CAPITOL HILL CORNER

City Set to Take Over Flea Markets on October 1

City Moves to Seize Eastern Market Weekend Flea Markets from Private Operators

by Larry Janezich

Last Wednesday, August 12, the Department of General Services informed the two Eastern Market flea market managers, Mike Berman of Diverse Markets Management, LLC, and Carole Wright of Washington Arts, Antiques, Crafts & Collectible Associates Inc., that it would take over the management of the longtime independent markets starting October 1.

Both markets, currently managed separately by the two operators, recently moved from the Hine playground to the 300 block of 7th Street, SE, owing to the demolition of the Hine Jr. High School in preparation for Stanton-Eastbanc’s mixed-use development project on that site.  The two weekend flea markets are separate and distinct from the Arts and Crafts Market of Eastern Market, which sets up weekends on the area around Eastern Market including the 200 block of 7th Street, SE, and on the plaza in front of the Capitol Hill Swimming Pool.  The Arts and Crafts Market is currently overseen by Barry Margeson, DGS employee and Eastern Market Manager.

Written notice to flea market operators Berman and Wright, and to Eastern Market and flea market vendors, came from Barry Margeson, who sent an email, a portion of which reads as follows:

“At the end of July, the Department of General Services (DGS) extended the Licenses to Operate for the two [managers of the weekend flea markets]…until September 30th, 2015. After that date, the Eastern Market staff, which manages the rest of the market, will begin managing the 300 block as well.

We expect that there will be questions about how this will change things for customers and for the vendors who sell on the 300 block. The truth is that customers won’t notice much change. And there won’t be much change for the vendors either: All of the vendors who sell there now will be given the opportunity to keep selling, if they wish. We figure that the majority of them will decide to do so.”

Two years ago, under the administration of Mayor Gray, the two operators and the office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development (DMPED) negotiated the terms for the continuation of the weekend flea markets during the construction phase of the Hine project.  The final agreement entailed a Mayoral order to close the 300 block of 7th Street on weekends during flea market hours, and licensing the two operators to set up their respective markets on 7th Street.

The original contract with the city to operate the flea market on the Hine playground and then on 7th Street, expired July 31, 2015, some three months after the flea markets made their move to 7th Street.

According Carol Wright, when the operators recently asked DGS through Barry Margeson for a contract renewal, Margeson told her on July 9 that a two year renewal was forthcoming, but with changes.  Wright says that on July 29, with two days left before the contract expired, Margeson instead sent a two month extension of the contract.  The next day, Wright said she was told that if she didn’t sign the two month extension by 3:00pm on July 31, she would not be able to set up the Saturday flea market the next day.  Wright says that a request for a 24 hour delay was denied, and further, that the action violated an agreement the operators had with the city that any early termination of the contract would be done only after 90 days’ notice.

Wright signed the two-month extension, she said, “under duress,” and followed up with a letter to the Mayor’s office requesting a meeting to discuss the sequence of events as outlined above.  Mike Berman confirmed that DGS had told him the terms of the contract were going to change and that two days before the expiration of the contract, he was told the contract would be extended only two months, until September 30.  When he asked what would happen after September 30, Berman said Margeson told him, “Nothing.  Fiscal issues prevent us from renewing.  It’s over.”  Berman said that one hour before a conference call with Margeson and DMPED to discuss the issue, Margeson sent the email to the vendors.

The “fiscal issues” Margeson had referred to were addressed in an email Wright received from DGS on responding to her email to the Mayor.  The DGS email states, in part:

“[t]he recent actions were taken in order to resolve an issue that the District was facing regarding that particular public space on Seventh Street. All leases and Licenses to Occupy that extend beyond a year require a review by the Chief Financial Officer of the District. Upon review, the CFO highlighted the fact that the street was financed with municipal bonds. Using bonds in this way could affect the District’s bond rating, which requires that we address this issue. Taking all considerations into account, the best solution was to extend the expired agreement for two more months and then request that the DGS on-the-ground management team begin managing the 300 block vendors in addition to their current responsibilities.”  (Ed. Note:  It is unclear why a one year contract could not be implemented.)

