Nearly 20 neighbors in the Near Northeast community met on President’s Day to remove snow and ice from paths to the New York Avenue Metro stop, bus stops and local elementary schools. Aided by the terrific NoMa BID’s Ready to Work Clean Team and Operations Director Merrit Drucker, as well as Gospel Rescue Ministry's Community Improvement Program, the group broke into teams to tackle Florida Avenue NE, M St. and K St. NE. They broke up huge mounds of snow and ice at corners, widened sidewalk paths, and uncovered bus stops and fire hydrants. Three hours of hard work later, neighborhood walkability was significantly improved. Thanks to Tony Goodman for coordinating and for all those who turned out to help!

Do you have stories from your own neighborhoods to share? Send them to us and we’ll share the good deeds with our readers.

Over the last week, our office has been asked about various rumors of Marine Corps plans to purchase Potomac Gardens for development into Marine barracks.

We contacted Adrianne Todman, Interim Executive Director of the DC Housing Authority, and asked her about any plans to sell Potomac Gardens.

She had begun to hear the rumors as well, and explained that the Housing Authority has no intention of selling Potomac Gardens. The property is owned by the DC Housing Authority, and any sale would require approval by the federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as they are the original financier of the acquisition of the property. In addition, there are various HUD regulations governing the displacement of public housing residents from their existing homes which would make a sale of this property unlikely, unless the existing residents were all guaranteed a replacement home within the new development.

Ms. Todman also noted that Mayor Fenty has been working with resident leaders and DC Housing Authority officials to explore whether Potomac Gardens and the adjacent Hopkins Apartment sites are good candidates for programs such as Hope VI, New Communities, or other successful models to improve the housing and built environment on the site.

From what we can tell, rumors of any sale of Potomac Gardens are exactly that – rumors. We hope this information quells the concerns of Potomac Gardens residents and neighbors.

With the sun shining and winds starting to subside, plows and salt trucks are out in force today. As everyone starts to dig out from this historic snowstorm, here are some helpful tips and information:

Plowing Streets

Plows will focus first on snow emergency routes and major roads to clear them for emergency vehicles. Next, they’ll start tackling the side and smaller streets. Not seeing a plow on your street? There are several ways to get feedback to DDOT and the Snow Command Center:

- Call 311 to report the block needing a plow or salt.
- Send an email to Tommy ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ); he’s coordinating with the plow crews as he hears about streets needing attention.
- Send a Tweet to @DDOTDC and DDOT staff will respond to your request.

Shoveling Sidewalks

We put up a handy guide about shoveling sidewalks the other day. It’s a very serious issue and sidewalks need to be cleared for pedestrians. A quick reminder:

- Residents and businesses are responsible for shoveling their sidewalks.
- DDOT is responsible for shoveling walks in city public spaces.
- Federal agencies, such as the National Park Service, are responsible for shoveling sidewalks at parks they control and manage – such as Seward Square Park or “pocket parks” such as those at Pennsylvania Ave and 11th Street SE. Tommy has already been in touch with NPS asking them to clear these walks as soon as possible.

Trash Pick-up

With most alleys impassable, DPW is not collecting trash from the alleys. Some trash collection trucks are out on the roads today. DPW has requested that residents move their trash to curbside pickup and place them in dark colored bags on the mornings of regularly scheduled collection (please note: you do not need to move your supercan to the curb, just the bag). They have suspended recycling collection until next week. Here’s the latest announcement from DPW.

The Washington City Paper took to a little public shaming yesterday to help remind residents and businesses about the need to shovel those sidewalks. The Washington Post wrote a short piece on sidewalk etiquette (or the lack thereof).

As anyone has witnessed over the last few days, there are some great examples of neighbors pitching in to make sure sidewalks are passable. And then there are some examples of sidewalks in such bad shape, neighbors are forced into the road – creating a dangerous situation that mixes cars and pedestrians on slick roads.

Pedestrian safety and accessibility is a serious issue during these snow storms.

As a reminder, current DC law requires residents and businesses to clear their sidewalks within 8 hours of the end of the storm. As we’ve seen though, not everyone lives up to their responsibility. However, the city's only remedy if someone doesn't clear the sidewalk is to detail staff to the location, clean it themselves, and then sue the homeowner or business to recover the costs. That renders it pretty useless and it’s rarely, if ever, used.

To improve the law, Tommy joined forces with Councilmember Mary Cheh in December to introduce legislation that would replace the requirement to sue, with straight forward citation and fine – much more likely to be enforced and used.

In the meantime, please remember to shovel those sidewalks – paying special attention to lend a hand to our seniors or neighbors out of town, to make sure we have clear and accessible sidewalks.

Below is a brief guide to the DC requirements:

Who is responsible for clearing sidewalks?
District law requires property owners to clear snow and ice from sidewalks, handicap ramps and steps abutting their property within the first 8 daylight hours after snow, sleet or ice stop falling. (DC Code, 2001 Ed, § 9-601.) This applies to all property owners – residential, commercial, federal, and municipal. If ice cannot be cleared without damaging the sidewalk, then property owners may spread sand or salt to make the sidewalks safe. (DC Code, 2001 Ed, § 9-604.) Property owners must also clear snow from the ADA-curb cuts. These are part of the sidewalk. Property owners are also asked to clear snow from catch basins and storm drains to prevent flooding during snow melt. If you rent a single-family home or your lease explicitly states that you are responsible for clearing the snow, not your landlord, then you can be cited as well. Be sure to call your landlord or review your lease terms if you are not sure.

Is there a fine for not clearing the sidewalk?
According to the municipal Code, if property owners fail to comply, the District is required to clear their sidewalks (DC Code, 2001 Ed., § 9-605) and sue the property owners for the cost of clearing the snow or ice plus a $25 fine (DC Code, 2001 Ed., § 9-606). If sidewalks in public space are uncleared, DDOT and DPW are responsible for the matter and you should call 311 to report the problem.