Social Justice School (5450 Third Street NE) plans to renovate the vacant warehouse next to its current location (next to Fort Totten Metro Station)
Other topics of interest to the neighborhood
Please attend the meeting if possible, and also feel free to email Commissioner Bocoum at 5a09@anc.dc.gov if you have an opinion about the school’s plans or have any other topics that you would like added to the agenda.
ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on February 26, 2025. Commissioners present: Timothy Thomas (5A02) – Vice Chair; Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – Chair & Secretary; Derrick Holloway (5A06); Elaine Alston (5A08); Shelagh Bocoum (5A09) – Treasurer. ANC 5A01, 5A05, and 5A07 are vacant. The Board of Elections certified the election of Jack Hermes to fill the vacant ANC 5A04 seat on February 28.
Commission Business
There are still vacant seats for ANC 5A01, 5A05, and 5A07.
ANC 5A has a balance of $103,095.69 in the bank. No official treasurer’s report given.
Ward 5 Mayor’s Office Report
Ward 5 MOCR Manager Anthony Black could not attend, so he gave information for Commissioner Lucio to share. The mayor’s office held a budget forum at Rosedale Recreation Center on February 27 at 5:30 pm. Spring registration for DPR programs opens soon, so plan ahead by setting up an account. Aquatics registration opens on March 11. All other programs open March 12. Find info at dprprograms.com.
The Ward 5 MOCRs hold Ward days on Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 am-3 pm when they can come out to hear concerns from commissioners and residents.
Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School (Jose Sousa, Chair, Board of Directors) (5A05)
Washington Yu Ying’s new building opened at 4350 1st Street NE on January 2, 2025, at the old Kirov Academy. This campus serves prek3, prek4, and kindergarten. The existing Taylor Street NE campus serves grades 1-5.
The school is working with DDOT to address dropoff/pickup and traffic issues around the new campus. The school has a walking school bus for parents with children at both campuses. The school is using spaces at Archbishop Carroll for overflow teacher parking. School officials will continue to meet with the community to refine plans.
There is no ANC commissioner for this area. Questions/concerns may be sent to leadership@yuying.org.
Washington Latin Public Charter School) (Peter Anderson, Head of Schools/CEO) (5A05)
Construction is underway for Washington Latin’s new building at the old Kirov Academy. They expect to move into the new building summer 2025. Kashiffa Roberts will be the principal.
The high school will occupy the renovated building. The middle schools will occupy the new wing. They anticipate that the older students will use public transportation to get to school.
The buildings will have a fence with a gate that is closed during school days. The gate will be open during dropoff/pickup.
Representatives stated they have been letting teachers know that there is very little parking for teachers at the campus, and they have encouraged teachers to find alternative ways to get to the campus.
They said the school sees itself as a community resource.
They would like an exception to do construction on holidays to make up construction time because of the winter weather this season. An SMD meeting was scheduled for March 6 to discuss the exception.
There is no ANC commissioner for this area. Questions may be directed to communication@latinpcs.org or 202-209-2195.
Wesley Housing 1 Hawaii Avenue NE Project (Joe Nelson; Grant Koehl) (5A06)
Wesley Housing broke ground on the 1 Hawaii Avenue NE project in July 2024. They are targeting LEED platinum certification. They expect move-ins by February 2026.
They are requesting an exception to do construction on DC Emancipation Day and on Memorial Day to get construction back on schedule and to avoid working on weekends. Sandi Washington, president of the Fort Totten Civic Association and former ANC commissioner, asked to work with ANC Commissioner Derrick Holloway (5A06) on the request and to schedule a virtual single member district (SMD) meeting. Ms. Washington said she would not support working on Emancipation Day, so she suggested they look at a different holiday. (Note: This project was in ANC 5A07 before Census redistricting. Ms. Washington was the commissioner at that time. Now the project is in ANC 5A06).
Commissioner Alston (5A08) asked about internship opportunities for high school students. In response, the team said that their contractor Davis Construction already had plans to have the local high school focused on trades visit the site.
McDonald’s Rebuilding Update (Eileen Seeburger, Construction Area Manager; Christian Mercado Ribertt) (5A08)
The McDonald’s team received their final building permit to begin the process for rebuilding the restaurant located at 4950 South Dakota Avenue NE with a drive-thru. The Gavignano family bought the restaurant in May 2024. The restaurant closed on March 1, 2025. The goal is to reopen in August 2025.
