FoRIA 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 MoreCyril Crocker joins FoRIA Board of Directors
WASHINGTON (May 30, 2013) – The Friends of Rhode Island Avenue NE (FoRIA) welcomes a prominent community member to the group’s Board of Directors. Cyril Crocker, a commercial real estate agent and long-time Brookland resident, has been an active member of FoRIA in the Business & Economic Development committee. “We are thrilled to have Cyril join the Board of FoRIA,” said Daniella Gibbs Leger, FoRIA Vice Chair. “He not only brings years of experience to the table, he also cares deeply about the Rhode Island Avenue NE corridor and is a great advocate for our businesses and residents.” In addition to his commercial real estate expertise, Crocker brings experience from his 7-year tenure with the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. During that time, he participated on several large projects, including the Home Depot and Giant Food Store development on Rhode Island Avenue. He is a former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, and holds certifications in both economic and housing development finance. The tenure for Crocker will begin immediately. FoRIA Board members are responsible for guiding the organization’s mission and assisting in its growth 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...
Read MoreMaking Rhode Island Avenue NE a little friendlier for bikes
Infrastructure to benefit cyclists AND retailers One of the most important components to successful and vibrant commercial corridors is a feeling of accessibility. Customers should feel like they can safely and easily navigate the commercial district, no matter what mode of transportation they utilize. From the retailer’s perspective, pedestrian and bike-friendly infrastructure can increase sales revenues up to 49% (“Measuring the Street: New Metrics for the 21st Century”, 2012) – and what business doesn’t want increased sales? Last week, we were on hand as 3 new sets of bike racks were installed in the Woodridge area of RIA-NE. Our friends at DDOT and Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) responded to our request to improve bike infrastructure, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. You can now find staple-style bike racks near the following locations: 2300 RIA-NE 2008 RIA-NE 2117 RIA-NE...
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