Have ideas about an important person, place, or event in Ward 5 that should be the subject of a commemorative work (such as a plaza, sculpture, plaque) recognizing the significance/contribution of the individual or event to local history?
The DC Office of Planning has extended the deadline to submit nominations for the Ward 5 Commemorative Works Project to July 7, 2023.
Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8 have the lowest number of commemorative works in the city, so OP is working with partners like The Parks Main Street to assist with the process for identifying subjects and sites for commemorative works and the design process for works in those wards.
Some subject ideas mentioned in previous community meetings include the freeway fights in the 1960s, the family behind a Black-owned piano manufacturing company called Shadd Pianos, the architects and the inspiration behind the original Lamond-Riggs Library (brothers Charles & Robert Bryant and Lillian Huff), and the impact of the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association.
Let your neighbors know about this project. Submit your nomination by July 7.
Have ideas about an important person, place, or event in Ward 5 that should be the subject of a commemorative work such as a plaza, sculpture, plaque recognizing the significance/contribution of the individual or event to local history?
The Parks Main Street is partnering with the DC Office of Planning (OP) on a Ward 5 commemorative works project.
1. Individuals, groups, events, or other significant elements of DC culture/history and of long-term, historic importance with a connection to Ward 5.
2. A person who has been deceased for at least 10 years or an event that has occurred at least 10 years ago.
The submission form asks for the name of the subject, the significance of the subject, a location in Ward 5 associated with the subject, and any photos/drawings/documents related to the subject.
At the first public meeting held on May 31, planning officials explained that Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8 have the lowest number of commemorative works in the city, so OP is working with partners like The Parks Main Street to assist with the process for identifying subjects and sites for commemorative works and the design process for works in those wards. Some subject ideas mentioned in the first meeting were the freeway fights in the 1960s, the family behind a Black-owned piano manufacturing company called Shadd Pianos, the architects and the inspiration behind the original Lamond-Riggs Library (brothers Charles & Robert Bryant and Lillian Huff), and the impact of the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association.
June 2023: OP and partners work to identify subjects and sites.
July 2023: Visioning about possible ways to commemorate subject.
August & September 2023: Concept design, refinement, and review by the commemorative works committee.
Please let your neighbors know, especially elderly neighbors who might have valuable information to share about potential subjects so that they can be part of this process.
The Parks Main Street is holding a series of community meetings to seek input on potential subjects for a Ward 5 commemorative work.
The DC Office of Planning is underwriting an effort to determine and select a “commemorative work” to honor and celebrate a person, place, or event in Ward 5. This project is called “Faces and Places: Commemorate People, Places and Events that Define our Communities.”
The Office of Planning and The Parks Main Street would like residents in Ward 5 to offer ideas and to be involved in this community effort.
The goals of this first meeting are to:
Inform Ward 5 residents about the project and invite their input.
Share details about Commemorative Works projects and offer examples.
Provide information about the community engagement and selection process.
This week, the National Symphony Orchestra is holding a number of free events in nearby neighborhoods in Ward 5 through its NSO In Your Neighborhood program. See full list of events at https://kennedycenter.medium.com/nso-in-your-neighborhood-edge-of-the-city-1b994ae0c6c7. Some of the events require registration so be check to check the site for details.
Brentwood | Brookland | Eckington | Fort Lincoln | Woodridge | Trinidad | University Heights
What is In Your Neighborhood 2023?
This March, the National Symphony Orchestra will collaborate with different communities in Ward 5 to amplify joy, unity, and shared humanity through music and the arts. Partnering with local schools, museums, and organizations, we will honor the history of these neighborhoods, while also building new connections and relationships.
Events are open to the public with first-come, first-served seating, unless otherwise noted.
Performance oversight and budget season is upon us. In preparation for DC Council performance and budget oversight hearings, Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker office is asking residents to identify Ward 5 needs.
The survey lists four areas (schools & rec; street safety & transportation; pollution, trash, & environmental justice; & violence reduction & community safety), but residents can also list other areas of concern.
