
developed, all of Lhe sLreeLs of Lhe area were deslgned Lo have sldewalks, and over Lhe years
any new work has been generally well planned, and mosLly well malnLalned wlLh respecL Lo
pedesLrlan Lravel. AL lnLersecLlons, Lhe corners have always been well marked and properly
slgned and slgnaled. 1he alleys were usually noL deslgned for shorL-cuL Lravel, buL Lhls
someLlmes dld occur, from Lhe beglnnlng - and happens now Loo, so Lhls ls a facLor ln alley
upkeep.
CurrenLly, Lhe ulsLrlcL conLlnues Lo malnLaln Lhe area's sldewalks ln a generally good manner,
and Lo monlLor Lhe needs of walkers and wheelchalrs aL lnLersecLlons. unforLunaLely,
sldewalks are almosL always consldered a secondary-parL of Lhe roadways ln Lhls area (as well
as ln mosL oLher nelghborhoods). 1hls LreaLmenL someLlmes does noL glve walkers Lhe prlorlLy
aLLenLlon Lhey should probably have aL cerLaln key locaLlons, ln parLlcular along Lhe rouLes Lo
Lhe Lwo MeLro sLaLlons. 1here ls also Lhe lssue of lnLeracLlons beLween blcycles and walkers -
boLh needlng space. SomeLlme blkers use Lhe roadway, someLlmes Lhe sldewalk, Lhe rules for
all should be made plaln and Lhen followed.
Cne way Lo look aL Lhe walklng paLLern ls Lo break lL lnLo Lwo parLs: lnLernal Lravel, and Lravel
Lo leave or enLer Lhe nelghborhood. lnslde walklng ls falrly baslc and sLralghLforward. 1he
clLy's sysLem of Lrafflc conLrol ls generally good. Colng ouLslde Lhe nelghborhood, Lo MeLro or
elsewhere, ls perhaps Lhe more lmporLanL lssue Lo look aL here. 1he somewhaL speclal
conflguraLlon of Lhe area sLreeLs LhaL enclose Adams Morgan means LhaL on all sldes Lhere are
well-deflned enLrance and exlL walklng-rouLes lnLo Lhe nelghborhood. Maklng Lhese ma[or
rouLes each a clear and easy Lravel paLhway ls key. 1here are several ways of dolng Lhls,
lncludlng Lhe clLy's recenL new use of Lhe belge pebble-surface sldewalks here, whlch ls
deflnlLely a good ldea. ConLlnued use of Lhls surface on Lhe maln rouLes surroundlng Adams
Morgan would be helpful, for example, along Columbla 8oad, especlally golng Loward Lhe
Columbla PelghLs MeLro, along Lhe resL of CalverL SLreeL golng Lo Woodley ark, and perhaps
on a few oLher sLreeLs. ln addlLlon, Lhe area has a couple of complex lnLersecLlons, and
pedesLrlans could be glven a slmpllfled walklng paLLern aL Lhese spoLs. lor example, Lhe
lnLersecLlons aL CalverL and Adams Mlll, and also aL 16
Lh
and Columbla, could be reconflgured Lo
make Lhem more pleasanL for pedesLrlans, and could even be deslgned Lo acL as gaLeway"
enLrances Lo Adams Morgan.
34


1he recenL ma[or reconsLrucLlon of 18
Lh
SLreeL was very well done, and has been a nlce beneflL
Lo drlvers, walkers, and buslnesses. (lf perhaps noL so helpful Lo parkers.) lor pedesLrlans Lhe
lmprovemenL ls dramaLlc. 1he old sldewalks Lhere were uneven, cluLLered and ln many spoLs,
and very narrow. 1he new work ls clear and cleanly consLrucLed. lL's surprlslng how much
clearer Lhe sLreeL vlew ls when Lhe sldewalk paLLern ls unlform and glves Lhe walker a sLralghL
vlew down Lhe sLreeL. 1he buslnesses also beneflL: Lhelr shops are easler Lo see, and Lhe
several sldewalk cafes can now be seL up wlLhouL crowdlng ouL Lhe sldewalk Lravel space.

ln conLrasL ls Columbla 8oad. 1oday Lhe sldewalks of Lhls maln Lhoroughfare Lhrough Adams
Morgan are a mlxLure of good and bad. 1here are areas LhaL have noL been evenly malnLalned,
and could use some lmprovemenLs. lor example, beLween MlnLwood and 16
Lh
Lhere are
sLreLches LhaL should be properly re-bullL Lo glve Lhe walkers a beLLer Lravel space, and Lo make
Lhe walkways easler for Lhe buslnesses Lo use. 1he souLh slde of Columbla beLween CnLarlo
and Champlaln ls a vlslble example of a problem spoL.

1he clLy has done a good [ob recenLly of re-bulldlng Lhe area's alleyways. 1hese, as ln mosL
locales, are someLhlng of a conLlnulng problem (Lrash, lurklng, eLc.), and fresh ldeas abouL whaL
mlghL be done would be beneflclal.

WlLh local schools, Lhere ls some walklng lnvolved, and as Lhls funcLlon has evolved over Lhe
years, a saLlsfacLory Lravel plan has naLurally evolved. ln addlLlon, many sLudenLs are bused or
dropped off by car.

Some lssues Lo conslder for walkers are: Lhe vlsual pleasanLness, safeLy, and ease of Lhe
walklng. 1hls can easlly be noLed wlLh a slmple sLroll along Lhe ma[or rouLes. Cenerally,
llghLlng ls very good. 8uL Lhe clLy could check more rouLlnely and more ofLen Lo ensure LhaL
obsLrucLlons, especlally wlLh sldewalk vendlng, do noL block, or become permanenL. 8roken or
benL clLy slgns should be flxed prompLly, and grafflLl prompLly removed. 1rafflc slgns, as
needed, should be correcLly re-allgned. rlvaLe slgns should be monlLored Loo, and noL be
allowed Lo block Lhe sldewalk. When sLreeL and sldewalk consLrucLlon occurs, Lhe clLy should
always be mlndful of Lhe quallLy of Lhe consLrucLlon belng done and noL accepL poor, damaged,
or grafflLl-marred work from Lhe conLracLors dolng Lhe [ob.

Cverall, Lhe ulsLrlcL governmenL has done some careful plannlng Lo help supporL pedesLrlan
Lravel ln Adams Morgan, and - wlLh clLlzen lnpuL - Lhe clLy should be encouraged Lo look aL
ways of maklng even more lmprovemenLs.

33



36





37

%3A57513 "4,=7 B10/,3
812753/ %D6-295A6 +2==,0:

Adams Morgan remalns a preferred desLlnaLlon ln WashlngLon, u.C. puLLlng enormous pressure
on Lhe cosL for an lndlvldual Lo elLher renL or purchase llvlng quarLers ln our communlLy.
uesplLe economlc challenges LhaL some of our resldenLs face, Lhe medlan lncome ln Adams
Morgan ls among Lhe hlghesL ln Lhe clLy. 1he medlan lncome of morLgage appllcanLs ln Adams
Morgan Loday ls close Lo $122 Lhousand dollars per appllcanL. Accordlng Lhe laLesL daLa
avallable, 41 of our communlLy ls home owners - double Lhe home ownershlp raLe ln 1980
and all lndlcaLlons suggesL lL wlll go hlgher ln Lhe comlng years. Cnly 2 of Lhe home loans
beLween 2003 and 2009 were subprlme. Some daLa suggesL LhaL Lhe medlan purchase prlce of
a home ln Adams Morgan ls around $800,000 dollars - cerLalnly a challenge for Lhose of modesL
resources.
8enLers ln our communlLy who comprlse 39-60 of our nelghbors are under Lhe consLanL
pressure of lncreased renLs and Lhe lack of affordable alLernaLlves ln Adams Morgan. uemand
for renLals remalns hlgh and Lhe bulldlng owners, aL presenL, would seem Lo have Lhe upper
hand. Cur average vacancy raLe ls around 3 for nearly 11,000 renLal unlLs. Cnly 800 of Lhose
unlLs meeL Lhe deflnlLlon of affordable houslng."Many of Lhe new developmenLs comlng on
llne ln Adams Morgan over Lhe nexL Lwo years wlll lnclude very llLLle new affordable houslng
and Lhe formula used Lo deLermlne affordable houslng has been crlLlclzed for excludlng many
lower mlddle class wage earners.
uesplLe all of Lhe aLLracLlve varlables LhaL have made Adams Morgan a desLlnaLlon for llvlng ln
WashlngLon, oLher lssues are also addlng Lo Lhe challenges of houslng ln Adams Morgan. ln
recenL years, we have seen more young marrled couples comlng Lo Lhe communlLy and sLarLlng
famllles, whlch wlll creaLe challenges for Lhem as Lhey seek more space for Lhelr new famllles aL
a reasonable cosL. lL has become very cosLly for some young famllles Lo purchase ln our
communlLy and Lhe lssue of our publlc schools performlng aL or [usL below Lhe mlddle ranks of
elemenLary schools can have a negaLlve lmpacL on reLalnlng Lhese young famllles.
Cn balance, Adams Morgan offers aLLracLlve houslng, wonderful nelghborhoods, some even
wlLh a hlsLorlcal deslgnaLlons, buL Lhe rlslng cosL of llvlng ln Lhls communlLy could lead Lo lL no
longer belng a desLlnaLlon of cholce ln Lhe naLlon's CaplLal.


38

!8% +!"!% '( 8'I+E*R E* "C"B+ B'GR"* !'C"P

Cverv|ew
1hls houslng secLlon of Lhe Lnvlslon Adams Morgan Worklng Croup aLLempLs Lo provlde a
broad overvlew of Lhe sLaLus of houslng ln our presenL communlLy and some of Lhe varlables
whlch dlrecLly lmpacL houslng Loday and lnLo Lhe fuLure.
Adams Morgan 1oday
Adams Morgan ls movlng Lowards half of lLs resldenL belng home owners due Lo several facLors.
nearly 60 of our resldenLs are sLlll renLers and Lhe communlLy offers some cholce ln Lhe Lypes
of renLal houslng offered, Lhough affordable renLal opporLunlLles are qulckly becomlng a Lhlng
of Lhe pasL.
1o beLLer undersLand our currenL houslng proflle lL ls lmporLanL Lo undersLand Lhe soclo-
economlc daLa porLralL of Adams Morgan
8
:
Cur populaLlon averages abouL 17,000.
Less Lhan 3 of our resldenLs are wlLhouL a hlgh school dlploma.
Accordlng Lo Lhe laLesL daLa flgures our unemploymenL raLe ls under 3.
?eL, 32 of our resldenLs earn under $30,000 annually.
1he largesL groups maklng under $13,000 annually are over 73 years of age.
Cur hlghesL earners are Lhose beLween Lhe ages of 43 and 34 whose lncomes are over
$200,000 annually.
nome Cwnersh|p |n Adam Morgan
41 of Adams Morgan resldenLs are homeowners -- double Lhe percenLage lL was ln
1980. As laLe as 2007, only 32 of Adams Morgan's resldenLs owned Lhelr own home.
1he medlan lncome of home morLgage appllcanLs ln our communlLy was $97,000 ln
1997. 1oday lL ls close Lo $122,000.
1he average medlan lncome ls approxlmaLely $73,000, whlch ls abouL $14,000 hlgher
Lhan LhaL of Lhe ulsLrlcL as a whole.
Pome ownershlp ls a challenge when Lhe medlan sale prlce of a home ln Adams Morgan
ls $844,000.

