In Your Neighborhood: May 17, 2017

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Advisory Neighborhood Commissions

Meeting Notices and Agenda Highlights

To find links to your ANC’s website, click here. Visit the District’s ANC office to see maps of commission boundaries by ward.

ANC 1B
Lower Columbia Heights, Lower Georgia Avenue, Shaw, U Street, Pleasant Plains

The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at the D.C. Housing Finance Agency, 815 Florida Ave. NW. For details, visit anc1b.org.

ANC 1C
Adams Morgan

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, at Mary’s Center, 2355 Ontario Road NW. For details, call 202-332-2630 or visit anc1c.org.

ANC 2A
Foggy Bottom, West End

At the commission’s April 19 meeting:
■ Richard Livingstone, Ward 2 liaison to Mayor Muriel Bowser, announced that the Department of General Services and D.C. Public Schools will soon begin work renovating the gym and adding locker rooms at School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens, 2425 N St. NW.
■ commissioners voted 8-0 to support a community task force aimed at protecting the city against harmful LED streetlight installations.
■ EastBanc development manager Jennifer Webber announced that the first resident moved in April 19 at the new mixed-use building incorporating the West End fire station at 23rd and M streets NW. The fire station will begin occupying the first floor of the building sometime in May and the new squash facility will open on Memorial Day, Webber added. No further street blockages or disruptions to public space are expected. Webber also said the new West End Library, on L Street between 23rd and 24th streets NW, is expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
■ Windon Rieger from St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 728 23rd St. NW requested residents’ assistance in fundraising efforts, which will go toward renovating the roof and organ in time for the church’s 150th anniversary in June.
■ at-large D.C. Council member Elissa Silverman outlined her legislative priorities, including creating a productive local workforce, expanding affordable housing opportunities even in affluent areas like Foggy Bottom, and expanding hours and access to recreation and parks facilities.
■ Babak Sarani, director of trauma and acute care surgery at George Washington University Hospital, urged the commission to support its proposal for a helipad on the hospital’s roof, in order to streamline the process of transporting critically injured patients. He said the area’s current landing point is near Nationals Park, and trauma patients must be driven from there by ambulance, which can take up to 45 minutes during rush hour. The hospital hired a consultant to conduct an extensive noise study in early April that, according to Sarani, showed that noise from helicopters won’t be substantially more than from ambulances, and that noise duration will be shorter since ambulances are slower. The commission will take a position on the proposal at its May meeting.
■ Developer Boston Properties discussed possible community benefits of its project at 2100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, including funding for the following projects: a bust or statue of Duke Ellington for Duke Ellington Park; rent for the Foggy Bottom West End Village’s office; improvements to the park across the street at 21st and I streets NW; and repairs to the Foggy Bottom Dog Park and Tot Park on the west side of 26th Street between I and K streets NW. Community members and commissioners also advocated for tenant relocation assistance for the barbershop and dry cleaner in the building now.
■ commissioners voted 7-0 to support aspects of a public space application for the proposed development at 2100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW that focus on building projections and sidewalk vaults. The resolution states that the commission also supports in concept a proposed curb cut, provided that developer Boston Properties offers detailed information about measures to mitigate pedestrian safety impacts. Commissioners agreed to have more discussion before taking a formal position on relocating the site’s Capital Bikeshare station.
■ commissioners voted 8-0 to urge city officials to fully fund Ivymount School’s 50-student special-needs education program in the long-awaited Stevens School project at 1050 21st St. NW. They want the city to cover any cost increases that have resulted from delays since Ivymount submitted its original proposal.
■ commissioners voted 7-0 to support an Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration application to transfer a liquor license from 3033 M St. NW to the new restaurant Squash on Fire at 2233 M St. NW. Commissioners also voted 7-0 to approve an application for a stipulated restaurant-class license for Squash on Fire, which is planned to have a total occupancy of 292 and a summer garden with 22 seats, with maximum hours from 5 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Saturday.
■ commissioners voted 6-0, with Florence Harmon recusing herself, to request a feasibility study for combined planning of a K Street off-ramp envisioned as part of the DC Streetcar extension project and a bypass linking Potomac River Parkway and Rock Creek Parkway, as outlined in a 2003 Federal Highway Administration environmental impact study.