Eileen Seeburger is the area construction manager. She can be reached at eileen.seeburger@us.mcd.com or 215-206-5386 for construction-related emergencies.
The crosswalk on Delafield will close (unclear when). Notice of 72 hours is required before closing a sidewalk. They are still looking at using Faith United Church for parking for construction workers.
The restaurant will have 22 seats with two kiosks for ordering. Commissioner Alston stated she was disappointed in how few seats there will be, stating that this is a community gathering place. Ms. Seeburger stated that design, seating, and other decisions are dictated by McDonald’s headquarters in Illinois. Ms. Seeburger stated that McDonald’s did do a seating audit, but she did not say what the audit found.
In response to my question about how the team plans to communicate construction updates, the team did not have an answer. The owner said everything has to go through headquarters and that it is hard to get a hold of headquarters to approve content for release. All of these non-answers made Commissioner Tim Thomas (5A02) a bit exercised, and he suggested that the ANC work to get a stop work order. Ms. Seeburger stated that no work had started to be stopped.
(Aside: This is why the majority of residents opposed this drive-thru plan, because it was clear that this was all driven by people in Illinois who had no concern for the experience of pedestrians around the location. The ANC, NMPCA, OP, and ZC all shrugged and accepted McDonald’s fictitious account of why a drive-thru was necessary. At every meeting this new team has attended, they have not been able to answer very simple questions. It’s all very strange).
Lots of questions were not answered. As a result, Chair Lucio asked McDonald’s to come back for a special meeting tentatively scheduled for March 13 to provide a more comprehensive presentation with a communications plan. (Note: On March 6, the ANC distributed an email stating that a special meeting will not take place and that any questions should be directed to Commissioner Alston at 5A08@anc.dc.gov).
Lots is happening around the neighborhood. Make sure you are on the distribution list for your neighborhood and advisory neighborhood commission (ANC) for meeting notices and updates.
Also, other elected officials and District government agencies have email lists to which you can subscribe if you like getting lots of information in your inbox. The mayor and council all have active social media accounts if that is your jam.
ANC 4B meets at 7:00 pm the 4th Monday of each month except July, August, and December.
ANC 4B does a nice job of posting meeting notices & information on its website at http://anc4b.org. You can subscribe to ANC 4B’s email list via the ANC’s website.
ANC 4B also has several committees. Meeting notices for those committees are posted on the ANC’s website.
ANC 5A meets the 4th Wednesday of each month except July & August.
To join ANC 5A’s email list, fill out the form on ANC 5A’s website at https://anc5a.org.
Individual commissioners have their own distribution lists as well, so I recommend reaching out to your commissioner to find out if they have a single member district (SMD) distribution list. Find your ANC/SMD. Find contact information for your commissioner: ANC 4B; ANC 5A.
I know that these commissioners have SMD distribution lists:
Commission Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – email 5A03@anc.dc.gov
Councilmember Zachary Parker also distributes a weekly newsletter. Sign up at ward5.us/newsletter. He also produces a weekly podcast called The Ward 5 Wave. A recent podcast featured Riggs Park neighbor Sia Barbara Kamara, a volunteer coordinator of the monthly mobile market at Faith United Church who has a remarkable life story.
DC At-large Councilmembers & DC Council Chair
Each of the DC At-large Councilmembers and DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson distribute a newsletter. I think it is helpful to also follow the councilmembers who chair committees that interest you, for example the committee on transportation, committee on business & economic development, etc.
If you find yourself often having questions about certain District government agencies, it is a good idea to subscribe to the distribution lists for those agencies. Visit mayor.dc.gov to subscribe to newsletters and email updates for Mayor Bowser as well as a long list of District government agencies. You can also subscribe to individual agency newsletters by visiting the agency’s website. For example, DDOT distributes a weekly construction update newsletter that includes notice of sidewalk and street paving locations.
DC mayor office liaisons (known as MOCRs) typically have a distribution list. There is regular turnover in the MOCR office, as each MOCR typically serves around two years. Reach out to your Ward 4 or Ward 5 MOCR to be added to their list.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)
The police department has a google group for the Fourth District. MPD 4D Sector 2 (which covers the neighborhood) meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Reach out to Officer Robert Hamrick for more information at robert.hamrick@dc.gov.
Nominating petitions for vacant ANC 4B and ANC 5A seats will be available starting February 18, 2025. They will be due by 4:45 pm on March 10, 2025. Instructions on running for vacant ANC seats are on the DC Board of Elections website.