Wright says that the municipal bond issue is “bogus” and when she followed up with the Chief Financial Officer’s office was told that “use of 300 feet of the street by an operation as small as ours could have no effect on the city’s bond rating.”

Berman called the move a “power grab – theft.  It’s like a third world regime taking people’s business over for the government.”  He questioned why the municipal bond issue is coming up now and not two years ago, before Berman and Wright entered into protracted negotiations with the city over how to preserve the markets in the face of the Hine Development, and wondered whether the 300 block is the only street in the city where vendors operate under contract.  He vowed to “get to the bottom of this with whatever it takes,” saying he is exploring legal options, including a FOIA.  He went on, “This is how DC government treats business.  No notice, no due process, no compensation, no consideration, no communication…. Pretty ugly.”

Artist Joe Snyder, one of the vendors in the Arts and Crafts Market at Eastern Market expressed his concerns regarding Eastern Market taking over the management of the weekend flea markets, saying that the legal integration of the flea market into the Eastern Market operation is problematic. “How is it possible for Eastern Market to take over a private business,” he asks.  He also worries, “Though the market complex stands to gain considerable revenue by this bold and morally questionable move, they really are unaware of the potential chaos resulting from a forced merger.”  He questions whether the Eastern Market staff and security is prepared to deal with the management, collection of revenues, security, and logistics of a market twice the size of the current one.

Barry Margeson did not respond to a request for comment.

First District Commander Jeff Brown engages residents on National Night Out, August 4, in Folger Park

The Week Ahead…. A Capitol Hill Safety Walk and Community Crime Meeting

City Officials and MPD Scramble After Dropping Ball on Hill East Crime Meeting

by Larry Janezich

Despite the recent increase in violent crime which has alarmed Capitol Hill residents and heightened awareness of the need for a greater commitment to community policing, MPD and city officials fumbled badly in a recent effort to connect with the Hill East community on the issue.

As late as July 27, city officials were reminding Hill East residents of an August 6 PSA 108 community crime meeting at Liberty Baptist Church.  In the same email, residents were urged to participate in an August 11 community safety walk with MPD and city officials.  ANC6B Commissioner Brian Flahaven had requested MPD to schedule the community crime meeting.

Then, with no notice, the community crime meeting was cancelled.  The first word of the cancellation came from city officials who posted to Capitol Hill listservs on August 6 – the day of the meeting:

“There seems to be some confusion.  There is no PSA 108 meeting tonight.  Commander Brown [First District] is posting to the 1st District Group….Lt. Dykes and his team will be at the Hill East Community Walk on Tuesday August 11th and can answer any questions at that event.  We will meet at Eastern High School at 5:30pm and walk through the neighborhood to Potomac Metro…  In addition to MPD, other Gov’t officials will be present from Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, Dept of Human Services, Dept of Behavioral Health to answer questions.”

Apparently, MPD decided that the community safety walk would take the place of the community crime meeting but failed to tell anyone.  Flahaven let it be known that he was unhappy both because of the lack of notice and the awkwardness of a community walk as a venue for questions and answers.

By August 9th city officials and MPD had reconsidered and decided to hold the PSA 108 community crime meeting after all; that meeting will occur at 7:00pm at Liberty Baptist Church immediately following the walk.

The Tuesday, August 11 safety walk through the neighborhood with MPD, the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations, local ANC commissioners and Hill East residents will begin at 5:30 pm at Eastern High School (1700 East Capitol Street SE) and proceed south through Hill East, ending around 7 pm at Liberty Baptist Church (527 Kentucky Ave SE).  In addition to the Mayor’s Office and MPD, representatives from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, Department of Human Services and Department of Behavioral Health will be in attendance.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported an event last Thursday afternoon as follows:  Man arrested after witnesses report armed standoff outside [Potomac Avenue] Metro station http://wapo.st/1Uy6Zvp

