CAPITOL HILL CORNER

The Week Ahead … and Some Photos from the Past Week

By Larry Janezich

Posted October 15, 2023

The grounds of the U.S. Capitol were closed this weekend.  Security was tightened owing to international tensions.  MPD First District Colin Hall said as much as when he mentioned the redeployment of 1^st District Officers to address heightened security measures across the city.  Hall appeared before ANC6A to discuss crime concerns.  (See below.)

CM Robert White discusses crime issues with ANC7D.  CM White appeared before the October meeting of ANC7D – chaired by ANC Commissioner Wendell Felder – to talk about a crime bill he introduced last week – the Whole Government Response to Crime Act of 2023.  The bill would:

• Establish a new retention program for forensic scientists for the Department of Forensic Science and create a 911 System Improvement Task Force.
• Require collection of data on the effectiveness of DC’s crime reduction programs (Building Blocks, Credible Messengers, and the Violence Interrupters).
• Require MPD to track where illegal firearms are coming from. 
• Boost assistance to victims of crime including financial aid.

White responded to a question from Commissioner Marc Friend, agreeing with the commissioner that “we can’t arrest our way out of a crisis.”  He said arresting everybody doesn’t make us safer and incarceration has a limited deterrent effect.  He said the root problems are education, housing stability, employment and mental health.  He is a strong believer in the violence interruption programs, but they need to be tracked to determine their effectiveness.  Commissioner Ebony Payne said she supports the violence interrupters, and asked White to recommend that violence interrupters communicate with ANCs.

October Virtual Meet Up with DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson.  Also last Wednesday, Council Chair Phil Mendelson addressed crime issues among other topics at his virtual monthly meet up.  Here are Mendolson’s responses to some questions on crime:

“When are things going to get better re violent crime?”

• “Instead of focusing on longer sentences, we should focus on increasing the case closure rate.  50% of violent crime cases are closed in the same year they are committed, and only 25% of robbery cases…When crime is committed, solve it quickly, arrest quickly, and prosecute quickly and aggressively.  And aggressive means not plea bargaining a felony to a misdemeanor or a violent felony to a non-violent felony.  That has ramifications in the case of a repeat actor when the court decides whether to hold someone pretrial and looks at the prior record and if no record of conviction for a violent crime, then the court is not likely to hold a person….The Mayor – through the chief – can increase the closure rate…  The other factor we need to emphasize is devoting more attention to police building community trust.  Then the community acts as the eyes and ears and makes it easier to close cases.”

When is earliest the Council can take up Mayor’s crime prevention bill?

• “I find it a little annoying that the Mayor suggested we could pass legislation before the recess which is 6-7 weeks from now.  The Crime Bill has not been submitted to the Council…we don’t have it.  It needs a public hearing…requires 3 weeks’ notice – we need to sort out complicated issues like pre-trial release.  To do that in 8 weeks is impossible.” 

What can you do to make more people want to be police officers?

“DC is struggling the same way other cities are – NYC is down thousands of officers…  .The Mayor proposed incentives in her budget – we made no changes.  We looked at cutting some incentive funding because the funds are just not going out the door – such as subsidized housing and signing bonus – but chose not to cut.  We did not fund take-home vehicles since new officers don’t get them.”

On Thursday, ANC6A – chaired by Commissioner Amber Gove – heard from Commander Colin Hall, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) First District (1D) and Anwar Saleem, Executive Director, H Street Main Street.  

Commander Hall, fresh from a safety walk on H Street earlier in the day and six arrests the night before, allowed that MPD is still struggling with robberies (crime suppression teams have been deployed north of Lincoln Park) and carjackings.  Asked what explains the upward trend in carjackings, he said his theory was the Tik Tok Challenge (how-to videos showing people how to steal Kia’s and Hyundai’s with just a USB cable that went viral on Tik Tok).  Youths use that to get a name on the street – and that leads to taking a car with a gun for the sake of doing it.  He raised the question of accountability and whether it is it was effective to send  a youth into the juvenile system.  He said that all these crimes are tied together and jumped from Tik Tok.  (Another Tik Tok challenge is aimed at young people who take video of themselves shoplifting and then uploading it to the social media app.)

Hall emphasized the importance of building community.  He is also working with the US Attorney’s Office to develop criteria to enable successful prosecutions.  For more info, go here:  https://mpdc.dc.gov/

Anwar Saleem, Executive Director, H Street Main Street, questioned how effective some of the agency-created programs to address crime are and if they are actually translating to the street…”Are we seeing results?”

