ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on January 22, 2025. Commissioners present: Timothy Thomas (5A02); Emily Singer Lucio (5A03); Derrick Holloway (5A06); Elaine Alston (5A08); Shelagh Bocoum (5A09). ANC 5A01, 5A04, 5A05, and 5A07 are vacant.

Commission Business

The ANC elected the following officers.

Chair – Commissioner Lucio (5A03)

Vice Chair – Commissioner Thomas (5A02)

Secretary – Commissioner Lucio (5A03)

Treasurer – Commissioner Bocoum (5A09)

DC Zoning Commission Chair Anthony Hood conducted the installation of officers.

The ANC approved minutes from the November 2024 regular and special meetings.

The ANC adopted a calendar for the year. Public meetings will take place the fourth Wednesday of each month, except July, August, November, and December. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the November meeting will be moved to the first Wednesday in December.

The ANC will discuss at an executive meeting the meeting format for the year, whether virtual, in-person, or hybrid. Director of the Office of ANC Kent Boese attended the meeting. He said that the ANC could do a mix of meeting formats throughout the year so long as they provide the proper notice.

The ANC approved a budget. The ANC has a lot of money in the bank. Commissioner Lucio said that some of the money could be used to purchase equipment if the ANC decides to have hybrid meetings. In addition, the ANC may use some of the money to hire an assistant, which they approved doing last term but never did.

The seats for ANC 5A01, 5A04, 5A05, and 5A07 are vacant. The DC Board of Elections has information about running. The petition period ends February 3. Interested individuals may reach out to Commissioner Lucio for information.

Ward 5 Mayor’s Office Report (Anthony Black, Ward 5 MOCR Manager)

The Ward 5 MOCRs are available to meet with residents and commissioners across the ward on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Contact Anthony Black at 202-251-5049 or at anthony.black@dc.gov. Contact Christian Starghill at 202-394-4399 or at christian.starghill@dc.gov.

DPW is getting back on schedule with trash and recycling pickup. If your collection was missed, submit a 311 request.

Residents are responsible for shoveling snow from the sidewalk in front of their homes. Mr. Black said residents are also responsible for shoveling the alley behind their home. A couple of residents asked about responsibility for alley shoveling, and Mr. Black stated he would get that information to the ANC. If you are a senior or person with a disability unable to shovel snow, you may apply for a snow shoveling exemption. If you need help with snow shoveling, contact Mr. Black at anthony.black@dc.gov. A few residents expressed appreciation for Mr. Black’s help with shoveling in their neighborhoods.

January 31 is the last day to sign up for health insurance through DC Health Link.

Ward 5 Council Office Report (Oliver Stoute, Director of Constituent Services for Councilmember Zachary Parker)

Oversight hearings for agencies under CM Parker’s jurisdiction start January 29.

The Ward 5 public safety calls will now be held quarterly. The next one is on January 29 at 3:00 pm.

Councilmember Parker plans to hold a forum for Ward 5 ANC commissioners and civic association leaders on February 8 at Catholic University.

The Ward 5 awards ceremony has been rescheduled for February 11 at Ivy City Smokehouse.

If you need assistance with missed trash collection, submit a 311 request and send the service number to Mr. Stoute at ostoute@dccouncil.gov.

A few residents expressed appreciation for the council office’s help with snow shoveling in their neighborhood.

A resident asked about lack of prioritization of traffic safety input (TSI) requests submitted within ANC 5A under DDOT’s new model. Mr. Stoute asked for the request numbers and said he would look into it. Chair Lucio also recommended that residents work with their ANC commissioners (if they have one) when submitting 311 requests so that the commissioners can bunch similar requests and share with DDOT.

Sign up to receive CM Parker’s newsletter at ward5.us/newsletter.

Community Comments

Lots of comments from residents concerning construction of new campuses for Yu Ying and Washington Latin public charter schools at the former Kirov Ballet Academy on Harewood Road NE (Project Website). Residents noted issues with traffic congestion and parking. A couple of residents asked when Washington Latin will start having community meetings regarding construction of their new school building. The process was designed so that Yu Ying would finish construction first before Washington Latin proceeds. Part of the issue is that right now there is not an ANC commissioner for that area in ANC 5A05.

A resident suggested that residents on Urell Place, where there is a lot of concern about parking, look into getting resident-only permit parking on their street. Commissioner Holloway (5A06) offered to help.

Representatives from Yu Ying and Washington Latin were on the meeting to listen. Yu Ying held a meeting on January 16 to provide updates. Jose Sousa is serving as the point of contact for residents for Yu Ying. He can be reached at jose.souza@washingtonyuying.org.

Washington Latin representatives stated they will work to have a community meeting. They also noted that at their existing campus on 2nd and Hamilton Street NW, they use a bus service to transport about one-third of their students. So, they are looking at possibly using a bus service for their new campus to mitigate some of the traffic. Washington Latin reps can be reached at communication@latinpcs.org. Commissioner Lucio invited both schools to attend the ANC’s February meeting to give a formal presentation.

In response to a question about the McDonald’s on South Dakota Avenue, Commissioner Alston (5A08) stated that the new owners told her that the restaurant is scheduled to close on February 15. They are still waiting for raze permits, but they need to close in order to start cleaning the restaurant. Commissioner Alston said that the owners told her that flyers about the closure are inside the restaurant.

In response to a question about the marijuana dispensary planned next to the McDonald’s, Commissioner Alston stated that she has reached out to the owners, but they have not responded so far. A resident asked if there was a process for getting retail that residents want in the strip mall. Response was that it depends on the particular project and if the ANC has the opportunity to weigh in.

To join ANC 5A’s distribution list, fill out the form on the ANC’s website at anc5a.org. Reach out to your ANC commissioner to find out if they have a distribution list for their single member district. Find your ANC/SMD.

The next ANC 5A meeting is scheduled for February 26, 2025.