First District Violent Crimes, past 30 days

First District Property Crimes, past 30 Days

30 Day PSA Crime Maps Show Violent Crime Up on Capitol Hill

Ed. Note:  Correction.  CHC erroneously reported that there would be a Crime Meeting PSA 108 Crime Meeting on September 6. CHC regrets the error.  Hill East PSA 108 Crime Meeting Thursday Night at Liberty Baptist Church

By Larry Janezich

Capitol Hill residents have been alarmed by the increase in violent crime this summer and MPD statistics justify those concerns.  In the First District, which includes Capitol Hill, violent crime over the past 30 days is up 23% over the previous 30 days and 41% over the same period last year.  There were three homicides in the last 30 days in the First District, one more than the previous 30 days.  Most of the increase in “violent crime” can be attributed to robbery with a gun, assault with a dangerous weapon (excluding a gun), and assault with dangerous weapon (gun).  Property crimes increased slightly over the last 30 days.

Map locating the three homicides in the First District in the last 30 days

The problem is not unique to the First District and Capitol Hill.  On Monday, Police Chiefs from across the country convened in DC to discuss the recent increase in violent crime in general and homicides in particular.  According to a report by Will Greenberg in Tuesday’s Washington Post, police have not been able to discern the reason for the increase in violence.  Some of the trends which some say contribute to the problem include gang related activity and synthetic drugs.  The officials recommended stricter gun laws, harsher penalties for gun crimes, and improving community partnerships.

On Capitol Hill, the faltering ​effort at partnering with the community is evident at the mostly poorly attended PSA (Police Service Area) meetings.  ANC6B’s Constituent Services Committee, c​haired by ANC Commissioner Brian Flahaven, has undertaken the task of assessing ways to improve communications between the ANC and MPD​. ​

To that end, MPD could do its part by strengthening the presentations at the PSAs and making them more informative – perhaps by distributing copies of crime maps for the two or three previous months to help identify trends and hotspots.

​I have attended many of these meetings and quality of information varies to a considerable extent.  ​Routinely, officials presiding over a PSA meeting read​ a list of crime statistics for the past 30 days, citing whether there has been an increase or decrease over the previous month or the same period last year and take questions from those attending the meeting.  However, officers often seem unprepared for questions regarding a particular noteworthy crime, one that has stirred neighborhood concerns and drove turnout out the meeting.  In addition, MPD officials presiding over ​a particular​ PSA meeting often express ignorance​ of or​ indifference to what is happening in a neighboring PSA, despite the fact that the residents ​of Capitol Hill obviously do not vest all of their concerns in just one arbitrarily drawn area on a map; we live, walk, dine and move between and among different PSAs on a daily basis.

​Efforts to improve communications at the ANC level would seem to be justified – one idea worthy of consideration is ​the ​inclusion of an ANC representative in the weekly or monthly MPD ​”​Core Team​”​ ​meetings.  The Core Team was established by the Office of the Mayor several years ago to operate at the ward level and is comprised of MPD, DPW, DCRA, DOH, OAG and perhaps others, to address coordinating city efforts to address problem areas.

ANC6B will consider public safety recommendations of its Constituent Outreach Committee at its September monthly meeting.  Some of these will include a proposed letter to MPD asking for reinstating publicizing of narratives associated with individual crimes – a practice dropped by MPD some years ago, but one that helps residents understand patterns of crime, if there are any to be discerned – and proposals to reinvigorate the PSA meetings.

PSA 108, featuring MPD Lt. James Dykes, meets at 7:00pm, at Liberty Baptist Church, 527 Kentucky Avenue, SE, Thursday evening.  ANC6B Commissioner Brian Flahaven says, “I encourage anyone who has questions or concerns about recent criminal activity and incidents in the neighborhood to attend the meeting. Lt. Dykes and his officers will provide the latest information and answer resident questions.”

The city has seven police districts, each divided into Police Service Areas.  Capitol Hill’s First District has 8 PSAs.  See here: http://1.usa.gov/1J3W2Kp

Below are maps of the violent crimes in PSAs on or near Capitol Hill for the last 30 days and the comparable number for the 30 days prior to that.