CM Parker’s office is also accepting feedback in other ways. Copied from the survey:
We welcome emails and letters from residents, civic associations, parent-teacher associations, and advisory neighborhood commissioners highlighting concerns in more detail. Please send those materials to Conor Shaw (cshaw@dccouncil.gov) by February 3, 2023. If you’d prefer to relay your concerns via phone, please contact us at 202 724 8028.
This is the time to identify issues you would like Councilmember Parker to be aware of for oversight purposes and to advocate for budget items. I know neighbors have asked for support and funding for a number of things over the years that still need attention and funding, with a couple of more recent asks.
Support/funding for neighborhood park/area recommendations in draft Ready2Play plan.
New Riggs Park-area pool.
Better coordination with National Park Service (NPS) to get things that neighbors would like to see at Fort Circle Park. This is consistent with approved neighborhood area development plan.
Metropolitan Branch Trail Fort Totten to Avondale segment. This is consistent with approved National Capital Trail Network
South Dakota Avenue NE Multimodal Safety and Access Study along the lines of the Bladensburg Rd. Multimodal Safety and Access Study that was funded in FY 2023. Longstanding issues at key intersections at Galloway Street, Hamilton Street, Ingraham Street, & Riggs Road in Riggs Park, but also points further south.
Taylor Street/Rock Creek Church Road bike lanes
Riggs Road NE cycletrack and trailhead
For Bertie Backus campus plan, ensuring that any plans/changes have a positive impact on the local neighborhood in addition to advancing institutional goals.
For Metro’s Joint Development program, ensuring that any further redevelopment of Fort Totten Metro station, as anticipated in Metro’s 10-year strategic plan, has a positive impact on the local neighborhood in addition to advancing Metro’s institutional goals.
Being as specific as possible, explaining how neighbors have advocated for items over a number of years, and providing cost estimates & number of people impacted to the extent possible, is always helpful. Connecting requests to approved plans, study recommendations, and initiatives, such as the Riggs Road/South Dakota Avenue NE Area Development Plan, moveDC, Vision Zero, and DDOT livability studies, is also helpful to provide justification for the request or context for the issue.
Even if you do not have a lot of time to spend on the survey, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with Councilmember Parker.
In preparation for upcoming DC Council performance and budget oversight hearings, CM Parker’s office is asking residents to identify Ward 5 needs.
The survey lists four areas (schools & rec; street safety & transportation; pollution, trash, & environmental justice; & violence reduction & community safety), but residents can also list other areas of concern.
His office is also accepting feedback in other ways. Copied from the survey:
We welcome emails and letters from residents, civic associations, parent-teacher associations, and advisory neighborhood commissioners highlighting concerns in more detail. Please send those materials to Conor Shaw (cshaw@dccouncil.gov) by February 3, 2023. If you’d prefer to relay your concerns via phone, please contact us at 202 724 8028.
CM Parker will hold community office hours on Wednesdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon at Zeke’s Coffee located at 2300 Rhode Island Avenue NE. Be sure to sign up to reserve your spot.
Point of Contact
Carlos McKnight, Constituent Services Coordinator, will be CM Parker’s main point of contact for residents in ANC 5A. He can be reached at cmcknight@dccouncil.gov.
Be sure to check out the full newsletter for information about other programs and legislative activities.
Zachary Parker won the Democratic nomination to represent Ward 5 on the DC Council. Ahead of the general election in November, he is holding a Ward 5 neighborhood listening tour. On October 2, 2022, at 6:00 pm, he will hold a virtual listening session for neighbors in the Fort Totten, Lamond-Riggs, Michigan Park, and North Michigan Park neighborhoods.
Ward 5 Open Streets, hosted by the District Department of Transportation, will take place on 12th Street NE between Franklin Street NE and Monroe Street NE on August 27, 2022, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
There is a full schedule of events for all ages and abilities. Should be a fun time. Check the website for details.
Note: 12th Street from Franklin to Monroe will be closed to vehicle traffic from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm on August 27 for people to enjoy the open street. Drivers will not be able to cross 12th Street from Franklin to Monroe during this time. No street parking will be allowed on 12th Street from Franklin to Monroe from 3:00 am to 2:00 pm on August 27. Plan accordingly.