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, in Room 108, Funger Hall, George Washington University, 2201 G St. NW. Agenda items include:
■ police report.
■ agency reports.
■ consideration of a resolution on the recent PBS Digital Innovation Award recipient from School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens.
■ presentation by the Department of Public Works on spring operations, including street sweeping and the Helping Hand Program.
■ presentation by Catholic University of America students on a project to reimagine the streetscape in the area surrounding Rock Creek Park, Virginia Avenue NW and the Potomac River Freeway (Interstate 66).
■ discussion and possible consideration of a resolution on George Washington University Hospital’s proposal to install a new aeromedical transport facility (helipad) on the roof of the hospital at 900 23rd St. NW.
■ update regarding D.C. Public Schools’ funding commitments for the new Ivymount School at the historic Stevens School building at 1050 21st St. NW.
■ consideration of a resolution on Boston Properties’ proposed relocation of a Capital Bikeshare station as part of the public space application for its planned development at 2100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
■ discussion on construction noise as part of the International Finance Corp. development project at 2100 K St. NW.
■ consideration of a resolution on the Pan American Health Organization’s public space application to install two 20-foot flag poles at 525 23rd St. NW.
■ consideration of a resolution on Zipcar’s proposal to add several parking spaces for car-sharing vehicles to neighborhood streets.
■ consideration of a resolution on the D.C. Department of Transportation’s Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation Project, for which the agency has proposed installing LED streetlights on the bridge over Rock Creek once the work is complete.
■ update from Davis Construction on the CBS News development project at 2020 M St. NW.
■ discussion on construction noise from the Alexander Court development at 2000 L St. NW.
■ consideration of a resolution on the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability’s proposed advisory opinion on the application of D.C.’s ethics laws to ANCs.

For details, visit anc2a.org.

ANC 2B
Dupont Circle

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, at the Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. For details, visit dupontcircleanc.net.

ANC 2C
Downtown, Penn Quarter

The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 12, in Room G-9, John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. For details, visit anc2c.us or contact [email protected].

ANC 2D
Sheridan-Kalorama

The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 19, at Our Lady Queen of the Americas Church, California Street and Phelps Place NW. For details, visit anc2d.org or contact [email protected].

ANC 2E
Georgetown, Burleith, Hillandale, Cloisters

At the commission’s May 1 meeting:
■ Tanya Hedgepeth, construction outreach coordinator for the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority, discussed two projects in Georgetown. One project, which had begun the week before, is a rehabilitation of several sewers in the neighborhood’s southwest corner, starting with a first phase in the 3200 block of Grace Street NW. In most locations, the sewer will be re-lined and DC Water will be able to do the work from a manhole. However, in the 3300 block of O Street NW, an area measuring about 10 feet by 12 feet will have to be excavated to replace infrastructure, with the work tentatively scheduled to run from May 30 to July 6. The overall project is slated to wrap up in January 2018.

