A gas leak triggered by a vehicle collision brought road closures and heavy emergency services presence to Northwest D.C. this evening. D.C. Fire and EMS, Washington Gas, and Metro PD were on the scene in Brightwood Park after several 911 calls were made reporting the gas smell.

The incident occurred when a vehicle struck the gas meter of a 鈥渕ixed occupancy building鈥� in the evening on December 12th, according to tweets from DC Fire and EMS.

Box Alarm with Hazmat 600 block Kennedy St NW. Vehicle struck gas meter of mixed occupancy building. Have gas readings inside several structures. Some evacuations. Protective hose line operating on leak. No fire. Shutting utilities adjacent buildings. on scene.

— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems)

Emergency services blocked off the area surrounding 7th to 5th Street and Kennedy Northwest and were on scene for approximately two hours. Washington Gas mandated that the surrounding structures also be evacuated due to significant gas readings in the area. There have been no reported injuries to residents or emergency services staff.

Fire and EMS, along with Washington Gas and Metro PD, were called to the scene after a vehicle struck a building鈥檚 gas meter, according to tweets. Emergency services evacuated three residents from a 600 block of Kennedy Street NW building and told several other residents to shelter in place.

The three evacuees from the initial incident location have since been able to return to their residences after emissions returned to 鈥渮ero, normal limits,鈥� according to Battalion Fire Chief Louis Carter.

鈥淲e鈥檝e turned the incident over to Washington Gas,鈥� said Carter, as fire engines, a Fire Department HAZMAT vehicle, and several police cruisers pulled away from the scene.

Washington Gas had since started jackhammering on the sidewalk near the entrance to the building where the damaged gas meter was initially hit. Carter confirmed that Washington Gas would likely not have to fully excavate in the street to contain the gas leak as they originally thought.

Carter said the gas company would be on the scene for several more hours excavating and doing critical repairs to the damaged gas meter overnight. He said they鈥檝e 鈥渟ecured the leaks, and now they鈥檙e making a repair to the damaged meter.鈥�

Washington Gas operates a for incidents like this and other gas leaks, and urges Washington residents to use their number or dial 911 if they suspect any kind of gas leak.

The post Vehicle collision damages a gas meter in Northwest DC first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The festivities are scheduled from late May to early June 2025. The international LGBTQ pride festival is the second to be hosted in the United States and is expected to bring millions of participants to the D.C. area for the duration.

The bid to host World Pride in D.C. was pitched by , a local group that plans and hosts the annual Capital Pride events. While planning has begun in full force for 2025, Capital Pride Alliance first wants to continue creating meaningful annual Pride celebrations in 2023 and 2024.

鈥淎nd then, in 2025, Capital Pride will become World Pride. And it鈥檒l also be the 50th-anniversary celebration of Pride here in D.C.,鈥� per the Executive Director of Capital Pride Alliance, Ryan Bos.

鈥淚tems specific to World Pride right now involve mapping out our fundraising strategy and identifying major partners,鈥� Bos told 最新蜜桃影像. Bos added that many of the partners expected to participate are groups already engaged in the annual celebrations during Pride month in June.

The first World Pride to be hosted in the U.S. was in New York City in 2019 and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York. New York hosted five million people over the course of its events.

Capital Pride Alliance is prepared for the expected crowds. Bos said, 鈥淒.C. is a municipality [designed] specifically around being able to manage the increased crowd of people coming in 2025.鈥�

World Pride will feature scaled-up versions of the annual Capital Pride events. June 2022 Pride Month included arts events, a pool party, a concert festival, a block party, and the parade, which takes a 1.5-mile route around Dupont and Logan Circles.

One of the annual events that will be scaled up for 2025 is a series of sports league events. The District has a lively intramural LGBTQ sports community where members play kickball, bocce ball or dodgeball, or participate in other group activities like climbing and billiards.

All of the LGBTQ leagues in D.C. are under the association of, a local charitable organization dedicated to LGBTQ community education and sports participation.

