Monthly Archives: December 2019

DC Office of Planning Extends Comp Plan Comment Period

Posted by nextstoprp in Neighborhood Development

Yesterday, DC’s Office of Planning extended the comment period for the Comprehensive Plan proposed amendments. See press release below.

DC Office of Planning

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 16, 2019

CONTACT: Jessica Carroll (OP) – (202) 550-6845; jessica.carroll@dc.gov

Bowser Administration Extends Public Review Period for Comprehensive Plan 

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the DC Office of Planning (OP) announced that the public will now have until Friday, January 10, 2020 to review the Comprehensive Plan Draft Update (Comp Plan). In addition to extending the 60-day public review period, OP will now accept feedback from ANCs through February 14, 2020. Public review is critical for ensuring District residents get the updated plan that they deserve, and OP has adjusted its schedule to ensure sufficient time for review while also allowing adequate time for adoption of the Comp Plan by DC Council in 2020. In its current form, which was approved in 2006, the Comp Plan does not sufficiently address the District’s long-term needs around housing, equity, resilience, and public resources.

“The Bowser Administration is committed to ensuring the public’s voices and views are reflected in the update of the Comprehensive Plan,” said OP Director Andrew Trueblood. “Since 2016, the Office of Planning has heard from tens of thousands of residents to help shape the draft amendment and is extending the deadline to ensure this process remains inclusive.”

Public engagement for this update began with events in 2016 and continued with an official open call for amendments in 2017. OP received over 3,000 proposals through that public comment period. While these were the primary opportunities to weigh in on major substance and updates, OP also incorporated public input from other venues, including feedback provided through the DC Council’s review of the Framework Element in 2018 and 2019, OP’s DC Values Campaign, the numerous housing engagements in 2019, and the hundreds public engagements associated with the 40+ plans produced by District agencies that are a part of the Comp Plan update.

Since the draft Comp Plan was released on October 15, 2019, OP has provided numerous documents, summaries, and analysis of the proposed update; attended over 60 meetings with stakeholders; engaged in individual conversations with hundreds of residents; and hosted community meetings in every Ward. In total, through these various conversations, thousands of District residents have weighed in and continue to share their feedback prior. Feedback will be reviewed and incorporated as appropriate into the Mayor’s submission to DC Council in the spring. DC Council will provide final opportunities for public input prior to adopting the approved Comp Plan.

More information about the Comp Plan substance, process and opportunities for input can be found at plandc.dc.gov.

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December 11, 2019 ANC 5A Special Meeting Recap: Lamond-Riggs Library; Comp Plan; Walmart Beer/Wine License

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

ANC 5A held a special meeting on December 11, 2019. All commissioners were present: Frank Wilds (5A01), Grace Lewis (5A02), Emily Singer Lucio (5A03), Ronnie Edwards (5A05), Sandi Washington (5A07), Gordon Fletcher (5A08)

ANC Vacancies

One candidate, Claudia Barragan, applied to fill the vacancy for ANC 5A06. Barring any challenges, she should be sworn in in time for the next ANC meeting.

No candidates have come forward for ANC 5A04. This SMD covers Catholic University, so the seat is often vacant. A Catholic University student did fill the seat the previous two terms. Commissioner Fletcher (5A08) stated to Catholic’s general counsel Nancy Morrison O’Connor that he would be interested in hosting an info session with students to see if anyone might be interested in serving. Ms. O’Connor also stated new faculty have recently moved into the SMD so one of those faculty members might be interested in serving as well.

Lamond-Riggs Library Design Update

DC Public Library representatives and HGA, the design team for the ne Lamond-Riggs Library, returned to the commission to seek approval for the design to submit with their plans to the Commission on Fine Arts. Not much new was presented from the community design meeting that was held on November 19. They are still deciding between two exterior design options, what they are calling Forest vs. Folds. The interim library will be located in a 2800 square foot space at the Modern at Art Place on Ingraham Street NE. Responses to a few questions from the commission and residents:

  • In response to questions about parking from Commissioners Sandi Washington (5A07), Grace Lewis (5A02), and Ronnie Edwards (5A05), the design team explained that building an underground parking lot would be cost prohibitive given the program desires for the new building. DCPL will maintain the number of parking spaces at 11. DCPL noted Commissioner Edwards’ request that library staff be prohibited from parking in the lot.
  • Wifi will be available in the outdoor spaces (the front porch and balcony), but they are not sure just yet if charging stations will be available. They made a note for the request
  • Commissioner Frank Wilds (5A01) requested a list of CBE contractors, which DCPL stated they will provide when available.
  • Robert Oliver, president of the Lamond-Rigg Library Friends, suggested that DCPL visit the abutting residences to take pictures of their walls to address any concerns about construction impacts. DCPL noted the suggestion.
  • DCPL noted Commissioner Wilds’ request that DCPL hire a neighborhood ombudsman to disperse construction-related information and handle construction issues.
  • The design team noted a request for streetscape improvements of the public right of way when library construction is done.
  • DCPL does not have a specific date for when the current library will close and when the interim library will open next year. They still have to get through all of the regulatory and permitting processes. They noted there is typically a period of about three weeks between closure of the old library and opening of the interim library.