The second project will rehabilitate sewer pipes between the C&O Canal and Potomac River south of the Georgetown University campus, to address sewage overflow issues. The work is slated to begin soon, and detours are already in place for sections of the Capital Crescent Trail. The portion of the project closer to Water Street NW should wrap up in July, with a December finish for the work farther upstream, Hedgepeth said.
■ commissioners voted 6-0, with Rick Murphy absent and Joe Gibbons recusing himself, to support Smith Point’s request for a continuance of a protest hearing for its alcohol license renewal. The tavern at 1338 Wisconsin Ave. NW is seeking additional time to document unfounded complaints from a neighbor, according to attorney Andrew Kline. The establishment offered to close a controversial outdoor patio space at 10 p.m. until a planned sale of the business is completed, but one neighbor said the change should extend to the next owner. ANC 2E did not take a position on that dispute, hoping for more time to resolve the issue.
■ commissioners voted 7-0 to support an Old Georgetown Board application for rear additions and interior reconfiguration at 1400-1404 Wisconsin Ave. NW, including the removal of parts of an interior party wall.
■ commissioners voted 7-0 to support an Old Georgetown Board application to replace the 31st Street bridge over the C&O Canal while noting concerns about construction hours, worker parking and the effect of the project on refilling the canal.
■ commissioners voted 7-0 to support an Old Georgetown Board application to renew concept approval of a new commercial building at 3220 Prospect St. NW.
■ commissioners voted 7-0 to raise concerns about an Old Georgetown Board application for a rear addition to a home at 3602 Prospect St. NW, noting neighbors’ objections to the proposed scale of the work and its visibility from M Street below.
■ commissioners voted 7-0 to oppose an Old Georgetown Board application to connect the basements of three homes at the corner of 30th and N streets NW, including the home at 3017 N where Jacqueline Kennedy lived after her husband’s assassination. The applicant did not attend the meeting, but commissioners said the owner of the three properties intended to convert the basements into an underground parking garage with a turnstile. Although nothing would be visible from the street, ANC 2E raised concerns about eliminating the separations among three architecturally distinct homes.

The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 30, in the second-floor Heritage Room at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, 1524 35th St. NW. For details, call 202-724-7098 or visit anc2e.com.

ANC 2F
Logan Circle

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle NW.For details, call 202-667-0052 or visit anc2f.org.

ANC 3B
Glover Park, Cathedral Heights

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 8, at Stoddert Elementary School and Glover Park Community Center, 4001 Calvert St. NW. For details, email [email protected] or visit anc3b.org.

ANC 3C
Cleveland Park, Woodley Park, Massachusetts Avenue Heights, Cathedral Heights

The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 19, at the 2nd District Police Headquarters, 3320 Idaho Ave. NW.
For details, visit anc3c.org.

ANC 3D
Spring Valley, Wesley Heights, Palisades, Kent, Foxhall

At the commission’s May 3 meeting:
■ Metropolitan Police Department Officer Anthony McElwee reported that a recent crime reported as a robbery at the Palisades Exxon, 4812 MacArthur Blvd. NW, was in fact an altercation among three men driving in a car with a bag of money. The car pulled into the Exxon, where two men  ditched the third and drove off with the money, only to crash into a nearby tree, McElwee said. The victim of the initial abandonment at first told police that the other two had tried to rob the gas station, but later confessed to lying. “I don’t want to be the insurance company reading that action report,” McElwee said. He also reported that he and his fellow officers are working hard to combat a recent uptick in thefts from autos in Spring Valley.
■ Laura Newland from the D.C. Office on Aging reported that Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed allocating $50 million for her agency this upcoming fiscal year, an increase from the $40 million in the fiscal year 2017 budget. Senior villages, the Safe at Home grant program for high-risk seniors, and senior Fit and Well programs at Department of Parks and Recreation sites are among the line items receiving more funding this year, Newland said. She apologized for the agency’s failure to issue a request for proposals for new village programs — including low-income memberships and technical assistance — in time to use funds allocated for fiscal year 2017. “It was very difficult for a lot of villages,” Newland said. “I can promise you it’s not going to happen like that again.”
■ commissioner and treasurer Troy Kravitz reported that the commission took in more than $8,000 of District funds last month, and that another $11,000 in city allocations is expected soon, which would bring the commission’s total available funds to $45,000.
■ Ilana Boivie, senior analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, criticized Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 2018 budget proposal for, in the organization’s view, putting tax cuts ahead of housing and schools. Boivie said she supports 80 percent of the city’s tax reform program but plans to try to convince D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, Ward 3 member Mary Cheh and at-large member Anita Bonds that the other 20 percent — including an increase in the estate tax threshold — is “regressive.”
■ commissioners voted 8-0, with Conrad DeWitte abstaining, to support a Board of Zoning Adjustment application for a 1-foot extension of the front porch at 2901 41st St. NW.
■ commissioners voted 9-0 to support a public space application for a curb cut at 4401 W St. NW. Commissioners said the homeowners’ plan adequately meets drainage requirements.
■ commissioners and community members reiterated concerns about proposed tree plantings that could disrupt the Potomac Avenue viewshed to Earl Eutsler, associate director for the Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Division. The agency has agreed to delay planting of those trees until issues can be worked out. Commissioner Chuck Elkins separately requested that the agency notify residents of nearby tree plantings more than a week in advance, rather than with 24 hours’ notice.
■ representatives from American University and the architecture firm Ballinger presented preliminary plans for a new on-campus life sciences building, which would augment an existing science building that they said has outgrown its usefulness due to age and students’ expanding interest in sciences. Commissioners asked for more details on light, noise and other environmental impacts from the planned construction of the new facilities near the sports center on the main campus. They also urged American University to rethink its truck traffic patterns after frequent disturbances during the recent construction on East Campus.
■ commissioners and community members criticized the D.C. Department of Transportation for failing to provide concrete recommendations for improvements to traffic concerns on Manning Place, Watson Street and Palisade Lane that first arose more than two years ago. The agency’s Emily Dalphy blamed a recent consultant switchover for delays this year, and promised that more details on plans would be available at a May 17 community meeting.
■ commissioners voted 8-0 to support a Department of Parks and Recreation special use permit for the National Presbyterian School to host its annual field day event at Turtle Park, 45th and Van Ness streets NW.
■ commissioners voted 7-1 to approve a proposal from commissioner Troy Kravitz for new grant procedures that affect all issues except development. The commission plans to make a later decision on the process for grants related to development, following further discussion.
■ commissioners voted 8-0 to extend ANC 3D administrator Jennifer Napolitano’s contract indefinitely, with a required 45 days’ notice for termination.
■ commissioners voted 7-0 to spend $600 on a new filing cabinet with a lock in order to store the commission’s records, and another $50 per month to use an American University space to store the cabinet.

