RIA Businesses: “Great Streets” Grants Now Available!
Great Streets Funding Announcement Released Today’s issue of Funding Alert, from the Office of Partnerships and Grant Services (OPGS), included the release of the funding announcement we’ve been waiting for – the Great Streets Small Business Capital Improvement Grant. This is a phenomenal opportunity for Rhode Island Avenue business grantees to get reimbursed for renovations and certain pieces of equipment and fixtures. To find out more and download the complete application, visit www.greatstreets.dc.gov. Got questions? Email us! ...
Read MoreDon’t miss it: Artists Off-Road
Be sure to put this on your summer bucket list – Art Enables welcomes “Artists Off-Rhode” to the Off-Rhode gallery. The exhibit features new works from artists that live or work in Ward 5, including quilted wall hangings by Sandra Hassan, selected pieces from Brookland Bridge blogger and Ward 5 resident Shani Hernandez, and much more! The exhibit runs from July 13 – August 2, 2013. All events are free and open to the public. Opening Reception: Saturday, July 13, 1-4pm Artists Talk: Wednesday, July 17, 6-8pm Off Rhode Gallery at Art Enables 2204 Rhode Island Ave NE Washington DC 20018 www.art-enables.org/off-rhode 202.554.9455 ...
Read MoreRhode Island Avenue Photo Contest!
We need photos of Rhode Island Avenue – and lots of them. So we’re having a contest!! Take pictures of anything on Rhode Island Avenue that grabs your attention, and send them to us. There’s even a chance to win a prize!* Here’s how it works: Snap photos of places and things on Rhode Island Avenue NE between 4th Street and Eastern Avenue – the good, the bad, the interesting! Photos must be in focus, and must be relevant to Rhode Island Avenue NE – no pictures of your thumb covering up the camera lens! Save each photo with the file name “RHODE-ISLAND-sample-address-number-image-topic”. For example, “RHODE-ISLAND-1515-vacant-building” Email your photos to us no later than 11:59 p.m. on June 16, 2013. Each photo counts as one contest entry. Contest winner will be chosen at random from all entries. The more photos you submit, the more chances you have to win! So that’s it! Get out that camera and get busy snapping photos! Here’s a few examples for inspiration: * I just made up this contest, so we’re still working on what exactly the prize will be… but it will be...
Read MoreWMATA to begin Rhode Island Avenue/Baltimore Avenue study
WMATA is scheduled to begin a Metrobus study soon, with an eye towards improving the bus lines on the Rhode Island Avenue/Baltimore Avenue corridor. Currently, there are no Rhode Island Avenue NE bus lines that travel between downtown DC and along Baltimore Avenue in Maryland. To get from a location such as the new apartments in Hyattsville to downtown DC, a commuter using public transportation cannot simply take a bus down what appears to be a very direct route to DC. Instead, they must take at least one bus trip and transfer to a metro station, or make multiple bus transfers to get to their destination downtown. What could be a simple 20-30 minute bus ride ends up taking up to an hour and a half, depending on the mode of commute. As development in Mt. Rainier, Hyattsville, and College Park increases, it is critical to have smart options available for commuters to reduce the number of cars being added to the roads. According to Douglas Stallworth of WMATA, they are hoping to begin the process in June. There will be public meetings to give everyone an opportunity to speak out on any proposed changes. We’ll keep you posted on any news or developments, and you can also follow the progress via a WMATA web page for the study: The Metrobus Rhode Island Avenue Line...
Read MoreFoRIA earns a coveted technical assistance opportunity
We are very pleased to announce that today we received notification that FoRIA has been selected as one of the teams to participate in the DC Vibrant Retail Streets Technical Assistance program. The DC Office of Planning, in conjunction with Streetsense, will be holding customized workshops to help selected areas throughout the District apply the retail diagnostic assessment and the DC Vibrant Streets Toolkit to retail streets. After the workshops, two technical assistance sessions will be held with each community. The workshops will also leverage the Toolkit’s research on best practices, metrics, and innovative approaches for successful management of commercial districts. This is a very exciting opportunity, and we look forward to getting your feedback along the way. Many thanks to the DC Office of Planning and the entire Vibrant Streets team for coordinating this program! We’ll be sure to keep you all updated at each stage of the project, so be sure to check back here often! And if you haven’t done it already, make sure you sign up for our email list, and you can also follow us on Facebook and...
Read MoreWoodridge & Langdon Park join the Capital Bikeshare network
Welcome to the neighborhood, Capital Bikeshare! Early this morning, a crew from Capital Bikeshare installed a 4 dock, 15 bike station on 18th Street near Rhode Island Avenue NE. This is the first such station in the Woodridge and Langdon Park communities, and a tremendous leap in connecting these neighborhoods on the eastern end of Rhode Island Avenue NE with the bikeshare network already in operations in Brookland, Eckington/Edgewood, and Bloomingdale. Neighborhood blog (and occasional FoRIA guest writer) The Brookland Bridge tweeted that another station is being installed in Brookland today: @bikeshare has arrived to 12th and Irving in #brookland!! Hooray!! twitter.com/BrooklandBridg… — The Brookland Bridge (@BrooklandBridge) May 30, 2013...
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