ABOUT VAN NESS
Van Ness is a unique neighborhood, combining the convenience of Metro access and urban amenities, with the beauty and serenity of Soapstone Valley and Rock Creek Park. Apartment dwellers and single family home residents alike are drawn to an easy commute, numerous retail options, a safe and family-friendly atmosphere with caring and engaged citizens, plus stunning hiking trails. This community values and aims to preserve its natural resources but enthusiastically embraces smart, transit-oriented development.
The corridor includes two neighborhood retail centers and a regional institutional cluster. Van Ness is home to the University of the District of Columbia, including its gorgeous Theater of the Arts, UDC School of Law, Howard University School of Law, Howard School of Divinity, The Whittle School, American University's WAMU Radio (ranked number one in Washington), The International Chancery Center with 22 Embassies, and the Levine School of Music.
Fifty years ago the Van Ness Commercial District transitioned from a federal campus to an office district when the Bureau of Standards vacated their Van Ness facility. This change was driven by a growing suburban population and planning for the Metro Rail System.
Today, Van Ness is at another inflection point where increased demand for transit-oriented housing and a preference for downtown office space is creating new and exciting opportunities for the future of Van Ness.
HISTORY OF VAN NESS MAIN STREET
A Walk
It all started with a walk in October 2012 with the DC Office of Planning and the Coalition for Smarter Growth, when a group of over 100 neighbors gathered on a bitterly cold day to stroll the Van Ness/Connecticut Avenue corridor and identify what works and what doesn’t work. Most comments that day focused on the negative: too much concrete, dated architecture, a need for more trees and low impact design, and a sense that retail was under performing. But the message from that walk was clear: while the Van Ness commercial corridor is underachieving, it possesses enormous potential, and neighbors will work tirelessly to make it better.
It all started with a walk in October 2012 with the DC Office of Planning and the Coalition for Smarter Growth, when a group of over 100 neighbors gathered on a bitterly cold day to stroll the Van Ness/Connecticut Avenue corridor and identify what works and what doesn’t work. Most comments that day focused on the negative: too much concrete, dated architecture, a need for more trees and low impact design, and a sense that retail was under performing. But the message from that walk was clear: while the Van Ness commercial corridor is underachieving, it possesses enormous potential, and neighbors will work tirelessly to make it better.
Van Ness Vision Committee
The idea for the Van Ness Vision Committee (VNVC) evolved from that desire. The VNVC was formed by unanimous resolution at the ANC 3F meeting on February 19, 2013. The purpose of the ad hoc committee was to build momentum in the community to work together with commercial property owners, businesses, schools, city agencies and others to make our stretch of Connecticut Avenue more beautiful and more vibrant.
The idea for the Van Ness Vision Committee (VNVC) evolved from that desire. The VNVC was formed by unanimous resolution at the ANC 3F meeting on February 19, 2013. The purpose of the ad hoc committee was to build momentum in the community to work together with commercial property owners, businesses, schools, city agencies and others to make our stretch of Connecticut Avenue more beautiful and more vibrant.
The diverse membership of the VNVC met over 20 times, often including representatives of UDC, WAMU, commercial property owners and merchants, city agencies and the city council. Two design charrettes were held to encourage community input for a town hub at Windom. The ANC hired neighbor and architect Travis Price to design the hub. Two meet and greets invited stakeholders and communicated goals.
Van Ness Main Street
The work of the Vision Committee highlighted the need to create an organization to implement and manage the work, which led to the Main Streets model. Van Ness Main Streets incorporated in March 2015. Van Ness Main Street builds on the work of VNVC, continuing the momentum to include a broad range of stakeholders who are committed to economic, aesthetic and quality of life revitalization, and communicating that Van Ness is open for business. Van Ness Main Street received its first grant from the DC government’s Department of Small and Local Business Development in January 2016 and also hired its first Executive Director. In 2020, amid the global health crisis, Van Ness Main Street welcomed four new businesses and formally expanded its boundaries northward.
