Reminder, tonight ANC Commissioners Gordon Fletcher (5A08) and Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) will hold a joint meeting to discuss McDonald’s public space permit application. The Zoning Commission approved McDonald’s rezoning request in order to build a drive-thru as a matter of right. Before McDonald’s can actually do that though, they need to get public space permits for the curb cuts necessary to operate a drive-thru. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is in charge of the public space permit process.

Meeting information

ANC 5A08 and 5A03 Joint Meeting on McDonald’s Public Space Committee Application

Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 7:00 pm

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Meeting ID: 827 4757 6285
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Meeting ID: 827 4757 6285
Passcode: 826515

The restaurant, located at 4950 South Dakota Avenue NE, was previously in ANC 5A03. Following redistricting, it is in ANC 5A08. Residents within 200 feet of the restaurant reside in both single member districts (update: according to Commissioner Lucio), so the commissioners are holding a joint meeting.

DDOT did not support the request for rezoning. DDOT does not have to approve McDonald’s application for public space permits to operate a drive-thru. DDOT has denied public space permits for operation of drive-thrus in other parts of the city in the past, so doing so here would not be unprecedented.

As noted previously, counsel for McDonald’s stated that she believed that DDOT’s report was written the way it was during the rezoning process to indicate that DDOT would “put up a fight” during public space. That is why during the rezoning hearing, Zoning Commission Chair Anthony Hood said that he hoped that DDOT would not put up any roadblocks during public space.

McDonald’s is requesting the support of the North Michigan Park Civic Association (NMPCA) and ANC 5A for its public space application. NMPCA will support the application. The expectation is that ANC 5A will support the application given that the ANC supported the rezoning request. Commissioner Fletcher, who is now chair of the ANC, is of course getting pressure to support the public space application. But there are a lot of new commissioners and they do not have to support this application.

In my experience with public space applications, ANCs in this area typically do not get into the weeds about the application or even really notify residents about the application. They rarely ask questions. It is important to ask questions though, especially in a case like this one where there is a proposal for a drive-thru where none existed previously.

This meeting is an opportunity for residents to ask questions and let the commissioners know if you do not support the drive-thru or the public space application. My understanding is that the full ANC plans to take a vote on the application at the ANC meeting on February 22.