Wegmans, scooters, traffic: Cathedral Heights residents say what they want government to

People who live and work around Wisconsin Avenue in in Cathedral Heights know what they want their new mayor and the next D.C. Council to address: crowded streets, scooters, and rapid development.

For many, the changes began with the arrival of Wegmans and the development around it.

Claire Dejou, who has lived nearby for 20 years, said the new traffic has changed her street.

“It was safer before, ” Dejou said.

She said she worries about children and about cars that avoid the store’s parking lot. The district has added speed humps and crosswalks, since the Wegmans has opened.

Another resident, who declined to give his name, said the development has changed the area’s character.

“It’s become a lot more urban, a lot more traffic, a lot more homelessness,” he said. “It doesn’t feel as safe as it used to.”

He said he and his wife moved from D.C. so their young daughter could walk around safely.

“We wanted to have a neighborhood that she could go walk around and feel safe,” he said. “And it’s getting a little iffy up here,” he added, referring to a rise in the number of homeless people.

He said he wants police to have more power to clear people who are aggressive.

“I’d like to see the police have more ability to be able to clear folks off of land when they’re being very aggressive,” he said.

He also criticized the city’s housing voucher programs, which he said move problems around the city.

“Ninety-five percent are fine, they’re just families, ” he said, but landlords “can’t get them out” when problems arise.

Traffic is also a daily problem for people who work in the area.

A local worker, Aalayna Mimiko, said weekday congestion can be severe.

“It’ll be easier to walk like 15 minutes than just get down the street in 3 minutes, ” Mimiko said.

She also said opening a new road could be a good idea because there are too many people in such a small place, though she was not sure which road should be opened.

Weekends are “less busy,” she added.

For Jaennie Dansby, a Metro bus operator, scooters are the biggest danger.

“They’re not using the bike lanes. They’re not following the rules, ” Dansby said. “When it’s a red light, they go. Even scooters, they’re pulling from the cars, buses that’s moving. So, it’s really dangerous.”

She said officials are taking the issue more seriously after a recent fatal scooter crash involving a D.C. government official. She said that scooters should stay in the bike lanes.

Still, she likes her community.

“It’s a friendly community, ” she said. “People talk to each other. You don’t have to know each other. Just to feel safe.”

Dogs are another topic for locals.

Graham Spurrier, who has lived in the area for less than a year, called it “a great area for dogs, ” with a turf dog park and nearby trails. But he said some owners abuse those amenities.

“I’d say 50% of the time that I’m there now, there’s dog poop that people haven’t picked up in that park, which is obviously problematic, ” Spurrier said. He said he wants owners to be “more responsible so that there aren’t more restrictions imposed on people who have responsible ownership of their dog.”

Nancy Wasserman, who lives in McLean Gardens, has the opposite complaint.

“I want the city to have their own dog park, ” she said of the new development, which she said has no dog park.

“We always have dogs barking. ”

She also said people from the new buildings park in her community’s lots. “I’m handicapped, and I don’t have a spot, ” she said.

However, not everyone sees a problem. Jasmine Desota, who works in the area, said transit is a big plus.

“The Metro is right here, the buses run very conveniently,” Desota said.

She also said new businesses are opening.

“More businesses are opening up here than they previously did, ” Desota said.