He explained measures H Street businesses are taking to improve safety on the corridor.  H Street Main Street is developing security models for the hardening of buildings, such as adding security systems.  HSMS also stresses to businesses that they have to take responsibility for their customer base and who they attract.  For some entertainment venues, he suggests wanding and ID scanners should be mandatory for every person entering a building – no exceptions.  He said that HSMS will continue monthly safety meetings and pointed to an in-person community meeting next Tuesday at 3:00pm regarding business and resident concerns on the H Street corridor at 3:00pm at the Atlas Theater, 1333 H Street, NE. 

ANC6B Southeast Library Task Force chaired by Commissioner David Sobelsohn, held an in person meeting at the library on October 2.  The meeting featured Kyle Yeldell, Policy Analyst for the DC Council’s Committee on Recreation, Libraries & Youth Affairs, and ANC Commissioner Nic Wilson (8F01), whose district includes the Arthur Capper Recreation Center, where the interim library services will be provided during the years Southeast Library will be closed. 

Topics discussed during the meeting included remaining unresolved details not yet confirmed for Arthur Capper:

1. The TF is pushing for two weeks advance notice of the town meeting DCPL has promised prior to the six weeks’ notice of the closing date for SE Library.
2. Details on how the community will be notified of the availability of interim services at the Arthur Capper. 
3. When interim library services will be available at Arthur Capper. The TF is pushing for having some services available the day after the SE Library closes. 
4. The days and hours Arthur Capper will provide library services.
5. Whether, in addition to a printer, Arthur Capper will have a copier& scanner.
6. Whether, in addition to technical support – “digital navigators,” Arthur Capper will have regular library staff, deemed by the TF as essential now that the library has agreed to permit patrons to pick up and return library materials there.
7. Whether Arthur Capper will include any reference materials.
8. How the TF can secure funding for continued services at Arthur Capper after Fiscal Year 2024 ends in September, 2024.

The Taskforce will meet next in person at 3 p.m. Sunday, October22, on the second floor of 700 Pennsylvania Ave., SE.

It looks like the oldest graffiti crew in the city – KGB aka Krazy Graffiti Brothers – has paid tribute to the passing of The Fridge.  KGB – started up by graffiti artist Asad Walker in the 1980s – has since gone legit – having made the transition to street artists.  Now everyone wants murals. 

The Week Ahead…

Monday, October 16

ANC7D Public Safety Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 6:30pm. 

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://7d0761.wixsite.com/anc7d-1/meetings

Agenda not available at press time.

Tuesday, October 17

ANC6A Transportation & Public Space Committee meeting will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/

Among items on the draft agenda: 

• Florida Avenue, NE, Streetscape Project Update. The Florida Avenue, NE, Streetscape.  Project outreach team will provide project updates, review the October 6, 2023 walkthrough with Commissioners and Committee Members, and address community safety concerns with related contractor work.
• DDOT updates on the Low-Impact Development pocket parks at the intersections of 8th Street, NE/K Street, NE/West Virginia Avenue, NE and of 9th Street NE,/L Street NE/West Virginia Avenue, NE.  (Jo-Elle Burgard, DDOT Landscape Architect).
• Notice of Intent re K Street Bike Lane Extension. DDOT will present plans for the extension of bike lanes on K Street, NE, from 6th Street, NE, to 8th Street, NE. (Mike Goodno, DDOT Bicycle Program Specialist).
• See here for more on K Street NE Bike Lane Extension NOI –  https://anc6a.org/wp-content/uploads/TSPA1023.pdf

H Street In-person Meeting on Crime Concerns – Businesses and Resident Crime Concerns on the H Street NE Corridor, 3:00pm – 4:00pm at Atlas Theater, 1333 H Street, NE.

• ​ CAC Robert Pittman and H Street Main Street’s Anwar Saleem will host a community meeting to discuss safety concerns on the H Street, NE, Corridor.
• Questions:  Contact Captain Sherrelle Williams (Sherrelle.williams@dc.gov) or Lt Araz Alali (Araz.alali@dc.gov)

Wednesday, October 18

ANC6A Economic Development and Zoning Committee meeting will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/

Among items on the draft agenda:

• Annual Report of Activities: Discuss requirement to submit a summary of our economic development and zoning activities for the year. Designate a writer to draft the Committee contributions.

