It’s the latest, trendy “gotcha!”  Catching your Metro bus or train operator behaving badly.

In this post-Ft. Totten world, it’s not surprising that citizens are scrutinizing their drivers more. Last week, a Metro train operator was caught texting while driving. Then yesterday, a Maryland bus driver was accused of reading a book while operating her vehicle. (In this day and age, it’s still nice to hear that someone actually picked up a book.)

Read More “Metro’s Most Wanted: Passengers Urged to Report Text-Messaging Drivers” »

The Convention Center Hotel, located at 9th Street and Massachusetts Ave.

“I want you to imagine a District of Columbia without a Verizon Center and a Convention Center,” stated Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans. “It would probably look like Detroit.”

“We are now spending records amounts of money in our school system. We are spending record amounts in our human services system. Those record amounts of money are generated in economic development,” Evans stated.

These comments came midway through today’s hearing on the convention center hotel, a long-stalled project which was kicked into gear again earlier this month.

The success of the convention center and the city’s tourist industry, according to various DC officials and business leaders, rests on the completion of this 1,170-room Marriott, which would have 100,000 square feet of meeting space.  Shaw locals that testified about the project seemed pretty jazzed about the retail/restaurant possibilities for the neighborhood as well.  Read More “‘Build it for the Children’ and Other Highlights from the Convention Center Hotel Hearing” »

This Wednesday, two D.C. council committees will hold a joint hearing on the Washington Convention Center’s hotel, which may finally be built after years of stalling (not to mention, a recent announcement from competitor National Harbor that Disney was going to build there).

When the hotel idea was first revived, the city was considering issuing $750 million in bonds to help fund the project,  breaking the city’s bond cap,  and possibly pulling subsidies from some other projects, which sent Southwest neighborhood activists—fearful their local developments would lose funding—into total freak-out mode.

Read More “DC Council Hearing on Convention Center Hotel Scheduled for Wednesday” »

This is clearly not the best economic time for reviving long dormant projects. But earlier this week, D.C. officials implored that the long-awaited convention center hotel must begin construction pronto—or else D.C. could lose serious convention business to P.G. County’s National Harbor and other cities with all their luring amenities in place.

The question now, of course, is how the city will raise funds. Here’s one idea that’s being floated, according to a Washington Business Journal article: Read More “One Way We Could Fund the New Convention Center Hotel” »

City Administrator Neil Albert claims that we’ll “never get anything done in this city,” thanks to new changes in the approval of land disposition agreements.

But the adjustments just seem to ask for more openness and transparency from the beginning when it comes to developers’ side of the bargain. How bad could that be? Judge for yourself. The Washington Business Journal reports:

“[Kwame Brown], D-at large, said the changes will require developers in public-private partnerships to provide more information earlier on in the land disposition agreement process. Read More “Changes to Land Agreements Passed Inside Budget” »

In the last week, I’ve blogged a few times about Councilmember Kwame Brown’s various moves with a bill that would convey 16 acres of land by the Southwest Waterfront to the developers that seek to rebuild the area. I won’t go over all the details. But to be brief: the bill has been long-delayed, and finally last week Brown, who chairs the Council’s Committee on Economic Development, agreed to take it up again.

But not without some of his own personal touches that seem to significantly impact the resolution. Last night, Brown sent out a statement about these changes, and of course, to give “thanks” to the mayor for pushing him to review the bill again. I’m going to post his summary of how the proposal was altered.  (SWDC Blog’s on the story, as well.) The full statement is after the jump:

- Affordable Housing: The developer is required to create affordable housing units in accordance with the NCRC and AWC Reorganization Act of 2008.

- Fulfilling the Community s Vision: The developer is required to abide by terms promised to the community in the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative Framework Plan and the Southwest Waterfront Plan Approval Resolution of 2003.

- Don t Flip the Property: The property cannot be transferred without prior consent of the District and approval of the Council. The city will have the right to repossess the property if the developer fails to meet the requirements of the agreement.

- Local Small Business Participation: Small businesses are required to receive 35% of the contracting dollars, 20% equity participation and 20% development participation.

- Oversight and Transparency: To review the financial stability of the developer, the Mayor will submit an amended Initial Project Funding and Financing Plan by May 1, 2009 to the Council and will submit further reports upon written request by the Council.

Read More “Kwame Brown and Mayor “Work Cooperatively” On Southwest Land Transfer Resolution” »

From the Washington Business Journal:

After completing a long-delayed hearing Thursday on a land deal for redevelopment of D.C.’s Southwest waterfront, Councilman Kwame Brown, D-at large and chair of the Economic Development Committee, cancelled a mark-up on the project Friday and is preparing new legislation that would make considerable changes to the deal.

The $1.5 billion project requires the District to transfer 16 acres of land to the developers, led by PN Hoffman and Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse. Read More “Latest Kwame Brown/Southwest Waterfront Development Drama” »

This morning’s Washington Business Journal leads with a front page profile on Kwame Brown, Chair of the Council’s Economic Development Committee. According to the piece, Kwame’s been flexing his legislative muscle, refusing to move forward on development bills until he reviews all the proper information, and generally not bowing to pressure from the building community.

Case and point: the 16 acre Southwest development land deal, “which would allow the mayor to convey 16 acres to a development team led by D.C.-based PN Hoffman Inc. and Baltimore-based Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse.” According to the Journal, the council was expected to vote on the bill in November, but Brown refused to review the bill again in committee until this week. Journal writer Jonathan O’ Connell’s latest story has more on the subject:

Brown said he had no confidence the developers could execute the project in this financial environment. He also said the affordable housing component is inadequate and the equity offered to the team’s small, local and minority-owned companies is a “slap in the face” to them, even though four of their executives testified that they are pleased with their involvement in the project. Read More “More On Kwame Brown and $1.5 Billion Southwest Development” »