Meeting Minutes
January 8, 2026, 7:30 pm
The meeting convened via Zoom at 7:32 PM with Commissioners Bender, Cohen, Graff, Hall, Mitchell, and Quinn in attendance.
Announcements / Open Forum– opportunity for members of the community to raise issues of concern or importance to the 3E neighborhood
Owen Cox, Ward 3 Representative from the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations (MOCRs) announced that Kendell Gibson is moving on to be the Deputy Director of the MOCR for Wards 1, 2, 3 and 4. If you need any services, please contact Owen. Leaf collection has started back up again. Christmas trees will be collected from residents’ front tree boxes. There is also a dumpster at Guy Mason where residents can bring their Christmas trees.
An attendee stated that there have been adjustments to the C83, and D96 bus schedules and the C87 bus route that took place on December 14. The WMATA FY27 Budget has been released. There will be an in-person meeting on February 23rd and two online options on February 4th and 5th.
Presentation by 2nd District Police
Lt. Gatewood stated that over the last 30 days there were two robberies (one was closed with an arrest of a juvenile), one burglary, two motor vehicle thefts. Crimes are down 44% over the same time period last year. Lt. Gainer with the Detective’s Division with the 2nd District stated that a warrant has been issued for a juvenile that was robbed of a jacket and backpack.
Attendees had no questions or comments. Commissioners:
- Asked Lt. Gainer for more information about the shooting and murder at the illegal pot shop that occurred a few years ago on Western Ave and an incident in which a Metro employee stabbed someone to death during a robbery at the Friendship Heights Metro. The Commissioners asked for Lt. Gainer’s email address so they could follow up on these incidents. He can be reached at Thomas.gainer@dc.gov.
- They also asked for information about the repeated thefts at the Wilson Pool. There were two in April (one was closed with an arrest in October, one in May (they have a picture of the suspect but no name), and one in June. The aquatic center has upgraded their locker system, and they haven’t had any reports of thefts since the upgrades. He stated that residents need to report thefts quickly to the MPD otherwise they cannot investigate the thefts.
- Stated the given the two recent shootings by ICE Officers, how can residents keep themselves safe in any interactions with law enforcement officers. Lt. Gatewood stated you should treat any interaction as you would a traffic stop, don’t make any sudden movements, keep calm, ask for a supervisor to respond if the officer is being overly aggressive, and ask for names and badge numbers. Commissioners stated the images of the ICE interactions are frustrating.
- Commissioner Bender stated he is trying to get the DC Attorney General to attend the February meeting to discuss their position on the law regarding the deployment of the National Guard in DC.
- Expressed condolences on the passing of Officer Bennet and thanked them for their service.
Discussion of and possible vote on a resolution regarding public space application for sidewalk cafe for Marv’s Dogs at 4936 Wisconsin Ave
A few months ago, we had the proprietors of Marv’s Dogs in for their liquor license. They are now here to discuss their public space permit. Unfortunately, the proprietors could not be here tonight. Their public space application asks to have the sidewalk cafe open until midnight seven days per week. Their liquor license is approved for Sunday – Thursday until 11 PM and Friday and Saturday until midnight. The owners stated the public space application should match the liquor license hours. There were no questions or comments by attendees or Commissioners.
Commissioner Bender moved to allow him to log into TOPS and state the ANC supports the public space application as long as the hours are adjusted to match the liquor license hours. Commissioner Quinn seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a vote of 6-0-0.
Presentation by DC Sentencing Commission regarding upcoming training opportunities
Brittany Bunch with the DC Sentencing Commission stated they release voluntary sentencing guidelines for adult offenders. They monitor and assist with the application of the guidelines and monitor judicial compliance. They will have a 2-part training series. You do not need to attend both events, but it is strongly recommended you attend both. The first part will take place on February 18 from 1-2 PM. The second part will take place on March 4 from 1-2 PM. Both events take place online via Zoom. Their meetings are open to the public and take place on the third Tuesday of the month at 5 PM. She can be reached with any questions or comments at Brittany.bunch@dc.gov.
Attendees:
- Asked what attendees would be trained to do. Bunch stated its more of a presentation to the general public to explain how the guidelines are developed and applied.
Commissioners:
- Stated that these are voluntary guidelines and asked if they have data on whether judges adhere to the guidelines. There is an overall compliance of over 98.4%.
- Stated there were aware of a few incidents in which community impact statements have been submitted. How do the statements figure into the sentence. They do not track the impact statements, but prosecutors track them and the judges use them to determine final sentences.
ANC Business
- Election of officers – Commissioner Bender moved to keep the same slate of Officers this year in which Commissioner Bender would be the Chairperson, Commissioner Cohen would be the Vice-Chair, Commissioner Quinn would be the Treasurer and Commissioner Hall would be the Secretary. The motion was seconded by Cohen and approved by a vote of 6-0-0.
- Approval of security resolution. This is no longer in use.
- Approval of December 2025 Meeting Minutes – Commissioner Bender moved, and Commissioner Cohen seconded a motion to approve the December 2025 Meeting Minutes. The motion was approved by a vote of 6-0-0.
- Approval of expenditures – Commissioner Bender stated they hired a consultant to testify in the Wesley issue. As a result of this testimony and the ANC’s advocacy, Wesley raised their offer for affordable housing by $2 Million. Commissioner Quinn moved and Commissioner Bender seconded the motion to pay $660 to Sherry Cohen for administrative services and to pay $2100 to Kris Adhikari for his services testifying in the Wesley affordable housing issue. The motion was approved by a vote of 6-0-0.
- Approval of the FY2026 Q1 Financial Report – Commissioner Bender moved, and Commissioner Quinn seconded the motion to approve the Financial Report. The motion was approved by a vote of 6-0-0.
- Commissioner Quinn provided a summary of the Wisconsin Avenue Development Framework hearing. He stated most testimony was in favor of the Framework and some groups asked for more affordable housing. Quinn noted that Shane Detman pointed out a few things that were in the Framework that would not work. For example, OP proposed an 80% lot occupancy maximum and Detman stated the 20% could be put in the back of the building and used for parking as there was no requirement to have the 20% unused space be used for public good. Quinn stated OP seemed unprepared to respond to questions raised and would come back in April with responses.
- Commissioner Bender gave a summary of the Wesley Campus Plan proceedings before the Zoning Commission. The plan was approved with Wesley to provide the $10 million for affordable housing for which ANC 3E advocated. Bender met with Councilmember Frumin, DHCD, and Wesley’s President, and all agreed the money should go to DHCD, earmarked for support of affordable new development in our ANC, if possible, and if not possible to go to an affordable project in Ward 3. There are questions about how and whether the zoning order will reflect the agreement. The applicants’ attorneys are working with the zoning commission on the language. There is a developer who believes that money could be used to build 75 units at 50% AMI on the site where the former Sur La Table store was.
The meeting was adjourned by acclimation at 8:35 PM.
/s/:
Prepared by: Sherry Cohen
Approved on: February 12, 2026
Attested by:/s/ Tom Quinn