Cleveland Park Commercial Area Mr. Hoffman, Your concerns are serious ones, but lets get some facts straight. Spices will be expanding their restaurant into the old Crown Books space. I am sure that they are simply using the space now for overflow storage needs until the renovations are complete. The valet issue is also a serious one. The valet system was developed because of neighborhood concerns about parking with all the restaurants drawing crowds from Bethesda, etc. I don't believe that it is illegal to park cars on public streets. Technically, the valet service charges for someone to park your car, not for the parking space. In addition, the restaurants offer reduced or free parking at the lot off of Ordway Street. Either way, people looking for a place to park will use the side residential streets. Perhaps you should work with the restaurants to promote metro use for their patrons. But in the end we are living in a city and cars mixing with pedestrians are a part of the equation. Those of us who appreciate this fact can avoid the traffic by walking to our favorite shops and restaurants. If we want to live where there is plenty of parking, we would be in Gaithersburg. The Cleveland Park Historical Society is concerned about both the architectural and cultural history of the neighborhood. But keep in mind that without a thriving commercial area associated with our residential neighborhood, we will have neither (and you could forget about retaining the historical character when this area becomes economically depressed). Zoning restricts commercial development and as far as I can see, it is working just fine. The law of supply and demand creates all the desire for the restaurants (which in turn draw crowds from out of the neighborhood. None of these businesses would survive without drawing from other areas. Just ask any of the proprietors of these businesses, even the "local" ones such as the liquor store or Cleveland park Bookshop on Wisconsin Avenue. Next time you see cars and think traffic "scene", consider how having a vibrant commercial area within walking distance to your house increases its property value. You'll thank Spices when you choose to sell your home. Finally, have you brought your concerns to the restaurant owners or the valet contractors directly? Maybe they would respond to your concerns if they knew what they were. Also, if you want the historical society to react, contact us directly or join us. We are always looking for volunteers and new board members who are concerned about the neighborhood. Raising the issues in this forum is fine and perhaps you will feel better, but if you want to really make a difference and solve the problems, you have to actively get involved and do something. Steven L. Cohen President Cleveland Park Historical Society 202.363.6358

Doug..... I agree, it's easy for people to get into negative campaigns when there's a threat of change that could potentially have negative impact on the character of a community. ..... Unfortunately, I think the "militant" approach gets old.... it's so overused in this city and usually only ends up feeding the acrimonious, divisive attitudes that have plagued this city for so long .... I've known Cleveland Park since I was a kid.... I've watched it come back to life and love it there... We just need to "help" the new owners understand the community well so they can make wise as well as financially successful decisions on "right use" of these important properties. Now that I've moved out from "watcher" ("lurker?") to "commenter" I have a question: Does anyone "manage" the Cleveland Park listserve? I'm relatively new participant and must admit I haven't kept up with all the messages (I receive hundreds of messages daily at work!).... I wondered if the organizers of this email list have considered a once-a-day or weekly alternative for those of us who want to keep connected with folks and issues but can't handle a new influx of daily mail? Examples of the once-a-week approach include: the online "Mt. Pleasant Forum" (contact rf@...), a weekly email list focused on Mt. Pleasant but read by many from Cleveland Park area and elsewhere. It is generously managed by a civic-minded community member who assembles individual messages into a single posting weekly. A similar one citywide called "The Mail" [gimhoff@... (themail)] works the same way. Alternatively, perhaps the group could set up a once-a-day server mailing to "members"..... This latter approach would make it a little easier to handle the volume of comments and counter-comments without losing the flavor of simple messages and brief responses from many people.... Anne Drissel

On January 24, 2000 at its regularly scheduled meeting (which was duly noticed and at which a quroum was present) Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C elected the following officers and set the following schedule for the year. Unless otherwise notified, all meetings will start at 7:30 p.m. and will take place at the 2nd District Police Station (3320 Idaho Ave. NW; behind Giant Food at Wis. Ave. and Macomb St. NW). Officers Chair - Ruthanne Miller, ANC 3C09 Vice-Chair - Cheryl Opacinch, ANC 3C01 Treasurer - Lyle Blanchard, ANC 3C07 Secretary - Ann Hume Loikow, ANC 3C05 Schedule February 28 March 27 April 24 May 22 June 26 July 24 August 28 September 25 October 30 November 27 December 18