The ANC voted unanimously to support the design.

Comprehensive Plan Update

Update 12/16/2019: On December 16, 2019, after publication of this post, the Office of Planning extended the comment period for the public to January 10, 2020, and for ANCs to February 14, 2020.

The Office of Planning (OP) has proposed amendments to the Citywide and Area Elements of the District’s Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan). The Comp Plan guides how the city should grow and be developed. The general public has until December 20, 2019 January 10, 2020, to submit comments to OP, while ANCs have until January 31, 2020 February 14, 2020, to submit resolutions to OP. Details on the proposed amendments are available at plandc.dc.gov. (Note: I wrote about the proposed amendments in this post).

Chair Edwards stated ANC 5A will request more time to review the proposed amendments. The ANC voted unanimously to support the intent and purpose of a draft resolution that many other ANCs have signed.

At the same time, the ANC will prepare as if no extension of time will be granted. Accordingly, please submit comments that you would like to see incorporated into an ANC 5A resolution to Commissioner Edwards at 5a05@anc.dc.gov by January 10, 2020. The commission plans to have a community meeting on the Comp Plan on January 11, 2020, at 10:00 am. They will circulate a summary of the comments by January 15 and be prepared to vote on a resolution on January 22.

Soldiers’ Home Reservoir Upgrades

Upgrades to the Soldiers’ Home Reservoir, located at the intersection of Arnold Drive and Pershing Drive NW on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home are ongoing until tentatively December 2020. All of the work is being done on the campus so area residents should not see any disruptions except the occasional lane closure. Golf course operations on the two affected fairways will be limited during construction. DC Water will work to minimize disruptions, and the fairways will be resotred after consturction is completed. For information, contact project manager Willis Thomas at (202) 787-7616 or willis.thomas@dcwater.com.

Walmart Beer/Wine License Application

As previously noted, the Walmart located at 310 Riggs Road has applied for a license to sell beer and wine. It is located in ANC 4B. On November 25, 2019, that commission voted in support of a resolution to support Walmart’s application and also to “reaffirm[] its support for the terms of the Settlement Agreement of August 9, 2018[]” between ANC 4B and Walmart. The status of that settlement agreement is unclear. The resolution could not be found on the ANC resolution website, so it is not clear if the commissioner for that area has uploaded the resolution yet. The Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) voted at its meeting on December 2, 2019, not to protest Walmart’s application (13 in favor of protesting; 15 opposed to protesting).

Now, a group of 5 or more individuals led in part by Ward 5 resident Bill Smith plans to protest Walmart’s application. Bill Smith was one of the people who led the successful protest against the liquor license application of Pax Liquor, which wanted to open next to the McDonald’s on South Dakota Avenue. The protest against Walmart will focus on the fact that there is a liquor store directly across the street from the Walmart and an elementary school, LaSalle-Backus Education Campus, within two blocks of the Walmart. The principal of that elementary school attended the LRCA meeting and asked Walmart’s manager how he plans to ensure that minors will not be able to abscond with or purchase alcohol. The manager stated that cashiers are given a prompt to ask for identification whenever a customer attempts to buy beer or wine. If you would like to join Mr. Smith in the protest, contact him at smith744@aol.com

Catholic University

Catholic University held a groundbreaking for its new dining hall. There are also new meeting rooms, which Ms. O’Connor stated the ANC is welcome to use. In the next few weeks, the university will hold a groundbreaking for a new nursing school and research labs.

The school recently received a notice from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that someone is flying drones above university property. This is a no-fly zone and there are consequences for flying drones without a proper license, so if you or anyone you know is responsible for the drones, take heed.

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie

Councilmember McDuffie will hold three community conversations on violence around the Rhode Island Avenue and Woodridge/Langdon areas.

Miscellaneous

The commission voted unanimously in support of a petition for traffic calming, specifically speed bumps, in the 700 block of Decatur Street NE.

Commissioner Fletcher will hold an SMD meeting on January 7, 2020.

WaPo Profile on Fort Totten

Posted by nextstoprp in Neighborhood Development

The Washington Post is at it again. A profile on the Fort Totten neighborhood was published yesterday, but strangely it features residents who do not live in that neighborhood at all. ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) lives in Riggs Park and Robert Oliver lives in North Michigan Park. The writer could have reached out to the Fort Totten Civic Association to speak with actual residents or the actual commissioner for that neighborhood. Not sure if that happened though.

