Category Archives: ANC 5A

November 13: ANC 5A Public Meeting

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the monthly ANC 5A meeting is being held on November 13.

ANC 5A Monthly Public Meeting
November 13, 2019
6:45 pm
UDC-CC Backus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE
Agenda items:
(1) Rocketship Charter School
(2) ANC 5A FY2020 proposed budget. The proposed budget is available for review on the ANC 5A website https://www.anc5a.org under the “Meeting Minutes and Resources” tab

Housing Affordability Goals & Comprehensive Plan Updates

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 4B, ANC 5A, Neighborhood Development

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY GOALS

On October 15, 2019, Mayor Muriel Bowser released her administration’s Housing Equity Report with housing affordability goals by planning area. The District’s eight planning areas are contained in the District’s Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan). Just as this neighborhood sits in two wards, this neighborhood also sits in two planning areas–Upper Northeast and Rock Creek East. Most of the news focused on the mayor’s desire to add more affordable housing west of Rock Creek Park, but this neighborhood’s planning areas fall in the top four areas for housing production goals, 1,500 units for Rock Creek East and 1,350 units for Upper Northeast. Based on what is in the pipeline already though, the number of new housing units that our planning areas must produce–340 for Rock Creek East and 190 for Upper Northeast–is fairly low compared to what other areas must produce in order to meet the administration’s goals. The report explains the methodology used to get to the goals for each planning area on page 10. The report is a fairly high level report just to start the conversation. For updates, visit housing.dc.gov.

PROPOSED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATES

On October 15, the mayor and the Office of Planning (OP) also released proposed amendments to the Comp Plan. The DC Council recently approved the Framework element of the Comp Plan, which took over two years to get through the public process. OP has produced a number of helpful summaries of each element of the Comp Plan and a review tip guide. I strongly encourage people to at least look at the updates for our neighborhood’s planning areas, again those are Upper Northeast and Rock Creek East. The summary for Upper Northeast is here and the summary for Rock Creek East is here. It is not clear when the Council will hold a hearing on the rest of the proposed amendments to the plan.

OP is holding public meetings on the proposed updates. Ward 4’s is on November 19 at 6:00 pm at Roosevelt High School (4400 Iowa Avenue NW) and Ward 5’s is on November 23 at 10:00 am at Luke C. Moore High School (1001 Monroe Street NE). OP recommends that residents work with their ANC commissioners so that the ANC can incorporate feedback into an ANC resolution. OP will respond to feeback received from ANC resolutions. Send your comments to your ANC by December 20. Some residents are already asking OP to extend the comment period (including some at the last ANC 5A meeting), but so far there is no indication that the comment period will be extended.

OP’s suggestions for ANC review:

  • Review Area Elements and sections of the Generalized Policy Map (GPM) and Future Land Use Map (FLUM) that correspond with the ANC’s Planning Area
  • Review Citywide Element Summaries
  • Consider dividing up review across ANC or with ANC’s land use or zoning committee
  • Attend Ward meeting to hear feedback from your constituents.
  • OP will share with ANCs a summary of feedback received during the Ward meetings
  • Upload ANC Resolutions by January 31 onto the ANC portal at resolutions.anc.dc.gov

Riggs Road/South Dakota Avenue Area Development Plan Implementation

One nice thing about the proposed updates to each of our planning areas is the very clear priority on implementing elements of the Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue Area Development Plan, our neighborhood’s area development plan (sometimes referred to as our small area plan). This is important. The plan was approved by the DC Council in 2009. The most recent implementation report is from 2016. You can see there is still lots to be done, which makes sense given the amount of development we anticipate in the next two to three years. One big achievement we did get is the startup of a Main Street for the corridor. That has already yielded big dividends in the less than one year that it has officially been operating. There are other pieces of the area development plan independent of development that could use some attention though, especially regarding the neighborhood’s open spaces.

The disadvantage in this neighborhood’s stratification between two planning area is evident in the updates to the Comp Plan. It seems as if OP cannot figure out what to call this area neighborhood (understandable). That aside, the update to the Upper Northeast Element (pages 36-38) mentions the area development plan in addressing what it calls the Fort Totten metro station area, but the actual policy recommendations in the area development plan are included only in the Rock Creek East Element update (pages 40-42). I suppose this was done to avoid duplication, but I am not sure it makes sense. It is not clear why only some of the policy recommendations from the area development plan made it into the Comp Plan update, so I would recommend that all of them be incorporated. The Upper Northeast Element update also adds “high-density” housing, office, and retail uses for the Fort Totten station metro area (p. 37), which is not consistent at all with the area development plan or the proposed future land use map or generalized policy map. In addition, I would also recommend highlighting the recommendations in the moveDC plan for our neighborhood, which were developed in 2014 after the area development plan was created, and which I wrote about in this post.

I do recommend that residents become familiar with the area development plan. You can read the executive summary here and the recommendations here. When I served as president of Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) from summer 2017 to summer 2019, I always referenced the plan whenever we submitted comments regarding any development project in the neighborhood. When budget season rolled around, we would use that plan to advocate for targeted dollars for this neighborhood. Each year, we should be advocating for our elected officials (ANCs, Council, and mayor) to support funding to implement elements of the plan. This is one area where I think the Main Street can be especially useful. Elected officials come and go, but having a consistent entity dedicated to improving the corridor naturally lends itself to making sure the area development plan stays at the top of everyone’s agenda.

Implementation of the area development plan is one clear item that we can have our ANCs address in a resolution, highlighting particular areas of the plan that still need to be addressed.

Ward 5 Works Industrial Land Transformation Study

OP also recommends priority in implementing recommendations of the Ward 5 Works Industrial Land Transformation Study. I wrote about that study in this post. As noted in that post, our neighborhood is more of a footnote in the report, but all areas of the city will be well-served by District officials actually taking steps to really address municipal planning, particularly for especially burdensome municipal functions. And certain recommendations for other areas of city could be useful for the land abutting the tracks in our neck of the woods from Fort Totten to Takoma. Given the focus on gaining statehood, it is really critical that District officials figure out how to house and carry out municipal functions in the District.

PROPOSED MAP AMENDMENTS

The Comp Plan has two maps, a Generalized Policy Map (GPM) and a Future Land Use Designation Map (FLUM). You can see the proposed GPM here. It is missing the Main Street for the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road Corridor. (maybe there needs to be an official designation, not sure). You can see the proposed FLUM here. The FLUM is not a zoning map; it provides an understanding of how development decisions should be made. The FLUM has been the subject of much debate particularly in the litigation that has challenged a number of development projects across the District. For this neighborhood, the proposed FLUM is pretty much consistent with what is contained in the area development plan. A few amendments to highlight below.