The work of the Vision Committee highlighted the need to create an organization to implement and manage the work, which led to the Main Streets model. Van Ness Main Streets incorporated in March 2015. Van Ness Main Street builds on the work of VNVC, continuing the momentum to include a broad range of stakeholders who are committed to economic, aesthetic and quality of life revitalization, and communicating that Van Ness is open for business. Van Ness Main Street received its first grant from the DC government’s Department of Small and Local Business Development in January 2016 and also hired its first Executive Director. In 2020, amid the global health crisis, Van Ness Main Street welcomed four new businesses and formally expanded its boundaries northward.
Current Boundaries for Van Ness Main Street
Today, Van Ness Main Street boundaries are Connecticut Ave. from Van Ness Street to Nebraska Avenue.
Today, Van Ness Main Street boundaries are Connecticut Ave. from Van Ness Street to Nebraska Avenue.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Barbara Lardy
Barbara has over thirty years experience in health care management, research and development. Most recently, prior to retirement, she was Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Strategic Planning for America’s Health Insurance Plans(AHIP) a national trade association representing the health insurance industry. In this role Barbara directed collaborative efforts between AHIP member plans and public and private sector stakeholders on key industry issues, including health care reform, quality, innovation and public health. Prior to moving to Washington DC in 1995, Barbara served as President and CEO of the Group Health Foundation in Seattle for ten years, overseeing both fundraising and grant making operations. Outside of the health care arena, Barbara worked as Director of Development for the University of Washington for several years. She has lived in the Forest Hills neighborhood with her husband Nick for over twenty years and is committed to a vibrant Van Ness.
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Erin Bryan
Erin Bryan is a two decade Washingtonian by way of Atlanta, Georgia and Rolla, Missouri. Graduating from the George Washington University with a Master’s in Art History, Erin went on to work for small community based arts non profits before joining the Smithsonian in 2010. Combining a love of the arts with a keen interest in project management, Erin currently works as the Exhibitions Coordinator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. There she helps coordinate efforts to mount an exciting program of American Art exhibitions across two museums locations; the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture in Chinatown, and the Renwick Gallery across from the White House.
Erin and her husband moved to the Van Ness area in 2002, and begin to put down roots amongst its tree lined streets. Welcoming a son in 2017, Erin became more deeply invested in the neighborhood by becoming President for the Friends of Forest Hills Playground board. In 2022 she helped manage a merger between FHOP and Van Ness Main Streets, and looks forward to hosting community events at the playground, and connecting young families to activities and business along the Connecticut Avenue corridor. Erin lives with husband Mark and son Logan in the Van Ness North Cooperative, where they enjoy cooking family meals, going on urban hikes, and crafting of all shapes, sizes and media. |
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Zachary Friedlis
Zachary Friedlis is Vice President of Leasing at Saul Centers Inc. where he has worked since 2009. He focuses on retail leasing of Saul Centers portfolio of close to 10 million square feet. He works with local, regional, and national tenants to keep the company’s mix of Grocery Anchored, Regional, and Mixed Use Properties leased up. He is also a resident of upper northwest and lives just blocks from the Van Ness Main Street. With Saul Centers having a trophy property in the VNMS and being a neighbor he dually interested in the success and vibrancy of the neighborhood. He is thrilled to be working on this creative and diligent board with the rest of the VNMS Board Members.
