This is the area west of the red line tracks at Fort Totten Metro station. It includes the area along 1st Place NE (including Metro’s large parking lot that is slated for future development), the Met Branch Trail at Fort Totten, a big chunk of National Park Service parkland, and the residential area west of Fort Totten Park in the Fort Totten neighborhood.
Nominating petitions will be available starting October 10.
From the District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
DDOT is giving away 170 bikes at Open Streets Georgia Avenue on Saturday, October 7th! 50% of the bikes will go to low-income families, and the rest will be raffled off to lucky DC residents! Enter the raffle here: https://forms.office.com/g/fUn2rFgwUq
[Ed. Note: The volunteer coordinator for UDC CAUSES passed along the following note regarding volunteer opportunities at the university’s food hub located on the Lamond-Riggs campus at South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street NE]
From UDC CAUSES
My name is Michele Bassler and I am the Volunteer Coordinator at the University of DC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES). I would love to help connect you in a meaningful way with the Lamond-Riggs Urban Food Hub (formerly Bertie Backus) at 5171 South Dakota Avenue.
There are regular volunteer opportunities at Lamond-Riggs where you can support urban and sustainable agriculture projects that address food insecurity, healthy nutrition and quality of life in DC. Please click here to learn more and sign up in our volunteer platform, Golden Volunteer.
Also, I want to announce that next week we are holding a Volunteer Program Information Session for any community members who are new to volunteering with CAUSES or are interested in learning more. There are two options to attend:
Tuesday, September 26th, 5:00pm-6:00pm (in person at UDC Van Ness Campus)
Thursday, September 28th, 6:30pm-7:30pm (via Zoom)
The agenda includes an overview of all of our volunteer opportunities in areas such as food security, healthy nutrition, youth mentoring and urban agriculture that actively contribute to the DC community. You’ll learn how to search and sign-up for opportunities, as well as next steps and the support that you can expect from us. Snacks and giveaways will be provided at the in-person event. Feel free to forward this announcement.
Pre-registration is required. Please RSVP by Friday, September 22nd by clicking here.
If you have any questions or concerns about our volunteer platform, the Volunteer Program Information Session, or the CAUSES Volunteer Program in general, feel free to reach out to me. I am here to help and am happy to chat by phone or via Zoom. I also love visitors to my office on the Van Ness Campus of UDC. I hope to connect with you soon!
For voice-only participation on a telephone, dial (301) 715-8592.
Meeting ID: 832 8769 6066. Passcode: 262224
Call to Order & Roll Call
Administrative Items
Instructions for Participation in Virtual Meeting
Consideration and Approval of Agenda
Approval of August 2023 Regular Public Meeting Minutes
Treasurer’s Report: Approval of Budget for Fiscal Year 2024
ANC 4B Annual Report Art Submission Competition
Commissioner Updates
Community Concerns
Please use the “Raise Hand” button via Zoom or *9 via telephone to speak during community concerns. The Commission will provide additional details regarding how to present community concerns via the virtual meeting at the start of the meeting. This is the time for questions or statements from members of the public about issues on the agenda or other areas of concern. Please limit your statement or question to one minute. You may also contact members of the Commission before and after Commission meetings.
Reports
Sophia Tekola, Mayor’s Office on Community Relations and Services (3 min)
Barbara Rogers, Office of Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (3 min)
Representative, Metropolitan Police Department, Fourth District (3 min)
Presentation: Amanda Holloway, Energy Program Specialist, DC Department of Energy and Environment, Clean Energy DC 2.0 Plan (10-minute presentation, 10-minute discussion)
Presentation: Oana Leahu-Aluas, Department of Energy and Environment, & Representative, Office of Planning, Sustainable DC 3.0 Plan (10-minute presentation, 5-minute discussion)
Presentation: Mel Negussie, Managing Member, Developer RE1 LLC re: Application for Zoning Modification at 5501 1st Street NW (BZA Case #19897-B) and 71 Kennedy Street NW Update (10-minute presentation; 10-minute discussion)
Presentation: Planned Unit Development at Elm Gardens (7050 Eastern Avenue, NW) (ZC Case #23-19) (10-minute presentation; 10-minute discussion)
Resolution 4B-23-0901: Supporting Planned Unit Development at Elm Gardens (7050 Eastern Avenue, NW) (ZC Case #23-19) (Commissioner Yeats, Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Brooks)
11. Consent Calendar
Resolution 4B-23-0902: Calling for Extended Outdoor Public Pool Season & Hours (Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Smith, Commissioner Brooks)
Resolution 4B-23-0904: Requesting District Department of Public Works Supervision of Trash Routes (Commissioner Johnson)
Resolution 4B-23-0905: Supporting B25-0258, “Access to Home Amendment Act of 2023” (Commissioner Johnson)
Resolution 4B-23-0906: Calling for Reform to Vacant & Blighted Property Laws and Regulations for Residential and Commercial Properties (Commissioner Palmer, Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Yeats)
Resolution 4B-23-0907: Recommendations for Improvements and Oversight at the Office of Unified Communications (Commissioner Yeats, Commissioner Brooks, Commissioner Palmer)
Adjournment
The next ANC 4B Planning Meeting is scheduled for October 10 at 6:30pm.
