Streetcar Gets Safety Approval, Could Carry Passengers Before March — The H Street streetcar could start carrying passengers as early as Feb. 26 after being approved by safety officials with D.C. Fire and EMS. [WAMU]
Waterfront Metro Station to Close This Weekend — The Waterfront Metro station will be closed this weekend to fix a leak in the tunnel between the Waterfront and L’Enfant Plaza stations. [SWTLQTC]
How to Make the Most of Valentine’s Day on Capitol Hill — The Hill is Home has compiled a list of Valentine’s Day events and goodies across Capitol Hill. [The Hill is Home]
A Look Inside New Navy Yard Residential Building Park Chelsea — The owners of Park Chelsea at 880 New Jersey Ave. SE have opened their ground-level leasing center for the new residential building. [JDLand]
A woman was robbed last night near the intersection of N and 4th streets SW, but the thief did not get far.
The woman reported she was walking home from the Safeway near the Waterfront Metro station about 6:45 p.m. when a man grabbed her from behind and stole her bags.
Two bystanders heard the woman shout as the thief fled and chased him, according to an email from Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Crystal Beslow. The two citizens returned the woman’s wallet and held the thief until police arrived.
The officers arrested 26-year-old Bryan Jones and charged him with robbery, according to an arrest report. Police also believe that Jones is responsible for at least two other robberies in the Southwest area, according to Beslow.
Photo via Google Maps
The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority announced today that it will soon begin work to replace all three escalators at the Waterfront Metro station in Southwest.
Construction will start at the station Jan. 18, according to a statement released today. The three elevators at the station’s entrance will be replaced one at a time and Metro expects the repairs to take slightly longer than two years.
A man was treated for facial injuries after being attacked and robbed last night near the Waterfront Metro Station.
The robbery occurred on the 1300 block of 4th Street SW about 10:15 p.m., according to police. According to the victim, two men approached him from behind, assaulted him and took his wallet.
Earlier in the afternoon there was another assault just blocks away on the 1500 block of 1st Street SW. A police spokesperson said one person was arrested for the assault that took place about 5:05 p.m., but did not have any further information.
There was also a robbery about 3:15 a.m. last night on the 900 block of 2nd Street NE. No weapons or force were reported in that robbery.
Photo via Google Maps
Maketto to Serve Dim Sum Brunch Starting Sunday — H Street eatery Maketto announced yesterday that it will start Dim Sum Sundays, an a la carte brunch that will be served weekly 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. [Eater]
ANC Endorses Mixed-Use Building With Black Box Theater at Waterfront Station Parcel — ANC 6D threw their support behind a plan for a mixed-use building at 1000 4th Street SW with 443 apartments and and 22,500 square feet of retail. The plan was recommended above two other proposals for development at the site. [Urban Turf]
Armed Thieves Rob Ice Cream Truck Near Nationals Park — Two men, one of whom had a gun, held up an ice cream truck just before 9 p.m. Sunday on N Street SW near Nationals Park. [Washington Post]
New Renderings Show Inside Future Dock 79 Apartment Building in Southwest — Developers behind a building along the Southwest waterfront with 305 apartments and 20,000 square feet of retail have released new renderings of the buildings interior and waterfront promenade. The building is set to open next summer. [Curbed]
Police Identify Man Fatally Shot in Union Station — Police said the man who was fatally shot by a security guard in Union Station after allegedly stabbing a woman and threatening the guard was 57-year-old William Thomas Wilson Jr. of Southeast D.C. [Washington Post]
Eastern Market Vendors Aren’t Worried About Competition From Newly-Announced Trader Joe’s — Vendors at Eastern Market told the Washington City Paper that they aren’t concerned about losing business to the Trader Joe’s slated to open at the Hine School development in 2017. [Washington City Paper]
Panel on Capitol Hill Race Relations Cites Gentrification as Cause of Tension, Misunderstanding — A panel on race relations in Ward 6, which included Councilman Charles Allen of Ward 6, cited clashes between long-time community residents and new arrivals as a contributing factor in racial tension in the area. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Developers Present Competing Proposals for District-Owned Land Near Waterfront Metro Station — Three developers presented plans and renderings for residential and retail buildings on a District-owned plot of land along 4th Street SW near the Waterfront Metro station. Public comment on the proposals is being accepted through Oct. 9. [STLQTC]
New Private High School Coming to Hill Center — Blyth-Templeton Academy, a Canadian international private high school, will open its first U.S. school at Hill Center on Sept. 8. [Hill Rag]
H Street Festival Selects Winner of Logo Contest — Capitol Hill resident Sarah D. Coleman won the contest to design the logo for the upcoming H Street Festival. [The Hill Is Home]
District Seeks Community Input on Empty Lot Near Waterfront Metro Station — Southwest residents can weigh in on future developments along 4th Street SW near the Waterfront Metro station at a community meeting Sept. 10. [STLQTC]
Rose’s Luxury Named Among Top Restaurants in the South — Southern Living Magazine included Capitol Hill eatery Rose’s Luxury in its list of the best restaurants in the South. [Southern Living]
The District is kicking off the redevelopment of properties near the Waterfront Metro station and the Walmart store on H Street NW.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced six new community development projects this morning, including Waterfront Station II at 1000 4th St. SW and Capitol Vista, on a triangle of land bound by 2nd Street, H Street and New Jersey Avenue NW.