Team D.C. hopes the international crowd brought to Washington by the World Pride festivities will help bring more international and emerging sports to LGBTQ leagues in the area.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to use this as an opportunity to bring in some new and emerging sports that are looking for a toehold,鈥� said Team D.C.鈥檚 Executive Director Brent Minor. He discussed bringing in 鈥渙ther niche sports, like Quadball, Curling, or Table Tennis,鈥� and other sports popular overseas, like Dragonboat Racing, Cricket, and Badminton. Minor said they want to try to help people discover new things they may not normally be exposed to. 鈥淲e want to give visibility to sports that have a very large appeal outside of the United States.鈥�

Team D.C. also wants to have sporting events encouraging visitors and D.C. residents alike to branch out and try new things.

鈥淲e want to make things as accessible as possible and let people try stuff,鈥� Minor said. 鈥淲e may have a demo day where people can try throwing a football, or let people experiment in sports they may not normally participate in.鈥�

Minor said that, in planning events and anticipating crowd sizes, Team D.C. hopes their planned participation will continue to bring in a different type of crowd both annually and for 2025鈥檚 festivities.

鈥淚 know that sports is a highly visible part of this event, and sports brings in a different crowd. You want to have something for people to do.鈥�

The excitement about the expected crowds and level of involvement is shared across groups involved in the planning.

One of the events planned for World Pride in 2025 is a Human Rights Conference organized and produced by the and other groups. Kenya 鈥淕ar莽on鈥� Hutton, the Deputy Director of the Center for Black Equity,聽 hopes the conference will be able to showcase local issues felt in D.C., like housing crises, and racial, health, and social equity on a global stage in 2025.

Hutton and his team have attended and supported other global conferences to gain expertise on the best way to host their own.

He said this conference during World Pride will be reminiscent of those and of 鈥渕aking sure we address and talk about issues being faced by queer and trans community members around the world.鈥�

The Center for Black Equity has affiliate partners all over the world. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be really leaning on those partners at the Center for Black Equity to give us the topics that they feel need to be addressed and talked about on this global platform for World Pride.鈥�

Although local organizations are pressing forward with plans for 2025, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser鈥檚 office has yet to release any details about the planning process. In an email to 最新蜜桃影像 a spokesperson stated, 鈥淲e currently have nothing to announce.鈥�

The post World Pride planning kicks off for 2025 first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The converted road space, or slip lane, was already a popular passage for pedestrians walking through and around the busy circle. Now, pink barriers are blocking off access to cars, which makes it safe for pedestrians to continue using it rather than waiting for crossing signals or coming too close to speeding cars.

鈥淲e鈥檝e observed pedestrians crossing through it, said Karyn Miller, project lead at Golden Triangle BID. 鈥淪o we felt like there was value to creating safety improvement in this specific location.鈥� Golden Triangle has a permit to keep the area blocked off for a year. The BID is treating this park as a pilot to see if it is well-received.

This park is the product of a grant from the program, an initiative of the D.C. Office of Planning. The Golden Triangle BID collaborated with the D.C. Department of Transportation and the Office of Planning to install the barriers.

鈥淲e were able to paint the barriers, paint the surface of the roadway that was closed in and add planters and some seating as well,鈥� said Miller.

The Golden Triangle BID is the second largest in the city. It stretches from south of Dupont Circle and 44 square blocks to the White House, and east-west from 16th Street to 21st. Golden Triangle and the rest of the BIDs do economic development and retail attraction in public spaces around D.C.

Andrew Huff, an Associate Director at the Golden Triangle BID said, 鈥淎 big part of what we do is public art and public space activation.鈥�

The BID is already happy with the foot traffic the area has seen even before they made the improvements.

鈥淲e took some photos during Pride and there were people just flooded in that turnaround lane,鈥� said Miller. 鈥淪o we鈥檇 see it on a day-to-day basis, and then around events, we would see it even more.鈥�

Sophia Hamilton, a sales assistant and barista at Un Je Ne Sais Quoi, said she and her coworkers love the new car-free area right outside their store. Un Je Ne Sais Quoi is a French caf茅 and bakery on Connecticut Avenue Northwest just south of the circle.

