From ANC 5A

ANC 5A Public Safety Task Force
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
6:30 pm

Providence Health
1150 Varnum Street, N.E.
Ground Floor Lecture Hall

ANC 5A is launching a new task force to work together to help address public safety issues in ANC 5A. We welcome anyone in the community to participate.

For more information, please contact Commissioner Gordon Fletcher 5a08@anc.dc.gov

ANC 5A held a special public meeting on August 31, 2022.

Commissioners present: Damion McDuffie (5A01); Charles Lockett (5A02); Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – Secretary; Diego Rojas (5A04); Ronnie Edwards (5A05) – Chair; Sandi Washington (5A07) – Treasurer; Gordon Fletcher (5A08) – Vice Chair.

At the top of the meeting, the commissioners removed discussion of the Riggs Road NE cycletrack from the agenda and replaced that item with discussion of a new school zone parking program. The cycletrack will be on the agenda for ANC 5A’s public meeting in September.

ANC 5A Public Safety Task Force Draft Budget

Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) presented a proposed budget for ANC 5A’s public safety task force (public safety committee). The request is to spend a little over $2,000 for reflective safety vests, flashlights, batteries, and whistles. My understanding is that this budget request is just a starting point for discussion. Robert Oliver, a resident in Commissioner Fletcher’s SMD who apparently is chairing the committee, said the idea is for residents to be able to walk around their neighborhoods to report safety concerns or things that need to be addressed by District government, such as sidewalks that pose a tripping hazard. Previously, Commissioner Fletcher talked a lot about bringing back the “Orange Hats.” Mr. Oliver said he does not expect that people will want to do exactly what the orange hats did in the past as far as walking the neighborhood during all times of day including late night hours, but they might be willing to do occasional walks to report things that need city attention. Unclear if the expectation is that ANC 5A residents will simply borrow the items. Right now, Commissioner Fletcher anticipates that the items will be housed in what he calls the ANC’s satellite office at The Modern at 402 Galloway Street NE. (The Ward 5 Mutual Aid group has been operating out of the ANC’s office for several months so there will need to be some discussion about how that group will continue operating out of the space).

The ANC voted to form a public safety committee a couple of years ago, but there always seems to be confusion about what exactly the committee is doing. In response to feedback, Commissioner Fletcher stated that he will work on developing goals and priorities for the public safety committee in order to align spending with those priorities. He plans to have a meeting on September 14, 2022, to discuss the issue.

Trinity Social Bar & Grill ABRA Application (5A05)

The owner of Trinity Social Bar & Grill, located at 200 Michigan Avenue NE, is now requesting a Class C alcohol license in order to have outdoor seating (what is known as a “summer garden” endorsement). Previously the owner was seeking a Class B alcohol license (originally covered in this post). The plans call for approximately 5 to 6 two-seater tables along the walkway outside the restaurant. There was some discussion about making sure there was enough space to be ADA compliant. Also, the owner will need to get a public space permit from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT).

According to the hearing notice, the applicant is also requesting an entertainment endorsement for indoor live entertainment.

The petition deadline was September 6, 2022. The ANC voted to support the application with no comment on the summer garden endorsement. Commissioner Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) abstained.

DDOT School Zone Parking Program – Bridges Public Charter School Application (5A07)

DDOT has rolled out a new school zone parking program in response to DC Council legislation. The program allows schools to request school zone parking permits for purchase by school employees to park on RPP blocks near the school so that those employees do not get parking tickets. ANCs can pass a resolution in support of a school’s application in order to expedite the process, but schools can also get school zone permits without ANC support. The ANC just has to be notified. The program website has a handy guide outlining program requirements (school transportation coordinator, school commuter survey, and a school sustainable transportation plan) and a list of FAQs.

Haley Peckett, DDOT’s director of cubside management, explained that the program is new and the idea is that perhaps some residents will use their cars during the day, freeing up on street parking for school employees to park. (Admittedly, I do not understand that reasoning at all because city officials are also encouraging people to use alternatives to driving and certainly many residents take public transportation to work during regular business hours). DDOT will determine the number of permits the school receives based on a formula. Schools will receive permits for the ANC in which they are located. Schools located near an ANC border may receive permits for more than one ANC.

The discussion was prompted by an application for parking on RPP blocks by Bridges Public Charter School (PCS), located at 100 Gallatin Street NE near Fort Totten Metro station. Bridges is just one in a cluster of public charter schools in that location, along with Mary’s Center Fort Totten location. With the nearby apartments, condo buildings, and rowhouses, there is already a lot of demand for on-street parking for cars in that area.

Ms. Peckett said that DDOT welcomes feedback from ANCs about how the program is working. For example, Commissioner Sandi Washington (5A07), in whose single member district Bridges sits, asked whether the application process could include requiring the school applicant to explore other parking options first before requesting parking permits for RPP blocks. She noted that DC Bilingual PCS, which recently expanded, and Briya PCS, are both located near Bridges PCS and those schools are renting parking spaces in nearby off-street parking lots. (The application does ask what parking the school already provides, such as in commercial garages or remote lots, but it does not specifically ask whether the school has sought out other nearby parking options before submitting the application).