Ward 5 Open Streets MapWard 5 Open Streets Schedule
Ward 4 Task Force Map RecommendationWard 5 Task Force Map Recommendation
The ANC redistricting task forces submitted their reports with recommendations for new ANC and SMD boundaries to the DC Council on April 1, 2022. The DC Council Subcommittee on Redistricting held a public hearing on the task force recommendations on April 7, 2022. If you missed the chance to testify at that hearing, there will be another opportunity to testify on April 28, 2022. The deadline to sign up to testify is April 26, 2022. Written testimony will be accepted for the record until 5:00 pm on May 13, 2022. Instructions on how to sign up to testify and how to submit written testimony are in the hearing notice.
The reports from the eight ANC task forces, detailing their recommended new ANC and SMD boundaries, can be found here.
Maps of the recommendations from each ANC task force are available here.
The Ward 5 ANC Redistricting Committee met on Saturday, March 26 to make changes in response to feedback received on the three discussion maps on March 15. Feedback was received through the online comment form and at the public meeting held on March 22.
The result is a “Tentative Final Map” which will be considered by the Redistricting Committee in a public meeting on Tuesday, March 29 at 6pm (via zoom). Links and information on this map are copied below:
The specific numbers (ie the last two digits) of the Single Member Districts will be updated so that numbers reflect current designations or follow a single logic. The commissions (A, B, C, D, E, F) reflect how those commissions would be configured.
The map includes two census block splits that are not able to be reflected on the map. The splits would balance the number of residents in the two Fort Lincoln SMDs and make a more smooth boundary between 5C07 and 5C02.
At the meeting on Tuesday, March 29 at 6pm, the committee will consider any amendments to the map from committee members and then vote on the map to send to the Council. The final report is due to the Council on Friday, April 1. (The Council takes up the maps at a hearing on Thur, April 7) Meeting agenda
On March 15, 2022, the Ward 5 ANC redistricting task force released three discussion maps for new ANC/SMD boundaries within the ward. It is worth taking a look at the maps on the task force redistricting site to see the options for how new boundaries may be drawn.
(As a reminder, the Ward 4 redistricting task force released four discussion maps on February 27, 2022. Those maps make a few adjustmets to the boundaries of ANCs 4B07, 4B08, and 4B09 covering Lamond-Riggs. I am not going to discuss those changes in detail on the blog right now. The Ward 4 task force is working on finalizing a map and report for recommendation to the Council. More information is available on the Ward 4 ANC redistricting site at https://janeeseward4.com/redistricting).
Ward 5’s population grew by a little over 15,000 residents from 2010 to 2020. There is no required number of ANCs within a ward, but under DC law, each single member district (SMD) within an ANC must have roughly 2,000 residents and be as equal as possible. According to the task force, each SMD should have approximately 1,900 to 2,100 residents. In addition, SMD boundaries should conform to census blocks as much as possible.
Many of the SMDs within Ward 5 exceed the maximum limit of 2,100 residents, including SMDs within ANC 5A.
(3/17/2022: Corrected the population for 5A01 from 2,349 to 2,389)
ANC 5A SMD
2020 Census Population
5A01
2,389
5A02
1,950
5A03
2,159
5A04
1,919
5A05
1,710
5A06
2,867
5A07
2,338
5A08
2,849
Each discussion map proposes a new ANC within the ward to balance the ward’s steep population growth.
Submit Comments to the Task Force by March 21, 2022
ANC 5A Single Member Districts 5A01 & 5A08 Proposals
Map of current ANC 5A Boundaries
The Ward 5 side of Riggs Park sits in ANC 5A. More specifically, the Ward 5 side is currently split between ANC 5A01 (east of South Dakota Avenue NE) and ANC 5A08 (west of South Dakota Avenue NE), both of which exceed the maximum population limit. ANC 5A01 has 2,389 residents and ANC 5A08 has 2,849 residents.