The next Regular Public Meeting is scheduled for October 23 at 7:00pm.
Join DC Fray and the Cafritz Foundation for the Children’s Festival Event Series at the Modern at Art Place for some free, community-centered fun every fourth Saturday, 1pm-3pm, from June to September!
September 23rd – Harry Potter: Movie at The Modern
Calling all young witches and wizards! Show off your house pride by dressing up in your best robes and enjoy themed snacks, trivia, face painting, themed prizes + more. Join DC Fray + The Cafritz Foundation for free, all as part of the community-centered Children’s Festival Event Series.
On Wednesday, September 20 from 4pm-7pm, Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George will be hosting Ward 4 CARE Community Day for the Lamond community — starting from Lamond Rec Center (20 Tuckerman St NE). This will be a day of sharing resources, bringing DC agencies to the neighborhood, providing constituent services, talking about resident needs, and bringing the community closer together. RSVP if you are able to join and look out for the team as they do outreach block-by-block
DDOT is coordinating with Impact DMV Church and DC Bilingual Public Charter School regarding access and traffic management. DDOT will be canvassing the residential neighborhood on 1st Street NE.
The project website is https://mbt-forttotten-takoma.ddot.dc.gov. Phase 1 of the project includes work from the parking lot at Fort Totten station to South Dakota Avenue (near McDonald Place NE).
ANC Commissioner Shelagh Bocoum is the new commissioner for ANC single member district 5A09. She fills the seat vacated by former commissioner Zachary Ammerman. ANC 5A09 covers Aventine Fort Totten, The Modern at Art Place, Fort Totten Metro station, part of Fort Circle Park, and a few blocks of North Michigan Park. Commissioner Bocum lives in North Michigan Park. She can be reached by email at 5A09@anc.dc.gov.
Map of ANC 5A09 boundaries from DC Board of Elections
Barred in DC and WTOP are out with the news that another craft brewery could soon call Riggs Park home. The team behind Urban Garden Brewing is negotiating a lease for space in the first phase of Art Place at Fort Totten, the phase completed along South Dakota Avenue NE between Galloway Street and Ingraham Street They have an indiegogo campaign to raise money for what they are calling DC’s first BIPOC women-owned brewery.
The neighborhood is home to Hellbender Brewing Company. 3-Stars Brewing Company closed in Lamond last year.
DC Family Bike Fest 2023 is happening this Sunday, September 17, 10:00 am-2:00 pm at Alethia Tanner Park.
Ward 5 Biking will be celebrating completion of the 8th Street NE cycletrack at 10:00 am at Brookland Arts Walk before heading down the Met Branch Trail to the park. The cycletrack is quite lovely (hats off to the Ward 5 ANC commissioners who worked with DDOT to close this gap along the MBT).
[Ed. Note: For those neighbors who may be interested in potential changes at Brookland Metro station, Metro passed along the following information about tonight’s hearing.]
Under the proposal, Metro would reconfigure the bus loop, relocate the Kiss & Ride lot to an on-street facility and reduce the exiting 34 Kiss & Ride spaces to eight spaces. This would improve bicycle and pedestrian access and safety and allow a mix of housing and retail on Metro’s existing property with a future joint development partner.
Customers are encouraged to provide feedback and learn more about the proposed changes during an open house and public hearing:
WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023 Open House begins at 6 p.m. and Public Hearing begins at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Luke C. Moore High School Auditorium, 1001 Monroe St. NE, Washington, DC 20017
PHONE: Dial 206-899-2028 and enter meeting code 337 433 234 #
VIDEO: Email speak@wmata.com by 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11, to register.
