Meeting Minutes
February 13, 2025, 7:30 pm
The meeting convened via Zoom at 7:38 PM with Commissioners Bender, Denny, Gianinno, and Quinn in attendance.
Announcements / Open Forum– opportunity for members of the community to raise issues of concern or importance to the 3E neighborhood
Commissioner Bender announced that when the meeting started, we did not have a quorum, so the initial part of the meeting was to be considered an informal meeting.
Noah Getz, Executive Director of Tenleytown Main Street, announced TMS would be hosting a Wellness day on May 10 in coordination with the Janney Beautification Day.
Commissioner Graff joined the meeting at 7:40 and Commissioner Bender announced the meeting would now be considered an official meeting.
Representatives from the Ft Gaines Neighbors Association stated they have been unable to meet with developers of the former Swedish Ambassador’s Residence to discuss implementing a construction agreement. Commissioner Gianinno stated they plan to come to next ANC meeting but have not confirmed their attendance. Commissioner Bender cautioned that in his experience these things sometimes happen when a project is stalled.
Leigh Catherine Miles, Chief of Staff for Councilmember Matthew Frumin announced the next Workday in the Ward will be on February 27 at Open City in Woodley Park. Councilmember Frumin will be there from 8 – 10 am and his staff will be there until 3 pm. Miles also stated that with the expected snow this week, garbage collection will be on time, but food waste collection will slide one day. She also stated that leaf collection is delayed a few days. For any questions or concerns please contact fruminoffice@dccouncil.gov or call 202-724-8062.
William Cox with the Ward 3 MOCRs introduced himself. He stated that if there are any Christmas trees still in tree boxes that need to be collected, please report them to 311.
Steve Seelig stated that there is an incorrect speed limit sign heading north on 41st at Harrison and on 41st St heading south at Ingomar a speed limit sign is obscured by a tree.
Tom Quinn announced the passing of a long-term resident and ANC participant Larry Freedman.
Presentation by 2nd District Police
Lt Sharmika Gatewood stated that over the last 30 days there have been no violent crimes but theft from autos is up 100% and thefts from businesses are up 20%. MPD is using their crime suppression teams in the area to address these thefts. She asked residents to not leave items visible in vehicles.
Attendees had no questions or concerns. Commissioners stated they have seen dangerous driving occurring in front of police officers and asked what residents should do if police are there and won’t do anything. Gatewood encouraged residents to ask the officer for their names and badge numbers or note the patrol car numbers and said they can report them online or call the watch commander.
Discussion of and possible vote on resolution regarding application for Special Exception relief from lot occupancy and rear yard requirements by owner of 3841 Warren Street, NW to build a rear addition
The homeowner would like to build a one-story addition to the rear of their home to expand their kitchen. They need relief from the lot occupancy requirements and the rear yard setbacks as the new addition would be 8.5 feet from the garage (the current home is just 15.5 feet from the garage). The homeowner has letters of support from the immediate neighbors. Commissioner Denny stated this seems to be a pro forma request and added the applicant already has rain barrels installed and plans to replace part of their lawn with a meadow to offset the loss of permeable area.
Attendees and Commissioners had no questions or comments.
Commissioner Bender moved, and Commissioner Denny seconded a motion to approve the resolution in support of the special exception for 3841 Warren Street. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0-0.
Update from Federal Realty regarding its project at the Maggiano’s site and public space improvements at 43rd and Military it intends to make pursuant to its PUD
Geoff Sharpe with Federal Realty stated they gained approval for their PUD in 2023 to replace the current building at 5333 Wisconsin Avenue with 12,000 square feet of commercial space on the street level and just under 300 apartments. They are moving forward with the design but noted that they are postponing the construction until 2026 because the interest rates are still too high and there is a lot of uncertainty in the local economy. Part of their community amenities package is to improve the intersection of 43rd and Military. Federal Realty agreed to raise the crosswalk, add flashing stop sign beacons, and install bump outs on the curbs. DDOT agreed to allow them to bump out the curbs on the south side of the intersection, install a flashing stop sign for westbound traffic and add a crosswalk across the west side of Military. DDOT stated that there is a mounted stop sign camera for the eastbound traffic, so the flashing stop sign is not warranted and there is too much traffic on that street to install raised crosswalks.