DC Council will hold a virtual hearing at 12:00noon on the nomination of Brian Hanlon to head the Department of Buildings (DOB).

• To view the meeting, go here:  https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings/

Sunday, October 22

ANC6B Southeast Library Task Force will hold and in-person meeting at 3:00pm on the second floor of 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

• Agenda not available at press time.

Cloud of Imagination. Photo by Lloyd Wolf

Artist Anke Neumann. Photo by Lloyd Wolf

First Look at Folger Library’s New Sculpture Cloud of Imagination.  Last week, Folger Library unveiled a newly commissioned artwork for its renovated spaces.  Cloud of Imagination, by German artist Anke Neumann is an ethereal and symbolic 15-foot-tall light and paper sculpture which hangs in the stairwell that will take visitors from the building’s new east lobby to the historic theater above.

Visitors will first be able to see Cloud of Imagination when performances of Folger Theatre’s The Winter’s Tale begin in November. The work is one of three commissions by contemporary artists being integrated into the Folger’s expanded and renovated spaces, and the first to be fully activated for the public.

While the renovation work will not be completed until 2024, Folger Theatre will return to its home stage after three years on the road with a production of The Winter’s Tale beginning on November 4.  The Folger will announce its grand reopening date before the end of 2023.  For more info, including tickets for upcoming performances go here:  https://www.folger.edu/

ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee met last Thursday night.

DC’s Weak Penalties and Lax Enforcement Abet Tearing Down Historic Houses in Capitol Hill Historic District.  Last Thursday night, at ANC67B Planning and Zoning Committee meeting, chaired by Commissioner Frank D’Andrea, Commissioner Jerry Sroufe raised two issues which affect the preservation of historic homes in the Capitol Hill Historic District.

First, the issue of builders tearing down historic houses in violation of their permits and the city’s lack of enforcement or oversite of building permits once granted.  Sroufe said that a letter received from the city showed many violations of building permits that receive no punishment and most fines for violations are adjusted downward.  Sroufe said the Office of Historic Preservation’s maximum fine for an illegal tear down is $4200.  Councilmember Charles Allen is contemplating legislation to address. 

Second, the Historic Preservation Review Board is supposed to have nine members but has been operating with five members for some time.  Sroufe asked, “Why have the vacancies not been filled?”

Former ANC6B Chair and current resident committee member Cory Holman said the Mayor’s office has been lax in filling empty positions.  City Council Chair Mendelson rejected one of the Mayor’s nominations and then refused to hold a hearing on the nomination when resubmitted.  There has been no action by Mayor to appoint other members.  There are also empty seats on both the Zoning Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustment.

Holman suggested either a formal or informal letter to Mendolson letting him know this is an issue the ANC is running into and separately sending a resolution to the Mayor urging her to fill the slots – noting the empty seats leaves federally-appointed members of the board often effectively in control – is not in keeping with our push for statehood. 

Regarding the enforcement issue, Holman pointed out that Chair Mendolson chairs oversight hearings and suggested this discussion go through him rather than Council Member Allen.

Commissioners Sroufe, Holman and Sobelson will bring proposed language for the letter to Mendelson and resolution for the Mayor to the next meeting of the committee.

I Egg You gets liquor license.  Last week, the DC Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration granted a restaurant liquor license for I Egg You, a new breakfast/lunch restaurant and event space on Barracks Row being brought to you by the owners of Chiko a few doors away.  ANC6B had protested the issuing of the license because the license applicants were not willing to make concessions regarding trash storage.  So I Egg You owners Danny Lee and Scott Drewno hired restaurant liquor license expert attorney Andrew Kline who knows that the city tends to give applicants the benefit of the doubt absent a compelling case, and ANC6B didn’t appear to have one.  The news was first reported by Barred in DC@BarredinDC. 

I Egg You is the creation of Lee and Drewno – the Fried Rice Collective – that founded the widely acclaimed three Chinese/Korean Chiko restaurants at 428 8th, SE, and on P Street, NW, as well as on Bethesda Row.  They are also behind Anju, the Korean restaurant on 18th Street, NW.

The Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation performed at Eastern Market Metro Plaza Saturday afternoon, winding up HillFest, 2023.  HillFest is an annual week-long music conference concluding with a day-long music festival held outdoors in the Capitol Hill neighborhood the first week in October.