As indicated in the profile, the borders of the Fort Totten neighborhood are Riggs Road to the north, the metro tracks to the east, Hawaii Avenue to the south, and North Capitol Street to the west. People often confuse the neighborhood with nearby neighborhoods like Riggs Park and North Michigan Park. The development taking place is not in Fort Totten; it’s all in Riggs Park. And as is usually the case with these profile pieces, other information is wrong. I was featured in one such profile on Lamond-Riggs back in 2015, so I know sometimes the writer gets quotes wrong or the conversation will be steered in a certain direction and certain statements end up sounding a little ridiculous out of context. Nonetheless, check out what the Washington Post says about the Fort Totten neighborhood.

REMINDER – December 11: ANC 5A Special Public Meeting on Library & Comp Plan

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

ANC 5A Special Meeting
December 11, 2019
6:45 pm
UDC-CC Backus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE
Agenda: (1) Lamond-Riggs Library Update; (2) Comprehensive Plan Update

ANCs have until January 31 to submit a resolution regarding the Office of Planning’s proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. Many ANCs have had working groups or committees to address the proposed changes. Come out to hear how ANC 5A plans to take advantage of the opportunity to weigh in on the proposed changes. Also, if you missed the Lamond-Riggs Library design meeting last month, a member of the design team will be on hand to give an update.

Time to Step Up – How Would You Like to Use Your Neighborhood National Park (Part 2)

Posted by nextstoprp in Recreation

By David Kosub (Contributor)

In response to my October post, I was pleased to see so much interest related to the Civil War Defenses of Washington (CWDW) National Park Service (NPS) land in our community. I summarize the comments below and also describe what’s happened since. This is also a call for helping hands. Volunteers welcomed! Please note in the comments and send me an email on how you, your family, and your neighbors can help this project continue to gather steam. 

Dusting Off the Plans

To know where we are going, we must look back to where we have been. The 2009 Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue Area Development Plan generally calls for connections, reactivation, and the creation of open spaces around us (see Implementation Table 4.3). It also calls for establishing additional recreational opportunities in the green spaces. Let’s achieve these goals already!

Funding is referenced coming from the District’s Capital Improvement Budget and Capital Space Plan, such as for “active recreation, such as … trails at the edges of the Fort Circle Park near residential areas.” The Capital Space Plan provides strategies for parks, particularly those in the city’s neighborhoods, to create a beautiful, high-quality, and unified system for the Nation’s Capital. I doubt funding is available anymore, but are there any volunteers out there to look into this possible revenue source?

Trees, Trees, and more Trees

I was glad to see I’m not the only tree hugger in the neighborhood. We can always use more trees. Folks seem to echo the point that, without shade trees at least on the perimeter of the park, the area can get too hot during certain times of the year and thus become unusable for many (see this heat island map published last year noting our community is one of the hottest spots in the city). Moreover, trees help combat the effects of climate change, cool the roads, help with stormwater management, provide new habitats for the other creatures around us, give shade for folks who are taking in a pick-up game, and beautify the surroundings making this a more pleasant and desirable place.

During a recent follow-up conversation, NPS acknowledged the community’s desire to have more trees along the edges to help combat the heat island effects and provide shade for park visitors. They still stressed the point that the large swath of open green space in the middle must be maintained in accordance with the management plan for these parklands. That said, they are going to consider the option to plant trees along the perimeter and step up the effort to replace known dead or dying trees.

As suggested, I also reached out to Casey Trees about this site. They noted not working much with CWDW parks before, but were thrilled we want  to utilize the land more effectively, such as by adding trees. The likely next step is to submit a Community Tree Planting application so their arborists can take a look and see if moving forward is feasible. Any volunteers  to submit the application?

Interestingly enough, roughly 30 new trees were recently planted along the perimeter of the park on the Galloway Street side from South Dakota Avenue to 11th Street NE. Trees were also planted on the perimeter of the park east of Sargent Road NE on Galloway and Gallatin streets. It is unclear to me if these tree plantings were a result of my discussions with NPS, but they are most welcomed nonetheless.

 

  • Newly planted trees on Galloway Street NE
  • Newly planted trees on Gallatin Street NE

To Be Fit or Not to Be Fit

This NPS site is zoned for recreational purposes. And, to many, this means opportunities for exercise. Be it a walking or running path lined with markers, exercise equipment, and a designated field for sports and play for humans and our four-legged friends, we are ready to have fun! Any volunteers to organize a group yoga class or begin an annual Riggs Park v. North Michigan Park pick-up game, perhaps at the next Fort Circle Field Day?