PSA 103 Violent Crime, Last 30 Days – up from 6 to 7

PSA 104 Violent Crime, Last 30 Days – up from 9 to 22

PSA 105 Violent Crime, Past 30 Days – up from 4 to 14

PSA 106 Violent Crime, Past 30 Days – down from 9 to 5

PSA 107 Violent Crime, Past 30 Days – down from 10 to 5

PSA 108 Violent Crime, Last 30 Days – down from 13 to 12

A useful website that is underpublicized at the PSA 108 and PSA 107 meetings this reporter has attended is the DC Police Crime Mapping website: http://crimemap.dc.gov/

A building permit on the front of the National Community Church on Barracks Row authorizes extension of the facade for a ticket booth and the installation of a theater sign on the facade of the second story. Evidently the Miracle on 8th Street is a step closer to reality.   For more, and a rendering of the sign, see the CHC posting of June 16, 2012 here:  http://bit.ly/1N38FIW

While you’re checking out that building permit for the Miracle Theater, look up and check out the fabulous pressed tin portico overhead.

Meanwhile, at 8th and L on lower 8th Street, the summer beer garden – The Brig – inches incrementally toward completion. No word yet on the “new concept” restaurant slated to occupy the former Tortilla Chicken across the street.  See previous postings on both items here: http://bit.ly/1zdKXmE

Eastern Market Scene, Sunday, c. 3:30pm

Finally, Barracks Row Main Street Announced that Frame of Mine will relocate to the space at 545 8th Street, formerly occupied by the Playseum.  That space will be shared by another yet to be named retail tenant.  For more on that, go here: http://bit.ly/1SyA3W7

The Week Ahead….Hill East PSA 108 Crime Meeting on Thursday

Light In August could describe the schedule for Ward Six ANCs this month.  There’s nothing much until some ANC6A committee meetings mid-month.  Otherwise, the featured event for the week ahead is Thursday’s PSA 108 meeting, moved from August 20 owing to the recent increase in crime in Hill East.  CHC will post crime maps from the last 30 days prior to that meeting.

Monday, August 3

1.       The Office of Deputy Mayor Courtney Snowden hosts a meeting at the Rosedale Rec Center (1701 Gales Street NE) at 6:30pm. The “Vision Tour” offers an opportunity for residents to share and discuss the future of the “East of End” of ANC 6A and 7D01…including education, families, economic development, job growth, safety and health.

Tuesday, August 4

1.       North Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association (NLPNA) holds a potluck supper 7:00pm – 8:30pm in Lincoln Park.  All are welcome.

2.       National Night Out (MPD 1st District) 5:30 – 8:30pm, Folger Park, 3^rd and D Streets, SE.  Neighbors celebrate community unity, safety information, and recognize citizen volunteers.  For more, go here:  http://mpdc.dc.gov/node/206682

Thursday, August 6

1.       PSA 108, featuring MPD Lt. James Dykes, meets at 7:00pm, at Liberty Baptist Church, 527 Kentucky Avenue, SE.  ANC6B Commissioner Brian Flahaven says, “I encourage anyone who has questions or concerns about recent criminal activity and incidents in the neighborhood to attend the meeting. Lt. Dykes and his officers will provide the latest information and answer resident questions.”

2.       PSA 107, featuring Lt. Eddie Fowler, meets at 7:00pm, at SE Library.

3.       Friends of Southeast Library (FOSEL) meets at 5:30pm at Southeast Library, lower level to discuss the August FOSEL book sale, and other matters.

This long vacant former Quizno outlet at 8th and M Streets, SE, will be the new home of Las Placitas by year’s end.

The red area indicates the new location on lower 8th Street, across from the Navy Yard to the south and the Blue Castle to the west.

View of 8th Street looking north. “Las Plac’s” new home will be in the building on the right.  All photos courtesy of Google Maps.

Las Placitas To Re-locate to Lower 8th Street At Year’s End

by Larry Janezich

Capitol Hill Corner has confirmed that Las Placitas, the popular Barracks Row Restaurant, will relocate to lower 8th Street, SE, opposite the Navy Yard by year’s end.  According to management, Las Placitas will take over the long empty space once occupied by a Quizno outlet at 8th and M Streets, SE.