McDonald’s & Faith United Church of Christ

The Office of Planning is recommending approval of change in the FLUM for the McDonald’s property on South Dakota Avenue and Delafield Street NE (Square 3786, Lots 1 and 801) from low density commercial to moderate density commercial (see p. 78 responding to submission 2081). This change was requested by Holland & Knight, which represents the owner of the McDonald’s. The owner has been a frequent visitor to ANC 5A about this change, which is the only reason I am mentioning this here. Just down the street from the McDonald’s, Faith United Church had requested a change in the zoning designation for its property from low density residential/commercial to medium density residential/commercial. OP is not recommending approval of that change (see p. 62 responding to submission 1066). Faith United has tried more than once to build affordable housing, particularly for seniors, on their three-acre parcel of land. These efforts have been rebuffed by North Michigan Park residents over traffic and parking concerns. I have heard several long-time North Michigan Park residents laud the fact that there are no apartment buildings in that neighborhood. It is an interesting thing to be proud of (as opposed to being fine with having a new drive-thru in that area), particularly as there is this discussion about affordable housing. Anyways, perhaps OP’s rejection of the change to the FLUM for the church’s parcel will stop the church from trying to add multifamily housing to its property for a long time. We will see.

1st Place NE & Riggs Road NE

Moving north, OP is recommending change in the FLUM for the western side of 1st Place NE at Riggs Road from Parks, Recreation, and Open Space to Medium Density Commercial/Medium Density Residential (see p. 114, submission 9946).

Recommendations

I am still looking at the specifics of our neighborhood’s planning area updates as well as the updates for the major policy areas (transportation, housing, infrastructure, etc.). So far, here are my recommendations just for our planning area updates:

  1. Highlight the importance of implementing the neighborhood’s area development plan (with particular focus areas)
  2. Incorporate all of the policy recommendations from the area development plan
  3. Highlight important of Ward 5 Works Plan & to extent certain recommendations for other areas would be beneficial in our neighborhood (such as buffers and creative uses of industrial space), highlight those
  4. Highlight importance of moveDC plan with recommendations for our neighborhood
  5. Highlight importance of implementing the 2007 South Dakota Avenue Streetscape Study (Given that no District agency can find this study and that its status on the area development plan implementation report in 2016 is listed as future status, I am not sure this study has been implemented
  6. The General Policy Map needs to reflect the Main Street for the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road corridor
  7. Be clear that the area around Fort Totten metro station is designated for either medium or moderate density, not high density, noting importance of mitigating impacts to specifically the Riggs Park neighborhood.

This is just my take. What do people think of the major policy themes of the elements for this neighborhood–Upper Northeast and Rock Creek East. What feedback do you have for our ANC commissioners for them to incorporate into an ANC resolution?

October 23, 2019 ANC 5A Meeting Recap

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

The ANC did not have a quorum for its monthly public meeting on October 23, 2019, so this meeting became a discussion of general community issues. Commissioners present: Chair Ronnie Edwards (5A05), Emily Singer Lucio (5A03), and Gordon Fletcher (5A08).

Shawn Hilgendorf, Committee Director for the Committee on Facilities and Procurement chaired by At-Large Councilmember Robert White, is visiting ANC meetings throughout DC. Councilmember White is finishing up a series of roundtables with ANCs to hear what their needs are. A couple of pieces of legislation are pending, one to give ANCs great weight in tbe comprehensive plan review process and the other to provide support within the Office of ANCs for commissions as they assess development projects. Many ANCs are ill-equipped to effectively advocate for communities with respect to development projects in which developers are represented by attorneys, architects, and other experts, so the idea is to have staff with planning and other expertise within the Office of ANCs to provide support to commissioners. If you have thoughts or concerns you would like share about how the ANC is operating, you can email Mr. Hilgendorf at shilgendorf@dccouncil.us.

Rocketship Charter School and Social Justice Charter School were on the agenda again. The DC Public Charter School Board is scheduled to hold a vote on October 28 on Rocketship’s application to open a third campus near Fort Totten metro station. Without a quorum, the ANC could not vote on the application. Commissioner Edwards stated the ANC will hold a special meeting within the next two weeks. I suppose the ANC wants to have a vote even though any special meeting will have to be after the DCPCSB’s vote on October 28.

DC Water is performing upgrades to the Soldiers’ Home Reservoir, located at the intersection of Arnold Drive and Pershing Dirve, NW on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. See handout here. Estimated construction start date is late Octobet 2019 and estimated construction completion date is late December 2020. Golf course operations on the two affected airways will be limited during construction and the fairways will be restored after construction is done. For more information, contact DC Water Project Manager Willis Thomas at (202) 787-7616 or willis.thomas@dcwater.com.

MPD public safety report: There continue to be a lot of smash and grabs from cars. Seriously, do not leave anything in your cars. It will be taken and you will be left with a smashed window to repair. The T-Mobile has now been robbed of phones twice. Someone was robbed on South Dakota Avenue near the 7-11. Be aware of your surroundings especially as it is getting darker earlier.

Without a quorum, the ANC was not able to vote on its fiscal year 2020 budget, so the budget will be presented at a future meeting.

The November meeting is scheduled for Novemer 20, 2019, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

September 25, 2019 ANC 5A Meeting Recap

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on September 25, 2019. Jamaal Lampkin, who represented ANC 5A06, has resigned because he moved to Ward 7. An announcement about the election for that seat will be forthcoming. All other commissioners were present: Frank Wilds (5A01); Grace Lewis (5A02); Emily Lucio (5A03); Ronnie Edwards (5A05); Sandi Washington (5A07); Gordon Fletcher (5A08).

Public Safety

Usual news: Do not keep anything visible in cars. There has been an steady rash of car break-ins around 4th Street NE between Ingraham and Kennedy and 3rd and Kennedy, so do not leave anything valuable in your car. It does not appear that there are cameras in the area, so we will likely continue to see smashed windows for the foreseeable future. (Aside: My car window was smashed in early September and I had to pay $200 to have it replaced so do be careful about parking in that area).

MPD has a contact with DCRA, so if there is an abandoned building on your block that you have concerns about, contact Lt. Patrick Schaut at patrick.schaut@dc.gov. With respect to seemingly abandoned cars parked on the street, there is not much MPD can do if the car has valid registration. If it does not, MPD will contact DDOT. DDOT currently does not have enough space to tow and store abandoned vehicles though, so abandoned cars will continue to be left on the street.

MPD is undergoing its usual transition, so we might see new officers and leadership in the PSA soon.