The conference consists of day long events for five days and ranges in topics from Arts Policy, Jazz Education, the composing and recording industry, and music and technology.

Featured panelists may include local and Federal politicians, professional musicians, Jazz educators, festival organizers, Arts administrators, members from the GRAMMY’s, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC), and many others.

Triple Candie.  Here’s the latest installation by Triple Candie in the space in the front of the former Li’l Pub at 655 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.  Triple Candie is a research-oriented curatorial agency run by art historian co-founders Shelly Bancroft and Peter Nesbett.  Their purpose is to create alternative exhibition methods making that the object of critical focus rather than what is displayed (which for the most part does not include original artworks).  Go deeper here:  http://www.triplecandie.org/

The Week Ahead…& First Look at the Folger’s New Sculpture + Some Photos from the Past Week

by Larry Janezich

Posted October 8, 2023

Monday, October 9

Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day – DC Government Holiday. 

• Trash and recycling will slip to the next day. 

ANC6B Parks and Public Spaces Taskforce will hold and in-person meeting at 7:00pm at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

Among items on the draft agenda:

• Discussion: Unleashed Dogs in Parks.
• Eastern Market Metro Park Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Tuesday, October 10

ANC6B will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm. 

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6b.org/

Among items on the draft agenda:

Consent Agenda

• September 2023 Meeting Minutes.
• Resignation and Re-Appointment of 6B03 Resident Members for the Special Committee on Public Safety.
• Alcoholic Beverage & Cannabis Committee – Consent Items (If Any).
• Transportation Committee – Consent Items (If Any).
• Planning & Zoning Committee – Consent Items (If Any).

Presentations

• Charlene Roach Glymph – Facilities Grant Recipient Establishing Child Development Center at Park Kennedy.

Alcoholic Beverage & Cannabis Committee

• Dos Toros Taqueria, 215 Pennsylvania Ace SE.  Application for a new Retailer’s Class “C” Restaurant License.  (postponed until November)
• Capitol Supreme Market, 501 4th Street SE.  Application for the renewal of a Retailer’s Class “B” Grocery Liquor license.
• Yes! Organic Eastern Market, 410 8th Street, SE. Application for the renewal of a Retailers’ Class “B” Retail Grocery Liquor license. 
• World Wine and Spirits, 1453 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. Request to amend existing SA to allow for the sale of individual containers of beer and ale of less than 70 ounces.
• Omakase of Barracks Row, 522 8th Street. S.E., 2nd Floor. Application for a new Retailer’s Class “C” Tavern License.
• Ugly Mug Dining Saloon/Valor Brew Pub; 723 8th Street, SE.  Application for a substantial change to add sports wagering endorsement to their operations.
• Café 8, 424 8^th Street, Barracks Row.  Renewal of Class “C” Restaurant License

Transportation Committee

• Letter of Support for Notice of Violations of DDOT and Other Related District Agency Regulations.
• Eastern High School Homecoming Letter.

Planning and Zoning Committee

• 630 G Street SE, Project.  Zoning Adjustment Application.  To construct a two-story rear addition to an existing, semi-detached, three-story principal dwelling unit and to add a roof deck in the RF-1 zone.
• 630 G Street SE, Project.  Historic Preservation Application. To construct a two-story rear addition to an existing, semi-detached, three-story principal dwelling unit and to add a roof deck in the RF-1 zone.

Reports:

• Southeast Library Task Force.
• Public Parks and Recreation Spaces Task Force.
• Special Committee on Public Safety.
• Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee.

New business:

• Resolution in support of renaming Tyler Elementary to Shirley Chisholm Elementary.
• Letter to Deputy Mayor for Public Safety & Justice Regarding Safe Passage at Eastern Market Metro Plaza and Potomac Avenue Metro Station.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7D will hold a virtual meeting at 6:30pm

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://7d0761.wixsite.com/anc7d-1/meetings

Among items on the draft agenda:

Featured Speakers;

• The Honorable Robert C. White, Jr, At-Large Councilmember.
• The Honorable Dr. Christina Grant, State Superintendent of Education, OSSE.

DC Government Updates/Presentations

• Mayor’s Office of Community Relations & Services (MOCRS).
• Office of Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray.