There are not really any good options for balancing ANC 5A01, which is my SMD. This SMD currently consists solely of Riggs Park residents. It is currently bounded by the Ward 4/Ward 5 boundary line at Kennedy Street NE to the north, the DC/Maryland border to the east, Fort Circle Park at Galloway Street NE to the south, and South Dakota Avenue NE to the west. The SMD currently includes the Bertie Backus campus of UDC as well as the DOES Backus American Job Center. That entire campus (bounded by South Dakota Avenue NE, Hamilton Street NE, 7th Street NE, and Galloway Street NE) shares an alley with residents on 7th Street. There are also a couple of apartment buildings along Sargent Road NE and Eastern Avenue NE within the SMD. This is a nice compact, cohesive manageable area, and it would make the most sense to me to keep it all together as a single SMD. I would like to think that this is one case where there should be an exception to the 2,100 max resident limit given the natural park boundary as well as the hard ward and state line boundaries.
Currently, ANC 5A08 is roughly bounded by Riggs Road NE to the north, South Dakota Avenue/8th Street NE to the east, Buchanan Street NE to the south, and the Metrorail tracks to the west.
Below I have placed images of the three discussion maps for the entire ward as well as maps of the ANC 5A boundaries in each discussion map. Because I am not looking at the maps in the ESRI mapping tool, I am guesstimating at where I think some of the lines are.
Someone should go into ESRI, see what makes the most sense, draw a map, and report back to all of us!
Ed. Note 3/18/2022: I looked at a better map where I could see the census blocks to look a little more closely at what is happening on Hamilton Street NE in ANC 5A01. For purposes of the discussion maps below, what I am calling the ANC 5A01 carveout has different impacts to residents on the south side of Hamilton and residents on the north side of Hamilton, I think (if we are not splitting census blocks). It is a task to nail down exactly which Hamilton Street residents would shift in each map. I have tried to clarify a bit more, but I am not sure if I got it entirely correct.
Discussion Map 1
ANC 5A Boundaries in Discussion Map 1
For Map 1, it looks like the task force is proposing to carve out a small number of residents (including myself on the south side of Hamilton Street, but not residents on the north side of Hamilton from what I can tell) from the rest of what is currently ANC 5A01. So that SMD would essentially stay the same, except the area bounded by what looks to be 7th Street NE, Hamilton Street NE, 12th Street NE, and Galloway Street NE would be shifted to what is basically currently ANC 5A 5A02, which encompasses North Michigan Park. This new area I am describing is labeled 5A03 in Map 1.
ANC 5A02 currently sits south of Galloway, east of South Dakota Avenue NE and goes all the way south to Webster Street NE. It includes North Michigan Park Recreation Center and St. Anselm’s Abbey School. It includes Fort Circle Park between South Dakota Avenue and the DC/Maryland line.
It looks like the one additional change Map 1 makes to the current ANC 5A02 boundaries is that it shifts the area where the gas station/minimart are on the east side of South Dakota Avenue and a few of the surrounding blocks east from 5A02 to the same SMD as the McDonald’s on the west side of South Dakota Avenue.
I suppose simply shifting a couple hundred residents on Hamilton and on Galloway from current ANC 5A01, which exceeds the max limit, to current ANC 5A02, which has a little bit of room to grow, to form a new SMD is not a terrible idea. But the thought of attending an SMD meeting with people talking about things happening all the way on Webster Street or even at North Michigan Park Rec is not fun to think about. And then having to follow a different ANC commissioner just to hear about things related to the Backus campus just down the street along Galloway/Hamilton is kind of a lot. It does not make a lot of sense to me to put people in the 500 block and the 1200 block of Hamilton together in one SMD and put the people in the middle of Hamilton in the 700 to 1100 blocks in a different SMD.
Map 1 would keep all of the area under development near the Fort Totten Metro station and the area north to Riggs Road NE together in one SMD with a western boundary at North Capitol Street NE and a southern boundary mostly along what looks like Emerson Street NE/8th Street NE (labeled 5A02 on the map). It would include a bit of the area along 6th Street NE south of Emerson that includes the Capital Area Food Bank and I think the Emerson Park townhome community, but not the Totten Mews townhome community. Don’t quote me on that though; I am not entirely sure how this map treats those townhome communities.