Rocketship & Art Place at Fort Totten

Rocketship representatives returned with another presentation and answers to questions regarding the plan to open a campus at 3rd and Kennedy Street NE. They have increased the number of bike parking spaces to 30 short term spaces and 8 long-term spaces. They are coordinating with DDOT’s Safe Routes on a number of issues. The school will have a loading berth onsite. They anticipate having food deliveries in the mornings around 5:30 am and will work to have trash pickups just after morning rush. Also, the school plans to have a subtenant for just a few years.

As for the school’s interaction with the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten (Block B), there will be a construction entrance for Art Place off Kennedy Street and South Dakota Avenue. The developer of Art Place will seek to minimize construction deliveries during morning and afternoon peak hours and will have flagmen present to direct traffic. The developer will move up construction of a paved path at 3rd Street leading to the school to 2020. Previously, the developer agreed to pave that path as part of construction of Block B. The developer has also conducted further traffic analysis, which supports a full traffic signal at South Dakota Avenue and Ingraham Street NE. A HAWK signal at that location went online on September 26.

Commissioner Frank Wilds (5A01) gave an extended monologue about how terrible Rocketship is and requested that the ANC table the vote on whether to support Rocketship’s application. That led to some discussion with residents about whether this school is necessary and whether the ANC should support the school. Some residents believe neighborhood DCPS schools should be supported, while others look forward to having other options. The ANC agreed to table the vote. The DC Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB) will vote on Rocketship’s application on October 28. The ANC previously submitted a letter to DCPCSB requesting additional time to submit a response to Rocketship’s application. It is unclear when the ANC plans to vote on this issue and submit a recommendation to DCPCSB.

Social Justice School

There was not much time for representatives of the Social Justice School to do much more than introduce themselves and their school vision very briefly. See their presentation here and learn more about their school model here. The school does not expect the DCPCSB to schedule a hearing on its plans to open a middle school at the Rocketship campus until February 2020, so the school will return to the ANC at a later date.

McDonald’s

The owner of the McDonald’s located at South Dakota Avenue and Delafield Street NE returned to ask the ANC for an updated letter to reaffirm support for its map amendment request. The ANC had previously submitted a letter of support and voted to reaffirm that support. The owner wants to completely rebuild the McDonald’s with a drive-thru. The map amendment request will change the zoning to mixed-use, which will allow the owner to install a drive-thru as a matter of right apparently. The owner opted to stop pursuing a PUD with the belief that the map amendment process would be easier, but the map amendment process has not moved as quickly as the owner had hoped. The owner did say that McDonald’s corporate office wants to have a building completed in the next 12 months, so it is unclear how that timeline will work if the map amendment is not approved in time. They are still working on how exactly the traffic will flow for the drive-thru on the site, but they do know that the curb cut on South Dakota closest to Delafield will be removed.

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie’s Office

Silas Grant, Senior Advisor to Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, noted Councilmember McDuffie has introduced the Independent Compliance Office Establishment Act, which will create a new office to hold companies accountable for Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) and workforce requriements. The councilmember also introduced the Affordable PLACE Act, which will offer support for long-term, local businesses.

I asked the councilmember’s office for assistance with DDOT on a longstanding request for an additional “no parking” sign in the 400 block of Galloway NE. Mr. Grant recommended that the ANC draft a letter to DDOT requesting that this be made a priority.

Comissioner Grace Lewis (5A02) recommended to Mr. Grant that Councilmember McDuffie look into establishing a moratorium on new charter schools in Ward 5.

Miscellaneous

A resident recommended that the ANC hire an assistant to help the ANC with website updates and meeting notices. This has been recommended more than once, so hopefully the ANC will act on this recommendation.

Frank Wilds is chairing the Jack Evans legal defense committee: We need a new Commissioner

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

DCist reports that Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans has established a legal defense committee as he faces legal and ethics issues stemming from his business dealings as a councilmember. Frank Wilds, a Ward 5 resident who is also an ANC Commissioner representing ANC 5A01, is chairing that committee. According to DCist, Mr. Wilds had this to say about Councilmember Evans:

“Jack is a friend of mine for years, and that’s all I have to say about it,” says Wilds, declining to comment further. The day after this story was published, Wilds called back to add: “Sometimes you make a mistake and apologize and realize, ‘Hey, I made a mistake.’ And that’s what [Evans] did. I’ll say one thing—he’s been good for the city.”

Mr. Wilds is my commissioner. Mr. Wilds was also installed as a trustee for the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) in June 2019 to serve a two-year term. (Disclosure: My two-year term as LRCA president ended in June, and I am no longer affiliated with the organization).

I started drafting a post about how we in ANC 5A01 need a new commissioner before this latest news came out. I generally try to keep things positive on the blog because there are plenty of outlets for people to complain. But I did say in 2016 that someone really needs to run against Mr. Wilds.

So I am repeating my entreaty for those of you who live in ANC 5A01 who have ever thought to yourself, “Gee, is anyone doing anything about X?” or “Gee, I’d really like to get involved in my neighborhood.” Please consider serving. The next ANC election is in November 2020. ANC positions are nonpartisan for those who might be concerned about government jobs.

The boundaries of ANC 5A01 are Galloway Street NE to the south, the eastern side of South Dakota Avenue NE to the west, the southern side of Kennedy Street NE to the north, and Eastern Avenue NE to the east.

Rocketship Charter Application Meeting: Middle School Proposal & Traffic Study

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A, Education

The ANC meeting on Rocketship Charter School’s traffic study on September 10 was interesting. Three commissioners were present: Chair Ronnie Edwards (5A05) and Commissioners Sandi Washington (5A07) and Gordon Fletcher (5A08). The proposed school sits in Commissioner Fletcher’s single member district (SMD). The ANC realized they could not call the meeting a special meeting or even an official meeting because they only provided one day of notice, so the meeting turned into more of an informal discussion about the traffic study. This link is to Rocketship’s presentation and this link is to the traffic memo prepared for the school.

Comments on the school’s application to open a third campus in two existing warehouses at 3rd and Kennedy Street NE near Fort Totten metro station are due to the DC Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB) by September 16. DCPCSB will hold a public hearing on September 16 and vote on the application on October 28.

Middle School

Before we get to the traffic study, we have to talk about the surprise that Rocketship dropped on the ANC. Rocketship is exploring the possibility of a a subtenant. That information is in Rocketship’s application. What Rocketship did not spell out in its application is that the proposed subtenant is a middle school. Rocketship has always stated that it has a partnership with AppleTree Learning Center to provide pre-kindgerten instruction at Rocketship campuses, but Rocketship announced at the meeting that they signed a letter of intent with the Social Justice School to operate a middle school on the campus for three years. The Social Justice School’s charter application was approved by DCPCSB on June 3, 2019.

