Guest Post

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5A Meeting Recap

On January 25, 2017, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 5A held its first meeting of 2017.  All commissioners were present:

Frank Wilds (5A01); Grace Lewis (5A02); Keisha Cofield-Lynch (5A03); Isaiah Burroughs (5A04); Ronnie Edwards (5A05); Jamaal Lampkin (5A06); Sandi Washington (5A07); and Gordon-Andrew Fletcher (5A08)

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

The 2017 ANC 5A office holders are:

Ronnie Edwards (5A05), Chair
Frank Wilds (5A01), Vice Chair
Sandi Washington (5A07), Treasurer
Grace Lewis (5A02), Parliamentarian
Isaiah Burroughs (5A04), Correspondence

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie swore in the 2017 ANC 5A officers.  Mr. Edwards thanked everyone for his reelection as chairman.

REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS

Treasury Report

Commissioner Washington (5A07) asked her fellow Commissioners for a resolution to meet the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Act of 1975, which requires the annual bonding of ANC financial accounts.  The Commissioners passed a motion to obtain bonding.

Police Report

Metropolitan Police Department officers Lieutenant Ashley Rosenthal and Detective Lynn Rosenberg gave the latest crime statistics. Lt. Rosenthal said overall crime in the Fourth District is down by 18%, excluding assaults with a deadly weapon (ADW), which she attributes to domestic violence.

Det. Rosenberg addressed the matter of the aggressive dog owner who has terrorized the neighborhood for over a year. She assured everyone that this issue is a priority, but this individual has committed several offenses already based on witness testimony. Commissioner Fletcher (5A08) is coordinating a response. He pledges to consolidate the efforts of the citizens, police and prosecutors office to resolve this issue.

Lt. Rosenthal discussed the new sector concept initiated by MPD. The plan involves combining Police Service Areas (PSA). For example, the PSAs of Lt. Shane Lamond (403), Lt. Francis Martello (404) and Lt. Ashley Rosenthal (405) comprise Sector II, which Captain Juanita Mitchell commands. The sector concept will be transparent to the community, but it should enhance crime management, reporting and response times.

Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services (MOCRS)

Mr. Hakeem Rogers covered the latest crime statistics. He noted a 17% and 10% reduction of homicides and violent crime, respectively. He mentioned a troubling trend in which youth crime– involving teens aged 12 through 17–is growing.

District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT)

Mr. Todd P. McIntyre, DDOT Deputy Chief of Staff, addressed the audience.  He covered the DDOT traffic review process and a list of ANC 5A traffic issues. Mr. McIntyre said about 20% of the developers submit traffic plans, with the majority filing a comprehensive traffic review  (CTR) plan to meet Zoning Commission mandates. DDOT reviews the CTR for overall traffic impact and ensures that the development’s access and egress points make sense.

Mr. McIntyre discussed a range of traffic issues with the audience. Issues such as alley repair, faded crosswalks, garbage vehicles blocking the street, missing stop signs, the outstanding request for a HAWK system and tree trimming were raised. The Art Place at Fort Totten project presented a major issue. Much of the free street parking has been consumed by the development’s footprint, leaving only pay-parking, which costs as much as $100 monthly.

McDonald’s

Mr. Harry Thomas, Jr. gave the latest report on the McDonald’s restaurant project at 4950 South Dakota Avenue NE. He thanked the 200-footers and the wider community for supporting the project. Mr. Thomas said project construction could begin as early as July or August 2017. To do so, the owner is pursuing a Map and/or Text Amendment from the Zoning Commission. The map and text amendments allow changes to the zone district applied to the property and to the text of the zoning regulation, respectively.

Marriott Hotel

The developers of the Marriot Hotel at the intersection of Irving Street NE and Michigan Avenue NE requested a Planned Unit Development (PUD) extension of 2-years. The extension is needed to address an issue with the General Services Administration (GSA), which is the land owner. The dispute centers over the building of houses and retail during phase 2 of this project. The ANC 5A commissioners unanimously approved a motion granting the extension to Marriott.

COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Casey Trees

Casey Trees is sponsoring a tree planting activity on March 18, 2017, from 9:00am until noon.  It will be held at Fort Totten Park near the intersection of Allison Street NE and Fort Totten Drive NE. This is an ongoing project in which the community can select the planting areas by contacting Casey Trees at caseytrees.org