I was surprised to read the posters in the window of "Uptown Scoop" saying that they, and all tenants from "Alero" to the "Bella Roma", are soon to be evicted. Why is this just now being known? It's first appearance is as a done deal. Where is the Cleveland Park Historical Society on this one? Is there anything that can be done at this point? ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

Incidentally: Kohr's being out of business is not a purely Cleveland Park phenomenon and may have had nothing to do with its suitability for the neighborhood. Two weeks ago I saw a boarded-up Kohr's on the beachfront in Hollywood, Florida -- they all must have gone belly-up. Overexpansion can do that to a company.

FYI: Formed in June, 1998, Starwood Urban is co-sponsored by Starwood Capital Group, LLC of Greenwich, CT and Wennett Urban Retail, LLC of Washington, D.C. You can learn more about Starwood Urban Investments at http://www.starwoodurban.com There are also articles online at www.washingtonpost.com and www.intowner.com. (Go to the sites and search for "Starwood")

Thanks to those who have added a dose of reality to the Starwood discussion. We are talking about private business here. And tough businesses at that, real estate and retail. There is a lot of money in the neighborhood, so it's not surprising this happened. I just learned that Wing Masters has no intention of leaving. Patty.

I for one would hate to see commercial creep up Ordway, Porter, or Macomb. At what point would it stop from reaching Wisconsin. We are not supposed to be a commerical corridor. The promise of Metro was to provide transportation for commuters, not change neighborhoods from residential to commercial strips. I hope that small businesses can still make it on Conn. I read that Alero's is suing and Yanni's has agreed to the higher rent. The shoe shop may relocate to Porter east of Conn. Leila Afzal

The Cleveland Park Citizens Association meets on the first Saturday of the month at 10:15 a.m. at the Cleveland Park Library at Macomb St. and Conn. Ave. The next meeting will be March 4. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission for this area (Cleveland Park and Woodley Park), ANC 3C meets on the 4th Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Second District Police Station on Idaho Ave. (behind the Giant Food at Wis. Ave. and Macomb St. NW). Starwood is on the agenda and will have representatives at the next ANC meeting (Feb. 28) to tell us what their plans are for their properties in Cleveland Park and Woodley Park. Ann Loikow, ANC 3C05

John, right now no one has come forward to the CPHS to discuss plans....what is appears is it is all neighborhood chatter at the moment. I have subscribed to the Cleveland Park e-groups which has many messages on this subject. Also, you should read the sign on the Uptown Scoop storefront. I am confident that there is a group to join at least you can get information from this email group.....cleveland-park@.... john b wrote:

Below are three 1998 articles from Washington Business Journal which provide a little history on Starwood and their involvement with Alban Towers. I found them when I was looking for some background on the status of Alban Towers' redevelopment last year. The Charles E. Smith Co. is currently renovating Alban Towers and planning to develop the vacant land next to it. They will have a representative at the Feb. 28, 2000 ANC meeting who will update the community on their plans. The ANC had a special meeting in December on Alban Towers. Starwood will also make a presentation on their plans for their properties in Woodley Park and Cleveland Park at the Feb. 28 ANC meeting. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Second District Police Station on Idaho Avenue. Ann Loikow _____________________________ August 3, 1998 Washington Business Journal Senior housing at Alban Towers Pat Lopes Harris Staff Reporter After stalling for eight months, Starwood Capital Group has selected a new development partner for Alban Towers and is poised to resume the renovation of the huge apartment building on Wisconsin Avenue NW. Foulger-Pratt Cos., Starwood and a Foulger-Pratt affiliate, Argo Investment Co., plan to redevelop the 254-unit structure into an upscale retirement community. Jim Foulger, vice president of Foulger-Pratt, a Rockville-based developer and contractor, said the three companies will invest more than $50 million in debt and equity in the project. Foulger said Foulger-Pratt is the "managing member" of the partnership that owns Alban Towers, but he declined to elaborate. Construction is expected to start in August and take 12 to 15 months to complete. Foulger-Pratt plans to retain the building's historic facade, halls and lobby, but redivide the interior into 165 independent-living units and 110 assisted-living units. The property, which occupies an entire block across from St. Alban's School, also has a 60-space parking garage. Residents of the redeveloped Alban Towers would have the option of buying or renting their units, according to Phil Mendelson, chairman of the advisory neighborhood commission for the area. Units in the retirement community would sell for $250,000 to $500,000 and would rent for $2,000 to $3,500 a month, said Mendelson, who was briefed on the project recently by a Foulger-Pratt official. The project also would include a dining facility, pharmacy and restaurant. Mendelson, who earlier this year complained to Starwood about Alban Towers' upkeep, expressed relief. "The best news is that this thing is getting back on track," he said. D.C. Councilwoman Kathy Patterson, D-Ward 3, who also was briefed on Foulger-Pratt's plans, applauded the senior living concept. "I think it looks like an excellent use of an historic property," she said. "It meets the needs of the community." Alban Towers fronts Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues NW. The property is also bordered by Garfield and 38th streets NW. It includes an undeveloped, rectangular parcel along 38th Street. Mendelson said Starwood and Foulger-Pratt may develop that parcel, too, but it would come after the restoration of Alban Towers. Alban Towers would represent Foulger-Pratt's second high-profile development in the area in less than a year. Last October, Foulger-Pratt and Peterson Cos. of Fairfax announced plans to build a $321 million town center in downtown Silver Spring. That project, funded in part by Maryland and Montgomery County, is slated to include shops, offices, theaters and a 200-room hotel. Jim Foulger formerly worked for Fairfax-based Forum Group Inc., the nation's third-largest operator of senior living centers, which was acquired by Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR) in 1996 for $605 million. The Washington area is a "very solid market" for senior housing, said David Schless, executive director of the American Seniors Housing Association. Schless added, however, that Foulger-Pratt and Starwood are bucking industry trends by proposing senior housing in the city. "Historically, senior housing has had more of a suburban orientation," he sa

On Februaru 28,2000 ANC 3C will hold its regularly scheduled meeting at the 2nd District Police Station, 3320 Idaho Avenue, beginning at 7:30 p.m. MPD will give a report for PSA 204 and 205 at 7:30 and take questions from the public. Commission business will immediately follow. The agenda includes: Presentation by Starwood Urban Investments on their plans in Cleveland Park and Woodley Park, update on Alban Towers, Request for Variance for 2947 Macomb Street residence, Application of Cafe Ole to change class of Liquor License, Finalization of ANC Committees and Committee Chairs, Proposed endorsement of efforts of Coalition for D.C. Representation in Congress, Authorization for ANC testimony on upcoming budget and oversight hearings before the District of Columbia Council regarding DPW, DCRA, Zoning and Planning, Libraries and Education.

Leila Afzal

(This message has been sent to the Cleveland Park Web Site mailing list and also the Cleveland Park eGroup mailing list. Our apologies for any duplications. In order to reply to this message in the eGroups distribution, please make sure you are registered at http://www.clevelandpark.com/egroup/ responses may also be sent to staff@... or posted on the Cleveland Park Bulletin Board at http://www.clevelandpark.com/clevelandparkcgi/Ultimate.cgi) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Cleveland Park Merchant Coupons Now Online! ------------------------------------------------------------------ The Cleveland Park Web Site now has a coupon section! The three initial participating businesses are Ireland's Four Provinces, The Original Tax Center, and Park Bench Pub. We expect to see other like Cleveland Park Liquors, Whatsa Bagel, and City Fitness soon. Please go to http://www.clevelandpark.com/coupons.html or follow the new link from the home page and print the coupons for whichever businesses you like. Please encourage your favorite businesses to participate as well. This is a free service being offered to Cleveland Park Businesses in cooperation with the Cleveland Park Business and Professional Association. Regards, Cleveland Park Staff staff@...