The hearing will also be available live at YouTube.com/MetroForward, or by calling the phone number above and entering the meeting code. Testimony is not required to attend or listen. Video of the hearings will also be archived at YouTube.com/MetroForward.
Those unable to participate in the public hearing may provide feedback through 5 p.m., Friday, September 22:
Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH), part of the team developing Riggs Crossing Senior Residences on the corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE, sent word that the construction team will be scheduling more Saturday construction hours for the near future. They said that the recent rains have caused delays because site water needs to be pumped out after rain events. Their permit already includes Saturday hours from 7:00 am-7:00 pm as part of regular work hours, but they said they are sending out notice as courtesy for the neighborhood as there may be other neighborhood events that may occur simultaneously.
In addition, the team is reminding residents about career and training opportunities for this project. They are hiring for several subcontractors. They are also providing paid training for up to 20 DC residents in a 10-week training program. Complete the contact form at https://www.davisbuildsriggsxing.com/careers. Please let your neighbors know.
Art All Night hosted by The Parks Main Street (TPMS) returns to the Riggs Park and Manor Park neighborhoods on September 30, 2023.
Visit small businesses, shop, dine, see local art, and experience live performances by artists from Riggs Park, Manor Park, and surrounding communities in Wards 4 and 5. Should be a fun time.
Register to automatically be entered in drawing for gift certificates from local small businesses in Riggs Park and Manor Park. Registrants must check-in at a TPMS Welcome Center to confirm eligibility.
Presented by The Parks Main Streets with financial support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Department of Small and Local Business Development. Additional support by Chick-fil-A Riggs Park, Riggs Park Place (EYA), Riggs Crossings Senior Residences (APAH).
UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) recently won an award for a green infrastructure project at the university’s Lamond-Riggs campus (formerly known as the Bertie Backus campus). The university is located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE. The award-winning green infrastructure replaces a patch of grass and a small part of the parking lot on the Hamilton Street side of the campus.
According to UDC CAUSES summer 2023 newsletter, the Bertie Backus Campus Infrastructure Treatment Train Project team won first place in the Best Ultra Urban Best Management Practice (BMP) category for the 2023 Best Urban BMP in the Bay Award (BUBBAs) contest on April 6, 2023. The project team consisted of a partnership of UDC CAUSES graduate students, NC State graduate students, and UDC’s National Green Infrastructure Certificate Program (NGCIP) participants.
From the newsletter:
The contest recognizes the best urban stormwater practices and programs in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The goal of the BUBBAs is to:
1. Recognize innovators in the field who are using new and innovative techniques for facing the challenges of stormwater management;
2. Provide an avenue for disseminating these techniques to other communities who could benefit from the lessons learned and innovative approaches;
3. Engage the Chesapeake Stormwater Network’s 11,000-member network of stormwater professionals throughout the Bay watershed to choose our grand prize winner and promote interactivity among members
The Best Ultra-Urban Project BMP category recognizes the best application of green infrastructure (GI) practices that are built in highly urban areas to reduce flooding and pollutant delivery (more than 75% site impervious cover).
Join Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George for Ward 4 Care Day for a resource fair with DC agencies, outreach to neighbors, and support with consitutent services. Information and registration at https://janeeseward4.com/care.
UDC will hold a virtual community meeting on the proposed Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan tonight, September 7, 2023, at 7:00 pm. Please join this meeting to share your thoughts.
The university is proposing a two-phase approach for development of the campus located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE. Phase 1 will involve renovation of the existing buildings on the campus. Phase 2 will involve construction of a new wing on the campus. View this post for information about the proposed plan and links to diagrams: UDC Proposed Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan Filed with Zoning Commission.
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.
For more information or questions, contact Juanita Gray at juanita.gray@udc.edu or (202) 536-9605.
Zoning Commission Hearing
The Zoning Commission issued a corrected public hearing notice for the proposed campus plan (ZC case no. 23-16). The hearing will be at 4:00 pm on October 30, 2023. Instructions for testifying orally or submitting written testimony are in the hearing notice.
Join Councilmember Zachary Parker has he throws out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals game against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, September 19 at 7:05 p.m. You must be a Ward 5 resident to claim tickets. The online form to claim your tickets will open at 12:00 p.m. today, Tuesday, September 5. Click here to claim starting at 12:00 p.m. today!
Next Stop...Riggs Park 
