ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on January 24, 2024. Commissioners present: Karlus Cozart (5A02); Emily Singer Lucio (5A03); Diego Rojas (5A04); Tyeron Boston (5A05); Gordon Fletcher (5A08); Shelagh Bocoum (5A09). ANC 5A06 and 5A07 are vacant.

ANC Officer Elections

Chair – Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08)
Vice Chair – Commissioner Emily Singer Lucio (5A03)
Secretary – Commissioner Diego Rojas (5A04)
Treasurer – Commissioner Shelagh Bocoum (5A09)
Parliamentarian – Commissioner Karlus Cozart (5A02)

ANC Business

Yu Ying was added to agenda. The matter on Urell Place NE was removed from the agenda because the party was not prepared to come before the ANC yet. The ANC tabled the issue of hiring an office assistant. They will discuss the issue at their executive meeting.

Commissioner Lucio said the ANC is still working to compile the minutes for the November 2023 special and regular meetings.

Commissioner Bocoum presented the FY 2024 first quarter financial report. Expenses included website, Internet, and monthly bank fees.

The ANC voted to participate in the ANC security fund.

Public Safety/MPD Report

MPD does not usually attend ANC meetings anymore, but because of the shooting on the 5000 block of South Dakota Avenue (near the McDonald’s), MPD 4th District Captain James Chatmon attended along with Officer Robert Hamrick, 4D’s community outreach coordinator.

Regarding the homicide, Captain Chatmon repeated what has been reported in local news. The victim was walking with friends on South Dakota Avenue. Allegedly, a car pulled up and an individual got out and demanded money. The victim and friends said they did not have any money. The perpetrator allegedly demanded the victim’s cellphone. The victim allegedly gave up the cellphone and the perpetrator shot him. Captain Chatmon said the homicide branch is investigating. They ask residents who may have footage or other information about the incident to contact MPD.

There have been a few other violent crime incidents near the McDonald’s in the past few months, so Chair Fletcher (5A08) and nearby residents would like a permanent police camera near South Dakota and Delafield. A resident asked if the permanent camera near Mayor Bowser’s former home in Riggs Park could be moved to this location because that camera is up the street from another permanent camera. Captain Chatmon noted that the mayor still owns the house.

In addition, Captain Chatmon stated that MPD looks at violent crime statistics when considering where to place permanent cameras. There are temporary mobile cameras that the city moves around different locations, but permanent cameras are hard to come by. Officer Hamrick said he wants ANC commissioners to be aware of what is happening across the city to understand why certain decisions are made. (Left unsaid was that residents should not expect a permanent camera near the McDonald’s because things are not nearly as bad here as other parts of the city even though there are known hotspots around the neighborhood).

There was a long discussion and lots of questions. Usual answers of why police feel like they cannot address certain issues like counterfeit tags. They said they cannot pursue vehicles and MPD does not focus on conducting traffic stops anymore. They do spot enforcement initiatives where they will announce where they will be conducting enforcement ahead of time.

The ANC voted to support a request for better lighting on South Dakota Avenue. They will work on a resolution for a security camera to present at a future meeting.

ANC 5A sits in PSAs 405 and 406, which are part of MPD 4D’s Sector 2. There is a public MPD Sector 2 meeting every 2nd Tuesday of the month. Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker holds a monthly public safety call where he invites different entities/parties that have a role in the public safety system. The city offers a private security camera rebate/voucher program.

ANC 5A Office/Ward 5 Mutual Aid (5A09)

Ward 5 Mutual Aid has moved out of ANC 5A’s office at The Modern on Galloway Street NE. ANC Commissioner Shelagh Bocoum (5A09) stated that the mutual aid group is still doing grocery delivery but does not have a permanent office space.

Chair Fletcher stated that the ANC office will be used for ANC executive meetings and for ANC commissioners to meet with community members. He noted that at some point, the ANC’s office space at UDC Lamond-Riggs will not be available due to renovation of that campus.

Faith United Church Hypothermia Site (5A08)

Chair Fletcher stated that the community agreement with Faith United Church regarding the temporary hypothermia site will be discussed at the next ANC meeting. He said that he wants to hold a joint single member district meeting with Commissioner Lucio (5A03) to discuss the issue. He said he is aware of a couple of minor incidents, but that overall things seem to be going fine.

243 Hawaii Avenue NE (5A06)

The owners of 243 Hawaii Ave NE, one side of a duplex, want to convert the single-family home into a two-family flat. They need approval from the DC Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA case no. 21070). The owners said all of the work will be to the interior of the building and that the conversion is compatible with the R-1 zone. They said there are many similar conversions on that particular block.

Chair Fletcher asked the party to reach out to the 200-footers and other residents on their block to get their support so that the ANC can vote on the issue at the February meeting. The BZA hearing is in March 2024.

729 Delafield Street NE (5A08)

The owners at 729 Delafield Street NE requested ANC support for relief to continue building a two-story rear addition to the home. There has been a stop order for over a year and the stalled work is apparently impacting the neighboring property. The home already has a pop-up on the front.