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, in Elderdice Hall, Kresge Building, Wesley Theological Seminary, 4500 Massachusetts Ave. NW. For details, visit anc3d.org.

ANC 3E
Tenleytown, Friendship Heights, American University Park

At the commission’s May 11 meeting:
■ commission chair Jon Bender announced that Urban Investment Partners plans to provide an update on its Tenleytown development projects at ANC 3E’s June meeting.
■ a Tenleytown resident said she has concerns about synthetic play surfaces at Janney Elementary School and other playgrounds. She said that hazardous silica sand is planned to be installed at Friendship Recreation Center, also known as Turtle Park. Commission chair Jon Bender suggested further discussion on the potential dangers of synthetic play surfaces with critics and D.C. officials at a future meeting.
■ commissioners voted 4-0 to support a public space application for an unenclosed sidewalk cafe for Muncheez Restaurant, which plans to open later this month at 4600 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
■ a representative from the D.C. Department of Transportation reported that the agency is examining traffic volume on 41st Street NW between Jenifer Street and Military Road. He said the agency is studying traffic in the Friendship Heights neighborhood after the commission reported congestion and speeding around school zones.
■ a member of the People for Fairness Coalition presented on their campaign for more public bathrooms in D.C., citing a lack of bathrooms for homeless people and tourists, particularly downtown.
■ commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a $1,960 grant request from Joy of Motion for a dance festival at Fort Reno Park on June 10.

The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 8, in Room NT08, Washington College of Law, American University 4300 Nebraska Ave. NW. For details, visit anc3e.org.

ANC 3F
Forest Hills, North Cleveland Park, Van Ness

The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, in Room A-03, Building 44, University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW. For details, call 202-670-7262 or visit anc3f.com.

ANC 3/4G
Chevy Chase

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, June 12, at the Chevy Chase Community Center, Connecticut Avenue and McKinley Street NW. For details, call 202-363-5803, email [email protected] or visit anc3g.org.

ANC 4A
Colonial Village, Shepherd Park, Crestwood, Brightwood, 16th Street Heights

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 6, in the community meeting room at the 4th District Police Headquarters, 6001 Georgia Ave. NW. For details, call 202-450-6225 or visit anc4a.org.

ANC 4C
Petworth, 16th Street Heights

The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, in the basement meeting room at the Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW. For details, call 202-723-6670 or visit anc4c.org.