Rocketship said technically the Social Justice School will have to go through its own community engagement process, but Rocketship also said it still needs to talk to the DCPCSB about how the process will work given that Rocketship is seeking approval for its third campus and they want to lease part of the campus to the Social Justice School. Rocketship invited leadership of the Social Justice School to the meeting to introduce themselves, but given that this was a complete surprise to the ANC and the only thing on the agenda was Rocketship’s traffic study, the ANC opted not to have Social Justice School representatives speak at all. (An aside: DCPS is in the process of phasing out middle school grades at its education campuses so that elementary grades and middle school grades are on separate campuses. Consequentely, neighborhood elementary schools are now zoned for the new Ida B. Wells Middle School near the Coolidge Campus.)

Rocketship officials stated they knew they would have underutilized space on the campus and stated that they did not have any news about the middle school to share with the ANC previously. They stated that a leter of intent was signed with the Social Justice School only on Friday (I am assuming this means Friday, September 6 or maybe even August 30). Rocketship’s traffic study is dated August 27 and assumes the presence of a middle school on the campus. Their application for the new campus, which was submitted on August 2, states, “We expect to be able to meet the total cost of the lease by sharing the building with a possible sub-tenant. We have engaged in serious conversations with two prospective sub-tenants and expect to finalize a lettter of intent between both parties by mid-August 2019.” It is not clear if having a subtenant is absolutely essential to the financial viability of the new campus. It is not clear if Rocketship intends to have a subtenant only for the period of time in which they are growing their enrollment to full capacity, and once they reach their full capacity or close to full capacity (say after three or five years), the subtenant goes away. The ANC did not ask any of these questions.

Traffic Study

Turning to the traffic study, the study is based on the presence of pre-kindergarten, elementary, and middle school grades, specifically 120 AppleTree pre-K students, 440 Rocketship elementary students, and 160 middle school students. There will be around 74 faculty and staff.

There will be 17 vehicle parking spaces in a small lot near the front of the campus, with 10 spaces reserved for teachers/staff, five for visitors, and two for handicap accessbility. There will be 26 short-term bicycle spaces. The traffic memo states that under current zoning regulations, the school is required to have a minimum of 8 long-term bicycle spaces and 28 short-term bicycle spaces, so it is not clear why they landed on 26 short-term bicycle spaces. There is likely room for more.

The only vehicular access is via Kennedy Street. School officials will strongly encourage parents, students, faculty, and staff to use public transit, walk, and bike to the school. Faculty and staff will receive Smartbenefits. The traffic engineers anticipate many of the pre-kindergarten students will arrive by car and most of the older students and faculty and staff will use other means to get to campus. The traffic engineers said school officials can get students out of the cars in two minutes. Staff will be present to escort children into the school so that parents do not have to park and escort their children into the school. They anticipate having 15-minute parking limits for on-street spaces during peak hours for those parents who may wish to park briefly. They will also stagger start and dismissal times to avoid having everyone arrive and leave at the same time. School officials will also encourage carpooling.

Commissioner Washington noted there is not a left-turn signal for motorists who want to turn west onto Kennedy Street from South Dakota Avenue, so conceivably motorists waiting to turn could impact the flow of traffic to Riggs Road. There is also a public alley just east of the site that conceivably some parents might use to get to Kennedy Street to access the campus. There was a bit of back-and-forth discussion about having traffic control officers or crossing guards at intersections like South Dakota and Kennedy and who exactly would be responsible for working with DDOT on that. Rocketship does intend to work with DDOT, but also recommended that the ANC make the request to DDOT as well so that DDOT takes it seriously (I guess).

The two buildings at the top right of the image are the existing warehouses that will be renovated for Rocketship’s campus.
This image shows a basic site plan for the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten, bounded by Ingraham Street to the south, South Dakota Avenue to the east, Kennedy Street NE to the north, and the public alley to the west

The traffic study was largely based on current conditions, but Kennedy Street between South Dakota Avenue and 3rd Street will look much different in the next few years than it does today. Construction on the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten, which would sit right next to the campus, could begin at some point in the next one to two years. The Cafritz Foundation is the developer of Art Place at Fort Totten and also owns the warehouses that Rocketship is leasing for the school. I tried to find an image that would show the relation of the existing warehouses to the second phase as well as a general site plan for the second phase. If all goes according to plan, 4th Street between Ingraham and Kennedy will become a shared pedestrian/vehicular path. There will be a grocery store at the corner of South Dakota and Kennedy, a dog run near 4th and Kennedy, and truck loading for Art Place via 4th and Kennedy. Parking garage access will also be available via Kennedy Street. The traffic engineers believe most of these uses will not present conflicts during school peak hours and also believe the new parking garage may be useful for occassions in which the school might need additional parking.

Next Steps

Rocketship wants to begin construction renovating the interior of the existing warehouses soon after the DCPCSB vote on October 28, assuming the vote is in their favor. The ANC plans to reach out to DCPCSB to ask for an extension of time to file a report by the ANC. Given that the Board will not vote until October 28, the ANC and Rocketship seem to believe the ANC will have no problem getting additional time after September 16 to submit comments. It is not clear if the commissioners will attend the hearing on September 16 or what they plan to say if they do show up, or if they simply plan to file a comment with DCPCSB by September 16 saying they need more time. As previously mentioned, Rocketship stated they wanted to reach out to DCPCSB to get clarity on the process for the Social Justice School. It is not clear if that conversation has happened. I have been told the ANC has invited both Rocketship and the Cafritz Foundation to the next ANC meeting on September 25 to look at the bigger picture. So it seems as if this process is a bit convoluted at this point.

I have not seen the ANC present any standards by which it will evaluate whether to support Rocketship’s application. DCPCSB approved Rocketship’s initial charter application to open up to eight campuses in DC, conditioned on four factors:

(a) All previously authorized campuses have opened; (b) All operating DC campuses have PMF scores of at least 65 for the most recent year of reporting; (c) All operating DC campuses have early learning programs that are the equivalent of “tier 1” on the forthcoming EC PMF for the most recent year of reporting; and (d) There have been no material violations of the law and neither the school nor any of its campuses are under “charter warning” status by PCSB.”

There are a number of other conditions in the approval.