NPS will not approve a designated dog park or install a water fountain (see this 1992 Washington Post story for other wishlist items which would not fly either, but hopefully we will have better neighborhood buy-in today). Other community suggestions are still possible. A walking trail could be installed, as it aligns with earlier NPS plans. But it’ll be costly, and the community would need to find the funding source (I’m looking at you, the District’s Capital Improvement Budget). For such a trail to be installed, environmental and geotechnical studies must be done, ensure it fits the historical and cultural aspects of the park, and professional designs must be obtained. The estimated cost would be around $250,000. The best option here would likely be having the District and local developers pony up the funds. With enough community support, this could be possible. It’s budget planning season after all.

Infrastructure

Perhaps those resources could be used elsewhere though. The pavilion area needs some TLC. Many neighbors noted its lack of accessibility and that it could be spruced up with picnic tables and natural shade. NPS indicated rehabbing the picnic and pavilion area is doable, including adding a grill. Some things could happen quickly, like bringing in some picnic tables, while others may take a couple years, such as renovating the picnic shelters and making them ADA compliant. NPS is currently in the process of requesting funding.

As for other infrastructure needs, such as lighting and sidewalk improvements, we likely need to reach out to the District’s Department of Transportation through 311 requests. Volunteers are welcomed to start submitting these requests today.

Historical markers

Historical markers for CWDW parks are on the way. NPS has submitted designs for approval from the Commission on Fine Arts. The Commission will discuss these interpretative signs at their upcoming spring 2020 meeting (renderings will be shared once available). I hope these markers add a nice piece of visual flair to the neighborhood.

Next steps

I feel like we are making progress. NPS is happy to partner with us, which does achieve one of the goals from the plans referenced earlier. One event NPS mentioned was teaming up with a group on the Maryland side already engaged with them for a spring clean-up event. And, since the community has expressed concerns related to trash in the park, perhaps additional resources could be provided to the South Dakota Ave Clean Team? I also spoke with a representative from the Cafritz Foundation and they expressed interest, general support, and a willingness to partner too. The Parks Main Street has some ideas too, and if they come to fruition, I think the community will enjoy them (yes, that is a teaser). 

To reiterate though, I need your help. If we want resources to flow into this park, we need neighbors to stand up and volunteer their time. Would you consider attending a community meeting in January or February? We could bring NPS in, along with inviting local community groups, developers, and District government representatives. It would be great to hear your ideas in person. Raise your hand if you would attend, and I will put a meeting  on the calendar.

December 7: ANC 4B Comprehensive Plan Working Session

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 4B

From ANC 4B:

Please join Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B for a Comprehensive Plan Working Session on Saturday, December 7, 2019, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Metropolitan Police Department’s 4th District Headquarters, 6001 Georgia Ave., NW.

The Comprehensive Plan is a lengthy, high-level document that sets a long-term vision for the District’s future growth and development. The DC Office of Planning has launched an effort to amend the Comprehensive Plan to ensure that it remains responsive to the needs of the community. (More here: https://planning.dc.gov/page/comprehensive-plan and here: https://plandc.dc.gov/page/overview-and-how-guide).

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B will be discussing proposed changes to the Rock Creek East Area Element (available here: https://plandc.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/page_content/attachments/Chapter%2022_Public_Review_Draft_RCE_Oct2019.pdf), which encompasses areas within the Commission’s boundaries, as well as the Citywide Elements (available here: https://plandc.dc.gov/page/draft-comprehensive-plan-update), which impact housing, transportation, and historic preservation, among other issues.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions have until January 31, 2020 to submit community feedback to the DC Office of Planning regarding the proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan.

The December 7th meeting agenda is below.

Comprehensive Plan Working Session
Saturday, December 7, 2019, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
MPD, 4th District Station, 6001 Georgia Avenue NW

Agenda

  1. Welcome & Comprehensive Plan Overview (Commissioner Parks & Commissioner Palmer)
    2:00 – 2:05 p.m.
  2. Breakout Session I – Rock Creek East Area Element
    2:05 – 2:30 p.m.
  3. Report Back from Breakout Session I
    2:30 – 2:50 p.m.
  4. Breakout Session II – Context & Citywide Elements
    2:50 – 3:15 p.m. 
  5. Report Back from Breakout Session II
    3:15 – 3:35 p.m. 
  6. Future Land Use Map Discussion
    3:35 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. 
  7. Next Steps (Commissioner Parks)
    3:55 – 4:00 p.m.

    Next Regular Public Meeting:  Monday, January 27, 2020, 7:00 p.m., MPD, 4th District Station, 6001 Georgia Ave., NW