Peggy Robin and Sam Smith have got it right! We all need to be involved and to watch Starwood very carefully. I am truly puzzled at the astounding admonition (from"Staff"?) to ....."do not call Starwood." and that "these are business concerns" (none of ours) and "you might jeopardize" the negotiations and business deals. For heavens sake don't listen to that! Right now, we only know Starwood from their track record. And judging by that, Cleveland Park needs to be very careful. It is only prudent, if you care about our community to get involved and stay involved. Not only with Starwood, but with any move to change our neighborhood. Of course some changes are to the good. But some are not. When the Park n Shop was up for rejuvenation a few years ago, what the developers wanted to put there was a huge Hyatt Hotel. They finally decided to take their hotel to Bethesda. Just think about what our neighborhood shopping area would be like if that had happened! So until it is very clear exactly what Starwood plans to do -----get involved! And here's how. Join Cleveland Park Citizens Association! CPCA has formed a Starwood Committee. Join CPCA. Join the committee. This is where your voice will be heard. CPCA is one of the oldest civic organizations in the District. It meets the first Saturday of the month at the Cleveland Park Library at 10:15 AM. There is always a good, important program. (In fact Starwood has been invited to attend the March 4 meeting.) The Officers of the Second District Police station attend and give news and listen to problems. And we discuss, debate and deal with current neighborhood issues. All of them. For a current example: there is the "renovation" of the Exxon at Porter and Connecticut. Did you know that they planned to put up a lighted red canopy that would glow 24 hours a day just like it was on I-95? They have agreed to tone down the canopy and other lighting significantly after negotiations with a committee from CPCA. We are still seeking other accomodations and ammendments that are under negotiation. Find out about this at CPCA. Cleveland Park is prime property. It will be targeted again and again by developers. So join CPCA and have a place for your concerns to be taken seriously, and where you can work to protect and shape the future of Cleveland Park. Dues are just $10 a year. A small price to keep Cleveland Park a great place to live!! Isabel Furlong isabelf@...

Klingle Road Meeting on March 15th by DPW I have received a notice from the Department of Public Works that they will be holding a meeting at the Visitor Center of the Zoo from 2-8 PM on Wednesday, March 15th to get input from the public on the Environmental Assessment of the rebuilding of Klingle Road. DPW staff and their consultant will be there to discuss the issues with who ever shows up and to take comments. By the Autumn, they expect to hold a second meeting and then to issue the Assessment. If you have time, please stop by. Klingle Road is not really in Cleveland Park (it is under the bridge between CP and the Zoo), but its closure has had a major impact on traffic in CP. It was closed many years ago when poor maintenance caused embankments to collapse and made it unsafe. The City did not have funds for the road repair and never fixed it. Traffic used it to go under Connecticut to get to 34th/Reno Road and Wisconsin Avenue and now most of that traffic uses Porter Street (where I live) and many people think it has increased accidents at Connecticut and Porter. For many years the wealthy neighborhood near Woodly Road has benefited by having a footpath and a place to walk dogs. Now, Federal money is available to rebuild and reopen this street these people have organized to have it rebuilt as a local park that would border for its entire length on Rock Creek Park. I have seen no high density housing in that area. No apartment buildings and coops like we have in profusion in CP that could use more public space. I would love to close off some streets near my house (Porter Street jumps to mind) to be used only by the few that live nearby, but that is not how a city should work. The people in CP should not continue to bare the burden of extra traffic so the people of Woodly Park will have nicer place to walk their dogs. There ... That should get us discussing something other than Starwood.

