The Midtown Business Association voted to provide $20,000 to a Midtown Alley Activation Alliance project aimed at transforming an alley section running from 17th to 18th Street, between L Street and Capitol Avenue. The project is a pilot venture to activate Midtown alleys, creating a space that can be used for art, commerce and civic activity. Construction of the alley will take place this summer and is expected to be complete by early September. What makes this project so unique is the sustainable focus on engaging public space in creative ways. Complete with permeable paved stones, solar lighting,and planters, this pilot will add a public benefit to a unique Midtown alley. The project h

On Friday, the Distillery played host to a show aimed at benefiting the Alley Activation Alliance and Project Free Hope. The event, held in Midtown, was co-promoted by the Midtown Business Association. Several members of the Project Free Hope Board of Directors were on hand for the event. Members of the Midtown Business Association were also present. No representatives from the Alley Activation Alliance made their presence known. Alliance President, Julie Young, who was recovering from a back injury, said, "We are a newly formed organization and have much to learn.  If we weren't represented at the event, that is my fault.  I was impressed that the event was so well organized and seemed