New Weekend Parking Restrictions Near Eastern Market On the Way – ANC6B Set to Expand Performance Parking Program North of Pennsylvania Avenue -
by Larry Janezich
Wednesday night, ANC6B’s Transportation Committee voted unanimously to recommend to the full ANC6B that the Commission request that the Department of Transportation expand the Performance Parking Program north of Pennsylvania Avenue, up to but not including East Capitol Street. The affected area would extend to South Capitol on the west and to 11th Street on the east.
The purpose of the program is to protect parking for residents who find it increasingly difficult to park near their homes as more traffic is drawn to areas around the Capitol Building and Eastern Market.
The Transportation Committee recommended that the full ANC request that one side of each block retain the existing Residential Permit Parking allowing two hour parking for non-residents of Ward 6. The other side of the block would be designated Resident Parking Only, Monday through Saturday, from 7:00am until 8:30pm. At the request of Commissioner Ivan Frishberg, a special zone around Eastern Market bounded roughly by 5th Street, 8th Street (both sides), East Capitol, and Pennsylvania Avenue would extend the Resident Only restrictions to 7:00am – 8:30pm seven days a week.
Each household would receive an annual reusable hard copy parking permit to accommodate non-resident parkers. The ensuing so-called “dinner party problem” for households expecting more than one non-Zone 6 car would be addressed by the householder making a trip to the MPD Substation at 500 E Street, SE, and picking up as many one day passes as needed. It would not be necessary to provide tag numbers for each vehicle.
According to DDOT, once the request is formally submitted by ANC6B, it could take as little as three months to implement. Experience south of Pennsylvania Avenue has taught that it could take longer.
One community benefit which will result from extension of the program is access to around $1 million in parking revenues which the city makes available to Performance Parking areas for non-automotive transportation projects. Some examples include bike racks, trash compacters, landscaping and the proposed Metro Plaza Info Hub. Proposals for funding can go to DOT through an ANC Commissioner or directly to the Department of Transportation.
ANC6B will take up the Transportation Committee recommendation at its September 11th meeting next Tuesday at 7:00pm at Hill Center.
Is there a solution for businesses who have events where customers need to be in the store for more than 2 hours? Right now we try to have most of our big events on Sundays so that people can park if needed. As a resident, I’m all for protecting resident parking, but I also would love to be able to easily have folks from outside the metro area come to the store.
there is an eastern market metro station one block away. go green.
The area where I live and where your store is is already covered in this program. So I doubt you will experience much of a difference unless your customers are parking north of PA Ave (which is almost impossible on C St and NC Ave anyway).
As this gets implemented North of PA in the special zone around Eastern Market, one side of the street will be resident only and the other side will be (as it is now) free and clear for non-residents to park. This is intentional such that there is some space for weekend retail customers before the redevelopment of Hine is complete and more retail parking capacity is added.
Hope that helps.
Yes, we try to get everyone to take the metro always, but I have several people who come in from Baltimore, the Eastern Shore and even West Virginia regularly. Sometimes especially on weekends with track work it would take them hours to get here via public transportation.
it would be nice if people left their cars off capitol hill and used those lovely red bikes, the city bus, local cabs or metro/walked. capitol hill should lead by example. my priorities would be to the residents over everything else.
We must also keep the businesses that contribute to making our neighborhood great in mind. Sometimes, it is just not feasible for people to go green 100% of the time, as Labyrinth points out.
ideally homes and businesses would have an option of “leasing” spots from the city. I understand the needs for parking, I’m just saying I don’t want more cars in the city and that more of them is such a big topic. I could understand parking for hybrids only though. we need less traffic and more customers. I think some historic areas, like capitol hill, should be preserved. no paving of paradise.
What a myopic perspective! If they’re driving from the eastern shore on a weekend, what difference does it make if they park a mile or 2 off the hill? A cab has a net zero polluting effect. Metro is under constant weekend restrictions for maintenance. Walking may not be feasible. Who wants a bikeshare membership for the occasional weekend trip? Even parking a finding an alternate means of shuttling by bus or Metro may entail parking restrictions on the other end away from EM.
What you’re really saying is keep your cars out of my neighborhood. For many people that would mean never visiting EM or its surrounding community. I fail to see how that benefits the many businesses on the Hill which depend on the influx of non-Hill residents on weekends to supplement the business the Hill neighbors support.
it’s not myopic, it’s futuristic. I don’t live in dc so “in my neighborhood” doesn’t apply – and your analogy is odd. capitol hill is a confined space with lots of historical monuments, bldgs, and lots of security issues. why flood the area with more cars and pollution during these go green times? I suggested businesses could lease spaces to ensure their livelihood and residents could lease spaces by their homes – then the rest could be metered for non hill residents or if new parking spaces were considered, making them oriented towards hybrids and electric cars. you’re taking my answer out of context. it was in response to making more parking such a priority when we don’t really need to encourage more parking spaces – more like green spaces. it was to suggest another concept which empowers capitol hill to be an experience, not a mad house. I’m sorry the businesses are having a difficult time but it would big of businesses to stop blaming everyone and everything going on around them for their poor sales.
Wow — I must have REALLY misread that 2 line snippet you wrote. You don’t live on the Hill (or even DC)? Seriously — why do you care? This blog mostly serves people who live in this neighborhood. You’re kind of a troll in your own special way
I’m not advocating for building more parking – just better utilizing this already scarce resource through better (and realistic) planning
I been going to the eastern market off and on for fifty years for work and to shop. but your perspective is rather narrow minded to say the least….
a troll? not a term I’m fam with. I was trying to contribute to an issue with my out original idea instead of just jumping in parroting someone else’s pitch on the issue.
We do have some great small businesses in the area, and anyone who’s ever run one knows it takes more customers than can be generated in the immediate neighborhood. We need to be supportive of that. Considering the still-huge gaps in public transport to and from Capitol Hill, despite admirable attempts, cars will continue to be necessary for some people. We’re lucky Pennsylvania Avenue isn’t more crowded than it is through here. I wouldn’t want to discourage people from stopping and frequenting the cool shops and restaurants around here. Metro already slaps on that outrageous $1 surcharge for those who dare to visit and don’t have a SmartTrip card. A little understanding and flexibility can go a long way for all of us.
I wouldn’t call it “gaps” — there are 4 Metro stations withing easy walking distance of EM, numerous Metro Bus and Circulator lines, bikeshare, etc. The gaps are not on the Hill — they’re on the other end
Ultimately, many people drive — I’d rather see a reasonable solution to accept that reality rather than the pie in the sky of getting everyone out of their cars all the time. Something to lighten the neighborhood burden on Zone 6 residential parking needs. Maybe a free shuttle bus along 8th St. between EM Metro plaza and the lot under the SE freeway? It could have an all day rate (similar to Georgetown garages under Whitehurst), or have some recprocity between the lot and DC Circulator, which already runs this route.