The owners appeared at Chair Fletcher’s January SMD meeting and he asked them to have nearby neighbors attend the full ANC meeting so that the ANC could hear from surrounding residents. A few residents attended and most stated they support allowing the work to proceed. It was hard to follow exactly what relief the owner needs, but the ANC voted to support whatever relief is needed to continue with the construction of the rear addition.

Ward 5 Council Report (Carlos McKnight, Constituent Services Coordinator for Councilmember Zachary Parker)

Councilmember Parker held his monthly public safety call on January 31.

CM Parker held a Ward 5 budget forum at UDC Lamond-Riggs on February 3.

There was a hearing on the District Child Tax Credit Amendment Act of 2023, introduced by CM Parker.

Commissioner Lucio asked about a proposal to test inmates at DC Jail for (I believe) psychiatric conditions and learning disorders. Commissioner Lucio stated she opposes this proposal and that she has privacy concerns with the proposal.

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

Applications for the summer youth employment program are open. Visit https://summerjobs.dc.gov.

In response to a question from a resident, Mr. Black said that DPW got behind in trash pickup due to recent snow events but that they should be back on track by the end of that week.

Yu Ying Expansion (5A05)
Project website

Yu Ying was invited to give an update on construction progress of their new school campus at the old Kirov Ballet Academy. Chair Fletcher noted that he sits on the board of Yu Ying, so he recused himself from any ANC decisions regarding the school.

Liza Douglas, a board member, stated that Yu Ying bought the former Kirov Academy campus with Washington Latin. They have gone through the necessary approvals to expand to a second campus. Construction began in fall 2023. They are aiming to complete construction in time for the start of the school year in September 2024. Construction was delayed last September, and they are working on a contingency plan if the space is not completed in time for the start of the school year. They have had talks with places less than a mile from the current campus. They will keep the ANC updated.

Ms. Douglas noted that pickup/dropoff at the campus on Taylor Street can be burdensome to neighbors. She said having a second campus should help alleviate some of that. They are working with neighbors to mitigate parking/traffic concerns.

Commissioner Lucio asked if Yu Ying has looked at busing to help with pickup/dropoff issues. Ms. Douglas said that Yu Ying had three buses. She said one issue is buses are usually paid for by parent fees, so they are looking at what other charter schools are doing to pay for buses. Ms. Douglas also mentioned that a group wants a bike lane on Taylor and that that will also impact traffic flow.

Commissioner Boston asked about the construction schedule and what can be done about construction trucks being parked in front of residents’ homes. Ms. Douglas said she would put Commissioner Boston in touch with the construction team.

Commissioner Lucio asked Yu Ying to bring the construction team/traffic consultant to future meetings.

The next ANC meeting will be February 28, 2024.

ANC 5A sent notice today that the Franciscan Action Network (FAN) extends an invitation to join in a ministry of praying at the site of the shooting resulting in the loss of Ryan Realbuto, a Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps member.

Date: Thursday, February 1, 4:00-4:30 pm

Place: 5000 block of South Dakota Ave NE (near the McDonald’s)

Contact for info: Sr. Maria Orlandini, morlandini@franciscanaction.org or (302) 897-7550

In addition, “Cap Corps has also planned a memorial mass and reception to honor Ryan’s life on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 10:30am at Immaculate Conception Church, 1315 8th St NW, Washington, DC 20001.”

There is still a vacancy in ANC single member district 5A06. Petitions are available starting today, January 29, and are due on February 20, 2024.

ANC 5A06 generally covers the area just west of Fort Totten Park between Crittenden Street and Varnum Street. It includes several of the apartment buildings along Hawaii Avenue NE and Webster Street NE that are the subject of development discussions (see BZA case nos. 20507, 20507(A)).

Information on running for ANC available on the DC Board of Elections website at https://www.dcboe.org/candidates/anc-advisory-neighborhood-commissioners.

Do you live in the neighborhood that is just west of Fort Totten Park between Riggs Road and Crittenden Street NE? Consider running to represent ANC 5A07. Petitions are now available.

The boundaries for ANC 5A07 cover 1st Place NE by Fort Totten Metro station. This includes Metro’s large parking lot that is slated for future development. Also, I have been told that DMV Impact Church may be interested in doing something with the lot across the street from the church that is being used as overflow parking. ANC 5A07 also covers portions of the Met Branch Trail currently under construction along 1st Place and along Riggs Road NE. It also includes Mary’s Center, DC Bilingual, the Mamie D. Lee community garden, and a nice chunk of National Park Service parkland.

This seat has been vacant for several months. It would be great to have a representative on ANC 5A to have a handle on these issues.

Information on running for ANC is available on the DC Board of Elections website at https://www.dcboe.org/candidates/anc-advisory-neighborhood-commissioners.

Petitions are due February 12, 2024.