鈥淗aving those communal areas very close to the store is incredibly helpful,鈥� said Hamilton.

The small caf茅 is regularly full and sometimes has a line out the door. There is tight seating inside and a few tables outside which regularly fill up.

Hamilton said she and her coworkers also use the outdoor space to meet up with other people who work in the area when their breaks line up. 鈥淚t also helps build a sense of community. When we鈥檙e on our breaks, we go over there and enjoy our coffee or food.鈥�

The BID chose this area for the pop-up park due to the number of small businesses along Connecticut Avenue that could use the space for their customers or staff.

鈥淲e hoped that this would serve as a helpful overflow space for those businesses, which we鈥檝e already seen happen there.鈥�

Miller also discussed another hope for the Dupont pop-up and other areas they manage, something called 鈥渂iophilic design,鈥� which is a design concept around increasing the number of green spaces in cities like D.C.

She said, 鈥渢here鈥檚 a value in terms of our health and well-being in having green spaces around us and less hardscaping and concrete and glass and asphalt.鈥�

Golden Triangle has also seen success with parks of all sizes in other areas. The BID鈥檚 largest park is in Downtown D.C.

Farragut is frequented by office workers from the surrounding business and commercial area. The park also hosts seasonal events and offers free WIFI, which allows people from the nearby offices to work outside. Farragut is the largest park in the area maintained by Golden Triangle.

鈥淲e think about how we can create these moments of respite and these little pockets of where people can gather safely and grab a bite to eat. And with Covid, that鈥檚 made this type of space more important than ever, having safe outdoor spaces for people.”

The post More open pedestrian spaces are coming to DC鈥檚 busiest areas first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

While many states and territories automatically shifted to sending blank ballots to their voters by mail during the pandemic, many voters had to manually request a ballot from their state or county鈥檚 board of elections.

This is still the case for Virginia. To get a mail ballot, voters must, then send the form to their Registrar鈥檚 office to receive a ballot before election day. These requested ballots must be mailed or delivered back to the Registrar鈥檚 office before polls close on election day. Polls are open across Virginia from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Ann Nelson, 74, said she voted early in person so she could work the Virginia Democrats table all day. 鈥淚 went by the Registrar鈥檚 office a few days ago and thought I might as well. It was convenient.鈥�

Nelson added that her husband, also working the Virginia Democrats table, hadn鈥檛 voted yet but planned to once he had a free moment.

The Virginia Republican party was also represented with a table outside the door to the high school. Fauquier High School in Warrenton, Virginia, is one of 25 polling places across Fauquier County.

Bill Divello at the Republican table and the Nelsons at the Democrats鈥� are stationed there to direct voters to the correct entrance and to hand out sample ballots for their party, all in the interest of helping people get in and out efficiently.

Divello, 75, said he did vote early at the Registrar鈥檚 office this time so he could be at the table this morning at 6:00, but he prefers voting in person on election day. 鈥淭radition,鈥� he said, 鈥淚 grew up that way.鈥�

While it is likely many polling places across the country have seen increased tension among voters, volunteers, and poll workers the last few election cycles, that has not been the case at Fauquier High School this morning. The only tension happened earlier in the day when the entrance to the voting area had been moved to a different door than people were accustomed to.

Nelson said there was some confusion due to a girls鈥� basketball tournament that had forced school organizers to redirect voters through a different door on the side of the building to access the voting area. She said people are used to a specific entrance, and some voters were visibly upset by the change, some even complaining of voter suppression.

Organizers eventually moved the entrance back to the original door.

There have been over cast in Virginia for the 2022 General Elections this November. Since early voting began in late September, many more people in Virginia have decided to vote early in person or by mail than in past years. In the 2018 midterms, less than 350k people voted early.

In the states where early voting is available, the rates vary according to voter demographics, such as party affiliation, gender, and age.

Since 2018, the rates of mail-in ballot use in Virginia have increased for Democrats while largely staying the same for Republicans. Virginia does not use partisan voter registration, so this data is based on modeled party.