8
lease noLe sLaLlsLlcs clLed may dlffer by small a small degree dependlng on Lhe sources relled upon ln
Lhls secLlon and elsewhere ln Lhe documenL. Powever, we belleve Lhe concluslons offered by Lhe daLa
remaln consLanL.

39

Less LhaL 2 of Lhe home loans ln Adams Morgan beLween 2003 and 2009 were
subprlme.
1he Cha||enge of kenta| and Affordab|e nous|ng
1he challenge ln dlscusslng affordable houslng ls LhaL affordablllLy ls governed by one's lncome.
A $400,000 condo may be a sLeal" for one famlly whlle for anoLher famlly an exorblLanL prlce
LhaL only Lhe rlch" can afford.
CurrenL daLa polnLs Lo abouL 40 of our communlLy as owners and 60 as renLers ln
Lhls communlLy.
1here are less Lhan an 800 houslng unlLs LhaL meeL Lhe currenL deflnlLlon of Affordable
Pouslng."
Lven flndlng avallable renLal unlLs ls a challenge wlLh Lhe average vacancy raLe under
3.
2010 daLa polnLs Lo only 800 vacanL unlLs ouL of nearly 11,000 houslng unlLs.
rograms for Affordab|e nous|ng
1he uC governmenL has a few programs for affordable houslng buL Lhey have proven hard Lo
access and even more dlfflculL Lo monlLor. LlsLed below are some of Lhe larger programs:
1. Inc|us|onary 2on|ng - requlres LhaL a cerLaln percenLage of unlLs ln new or rehablllLaLed
developmenLs are seL aslde aL prlces below Lhe Average Medlan lncome (AMl).
unforLunaLely, we flnd Lhls a Lough go ln negoLlaLlng wlLh developers and Lhe AMl
proves Loo cosLly for many large famllles.
2. Lmp|oyer Ass|sted nous|ng - rovldes asslsLance Lo uC governmenL workers who are
flrsL Llme home buyers. 1hls program also covers many workers covered by blankeL
unlon conLracLs wlLh Lhe uC governmenL. 1he program makes lL affordable for our
Leachers, flreflghLers, and pollce offlcers and oLher mld-level governmenL workers Lo
llve ln our communlLles.
3. nome kehab|||tat|on - rovldes loans Lo uC resldenLs Lo repalr Lhelr homes Lo brlng
Lhem up Lo code. 1hls could have an lmpacL on our longLlme resldenLs who may noL
have resources Lo make upgrades Lo Lhelr homes Lo comply wlLh bulldlng codes.
4. Ne|ghborhood kev|ta||zat|on - rovldes granLs Lo buslnesses Lo rehab Lhelr sLorefronLs
ln Lhe communlLy buL do requlre a local communlLy based organlzaLlon (C8C) Lo work
wlLh Lhe buslnesses. 1hls could have poslLlve lmpllcaLlons for our communlLy's small
buslnesses.

60

Affordab|e nous|ng kesources
Adams Morgan ls forLunaLe ln havlng oLher servlces and facLors whlch help make houslng
affordable.
Iub||ee nous|ng - ls a falLh-based C8C locaLed ln Adams Morgan provldlng affordable
houslng servlces Lo economlcally dlsadvanLaged resldenLs of our communlLy.
nous|ng Counse||ng Serv|ces (nCS) - ls a non-proflL organlzaLlon LhaL provldes
comprehenslve houslng counsellng for poLenLlal homebuyers, homeowners, and mosL
lmporLanLly, LenanLs. PCS offers lmporLanL counsellng Lo help LenanLs become
homeowners. hLLp://houslngeLc.org
kent Contro| |n DC - 1he renL conLrol law applles Lo large aparLmenL bulldlngs bullL
before 1973 - lncludlng a conslderable number of Adams Morgan bulldlngs. 1he law
spells ouL Lhe percenLage lncrease a landlord may ask for wlLh Lhe renewlng of a lease
and provldes avenues of appeal for renLers when Lhey Lhlnk Lhey are belng
overcharged. 1he challenge ln Adams Morgan ls Lo acqualnL our resldenLs wlLh Lhe law
and how Lhey can Lo use lL Lo proLecL Lhemselves. See Lhe ueparLmenL of Pouslng and
CommunlLy uevelopmenL facL sheeL on renL conLrol:
hLLp://dhcd.dc.gov/slLes/defaulL/flles/dc/slLes/dhcd/publlcaLlon/aLLachmenLs/8enLCon
LrollacLSheeL2013.pdf
1enants 8||| of k|ghts - uC has also developed a 14 polnL 8lll of 8lghLs Lo proLecL
LenanLs from landlords who use unfalr pracLlces.
Cther Var|ab|es that Impact nous|ng
1ransportat|on - ls a key commodlLy for supporLlng resldenLlal houslng and Adams
Morgan has some robusL offerlngs for lLs resldenLs.
Schoo|s |n Adams Morgan - Adams Morgan offers Lhree local elemenLary schools.
Powever, Lwo of Lhe schools are sLlll noL among Lhe Lop ranked schools and, whlle Lhe
Lhlrd school offers a challenglng currlculum, lLs boundarles exLend beyond Adams
Morgan requlrlng parenLs Lo peLlLlon Lo have Lhelr chlldren consldered for admlsslon. ln
order for Adams Morgan Lo aLLracL and reLaln famllles, Lhe schools wlll have Lo lmprove.
Cr|me, arks and kecreat|on - Whlle Lhe number of vlolenL crlmes has decllned ln
Adams Morgan, properLy crlmes conLlnue Lo be a concern. 1he communlLy ls blessed
wlLh proxlmlLy Lo boLh 8ock Creek ark and Lhe naLlonal Zoo, boLh naLlonal aLLracLlons,
however, our Lwo clLy-operaLed parks - kalorama ark and WalLer lerce ark - would
beneflL from more clLy resources.

61

Cvera|| Summary
Adams Morgan has morphed lnLo a falrly affluenL communlLy. Pome ownershlp has sLeadlly
lncreased along wlLh personal lncome and a changlng demographlc mlx leanlng Lowards a
younger and beLLer educaLed resldenL. 1he avallablllLy of dwelllngs for purchase has also
lncreased wlLh Lhe condomlnlum converslons offerlng an aLLracLlve alLernaLlve for young
professlonals and older empLy nesLers Lo obLaln home ownershlp.
Affordable houslng became a challenge as Adams Morgan emerged as a deslred desLlnaLlon
over Lhe lasL Lhree decades. 8enLal properLles have been converLed aL a rapld raLe Lo meeL Lhe
demands for condomlnlums leavlng renLal properLles as a scarce resource wlLh hlgher renLal
fees. WlLhouL affordable houslng Lhe communlLy runs Lhe rlsk of loslng lLs soclo-economlc
dlverslLy and could prove an lmpedlmenL Lo Lhe long-Lerm vlLallLy of Lhe communlLy lncludlng
loslng mlddle class famllles who need affordable houslng LhaL can hold a famlly of Lhree or
more.

62

%3A57513 "4,=7 B10/,3
%3A5013=639 ,34 +279,53,S5@59:
%D6-295A6 +2==,0:

1he goals of Lhe LnvlronmenL and SusLalnablllLy worklng group are Lo:
1ransfer knowledge/awareness of place and naLural envlronmenL Lo buslnesses and resldenLs.
8ulld a plaLform for conLlnued long-Lerm growLh and dlscusslon as a communlLy.
8ecome a nelghborhood LhaL ldenLlfles lLself as belng envlronmenLally progresslve.
llx whaL's broken (Lree healLh, waLer runoff, eroslon, wasLe, awareness, weaLherlzaLlon) and
revlLallze underused spaces as communlLy asseLs.

We have allgned our basellne daLa for Lhe nelghborhood wlLh Lhe goals and LargeLs lald ouL ln Lhe
SusLalnable uC plan released ln lebruary 2013.
%*%GRP T #IE$! %*OEG'*B%*!
CusLomers ln zlp code 20009 accounLed for 2.43 of clLywlde naLural gas use and 3.6 of
clLywlde elecLrlclLy use ln 2012.
Marle 8eed LlemenLary School scored only ln Lhe boLLom 4
Lh
percenLlle for energy efflclency.
1here are 3 Leaklng underground SLorage 1ank (LuS1) slLes ln Adams Morgan. 1hese cause soll
and groundwaLer conLamlnaLlon.
34 buslnesses along Lhe 18
Lh
SL corrldor and 6 local nonproflLs are parLlclpaLlng ln a communlLy
power purchase agreemenL for wlnd power. Slnce 2011, Lhey've generaLed over $1,300,000 ln
savlngs and buslness revenue and converLed abouL 13,000,000 kWh or 8,346 Lons of CC
2
.
8 solar phoLovolLalc (v) lnsLallaLlons wlLhln Lhe boundarles of AnC1C.
2 bulldlngs ln Adams Morgan have solar Lhermal arrays.
MosL of our power llnes ln Adams Morgan are underground. As a resulL, we don'L ofLen lose
power durlng sLorm emergencles.
Q"!%G
Adams Morgan ls on a boundary llne beLween Lwo waLersheds - 8ock Creek and Lhe
WashlngLon MeLropollLan waLershed.
We are also wlLhln Lhe boundarles of uC's Comblned Sewage Cverflow sysLem.
Cnly one house ln Adams Morgan has lnsLalled a raln barrel Lhrough 8lverSmarL Pomes.
Q"+!%
WasLe ls handled boLh by Lhe ueparLmenL of ubllc Works and by prlvaLe haulers.
AL leasL 11 companles collecL from resLauranLs and buslnesses on Lhe LasL slde of 18
Lh
SLreeL,
along wlLh aL leasL 4 dlfferenL grease collecLors.
Cf Lhe 11, only 6 are on Lhe llsL of commerclal haulers reglsLered wlLh uW.
As parL of Lhe sLreeLscape renovaLlon, new recycllng blns were lnsLalled all along 18
Lh
SLreeL,
flnally brlnglng publlc recycllng Lo Adams Morgan!
10 buslnesses parLlclpaLe ln 1aplL ln Adams Morgan.
63

(''C
Adams Morgan has:
A communlLy garden ln kalorama ark.
1wo small Common Cood ln Lhe ClLy ploLs ln fronL of Lhe kalorama 8ecreaLlon CenLer.
lans for small ploLs for school gardenlng ln con[uncLlon wlLh plans for Lhe new soccer eld aL
Marle 8eed LducaLlon CenLer.
A larmers MarkeL aL 18Lh and Columbla 8oad on SaLurdays ln Aprll Lhrough uecember.
Local, susLalnable, organlc grocerles aL leasanL ops and ?es!
Local, susLalnable, organlc food aL Cashlon's, leasanL ops, and Crganlc norLh Sea.
*"!IG%
kalorama ark offers real opporLunlLles for more Lree planLlng, as do Lhe many publlc spaces
wlLhouL Lrees lncludlng Lhe plazas near 18Lh and Columbla 8oad.
CLher opporLunlLles are spread LhroughouL resldenLlal areas, ln Lhe small yards LhroughouL Lhe
nelghborhood.
Cur exlsLlng Lree canopy coverage ls 32. Cur posslble coverage ls 41. lanLable space ls 9.
!G"*+>'G!"!E'*
Adams Morgan ls servlced by:
13 WMA1A bus rouLes.
1 uC ClrculaLor 8ouLe.
4 meLro sLops wlLhln walklng dlsLance.
6 CaplLal 8lkeshare sLaLlons ln Lhe nelghborhood wlLh 90 blkes.
29 Zlpcars wlLh permanenL parklng spoLs LhroughouL Lhe nelghborhood.
8%"$!8
ln 2010, Lhe CuC reporLed LhaL 13,000 homes ln Lhe uC area mlghL sLlll have waLer supplles wlLh
dangerous levels of lead. Several of Lhe homes were ln Adams Morgan.
We plan Lo conducL an analysls Lo see lf Lhere ls park space wlLhln a 3 mlnuLe walk from all
homes ln Adams Morgan.


