ANC 5A held a public meeting on June 23, 2021. I did not attend this meeting (hence the delay in this recap), but I did listen to an audio recording. My recap is just based on what I could hear and does not include any information that may have been placed in the chat during the meeting since those comments were not available to me.

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) was on the agenda again to present about the bikeshare stations that will be installed in the ANC, but the meeting ran long and the DDOT representative had to leave before presenting.

Parking on Rock Creek Church Road NE

The ANC voted to support a request from Commissioner Sandi Washington (5A07) that DDOT remove three vehicle parking spaces on the corner of Rock Creek Church Road NE and Riggs Road NE to improve the ability of drivers to turn onto Rock Creek Church Road and decrease the traffic backups in that area.

MPD Police Report

MPD 4D Community Outreach Coordinator Derek Staten stated that MPD 4D Inspector James Boteler has kicked off an initiative called 100 Blocks in 100 Days. (The inspector spoke about this initative at a previous ANC 5A meeting). Officers will walk blocks and knock on doors to say hello to residents, and if no one answers, they will leave a door tag. If there are specific blocks you would like officers to visit, email derek.staten@dc.gov.

In response to a question about fireworks, Mr. Staten stated that residents can let him and MPD officers know of specific areas where illegal fireworks are going off.

Do not leave vehicles running unattended. This is especially important for delivery drivers.

Individuals with limited English proficiency or perceived limited English proficiency are being targeted in robberies. Mr. Staten stated that MPD does not and is not supposed to ask about immigration status when people report crimes, so please let vulnerable individuals know.

DC Department of Motor Vehicles

DC DMV Director Gabriel Robinson stated that on July 19, DMV services will be available on a walk-in and first come, first serve basis. Many services can be conducted online, and individuals are encouraged to use the online platform where possible. There will be special walk-in hours on June 26, July 3, July 11, and July 18. Certain services that were available by appointment only prior to the COVID-19 pandemic will remain available by appointment only.

The ticket amnesty program is still going on until September 30, 2021.

With respect to the RPP fee increase, Director Robinson stated the DC Council passed legislation to increase the fee because they heard from the public that residents are having a harder time parking near their homes, an issue the program is designed to address. Also, there are households with multiple vehicles and some that never move from the street.

Starting June 1, vehicle registration and inspection need to be compliant. Inspections have been open since June 2020. Individuals can renew registration online and by mail. Drivers license and ID cards that expired during the pandemic need to be compliant by September 9, 2021.

In response to Commissioner Washington’s comment that the fee increase creates a hardship for seniors and that not everyone bikes, Director Robinson stated that the fee increase was discussed a number of times with the public and DMV distributed weekly emails to individuals whose registration were expired or about to expire to encourage them to renew before June 1.

Ward 5 Report

Silas Grant, Senior Advisor to Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, noted a few items in the mayor’s initial proposed budget that the councilmember is championing:

• $24.5 million for new Ward 5 library, likely in the Eckington area

• $20 million for Crummell for community center in Ivy City

• $1 million for deckover feasibility study for North Capitol Street NE

• More money for violence interrupters, trauma informed mental health services, Safe Passage programs, Pathway Program

• $8.1 million for Great Streets, money for BID tourism recovery fund, and money for equity fund

(Note: All of the budget committee reports can be viewed at https://www.dccouncilbudget.com/fy-2022-budget).

DC Water Lead Pipe Replacement Program

See presentation here.

DC Water has an initiative to remove lead service lines by 2030. DC Water is responsible for maintenance of water line in public space. DC Water is prioritizing equity, so they intend to focus on low-income areas with a lot of lead service lines, likely starting with Wards 7 and 8 first. According to DC Water, most of ANC 5A does not have many lead service lines. Typically lead service lines were installed before 1950, and most of the service lines in this ANC were installed after 1950. You can check your service line at https://www.dcwater.com/servicemap.

DC Water has a few programs to help residents replace lead service lines on their private property. See details at https://www.dcwater.com/replacelead.

DC residents can get one free water test per year. Request at https://www.dcwater.com/lead-testing. For questions, email leadtest@dcwater.com or call (202) 612-3440.

Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) Application for Condo Conversion in ANC 5A06

The development team behind a condo conversion presented on plans to renovate and expand several existing apartment buildings in ANC 5A06 on Hawaii Street NE and Webster Street NE, between North Capitol Street NE and 1st Place NE (BZA case number 20507). The existing apartment buildings have 88 units with no parking onsite. The updated buildings will have 134 one- and two-bedroom units with 54 vehicle parking spaces (five spaces behind 10 of the buildings and four spaces behind one of the buildings). There will also be bike storage in each building. The developer stated the existing buildings are beyond repair, so they are looking to completely renovate the buildings and add another floor to each building. The project will require the developer to obtain relief from sideyard and courtyard requirements for some of the buildings. The developer will also need relief to add onto the buildings, but he said the height of the buildings will still be within the allowable height limit. The BZA hearing is scheduled for October 6, 2021.

