Buried deep on page 75 of the September Hill Rag (but not as yet announced on the AWC web site, grrrr) is notice of a Washington Canal Park Community Stakeholders Meeting, scheduled for Sept. 21 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at 222 8th Street NE (St. James Church Rectory). The ad says "Everyone is invited. Come see the new schematic designs and share your thoughts and ideas." (hat tip to reader John for passing this along) UPDATE, 9/13: Here is the press release from the AWC announcing the meeting.

Another big project has now gotten underway--new fences have gone up, the green windscreens have come down, construction office trailers have been delivered, a "Construction Zone" sign has been posted, and there was even a bit of site clearing being done, so I think it's safe to decree that work has begun on JPI's 70/100 I project. These two buildings, when finished in mid-2008, will total nearly 700 residential units. (And I'm dispensing with the technicalities where 70 I construction is supposedly starting in September, and 100 I in October. They're gonna share a wall, they're by the same company, as far as I'm concerned, they're being constructed together!) A big batch of demolition took place in April 2006, but there's still a fair amount of leftover foundations and other stuff that will need to be dug up. UPDATE: Here's the GlobeSt.com piece on the 70/100 project; it says that they plan to break ground next year on their New Jersey Ave. project.

Hat tip to reader Erik, who reports in this morning that demolition has begun at the 100 M Street/1100 First Street site. These two projects are by different developers but being constructed concurrently (it's always so nice to see kids sharing on the playground!). 100 M, by Opus East, will be a 240,000-sq-ft office building with about 13,000 sq ft of ground-floor retail, and 1100 First, by Faison, will be a 266-unit residential building. Delivery is expected in late 2008. Another big big change to M Street and the North of M area begins.... UPDATE: As of Wednesday evening, the old Zohery Bus garage is now a pile of rubble. Will get pictures posted within a day or two (I may not be able to wait for a sunny day, as is my usual preference). UPDATE II: On Friday, the On Luck cafeteria met the wrecking ball. And I'm still hoping the sun may be seen once again.

At Monday's ANC 6D meeting, the request to close 7,500 sq ft of alleys on the east side of Square 701 (1st, M, N, and Half) came before the commission again. The developers' initial request for the ANC's support back in July, which included an offer of a $35,000 "community amenities package", was referred to the ANC's development subcommittee. At Monday's meeting, the request was re-presented, with the amenities amount increased to $95,000. This was not enough for some members of the ANC, however, so the request has been tabled until the October meeting. UPDATE: The DC Council hearing on this bill is scheduled for Oct. 16 at 10:45 am.

The Capitol Hill Restoration Society has announced its next Preservation Café, "Barracks Row Below the Freeway," which will highlight the renovations and new ventures that have ocurred since the blocks were incorporated into the historic district five years ago as well as discuss the history and historic resources of the area. It's scheduled for Sept. 20, at the Trattoria Alberto restaurant top floor, 506 8th St., SE, from 6:30 - 7:15 pm.

Public comment has now closed on the 11th Street Bridges Draft Environmental Impact Statement; the Sierra Club has posted it's comments submitted to DDOT about the project (hat tip to Richard Layman). And the September Hill Rag has an article about the Anacostia Community Boathouse Association's attempt to save the boathouse buildings nestled between the two bridge spans. (See also my August 10 entry on this issue.)