64

%3A57513 "4,=7 B10/,3
%3A5013=639 ,34 +279,53,S5@59:

Cur overarchlng mlsslon ln Lhe LnvlronmenL and SusLalnablllLy worklng group ls Lo ensure LhaL resldenLs
and buslnesses ln Lhe nelghborhood have a clear undersLandlng of Lhelr relaLlonshlp wlLh Lhe underlylng
envlronmenLal asseLs of Lhe nelghborhood and Lhe ulsLrlcL aL large.
We seek Lo:
1ransfer knowledge/awareness of place and naLural envlronmenL Lo buslnesses and resldenLs.
8ulld a plaLform for conLlnued long-Lerm growLh and dlscusslon as a communlLy.
8ecome a nelghborhood LhaL ldenLlfles lLself as belng envlronmenLally progresslve.
llx whaL's broken (Lree healLh, waLer runoff, eroslon, wasLe, awareness, weaLherlzaLlon) and
revlLallze underused spaces as communlLy asseLs.

We have allgned our basellne daLa for Lhe nelghborhood wlLh Lhe goals and LargeLs lald ouL ln Lhe
SusLalnable uC plan, released ln lebruary 2013 ln slx caLegorles.
9
1he SusLalnable uC goals are ln a
bulleLed llsL aL Lhe beglnnlng of each secLlon below.

%*%GRP T #IE$! %*OEG'*B%*!
Coals:
CuL clLywlde energy use by 30.
lncrease Lhe use of renewable energy Lo make up 30 of Lhe ulsLrlcL's energy supply.
8educe annual power ouLages Lo beLween 0 and 2 evenLs of less Lhan 100 mlnuLes per year.
8eLroflL 100 of exlsLlng commerclal and mulLl-famlly bulldlngs Lo achleve neL-zero energy
sLandards (meanlng LhaL Lhe bulldlng generaLes enough energy from renewable sources Lo
offseL lLs own energy use).
MeeL neL-zero energy use sLandards wlLh all new consLrucLlon pro[ecLs.

'A60,@@ %360/: I76
Whlle we can'L Lrack Lhe amounL of energy used wlLhln our AnC boundarles, we do know how much
energy was used overall ln Lhe zlp code 20009, as MeLropollLan WashlngLon Councll of CovernmenLs
(MWCCC) recelves Lhese numbers ln reporLs from epco and WashlngLon Cas Lnergy Servlces (WCLS)
each year. CusLomers ln 20009 accounLed for 2.43 of clLywlde naLural gas use and 3.6 of clLywlde
elecLrlclLy use ln 2012.
10



9
hLLp://susLalnable-dc.org
10
hLLps://ncrporLal.mwcog.org/slLes/surveys/cllmaLe/Shared20uocumenLs/lorms/AlllLems.aspx?8ooLlolder=2lslLes2lsur
veys2lcllmaLe2lShared20uocumenLs2luLlllLy20uaLa208equesL2lZl-Level20uaLa&vlew=[249AL023-2823-4888-
9118-481ALl8840CL}

63

I|gure 1: Natura| Gas used w|th|n 20009 boundar|es |n 2012
2|p Code
20009
# of Meters
10942
1herms
10,4S2,470.7
Commerclal 891 4,493,363.8
MasLer-meLered 287 1,493,433.2
lndusLrlal 12 1,180,796.0
8esldenLlal 9,732 3,282,633.7



I|gure 2: L|ectr|c|ty used w|th|n 20009 boundar|es |n 2012
2|p Code
20009
# of Meters
2S,SS8
kWh
389,649,118
MasLer-meLered non-
governmenL commerclal 102 28464234
non-masLer-meLered
governmenL commerclal 43 37043037
non-masLer-meLered
governmenL resldenLlal 1 4382
non-masLer-meLered non-
governmenL commerclal 2,497 178603342
non-masLer-meLered non-
governmenL resldenLlal 22,913 143329903

#25@453/ %;;5-563-:
rlvaLe bulldlngs over 30,000 sq fL and publlc bulldlngs over 10,000 sq fL are requlred Lo Lrack and reporL
Lhelr annual energy and waLer use uslng LA's orLfollo Manager Lracklng Lool. 1hls requlremenL ls a
resulL of uC's Creen 8ulldlng AcL of 2006. As bulldlngs accounL for 73 of Lhe ulsLrlcL's energy use and
greenhouse gas emlsslons, Lracklng our ma[or bulldlngs' energy use and flndlng a way Lo lncenLlvlze
reducLlons could make a slgnlflcanL envlronmenLal lmpacL.
1here are currenLly 21 prlvaLe bulldlngs ln Adams Morgan LhaL were requlred Lo submlL benchmarklng
daLa by Aprll 1, 2013 (see llgure 1). A llsL of bulldlngs over 30k sq fL wlll be released shorLly, and Lhese
bulldlngs wlll be requlred Lo submlL benchmarklng daLa by 2014. Smaller bulldlngs over 10,000 sq fL are
also able Lo use Lhe Lool, and we would encourage all such bulldlngs ln Adams Morgan Lo do so.
8equlremenLs and lnsLrucLlons for uslng Lhe benchmarklng Lool are ouLllned on Lhe ulsLrlcL's
webslLe: hLLp://green.dc.gov/energybenchmarklng.


66

Cf Lhe governmenL bulldlngs LhaL have reporLed Lhelr energy use for 2012, Lhe followlng are ln Adams
Morgan:

I|gure 3: 8enchmark|ng data for government bu||d|ngs |n Adams Morgan
laclllLy
name Address
1oLal
lloor
Space
(Sq. lL.)
LnL8C?
S1A8 Score
CurrenL
WeaLher
normallzed
Source Lnergy
lnLenslLy
(k8Lu/Sq. lL.)
LlecLrlclLy
use
Cas use
(Lherms)
CurrenL
1oLal CPC
Lmlsslons
(MLCC2e)
Lnglne
Company
#21
1763 LAnlL8
LACL nW
12,800 n/A 186.2 137,699 6,200 109.18
Lnglne
Company
#9
1617 u
S18LL1 nW
10,476 n/A 203.6 139,132 4,337 100.07
Adams
LlemenLary
2020 191P
S18LL1 nW
39,400 63*
(Lemporary
score)
143.4 479,038 23,402 366.60
Marle 8eed
LlemenLary
2200
CPAMLAln
S18LL1 nW
162,700 4 221.8 3,470,237 44 1,676.93
3rd ulsLrlcL
PC
1620 v
S18LL1 nW
38,832 n/A 276.00 840,177 13,912 490.60

5ootce. hLLp://green.dc.gov/slLes/defaulL/flles/dc/slLes/ddoe/publlcaLlon/aLLachmenLs/uuCL-
uCS_ubllc8enchmarklng_013113.pdf
Compared Lo schools naLlonwlde, Marle 8eed scored ln Lhe 4
Lh
percenLlle for energy efflclency. 1hls ls
qulLe low, and Lhere should be loLs of room for lmprovemenL. P.u. Cooke LlemenLary School was noL
lncluded ln Lhe benchmarklng reporL. 8ulldlngs ln Lhe 73Lh percenLlle and hlgher are ellglble for
LnergySLar cerLlflcaLlon.
I|gure 4: Adams Morgan bu||d|ngs over 100k sq ft
973,414 1919 CCnnLC1lCu1 Av C!ul ll uLS1lnA1lCn PC1LL LLC
319,484 1873 CCnnLC1lCu1 Av nW unlvL8SAL 8ulLulnC nC81P lnC
421,800 1823 CCnnLC1lCu1 Av nW unlvL8SAL 8ulLulnC lnC
236,646 2101 - 2201 CCnnLC1lCu1 Av nW 2101 CCnnLC1lCu1 AvLnuL
272,449 1600 8LLkMAn L nW 8LLkMAn LACL CCnuC
276,092 2400 161P S1 nW LnvC? ASSCClA1LS L1u 1S
439,302 2480 161P S1 uC8CPLS1L8 PCuSL ASSCClA1LS LLC
67

277,426 1629 CCLuM8lA 8u nW A8k LAZA A1S ll LLC
187,707 1884 CCLuM8lA 8u nW AuAMS-MC8CAn ASSCClA1LS
198,381 2833 Cn1A8lC 8u nW Cn1A8lC CWnL8S lnC
174,971 1630 PA8vA8u S1 nW PA8vA8u PALL LLC
127,237 1934 CCLuM8lA 8u nW uAvlu PC8nS1Lln
122,062 2022 CCLuM8lA 8u nW 1PL W?CMlnC PCuSL
116,748 2032 8LLMCn1 8u nW vALLL? vlS1A CCnuCMlnluM
130,341 1900 kALC8AMA L kALC8AMA LACL
120,630 1841 CCLuM8lA 8u nW ul 1841 CCLuM8lA 8CAu LLC
118,686 1661 C8LSCLn1 L nW 1661 C8LSCLn1 LACL nW lnC
116,689 1641 - 1681 kALC8AMA 8u nW !LMAL'S Cl1AuLL LLC
114,441 1707 CCLuM8lA 8u nW nA1lCnAL SAvlnCS & 18uS1 CCMAn?
104,040 1673 CCLuM8lA 8u nW
nA1lCnAL SAvlnCS & 18uS1 CCMAn?
18uS1LLS
120,823 1801 CL?uLSuALL L nW SAxCn? CCCL8A1lvL AA81MLn1S lnC

(26@ -139,=53,9513
luel sLored ln underground conLalners can a source of groundwaLer and soll conLamlnaLlon. 1here are
Lhree open Leaklng underground SLorage 1ank (LuS1) slLes ln Adams Morgan, as of AugusL 2012.

