New artwork brightens the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road NE corridor. The Parks Main Street, in conjunction with the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association, oversaw the installation of art designs selected by local residents on six traffic boxes along the corridor. The ones in front of Art Place at Fort Totten are an especially nice touch. Combined with the sculptures, it feels like walking past an outdoor gallery on South Dakota.
Check them out.
A Piece of the City by Britnee Scott @art.is.britat South Dakota Avenue & Galloway Street NE
Bloom by Beezy Young @by.beezyat South Dakota Avenue & Hamilton Street NE
Peace and Pirate by Tarika Campbell @tarika.artat South Dakota Avenue & Ingraham Street NE
Riggs Park Squirrel by Austin Morris @austindmorrisat South Dakota Avenue & Kennedy Street NE
Untitled by Trap Bob @trapxbobat South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE
Riggs Park by Sydney Buffalow @cr8tionrebelat Riggs Road & Chillum Place NE
Ward 5 Turkey Giveaway Pop-Up November 20, 2024 1:30 pm North Michigan Park Recreation Center 1333 Emerson Street NE
The Office of Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker will host a popup at North Michigan Park Rec Center to give away a limited number of free turkeys. Turkeys will be distributed first come, first served.
Individuals will be called on once acknowledged by the Chair. Commissioners will be let into the meeting room first. Once they are all present, the residents will be let in.
ANC 5A NOVEMBER 2024 AGENDA
I. Call Meeting to Order 6:45 pm
II. Quorum
III. Agenda Review/Acceptance
IV. Commission Business A. Secretary i. Minutes (October 2024 and Special Meeting October 2024) B. Treasurer i. FY 2025 Proposed Budget
V. Commission Action Items/Updates A. Jubileaf LLC (5A08)
VI. Community Updates A. MPD B. Mayor’s Office C. Councilmember Parker’s office
VII. Reports & Presentations A. Connor Laughland Social Housing – Metro DSA in support of the bill presented to the Council by Janeese Lewis George to build social housing in DC
Neighbors are invited to the Catholic Charities Child Development Center Open House. Meet the educators, tour classrooms, and learn more about affordable care program for children from six weeks to three years of age.
From Metro (updated, blue/yellow line trains will serve Pentagon station)
Metrorail weekend service for Saturday, November 16 through Sunday, November 17
Advisory Effective: 11/16/24 – 11/17/24
Hours: Sat 7 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Sun 7 a.m. – Midnight
Service-At-A-Glance
Red Line
Free shuttle buses replace trains between Fort Totten and NoMa-Gallaudet U. Trains run every 6 minutes (daytime) and 10 minutes (evening) between Glenmont and Fort Totten and every 8 minutes (daytime) and 10 minutes (evening) between NoMa-Gallaudet U and Shady Grove. Rhode Island Ave and Brookland-CUA stations closed.
Riggs Crossing Senior Residences under construction at 307 Riggs Road NE.
Riggs Crossing Senior Residences is a new income-restricted, affordable senior housing community currently under construction at 307 Riggs Road NE on the southeast corner of Riggs Road & South Dakota Avenue NE. The developer is True Ground Housing Partners (previously known as Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing or APAH). The development will consist of roughly 93 apartments above ground-floor retail. True Ground recently lowered the age of eligibility to 55 years old.
Individuals 55 years old and older may fill out an interest form at https://riggscrossing.com to determine if they meet the income restrictions and eligibility guidelines.Please do not go to the location on Riggs Road as it is still an active construction zone. There is not a leasing office on site.
The residential portion of the project is expected to be completed in first quarter 2025.
True Ground is also still soliciting interest from potential retail tenants for below market rate lease opportunities. Contact Joanna Shin at jshin@truegroundhousing.org for retail inquiries.
From DC Department of Housing and Community Development
The DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is hosting citywide Housing Listening Sessions to provide information on the District’s housing resources and programs and so residents can share their housing needs and concerns. DHCD is hosting the Ward 5 Housing Listening Session on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 5:30 pm at Woodridge Library (1801 Hamlin Street NE). For more information, visit Ward 5 Housing Listening Session.
DHCD’s Ward 5 Housing Listening Session
Thursday, November 14, 2024 5:30 pm Woodridge Neighborhood Library 1801 Hamlin Street NE, Washington, DC
ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on October 23, 2024. Commissioners present: Karlus Cozart (5A02) – Parliamentarian; Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – Vice Chair, Secretary; Diego Rojas (5A04); Gordon Fletcher (5A08) – Chair; Shelagh Bocoum (5A09) – Treasurer. ANC 5A06 and 5A07 are vacant.
This was a long meeting. Commissioner Fletcher joined about a third of the way into the meeting.
Commission Business
Once again, the ANC tabled approval of a Fiscal Year 2025 budget so that they can discuss it at an executive meeting.
Ward 5 Mayor’s Office Report (Ward 5 MOCR Christian Starghill)
Leaf collection started October 28. Every Friday, DPW will update the map for where collection will begin the follow week.
Ward 5 Council Report (Oliver Stoute, Constituent Services Coordinator for Ward 5 CM Zachary Parker)
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced a suit against Fort Myer Construction for alleged illegal contamination of the District’s waterways.
