September 12, 2019, 7:30 pm
The meeting convened at 7:38 PM. Commissioners Bender, Ehrhardt, McHugh and Quinn were in attendance. Commissioner Hall arrived later.
Announcements / Open Forum– opportunity for members of the community to raise issues of concern or importance to the 3E neighborhood
An attendee was concerned about disturbing interactions she has had with homeless people in the area. Sgt Davis with MPD introduced himself and stated that he will be in charge of PSAs 201, 202 and 203. He can be reached at richard.davis3@dc.gov with any concerns.
An attendee stated that he regularly witnesses people speeding at up to 50 mph on the 4100 block of Ellicott St heading toward Wisconsin Ave. He would like to have a speed camera, signage and/or speed bumps installed on his block.
Leigh Catherine Miles, Executive Director of Tenleytown Main Street (TMS), announced that the Art All Night will take place on Saturday, September 14 from 7 PM to midnight. The event will showcase artists at various venues along Wisconsin Ave and at the Katzen Art Museum. Additional information can be found at http://tenleytownmainstreet.org/event/art-all-night/
An attendee mentioned that a new vaping shop that opened in Tenleytown close to three schools. Commissioner Bender stated that Councilmember Cheh is looking to ban flavored e-cigarettes and he is trying to arrange meetings with the local school principals and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
DC Public Schools is having a block party at Roosevelt High School on Saturday, September 14 from 11 to 2. The Mayor and School Chancellor will be there.
Presentation by 2nd District Police
Sgt. Koenig from the 2nd District provided an update on police activity and crime in PSA 202. In the last 30 days, there were 58 total crimes, including two Assaults with a Dangerous Weapon (ADWs), one robbery, one burglary, and four stolen vehicles. Thefts from autos are down in part because MPD has been putting out fliers reminding residents to not leave items visible in their cars and the deployment of a crime reduction team.
Attendees: asked for details on the ADW at CVS; asked about an incident in which a truck that was too wide for the street forced the attendee off the road while he was riding on his bicycle; asked for statistics on the number of citations issued for vehicles illegally parked in bike lanes in Ward 3; asked for enforcement of cars parked in the bike lanes in the evenings outside the Wilson Pool and illegal parking along Wisconsin Ave during afternoon rush hour; and asked for stop and frisk data for this neighborhood.
Commissioners asked for details about an unlawful discharge of a weapon at the Steak and Egg (several shots were fired) that was not captured in the police statistics available to the public. Sgt Davis stated that the people involved in the shooting are not cooperating with the police investigation.
Sgt. Koenig stated that he could be reached at james.koenig@dc.gov with any questions or concerns.
Presentation regarding Janney 5K race and possible vote on letter regarding same
Shari Burke and Andrea Travis, Co-Chairs of the Janney 5K presented an overview of the event. The Janney 5K and Fun Run will be held on Saturday, November 16 at 9 am and will run the same racecourse as in years past. There were no questions from those in attendance. Commissioners asked the organizers to request that since the organizers are paying for the tow trucks, the city not ticket any cars that are towed. Commissioner Bender moved and Commissioner McHugh seconded a motion to approve a letter in support of the event. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0-0.
Presentation of grant application from Lisner Home for Community Fun Day
Ward Orem, CEO of the Lisner-Louise-Dickson Hurt Home presented a grant request to support their annual Community Fun Fest day. The event is open to residents of the home, their families and the community and will take place on October 19, from 11 am – 2 pm. They are asking for a grant for $1391.00 to help fund the art supplies for the event. There were no questions from those in attendance. A vote on the request will be taken at the next ANC meeting.
Presentation regarding funding for Birth to Three for All DC Act
Catherine Landfield stated that full-time day care costs about $24k per year in DC and workers at day care centers earn, on average, $15/hour. The Birth to Three for All Act, passed in 2018, provides for childcare assistance for lower- and middle-income families, increased salaries for childcare workers and additional supports for pregnant women but is not fully funded. Landfield has a petition that DC residents can sign and asked the Commission to pass a resolution in support of fully funding the act. Landfield stated that full funding would cost approximately $55 million per year.
Attendees asked: how the money would be managed; how many children would be served by the program; and how to find more information online. Commissioners asked questions regarding why the program wasn’t fully funded. They were generally supportive of the program but noted that the program has the potential to be very expensive.