When considering age demographics, voters in Virginia aged 50-64 have consistently voted by mail from 2018 to now, while those in the 65-74 range have been voting by mail more consistently in 2022 than in past years. People aged 18-49 have voted early or by mail less consistently.

While election officials are still counting, this year鈥檚 numbers so far pale in comparison to the 2020 General Election. Nearly 3 million people voted early during the 2020 Presidential election, compared to less than half of that for both 2016 and 2018.

While other areas of the country may be seeing a more significant shift from in-person to mail-in or early voting, it is clear that has not yet been the case in at least this area of Virginia.

The post For Virginians, voting in person is more convenient first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

District voters initially passed Initiative 82 as Initiative 77 in June 2018 but it was later overturned by the D.C. Council. Now, the initiative is back on D.C. voters鈥� ballots for the November general election.

If passed, the initiative would phase out tipped wages for workers in the service industry and increase the subminimum wage until it reaches that of non-tipped workers. It would not ban bar and restaurant guests from tipping servers but would remove tips from the total of a worker鈥檚 salary. This would shift the responsibility of paying the full minimum wage of the worker back to the employer.

Currently, D.C.鈥檚 minimum base wage for tipped workers is $5.35, and $16.10 for non-tipped workers. The ballot initiative would eliminate the gap between tipped and non-tipped workers by gradually increasing the base wage.

The group behind Initiative 82, the D.C. Committee to Build a Better Restaurant Industry, is headed by current and former tipped workers. The Chairman of the Committee, Ryan O鈥橪eary, is hopeful about the initiative鈥檚 chances of passing this time around.

鈥淭he council has radically changed in D.C.,鈥� O鈥橪eary told 最新蜜桃影像, 鈥淲e have a majority of support for this initiative among the councilmembers, which we did not have in 2018.鈥�

Besides the committee鈥檚 fundraising and organizing efforts, O鈥橪eary spoke to other initiatives the group has undertaken in the last few years to garner support. He discussed collecting ballot signatures during the first winter of the Covid-19 pandemic and polling of tipped workers.

Wage theft is also a central talking point of O鈥橪eary鈥檚 that he hopes the initiative will fix. He said, 鈥淭he Department of Labor estimates 80%, or 4 out of 5 establishments in the country are violating wage laws; it鈥檚 just clear that the sub-minimum wage structure, if not encourages, creates the opportunity for wage theft to happen.鈥�

While the polling showed overwhelming support from tipped workers when O鈥橪eary鈥檚 Committee originally polled them a year ago, not everyone who earns a tipped salary is on board.

Brooke Brown is a bartender at Kramer鈥檚 and has been in the service industry for over 20 years. Brown said the pandemic flattened restaurant attendance, and the area has yet to see a resurgence. She said people are not coming out to eat as much, causing tips to go down anyway.

Kramer鈥檚 is an independent Dupont Circle bookstore with a bar and restaurant. The space also hosts events and offers local same-day book delivery.

Brown is worried that if the measure passes and the salary of tipped workers equals that of non-tipped workers, tips will go down for everyone. Brown said her understanding of it is that this would likely happen due to increased costs shouldered by restaurants raising menu costs for consumers.

Brown said the average person would likely tip 18% or lower and restaurants will have to pick up the slack.

She said, 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure I agree with tipped workers having the same wage as non-tipped workers,鈥� but acknowledged that wages have stagnated as of late, and that a wage increase across the board would help service workers.

Brown also said that Initiative 82 could benefit servers but make less of a difference for bartenders. She explained that bartenders already make more than servers by getting tipped more per customer due to the way bartenders operate under the current system of wages. Because of this, critics like Brown say the initiative could further stagnate wages.

Other critics of the initiative believe the continual wage increase will result in higher labor costs for restaurants and bars in the area. The leading group opposing Initiative 82 (called No On 82) is backed by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, which has financial ties to the National Restaurant Association.