Capitol Hill Corner broke the story on May 13 that Las Placitas’ lease would not be renewed in in the fall in order to make way for expansion of the adjacent Matchbox Restaurant.  See here:  http://bit.ly/1PGDwuO

The promise of development of lower 8th Street, south of the freeway has been slow in coming.  Las Placitas may be the catalyst that brings fulfillment of that promise.

The Week Ahead….

by Larry Janezich

Wednesday, July 29

Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee meets at 7:00pm in Eastern Market’s North Hall.

Public Service Commissioners, L-R: Commissioner Fort, Chair Kane, Commissioner Phillips

Pepco representatives, L-R: Michelle Ware, Interconnection Process Manager; Virginia Beringer, GPC Strategic Outreach Manager; and James Demarest, Jr., Customer Relations and Program Director.

Pepco Slammed Over Solar Issues: Interconnection Delays,​ Inaccurate Billing​, & ​Lack of Response

By Larry Janezich

On Tuesday, the Public Service Commission (PSC) held a hearing to investigate the bottlenecks in Pepco’s approval process for installation of solar energy in DC and problems customers are having in getting concerns addressed or even acknowledged.

Public witnesses, representatives of the solar industry, the Office of People’s Counsel and Director of the DC Department of the Environment Tommy Wells all told the same story of Pepco’s shortcomings.

The most frequent problems cited by the witnesses (editor’s note: myself included)​ who appeared to testify in person and in letters filed with the commission were the following:

Delay – up to five months – in final approval for turning on the system after installation;​

Billing – Claims Pepco was not billing accurately and not giving credit for solar power produced;​

Lack of Response – a nearly total lack of response by Pepco to phone calls or email to customer questions, concerns, and complaints.

Capitol Hill resident Erik Anderson testified to his frustration at Pepco’s refusal to return calls and told the commission he had to utilize the Office of the People’s Counsel to resolve issues with Pepco.

Grant Klein, Project Manager at the non-profit solar installation coordinator DC Sun told the commission, “With an unresponsive GPC (Pepco’s Green Power Connection team), our best option has been to advise that homeowners with issues file complaints with the PSC.”

Ben Brieterman, CEO of solar installer Solar Solution said, “Regarding the delay in the decision on the authorization to operate, we don’t see this issue with any other utility we deal with.  We don’t see the unresponsiveness.  Sometimes we get a response from Pepco – residents never do.”

With respect to the lengthy delays, Dana Sleeper, Executive Director of MDV Solar Energy Industries Association, cited a recent study produced by EQ Research, which showed a sudden increase in the length of time for application processing from 2013 to 2014, when Pepco DC and Pepco MD ranked last o​n a list of 34 utilities in 13 states.

DC Department of the Environment Director Tommy Wells told the Commission that while the interconnection process has improved since 2005, “more progress is needed, and quickly.”

Wells made the following recommendations regarding the three issues troubling customers and installers most:

1. Set a deadline of no longer that 20 business days from the time a complete application for authorization to operate (ATO) is filed for issuing Pepco’s final written determination on the ATO application.
2. Within 60 days, increase the workforce dedicated to the GPC team to a level that would be adequate​ to meet the anticipated doubling of the number of applications.
3. Enact a policy to respond to customer inquiries on billing, complaints and questions within 24 hours.

Pepco representatives, testifying last, were seemingly caught flatfooted and appeared to be unaware (or indifferent) to the issues raised by the testimony prior to theirs​.  The bulk of Pepco’s presentation was a demonstration of their attempts to respond to the Commission’s order of December 20, 2012, regarding ways to improve Pepco GPC operations. Most of Pepco’s presentation concerned improvements to the GPC website, future plans for improving the online application process and explaining the 9 step solar energy installation application process.

James J. Demarest, Jr., Customer Relations and Program Director for Pepco, focusing on Pepco’s efforts to reduce delays and better deal with the applications, said education of the consumer and training of the staff were being undertaken to alleviate the bottleneck caused by incomplete applications which require multiple back and forth communications between GPC and the consumer.