Map 1 would shift Catholic University from ANC 5A to a different ANC.
I have not looked closely at the other ANC 5A changes further south or further west in this map.
The one nice thing about Map 1 is that the ANCs are roughly equal in size. ANC 5A would still have 8 SMDs, which is a nice manageable number.
Discussion Map 2
ANC 5A Boundaries in Discussion Map 2
Looks like for Map 2, the task force is proposing to carve out a tiny part of existing 5A01 along Ingraham Street NE east of South Dakota Avenue to 7th Street NE to Hamilton Street NE to 11th Street to Galloway Street NE to Sargent Road NE.
That tiny carveout of residents (myself included) would be part of an SMD with the residents west of South Dakota Avenue, south of Galloway down to Buchanan. This new SMD I am describing is labeled 5A08 in Map 2. It includes a couple of the HOA communities in North Michigan Park. It would include Fort Circle Park between the Metro tracks and Sargent Road. It looks like it would not include the area around the McDonald’s or the minimart. As I write this, I am thinking this map is a little better in terms of not having an SMD with as much of a geographic spread as Map 1. It would keep residents surrounding the Backus campus together in one SMD – residents in the 500 block of Hamilton Street, residents on 7th Street and 8th Street, residents on the south side of the 900 & 1000 blocks of Hamilton, residents in the 900-1200 blocks of Galloway Street.
Map 2 would keep all of the area under development near Fort Totten Metro station west of South Dakota Avenue together with the area north to Riggs Road in one SMD (labeled 5A09 on Map 2). It would create a western boundary at North Capitol Street NE instead of the Metro tracks. It would have a southern boundary of Farrugut Street NE west of the tracks and Galloway Street NE east of the tracks. So this map groups together more of the area west of the Metro tracks with the apartment buildings east of the Metro tracks.
Catholic University would remain in ANC 5A as a single SMD with the addition of one census block (looks like the area of homes bounded by Varnum Street NE, Webster Street NE, First Street NE, and Hawaii Avenue NE, across from the field but I am not entirely sure). Edited to add: Adding this census block might help increase the chances of regularly having a commissioner for this SMD. With Catholic as a standalone SMD, university officials sometimes finds a motivated student to serve as an ANC commissioner, but that is not always the case and the seat sometimes remains vacant.
I have not looked closely at the other ANC 5A changes further south or further west in this map.
This map proposes 9 SMDs for ANC 5A.
Discussion Map 3
ANC 5A Boundaries in Discussion Map 3
In Map 3, the task force proposes to carve out an area from the current ANC 5A01 along Hamilton Street to what looks like 11th Street to Galloway Street to Sargent Road. That tiny group of residents (myself included) would be part of an SMD that crosses Fort Circle Park south to about Crittenden Street NE as well as Decatur Street NE. This new SMD I am describing is labeled 5A08 on Map 3. This map would keep some of the residents around the Backus campus in one SMD, but not the residents in the 500 block or the rest of the north side of Hamilton. It would include the part of Fort Circle Park between South Dakota Avenue and Sargent Road. There is some interesting line drawing around Emerson Street NE. It looks like the area around McDonald’s and the gas station/minimart would be included in this SMD. It would have an eastern border south of Fort Circle Park at what looks like 12th Street NE in North Michigan Park.
Map 3 would keep all of the area under development around Fort Totten Metro station west of South Dakota Avenue together with the area north to Riggs Road in one SMD (labeled 5A09 in Map 3). It would have a western boundary at the Metro tracks plus a tiny area just west of the Metro tracks along 1st Place NE where the Metro Transit Police building, Metro long-term parking lot, a union building, and DMV Impact Church are located.
Catholic would remain in ANC 5A as essentially a standalone SMD. I have not looked closely at other ANC 5A changes further south or further west in this map.
This map also proposes 9 SMDs for ANC 5A.
