I had the pleasure of sitting down briefly with Hannah Powell, Advisory Neighborhood Commission representative for Eckington on a Friday lunch break. She generously invited me over to visit her cozy home, poured me a hot cup of coffee, and shared her personal experiences with living in Eckington. Amongst those experiences, Hannah gave me some insight on how the neighborhood has grown over the past few years and why she was inspired to run for public office. I'd like to thank her for her time and hospitality! After an informative discussion, Hannah offered to drive me around the neighborhood and point out the history of specific buildings. During the chauffeured tour, it became clear that 4th street was a prominent street that divided the commercial area from the residential properties. Speaking of residential properties, there's been quite an explosion of development by opportunists. Many of the existing houses have undergone "pop-up" renovations which effectively turns a two story house into a three story house, or a three story into a four story. While "raising the roof" within zoning regulations is extremely profitable to developers, it also takes away from the classic Eckington neighborhood look.
In the past, this classic look put Eckington in consideration for historical designation. However, the neighborhood ultimately decided to move away from seeking the historical classification because it would inhibit home owners from doing personal renovations. Interesting stuff! As the drive winded down, Hannah showed me the NOMA Green project two-acre site next to the Metropolitan Branch Trail which will feature mixed use residential and retail. Eckington will certainly continue to see more growth and gentrification as the neighborhood welcomes new construction and development in the coming years!
0 Comments
So I've been to neighborhood board meetings before. Typically, the room is setup with rows of chairs facing a table for presiding officers. Not my first rodeo right? Well, Eckington has a refreshingly different approach. All chairs in the room form one large circle facing inward. Therefore everyone is instantly given equal presence in the room which opens the door for healthy dialogue. Thankfully, I didn't have to wander in like a lost stranger because Lyndsi from Yang Market offered to walk me in. About 25 seats were filled and the meeting unfolded. The first thing that impressed me was the organization of the agenda and handouts. You might say that there's nothing special about that. However, when they have assigned 5 minute time slots to each topic, I would say that's special. President Katrina Velasquez held the room well and methodically addressed each agenda item. ANC 5E03 rep, (Hannah Powell) and ANC rep 5E04 (Sylvia Pinkney) gave their respective reports to the room also. The Councilmember's office rep (Cyril Crocker) gave a thoughtful report of some new Ward 5 initiatives. One was to acquire a building to shelter and educate 'Children and Women of Violence', and the other was to erect statues to honor females and minorities. Both very worthy initiatives! One topic that took center stage was how to address a Liquor Store that was exercising bad judgement (to put it nicely). Since this has been an ongoing issue, the Civic Association decided to draft a letter to send this particularly unruly tenant. However, there were split opinions on the tone of the letter. Should it be non-abrasive, or "do your homework or else" stern? Ultimately, the room established quorom and held a vote as to send the letter or not. The Yays had it, but the Nays were still unhappy about the sterness. Finally, it was agreed that the tone would be adjusted, and everyone was satisfied. It was a perfect display of constructive problem solving instead of an uncooperative butting of heads. Next, two first time resident antendees said 'hi' to voice concerns on separate issues. One of the residents has lived in Eckington since 1962?! 65 years old, and now attending his first Civic Association meeting. That deserves an applause! Hopefully this is a sign of neighbors becoming more proactive in their community.
Winding down to the bottom half of the meeting, another interesting topic came up. Near the Rhode Island Metro intersection, the Eckington neighborhood is currently zoned for industrial. This is where FedEx resides. A portion of this land is being considered for purchase by Foulger-Pratt for residential development which would of course require a zoning change. FedEx is not happy and wants to contest this conversion. So, this raises a fundamental question for the community and highlights competing priorities. Does Eckington want to preserve this area as industrial commercial space to grow blue collar jobs? Or does Eckington embrace new residential housing opportunities which would be ideal in the proximity to metro? There's no easy answer. Last but not least, the final topic was dedicated to coordinating Eckington Day in late October. Finally, the fun part! This is an annual event that the neighborhood puts on to bring the community together. Flyers, swag, entertainment, music, face paint, halloween costumes, raffles, prominent speakers, maybe a moon bounce and a fire truck... this event is shaping up to be a shin dig! Between the social chair, Adam Duffy, and community outreach chair, Lyndsi Sitcov, the logistics are in good hands. They are even planning for a health table, book drive, and oral history of Eckington collection! This is how you inspire cohesiveness in a community and build tradition. The neighborhood pride in the room was tangible, and I was happy to be a part of it. At this point, everyone broke into separate groups to work on subcomittees for the Eckington Day activities and funding. I decided to bid farewell while the room continued to hum well beyond the agenda timeframe with enthusiasm and vigor. As I drove home, I reflected on topics discussed, and ardent participation of everyone in the room. When I got home, I decided to donate a modest amount to the Eckington Civic Commision - gotta make sure they get that moon bounce! When you're in Eckington, turn right onto Rhode Island Ave for a wonderful stroll amongst a corridor of picturesque multicolored row homes, like I did. This scene embodies many of the images of Eckington I found online.
Continue your journey and take a right on Summit Pine, and about half a block up, you'll find an incredible mural spelling "ECKINGTON" with a large red Tyrannosaurus Rex chasing a hamburger. This particular dinosaur pointed me to the corner sign for "Yang Market". I was intrigued and entered. Inside, the Market was a spacious and surprisingly well-stocked convenience store anchored by a hunger-inducing restaurant order window in the back. Passing by the cash register, the business owner, Lyndsi, introduced herself with a warm smile. A large descriptive chalkboard menu hovered on the bulkhead above the kitchen as the chef, her husband Pete, waved from the stove. Together, they had opened this market a year ago and glowed about living in Eckington. Just as Lyndsi was enthusiastically emailing me a copy of their menu, a familiar customer walked in. Coincidentally, it was the Advisory Neighborhood Commission representative, Hannah Powell, whom I had been hoping to meet. As luck would have it, they informed me that there was a Civic Association meeting coming up soon and I'm eager to attend. This is exactly the sort of encounter that would help me gather information about the relationship of the neighborhood and to the people that live there! If that wasn't enough, Lyndsi, Pete, and Hannah all offered to meet me again next week for lunch and more information sharing. It was clear that these folks all care about their community and embrace the opportunity to share their experiences. I was truly in the right place at the right time. |
Arun DotsonThis is my research of the Eckington neighborhood. Categories
All
Archives |