6/20/1996 2329 Champlaln
SL L..
CLher 2329 Champlaln SLreeL., nW 1 Soll/CW
2/11/1993 Chevron Cas
SLaLlon
1827 Adams Mlll 8d, nW 1 Soll/CW
3/6/1991 uW uC CovL 1630 v SLreeL, nW 1

Soll/CW



68

G636L,S@67

D#'.
WlLhln Lhe 20009 zlp code, we know we have aL leasL 80 buslnesses and over 141 resldenLs LhaL supporL
wlnd power. ln Adams Morgan speclflcally, we know we have 34 buslnesses along Lhe 18
Lh
SL corrldor
and 6 local nonproflLs parLlclpaLlng ln a communlLy power purchase agreemenL for wlnd power. !oella
Mosely, wlLh new Creen lndusLrles, reporLs LhaL, slnce beglnnlng ln 2011, we've generaLed over
$1,300,000 ln savlngs and buslness revenue for communlLy members, and converLed abouL 13,000,000
kWh or 8,346 Lons of CC
2
. 1hls savlngs ls equlvalenL Lo:
8emovlng 1604.22 cars from Lhe road for a year
LllmlnaLlng 1103.49 homes' elecLrlclLy for a year
Savlng 43.38 rallcars' worLh of coal, or
1urnlng off 0.001797 coal planLs for a year."

E+(&,
Whlle Lhere are 36 solar lnsLallaLlons ln Lhe 20009 zlp code, we belleve LhaL only 8 are wlLhln Lhe
boundarles of AnC 1C aL Lhe presenL Llme. ln uC overall, Lhere are 667 solar lnsLallaLlons.
uC Sun ls a local solar cooperaLlve neLwork LhaL can be a resource for slngle-famlly homes or large
aparLmenL bulldlngs LhaL wanL Lo lnvesLlgaLe solar lnsLallaLlons. 1hey can lssue a 8equesL for roposal on
behalf of large bulldlngs and sollclL blds from area lnsLallers for a sysLem. 1hey can Lhen help Lhe
bulldlng revlew Lhe blds and selecL an lnsLaller LhaL wlll meeL Lhelr needs.
An alLernaLlve Lo owoloq solar panels ls Lo lease, whlch ls posslble Lo do Lhrough Solar ClLy.
unforLunaLely, Solar ClLy does noL work wlLh elLher condomlnlums or aparLmenL bulldlngs.
E+(&, !"/,A&(
1here are 37 solar Lhermal lnsLallaLlons ln uC aL Lhls Llme. 1wo bulldlngs ln Adams Morgan have lnsLalled
solar Lhermal arrays Lo reduce elecLrlclLy used Lo heaL waLer:
ark 1ower, 2440 16Lh SL nW
1823 vernon SL nW

Skyllne lnnovaLlons does commerclal solar Lhermal waLer lnsLallaLlons - dependlng upon bulldlng
lnfrasLrucLure. 1helr maln cllenLs are large aparLmenL and condomlnlum bulldlngs. 1hey do noL work
wlLh slngle-famlly homes buL can puL cusLomers ln Louch wlLh Lhose companles who do.
G6@5,S5@59:
MosL of our power llnes ln Adams Morgan are underground. As a resulL, we don'L ofLen lose power
durlng sLorm emergencles.
69


Q"!%G
Coals:
Make 100 of ulsLrlcL waLerways flshable and swlmmable.
use 73 of Lhe landscape Lo capLure ralnwaLer for fllLraLlon or reuse.
uecrease LoLal waLer use by 40.
>1@@29,397 ,34 +910= Q,960 G231;;
Adams Morgan lles on a boundary llne beLween Lwo waLersheds - 8ock Creek and Lhe WashlngLon
MeLropollLan waLershed. Adams Morgan ls also wlLhln Lhe boundarles of uC's Comblned Sewage
Cverflow sysLem, meanlng LhaL durlng heavy ralns, when sLorm sewers become Loo full, sewage ls
mlxed ln and released lnLo Lhese waLersheds. 1hls makes lL parLlcularly lmporLanL ln Adams Morgan Lo
do whaL we can Lo reduce sLorm waLer runoff by capLurlng ralnfall wlLh bloswales, raln gardens, green
roofs, or raln barrels. We can also mlLlgaLe sLorm waLer runoff by replaclng lmpervlous surfaces wlLh
permeable pavemenL or planLs.
1o daLe, only one house ln Adams Morgan has parLlclpaLed ln Lhe 8lverSmarL Pomes program by
lnsLalllng a raln barrel.
An eroslon conLrol pro[ecL was underLaken ln kalorama ark Lo conLrol excesslve sLormwaLer runoff
from slopes and hard surfaces wlLhln Lhe park" ln 2010-2011, buL was unsuccessful. 1he uC ueparLmenL
of arks and 8ecreaLlon and Lhe ueparLmenL of Ceneral Servlces are now worklng Lo fund repalrs and
have posLed a page on Lhelr webslLe Lo Lrack developmenLs ln Lhe pro[ecL.
11

esLlcldes are anoLher common waLer polluLanL. 8ecenLly, uC passed a pesLlclde reform acL LhaL
requlres lnLegraLed esL ManagemenL and llmlLs use of synLheLlc pesLlcldes on all governmenL, school,
and chlldcare faclllLy grounds. 1hls ls prlmarlly Lo llmlL human exposure Lo Loxlcs, buL wlll also serve Lo
reduce Lhe amounL of pesLlcldes LhaL wash off of Lhose grounds lnLo nearby bodles of waLer. We
encourage adopLlon of lnLegraLed pesL managemenL or organlc approaches for all parks and green
spaces ln Adams Morgan.


11
hLLp://dpr.dc.gov/page/kalorama-park-eroslon-conLrol

70

Watersheds

C6-06,753/ Q,960 I76
WaLer use ls lncluded ln Lhe benchmarklng requlremenLs for large bulldlngs esLabllshed by uC's Creen
8ulldlng AcL of 2006. We expecL LhaL Lracklng waLer use and maklng Lhe lnformaLlon publlcly avallable
wlll help bulld awareness and encourage behavlor change.



71

Q"+!%
Coals:
Send zero solld wasLe Lo landfllls per year and reduce LoLal wasLe generaLlon by 13.
8euse 20 of all consLrucLlon and demollLlon wasLe.
Achleve a LoLal wasLe dlverslon raLe (recycllng, composLlng, and converslon) of 80.

C57?17,@ G67?1375S5@59:
WasLe ls handled boLh by Lhe ueparLmenL of ubllc Works and by prlvaLe haulers ln uC. All resldences
wlLh Lhree or fewer unlLs are covered by clLy collecLlon and are offered recycllng and landflll servlces.
ulsLrlcL-wlde, uW handles 103,000 resldences.
All buslnesses, schools, churches, and resldences wlLh four or more unlLs are requlred Lo conLracL wlLh
prlvaLe wasLe and recycllng haulers. 8ecycllng ls a requlred servlce, buL each hauler may collecL dlfferenL
maLerlals. Accordlng Lo uW:
Items that the D|str|ct requ|res commerc|a| propert|es to recyc|e
1he ulsLrlcL regulaLes recycllng boLLles, cans and paper ln all buslnesses. Class, meLal, paper,
corrugaLed cardboard and narrow-necked plasLlc boLLles musL be separaLed and conLalnerlzed
lndependenLly of oLher solld wasLe."
Lnforcement act|ons that can be taken |f a commerc|a| property does not recyc|e
A commerclal properLy can be flned for falllng Lo comply wlLh Lhe recycllng regulaLlons. 1he
flnes range from $200 for a flrsL offense Lo $1300 for Lhe Lhlrd vlolaLlon of Lhe same regulaLlon
wlLhln 60 days."
8ecause Lhere are so many bulldlngs ln Adams Morgan LhaL are requlred Lo conLracL wlLh prlvaLe
haulers, lL's a large Lask Lo accounL for all companles worklng ln Adams Morgan. We do know Lhere are
aL leasL 11 companles collecLlng from resLauranLs and buslnesses on Lhe LasL slde of 18
Lh
SLreeL, along
wlLh 4 dlfferenL grease collecLors. Cf Lhe 11, only 6 are on Lhe llsL of commerclal haulers reglsLered wlLh
uW. 1he consequence of havlng so many dlfferenL companles servlng one sLreeL ls lncreased Lrafflc ln
Lhe alleyways, and lncreased fuel use by Lhose haulers.
Legal requlremenLs for commerclal wasLe dlsposal and recycllng can be found here, along wlLh a llsL of
auLhorlzed haulers: hLLp://dpw.dc.gov/servlce/commerclal-recycllng
+90669 G6-:-@53/ ),37
As parL of Lhe sLreeLscape renovaLlon, new recycllng blns were lnsLalled all along 18
Lh
SLreeL, flnally
brlnglng publlc recycllng Lo Adams Morgan! 1he Adams Morgan arLnershlp's Clean 1eam works Lo
collecL recycllng from sLreeL cans. Cleanlng servlces are provlded by 8eady, Wllllng and Worklng, a work-
readlness program of Lhe CaplLol Plll 8lu.
72

!,?E9
1aplL ls a naLlonal program LhaL hlghllghLs resLauranLs and buslnesses LhaL wlll flll up vlslLors' waLer
boLLles for free. 1hls encourages use of reusable boLLles as an alLernaLlve Lo plasLlc waLer boLLles (whlch
are ofLen dlsposed of raLher Lhan recycled). 1here are 10 buslnesses parLlclpaLlng ln Adams Morgan.
)1=?17953/
We are sLlll Lrylng Lo deLermlne Lhe number of resldenLs and buslnesses LhaL composL ln Adams Morgan.
As of Aprll 1, 2013 uW wlll allow commerclal haulers Lo use Lhe 8ennlng 8oad Lransfer sLaLlon Lo drop
off organlcs for composLlng.
(''C
Coals:
uL 20 addlLlonal acres of land under culLlvaLlon for growlng food.
Lnsure 73 of resldenLs llve wlLhln mlle of a communlLy garden, farmers' markeL, or healLhy
corner sLore.
roduce or obLaln 23 of food wlLhln a 100-mlle radlus.
)1==2359: R,04637
1he only communlLy garden ln Adams Morgan ls Lhe one aL kalorama ark, wlLh only 19 ploLs. 8ules
provlde LhaL gardeners may keep Lhelr ploLs for flve years, buL LhaL can be exLended for admlnlsLraLlve
work done for Lhe garden. A loLLery ls held Lo allocaLe avallable garden ploLs ln lebruary of each year.
1here was prevlously a communlLy garden ln WalLer lerce ark. lL was closed osLenslbly for eroslon
conLrol purposes, buL ln facL lL was Lo preserve graveslLes ln Lhe hlsLorlc cemeLerles on Lhe slLe.
AlLhough a uC governmenL map lndlcaLed lL would reopen ln 2007, LhaL has noL yeL happened.
1here are also Lwo small Common Cood ln Lhe ClLy ploLs ln fronL of Lhe kalorama 8ecreaLlon CenLer.
1he plans for Lhe new soccer eld aL Marle 8eed LducaLlon CenLer also lnclude small ploLs for school
gardenlng.
CLher poLenLlal slLes:
Pu Cooke LlemenLary School
8ock Creek ark (area ad[acenL Lo souLh slde of uuke LlllngLon brldge)
CLher federal slLes aL 16Lh/Columbla 8d, Lrlangle park souLh of kalorama
Large resldenLlal bulldlngs wlLh roofLop poLenLlal
(,0=607 B,0.697
18Lh and Columbla 8oad, SaLurdays 9AM - 1M, Aprll Lhrough uecember. Slnce 1973, Lhe
vendors lnclude Llcklng Creek 8end larm and SLar Pollow larm.
R01-60567 U@1-,@J 7279,53,S@6J 10/,35- @579V
leasanL ops 1781 llorlda Ave nW 202/338-3224
?es! Crganlc MarkeL, 1823 Columbla 8oad, nW
G679,20,397 U@1-,@J 7279,53,S@6J 10/,35- @579V
Cashlon's LaL lace 1819 Columbla 8oad, nW 202/797-1819
73