The city wants to turn the vacant, 1.36-acre lot on 4th Street SW into a 400,000-square-foot building with residences and ground-floor retails. Twenty percent of the homes would be designated as affordable, city documents show.
The Capitol Vista site is just 0.22 acres. The current zoning would allow residential and commercial use. No project specifications have been announced yet.
Bowser announced two initiatives, Our RFP and CompeteDC. The first plan seeks to engage residents before requests for proposals are issued to developers. The second program aims to help small business apply for local business opportunities.
Images via Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development
The shooter or shooters who sent at least five bullets flying through the windows of the Sky House apartment building last month are still on the loose — and police have a new theory on what happened.
Detectives from the First District believe at least one shooter fired toward the upscale residences at 1150 4th St. SW to create a diversion as police responded to a first set of shots just moments earlier by another gunman, Sgt. Michael Architzel said.
“The gunfire [at Sky House] came from the direction of Greenleaf public housing project,” Architzel said at a community meeting last night.
“We had gotten sounds of gunshots fired just before the incident at Sky House,” he continued. “We made an arrest and caught [the suspect] with a gun. We believe what happened are some of [that suspect’s] friends were trying to distract from that arrest and started firing.”
As Hill Now reported, the apartment tower just east of the Waterfront Metro station was hit by gunfire about 10:10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16. Residents of Sky House found bullets in their windows, walls and kitchen cabinets, causing thousands of dollars in damage, police said. One resident was watching the evening news in his living room when a bullet flew just feet in front of him. No injuries were reported.
Before the gunfire that hit Sky House, a first set of shots was reported by callers on the 1100 block of Delaware Avenue SW and the 1100 block of 4th Street SW. Police arrested a man for the first set of shots, who was found with a black semi-automatic handgun at his feet. He is a “former Greenleaf resident who is not allowed to be there anymore,” Architzel said Monday night.
Two people were questioned by police for the gunfire that hit Sky House, but they were released because officers had no probable cause to believe they were involved, police said. No shell casings to pinpoint a crime scene were found.
Following the gunfire incident, police assigned a tactical team to a zone near the Waterfront Metro station, and all officers have been asked to “provide special attention” to the area, Architzel said last month.
Apartments in Sky House — which has a rooftop pool and “dog-washing boutique” — start at $1,625 for a studio and hit $3,400 for a 2-bedroom, 2 bath, according to the website for the building.
(Updated at 2 p.m.) Police don’t know who sent at least five bullets flying through the windows of the upscale Sky House apartments this week.
Officials said Tuesday that they arrested a man in connection with gunfire that flew through the windows of 1150 4th St. SW — just east of the Waterfront Metro station — on Monday night. But upon further investigation, officers found that two separate sets of gunshots were reported that night, and the suspect is believed to be responsible for only one set of them.
The first set of shots was reported by callers on the 1100 block of Delaware Avenue SW and the 1100 block of 4th Street SW at about 10:10 p.m. Monday, Sgt. Michael Architzel said by email late last night. The second set of shots was reported soon after, on the 200 block of K Street SW.
Police arrested a man found standing with a black semi-automatic handgun at his feet, and told Hill Now on Monday that he was suspected of firing the shots that whizzed through the windows of at least five apartments. But further investigation revealed the suspect is not believed to be responsible for the shots that hit the building.
“The individual who was arrested for carrying a pistol on 200 K St. is not involved [with the Sky House incident], as that event does not match [the] time frame or location,” Architzel said.
Sky House residents found bullets in their windows, walls and kitchen cabinets, causing thousands of dollars in damage, police said Wednesday night. One resident described watching the evening news in his living room when a bullet flew just feet in front of him. “It was like a lightbulb exploding,” he said.
Police said initially that no property was damaged by the gunfire.
Two people were questioned by police for the gunfire that hit Sky House, but they were released because officers had no probable cause to believe they were involved, Architzel said.
No shell casings to pinpoint a crime scene were found.
Gunshots near the Waterfront Metro station are uncommon, Architzel said. Gunshot incidents were reported at 4th and O streets SW in late December, but “prior to that, I cannot even remember the last time we had any,” he said.
James Anderson, 27, was shot to death Jan. 11 on the 1300 block of 1st St. SW, as Hill Now reported. A suspect was arrested Feb. 10 and charged with 1st degree murder. And two people were arrested for a midday shooting on the same block on Feb. 7.
Police did not immediately provide data on recent gunshot incidents.
A designated Police Service Area 105 tactical team patrols a zone near the Waterfront Metro station, and all officers have been asked to “provide special attention” to the area, Architzel said.
“We also have been working with security at 325 P St. over the last few months to combat crime, and I believe that will further help us prevent future incidents like this,” he added.