Councilmember Parker held his monthly public safety meeting on October 16. This one was focused on youth safety. Reach out to Mr. Stoute with any public safety concerns.
A resident asked about the sale of the Providence campus. The office of AG Schwalb is still investigating. Commissioner Lucio (5A03) said that there will be an urgent care center on the campus. She said that she is working with CM Parker’s office to ensure that any agreement with the city includes money “earmarked” for ANC 5A and specifically ANC 5A03 for the health needs of low-income residents.
A team (Susan and William Webster) wants to open a medical marijuana dispensary called Jubileaf at 4942 South Dakota Avenue NE in North Michigan Park. This is in the strip mall next to the McDonald’s. The company submitted a social equity application and received a conditional license from ABCA in April 2024. They are given a year to find a location. They signed a lease with the property owner on South Dakota Avenue in either July or August. Mrs. Webster, the founder, said she is a cancer survivor and found relief from the harshness of cancer treatment through medical marijuana.
They have to have a security plan. They also said they have asked the landlord to renovate the exterior of the site.
Because of the packed agenda, there was not a lot of time to discuss in depth. As expected, initial response from residents was not favorable. Commissioner Fletcher (5A08) said that he will have a joint single member district (SMD) meeting with Commissioner Bocoum (5A09) in November before the next ANC meeting. He said he plans to invite the property owner.
Mundo Verde PCS Large Tract Review (5A03)
Timeline and renderings from Mundo Verde Calle Ocho expansion presentation
Establishment of joint ANC 5A/ANC 5B committee on Taylor Street Bike Lane Project
The ANC approved the establishment of a joint ANC 5A/ANC 5B committee to review the proposed Taylor Street NE bike lane project. Commissioner Lucio and Chair Fletcher said the goal of the committee is not to vote on whether to support the project but to provide feedback on the project.
The discussion was a bit hard to follow. Sounded like they said ANC 5B had its own committee reviewing the project. Commissioner Lucio reached out to ANC 5B to ask why ANC 5B did not reach out to ANC 5A given that the project crosses ANC boundaries. (Aside: A few ANC 5B residents joined the call. These residents had a lot to say in the chat about their displeasure with ANC 5B).
Unclear if the committee will be just commissioners or include residents as well. Unclear if ANC 5A will send out a communication soliciting interest. If you care about this project, feel free to email Chair Fletcher (5A08@anc.dc.gov) and Commissioner Lucio (5A03@anc.dc.gov) to find out what is going on.
Bikeshare Station for Fort Totten Drive & Crittenden Street NE (Greg Matletsky, DDOT Bicycle Program Specialist) (5A06/5A07)
Proposed bikeshare location at Crittenden Street & Fort Totten Drive NE.
DDOT is planning to install a bikeshare station on Crittenden Street and Fort Totten Drive NE. This is on the border of ANC 5A06 & 5A07. Both ANC seats are vacant.
DDOT said that the station will be placed where flexposts currently sit, so there will not be any impacts to parking. Mr. Matletsky said the station will utilize new technology. It will be smaller and quieter. Each dock will have its own small solar panel and use a lower power draw. A resident asked if DDOT was aware that a station will be going near the 1 Hawaii Avenue NE project and Mr. Matletsky said that he worked on bikeshare for that project. DDOT is building out a network where there are gaps so that people have places to dock and pick up bikes.
I asked about the long-planned bikeshare station on South Dakota & Galloway Street NE. Mr. Matletksy said that station would have needed some private property, and they could not reach agreement with the property owner. He said they looked at other areas along Galloway but there would not be enough solar to power a station. So, they are now planning to put the station at South Dakota & Ingraham once construction along that street finishes up. The station will likely be the newer dock described above.
(Aside: It’s too bad it sounds like a station is not being planned by UDC’s campus where the university expects to enroll up to 3,000 students over the next several years).
Yu Ying requested ANC support to do primarily interior construction on Veterans Day for its new building at 4350 1st Street NE in order to get back on schedule. A few residents who live near there encouraged the ANC not to support the holiday construction request in order to have a day without construction noise. The residents also discussed impacts to parking and traffic flow. Yu Ying representatives stated they take these issues seriously. Sounded like they said they are exploring a satellite dropoff space along Harewood Road.
This was so late in the meeting that the commission no longer had a quorum, so they could not vote on the issue of holiday construction.
Commissioner Updates
Sounded like the ANC intended to discuss grants but ran out of time. Grant application guidelines are on the ANC’s website.
I’m sure I’m missing something because it was such a long meeting.
From North Michigan Park Civic Association (NMPCA)
The Wednesday, November 6, 2024, NMPCA Meeting will be in person at Faith United Church. The time is 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Guest speakers: Representatives from the Executive Office of the Mayor and Sharon Kershbaum, Director of DDOT (Department of Transportation). The guests will discuss proposed safety changes for South Dakota Avenue.
Meeting ID: 852 1537 5700 Passcode: 599451 Dial In: 301 715 8592 Individuals will be called on once acknowledged by the Chair. Commissioners will be let into the meeting room first. Once they are all present, the residents will be let in.