leasanL ops 1781 llorlda Ave nW 202/338-3224
Crganlc norLh Sea 1hal 8esLauranL 2479 18Lh SLreeL, nW 202/332-7628
R01-60567 U-13A639513,@V
7-Lleven 1900 Wyomlng Avenue, nW
7-Lleven 1733 Columbla 8oad, nW
Parrls 1eeLer 1631 kalorama 8oad, nW
Safeway 1747 Columbla 8oad, nW
Argonne MarkeL 1629 Columbla 8oad nW
Pome lood 2216 18Lh SLreeL, nW
Mr. 1 Crocery SLore (aka 1's) 1793 Lanler lace, nW
SanLa Anna Crocery 1664 Columbla 8oad, nW
MeLro k SupermarkeL 1864 Columbla 8oad, nW
*"!IG%
Coals:
lncrease Lhe acreage of weLlands along Lhe AnacosLla and oLomac 8lvers by 30.
Cover 40 of Lhe ulsLrlcL wlLh a healLhy Lree canopy.
rovlde parkland or naLural space wlLhln a 10-mlnuLe walk of all resldenLs.

Casey 1rees provlded a saLelllLe vlew of changes ln Lhe Lree canopy over Llme, a Lree canopy analysls
ldenLlfylng LoLal coverage and opporLunlLles where addlLlonal Lrees could be added, and, an addlLlonal
over-head vlew of Lhe speclflc opporLunlLles for addlng Lo Lhe Lree cover ln schools and parks.

Accordlng Lo Lhese lmages, Lhe avallable spaces for planLlng more Lrees are mosLly ln Adams Morgan's
parks and schools. kalorama ark offers real opporLunlLles. 1he many publlc spaces wlLhouL Lrees - llke
Lhe plazas near 18Lh and Columbla 8oad - are anoLher.

CLher opporLunlLles are spread LhroughouL resldenLlal areas, ln Lhe small yards LhroughouL Lhe
nelghborhood.

Casey 1rees has offered Lo planL Lrees wherever Lhe communlLy requesLed Lhem. 1hey sald Lhey ofLen
work wlLh nelghborhood groups Lo planL Lrees and Lhen geL permlsslon from Lhe uC governmenL groups
Lo do so. 1he Lree cover lmages have been added Lo Lhls documenL as an appendlx.

!G"*+>'G!"!E'*

Coals:
lncrease use of publlc LranslL Lo 30 of all commuLer Lrlps.
lncrease blklng and walklng Lo 23 of all commuLer Lrlps.
8educe commuLer Lrlps made by car or Laxl Lo 23.
LllmlnaLe all unhealLhy" alr quallLy lndex days, lncludlng unhealLhy for senslLlve groups."

74

Adams Morgan ls well served by publlc LransporLaLlon, wlLh 13 WashlngLon MeLropollLan Area 1ranslL
AuLhorlLy bus rouLes, one uC ClrculaLor rouLe, and 4 meLro sLops wlLhln walklng dlsLance. ln addlLlon,
blke sharlng and car sharlng have become popular. 1here are 6 CaplLal 8lkeshare sLaLlons ln Lhe
nelghborhood wlLh 90 blkes. 1here are also 29 Zlpcars wlLh permanenL parklng spoLs LhroughouL Lhe
nelghborhood. Car2Co, Lhe oLher local car sharlng servlce, ls popular ln Lhe area, buL Lhelr cars do noL
have any permanenL locaLlon. WashlngLon Area 8lcycllsL AssoclaLlon and ClLy 8lkes are also greaL blklng
resources ln Lhe nelghborhood.

Cap|ta| 8|keshare Locat|ons



73

2|pcar Locat|ons



8%"$!8
Coals:
CuL Lhe clLywlde obeslLy raLe by 30
8equlre all new houslng pro[ecLs ln Lhe ulsLrlcL Lo meeL PealLhy by ueslgn" sLandards.

$6,4M;066 Q,960
uC WaLer generally LesLs slngle-famlly homes (SlPs) wlLh lead servlce plpes every monLh. 1hey drop off
a LesL klL, wlLh lnsLrucLlons for Lhe resldenLs, and uC WaLer plcks Lhem up and LesLs Lhe samples. 1he
cusLomers ln SlPs collecL Lhelr waLer flrsL Lhlng ln Lhe mornlng, afLer Lhe waLer has been slLLlng slx
76

hours. AcLlon level for lead ln drlnklng waLer ls over 13 ppb lead. Large bulldlngs - aparLmenL bulldlngs
and some condos - generally do noL use lead plpes so lead ls noL a problem. 1hese large bulldlngs usually
have copper plpes. 8uL lf a commerclal bulldlng's owner would llke Lo, he/she/Lhey may LesL once per
year. 1he requlremenL LhaL Lhe waLer be sLlll for slx hours makes Lhe LesL dlfflculL for large bulldlngs
wlLh many resldenLs. lor Lhose SlPs LhaL do LesL hlgh for lead, uC WaLer wlll come Lo Lhe resldence Lo
do more lnLense LesLlng ln order Lo ldenLlfy Lhe source of Lhe lead.
8y way of background, ln Lhe early 2000s, WASA (Lhe name of uC WaLer ln Lhose days) changed Lhe
dlslnfecLanL from chlorlne Lo chloramlne ln Lhelr waLer LesLlng, causlng lead from plpes Lo begln Lo leach
lnLo Lhe waLer ln dangerously hlgh levels ln Lhousands of uC households. ln 2004, chloramlne was
dlsconLlnued as a dlslnfecLanL. Accordlng Lo uC WaLer:
ln 2004, Lhe WashlngLon AqueducL began addlng orLhophosphaLe for corroslon conLrol
LreaLmenL and Lo reduce lead release ln waLer. CrLhophosphaLe ls a LasLeless, odorless, food-
grade addlLlve used Lo prevenL plpe corroslon ln Lhe dlsLrlbuLlon sysLem and ln household
plumblng. lL works by formlng a proLecLlve coaLlng lnslde plpes and plumblng flxLures, LhaL
reduces Lhe amounL of lead released ln waLer. 1he addlLlon of orLhophosphaLe has been
effecLlve ln reduclng lead levels ln ulsLrlcL households wlLh lead servlce plpes and oLher
household lead sources."
AL Congresslonal hearlngs ln 2010 concerns were ralsed abouL 9,100 resldences ln Lhe ulsLrlcL. Also ln
2010, Lhe CenLer for ulsease ConLrol reporLed LhaL 13,000 homes ln Lhe uC area mlghL sLlll have waLer
supplles wlLh dangerous levels of lead. Several of Lhese homes were ln Adams Morgan. uC WaLer
encourages everyone wlLh lead servlce llnes Lo LesL and Lo use fllLers. urlnklng waLer ls lead-free prlor Lo
enLerlng lndlvldual plpes.

"--677 91 >,0. +?,-6
We plan Lo conducL an analysls Lo see lf Lhere ls park space wlLhln a 3 mlnuLe walk from all homes ln
Adams Morgan.


77

%3A57513 "4,=7 B10/,3
)1==2359: (,-5@59567
%D6-295A6 +2==,0:

Adams Morgan ls forLunaLe Lo have a rlch array of communlLy faclllLles Lo meeL Lhe needs of lLs
resldenLs. naLurally, many of Lhese faclllLles and resources are noL wlLhouL Lhelr challenges, buL
Lhey provlde a rlch foundaLlon upon whlch we as a communlLy can lmprove.
CommunlLy faclllLles are Lhose lnsLlLuLlons, asseLs, lndlvlduals, and organlzaLlons, boLh publlc
and prlvaLe, whlch provlde Lhe culLural, educaLlonal, healLh, recreaLlonal, and soclal servlces
crlLlcal Lo Lhe ongolng well-belng of Lhe communlLy. Some of Lhem are obvlous and some need
Lo be placed ln conLexL Lo demonsLraLe Lhelr lmpacL on Lhe communlLy.
Schools are an obvlous crlLlcal componenL of any communlLy and Adams Morgan ls forLunaLe Lo
have Lhree such publlc lnsLlLuLlons ln our communlLy. 1wo of Lhese schools are elemenLary
schools (k-6) and prlmarlly serve Lhe Adams Morgan communlLy and Lhe areas lmmedlaLely
ad[acenL Lo our borders. 1he Lhlrd school, CysLer Adams, has a dual lmmerslon language
program (Spanlsh/Lngllsh) and has grades 4-8 on lLs Adams Morgan campus. 1he oLher campus
ls locaLed across ConnecLlcuL Avenue. Powever, Adams ls a clLy-wlde school and requlres
enLrance exams Lo enLer Lhe school Lhus Adams Morgan resldenLs are currenLly noL
auLomaLlcally admlLLed desplLe llvlng wlLhln lLs boundarles. P.u. Cooke and Marle 8eed are our
publlc elemenLary schools and whlle each ls showlng rlslng promlse boLh are noL yeL consldered
Lop Ller lnsLlLuLlons. Along wlLh our publlc schools, we also have !ubllee !umpsLarL, one of Lhe
premler early chlldhood non-proflL educaLlon programs ln Lhe clLy wlLhln our boundarles.
Adams Morgan ls blessed wlLh a broad array of non-proflL organlzaLlons LhaL address many of
Lhe soclal servlce and culLural needs of our communlLy and beyond. We have some of Lhe
naLlon's mosL noLable lnsLlLuLlons addresslng lssues of hosplce care, aglng, affordable houslng,
Lhe homeless, and Lhose seeklng opporLunlLles Lo re-enLer Lhe work force. Along wlLh Lhese
vlLal organlzaLlons we have lnsLlLuLlons comblnlng Lhe arLs and educaLlon for our chlldren. Cur
youLh are served Lhrough several sLrong organlzaLlons dedlcaLed Lo Lhelr well-belng LhaL en[oy
Lhe supporL of Lhe communlLy and local and naLlonal fundlng sources.
Adams Morgan ls also forLunaLe Lo have several clvlc organlzaLlons, such as Lhe kalorama
ClLlzens AssoclaLlon and Lhe 8eed Cooke nelghborhood AssoclaLlon, LhaL are commlLLed Lo Lhe
preservaLlon and lmprovemenL of local nelghborhoods Lhrough robusL clvlc engagemenL wlLh
Lhe communlLy, Lhe local AnC, Lhe ClLy Councll, Lhe varlous uC governmenL agencles, and Lhe
Cfflce of Lhe Mayor.
78