I asked a DCPCSB representative how they evaluate whether to approve a new campus and that representative stated they look at whether the school is operating according to its charter, whether its existing schools are meeting standards, and whether this is a need for another school. It is not clear to me whether the ANC has asked for information from Rocketship about the performance of its two existing campuses (Rise Academy and Legacy Prep). A quick glance at the schools’ PARCC scores show them to be in the middle range. It is not clear if the ANC has asked for information about the schools’ suspension and retention rates. It is not clear to me if the ANC has discussed with Rocketship how opening a new elementary and middle school campus will impact enrollment at traditional neighborhood schools. Rocketship’s application points to the long waiting list for highly ranked charter schools in Ward 5 as evidence of need. I am not sure if the ANC has asked Rocketship if Rocketship itself had long waiting lists for any of its campuses, including the initial Ward 5 campus that ending up getting scuttled. And again, unclear if the Rocketship needs to rely on a subtenant to make this campus work and what their plan is if the ANC objects to having a middle school on the campus.

Some have asked my opinion on this proposal or assumed that I am against this new campus for some reason, but I am actually mostly agnostic. The existing Rocketship campuses appear to be swimming in the middle of the pack, so a new campus will probably do fine. Residents will deal with the changes that are coming to the corridor. I do not have children and so I tell people I am just one resident with opinions about the way District officials have handled the charter school experiment. I do not have a favorable view of the DCPCSB but again that is largely a function of how District officials and Congress have chosen to handle the charter school experiment. Generally, my focus is more on having the ANC be a bit more thougtful in how it operates, read relevant documents, and ask critical questions in order to make informed decisions.

There is still time to share your thoughts with the ANC and file comments with DCPCSB. Stay tuned for updates from the ANC about the September 25th meeting.

TONIGHT September 10: ANC 5A Special Meeting – Rocketship Charter School

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

ANC 5A Special Public Meeting
September 10, 2019
6:45 pm
UDC-CC Backus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE
Topic: Rocketship Charter School Traffic Study

ANC 5A sent notice yesterday about a special meeting to discuss Rocketship Charter School’s traffic study. The school plans to open a campus at 3rd and Kennedy streets NE for the 2020-2021 school year. Comments on the school’s application to the DC Public Charter School Board are due September 16, 2019.

Events week of August 19, 2019: Main Street, Festivals, Farmstand, & Ribbon Cuttings

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A, Backus Urban Food Hub, Education, Main Street

August 21, 2019

The Parks Main Street Community Meeting
6:30 pm
Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center
501 Riggs Road NE
Hear survey results & ways the Main Street will utilize community input to help improve the Riggs Park commercial corridor.
Follow The Parks Main Street: 
Facebook (@TheParksMainStreet)
Twitter (@TheParksMainSt)
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ANC 5A Special Public Meeting
6:45 pm
UDC-CC Backus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE
Revised Agenda: (1) Wesley Housing Develpment; (2) Fort Totten Civic Association. Note it appears from the revised agenda that Rocketship will not attend this special meeting as they are awaiting traffic study results, but the agenda may change again.

August 23, 2019

Fridays at Fort Totten Concert Series: Deacon Izzy & the Congregation Band
6:00 pm-8:00 pm
South Dakota Avenue & Galloway Street NE
Bring a lawn chair for seating. Sponsored by On Tap Magazine and The Modern at Art Place

August 24, 2019

Bertie Backus Farmstand
10:00 am-2:00 pm
UDC-CC Backus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE

Explore! Children’s Museum August Festival
10:00 am-1:30 pm
The Modern at Art Place
400 Galloway Street NE
Free RSVP on eventbrite
Performance Schedule:
10:30-11:00 am: Story Time with Lamond-Riggs Children’s Librarian
11:15-12:00 pm: A Mad Science of DC Show: Up, Up and Away!
12:30-1:15 pm: District Dance Arts
From 10:00am-1:30pm:
Cowboy Barry’s Farm Petting Zoo
Face Painting by Fairy Jennabelle
Makerspace with District Dance Arts
Double Dutch from DC Retro Jumpers
Color with Luna from Adventures with Luna and Friends
The Uncle Devin Show’s Percussion Playground

Coolidge High School Renovation & Ida B. Wells Middle School Ribbon Cutting with Mayor Bowser
11:30 am
6315 5th Street NW
Free cookout & games for all ages

Rocketship Community Engagement Meetings

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A, Education

Rocketship is holding two more community meetings this week on its proposal to open a third campus near the Fort Totten metro station.

August 8, 2019
6:00 pm-7:30 pm
Library Tavern
5420 3rd Street NW

August 9, 2019
5:30 pm-7:00 pm
North Michigan Park Rec
1333 Emerson Street NE

Based on the timeline shared by Rocketship’s leadership, it is possible the DC Public Charter School Board will hold a public hearing on the proposal some time in September, possibly before the regularly scheduled ANC 5A meeting on the fourth Wednesday of September. I know Rocketship has asked the ANC about the possibility of holding a special ANC meeting to make sure residents receive a fuller presentation of the plans for the new campus before any public hearing. Recall Rocketship presented a high level overview of the Rocketship model and preliminary plans at the June 2019 ANC 5A meeting.

The proposed campus will be located in the single member district (SMD) of ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08). Commissioner Fletcher plans to hold an SMD meeting with a number of agenda items on August 12, 2019, at 6:30 pm at UDC-CC Backus, so he may provide additional information about the ANC’s plan for addressing Rocektship’s proposal for a new campus in the neighborhood then.

Please take advantage of these opportunities to learn about the plan for the new campus, meet the school’s leadership, and ask questions. If you have questions about their traffic plan, blended learning curriculum, disciplinary policy, approach to community engagement, impact on surrounding traditional public and public charter schools and the need for an additional charter school in the neighborhood, anything at all, now is the time to raise them.

June 26, 2019 ANC 5A Meeting Recap: CM McDuffie Satellite Office, Rocketship at Fort Totten, Wesley Housing, Providence Update, & More

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

ANC 5A packed the agenda for its meeting on June 26, 2019, the final meeting before the summer break. Isaiah Burroughs, who previously represented ANC 5A04, which covers Catholic University, has resigned because he graduated from Catholic in May. All other comissioners were present: Frank Wilds (5A01), Grace Lewis (5A02), Emily Lucio Singer (5A03), Ronnie Edwards (5A05), Jamaal Lampkins (5A06), Sandi Washington (5A07), and Gordon Fletcher (5A08).

ANC Business

Commissioners voted for Commissioner Singer (5A03) to replace Mr. Burroughs as the new secretary for the ANC.

The ANC wants to purchase “Do Not Litter” signs. Resident input on the issue was mixed, but it appears that the ANC is going to move ahead with the purchase. They are still researching the cost.

MPD Report

Lt. Patrick Schaut is new to MPD’s Fourth District. The best way to reach him is by email at patrick.schaut@dc.gov. Usual report: You can report tips anonymously via text at 50411. Take advantage of the camera voucher/rebate program. If you are buying and selling online, arrange pickup at a police station to be safe. The McDonald’s in the 4900 block of South Dakota Avenue NE was robbed in the early morning hours earlier this week.