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Jonquilyn “JQ” Hill
JQ is a producer for 1A and was a member of the team that helped launch the show. Before joining WAMU, she worked on NPR’s 2016 Elections Desk. She’s also part of PRX’s Project Catapult Round Three cohort. Jonquilyn grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and attended high school in New Mexico, where she volunteered at NPR member station KUNM. She graduated from Howard University where she majored in journalism and minored in political science. Prior to producing public radio, she worked at NBC’s Washington Bureau and for NY1. JQ moved to DC in 2009 to attend Howard and never left! She resides at Park Van Ness after a short stint in Tenleytown. |
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Doug Loescher
As a strategist for mission-driven and community organizations, Doug Loescher brings more than 30 years of experience in public and nonprofit sectors, having worked with more than 300 organizations and executives across the country to develop their program and leadership potential. For more than 20 years, Doug provided technical assistance and then served as Executive Director for the National Main Street Center, leading a network of 1,200 nonprofit community development organizations and leaders around the country. Since that time, he served as Director for Business Development and Strategy for the District of Columbia, where he oversaw business attraction and retention efforts to implement comprehensive economic development strategies for Washington DC. Currently, Doug is developing new placemaking and branding initiatives for commercial district revitalization in Fairfax County. Trained as an urban planner at the University of Cincinnati, Doug has received additional certifications from Georgetown University and the Creative Problem Solving Institute in Leadership Coaching, Training, Team Building and Strategic Plan Facilitation. He is a DC resident and lives just north of the VNMS northern border of Nebraska Avenue.
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Joff Masukawa
Joff Masukawa serves as Chair of the Design Committee and is President and founder of Diligentia Strategy, a life-sciences consultancy founded in 2015. Prior to founding Diligentia, Joff was Vice President and Global Head of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Shire, where he designed and led strategies to build the company’s brand, engagement and leadership with government representatives and agencies, patient advocacy groups, payors, industry associations and other key external stakeholders. A first-generation American, Joff is a passionate advocate of diversity and inclusion in life sciences. He regularly collaborates across the industry, NGOs, and his personal network to convene important conversations and forums to advance the cause of older adults, racial and ethnic minorities, and the LGTBQ+ community to help them achieve their full potential. He holds a BA in international studies from Johns Hopkins University and completed his graduate studies in international affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies and in strategic communications at Columbia University. |
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Beverly Ross, Secretary
Beverly Ross has lived in the Forest Hills neighborhood for more than 20 years and is originally from San Antonio, Texas. After graduating from Howard University, Beverly returned to Texas to earn her Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. Her love for Washington, DC drew her back to the area to start her career in the federal government and ultimately retiring as a Director at Freddie Mac with expertise in project management and product development. She previously served on the Murch Extended Day Board, while her children attended Murch elementary and as a high school parent representative at Sidwell Friends School. Beverly plays tennis and is currently volunteering with several nonprofits and is enjoying this opportunity to give back to the community. Beverly currently serves on the Lafayette Tennis Association Board. Beverly and her husband, Maurice Ross have two children. You will often see them walking through the neighborhood, dining at local restaurants, or Beverly on the tennis court.Edit Concierge Request from Client. |
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Michael Sands, Treasurer
Michael Sands was born and raised in Washington, DC. In 1998 he joined his father Ed’s business, Calvert Woodley Fine Wines & Spirits, after having worked in the pension plan administration business for four years. He deals with many things at CW, from advertising/marketing to purchasing wine and almost everything in between. He enjoys meeting and helping CW customers with their purchases and is honored to be serving on the Board of VNMS. Michael is a proud Hoosier, holding a BA from Indiana University.
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Chuck Schilke
Chuck Schilke served on the original Van Ness Vision Committee from its inception, then transitioned into Van Ness Main Street as Treasurer and board member. Today he is Chair of the Economic Development Committee. He is a real estate developer, financier, and lawyer, as well as a professor of real estate development, finance, law, design, and other business and legal subjects. He has worked in real estate at industrial companies like Exxon Mobil, service companies like Marriott, and nonprofits like The American National Red Cross, where he served on the deal team that built the $135 million National Headquarters building, and has also worked at major real estate, finance, and environmental law firms. Chuck founded the Georgetown University real estate program, and grew the program to 50 real estate development and finance courses, 300 students, and 100 real estate practitioner faculty and thesis advisors, then ran the Johns Hopkins real estate program, and begins teaching in the University of Maryland real estate program in fall 2016. Chuck has lived in Van Ness since his arrival from Boston in 1992, greatly values his colleagues on the Van Ness Main Street team, and is dedicated to applying his business, legal, and academic real estate knowledge to improve Van Ness, his home of 25 years, and the lives of the people who live here.