(See BZA application, applicant’s statement, map of existing buildings, statement of intended uses, and architectural plans. Aside: In looking up the documents for this case, I came across a separate BZA case for 230 Webster Street NE for conversion of an existing 2-unit building to a 3-unit building that the ANC will need to weigh in on (BZA case number 20533). That matter has a hearing scheduled for October 27, 2021, so lots happening in 5A06).

It took a minute for the point to be made that this project is a condo conversion. Currently, all of the buildings consist of rental units. Some of the buildings are vacant. The developer plans to start work on the vacant buildings first. For tenants with an existing lease, the developer stated those tenants will be able to stay and continue renting if they would like to do so. The developer is working with a housing counseling organization to assist existing tenants who want to purchase a unit. Some of the units will be offered below market rate.

There was a long discussion about displacement. Apparently some of the vacant units house squatters. Commissioner Derrick Holloway (5A06) stated this has long been a “troubled” area, and his initial thoughts are that this project will finally address some of the long-standing issues with these apartment buildings. He said his constituents overwhelmingly support the project. In describing the condition of the units, the developer said there are long-standing issues with mold, joist issues, and bathrooms sinking into the units below them because of moisture issues and the number of people who are living in the units that exceed the housing code. The developer purchased these buildings last year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he and Commissioner Holloway stated that all of these issues existed prior to that purchase (unclear if the developer was aware of the extent of the issues or if anything was being done to address these issues prior to his purchase). Many of the commissioners agreed that there needs to be more discussion and an understanding about what will happen to everyone living in the apartments, whether they have a lease or not.

There was also a long discussion about parking. Currently, there is no onsite parking for the apartments. The developer is proposing 54 spaces for 134 units. The owner stated that in his experience, individuals buying at the price point at which these units will likely be offered (around $250,000 for a one bedroom condo) do not want to pay another $10,000 or more for a deeded parking space. Also, the buildings are situated near public transit. Commissioner Emily Lucio (5A03), disagreed with the developer’s assessment of parking needs, but Commissioner Edwards noted that the city is moving towards having less parking in projects (and also currently there is not any onsite parking).

Commissioner Edwards encouraged the developer to use small and local businesses on the project, to which the developer stated he will because he is a small business owner himself and does not really even have access to the big players. Furthermore, the buildings will be renovated over a number of years, so it might be more feasible for a smaller shop to take on the work. Commissioner Holloway stated he will provide some suggestions for local companies for cleaning and security services.

This was just an introduction to the project, and lots of the commissioners had lots of thoughts about the project. ANC single member district (SMD) 5A07 abuts the project. If you live in either SMD 5A06 or 5A07, expect to get notice of community meetings about the project over the summer. The ANC anticipates having a special meeting tentatively on the second Wednesday in September in order to have enough time to submit a report to the BZA before the October hearing date (the ANC resumes monthly meetings in September, but not until the 4th Wednesday of the month).

Catholic University Reopening Plan

Commissioner Lucio mentioned Catholic University released a statement about the university’s reopening plans, and that the university will not require COVID-19 vaccinations to return to campus. Commissioner Lucio would like to have a conversation with Catholic to make residents aware of the plans since many students and employees will be neighbors living in ANC 5A. Commissioner Edwards noted that DC government is not even requiring its employees to be vaccinated to return to the office. Every entity has the ability to make its own decision about vaccination requirements.

ANC Grants

Ward 5 Mutual Aid returned to the ANC to inquire about when the group can reapply for a grant. The group has been trying unsuccessfully to get a grant from the ANC for a while. Finally, Commissioner Washington, treasurer of ANC 5A, stated that the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (OANC) is updating grant guidelines for ANCs citywide to centralize and standardize the process. Accordingly, the ANC will not be accepting grant applications or disbursing grant money until OANC issues new guidelines. It is unclear when OANC will do so.

Miscellaneous

Commissioner Charles Lockett (5A02) stated that he has received word that Z-Burger will be opening on South Dakota Avenue NE in about 30 days.

Commissioner Washington stated that based on the very short, simple response the Office of Neighborhood Safety & Engagement (ONSE) gave to Commissioner Damion McDuffie (5A01) on the neighborhood plan developed for his area, she does not think utilizing ONSE to assist with a neighborhood safety plan will be particularly useful for her area because there is not a lot of violence in that area. (Aside: It appears ONSE is most focused on areas of the city with overwhelming violence. The agency has repeatedly stated it does not have contracts for neighborhoods in ANC 5A, and the services it can provide to neighborhoods without contracts is just very limited, meaning fairly nonexistent).

(The ANC held a scheduled public safety meeting on June 30.)

ANCs can only have virtual meetings until July 25, an issue discussed at a previous ANC meeting. Commissioner Edwards stated he has discussed the matter with Councilmember Robert White’s office. Apparently, CM White is drafting legislation to address this.

ANC 5A does not meet in July or August. Meetings will resume in September unless a special meeting is called. Individual commissioners may hold meetings during the summer for their particular area.