Councilmember McDuffie Satellite Office at Luke C. Moore

Next week, Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie will open a satellite office at Luke C. Moore High School, located at 1001 Monroe Street NE. The satellite office will be open Tuesday and Thursday each week from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm (except next week when the office will be open on Friday July 5 instead of Thursday July 4). It will be staffed by Kelley Cislo, Silas Grant, and Jonathan McNair. If you have any issues, drop in. The office plans to set up a calendar so that residents can reserve 30-minute time slots.

Rocketship Fort Totten

The big presentation for the evening came from a team that is planning to open a Rocketship public charter school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in two older warehouse buildings owned by the Cafritz Foundation near Fort Totten metro (5450 3rd Street NE) in fall 2020. Some background: Recall we previously shared that the Cafritz Foundation intended to lease two older warehouse buildings located at 3rd and Kennedy Street NE to City Arts and Prep Public Charter School, which was then located in Edgewood. I only learned that information when I looked at the zoning case file for Art Place at Fort Totten and noticed a letter from the Foundation’s previous counsel asking the Zoning Administrator for confirmation that the developer could lease the two warehouse buildings to a charter school as a matter of right. I asked for updates about the charter school, did not get any, and was eventually told that City Arts was being shut down and that the Foundation was in negotiations to lease to a different school. City Arts did in fact close at the end of the 2018-2019 program year. Now, the Foundation is finalizing a lease with Rocketship, which is a national network of public charter schools that started out in California. The school is known for embracing “blended learning,” which incorporates online learning into the curriculum.

The school plans to open in phases, occupying one building in fall 2020 and eventually the second one in fall 2021. It will focus on STEAM, robotics, and foreign language. Rocketship partners with AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School to serve pre-kindergarten (PK3 and PK4) students at its locations, so the Fort Totten location will serve those grades as well. From what I recall of the presentation, their target enrollment for fall 2020 is 100 Rocketship students and 50 AppleTree students. They hope to eventually grow to 400 students. It is worth taking a look at the presentation to see what they are proposing for the Fort Totten location.

I asked the team about Rocketship’s failure to launch in Ward 5 last year, which was widely reported in local media. When I asked what has changed between last year and this year such that they believe they will successfully get off the ground at the Fort Totten location, they explained that there is new leadership leading the effort this time around. They also said the previous location they were seeking in Brookland was only going to be a temporary location while they looked for permanent space. Accordingly, they said their enrollment numbers were lower than they wanted, so they decided not to open and to focus on finding a permanent space. That explanation pretty much tracks what they said in their public statement last year. They plan to have a 35-year lease at the Fort Totten location so they are definitely committed to being part of the community for a long time.

They said Rocketship’s model is to open quality schools in underserved areas. There are three charter schools around the corner from the Fort Totten location, with another three or four public charter or traditional public elementary schools within a mile radius of the Fort Totten location. Rocketship currently operates two schools in DC, Rise Academy in Ward 7 and Legacy Prep in Ward 8.

The ANC meeting was the first stop on their community engagement tour, so look out for more community meetings after the summer break. By that point, their traffic study should be completed or just about, and the school will have a formal presentation on the design and other aspects of the school.

  • Rocketship design presentation

Wesley Housing

Wesley Housing representatives were back before the commission to share the concerns they have heard from the Fort Totten community about the proposal to replace an existing apartment building on a triangular island at Hawaii Avenue NE, Rock Creek Church Road NW, and Allison Street NW with a new building. The new building will consist of all income-restricted units just as the existing one. The existing building has 34 units, and Wesley initially planned 78 units in the new one. Some residents in that area feel that is too many. The existing building does not have any three-bedroom units. The planned building will have three-bedroom units and a decent number of two-bedroom units. District officials and residents always talk about the lack of affordable family size units in DC so this project will address that need.

Residents apparently also have concerns about the height of the proposed building. The existing building is three stories. The new one is planned to be five stories, with the fifth story set back. Residents have also asked if the developer can increase the number of the planned 12 parking spaces, which is the minimum required for the site. The current site does not have any parking spaces. Residents have also asked the developer to work out where the building’s entrance will be located because of concern that ride-hail vehicles will drop off residents and impede the flow of traffic on Hawaii, where the proposed entrance is located. Over the summer, the developer will continue to meet with the Fort Totten Civic Association and Commissioner Sandi Washington (5A07) to seek resolution on these issues before the Zoning Commission hearing, which is scheduled for September 16.

  • Aerial view of existing building
  • Aerial rendering of proposed new building

Providence Urgent Care and Caroll Manor Update

Due to the closure of Providence Hospital, Carroll Manor Nursing & Rehabilitation Center will begin operating as an affiliate of Ascension Living. Services will remain the same, but they do plan to renovate part of the nursing home facilities.

The urgent care facility at Providence will open July 9 in the former emergency department. A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for August 2. Business hours will be 8:00 am to 10:00 pm on weekdays and 8:00 am to 3:00 pm on weekends (including Sunday). Follow updates on the planned healthy village at www.providencehealthyvillage.org. Share feedback at communityrelationsdc@ascension.org.

Verizon

Verizon plans to install small cells (Class B installation) throughout the District to support its new 5G technology. One will be located near Riggs Road NE and Blair Street NE.

Aggregate Industries

Aggregate Industries has operated in Fort Totten since 1957. The company has a corporate giving policy for giving away concrete to worthy projects, such as installing handicap access ramps at homes for residents in need. If you have any ideas in mind, please contact them.

Student Seeking Interviews About Providence Hospital Closure

Blake Coleman, a 16-year-old student in the neighborhood, is seeking to interview residents about the impact of Providence Hospital’s closure. Contact her at bcoleman@cathedral.org.

DC MicroTransit

DC is operating a new shared shuttle service called DC MicroTransit in parts of Northeast and Northwest DC thanks to a federal grant. The original boundaries have expanded since the launch of the service earlier this month. New boundaries: Georgia Avenue (west), Florida Avenue (south), Eastern Avenue (east), and Bladensburg Road (south). Service is free until September 30, 2019. After that each ride will cost $3.00. Download the MicroTransit app or call (202) 398-0500.

Free Summer Meals

DC is offering free summer meals at neighborhood libraries and recreation centers throughout DC.

ANC 5A February 27, 2019 Meeting Recap

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

Updated 3/7/2019 with a note from Commissioner Emily Singer Lucio

ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on February 27, 2019. Commissioners present: Grace Lewis (5A02); Emily Singer Lucio (5A03); Isaiah Burroughs (5A04); Ronnie Edwards (5A05); Jamaal Lampkins (5A06); Sandi Washington (5A07); Gordon Fletcher (5A08).