ANC 4B still has one vacancy for 4B04.
ANC 5A still has three vacancies: 5A01, 5A05, and 5A07.
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.
Screenshot of ANC 5A budget presented at meeting.
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.
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.
III. Office Vacancy Declaration-ANC 5A01, 5A04, 5A05, 5A07
IV. Election & Swearing in of Officers Anthony Hood
III. Agenda Review/Acceptance
IV. Minutes for Approval (November Special Meeting 2024 and November 2024 Monthly Meeting)
IV. Commission Business A. Meeting Announcements (Mailchimp and Website) B. Single Member District Meetings as desired C. Meeting Format- In-person or virtual D. Website- Commissioner information and Notices E. Office Space options F. Treasurer Report A. Budget B. ANC Security Fund C. Bank requirements D. Approval of Q1 FY25 Quarterly Financial Report E. Business Cards, phones and keys G. Proposed Meeting Calendar
V. Community Updates B. Mayor’s Office C. Councilmember Parker’s office
VII. Community Comment Period
VIII. Next Meeting: February 26, 2025
IX. Adjourn
Commissioners will be let into the meeting room first.
Petitions for ANC vacancies are available starting today January 13, 2025. Petitions are due by 4:45 pm on February 3, 2025.
—
With the start of the new year comes the start of a new term for the city’s advisory neighborhood commissioners.
ANC 4B needs one commissioner for ANC 4B04 (Takoma) to have a full commission.
Map of ANC 4B04 boundaries from DC Board of Elections.
ANC 5A still has a lot of vacancies that need to be filled, including one covering part of the Riggs Park neighborhood. Four of ANC 5A’s nine seats are vacant:
5A01 (Riggs Park)
5A04 (Catholic University)
5A05
5A07 (west of Fort Totten Park, south of Riggs Road)
Each ANC commissioner represents a single member district (SMD) of approximately 2,000 residents for a two-year term. ANC 5A has a monthly public meeting typically the fourth Wednesday of each month, except in July and August. There is also typically a monthly executive (planning) meeting.
Elected and agency officials often rely on ANCs to help get things done. Having a seat remain vacant for a long period of time can be disadvantageous to residents. So, think about it. Thanks in advance for serving.
ANC 5A01
Map of ANC 5A01 boundaries from DC Board of Elections.
ANC 5A01 includes UDC’s Lamond-Riggs campus (including food hub) and the Lamond-Riggs Library. This is my SMD. I am not going to run for this seat. I think it is a nice manageable area. Big-ticket items for this area include UDC’s renovation of the Lamond-Riggs campus and a couple of transportation projects.
ANC 5A04
Map of ANC 5A04 boundaries from DC Board of Elections.
ANC 5A04 primarily covers Catholic University. Catholic has its fair share of projects going on. The area also abuts some of the large development projects happening in the Edgewood/Brookland areas. In the past, Catholic officials have assisted in getting a student to run. Hopefully they will do that again this year.
ANC 5A05
Map of ANC 5A05 boundaries from DC Board of Elections.
ANC 5A05 includes a mix of apartments, single family homes, and a few large institutions. The big-ticket items in this SMD include the ongoing construction of new campuses for Yu Ying and Washington Latin public charter schools, the protracted (non)development of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and a couple of transportation projects.
ANC 5A07
Map of ANC 5A07 boundaries from DC Board of Elections.
ANC 5A07 is the area just west of Fort Totten Park, south of Riggs Road NE. This seat was vacant for much of the previous term. It would be great to have someone fill this seat for the full term. The area includes National Park Service parkland, a few apartment buildings and single-family homes, the Metropolitan Branch Trail, Impact DMV Church, and a few public charter schools plus Mary’s Center. One of the big-ticket items is the forever stalled Metro redevelopment of the large parking lot at Fort Totten Metro station. Generally though, there are a lot of Metro property and NPS issues for which it would be nice to have a dedicated ANC representative to work with Metro and elected officials. Also, an affordable housing development is slated for the corner of Riggs Road & 1st Place NE.
With the start of the new year comes the start of a new term for the city’s advisory neighborhood commissioners. ANC 5A still has a lot of vacancies that need to be filled, including one covering part of the Riggs Park neighborhood. Four of ANC 5A’s nine seats are vacant:
5A01 (Riggs Park)
5A04 (Catholic University)
5A05
5A07 (west of Fort Totten Park, south of Riggs Road)
Each ANC commissioner represents a single member district (SMD) of approximately 2,000 residents for a two-year term. ANC 5A has a monthly public meeting typically the fourth Wednesday of each month, except in July and August. There is also typically a monthly executive (planning) meeting.