PealLhcare has a sLrong presence ln Adams Morgan, boasLlng Lwo of Lhe clLy's mosL acLlve full
servlce communlLy-based healLh cenLers LreaLlng paLlenLs from lnfancy Lo Lhe aged. ln addlLlon,
we have a wlde range of docLors and denLlsLs wlLh pracLlces locaLed wlLhln Lhe Adams Morgan
communlLy. CurrenL plans call for Lhe openlng of a walk-ln medlcal cllnlc Lo complemenL Lhe
opLlons resldenLs already have. Ma[or hosplLals are all wlLhln a flve-mlle or less radlus of Lhe
Adams Morgan communlLy whlle boLh flre and pollce servlces have a large and dedlcaLed
presence ln Lhe Adams Morgan CommunlLy.
Cur parks and recreaLlon faclllLles are robusL and en[oy sLrong communlLy use and supporL
lncludlng non-proflL organlzaLlons dedlcaLed Lo Lhe well-belng of our Lwo large publlc parks,
WalLer lerce and kalorama ark. We are also blessed wlLh havlng 8ock Creek ark locaLed
parLly wlLhln our boundarles as well as Lhe lnLernaLlonally renowned naLlonal Zoo.
Adams Morgan has wonderful communlLy resources and as resldenLs we have Lhe capaclLy Lo
expand Lhese resources Lo lmprove Lhelr role ln maklng Lhe llves of our communlLy even beLLer.



79

Lnv|s|on Adams Morgan
Commun|ty Serv|ces and Iac|||t|es:
Lx|st|ng Cond|t|ons

Cverv|ew
ln order for us Lo beLLer undersLand our presenL communlLy, lLs sLrengLhs and weaknesses, and
Lo lnform our undersLandlng and analysls of how Lo make Adams Morgan a beLLer communlLy,
Lhe followlng analysls of Lhe currenL communlLy faclllLles of Adams Morgan has been
developed. Cur deflnlLlon of communlLy faclllLles" lncluded, buL was noL llmlLed Lo schools,
pre-k and afLer school programs, healLhcare servlces, senlor servlces, parks and recreaLlon
servlces, and non-proflL organlzaLlons LhaL provlde dlrecL beneflL Lo Adams Morgan or lmpacL lL
ln any fashlon. ollce and flre servlces were noL lncluded ln Lhls reporL.
hase ll of our plannlng exerclse wlll suggesL recommendaLlons based on our analysls of Lhe
currenL flndlngs.
What We Current|y know About Cur Var|ous Commun|ty Iac|||t|es
ub||c Schoo|s: Adams Morgan has Lhree publlc schools operaLlng wlLhln lLs boundarles.
Powever, only Lwo of Lhem, 5&,#/ ?//. &'. 3BFB G++C/ are avallable Lo chlldren of Adams
Morgan Lhrough Lhe LradlLlonal school boundary enrollmenL process. H)$7/,I1.&A$ J#(#'-8&(
E6"++(K$ boundarles are such LhaL many of Lhe sLudenLs llvlng across Lhe sLreeL from Lhe school
are noL ellglble Lo aLLend. 1he school has a naLlonally recognlzed language lmmerslon program
and accepLs sLudenLs from across Lhe clLy Lhrough a rlgorous accepLance process. (A|| of the
schoo|s |dent|f|ed have the|r prof||es ava||ab|e on the DCS webs|te.)
1he Lwo LradlLlonal elemenLary school populaLlons ln our communlLy are ma[orlLy Plspanlc,
followed by Afrlcan-Amerlcan, WhlLes, and Aslans. CurrenLly, Lhere ls only a small whlLe sLudenL
populaLlon, however, lf currenL populaLlon Lrends conLlnue, a larger non-mlnorlLy populaLlon
lncrease could be ln Lhe fuLure for boLh of our Lwo elemenLary schools.
1hese schools serve as feeder faclllLles Lo publlc mlddle schools LhaL lle [usL ouLslde of Lhe
borders of Adams Morgan and several charLer schools LhaL can accepL our sLudenLs upon
appllcaLlon.
Whlle overcrowdlng ls noL a ma[or facLor ln elLher Cooke or 8eed, boLh lnsLlLuLlons lack ma[or
resources, lncludlng supplles and unlque sLafflng and servlces, whlch would prove lnvaluable ln
Lhelr efforLs Lo lmprove Lhelr LesL scores agalnsL clLy wlde and naLlonal LesLlng norms. And glven
80

Lhe added challenges of language, economlc, and soclal challenges LhaL confronL many of Lhe
sLudenLs, more Leachers as well as resources would be welcomed.
n.D. Cooke L|ementary Schoo|: 44 of Cooke's sLudenLs come from lnslde Lhe school
boundarles whlch lnclude all of Adams Morgan. P.u. Cooke operaLes an lnLernaLlonal
8accalaureaLe program whlch aLLempLs Lo expose sLudenLs Lo a broad range of ldeas, global
appreclaLlon, and an lnLernaLlonal mlndseL. A sLrong exLracurrlcular acLlvlLles program
lncludlng vocal and lnsLrumenLal muslc ls offered along wlLh Spanlsh language lnsLrucLlon. 1he
focal polnL of Lhls program ls Lo creaLe an envlronmenL where Lhe sLudenLs grow and change
and evolve lnLo lndlvlduals capable of changlng Lhe world.
uesplLe Lhe glowlng descrlpLlon of Lhelr learnlng goals Lhe school has lLs challenges. 80 of lLs
sLudenLs are ln Lhe free or reduced lunch program and almosL 10 are ln speclal educaLlon
classes. An even greaLer challenge ls Lhe performance scores ln maLh and readlng. A full 71
were performlng below grade level ln maLh and 69 were found Lo be below grade level ln
readlng. 1he prlnclpal mosL recenLly ouLllned a llsL of needs/resources Lo Lhe Adams Morgan
AnC ln Lhe hope of fundlng ln Lhe near fuLure.
Mar|e-keed L|ementary Schoo|: Marle 8eed ls a dlverse school locaLed on one of Lhe Lwo
commerclal corrldors ln Adams Morgan (18
Lh
SLreeL).1he school offers a wlde range of servlces
and course offerlngs lncludlng Lngllsh monollngual and Spanlsh dual language sLrands for lLs
sLudenLs. 1he school's offerlngs and servlces are provlded ln Lhree ma[or concenLraLlons:
Academlc LnrlchmenL, Wellness and llLness*, and ArLs and CulLure.
*Motle keeJ boosts o sttooq complex fot fltoess locloJloq o mojot oll-potpose flelJ, sooo to be
slqolflcootly opqtoJeJ, 24 boot llqbtloq, booJboll ooJ teools cootts, ooJ oo loJoot swlmmloq pool.
1he sLudenL demographlcs, much llke P.u. Cooke, has a ma[orlLy Plspanlc populaLlon (61),
followed by Afrlcan-Amerlcans (24), Aslans aL (8), and Lhe WhlLe sLudenL populaLlon aL (6).
1he school en[oys a sLronger Lhan average dally aLLendance percenLage 93 versus 72 for LhaL
of all uCS schools. Academlcally, Lhe school flnds Lhe ma[orlLy of lLs sLudenLs performlng aL or
above grade level (38) and almosL half of Lhe sLudenL body are readlng aL grade level or above
(49).
Cyster-Adams 8|||ngua| Schoo|: CysLer-Adams 8lllngual School ls a dual-language lmmerslon,
re-k-8
Lh
grade publlc school for chlldren from many nelghborhoods and naLlonallLles and
culLures. lL ls an academlcally rlgorous program ln a language rlch-blllngual envlronmenL LhaL
concenLraLes on personal achlevemenL and global envlronmenL.
1he CysLer-Adams 8lllngual School evolved from Lwo schools: CysLer 8lllngual LlemenLary
School ln Woodley ark and Adams LlemenLary School ln Adams Morgan. ln 2007, Lhe Lwo
81

elemenLary schools were comblned and Lhe dual-language lmmerslon model was expanded Lo
Lhe enLlre Adams School. 1oday, boLh schools have a comblned sLudenL enrollmenL of 670
sLudenLs and Lhe school has Lhe vasL ma[orlLy of lLs sLudenLs readlng aL, or well above Lhe
medlan proflclency level for uCS Schools.
SLudenLs learn and lnLeracL ln Lwo languages LhroughouL Lhe day. 1he goal ls for sLudenLs Lo be
30 proflclenL ln Lngllsh and Lhe same ln Spanlsh. 1he program's research suggesLs LhaL Lhe
lmmerslon process leads Lo a beLLer sLudenL. CysLer-Adams has Lwo pre-k classrooms: one
Lyplcal malnsLream classroom and anoLher full lncluslon class, where sLudenLs wlLh speclal
needs learn slde-by-slde wlLh Lyplcally developlng sLudenLs. ln k-6, each classroom has Lwo
same-language Leachers LhaL work LogeLher Lo co-Leach and dlfferenLlaLe lnsLrucLlon Lo meeL
Lhe needs of Lhe many dlfferenL learners.
Powever, as noLed elsewhere ln Lhls secLlon, CysLer-Adams school ls noL auLomaLlcally open Lo
resldenLs of Adams Morgan and lf Lhey would llke Lhelr chlld Lo aLLend Lhe school Lhey musL go
Lhrough a formal process Lo be consldered for admlsslon.
Summat|on on Adams Morgan ub||c Schoo|s: 1he publlc elemenLary schools ln Adams
Morgan, wlLh Lhe excepLlon of Adams, suffer from Lhe same challenges LhaL face mosL uCS
schools, llmlLed school resources and sLudenLs ln need of a hosL of resources ln order Lo make
Lhem and Lhelr schools compeLlLlve.
AL Lhe mlddle school and hlgh school level, Lhere are no schools wlLhln Lhe Adams Morgan
boundarles, however, aL leasL one mlddle school lles [usL across 16
Lh
SLreeL. CharLer and prlvaLe
schools can be found ln a Lwo-mlle radlus of Adams Morgan and are lncluded wlLhln Lhe school
boundarles for Adams Morgan. 1here ls a selecLlon of hlghly regarded prlvaLe schools, some as
close as several blocks from Lhe Adams Morgan boundarles.
Note: See maps for a comp|ete ||st of secondary pub||c, charter, and pr|vate schoo|s on the
Lnv|s|on documents webs|te: hLLp://www.scrlbd.com/collecLlons/4078138/CommunlLy-
Servlces-and-laclllLles-Worklng-Croup.