Campaign finance news: Per a July filing, the No to I82 committee (which opposes a November ballot initiative to scrap the tipped wage in D.C.) raised $312k. Of that, $121k from National Restaurant Association, $40k from group, $10k from .

鈥� Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle)

A review by 最新蜜桃影像 of the D.C. office of campaign finance showed that the No on 82 campaign received nearly $180,000 in donations combined from the National Restaurant Association and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington in 2022. This figure does not include check and in-kind donations from local D.C. restaurant groups.

When 最新蜜桃影像 reached out to No on 82 for information on its position, S-3 Group, a consulting firm with ties to the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington responded with a statement from the Association鈥檚 interim director.

鈥淚nitiative 82 will negatively impact tipped employees, small businesses, and diners across the district. If passed, it would significantly limit the earning potential of DC鈥檚 tipped employees by as much as $10,000 annually.

鈥淩estaurant owners will be forced to raise menu prices, cut staff, add service charges to checks, and potentially close altogether. Restaurant operators and tipped employees are standing together and speaking out against this measure to save our restaurant industry.鈥澛� – Julie Sproesser, Interim Executive Director, Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.鈥�

In response to these and other arguments against the initiative, vocal union supporters like Local 25 are optimistic about 82鈥檚 ability to help both union and non-union workers in D.C.

Local 25 is the only union in D.C. to represent tipped workers, representing 6,500 hotel, restaurant, and casino workers in the D.C. area. Communications Director Benjy Cannon said they have formally endorsed Initiative 82 and are knocking on doors before election day to garner voter support.

Cannon said this initiative is the most straightforward way to prevent wage theft, which he said is rampant in the service industry. Carson, Like O鈥橪eary, trusts that D.C. restaurant goers will continue to tip service workers.

鈥淧eople tip for two reasons, in my opinion, directly based on the level of service they received, or just a number that they always tip by,鈥� O鈥橪eary said. 鈥淎mericans like to tip.”

The post D.C. voters to decide how to compensate tipped workers first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The first was Grand Central in Adam鈥檚 Morgan, which one year into its operation, is satisfied with the new venture.

Grand Central is an 18th Street staple which offers food, drinks and multiple dance floors to a lively regular weekend crowd.

It now has a new logo and website design to advertise sports betting front and center, but maintains that they aren鈥檛 nervous about losing their regular crowd.

When asked how Grand Central changed their marketing strategy since beginning to offer sports betting, Manager Evan Crawford told 最新蜜桃影像, 鈥淭he party crowd and the gambling crowd are two different things.鈥� He added that they advertised they would start offering gambling to draw a new type of crowd 鈥淏ecause [sports betting] is a new attraction, especially in D.C.鈥�

Crawford and his staff are not worried that the growing sports betting crowd will push out the regulars or change Grand Central鈥檚 appeal for people that don鈥檛 want to bet.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got the people that want to come out and watch the games,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got the people that want to bet, and we鈥檝e got people that just want to come out to drink.鈥�

When Grand Central first started offering sports betting a year ago, Crawford said bettors used to spend barely $1,000 a night. Now, however, the combination of community marketing, a steady regular crowd, and ease of use for the betting equipment brings in at least $10k-$20k a night.

Crawford discussed additional benefits of his bar having more money from the huge success of the sports betting.

He said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 life changing for the people that work here. It鈥檚 life changing for the city, it鈥檚 bringing more and more income, in taxes for the schools and roads in those connected communities.鈥�

And the draw of the sports book continues to grow. Crawford added, 鈥淲e started off with two kiosks, and now we upgraded to four kiosks.鈥� Patrons can either bet in person at one of the kiosks or scan QR codes placed around the bar to their phones to bet live during games.

Crawford said that the NFL season brings in regulars every Sunday to watch, bet, or just drink, though there鈥檚 an existing crowd of regular customers that contribute to the bar鈥檚 main income. Crawford is also expecting large crowds drawn by the MLB postseason which began this week.

The sports betting has drawn enough of a crowd that Crawford said Grand Central is opening a second location on H Street in the Northeast Corridor sometime next year.

