ANC 5A held a special public meeting on January 8, 2019. By acclamation, the commission voted for the previous officers to continue serving in their respective positions. Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie swore in the officers.

Ronnie Edwards (5A05) – Chair
Gordon Fletcher (5A08) – Vice Chair
Sandi Washington (5A07) – Treasurer
Isaiah Burroughs (5A04) – Secretary
Grace Lewis (5A02) – Parliamentarian

Prior to the vote, there was discussion about having Commissioner Emily Lucio (5A03) serve as secretary rather than Commissioner Burroughs (5A04). The two commissioners decided beforehand though that Commissioner Burroughs will serve as secretary until he graduates from Catholic University in May, at which point Commissioner Lucio will assume full secretary duties. Until then, Commissioner Lucio will Commissioner Burroughs with getting a functioning website for the ANC and doing a better job in distributing timely meeting notices.

Pax Liquor Store Protest

The ANC continues to prepare for the protest hearing regarding the application of Pax Liquor to locate at 4944 South Dakota Avenue NE (near the McDonald’s). The ANC will have to make its case for why the establishment does not meet certain appropriateness standards. The hearing will be held at 4:30 pm on January 16, 2019, at the Reeves Building (2000 14th Street NW).

Commissioner Lucio (5A03), the new commissioner for the single member district (SMD) in which the liquor store seeks to locate, will appear on the local television show DREAMS the Capital View on January 10 to discuss the ANC’s protest. Residents are invited to be part of the audience. If you are interested in attending, please arrive at the station located at 901 Newton Street NE by 6:20 pm. Find archives of the tv show under DREAMS the Capital View. View a video of the street protest held by residents and commissioners earlier this year.

The commission also asked residents to pack the hearing room on January 16. The Reeves building is conveniently located near the green line. The ANC recommended GoGo Grandparent for seniors who are not able to use public transit. This service provides Uber and Lyft rides for seniors without a need for a smartphone. Call (855) 464-6872 for information.

Councilmember McDuffie submitted a letter in support of the ANC’s opposition to the liquor store and will have a staff member present at the hearing.

Wesley Housing Curb Cut Application & PUD

Representatives of Wesley Housing did not show up to discuss their application for a curb cut/driveway on the property located at 1 Hawaii Street NE in the Fort Totten/Pleasant Hills neighborhood. The property is bounded by Hawaii Street NE, Allison Street NW, and Rock Creek Church Road NW. The application was filed at the end of December; the ANC has 30 days to respond. The property is in the SMD of Commissioner Sandi Washington (5A07), who appeared to oppose the curb cut because it would take away on-street parking spaces on Allison Street. The application seeks to move the existing curb cut on Rock Creek Church Road to Allison Street.

Even more importantly though, on January 4, 2019, after the curb cut application was filed, Wesley Hawaii LLC, an affiliate of Wesley Housing, also filed an application for a planned unit development (PUD) and zoning map amendment for the property to change the zoning from RA-1 to RA-2 to permit greater density. The case number for the PUD application is 19-01. The property was acquired in 2018 from Sanford Capital, the infamous landlord sued by DC Attorney General Karl Racine to divest its properties in DC due to poor property management. The proposed plan would replace the existing apartment building at 1 Hawaii Avenue with a five-story apartment building with 78 units. The new building would have a 100% affordability covenant for a certain period of time. See Applicant Statement: Wesley Hawaii LLC Statement in Support of PUD Application (pdf)

Commissioner Washington thought it improper for the applicant to file for the curb cut before filing the PUD application. A footnote in the statement in support of the PUD application notes,

Though the Existing Building with 34 units has no parking, there is a curb cut from Rock Creek Church Road NW. However, pursuant to preliminary discussions with the District’s Department of Transportation, the Applicant will locate a new curb cut on Allison Street NW to provide access for parking and loading. The Applicant recently filed an application for concept review with DDOT’s Public Space Committee.

The commission tabled the curb cut issue until the next regular ANC meeting, which appears to be scheduled for January 30.