re-k Lducat|ona| Cpportun|t|es: 1he lmporLance of quallLy schools can never be oversLaLed
and ln recenL years pre-k programs have also Laken on a slgnlflcance almosL as vlLal as LhaL of
Lhe k-12 school programs. All of Lhe publlc schools ln Adams Morgan offer pre-k programs
beglnnlng aL age 3-3, buL admlsslon ls done by loLLery. unforLunaLely, Lhese pre-k programs do
noL offer early learnlng servlces for chlldren under Lhe age of 3 and Lhe loLLery sysLem makes
admlsslon even more of a challenge. CurrenLly, we have aL leasL one non-proflL lnsLlLuLlon
provldlng such servlces.
82

Iub||ee Iumpstart: ls among Lhe leadlng re-k programs ln Lhe clLy and Adams Morgan
ls Lhelr home base. 1he program ls locaLed lnslde Lhe federally subsldlzed houslng
communlLy !ubllee Pouslng. 1helr mlsslon ls Lo ensure LhaL chlldren are fully prepared
for school and beyond Lhrough Lhe provlslon of an enrlched focus on Lhe soclal and
emoLlonal well-belng of Lhe chlldren. 1hey currenLly have an enrollmenL of
approxlmaLely 30 chlldren, some of whom are subsldlzed and oLhers are full pay. 1he
cosL for each chlld ls abouL $20,000 a year, whlch can be a challenge for young famllles
[usL sLarLlng ouL.
Dav|d's Star Day Care Center: LocaLed on CnLarlo 8oad, uavld's SLar uay Care CenLer ls
a for-proflL chlldcare cenLer LhaL caLers Lo chlldren from any locaLlon. lLs cosL are ln llne
wlLh Lhose of !ubllee, however, !ubllee ls able Lo enroll chlldren who need Lo be
subsldlzed and lL ls unclear lf LhaL ls Lhe case wlLh Lhls cenLer.
Lan|er Lu||ab|es: LocaLed ln Lhe Lanler PelghLs secLlon of Adams Morgan, also a for-
proflL for parenLs ln need of chlldcare.
Un|ted |ann|ng Crgan|zat|on: CperaLes a chlldcare operaLlon ln a locaLlon [usL ouLslde
of Lhe Adams Morgan boundarles and does parLlclpaLe ln Lhe ulsLrlcL's chlld subsldy
program.

Non-rof|t Crgan|zat|ons: Adams Morgan ls served by a varleLy of non-proflL organlzaLlons
some of whlch are noL locaLed wlLhln Lhe Adams Morgan boundarles buL serve slgnlflcanL
segmenLs of Lhe Adams Morgan communlLy from lLs youngesL chlldren Lhrough lLs oldesL
clLlzens. LlsLed below ls a selecLlon, buL an lncompleLe llsL of non-proflL organlzaLlons servlng
Adams Morgan. (A far more extens|ve ||st of such organ|zat|ons can be found |n the append|x
of th|s document.)
Ch||dren's Crgan|zat|on: 1hese organlzaLlons provlde a broad array of servlces LhaL exLend and
enhance Lhe work of Lhe schools and oLher clvlc organlzaLlons dedlcaLed Lo Lhe welfare of
young people.
ILCC (Ior the |ove of Ch||dren): 8lllngual, lLCC provldes educaLlonal servlces beyond
Lhe classroom, free of charge, for low lncome sLudenLs (k-12) by brlnglng LogeLher
sLudenLs, volunLeers, famllles and communlLy parLners. Cur own P.u. Cooke ls a parLner
ln Lhe lLCC lnlLlaLlve. 1oday, roughly 23 sLaff and 300 volunLeers serve nearly 600
sLudenLs per year ln local schools and ln lLCC faclllLles.
Adams Morgan outh Leadersh|p Academy (AMLA): 1hls group, founded ln 2007 ls
dedlcaLed Lo worklng wlLh Lhe underserved young people of Adams Morgan. 1hey work
Lo lnsplre sLronger academlc performance and Lo ldenLlfy [ob and oLher opporLunlLles Lo
83

allow Lhe young people Lo grow and maLure ln a responslble way. AM?LA ls scheduled
Lo play a ma[or role ln [ob placemenL ln connecLlon wlLh Lhe proposed Adams Morgan
PoLel. 1hls opporLunlLy wlll be closely monlLored.
S|tar Arts Center: LocaLed ln Lhe hearL of Adams Morgan, Lhe CenLer caLers Lo pre-k
chlldren allowlng Lhem Lo explore Lhelr personal and arLlsLlc growLh Lhrough muslc,
drama, dance, and creaLlve wrlLlng. 1he CenLer does offer a unlque arLs program
LargeLed Lo Lhe pre-k Lhrough afLer school programs, weekend programs, and summer
classes. SlLar CenLer has offers classes Lo more Lhan 700 sLudenLs annually. More Lhan
130 LalenLed arLlsL volunLeer Lhelr Llme Lo Lhe CenLer, whlch relles on charlLable
conLrlbuLlons Lo malnLaln lLs servlce offerlng.

nea|thcare: Adams Morgan does noL have an ln-paLlenL hosplLal wlLhln our borders, however,
we do have naLlonally recognlzed hosplLals wlLhln Lwo mlles of our borders and an excellenL
cholce of communlLy-based healLhcare faclllLles and a wlde assorLmenL of physlclans and
denLlsLs who pracLlce wlLhln Adams Morgan or lLs lmmedlaLe surroundlngs. (See append|ces
for a more comp|ete ||st of hea|thcare prov|ders and |ocat|on maps.
12
)
Commun|ty 8ased nea|th Serv|ces
Mary's Center: ls a lederally Cuallfled PealLh CenLer (lCPC) LhaL provldes boLh medlcal
and denLal care regardless of lncome by baslng lLs fees on a slldlng scale and accepLlng
boLh Medlcare and Medlcald. Mary's CenLer provldes bl-llngual, lnLegraLed healLh
servlces and has Lhe ablllLy Lo provlde Lhose servlces ln Landem wlLh soclal servlces and
healLh educaLlon. 1he hours of servlce make lL ldeal for worklng class famllles who need
early and evenlng servlces.
Un|ty Co|umb|a koad nea|th Serv|ces: 1hls faclllLy ls also a lCPC provldlng quallLy
healLh servlces ln Lhe hearL of Adams Morgan. lounded ln 1979, Lhe Columbla 8oad
PealLh Servlces has been a parL of Lhe unlLy healLh servlces slnce 2010. lLs prlmary
mlsslon ls Lo serve Lhe chronlcally underserved and llke Mary's CenLer provldes bl-
llngual capablllLles. ln addlLlon Lo lLs medlcal provlders, lL has a large neLwork of menLal
healLh counselors and soclal workers Lo address Lhe needs of lLs paLlenL populaLlon.
In at|ent Iac|||t|es (nosp|ta|s): Adams Morgan does noL have a hosplLal wlLhln lLs
borders, however, lL does have Lhree hosplLals wlLh level one Lrauma cenLers wlLhln Lwo
mlles of lLs boundarles. A compleLe llsL of hosplLals wlLhln Lwo mlles and wlLhln four
mlles ls found ln maps LhaL appear ln our appendlces.

12
Maps can be found aL Lhe Lnvlslon documenL slLe aL: hLLp://www.scrlbd.com/collecLlons/4078138/CommunlLy-
Servlces-and-laclllLles-Worklng-Croup

84

Loca| rov|ders Dent|st and Doctors: Adams Morgan has an abundance of physlclans
and denLlsLs locaLed wlLhln our boundarles or ad[acenL Lo us. A compleLe llsL of Lhose
provlders and locaLlons can be found ln our Appendlces.

Sen|or Serv|ces:
Ioseph's nouse: !oseph's Pouse ls a hosplce home for homeless men and women dylng
of AluS and oLher Lermlnal lllnesses.
Sara's C|rc|e: an award wlnnlng non-proflL LhaL provldes houslng Lo very low lncome
senlors and a Wellness CenLer provldlng comprehenslve servlces. lLs programs creaLe
affordable llvlng space and provlde servlces LhaL recognlze Lhe dlsablllLles of low-
lncome senlors.
narvard 1owers: a resource for low-lncome senlors operaLed under Lhe uC Pouslng
AuLhorlLy and open Lo all clLlzens of Lhe clLy.
DC Cff|ce of the Ag|ng: 1hls clLy-wlde governmenL agency provldes servlces such as
Meals on Wheels Lo senlors llvlng ln our communlLy and a varleLy of wrap-around
servlces Lo our low lncome senlors.

Cther Soc|a| Serv|ce Agenc|es: Adams Morgan ls hosL Lo a large number of non-proflL
organlzaLlons -- some engaged ln Lhe maLLers of our communlLy and many oLhers focuslng on
clLy-wlde, naLlonal, or lnLernaLlonal lssues. 8elow are a selecLlon of non-proflLs whose focus ls
Adams Morgan.
Iub||ee nous|ng: ls a falLh based non-proflL organlzaLlon esLabllshed Lo provlde
affordable houslng and supporLlve servlces Lo economlcally dlsadvanLaged resldenLs of
Adams Morgan. ln addlLlon Lo Lhe houslng faclllLles, Lhey provlde a varleLy of servlces Lo
boLh youLh and Lhe elderly.
1he Iest|va| Center: ls a falLh-based organlzaLlon locaLed ln Lhe mlddle of Adams
Morgan and commlLLed Lo nurLurlng groups and lndlvlduals Lo overcome Lhelr personal
challenges and provlde a foundaLlon for groups aLLempLlng Lo make soclal change
Lhrough Lhelr mulLl-purpose bulldlng locaLed on Columbla 8oad.
Adams Morgan artnersh|p: 1he parLnershlp's prlmary mlsslon ls dlvlded lnLo Lhree
parLs: malnLenance of Lhe buslness corrldors and surroundlng sLreeLs, securlLy ln Lhose
same corrldors, and, Lhe promoLlon and advancemenL of buslnesses ln Lhe Adams
Morgan CommunlLy.
83

Adams Morgan Ma|nStreet: lLs mlsslon ls Lhe promoLlon of Adams Morgan Lhrough
regular promoLlons, supporL of lLs reLall offerlngs, and Lhe supporL of small buslnesses ln
our communlLy.