There is a web site with some information about the Klingle Valley Park. It is at http://www.clevelandpark.com/klinglevalleypark/ . A link there will also take you to the text of a 1995 letter from the Department of Public Works [ http://www.clevelandpark.com/klinglevalleypark/dpw.html ] This letter states that any increase in traffic on Porter Street "cannot be related to the Klingle Road closure." Certainly we know by now that adding a new road to our neighborhood will add traffic. "If you build it, they will come." At least part of the Klingle Valley Park is in Cleveland Park; certainly as you walk along Connecticut Avenue over that stream valley, you pass a sign proclaiming that you are in the "Cleveland Park Historic District." There is lots of high-density housing close to Klingle Valley Park. You will see at least four large to very large apartment buildings (including rentals, condominiums, and coops) that actually border on the parkland or are no more than a few hundred feet away. Of course, Porter Street is only three blocks away from this natural area -- not too far to walk. Klingle Road was closed about ten years ago and officially abandoned by DC in 1995 (see that letter mentioned above). Mother Nature has been doing a fine job of reclaiming that previously abused piece of parkland. It has some wonderful trees and wildlife. Let us not turn over that beautiful natural part of our neighborhood to those who just want another route to drive their cars through our neighborhood, many of them on their commute to or from Maryland or Virginia. The Cleveland Park Citizens Association is on top of this issue. In fact, at a recent meeting of that group, a resolution to keep Klingle Valley Park in its present roadless state was passed by more than a two-thirds majority.

To those who have expressed interest in joining the Cleveland Park Citizens Association. Here's how. Just send a check or money order payable to CPCA in the amount of $10 (for individual), or $15 (for two individuals), along with your name, address, phone number, to: E. Marilyn Oberle Treasurer, CPCA 2801 Quebec Street, NW, Apt. 622 Washington, DC 20008 If you prefer you may join at the next meeting. Application forms will be available. The next meeting is on Saturday,March 4, at 10:15 AM at the Cleveland Park Library. CPCA is your voice in the Nation's Capitol and in your neighborhood. Keep it strong by joining. Make it more effective by attending meetings. Thanks for your interest. Isabel Furlong

Of course old Klingle Road winds through Cleveland Park (Look at the map). Of course it is abutted by high-density apartment buildings. Of course, re-opening the road will increase traffic on 34th St/Reno. How could it not! Maryland/Virginia commuters can and will zoom up through Klingle directly to 34th street (an already over-burdened secondary road). Talk about gridlock! Of course it would by-pass Connecticut. If that's the justicification for opening the road, that is bad traffic planning. Connecticut is an arterial highway. That is where traffic is supposed to be! Six lanes of vehicular right of way --- not the two-lane residential streets that surround the mouth of old Klingle, or the three lanes of 34th/Reno.. Of course there are major safety concerns. At the mouth of Old Klingle there are five elementary/secondary schools -- schools whose schedules coincide with the schedules of harried and hurried commuters. A dangerous recipe for a tragedy! Of course there are safety concerns about the road itself. It is narrow (30 feet maxmium) two lanes. It is a critically steep grade. There are three major hairpin turns. And in bad weather, it always was, and always will be closed due to hazardous conditions. Of course the more roads, the more traffic. Of course the main benficiary for the opening of old Klingle are COMMUTERS -- THOSE WONDERFUL PEOPLE FROM MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA WHO PAY NO TAXES, USE OUR ROADS AND FACILITIES AND THEN ZOOM HOME TO THE SUBURBS, LEAVING THEIR POLLUTION, (NOISE, EMISSIONS, TRASH) BEHIND THEM FOR DC CITIZENS TO LIVE WITH. And these are just the traffic issues. The overwhelming, critical issue is the environment. Please think about it. Isabel Furlong

Several people have mentioned to me that there was a water outage yesterday in D.C. and people were being warned to boil their water. Since I spent a day avoiding any electronic media I never heard this; this morning there was nothing in the Post or on the Post web site, that I can find, anyway. Uh, what happened? I'm feeling aqueously inquisitive. steph