Help Needed
Balancing the ANCs and SMDs is a difficult task because no one ANC or SMD can be viewed in isolation of the rest. Kudos and many thanks to the task force members who contributed their time to this undertaking.
I think some of the choices around ANC 5A01 in the discussion maps might have something to do with the way the census blocks are drawn in this area and trying to keep whole census blocks together. I am just guessing here; I have not reached out to the task force to ask. The task force ANC 5A subgroup did not have any draft maps prepared for the task force meeting on March 8, so there was not any real discussion during that meeting about decision points or what they might have been thinking about as they started drawing lines (save for a statement that they had received comments from ANC 5A Commissioner Emily Lucio (5A03) about the SMD covering Catholic University (5A04)).
I am not really sure where it makes the most sense to shift roughly 200 to 300 residents from ANC 5A01. I wonder if there is a way to have an SMD bounded by Galloway to the south, the Metro tracks to the west, either Hamilton or Ingraham to the north, and either 7th, 8th, or 11th to the east. Then another SMD with what remains of the area north of Galloway. Or keep the existing 5A01 boundaries, but shift the apartment buildings and the few houses off Sargent to a different SMD. Again, someone should go into the ESRI mapping tool and decide what makes sense for ANC 5A, especially ANC 5A01, and report back! I say this only a little jokingly because I really do want to offer useful comments to the task force, but I do not know if I am going to figure it out by March 21.
If you care about any of this, take a look at the maps, submit comments by March 21, and register for the public meeting on March 22.
To listen to the meeting by phone Dial-in Phone Number: 301-715-8592 Meeting ID: 982 6429 4844 Passcode: 731215
View the LRCA February 2022 newsletter here. To view a map of LRCA’s boundaries click here.
February 8, 2022
Ward 5 ANC Redistricting Task Force Public Meeting 6:00 pm
Residents are invited to provide comments to the Ward 5 ANC Redistricting Task Force. Comments may be provided live in an online public meeting on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at 6:00 pm. Written comments will also be accepted until Tuesday, February 22, 2022.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Sector 2 Meeting with MPD Fourth District (4D) Captain John Terry 6:00 pm
*Sector 2 Monthly Crime Stats *Community Questions and answers *Community Outreach events and planning *Closing Comments
Occurs the second Tuesday of every month. This month’s meeting is on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at 6:00 pm. When it’s time, join the Webex meeting here:
Join by meeting number: Meeting number (access code): 2318 987 9879 Meeting password: 4dsector2
Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only) +1-202-860-2110,,23189879879## United States Toll (Washington D.C.) +1-650-479-3208,,23189879879## Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
Join by phone +1-202-860-2110 United States Toll (Washington D.C.) 1-650-479-3208 Call-in toll number (US/Canada) Global call-in numbers
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number
February 10, 2022
Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George Listening Session for Lamond-Riggs 6:30 pm
Please join Councilmember Lewis George and your neighbors on Thursday, February 10 at 6:30 pm for your neighborhood’s community listening session over Zoom. Every neighbor will get the chance to discuss the change you want to see in our community and hear from other neighbors too. These events are shaping the work Councilmember Lewis George does when it comes to legislation, the DC budget, constituent services, and efforts in the community.
Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George Budget Forum 3:30 pm
Join Councilmember Lewis George on Saturday, February 12 at 3:30 pm to discuss the upcoming budget process and share your priorities for funding that puts people first. Each Ward 4 resident will have the chance to share their budget priorities as we head into budget season. All RSVP’d attendees will be provided an opportunity to make brief remarks or provide 2 minutes of testimony.
Councilmembers for both Wards 4 and 5 now have dedicated webpages for the ANC redistricting process in their respective wards. The task forces have to recommend ANC boundaries within the ward so that each single member district (SMD) has 2,000 residents, plus or minus five percent, so between 1,900 and 2,100 residents in each SMD.
Find information on the Ward 5 ANC redistricting process at https://kenyanmcduffieward5.wpcomstaging.com/ward-5/ward5redistricting. Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie put together a redistricting task force comprised of current ANC commissioners, former ANC commissioners, and other Ward 5 residents. The task force held its first meeting on January 11, 2022. A recording is available on the redistricting page. From the recording, it is clear that a few folks on the Ward 5 task force have some experience with previous redistricting exercises.