arks and kecreat|ona| Serv|ces: Adams Morgan has several unlque park and recreaLlonal
feaLures lncludlng havlng lLs border faclng Lhe beauLlful Merldlan Plll ark and parLs of lLs
norLhern and WesLern boundarles lnclude Lhe naLlonally known 8ock Creek ark. 1he world
famous naLlonal Zoo abuLs Lhe Lanler PelghLs communlLy of Adams Morgan.
ka|orama ark: kalorama ark ls a vlbranL parL of Lhe Adams Morgan communlLy. lL ls
frequenLed durlng Lhe day Lhrough early evenlng by communlLy members of all ages
uLlllzlng lLs chlldren's play areas, Lhe recenLly renovaLed baskeLball courLs, or lLs broad
expanse of green space and lnvlLlng slLLlng areas. 1he park's recreaLlonal cenLer serves
boLh Lhe youLh and adulLs ln Lhe area wlLh games, supervlsed programs, and avallable
compuLers. 1he cenLer also serves as a communlLy resource for meeLlngs and
gaLherlngs. 1he park ls supporLed Lhrough Lhe communlLy-based L,#/'.$ +@ M&(+,&A&
N&,C. AL presenL, Lhe kalorama 8ecreaLlon CenLer does noL have an
organlzed/scheduled seL of recreaLlonal acLlvlLles durlng Lhe school year for our young
people beyond Lhe few compuLers and games found ln Lhe recreaLlon cenLer.
lurLhermore, Lhe recreaLlon cenLer ls old and ouL of sLep wlLh more modern recreaLlon
cenLers found ln oLher parLs of Lhe clLy.
Wa|ter |erce ark: WalLer lerce ark en[oys Lhe same Lype of organlzed volunLeer
commlLmenL as lLs kalorama counLerparL. 1he park offers much of Lhe same amenlLles
as kalorama buL also has one of Lhe clLy's flrsL dog exerclse areas. lL also has a beauLlful
fleld for soccer and oLher sporLs. 1he park was an orlglnal burlal ground for Afrlcan-
Amerlcan unlon soldlers and Afrlcan-Amerlcan resldenLs of Lhe ulsLrlcL. 1hanks Lo Lhe
efforLs of Lhe kalorama ClLlzens AssoclaLlons Lhe burlal ground has been ldenLlfled and
recognlzed by Lhe naLlonal ark Servlce.

Arts and Cu|tura| Inst|tut|ons: Adams Morgan has been a desLlnaLlon for Lhe ArLs slnce
before Lhe 1960's, however, durlng Lhe 1960's and 1970's arLlsLlc efforLs flourlshed along lLs
commerclal corrldors and dance, muslc, and LheaLer were regularly performed ln unlque
spaces. Several falLh-based organlzaLlons led Lhls efforL and Lhe communlLy was home Lo a wlde
varleLy of local arLlsLs. 8elow ls a parLlal llsLlng of Lhe arLlsLlc venues, organlzaLlons, and spaces
devoLed Lo Lhe arLs.

86

LkICkMANCL, LknI8I1ICN SACL
D|str|ct of Co|umb|a Arts Center
1he ulsLrlcL of Columbla ArLs CenLer (uCAC) ls a nonproflL organlzaLlon LhaL supporLs emerglng
arLlsLs who are Lrylng Lo geL a fooLhold ln Lhe publlc arena." uCAC lncludes a 730 square fooL
gallery and a 30 seaL black box LheaLer.
2438 18Lh SLreeL nW
WashlngLon, uC 20009
202-462-7833
lnfodcarLscenLer.org
hLLp://www.dcarLscenLer.org/

1he otter's nouse
1he oLLer's Pouse ls a cafe, booksLore, and communlLy space. 1he oLLer's Pouse provldes
gallery space for communlLy arLlsLs.
1638 Columbla 8d nW
WashlngLon, uC 20009
202-232-3483
hLLp://www.poLLershousedc.org/

Ak1S
Genera|
1he lnLersecLlon of Adams Morgan, u SLreeL, and uuonL Clrcle was named one of Amerlca's
1op 12 ArL laces for 2013. (hLLp://www.arLplaceamerlca.org/wp-
conLenL/uploads/2013/01/AML8lCAS_1C_A81LACLS_2013.pdf)

Ak1S LDUCA1ICN, CLASSLS
S|tar Arts Center (See earller reference)
SlLar ArLs CenLer brlngs lLs dlverse communlLy LogeLher Lo glve underserved chlldren and youLh
Lhe opporLunlLy Lo explore and sLudy Lhe vlsual and performlng arLs ln an afLerschool safe
haven. 1he CenLer parLners wlLh local volunLeer arLlsLs and arLs organlzaLlons Lo provlde
comprehenslve arLs educaLlon, nurLurlng relaLlonshlps and hlgh expecLaLlons LhaL enable young
people Lo beLLer know and express Lhemselves as Lhey dlscover and develop Lhelr arLlsLlc glfLs."

1700 kalorama 8oad, nW
SulLe 101
WashlngLon, uC 20009
1el: (202) 797-2143
hLLp://www.slLararLscenLer.org/


87

n|nck|ey ottery
Plnckley oLLery ls a showroom, shop, and sLudlo. Classes for klds and adulLs are avallable and
requlre reglsLraLlon fees.
1707 kalorama 8oad nW
WashlngLon, uC 20009
202-743-7033
hLLp://www.hlnckleypoLLery.com/
lnfohlnckleypoLLery.com


GALLLkILS

Morton I|ne Art
MorLon llne ArL ls a curaLorlal group LhaL collaboraLes wlLh arL collecLors and vlsual arLlsLs Lo
lnsplre fresh ways of acqulrlng conLemporary arL."

1781 llorlda Ave nW
WashlngLon, uC 20009
202-628-2787
morLonflnearLgmall.com
hLLp://www.morLonflnearL.com/


U8LIC LI8kAkILS
1here are no publlc llbrarles locaLed wlLhln Adams Morgan. 8esldenLs wlLh borrowlng prlvlleges
can borrow some conLenL onllne aL: hLLp://www.dcllbrary.org/downloads. 1he closesL ulsLrlcL
of Columbla publlc llbrarles are:

Mt. |easant Ne|ghborhood L|brary
3160 16Lh SL., nW
WashlngLon, uC 20010
mLpleasanLllbrarydc.gov
202-671-3121
hLLp://www.dcllbrary.org/mLpleasanL

C|eve|and ark Ne|ghborhood L|brary
3310 ConnecLlcuL Avenue, nW
WashlngLon, uC 20008
clevelandparkllbrarydc.gov
202-282-3080


88

C|v|c Crgan|zat|ons:
A communlLy would be hard pressed Lo survlve on lLs governmenLal organlzaLlons alone. Adams
Morgan ls blessed Lo have an array of organlzaLlons who share ln developlng Lhe pollcy and
soclal characLer of our communlLy. 1hls ls buL a parLlal llsL of such organlzaLlons LhaL help our
communlLy malnLaln lLs place of lmporLance ln Lhe CaplLal clLy.
ka|orama C|v|c Assoc|at|on: lounded ln 1919, lLs mlsslon ls a slmple one Lo promoLe Lhe
lnLeresL of Adams Morgan and Lhey have been dolng lL for nearly 100 years. PlsLorlcal
preservaLlon, worklng wlLh Lhe AnC Lo monlLor Lhe enLerLalnmenL secLlons of our communlLy,
and worklng Lo ensure Lhe peace and securlLy of Lhe enLlre communlLy are all parL of Lhelr
mlsslon sLaLemenL. ln addlLlon, zonlng and preservaLlon of our deslgnaLed hlsLorlc dlsLrlcLs are
parL of Lhelr mlsslon.
keed-Cooke Ne|ghborhood Assoc|at|on: ls a slmllar nelghborhood assoclaLlon LhaL has been
monlLorlng and worklng Lo lmprove Lhe balance and quallLy of llfe for Lhe enLlre area covered
by Lhe 8eed Cooke overlay. (An explanaLlon of Lhe 8eed Cooke overlay may be found ln Lhe
Land use and Zonlng secLlon of Lhls documenL). 1he organlzaLlon has been a champlon of boLh
Lhe Marle 8eed and Lhe P.u. Cooke elemenLary schools.
Lan|er ne|ghts Ne|ghborhood Assoc|at|on: A relaLlve new comer Lo Lhe Adams Morgan
communlLy, when compared Lo Lhe Lwo nelghborhood assoclaLlons referenced above, Lhe
Lanler PelghLs assoclaLlon ls worklng Lo lnsure Lhe well-belng of Lhe Lanler PelghLs communlLy.
1he Churches: Adams Morgan has a sLrong offerlng of churches LhaL caLer prlmarlly Lo ChrlsLlan
denomlnaLlons. 1hey are far Loo numerous Lo llsL here buL play a supporLlng role ln Lhe ongolng
welfare of Adams Morgan.
Cvera|| Commun|ty Assessment: Adams Morgan ls one of Lhe mosL aLLracLlve places Lo llve ln
WashlngLon uC wlLh elemenLary schools LhaL are showlng promlse, parks and recreaLlon
faclllLles LhaL are aLLracLlve, healLhcare resources, an organlzed buslness communlLy, and a
culLural and clvlc neLwork LhaL ls commlLLed Lo Lhe growLh and vlbrancy of Lhls communlLy.


89




90






91




92






93



94

%3A57513 "4,=7 B10/,3 )1M)<,507
Lrlc CllfLon, MarLy uavls, and LrnesL Sprlngs
%3A57513 "4,=7 B10/,3 Q10.53/ R012?7

Lconomlc uevelopmenL
aLrlck Landers
Lrlc CllfLon
krlsLen 8arden
uenls !ames
ChrlsLlne 8rooks
Wllson 8eynolds
Llsa uuerler

LducaLlonal laclllLles
!eff Wllkes
MarLy uavls
Wllson 8eynolds
!arvls CranL

LnvlronmenL
kara uavls
vlrglnla !ohnson
uevon Lauer

PlsLorlc reservaLlon
uenls !ames
kara uavls
SLeve MckevlLL

Pouslng
SLeve MckevlLL
ChrlsLlne 8rooks
Chrls Wells
Chrls CLLen
!ohn ZoLLoll

Land use
uenls !ames
Wllson 8eynolds
aLrlck Landers
eLer Lyden
Wllllam Slmpson

Soclal and CommunlLy Servlces
ChrlsLlne 8rooks
MarLy uavls

1ransporLaLlon
Lrlc CllfLon
krlsLen 8arden
uevon Lauer


Lnvlslon Adams Morgan was asslsLed ln lLs work by Lhe Schoo| of Arch|tecture and |ann|ng at Catho||c
Un|vers|ty. rofessor Pazel Ldwards and her Leam compleLed Lhelr revlew of Lhe Adams Morgan
nelghborhood wlLh Lhe goal of helplng Lnvlslon Adams Morgan creaLe a proflle of Lhe nelghborhood as lL
ls aL presenL, before lnvlLlng Lhe communlLy Lo conLrlbuLe ldeas as Lo whaL lL could be ln Lhe fuLure.
We also beneflLLed from parLlclpaLlon from Lhe ka|orama C|t|zens Assoc|at|on, Lhe keed-Cooke
Ne|ghborhood Assoc|at|on, and Lhe Adams Morgan 8us|ness artnersh|p Improvement D|str|ct.
llnally, we are lndebLed Lo Adv|sory Ne|ghborhood Comm|ss|on 1C whose commlssloners lndlvldually
worked on Lhls pro[ecL and wlLhouL whose flnanclal supporL Lhls documenL would noL exlsL.