Demarest told the Commission that to deal with the 127% increase in volume of applications, Pepco was hiring one additional staffer.   Given the fact that the GPC is completely overwhelmed at present, it causes one to question Pepco’s commitment to resolving the delay and communication issues.  Demarest went on to say that his staff had responded to 27 calls in the GPC “call tree” in June.  He continued, saying Pepco would continue to develop a more efficient on line application process and would welcome creation of a working group with government and solar stakeholders to work out problems.

Asked by PSC Commissioner Fort about the many complaints about post solar operation billing, Demarest said Pepco had not come prepared to discuss the billing issue but called up his Manager of Billing Services from the audience who told the commission that “​the billing service is operating as planned” and that Pepco “doesn’t have a lot of billing issues.”  Pressed further, by Fort, the Pepco representative replied that when callers to GPC leave a voice mail and refer to the bill – “that starts the investigative process.”  That​ ​come as a surprise to ​those (myself included)​ with billing issues.

The Commission will keep the record open for 30 days from Tuesday’s date to solicit additional comment.  Pepco will assess the testimony issue and issue an order directing Pepco to take specific actions to address the concerns raised at Tuesday’s hearing.

​C​ompared with other utilities, Pepco​ appears to be among the worst on making the solar transition and, in a relative sense, its ​lapses are hard to explain.  ​It may be an issue of oversight from either the city’s executive branch or the Public Service Commission.  Or it could be simple lack of market competition.  The intransigence of monopoly power will only go stronger if the city approves the proposed merger/buy-out of Pepco by energy giant Exelon.

The link to this specific case on the Public Service Commission’s website including testimony and letters submitted in connection with this case, as well as previous commission orders on Pepco solar permit processing issues is here:  http://bit.ly/1KlQcHg

For information on Pepco’s process for applying to install solar panels, Google:  Pepco GPC.

The link to file a complaint with the Public Service Commission is here: http://bit.ly/1MJiHyH

The PSC is accepting public comment for an additional 30 days.  Solar power customers who wish to register their problems with Pepco send an email to the Commission Secretary here:

psc-commissionsecretary@dc.gov – The subject line should read, “Comment for FC 1050”

The Covered Walkway at the Hine Site on 8th Street, SE, Sunday morning. Ground was symbolically broken on the Hine Project last Friday.

Everything was moving at half speed at Eastern Market Metro Sunday morning – except the metro, which was moving at no speed. Shuttle buses were operating between EM Metro and New Carrollton.

The Chesapeake Room is scheduled to morph into “TCR” late this week. The renovated space will feature a new menu highlighting “modern Southern cuisine” and a new cocktail and wine list.

The Week Ahead….

by Larry Janezich

Monday, July 20

1. ANC6A Transportation & Public Space Committee meets at 7:00pm at Capitol Hill Towers (900 G Street, NE).

Among items on the agenda:

Traffic signal at Maryland Avenue and 10th Street NE slated for installation in early August.

Presentation from representative for Midnight on Mars 5K run.

Request for support of plan to convert in to a community garden the parking area located in the middle of the square bound by 15th Street NE, C Street NE, 16th Street NE and D Street NE

Tuesday, July 21

1. ANC6A ABC Committee meets at 7:00pm at Sherwood Recreation Center (10th and G Streets, NE).

Among items on the agenda:

Discussion of planned summer garden by Kitty’s Saloon at 1208 H Street

Discussion of request by Da Luft at 1242 H Street, NE  for a change from a Restaurant to a Tavern license.

2, CHRS Board of Directors meets at 6:30pm at Capitol Hill Townhouses, 750 6^th Street, SE.

3. Public Service Commission hearing on Pepco Solar Power Interconnection Problems, 10:00am, Public Service Commission, 1325 G Street, NW.