Find information on the Ward 4 ANC redistricting process at https://janeeseward4.com/redistricting. Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George put together a redistricting task force that does not have any current ANC commissioners or individuals who currently intend to run for ANC in this year’s general election. The task force held its first meeting on January 23, 2022. A recording and presentation are available on the redistricting page.
Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie is soliciting input on budget priorities for Ward 5. Complete the budget survey available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OurWard5FY2023 by February 18, 2022.
Hard copies of the survey are available at Woodridge Library (1801 Hamlin Street NE). The survey requests input on priorities in several categories such as housing, transportation, senior services, and public safety. At the end of the survey, there is space to include other items not listed elsewhere in the survey. Here, it is useful to include support for any request (e.g., cost, a study that recommends implementing the requested action, number of residents likely impacted, etc.). For example, there are many items in the neighborhood’s area development plan that still need to be implemented. It is always a good idea to consistently request implementation of these items every year given that the plan is a consensus document developed from the input of residents, District agencies, large property owners, and other stakeholders.
The survey instructions include a handy link to a bunch of resources from the DC Council Budget Office. Currently, the mayor is expected to send her proposed budget to the Council on March 16, 2022, and the Council will hold budget hearings after that. See budget hearing schedule here.
It’s worth participating in the budget process to ask for things for the neighborhood. If we don’t ask, we don’t get.
There has been a bit of turnover with the mayor’s office community liaisons (MOCRs) for Ward 5. Christopher Ingram has replaced Kyla Woods. Nokomis Hunter remains with the office. The MOCRs are there to assist residents with issues with District agencies. They are often a helpful, pleasant group of people to work with. Contact information for both Ward 5 MOCRs below.
Yesterday, the DC Council Redistricting Subcommittee released final recommendations for drawing new ward boundaries. The Subcommittee’s final map proposal makes no changes that would affect the Riggs Park neighborhood.
A “discussion map” under consideration (“Discussion Map 3”) would have redistricted some Ward 5 Riggs Park residents into Ward 4, leaving just a tiny sliver of the neighborhood in Ward 5, as discussed in theseposts. The Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) circulated a survey to impacted residents on the Ward 5 side of the neighborhood. According to LRCA president Barbara Rogers, a majority of residents who responded to the survey were not in favor of being redistricted to Ward 4. ANC Commissioner Damion McDuffie (5A01), who represents the area that would have been impacted by the changes proposed by Discussion Map 3, also submitted written testimony in opposition to the changes.
(I live in the area that would have been impacted by Map 3’s proposal. I also submitted written testimony against that proposal.)
Discussion of the Subcommittee’s final map proposal is available at https://www.elissasilverman.com/redistricting. The Subcommittee noted again in its draft report that current parking zones will not change for the time being. The Subcommittee is scheduled to formally vote on the final map proposal today at 3:00 pm. The full Council will hold a first vote on December 7, 2021, and a second vote on December 21, 2021.
The ANC redistricting process will start in December. Each Ward councilmember will establish a task force to provide recommendations for drawing ANC boundaries.
Free and open to the public. Attendance is limited to the first 500 participants. You can join the forum by computer, smartphone or landline. Please register to receive the information you need to join by any of these methods.
The Ward 5 Council seat is the most hotly contested of the 2022 cycle, as current Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie is not running for re-election. All candidates who have formally filed (Faith Gibson Hubbard, Gordon Fletcher, Zachary Parker and Vincent Orange) are confirmed to attend. Any candidates who file before the forum will also be invited.
The forum will include questions from the audience.
Neighbors, Councilmember McDuffie will be holding community office hours on Saturday, November 6th. We are welcoming neighbors to join Councilmember McDuffie at the lot next to Annie’s Ace hardware store located at 3405 8th St NE. To schedule your meeting with Councilmember McDuffie follow the link here – https://calendly.com/ward5/fall-office-hours.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 