Community Presentations

• Lisa White, RFK Future Task Force.
• Marcus Martle/Ann Chisholm, WMATA Metro Lift Program.
• Andrew Lightman, Managing Editor, Capital Community News, Inc.

ANC 7D Committees

• Appoint Additional Committee Members.
• September Report of the Public Safety Committee.
• September Report of the Economic Development, Housing Justice (and Zoning and Alcoholic Beverage) Committee.
• September Report of the Transportation & Public Space Committee.

New Business;

• Application for Zoning Adjustmant. Case #20975, Jill Gerber, SQ 4545 Lot 125.
• ANC 7D Joint Resolution for DDOT Traffic Calming Input.
• ANC 7D Resolution Concerning the Cain Family of the 1500 Block of A Street, SE.
• ANC 7D Letter to Mayor’s Special Events Task Group (HSEMA) Concerning Eastern High School Homecoming Parade.
• ANC 7D Letter to DC DMV Director Concerning an Org Tag for ANC Commissioners and ANC Alumni.  

Wednesday, October 11

ANC6C will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6c.org/hot-topics/

Among items on the draft agenda:

• Not available at press time.

Thursday, October 12

ANC 6A will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/

Among items on the draft agenda: 

Presentations:

• Lindsey Appiah, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice (invited).
• Assistant Chief Tasha Bryant, Patrol Sector Services South, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) (invited).
• Anwar Saleem, Executive Director, H Street Main Street.

Consent Agenda

• ANC 6A send a letter of support of ANC 7D’s resolution for the honorary renaming of the 1300-1600-blocks of A Street, NE, to recognize the Eastern High School Blue & White Marching Machine.
• Renew service agreements for package prep/web services and notetaker for FY2024.

Standing Committee Reports:

• Community Outreach (COC).
• Alcohol Beverage Licensing (ABL).
• Transportation and Public Space (TPS).
• ANC 6A send a letter of support for NOI-23-198 and requesting a comprehensive study of pedestrian safety and vehicle circulation around Lincoln Park.
• Economic Development and Zoning (EDZ).

New Business

• Suggested Motion: ANC 6A send a letter of support to DC Councilmembers for the Open Movie Captioning Requirement Act of 2023.

ANC6C Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday night. One of the items on the agenda was a discussion of the commercialization of residential properties in ANC6C.

ANC6C Prepares to Engage on Commercialization of Residential Buildings

by Larry Janezich

October 5, 2023

Wednesday night, the ANC6C Planning and Zoning Committee laid the ground work for the full commission to join ANC6B in pressing the Department of Buildings (DOB) to enforce zoning laws which prohibit residential properties from being primarily used for non-residential purposes.  Residences in both ANCs have been bought up by corporations, non-profits, and political organizations and are being used for office and/or event space.  Residents of ANC6B have identified 22 residential buildings on or near New Jersey Avenue, SE, owned by corporations who use them for commercial purposes.  Last week, CM Charles Allen joined residents for a walking tour of some of these properties, led by ANC6C Commissioner Jay Avery.  Allen has been pressuring Brian Hanlon, the new Acting Director of DOB, to enforce the zoning regulations.  Hanlon’s confirmation hearing is coming up on October 18. 

The issue has been simmering since last July in ANC6C.  At least two constituents have pushed the Commission to respond to a complaint on commercialization sent to them months before and pointed to actions being taken by ANC6B. 

As the result, the issue was placed on ANC6C’s agenda for discussion at Wednesday night’s monthly meeting.  Commissioner Joel Kelty led the discussion, saying he had researched the issue and believes that concerns residents had brought to the ANC are valid and that it is worth the ANC taking a position.  His feeling, he said, is the ANC should send a letter to the Department of Buildings and the Office of Tax and Revenue highlighting the use of residentially zoned …. Properties for commercial use and request they take enforcement action.

Kelty told the Commission, “I believe our fundamental role in government is to be a conduit between people and their government and I am trying to fulfill that role.  I think there is a valid zoning regulation complaint here and … my only interest is in ensuring the zoning regulations are upheld.  And if we’re not going to uphold them, we should get rid of them.”

Commission Chair Mark Eckenweiler asked,”What specific complaint can be made?  … We know things are going on but it’s murky – and you’ll never get action on things that are murky.”

Kelty said he would be willing to identify properties in 6C if the ANC is interested in filing a complaint regarding non-residential use.  Eckenwiler said he would support that. 