Lacking meeting space in a public building, ANC6C holds its monthly meetings in space provided by the Heritage Foundation

CM Anita Bonds Plans Legislation to Enhance ANCs

(Or Should They Be Abolished?)

by Larry Janezich

Councilmember-​at​-​Large Anita Bonds has begun a series of ward by ward meetings with individual ANC commissioners to solicit input on legislation the CM expects to introduce this fall aimed at “enhancing” the operations of the ANCs.  Bonds has met with some 150 individual commissioners from all eight wards.  Her office has hosted six ward group meetings with commissioners and will finish up with group meetings with Ward 1 and Ward 5 commissioners by the end of the month.  In the fall, according to her Chief of Staff, David Meadows, CM Bonds will bring all the ideas together, weigh them​,​ and look for ways to implement them in legislation.

The goal is to provide more uniformity among the ANCs and insure that each ANC has equal resources and support.   Meadows told CHC that the effort was Bonds’ “way of supporting local democracy and a way to bring everybody together.”  In addition to serving in the administration of three Mayors, Bonds served four terms as ANC Commissioner from ANC5C.

The ANCs (Advisory Neighborhood Commissions) are unique to the District.  The eight wards are divided into 41 jurisdictions, each with its own commission of nonpartisan elected officials.  Each of the 41 jurisdictions is further divided into Single Member Districts numbering from 2 (ANC2D) to 12. Each Single Member District has some 2000 residents.

The ANCs weigh in with the executive and legislative branches of city government on neighborhood issues such as zoning, liquor licenses, historic preservation, traffic and parking, public safety and sanitation.

Some of the concerns raised in meetings with commissioners include the need for more funding (the city provides funds for operating expenses based on the number of Single Member Districts), legal assistance, space for offices and public meetings, and greater ability to utilize social media – some ANCs have yet to establish their own websites.

ANCs vary greatly in terms of their operating ability, ​including access to office and meeting space.  The city is required to accommodate ANC operations and meetings in public buildings, where available, but some ANCs such as those in Ward Six lack one or both.  For example, ANC6A meets in Miner School but has no office space, ANC 6B rents public meeting space in Hill Center but has no office space​, ​only storage space in Eastern Market (ANC6B  arranged office space for itself in the Hine Redevelopment Project coming on line in 2017, as part of the benefits and amenities package negotiated during the development’s PUD process); ANC6C holds its public meetings at the headquarters of the Heritage Foundation; ANC6D has a very nice office and meeting space in the DC Department of Regulatory Affairs.

When public institutions rely on the private sector for amenities, it naturally raises questions of propriety, especially when zoning, alcohol licenses, or historic preservation matters concerning ANC  landlords or benefactors come before their ANC  tenants or beneficiaries.   Such has been the case in recent years in the cases of both the Heritage Foundation and the Hine Development.  Similarly, regarding potential conflicts of interest, there does not seem to be a standard procedure for dealing with an ANC commissioner’s personal requests – on say, zoning or public space issues – when they come before that commissioner’s colleagues for consideration.

One idea raised via Bonds’ efforts ​was the creation of a central ward office for ANC’s – an idea that some ANCs with sufficient office space – ANC6D, for example – has little enthusiasm for.

Another idea which has been discussed is compensation for commissioners and/or requiring employers to grant leave without penalty for commissioners while doing ANC business.

One of the frequent complaints of ANCs is the dismissive attitude of some city agencies – especially DC Department of Transportation and the DC Department of Public Works.  Commissioners routinely encounter stonewalling and poor treatment at the hands of these agencies.

One way to strengthen the ANCs hands in dealing with city agencies would be greater coordination among the ANCs within a Ward.  Such coordination would serve to identify common ground and strengthen an​ ANC’s  voice on positions when dealing with the city government.

​Although the ANCs are non-partisan, many of its commissioners harbor some type of political ambition. Current and former members of ANC6B, for example, remain active in either Democratic or Republican campaigns.  In fact, as has been raised by CHC in previous stories, the ANC Commissions, designed to enhance residents’ voices, often function instead as functionaries ​for the ward​ ​c​ouncilmember​​.  Some critics, noting the lack of power of the ANC​s across the city government and before a number of city agencies, ​​think that the city would be better off abolishing the ANCs and making the councilmember directly responsible for issues – particularly development issues – within his or her ward.