Elected and agency officials often rely on ANCs to help get things done. Having a seat remain vacant for a long period of time can be disadvantageous to residents. So, think about it. Thanks in advance for serving.
ANC 5A01
Map of ANC 5A01 boundaries from DC Board of Elections
ANC 5A01 includes UDC’s Lamond-Riggs campus (including food hub) and the Lamond-Riggs Library. This is my SMD. I am not going to run for this seat. I think it is a nice manageable area. Big-ticket items for this area include UDC’s renovation of the Lamond-Riggs campus and a couple of transportation projects.
ANC 5A04
Map of ANC 5A04 boundaries from DC Board of Elections
ANC 5A04 primarily covers Catholic University. Catholic has its fair share of projects going on. The area also abuts some of the large development projects happening in the Edgewood/Brookland areas. In the past, Catholic officials have assisted in getting a student to run. Hopefully they will do that again this year.
ANC 5A05
Map of ANC 5A05 boundaries from DC Board of Elections
ANC 5A05 includes a mix of apartments, single family homes, and a few large institutions. The big-ticket items in this SMD include the ongoing construction of new campuses for Yu Ying and Washington Latin public charter schools, the protracted (non)development of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and a couple of transportation projects.
ANC 5A07
Map of ANC 5A07 boundaries from DC Board of Elections
ANC 5A07 is the area just west of Fort Totten Park, south of Riggs Road NE. This seat was vacant for much of the previous term. It would be great to have someone fill this seat for the full term. The area includes National Park Service parkland, a few apartment buildings and single-family homes, the Metropolitan Branch Trail, Impact DMV Church, and a few public charter schools plus Mary’s Center. One of the big-ticket items is the forever stalled Metro redevelopment of the large parking lot at Fort Totten Metro station. Generally though, there are a lot of Metro property and NPS issues for which it would be nice to have a dedicated ANC representative to work with Metro and elected officials. Also, an affordable housing development is slated for the corner of Riggs Road & 1st Place NE.
ANC 5A held its public meeting on November 20, 2024. Commissioners present: Duvalier Malone (5A01); Karlus Cozart (5A02) – Parliamentarian; Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – Vice Chair, Secretary; Gordon Fletcher (5A08) – Chair; Shelagh Bocoum (5A09) – Treasurer. ANC 5A06 and 5A07 are vacant.
Commission Business
The ANC approved a Fiscal Year 2025 budget. Chair Fletcher stated the annual report is due on December 1, 2024, so he is asking each commissioner to submit a list of activities in their respective single member district (SMD).
Husband/wife team Susan and William Webster want to open a wellness center/pharmacy that will be a medical marijuana dispensary at 4942 South Dakota Avenue NE (in the strip mall next to the McDonald’s). A representative from DC’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) attended the meeting. As discussed at the October ANC meeting, Jubileaf received a conditional license as a social equity applicant. The ABCA rep stated that the Websters have not submitted their location and other information necessary for ABCA to issue them a placard in order to have a hearing.
Jubileaf has a signed lease for their location, but they were mistaken about the steps needed to move forward. They have to submit their location information as a first step for ABCA to determine if the location is appropriate (not too close to schools, etc.). Until they submit all of the required information, there is nothing for the ANC to vote on because the ANC vote has to occur within a certain timeframe of the placard. ABCA does not accept early protests.
Commissioner Fletcher said the Jubileaf team attended his and Commissioner Bocoum’s joint SMD meeting on November 18. Apparently, at that meeting people asked Jubileaf for renderings, a security plan, community benefits, and property beautification plans. Commissioner Fletcher said he talked to the property owner who said that he was aware of Jubileaf’s beautification plans but clarified that he as the property owner had no plans to beautify the entire strip mall.
At the full ANC meeting, a resident asked if Jubileaf plans to deliver products (they would like to); if they checked for the number of halfway houses in the area (they have not); if they will accept cash/credit/debit (yes); if they will allow self-certification (likely); and if they will have pre-rolled smokes (maybe).