ANC 5A NOVEMBER SPECIAL MEETING 2024 AGENDA
Call Meeting to Order 6:45 pm Quorum AGENDA ITEM: November meeting date change Adjourn
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE THIS MEETING BEING MORE THAN 15 MINUTES
The November 2024 LRCA Community meeting will be held on Monday, November 4, 2024, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EST.
This online meeting is scheduled to take place via the Zoom meeting platform. In-person attendance will not be permissible due to the library being staged as a polling location for the general election.
Students can earn community service hours by assisting with the distribution of the LRCA monthly newsletter. If you are interested, please reach out to LRCA President Barbara Rogers at Barbara@lrcadc.org or call 202-904-1027.
Hellbender Brewery is hosting a record fair on Saturday, November 2 from 1pm to 7pm.
In addition to numerous vinyl vendors, there will be multiple food trucks, a DJ, and a live band! This is a free, all ages event and fun for the whole family.
On November 20, 2024, the Office of Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker will be giving away free turkeys to Ward 5 residents for the holiday season at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center.
You must reserve your free turkey at ward5.us/turkey2024. Bring identification with proof of Ward 5 residency when you pick up your turkey.
There will also be first-come, first-serve turkey giveaway pop-ups in Brentwood, Carver Langston, and North Michigan Park. More details on the pop-ups will be provided later.
Don’t need a turkey but want to help spread holiday cheer?Sign up as a volunteer to help with turkey distribution on November 20!
Huge thanks to Alan Thompson, owner of the Chick-fil-A located at 220 Riggs Road NE, for once again cleaning up the north side of Riggs Road NE by the National Park Service parkland and CSX bridge. In October of last year, neighbor Keith reached out to Mr. Thompson to ask if his team could help clean up that stretch of the sidewalk along Riggs. His team did such a great job. This year, they did it again.
For voice-only participation on a telephone, dial (301) 715-8592.
Meeting ID: 846 2610 8389.
1. Call to Order & Roll Call
2. Administrative Items:
A. Instructions for Participation in Virtual Meeting
B. Consideration and Approval of October 2024 Regular Public Meeting Agenda
C. Approval of September 2024 Regular Public Meeting Minutes
D. Treasurer’s Report, Approval of Quarterly Financial Report for the Fourth Quarter of FY 2024
E. Approval of Community Grants & Expenditures:
Resolution 4B-24-1001: Grant Award for Takoma Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization
Resolution 4B-24-1002: Grant Award for Calvin Coolidge Alumni Association Inc.
Resolution 4B-24-1003: Grant Award for Ward 4 Mutual Aid
Resolution 4B-24-1004: Authorizing Commission Community Support and Outreach Expenditures
3. Commissioner Updates
4. Community Concerns
*Please use the “Raise Hand” button via Zoom or *9 via telephone to speak during community concerns. The Commission will provide additional details regarding how to present community concerns via the virtual meeting at the start of the meeting. This is the time for questions or statements from members of the public about issues on the agenda or other areas of concern. Please limit your statement or question to one minute. You may also contact members of the Commission before and after Commission meetings.*
5. Reports:
A. Yamileth Escobar, Mayor’s Office on Community Relations and Services(3 minutes)
B. Barbara Rogers, Office of Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George(3 minutes)
C. Frazier O’Leary, Ward 4 State Board of Education (3 minutes)
D. Housing Justice Committee(2 minutes)
E. Vision Zero Committee(2 minutes)
F. Youth Advisory Committee(2 minutes)
G. Community Safety & Support Committee (2 minutes)
6. Presentation: Matthew Ramos, Communications & Public Affairs Specialist, Office of the Inspector General regarding Work and Mission of the Office (10-minute presentation; 10-minute discussion)
7. Consent Calendar:
Resolution 4B-24-1005: Calling for a Modern Container Deposit-Return Law to Reduce Litter and Improve Recycling Rates (Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Yeats, Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Smith)
Letter: Expressing Concerns regarding the Emergency Rental Assistance Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 and Calling for Engagement with Tenant Lawyers and the Tenant Community in Modifying Emergency Rental Assistance (Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Yeats, Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Smith)
8. Resolution 4B-24-1006: Calling for a Full-Time Nurse in Every Public School and Efforts to Enhance Staffing (Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Yeats, Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Smith)
9. Adjournment
The next ANC 4B Planning Meeting is scheduled for November 12 at 6:30 p.m.
The next ANC 4B Regular Public Meeting is scheduled for November 25 at 7:00 p.m.
The next ANC 4B Housing Justice Committee Meeting is scheduled for November 6 at 7:30 p.m.
The next ANC 4B Youth Advisory Committee Meeting is tentatively scheduled for November 16.
The next ANC 4B Vision Zero Committee Meeting is scheduled for November 20 at 7:00 p.m.
The next ANC 4B Community Safety and Support Committee meeting is scheduled for November 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Kids & their grown-ups can wear costumes, bring a blanket and treats to share. Meet at the Fort Circle Park pavilion near Galloway Street & 11th Street NE.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 