There were some questions about why school employees get what is seen as a special privilege as opposed to other DC government employees. (I can understand why there may be some sympathy from District officials for teachers, in particular, who might want to drive to their school sometimes. They often have to schlep a lot of items to their classroom and can sometimes work well into the evening hours). In response to a question, Ms. Peckett did note that school employees in DC are eligible for free Capital bikeshare memberships and they are also eligible for a small subsidy towards the purchase of a bike. A resident noted that it would be useful to have bikeshare stations and bike parking by school campuses so that school employees can more easily use personal bikes or bikeshare to get to their school campus. Also the school zone program is designed to nudge schools towards reducing reliance on car trips by school employees by gradually reducing the number of approved school zone permits over time.

Bridges PCS and DDOT will return to the ANC’s regularly scheduled September meeting to discuss the application from Bridges more. In the interim, Commissioner Washington will continue talking with the leadership of Bridges about their plan.

From Zachary Ammerman, candidate for ANC 5A09, which will include The Modern at Art Place, Aventine at Fort Totten, and part of North Michigan Park.

My name is Zachary Ammerman, I’m a first-time candidate for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in the brand-new single member district 5A09 which, as you may already be aware, will cover the area just east of the Fort Totten metro including part of Riggs Park, Fort Totten and North Michigan Park. 5A09 was largely carved out of the old 5A08 as a result of population changes following the 2020 Census. 

For those that aren’t familiar with the position, ANCs serve as a sort of liaison between a neighborhood district (each with about 2,000 people) and its residents and the DC government, helping to get services like trash removal, potholes filled, or a stoplight put in, among countless other things, and also advocate more broadly on behalf of the neighborhood. 

I just wanted to briefly introduce myself and let you know about some of my priorities I’ll be hoping to tackle if elected. 

I’m a full-time artist and mapmaker (you can see some of my work here and here) and a former French Embassy Economic Department staffer running as a first-time candidate for ANC with three top priorities in mind: 

• traffic safety, particularly on South Dakota Avenue, but also on some of the side streets in the SMD like Galloway and Gallatin. I plan on pushing for DDOT to take an “all-of-the-above” approach to calming traffic on South Dakota, including speed and red light cameras, installing new stop lights at intersections that don’t currently have them, considering a road diet long-term, as well as considering putting in protected bike lanes (as identified in the 2015 Move DC plan), and potentially bus lanes. 
  • I am also not waiting until I get elected to start pushing for these changes: I’ve already filed multiple requests for traffic safety investigations (which have a wait time of around 130 days, so right around the time I would be taking office) for multiple different intersections and stretches of road in our district in the hopes that DDOT will be getting around to them early next year. See my website for more details on this; 
• putting pressure on NPS to take better care of the parks in our area, including finishing the trail between the Fort Totten metro and North Michigan Park, as well as just generally doing better maintenance like mowing and trash removal; 
• and supporting more housing density in places like surface parking lots near the metro in order to help alleviate the region’s housing affordability crisis and contribute to DC’s climate/sustainability goals. 

You can find more detailed information about me and all of my proposals on my website, www.zachforanc5a09.com. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have via the contact me section of my website, or via email at zammermanANC@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ZachANC5A09. I’ll be campaigning more as the election gets closer and look forward to meeting many more residents in person in the next few months.

ANC 5A Special Meeting
August 31, 2022
6:45 pm

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88313492245?pwd=SVdjanFDUTFrS3FEZkV4VTZiaVZuQT09

Meeting ID: 883 1349 2245
Passcode: 767536

Dial In: 301 715 8592

Agenda Items

• Budget Amendment – to Establish a Public Safety Committee Operations Budget –  Commissioner Fletcher will develop a proposed budget for consideration.  
• ABRA-121427 – Retailer’s Class “C” Tavern – Expansion of Previously approved Class “B” Application Trinity Grill & Social Marketplace, LLC  200 Michigan Avenue NE
• Riggs Rd NE Connector Cycle Track DDOT (added August 27, 2022)  

ANC 5A Special Meeting
August 31, 2022
6:45 pm

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88313492245?pwd=SVdjanFDUTFrS3FEZkV4VTZiaVZuQT09

Meeting ID: 883 1349 2245
Passcode: 767536

Dial In: 301 715 8592

Agenda Items

• Budget Amendment – to Establish a Public Safety Committee Operations Budget –  Commissioner Fletcher will develop a proposed budget for consideration.  
• ABRA-121427 – Retailer’s Class “C” Tavern – Expansion of Previously approved Class “B” Application Trinity Grill & Social Marketplace, LLC  200 Michigan Avenue NE