Attendees asked about the plans for the corner of 43rd and Military and asked if a bioretention garden will be installed. Sharpe stated the plans have changed and they will not be installing the garden.
Commissioners asked Ms. Miles to bring the issues to the Councilmember. Commissioner Quinn said that he spoke to DDOT, and they said that the camera might move, so they will allow the flashing stop sign for eastbound traffic.
Presentation by Office of Planning regarding zoning implementation of the Wisconsin Ave Development Framework
Ron Barron, Maxine Brown Roberts and Jennifer Steingasser with Office of Planning shared their plans for the Wisconsin Avenue Development Framework. They stated that the Framework flowed out of the Comprehensive Plan update in 2021 which included changes to the Future Land Use Map. High-density zones were approved around the Friendship Heights and Tenleytown Metros. They also approved transition zones around the Friendship Heights high-density zone and mixed-use corridors along Wisconsin Ave down to Rodman St.
They are considering recommending that developments within the high-density areas have a new special purpose zone, which would require developers to undergo a design review process to ensure they meet the design goals set out by the plan. The ANC and community would be a part of the design review planning process but have limited input on actual proposals and there would be more limited public amenities discussions and requirements. They hope to have the design goals finalized by the Fall 2025 nd then seek feedback from the ANC and community and approval by the Zoning Commission.
Attendees:
- Asked for a copy of the presentation. It is on the ANC3E website.
- Asked if the high-density zones would have no sunlight like in the Wegman’s Development. In some cases, buildings would be require step downs to help limit the shade that would result from the taller buildings.
- Asked for examples of what the buildings would look like before the design plans are approved.
- Asked about the status of the bus depot moving to the Lord & Taylor site. As far as they know, it is still moving forward, and that lot will probably be exempt from the lot occupancy requirements. Commissioner Bender added that WMATA could not come to an agreement with the property owner and WMATA is using eminent domain in court to force the sale of the property. Bender also noted that WMATA has budget problems, so he doubts the development will happen anytime soon.
- Asked if they are upzoning, to different degrees, the entire stretch of Wisconsin Ave in one fell swoop. OP replied that they are upzoning parcels of land around the Friendship Heights and Tenley metro stations and south of Tenley Circle but that there are gaps that would not be touched.
- Asked about property taxes of the lots not developed. OP replied that this is just the proposed zoning and doesn’t mean any development will occur.
Commissioners:
- Asked what their community engagement has included. OP is working with ANCs and will probably hold an open house to allow the community to provide feedback on the text amendment they are proposing. When they submit their plan, anyone who lives within 200 feet of Wisconsin Ave will be notified and can provide input on the plan.
- Stated they are concerned about lack of coordination with other agencies regarding how this plan with effect demand on utilities, schools, etc. OP replied that is a separate step.
- Asked for more details about the design review process. They are only doing the text amendment/design review for the two high-density areas; the other areas would have a general map amendment, and the design review would not apply to them. The plan would have very detailed information about most issues that would arise when designing a building. The plan would allow for some flexibility in case a developer would want a special exception.
- Stated the public communications part is important and many people are confused by the design review aspect.
- Asked if developers can ask to be exempted from IZ+ and noted that there were exemptions to the IZ+ in the Navy Yard. OP replied that the Navy Yard has different federal requirements which was why they were exempted.
- Stated that they were concerned about what we would lose by eliminating PUDs and their associated amenities, including public space improvements.
- A Commissioner from ANC3C asked if OP could use large tract review so that everyone can get what they want. OP stated that they would need a single large tract, and they could look at it. Both design review and large track review trigger interagency process.