Grand Central currently hosts the only independently operated sports betting in the United States, though more are on the way for the D.C. area. Ozio Lounge and other future locations like Cloakroom in Mount Vernon Triangle will also be independently operated.

D.C. originally legalized sports betting in 2018, but both Grand Central鈥檚 existing stations and Ozio Lounge鈥檚 soon-to-open system are the first locations to host sports betting outside of the stadiums in the area since legalization.

Like Grand Central, Ozio Lounge will carry a Class B gambling license. This particular license allows any type of business such as hotels, bars, or restaurants to offer sports wagering on site. The license also specifies that there is no restriction on the type of business the Class B license holder can operate as, though it cannot be in business for the sole purpose of offering sports gambling. For example, a bar or restaurant can obtain a license for sports betting while still maintaining its operations as a bar.

D.C.鈥檚 stadiums offer sports betting with a Class A license, which operates differently. The stadiums are not operated independently. The stadiums that offer betting in D.C. include Capital One Arena, Audi Field, Nationals Park, and St. Elizabeth鈥檚 East Entertainment and Sports Arena.

According to D.C.鈥檚 Office of Lottery and Gaming, the types of wagers allowed in Class B operations include 鈥渟ingle-game bets, teaser bets, parlays, over-under, moneyline pools, exchange wagering, in-game wagering, in-play bets, proposition bets and straight bets on sporting events.鈥� The website鈥檚 FAQ section also provides a allowed and other limitations and information for businesses considering a license.

The Office of Lottery and Gaming is the D.C. government鈥檚 regulatory body over privately-operated sports wagering in D.C. OLG operates under the D.C. Lottery. A spokesperson for the Office of Lottery and Gaming did not respond in time to requests for comment.**

According to Ozio Lounge staff, the Covid-19 pandemic flattened nightlife attendance in D.C., and nightclubs like Ozio are still feeling the effects and trying to fight their way back.

Management declined an interview request about details of its new betting station approval.

Meanwhile, the post-pandemic resurgence of the nightlife scene is instead happening in more suburban areas like Arlington rather than in Washington. Bars like Ozio Lounge are hoping the addition of sports betting will draw new crowds and re-inject life into Washington鈥檚 diminished club scene.

The post Sports betting grows into neighborhoods first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Amazon Fresh already has several store locations across the country. In D.C. and neighboring areas of Maryland and Virginia, nearly ten stores are already open, with at least five more planned including the Dupont Circle location.

According to signs and logos on the as-yet unopened storefront at 1350 Connecticut Ave NW, the new Ward 2 location will either be an Amazon Fresh or a smaller Amazon Go depending on the size of the completed retail space, and will have 鈥淛ust Walk Out鈥� technology equipped. Just Walk Out requires Amazon One, an in-store code, or credit card linked to an existing Amazon account. After scanning at the entrance, shoppers can select their items, bag them, and skip the checkout by scanning their app again and walking out.

According to the, 鈥渃ustomers will find a wide assortment of national brands and high-quality produce, meat, and seafood.鈥� The site also boasts low prices, speed and convenience, and use of the entirety of the Amazon system, with the ability to use Alexa devices placed around the store for help managing lists and navigating the aisles. Amazon also advertises many additional benefits exclusive to Amazon Prime members like free same-day delivery.

According to initial reporting done by the , Amazon has applied for a liquor sales license for the new Dupont location and a secondary as-yet unopened storefront near McPherson square.

Amazon advertises that all their physical grocery stores, including Whole Foods Market, accept the use of SNAP EBT cards, with some exceptions., the U.S. Department of Agriculture recorded that 14% of households, or 112,000 people, in the District of Columbia received SNAP benefits.

A spokesperson from Amazon declined to comment on the rate of SNAP use in their D.C. area store locations. Amazon also did not respond to requests for comment regarding further planned stores for the Washington Metro area.

According to Commissioner Paul Trantham of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B, an Amazon location in Ward 8 could help stimulate the area by bringing more jobs for people. Trantham also discussed some new developments that have come to the area, including the Ward鈥檚 first Starbucks location off Martin Luther King Avenue, but said the plans to bring more grocery stores are as of yet unclear.