Update regarding DC PLUG program to undergrounding selected power lines in the neighborhood
Tijuana Haynes the Outreach Coordinator for DC PLUG gave an update on the project. They predict that the program is on schedule to be completed by May 1, 2020. The contractors generally work Monday to Friday and will work on Saturday if there are weather or other scheduling delays. Fifteen days prior to starting construction they will call customers on effected blocks and seven days prior to the start of work they will place door hangers on all houses on the block. In the coming weeks, work is scheduled on the 46th Street and Chesapeake; 49th and Brandywine; Fessenden and 44th; 46th and Davenport; 4600 block of Chesapeake; 4800 block of Chesapeake; 4700 block of 46th St; and the 5000 block of 44th St.
An attendee asked how the feeder lines and blocks were chosen. Commissioners: asked on average, how long work on a block lasts; asked if they could change the angle of the bicycle cuts in the barrier on 44th when they rebuild it; stated that the 4400 block of Fessenden St took three months to complete and the communication was lacking; stated that the 4300 block of Fessenden that was recently repaved and is now being dug up again and asked them to better coordinate projects with DPW; and said that some of the transformers are now accessed by unsightly metal doors in the tree boxes and there was no notice of this in their presentations.
Discussion of and possible vote on application by and memorandum of understanding with Valor Development regarding redevelopment of former Superfresh site
Commissioner McHugh stated he was negotiating an amenity package with Valor but the negotiations are ongoing. Valor’s hearing with the BZA is on October 7. The Commission will hold a special meeting in the coming weeks to vote on the resolution and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). He went over the terms being considered in the current MOU which include: renting space to a full service grocer; offer any left-over commercial space to existing tenants; provide 11% affordable housing; obtain LEED Gold certification; clean up the alley behind the Spring Valley Shopping Center; install a HAWK signal across Massachusetts Ave; provide four parking spaces for car share vehicles; allocate parking spaces on 48th St for ride hailing and delivery vehicles; install a CABI station on the Massachusetts Ave side of the law school; set aside $100k for connecting building residents to the Tenleytown Metro station; ask DDOT to study the intersection of 49th and Massachusetts Ave and to study breaking the median on Massachusetts Ave to alleviate traffic traveling on Yuma St; install a 3-way stop sign and curb bumpouts at 48th and Warren; have restrictions on the hours the rooftop can be used; restrict the building from signing a master lease with AU; and limit blasting during construction. Valor has also been working with AU to move the shuttle bus stop from 48th Street. Commissioner Bender asked about their promised plans for activating the public space. They have not worked on those plans.
Attendees: stated that some of the items that are new in the MOU are not in the Comprehensive Transportation Review (CTR); noted that there were conflicts between items 10 and 20 in the draft MOU and some confusion between Uber and Lyft drop off and pickups vs delivery trucks; worried about ride sharing vehicles illegally parking around the property; asked about a pick up and drop off loading area for the grocery store; would like a more thorough discussion for public space and have those details put into the MOU; would like the sidewalk in the alley to widened and a railing installed; would like the building made smaller; stated that ANC3D asked Valor to relinquish the flexibility to increase the number of apartments from 219 to 240; asked if Valor could provide residents with a membership to CABI; asked for clarification on the distribution of units; stated that the city is in a housing crisis and needs more 1-bedroom units; asked if AU is a signatory to the MOU and if future owners are bound to it; did not like the HAWK signal and asked DDOT to study it.
Commissioners: multiple Commissioners felt strongly about the HAWK signal; liked the bigger apartments so neighborhood residents can age in place; would like them to provide pet poop bags and trash cans; think residents would be interested in purchasing condos; wants more work to be done on the public space plans; would have liked to have seen a regular grocery store but Mom’s is a good alternative; did not think the sidewalk in the alley needs to be wider or should have a railing; want more electric charging stations; want parking to be allowed on the south side of Yuma; noted that this was always zoned as a mixed-use site; did not like the AU building and doesn’t like the historic preservation; and noted that it has too many parking spaces according to urban design standards.
ANC Business
- Approval of July 2019 meeting minutes – Commissioner Bender moved, and Commissioner McHugh seconded a motion to approve the Draft July 2019 Meeting Minutes. The motion was approved by a vote of 4-0-0.
- Approval of a motion to raise the hourly rate for the Commission’s contract assistant to $30 per hour – Commissioner Bender moved and Commissioner Hall seconded a motion to approve the resolution. The motion was approved by a vote of 4-0-0.
- Approval of expenditures – Commissioner Quinn moved, and Commissioner Bender seconded a motion to approve a payment of $362.50 to Sherry Cohen for administrative support and a second check to FedEx$15.82. The expenditures were approved by a vote of 4-0-0.
The meeting was adjourned by acclimation at 11:22 PM.