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Steve Shulman
Steve Shulman loves stories. He likes to write them, watch them, and learn from them. His careers are filled with them. His first career culminated as a theatre manager during which he opened two performing arts centers in Texas after presenting years of summer stock musicals and Las Vegas-style shows in New England. He managed urban shopping malls during his second career and served on the opening teams of St. Louis Union Station and The Conservatory on Nicolet in Minneapolis before moving on to manage the Galleries of Syracuse and then the Pavilion at the Old Post Office in Washington. He helped establish temporary kiosk marketplaces in common areas and learned that highly focused, creative restaurateurs and entrepreneurial retailers build great stores that tell wonderful stories and attract customers.
Act III of Steve’s career is serving as an executive at nonprofit organizations. He served as executive director of the American Red Cross Historical Resources Department which was an organizational member of Cultural Tourism DC and became CTDC’s executive director in 2013. Cultural Tourism DC is active in the Van Ness neighborhood with its Passport DC’s Around the World Embassy Tour and WalkingTown DC programs. A strong proponent of volunteerism, Steve served on the Alexandria Commission for the Arts including two years as its chair, review panels of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and the History Channel’s Save Our History grant review panel. A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, he graduated from American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts with a degree in business management and participated in a leadership program for nonprofit executives at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
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Fred Underwood
Fred Underwood is currently an Executive at The Pinkard Group. The Pinkard Group is a local private real estate company that invests opportunistically across a variety of property types in the DC metro area. Previously, Mr. Underwood served as Senior Vice President of Bernstein Management. Prior to joining Bernstein Management Corporation, Mr. Underwood worked in real estate development and leasing for Buchanan Partners, LLC and served as a law clerk to the Justices of the Superior Court of Massachusetts. He received a B.A. from Brown University, a J.D., cum laude, from the American University Washington College of Law, a Master’s degree in Real Estate Finance and Development from Columbia University, and his M.B.A. degree from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. Mr. Underwood lives in Washington with his wife and two children. |
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Samuel Wilson
Samuel Wilson has over 20 years of experience as a classical ballet dancer with several organizations around the country. He was a leading dancer for the renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem in NYC and can be seen on several documentaries such as "Black Ballerina" and "In Performance at the White House" on PBS. In 2015 Samuel was asked to join The Washington Ballet with his wife Ashley Murphy-Wilson under Septime Webre and then Julie Kent. Wanting to expand his horizons, he stepped away from ballet company life and started working with The Washington National Opera in 2017. Currently he works for Bankers Life and Bankers Life Securities as a state licensed insurance agent and financial representative. Samuel brings creative energy to Van Ness Main Street with a strong emphasis on community building activities and engagement. |
COMMITTEES
Van Ness Main Street has several committees that help provide advise and assistance for the work we do. These committees are comprised of both community members and Van Ness Main Street board members. Committees meet monthly. Interested in serving on a committee? Please email [email protected] with the word Committee in the subject line.
COMMITTEE OVERVIEWS
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Events and Promotions
This committee organizes activities aimed at all age groups to enliven the community, foster a sense of neighborhood, and promote business growth. A current example is our Spring Forward initiative that raised funds for Van Ness Main Street and brought more than 50 volunteers together to plant nearly 1,900 flower bulbs up and down Connecticut Avenue that will bloom in Spring 2021. |
Design
The Design Committee explores opportunities and facilitates projects to improve the physical environment along Connecticut Avenue that enhance the pedestrian experience, showcase our local businesses to grow their commercial success, and provide a positive and inviting visual message about what Van Ness, Forest Hills, and Wakefield have to offer. |
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Economic Development
The Economic Development Committee aims to create a vibrant public realm with a diverse retail environment by working to support and enhance current businesses while attracting future establishments that will complement the needs and desires of the Van Ness, Forest Hills, and Wakefield community. Specific actions include efforts to achieve short and long term activation of vacant retail space, provide technical and other assistance to independently-owned restaurants, and work closely with property owners and neighboring institutions to improve local business conditions. |
Organization
The Organization Committee supports and develops the Van Ness Main Street into a sustainable organization through leading the implementation of the strategic funding plan, recruiting and interviewing volunteers for committees, developing new Board membership, and promoting the work of Van Ness Main Street within the community and city-wide. |
VAN NESS IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!