The USDA鈥檚 Economic Research Service鈥檚 food access atlas shows low-income and low food access areas across the D.C. area. According to existing permits filed with the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, none of the existing or proposed locations for Amazon Fresh stores overlap with these areas.

Ward 7 has at least two, soon to be three major grocery stores, but ANC7B Chair of Economic Development Committee Kelvin Brown stressed the need for more. Brown said there are 鈥渄isparities ward to ward,鈥� when it comes to grocery access for the 80,000 people in his area.

When discussing these disparities, Brown drew comparisons to other stores opening in wealthy areas. He said the new Wegman鈥檚 store in Tenleytown is the latest example of an 鈥渙verproliferation鈥� of grocery stores in wealthy areas while his Ward still suffers from a lack of them.

He said that Ward 7 Councilman Vincent Gray鈥檚 2018 legislation to bring new stores to the area is admirable, but more needs to be done to get grocery store leaders to do their part. Gray鈥檚 legislation known as 鈥淓ast End Grocery Incentive Act鈥� became effective in 2019, and is intended to attract affordable grocery options to under served areas in Ward 7.

A new development for this week is the opening of a Lidl store in Ward 7. This聽 is the first major grocery store to be built in the area in over a decade.

Ward 7, join me as we bring greater food access to your neighborhood with the opening of the first full-service grocery store East of the River in over a decade.

Tuesday Sept 27
4PM
2224 Town Center Dr SE

RSVP

鈥� Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser)

The D.C. Food Policy Council鈥檚 annual report shared data on the continued lack of grocery stores in Wards 7 and 8 relative to the rest of D.C. According to their reports, D.C. has 185 stores and a population of nearly 700,000. The D.C. Food Policy Council is a coalition of food leaders appointed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to drive food policy in the D.C. area.

But the distribution of these grocery stores remains unequal. Further data from D.C. Hunger Solutions, an initiative of the Food Research and Action Center, shows that Wards 1 through 6 have nearly 70 grocery stores of varying sizes, while Wards 7 and 8 have fewer than 10 between them, even after the passage of Gray鈥檚 law.

With a combined population of 161,000, there is one grocery store per 20,000 people in Wards 7 and 8. According to the Food Policy Council, 鈥淏lack and Latinx households, households with children, and seniors continue to be at higher risk of food insecurity than the general District population.鈥�

D.C. Government鈥檚 fiscal year 2022 budget allotted nearly $60 million over three years to 鈥渟ignificantly expand access to grocery stores and sit-down restaurants in Wards 7 and 8 through targeted incentives,鈥� according to the budget summary.

Despite the new investments to close the existing grocery gap, the Food Policy Council and other groups in D.C. working for food justice highlight the need for further assets. These include the need for additional emergency food assistance for high-risk populations, and an expansion of federal nutrition assistance programs like SNAP.

The new Dupont store is slated to open at 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW near the south entrance/exit of the Dupont Circle Metro station. The surrounding area of the Dupont Circle neighborhood is full of up-scale restaurants, hotels, embassies, and million-dollar homes, along with several full-size grocery stores. According to, the average price for a home in Dupont Circle is close to $450,000.

While a new Amazon grocery store will certainly bring jobs and economic development to the Dupont Circle area, the need for this type of development is felt keenly in other neighborhoods.

Based on the apparent need felt in many areas in Wards 7 and 8, people would greatly benefit from a store like Amazon Fresh. Per the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7B, 鈥渁 lot of Ward 7 is a food desert.鈥�

Brown also said that when making decisions on what types of businesses to bring to certain areas, it is necessary to look for ideas that enable and benefit communities like his, and that it is also necessary to involve people in the communities who will be directly affected.

Trantham also said that his community would benefit from Amazon sending corporate people to the monthly ANC meetings and engaging with people. “They [Amazon] needs to let us know what their intentions are,” said Trantham during an interview. “We should be at the table when they make the deals.”

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