Kelty was joined by Commissioner Jay Adelstein who said he wholeheartedly agreed with Kelty and pointed to a recent ANC6B resident walk-through of residences owned by lobbyists and non-profits on New Jersey Avenue, SE, led by Councilmember Charles Allen and ANC6B Commissioner Frank Avery.  Adelstein said, “I see no reason why we can’t object to it generally and allow constituents to point out if there’s any objectionable issue.”

Resident committee member Drury Tallant agreed, saying, “If we … come up with a couple of good ones,  then yes.  We absolutely should … leverage the city to enforce the laws so people don’t have to live next door to a business.”

Eckenweiler said, “If we can identify objectionable property use for specific properties let’s work that. Maybe it’s a walk through with a councilmember – maybe Jake Stolzenberg (Ward 6 Mayor’s representative) …We need targets.  Something specific,”

Kelty said he work and come back to the committee with something specific and welcomed help from other commissioners.  The normal procedure will entail further discussion by the committee followed by a vote to forward any agreed-upon letter or resolution to the full commission.  The full ANC would then consider and vote on sending the language to city officials.

The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week

by Larry Janezich

Posted October1, 2023

Here’s a photo from Saturday night as tens of thousands of people flooded the National Mall to attend the World Culture Festival celebrating peace, unity, and diversity.  Looking closely, one can see that the lantern in the dome of the U.S. Capitol – called the Session Light – is lighted, signifying that one or both houses of Congress is in session.  In this case, it was the U.S. Senate meeting to vote on the U.S. House-passed “Continuing Resolution” to keep funding the government beyond a 12:01 am Sunday morning deadline after which most of the federal government was scheduled to shut down. 

On Friday, the flag at the U.S. Capitol flew at half-staff, commemorating the death of Senator Diane Feinstein, (D) California.  The structure around the Statue of Freedom at the top of the dome indicates the restoration and preservation work being done ofnthe dome’s crowning feature.

The Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee met on Wednesday night.  There was considerable discussion on the November 12 weekend event to celebrate the 150^th Anniversary of the Market.  The Committee also released the membership list of Ad Hoc Public Safety Committee, including EMCAC members* and volunteer residents: Bobbie Brinegar, *Chuck Burger, *Steve Hagedorn, Pherabe Kolb, *Jackie Krieger, Kirsten Oldenburg, Thomas Parker, Sam Pastore, *Brian Pate, Kem Ramirez, Chuck Schmoyer and *Jerry Sroufe.  The Committee also discussed at length a letter that went to the Mayor, the Department of General Services, MPD, and City Councilmembers regarding Eastern Market Public Safety and Security Concerns.  More on this to come.

A source tells CHC that the building which formerly housed the Tortilla Coast at 1^st and D Streets, SE, has been purchased by the Republican National Committee, whose HQ is across the street.  The Tortilla Coast closed for good on December 18, 2021, a victim of the pandemic, after owners could not reach agreement on a new lease with the owner.

Ward Six’s first HYBRID ANC Committee Meeting:  ANC6B broke new ground last Wednesday night when it held the first Ward 6 Hybrid ANC Committee meeting – that of the Special Committee on Public Safety.  Utilizing Meeting Owl – a 360-degree camera, mic, and speaker device (shown in the middle of the table) that captures a panoramic view of meetings and allows remote viewers to see all committee participants.  The camera is capable of recognizing and platforming the person speaking.  This meeting was held in the ground floor conference room at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, that has a screen which allowed the committee to share the view which remote viewers saw on their home computers.  (ANC6B’s ABC Committee, chaired by Commissioner Chander Jayaraman,  will use the same hybrid format at its October meeting on Tuesday night.  See below for info on how to join the meeting.)

Afterward, ANC6B Chair Edward Ryder said, “I think it was a resounding success. There were little to no technical difficulties. Those online were able to participate and were engaged, as were those in the room. In-person meetings do tend to facilitate dialogue a bit more naturally, and it helps make the meeting accessible for those with limited access to a computer, but having a virtual option also greatly expands the number of people who are able to attend. Now that we know the hybrid format works, 6B will certainly be having more hybrid meetings.  I’m leaving it to committee chairs to make the determination on whether they want to go hybrid.”