Overall crime is down in PSA 105, which covers Southwest. The total number of crimes reported in the past year is 552, which is more than 6 percent lower than the 588 crimes reported the previous year, Metropolitan Police Department data shows.
Update: Police said late Thursday, Feb. 19 that the man arrested Monday, Feb. 16 is suspected of firing a set of gunshots shortly after the separate set of shots that hit Sky House. The Sky House shooter was still on the loose as of Friday, Feb. 20, police said.
A Southwest resident was watching the evening news in his living room Monday night when a bullet flew just feet in front of him.
“It was like a lightbulb exploding,” the resident of the high-end building Sky House said today.
As Hill Now reported, the apartment tower at 1150 4th St. SW, just east of the Waterfront Metro station, was hit by gunfire about 10 p.m. Monday, police said and building management told residents in an email. A man with a gun at his feet was arrested in the alley of the 200 block of K Street SW, police said.
When the resident heard the pop that he thought was a burst lightbulb, he leapt up.
“Then, I realized the light was still on. And I noticed a hole in the blinds,” he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity out of fear of a second incident. Behind the torn mini-blinds, he found a quarter-sized hole in the floor-to-ceiling window.
Building management spoke on Monday night with about seven residents whose apartments on the east side of Sky House were hit, the man, 42, said.
Five separate parties filed police reports with the First District about 10:30 p.m. Monday, Officer C.J. Smith said Wednesday night. Residents found bullets in their windows, walls and kitchen cabinets, causing thousands of dollars in damage, according to the reports. Police said Tuesday that no property was damaged by the gunfire.
The bullet holes in Sky House were patched with tape, and residents were told windows would be replaced in about three weeks, the man said.
JBG Companies did not immediately respond to an inquiry about window replacement on the east side of the building, which faces a private parking lot. A spokesman previously said the company is participating in the police investigation.
Overall crime is down in Police Service Area 105, which covers Southwest. The total number of crimes reported in the past year is 553, which is almost 5 percent lower than the 581 crimes reported the previous year, Metropolitan Police Department data shows.
Residents of Sky House — which has amenities including a rooftop pool — were offered free hotel rooms Monday and may be able to change apartments or break their leases. The man, who just moved from Colorado in September, said he hasn’t decided yet what he’ll do.
“I felt safe here until this happened,” he said. “Yesterday night, it was a little awkward. I didn’t stand by the windows much.”
Follow-up story:
Shooter Who Riddled Southwest Apartments With Bullets Still on the Loose
Update: Police said late Thursday, Feb. 19 that the man arrested Monday, Feb. 16 is suspected of firing a set of gunshots shortly after the separate set of shots that hit Sky House. The Sky House shooter was still on the loose as of Friday, Feb. 20, police said.
Shots fired two blocks from the Waterfront Metro station last night struck the windows of a residential building.
The windows of Sky House, on the northwest corner of 3rd and M streets SW, were hit by bullets Monday night, management said in an email to residents.
The shots were reported about 10 p.m. on the 200 block of K Street SW, police said. In the alley of that block, officers found a man standing with a black semi-automatic handgun at his feet. The suspect was arrested for carrying a pistol without a license.
No one was injured and no property damage resulted from the shots, police said. Hill Now couldn’t spot any damage to the building Tuesday afternoon.
JBG Companies, which own the building, is participating in the investigation, a company spokesman said.
Apartments in Sky House — which has a rooftop pool and “dog-washing boutique” — start at $1,625 for a studio and hit $3,400 for a 2-bedroom, 2 bath, according to the website for the building.
Overall crime is down in Police Service Area 105, which covers Southwest. The total number of crimes reported in the past year is 553, which is almost 5 percent lower than the 581 crimes reported the previous year, Metropolitan Police Department data shows.
Follow-up stories:
Bullet Whizzes Past Man in Southwest Luxury Building
Shooter Who Riddled Southwest Apartments With Bullets Still on the Loose
A man who appears to have stolen cosmetics from the 4th Street SW CVS store is wanted by police.
Surveillance video distributed by the Metropolitan Police Department this morning (Friday) shows a man milling the aisles of the CVS at 1100 4th St. SW, near the Waterfront Metro station. He took items off shelves in the cosmetics section and tucked them into a black backpack.
A store worker chased after the man as he walked out of the store, the video shows.
The person of interest hit the CVS about 9:50 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Anyone who can identify this individual or who has knowledge of this incident should take no action but call police at 202-727-9099 or text your tip to the Department’s text tip line at 50411.
Crime Solvers of Washington, DC currently offers a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for a crime committed in the District of Columbia. Your assistance is appreciated by your community.
Police have released surveillance video of an assault inside a store near the Waterfront Metro station, and are asking the public to help identify a person of interest.
The crime took place about 2 p.m. Friday, October 10, on the 1100 block of 4th Street SW.
Video shows a man dragging down and then punching a victim, and then dragging the person across the floor. Police classify the incident as a simple assault and attempted fraud. No description of the suspect was released.
Anyone who can identify this individual or who has knowledge of this incident is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099 or text a tip to the MPD’s text tip line at 50411. The MPD offers a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for a violent offense committed in the District of Columbia.