AN INVITATION FOR COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE CONVERSATION AND COLLABORATION
Van Ness Main Street (VNMS) extends from Van Ness Street, NW north to Nebraska Avenue, NW on both sides of the busy Connecticut Avenue, NW corridor. The VNMS Open for Business Project welcomes renovation and development in support of enriched commercial density and business diversity. We invite you to meet with us to discuss this exciting initiative.
Why Van Ness Main Street?
1. Van Ness, Forest Hills and Chevy Chase, DC are thriving residential neighborhoods with a wide range of housing options for people of all ages and incomes. Van Ness Main Street neighbors appreciate retail development that supports daily life activities as well as community, cultural and recreational engagement. 2. Van Ness is the “node of Northwest”—the middle cluster of the five retail real estate clusters that punctuate Connecticut Avenue west of Rock Creek Park. Van Ness offers large buildings, both residential and commercial, abundant tenant square footage, and zoning flexibility to encourage optimum building development.
Why Van Ness Main Street?
1. Van Ness, Forest Hills and Chevy Chase, DC are thriving residential neighborhoods with a wide range of housing options for people of all ages and incomes. Van Ness Main Street neighbors appreciate retail development that supports daily life activities as well as community, cultural and recreational engagement. 2. Van Ness is the “node of Northwest”—the middle cluster of the five retail real estate clusters that punctuate Connecticut Avenue west of Rock Creek Park. Van Ness offers large buildings, both residential and commercial, abundant tenant square footage, and zoning flexibility to encourage optimum building development.
3. Residents of Van Ness Main Street neighborhoods appreciate its special combination of suburban, urban and parkland amenities.
4. Van Ness Main Street is unique in its confluence of cultural and educational institutions: The University of the District of Columbia and Law School; American University’s WAMU radio broadcasting hub; Howard University Law School; The Levine School of Music; The Whittle School; Edmund Burke School; The Sheridan School and embassies from 22 countries. Destination retailers and restaurants include: Politics and Prose; Bread Furst Bakery; Uptown Market; Sfoglina; Muchas Gracias; Comet Ping Pong and I’m Eddie Cano.
5. Van Ness Main Street businesses are resilient. During the pandemic, five businesses closed and another five opened. Four businesses are slated to open in 2022 and 2023.
6. VNMS NEIGHBORHOOD STATISTICS:*
4. Van Ness Main Street is unique in its confluence of cultural and educational institutions: The University of the District of Columbia and Law School; American University’s WAMU radio broadcasting hub; Howard University Law School; The Levine School of Music; The Whittle School; Edmund Burke School; The Sheridan School and embassies from 22 countries. Destination retailers and restaurants include: Politics and Prose; Bread Furst Bakery; Uptown Market; Sfoglina; Muchas Gracias; Comet Ping Pong and I’m Eddie Cano.
5. Van Ness Main Street businesses are resilient. During the pandemic, five businesses closed and another five opened. Four businesses are slated to open in 2022 and 2023.
6. VNMS NEIGHBORHOOD STATISTICS:*
Van Ness is truly Open for Business. Please contact: [email protected] to discuss your future in Van Ness, Forest Hills, and Wakefield.
*Source: Van Ness Retail Strategy, HR&A, February 2018
*Source: Van Ness Retail Strategy, HR&A, February 2018
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ANNUAL REPORT |
DC MAIN STREETS
Van Ness Main Street receives funding from the DC Government's Department of Small and Local Business Development and is one of 26 Main Streets in the District. DC Main Streets is a comprehensive program that promotes the revitalization of traditional business districts in the District of Columbia. Created in 2002 through the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main Streets serves as the citywide coordinating program that provides services and funding for the 26 Main Streets found in the District of Columbia. Main Streets mission is to support the traditional retail corridors in the District.
For more information, visit: http://dslbd.dc.gov/service/DCMS