Residents asked the ABCA rep why a group of five individuals cannot protest a cannabis license application as they can with a liquor license application. The ABCA rep said that the DC Council wrote the law permitting just an ANC to be able to protest a cannabis license. She noted that there was a recent amendment to the law that now enable protests by a daycare center within 400 feet of a proposed location, an abutting property owner, or a property owner across the street from the proposed location. The standard for these groups to protest are whether the applicant is violating the law or if the application is in violation of traffic or pedestrian safety standards. She said in the Jubileaf matter, the ANC would be protesting under the same appropriateness standards for liquor licenses (real property values, peace/quiet, parking needs/vehicular & pedestrian safety, etc.).
The president of the North Michigan Park Civic Association meeting said she will have Jubileaf present at the civic association meeting on December 4.
Ward 5 Council Report (Oliver Stoute, Constituent Services Coordinator to CM Zachary Parker)
CM Parker and his team gave away turkeys on November 20. ERAP reopened on November 20. Councilmember Parker held a roundtable on DYRS on November 22.
Metro has finalized the Better Bus proposal. Review at betterbus.wmata.com.
DPR held a Ward 5 projects construction update on November 25.
The Ward 5 Senior Advisory Committee will meet on December 4 at Model Cities.
The Ward 5 holiday party will be on December 19 at Dock 5 at Union Market.
A resident asked if CM Parker could help Jubileaf find a different location in a “more commercial area” as opposed to a “more residential area.”
A resident asked if CM Parker’s office could do something about undocked bikes/scooters being left in alleys and on sidewalks (residents can submit a 311 request for dockless vehicle complaint to have the scooters/bikes picked up).
Commissioner Lucio said that Faith United Church had trouble getting turkeys for the giveaway planned for their mobile market, so she reached out to EYA. EYA gave the church enough money to give away 100 turkeys.
A resident asked if there have been any updates about Yu Ying’s discussion with DDOT about making certain streets one way. Commissioner Fletcher said he has not heard anything from Commissioner Tyeron Boston (5A05). The school sits in Commissioner Boston’s SMD. Commissioner Fletcher sits on the board of Yu Ying, so he recuses himself from ANC actions related to the school. The resident noted that Commissioner Boston has been absent for three straight meetings. She said she wrote her name in on the ballot (unclear if she registered to run as a write-in candidate).
A resident asked about the Providence campus. Commissioner Lucio repeated what she said at the last ANC meeting. The DC attorney general is still investigating the sale. Commissioner Lucio is working with CM Parker’s office to have money from the sale “earmarked” for the healthcare needs of Ward 5 residents. There will likely be an urgent care center. A resident asked about asbestos in the buildings on the campus. Commissioner Lucio said she would put the resident in touch with SHDPA, the District agency responsible for providing certificates of need to health care facilities in DC.
This was Commissioner Fletcher’s last ANC meeting. Unless there are any special meetings before the end of the year, the next ANC meeting with be in January 2025.
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
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.
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
IV. Commission Business A. Secretary i. Minutes (September 2024) B. Treasurer i. 4th Quarter Financial Report
V. Commission Action Items/Updates A. Proposal to allocate funds towards the Faith United Church of Christ Thanksgiving Food Giveaway (Lucio) B. Mundo Verde Large Tract Review- Letter of Support (5A03) C. Motion to Establish a Joint 5A/5B Special Committee on the Taylor Street PBL Project (5A03)
VI. Community Updates A. MPD B. Mayor’s Office C. Councilmember Parker’s office
VII. Reports & Presentations A. Jubileaf LLC (5A08) B. Bicycle Program Specialist, District Department of Transportation- Greg Matlesky C. Washington Yu Ying-Jose Sousa (5A05)
VIII. Community Comments
IX. Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 27, 2024 (note: 5th week of November due to the holiday)
Emily Singer Lucio Commissioner ANC 5A03 5a03@anc.dc.gov 202-421-8674 Do you live in my SMD, then please join my Listserve and tell your neighbors too: https://groups.io/g/SMD5A03
ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on September 25, 2024. Commissioners present: Duvalier Malone (5A01); Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – Vice Chair, Secretary; Diego Rojas (5A04); Gordon Fletcher (5A08) – Chair; Shelagh Bocoum (5A09) – Treasurer. ANC 5A06 & 5A07 are vacant.
Commission Business
The ANC approved the Fiscal Year 2024 3rd Quarter financial report. The ANC tabled voting on the FY 2025 budget.
The ANC approved a job description for an ANC administrative assistant.
Christian Starghill is a new Ward 5 MOCR. She will be helping out with issues in ANC 5A. She can be reached at christian.starghill@dc.gov or at 202-394-4399. Mr. Black can be reached at anthony.black@dc.gov or at 202-251-5049.