​Instead, Councilmember Bonds seems to be embarking on the opposite path:  strengthening them.  ​Along those lines, perhaps the CM Bond’s conversations should include how can we get a wider variety of people to serve on the ANCS.  Few have any idea how much the job requires and how thankless it is​, and this is particularly true in light of residential zoning and historic preservation requests​. ​ ANCs within a historic district, for example, can expend thirty minutes of full committee meeting time on a controversial renovation to a neighbor’s ​back porch, leaving commissioners in awkward position that, in other jurisdictions, would be handed by an administrative process with an opportunity to appeal.  Laboring under the weight of so much extraneous material dealing with discrete residential renovations, ANCs are left without much room on their agenda for issues of genuine community concern.  For those who harbor no greater political ambitions, or for those who lack a deeper stake in ANC affairs like, for example, a real estate agent or lawyer with ties to local commercial interests might, a heavy roster of zoning and historic preservation cases is unlikely to attract them to service.  On the other hand, a platform to discuss and advocate on behalf of local development, public safety, and schools might.

For more on the ANC’s go here:  http://anc.dc.gov/

DDOT’s Steve Strauss, standing, receives grilling by unhappy ANC6D Commissioners.

ANC6D Commissioners Blast DDOT and Mayor on No Circulator for SW

Commissioners Cite Lack of SW Parking, Retail, Access to Capitol Hill

by Larry Janezich

Monday night, an angry ANC6D sent a message to the DC Department of Transportation and to the Mayor that they were fed up with empty promises of Circulator Service to the ANC’s neighborhoods west of South Capitol in SW Washington.

Commissioners had invited Sam Zimbabwe, DDOT Associate Director of Policy, Planning & Sustainability to update the ANC on when Circulator Service would be extended to SW Washington.  They were not happy to hear Zimbabwe stand-in Steve Strauss, Deputy Associate Director of the Progressive Transportation , tell them that maybe the Union Station/Navy Yard Circulator could be extended to SW in the spring of 2017.  He said that although the intent had been to use some of the 18 new Circulator buses ordered last year to expand the Navy Yard route into SW as well as the Georgetown to Union Station route, those buses are needed to replace the aging buses in the current fleet.  The next bus order will be placed in the late spring of 2016, with delivery a year later.

One of the most outspoken commissioners was Rhonda Hamilton, who tore into Strauss: “This is disappointing.  We’re living here and can’t get out of SW – there is no parking – there are two subway stops to Eastern Market.  You’re not getting the message.  You have been promising, promising, promising.  The Circulator has been coming for five years.  When are we getting the Circulator in SW?”

Ward Six Mayor’s representative Seth Shapiro elicited from Strauss that two buses would be necessary to expand the Navy Yard route into SW, but Strauss said he could not speculate on whether the needs of SW would outweigh the needs of the Georgetown route in terms of allocation of resources.

Commissioner Andy Litsky told Shapiro that there is a dearth of retail in SW and “we want to shop on Capitol Hill.  If the city wants us to spend money in the city, the Mayor needs to provide a way for that to happen – otherwise, we’ll go to Virginia.  Take this back to the Mayor, ‘This is bunk, and it needs to be fixed.’”

ANC6D Chair Roger Moffet told Strauss that his presentation was “bogus – you’re not telling us what we asked you here for.  At what point will you give us an answer?”

Strauss replied that he thought DDOT would have an answer by fall.  Moffet told him that the ANC would meet next on September 21, and invited him back to that meeting to provide an update.  Strauss said, “It might be October.”

Circulator, promising when launched because it promised pickups every ten minutes, has become less predictable, causing frustration among riders.  CHC timed Navy Yard – Union Station Circulator bus arrivals at a Barracks Row location on Wednesday, July 8, and found that in the 7:30am – 8:5am time interval, buses arrived at: 7:30am, 7:41am, 7:52am, 8:02am, 8:08am, 8:12am, 8:26am, 8:33am, and 8:51am.  For riders with smart phones, a live map showing the current location of each bus on the Union Station – Navy Yard route provides diversion while you wait.  See here:  http://circulatormap.com/map/union-station-navy-yard