Providence Hospital

Representatives from Providence Hospital Services, Inc. (PHS) returned to the ANC to ask for a letter of support for its certificate of need application. Recall that PHS is the entity that is seeking to continue providing primary care services on the Providence campus after April 30, 2019. PHS now needs its own certificate of need because it previously operated under the license of Providence Hospital, which is closing. The PHS representatives also noted that Providence is seeking a separate certificate of need to operate an urgent care facility on the campus.

Amha Selassie, DC State Health Planning and Development Director with DC’s Department of Health (DOH), explained that entities need to file a notice of intent to apply for a certificate of need with DOH and inform ANCs. He stated that entities are not required to get a letter of ANC support, but a letter may be helpful to the application. There was a long discussion by ANC 5A Chair Ronnie Edwards (5A05) about the fact that neither Ascension (which owns Providence Hospital and PHS) nor PHS saw fit to discuss its plans with Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie. Mr. Selassie said that entities are not required to notify affected ward councilmembers.

DOH plans to issue a decision on the certificate of need (for primary care services) around March 20, so PHS wants a letter of support from ANC 5A by March 7. The ANC agreed to provide a letter of support on the conditions that (1) the ANC receives a copy of the letter of support submitted by ANC 8D (not sure why the commissioners wanted to see this letter) and (2) PHS reaches out to CM McDuffie’s office to discuss its application.

Finally, Commissioner Emily Singer Singer (5A03) stated she will hold an SMD meeting with PHS, Mundo Verde Public Charter School (which has been seeking to relocate to 8th and Varnum NE near the Providence campus and apparently wants to use some of the newly available Providence campus space), and EYA (which is developing the St. Josephite campus across the street from Providence but is also apparently interested in developing a project on the Providence campus as well). So if you live in that SMD or you have interest in what kind of development will be taking place at Providence, contact Commissioner Lucio for the date of that meeting.

Update 3/7/2019: We received the following note from Commissioner Lucio, which she states more accurately characterizes her remarks:

Commissioner Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) is currently in communication with PHS, Mundo Verde Public Charter School and EYA to discuss the larger impacts to that area as it relates to all future development in that area.  As a part of those discussions, Mundo Verde recently held a meeting with neighbors to discuss traffic issues.  As it relates to the overall developmental impacts to this area and as interested neighbors, EYA and Mundo Verde are interested in hearing further from PHS about their future plans. EYA has made no plans to use the PHS space.

Wesley Housing

Wesley Housing was back for the same conversation regarding a curb cut application for a proposed development project that will replace the existing apartment building at 1 Hawaii Avenue NE with a new building with more units. Recall the ANC previously considered this issue at a special meeting on January 7, and again with the developer present on January 30, and expressed confusion around being asked to consider pieces of the project before being briefed on the project as a whole. For the third time, the ANC repeated its desire to consider the project as a whole. Wesley Housing stated they would find out from DDOT what happens to the curb cut application if the ANC decides not to act on it. Other commissioners and residents asked if the developer considered putting in a second curb cut so that there would be more than one entrance/exit for the project. A resident recommended a U-shaped entrance to provide better flow. All of these suggestions pointed to the need to have a view of the entire project, rather than considering the curb cut separately. In any event, Wesley Housing will return to the ANC in March to finally present on the entire project.

Right Care, Right Now Update

DC Fire & EMS is making the rounds to update residents about its Right Care, Right Now pilot program to triage 911 medical calls so that only calls that are medical emergencies are picked up by ambulances. View the handout here. The conversation turned to how other hospitals in the District and even Prince George’s County are working together to absorb emergencies that can no longer be accommodated by Providence. It is a real issue that District officials are working to address.

UDC Equity Imperative

Last year, the ANC supported UDC’s “Equity Imperative” campaign to secure more funding. A UDC representative returned to get ANC support again this year. View the handout here. This time though, the ANC questioned how UDC plans to spend the additional funding if it is received. Commissioner Sandi Washington (5A07) questioned whether the additional funding would be spent on administrator and faculty salaries. The representative from UDC was not prepared to answer that question but promised to provide a response in order for the ANC to provide its support.

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie Report

Councilmember McDuffie’s office stated they continue to work with Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) to replace the lights on the pedestrian path west of Fort Totten metro station. The path is on National Park Service property so that is making the process a little more cumbersome.

Mayor Bowser will submit her proposed budget to the Council on March 20. There will be budget hearings after that to provide an opportunity for residents to advocate for items in the budget.

Miscellanous

I recommended that the ANC hire an administrative assistant to take care of things like sending out timely meeting notices, updating the ANC 5A website so that it has accurate, useful information, and generally keeping residents informed about what’s happening in the ANC. The commissioners are volunteers and they are busy people. The ANC has plenty of money in its budget to pay someone $15/hour for 10 hours of work each week or however much time to take care of administrative tasks. Commissioner Edwards stated the ANC would look into it.

Looks like the March meeting will be jam-packed. DDOT Director Jeff Marootian is scheduled to attend and there will be presentations on the Wesley Housing development as well as the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten.

ANC 5A January 30, 2019 Meeting Recap: Providence, Wesley Housing, & South Dakota Ave. Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 5A

ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on January 30, 2019. Five commissioners were present for a quorum: Frank Wilds (5A01); Emily Lucio (5A03); Ronnie Edwards (5A05); Sandi Washington (5A07); Gordon Fletcher (5A08).

Providence Health Services

Providence Health Services Flyer

Providence took up most of the discussion time. The long and short of it is that Providence Hospital is ending its emergency and acute care services on April 30, 2019, as has been widely discussed. What has been less discussed is that Providence intends to continue providing primary and outpatient behavorial health care, as noted in this press release from December 2018, through an entity called Providence Health Services (PHS). Primary care services include internal medicine, family medicine, and geriatric services. A pediatric clinic and outpatient behavorial health services are provided on the campus by separate entities and will continue operating. Carroll Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation center will also remain in operation on the campus. PHS representatives explained that PHS is a group of practitioners providing primary care services under the license of Providence Hospital. PHS would like to continue providing primary care services once the hospital closes, but in order to do so it needs its own certificate of need (or license) from DC’s Department of Health (DOH). PHS stated they receive the majority of their patients from Wards 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8, so they are visiting the ANCs in those wards to show DOH that it has done outreach to those communities to explain that it is seeking a certificate of need to continue providing services.

Providence Hospital and Providence Health Services are both owned by Ascension (one resident noted Providence should have brought a flow chart to show the corporate structure). The PHS representatives repeatedly stated that Ascension is committed to continue providing primary services via PHS. Commissioners and residents alike questioned why anyone should trust what Ascension says given the lack of candor and communication around the closure of services at Providence Hospital. Residents noted that Providence’s messaging about what services are closed and which ones will remain open has been lacking and inconsistent throughout this transition process. PHS committed to communicating with Commissioner Lucio (5A03), who represents the area in which the hospital is located, to keep residents informed about the transition.