Discussion of draft settlement agreement regarding Total Wine’s application for a liquor license to operate a full-service liquor store on the basement floor of the former Mazza Gallerie
Commissioner Quinn stated we received notice about the Total Wine application at the end of October and in December we passed a resolution in protest of their application. The protest was procedural to allow us time to work out a voluntary agreement and we are working toward one. Commissioner Quinn stated that issues they have been addressing include parking — especially by delivery drivers (want to keep most on site in the garage), a requirement to keep all shopping carts on site, transit benefits for staff and security on site. There was a hearing today on whether the signage on the Total Wine site met the ABCA notice requirements and the ABCA Board said a decision would come soon.
Attendees:
- Asked why the ANC is waiting for ABCA to issue their ruling. Commissioners responded the hearing was today and ABCA should rule soon, and the brief delay would also provide an opportunity for neighbors to make suggestions regarding the voluntary agreement.
- Suggested that regarding the negotiation about the amount of time to have a security guard on the premises, perhaps Total Wine can agree to hiring a security guard if a crime were to occur. Trone replied that while they have agreed to have a security guard, they have other security measures that they think work better than a security guard which includes more than 20 people who would be dedicated to safety and security, cameras throughout the store that utilize AI and microphones, and other measures they declined to mention publicly.
- Nolan Rodman contended there was a huge lack of transparency in the process and the only reason the public knows about this is because it came up on the ANC agenda.
- Asked Mr. Rodman if his specific concerns are with the notice, parking, traffic, or competition. Rodman replied he there were problems with transparency with the process and he has concerns about putting a lot of beer, liquor and wine into a large space that is community-oriented right on top of the metro &worried it will create a lot of ripple effects regarding crime in the neighborhood.
- Barbara Lee stated she was representing 70 residents in Chase Point and she had sent a petition in favor of Total Wine. She saidthey are happy to see the area come back and noted there is a lot of public parking in the neighborhood.
- Stated there was a lack of notification and doesn’t think Total Wine will be a plus for the community.
- Max Bachman, owner of Verified Wines, stated that he has concerns about how big the store will be and the fact that it is attached to a Metro will create more issues throughout the community.
Commissioners:
- Stated they understand the concerns of merchants, but they think of Total Wine is a store that many neighborhoods welcome and it seems some concerns expressed may be overblown.
- Commissioner Bender noted they won’t be finalizing any agreement for two weeks pending a ruling on the notice issue. Commissioners noted we have not received many suggestions for the voluntary agreement and asked residents to forward any suggestions for it to the ANC for consideration.
- Noted that this is 20,000 sq ft of underground space and if it wasn’t taken by Total Wine, who would rent that but a grocery store and doesn’t think we need another one of those. They also noted that if Total Wine doesn’t rent the space, we wouldn’t get to pick who would take the space.
ANC Business
- Approval of January 2025 Meeting Minutes – Commissioner Bender moved, and Commissioner Quinn seconded a motion to approve the draft January 2025 Meeting Minutes. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0-0.
- Approval of expenditures – Commissioner Quinn moved, and Commissioner Bender seconded a motion to approve payments of $390.00 to Sherry Cohen for administrative support. Commissioner Quinn moved, and Commissioner Bender seconded a motion to approve a payment of $199.00 to Sherry Cohen for reimbursement for the MixLR Subscription. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0-0.
- Quinn stated he got an email from Wesley, the next CLC meeting is February 20th.
- Commissioners stated they heard complaints that the OLLI students are parking in the neighborhood and shouldn’t be. Commissioner Graff works part-time with the OLLI program and will talk with them to try to work with the students to not park in the neighborhood.
The meeting was adjourned by acclamation at 11:01 PM.
ANC3E Feb 13 2025 Meeting Minutes – Final
ANC3E Feb 13 2025 Meeting Minutes – Draft