The MOCRs will hold Ward 5 days on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10:00am-3:00 pm, when they can meet with ANC commissioners and residents across the ward to address issues.
September was National Preparedness month. Art All Night took place across all eight wards.
Ward 5 Council Report (Oliver Stoute, Constituent Services Coordinator for Councilmember Zachary Parker)
Ward 5 Day was a big success, with a shoutout going to Commissioner Lucio for helping with the young entrepreneur fair.
CM Parker is chairing a new subcommittee on libraries and youth affairs.
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb plans to issue a letter regarding the investigation into the sale of the Providence campus. Look for that in an upcoming newsletter from CM Parker.
Up in the Air Public Arts Project (Leonina Arismendi & Lynda Andrews-Barry)
The Up in the Air art project is a public call to action for equitable access to clean air in Ward 5 with a special focus on the Ivy City and Trinidad neighborhoods. The “artivists” are currently working to install an exhibit at Trinidad Recreation Center. They are supporting the 2023 Environmental Justice Amendment Act. Residents can support the project by submitting photos to Up in the Air.
National Links Trust was awarded a 50-year operating lease at three golf courses in DC for an initiative called the Nation’s Capital Project. They recently reopened the mini golf course at East Potomac Park. They are turning their attention to renovations at historic Langston Golf Course, which opened in 1939. They will be holding community meetings to get input on the golf course. They emphasized the importance of municipal golf courses and their goal of having the site used for community programs (for example, an exhibit on Black golf history) and workforce development. Stay tuned for notices about community meetings regarding Langston.
Commissioner Updates
5A03
Commissioner Lucio (5A03) will hold a single member district meeting on October 10. She will discuss the Mundo Verde renovation and the friar building that is for sale.
Commissioner Lucio said she is working with CM Parker’s office to make sure the community is considered in the Attorney General’s letter that is forthcoming regarding the Providence campus.
The Kennedy School development is moving ahead. They will be razing the site shortly.
She is working with the HOA of the Michigan Park townhomes to resolve what is the city’s responsibility and what is the HOA’s responsibility.
5A08
Commissioner Fletcher (5A08) will have an SMD meeting on October 24.
There was a groundbreaking for 1 Hawaii Avenue, a 100% income-restricted affordable housing development in ANC 5A06.
5A09
A “party of five” that included Commissioner Bocoum acting in her personal capacity, not as a commissioner, reached a settlement agreement with Aldi for the sale of beer and wine at the store that will be opening soon at 5300 South Dakota Avenue in ANC 5A09.
(Aside: I have to acknowledge ANC 5F Commissioner Aru Sahni (5F02). Back in June I reached out to him to ask for a copy of the settlement agreement that his ANC reached with the Trader Joe’s that will be opening near Brookland Metro station. He responded right away. I shared that agreement with Commissioner Bocoum prior to the ANC’s June meeting, explaining that ABCA encourages parties to copy agreements that have been vetted and approved and tailor them as appropriate. For whatever reason, other commissioners on the ANC did not understand the protest process and created unnecessary confusion in trying to get an agreement at the ANC level. So Bocoum ended up pursuing an agreement as a party of five.)
Miscellaneous
Earlier in the meeting, a resident tried to tie the environmental justice issues in Ward 5 discussed during the “Up in the Air” presentation to the South Dakota Avenue safety study by stating that bike lanes on South Dakota Avenue would cause more car idling. Therefore, the resident said, there will be more air pollution if bike lanes are put on South Dakota Avenue. In response, Commissioner Fletcher said that he has been told that bike lanes have been taken off the table for the South Dakota Avenue project. A resident then stated that DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum said that all bike lane projects across the city have been put on hold. Commissioner Fletcher did not state where he received his information.
Jose Sousa, Chief Operating Officer for Yu Ying, requested to present on the school’s expansion at the ANC’s October meeting.
IV. Commission Business A. Secretary i. Minutes (June 2024) B. Treasurer i. 4th Quarter Financial Report ii. Job Description
V. Commission Action Items/Updates A. Aldi Liquor License Approval (5A09)
VI. Community Updates A. MPD B. Mayor’s Office C. Councilmember Parker’s office
VII. Reports & Presentations A. Community Environmental Justice Public Art Project, Lynda Andrews-Barry B. National Links Trust-Damian Cosby, PGA, Executive Director
Next Stop...Riggs Park 