(Aside: The day after the ANC meeting, Providence issued a news release stating it is seeking a certificate of need to provide urgent care services on the campus. Then a new banner explaining that primary care services will continue to be provided was prominently featured on the website, though the link to the content in that banner appears to be broken.)

Providence website updated February 1, 2019

Wesley Housing

Wesley Housing was back before the ANC to receive approval for its curb cut application that is pending with the District Department of Tranportation’s public space committee. As explained previously, Wesley Housing wants to move the existing curb cut on Rock Creek Church Road NW to Allison Street NW. The issue is that they applied for the curb cut at the same time that they applied for approval to replace the entire apartment building with a new one with more units, a separate planned unit development (PUD) process that will need to be approved by DC’s Zoning Commission. This project is also contingent on receiving financing from the District Department of Housing and Community Development. The developer will present on the proposed development at a later date, but anticipates that with all of the required regulatory processes, construction will not start until 2021.

Wesley Housing explained last night that they filed the curb cut and PUD applications concurrently on the advice of DDOT and that they do not plan to put in the desired curb cut before the new development is constructed. The developer wants the curb cut on Allison Street for the new project because they plan to build a below-grade garage, having the cut on Allison will enable them to build out a terrace overlooking Rock Creek Church, they do not want to back up traffic on Rock Creek Church, and Allison is a one-way street so it will be easier for vehicles to maneuver turns into and out of the driveway.

When commissioners continued to express that it makes no sense for the commission to consider a curb cut application separate and apart from the proposed development itself, Wesley Housing’s representative stated that ANCs should prepare themselves to see other developers file these types of concurrent applications because developers seem to think this approach could reduce the amount of time it takes projects to get approved.

The ANC again tabled a vote on the curb cut application stating it does not make sense for them to be considering items piecemeal for a project on which they have not been briefed and that might not be approved. The ANC plans to reach out to DDOT to figure out why DDOT thinks this makes sense. The ANC will once again consider a special meeting, tentatively scheduled for February 20, to discuss and possibly vote on the curb cut issue. A hearing on the curb cut application is scheduled for February 28.

South Dakota Avenue Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Riggs Park resident David Kosub presented on pedestrian safety improvements at South Dakota Avenue and Ingraham Street NE, for which residents are requesting the ANC’s support in the form of a resolution.

Mr. Kosub highlighted the problems pedestrians face (with video footage, apologies from Mr. Kosub for the brief curse word), outlined the actions residents have taken to date to address the issues, and encouraged the ANC to support a resolution to enhance pedestrian safety. (Mr. Kosub previously wrote about these issues on this blog here, here, and here). The specific community concerns that the resolution seeks to address include:

  • Issue for public safety and well-being
  • Should not fear crossing the street
  • Vehicular traffic regularly fails to stop for pedestrians
  • Inadequate signage on South Dakota for pedestrian crossings
  • Unclear why the most appropriate path to the metro station (Ingraham) remains unsignalized
  • Anxious issue will go unaddressed and become worse due to inaction

The draft resolution requests that the District Department of Transportation:

  • Continue engaging with the Commission and residents to identify all hazardous locations for pedestrians along the South Dakota Ave corridor from Riggs Road to Galloway Street NE
  • Install a traffic signal at the intersection of Ingraham Street NE with South Dakota Ave NE (as originally discussed in the Planned Unit Development for the Art Place at Fort Totten project reviewed by the District Department of Transportation, Case #06-10)
  • Expedite remedies for the South Dakota Avenue NE intersections with Ingraham St NE and Jefferson St NE to improve pedestrian safety
  • In the absence of a signalized intersection at Ingraham Street NE and South Dakota Ave NE, install static signage (including Pedestrian Crossing, Yield, Radar announcements, etc.) for pedestrian crossings with red flashing lights
  • Improve lighting on the entire South Dakota Avenue NE Corridor from Riggs Road NE to Galloway Street NE, particularly at intersections so that drivers can see and stop for pedestrians waiting to use crosswalks
  • Investigate the timing of signalization lights along the South Dakota Avenue NE corridor to identify a potential strategy to reduce speeding and red light running

(Disclosure: I had a hand in contributing to the resolution)

The resolution notes that these action items are consistent with the District’s Vision Zero goals as well as the neighborhood’s small area plan. Several residents spoke up in favor of the pressing need for ANC as well as Council support for getting these improvements done, as residents have been working to resolve these issues since November 2017.

Most of the commissioners acknowledged that crossing South Dakota Avenue is an issue and were generally supportive. Commissioner Wilds, who represents the area in which this is an issue, stated that having a traffic signal at Ingraham would delay motorists; he generally seemed confused about which streets lead directly to Fort Totten metro station; and he seemed to seriously dispute residents and commissioners alike that motorists speed down South Dakota Avenue. When it came time for the ANC to vote on the draft resolution, Commissioner Wilds abstained. When asked why he was abstaining, he stated that he had not been invited to the community brainstorming session held in December 2018. Mr. Kosub stated he invited Commissioner Wilds to that meeting in person and via email. The four other commissioners present–Commissioners Lucio (5A03), Edwards (5A05), Washington (5A07), and Fletcher (5A08)–all voted to support the sense of the draft resolution with the goal of finalizing a resolution for presentation to DDOT.

Miscellaneous

The commission agreed to work with a resident that requested the ANC to work with the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions to correct the official record that discusses when the first commissioners were elected and who served when in the early years of the ANCs. The resident identified some errors in the record with respect to Ward 5 ANCs so he stated there are probably others and he believes it is important for the record to be accurate.

Representatives from Mundo Verde spoke briefly about the school and its continued desire to expand to a campus at 8th and Varnum NE. The school has presented several times before the commission.

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie is holding a Ward 5 Budget Engagement Forum on February 13, 2019, at 6:30 pm at Luke C. Moore High School (1001 Monroe Street NE).

Councilmember McDuffie is working with the ANC to explore a liquor license moratorium for North Michigan Park. The ANC protested a liquor license for Pax Liquor, which is seeking to open a liquor store in North Michigan Park. A hearing on that liquor license application was held on January 16, 2019. Commissioner Edwards said he expects a decision within 60 days from the date of the hearing.

The ANC voted to seek bids for cameras for the ANC office that is located inside UDC-CC Backus. Commissioners believe someone is using supplies that belong to the ANC without authorization because the ANC’s copier broke and its supplies have been depleted.