Commissioner Kasie Durkit said, “Major kudos to my fellow 6B Commissioners who did the research to get such a well-integrated piece of tech.  The audio seemed strong for both in-person and virtual attendees, and the video feed of the in-person attendees was able to capture a wide pan of the entire group, but also constantly cycle through individual shots of folks seated around the table….I am hopeful that this is the meeting attendance compromise that neighbors have been hoping for.”

The Week Ahead…

Monday, October 2

ANC6C Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6c.org/hot-topics/  

Among items on the agenda: 

• Not available at press time.

Southeast Library Taskforce will hold an in-person meeting at SE Library, lower level, at 6:30pm.

Among items on the agenda:

• Kyle Yeldell, Policy Analyst for the DC Council’s Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs.
• Nic Wilson, ANC Commissioner for 8F01, which includes the Arthur Capper Recreation Center,.                                          the site of the interim Southeast Library,
• Strategy for a smooth transition to Arthur Capper, including how to maximize the services available at the interim library after the Southeast branch closes.
• Update from the Southeast branch’s close-in neighbors about issues affecting neighboring homes during library renovation.

ANC6D will hold a virtual Administrative Meeting at 7:00pm. 

• To join the meeting, request a link by contacting the office at 6d@anc.dc.gov .

Tuesday, October 3

ANC6B Alcoholic Beverage & Cannabis Committee will hold a HYBRID MEETING at 7:00pm at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://bit.ly/3F3pIhe

Among items on the draft agenda:

• Dos Toros Taqueria, 215 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.  Application for a Class C restaurant license. 
• Capitol Supreme Market, 501 4th Street, SE. Application for the renewal of a Retailer’s Class “B” Grocery Liquor license.
• Yes! Organic Market, 410 8th Street, SE.  Application for the renewal of a Retailers’ Class “B” Grocery Liquor license.
• World Wine and Spirits, 1453 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. Request to amend existing Settlement Agreement to allow for the sale of individual containers of beer and ale of less than 70 ounces.
• Omakase @ Barracks Row, 522 8th Street, SE, 2nd Floor.  Application for a new Class C Restaurant liquor license.
• The Ugly Mug Dining Saloon/Valor Brew Pub, 723 8th Street, SE.  Application for a substantial change to add sports wagering endorsement to their operations.
• Café 8, Class “C” Restaurant License.  Request for a substantial change to their existing liquor license
• Discussion:  I Egg You Protest and lessons learned.
• Discussion:  Notice to Cure for Establishments on the 500 block of Barracks Row.
• Discussion:  ABRA law review and revision upcoming this fall.
• Discussion:  Final Cannabis Rulemaking and Retailer Licensing.

MPD 1D Citizens Advisory Committee will hold a virtual meeting, via WebEx 6:00pm – 7:15pm.

• Agenda and connection details here: https://1dcac.com/

Wednesday, October 4

ANC6B Transportation and Public Space Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm

For info on how to access the meeting, go here:  https://anc6b.org/

Among items on the agenda:

• DDOT Presentation on SE/SW (I-695) Freeway Bridges Rehabilitation.
• DDOT Presentation on NOI 23-198: Vision Zero Hardening 11th & E Cap Street, SE.
• Update on D Street Alternatives for 8th Street Bus Priority Project (Postponed to November).
• Pedestrian Crossings at 14th/D/Kentucky Avenue, SE Intersection near Safeway.
• DPW and DDOT Employee Parking at Watkins Alley.
• Letter of Support for Notice of Violations of DDOT and Other Related District Agency Regulations (6B01).
• Eastern High School Homecoming Letter.

ANC6C Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 6:30pm. 

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6c.org/hot-topics/   

Among items on the agenda:

• Not available at press time,

ANC6A community safety walk at 6:00 PM. Meet at the triangle park immediately south of the intersection of 14th St and Duncan Street, NE.

Walk & Roll to School Day  at 7:45 am at Lincoln Park.

• Ward 6’s annual semi-annual celebration of safe routes to school. Hosted by the Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization (W6PSPO), the event features student performances, activities,

For more info and to register, go here:  https://bit.ly/46yewol

Thursday, October 5

ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://bit.ly/3PwowYo

Among items on the agenda:

• 630 G Street, SE.  Zoning Adjustment Application to construct a two-story rear addition to an existing, semi-detached, three-story principal dwelling unit and to add a roof deck in the RF-1 zone.
• 116 5th Street, SE.  Historic Preservation Application to construct a two-story rear addition to an existing, semi-detached, three-story principal dwelling unit and to add a roof deck in the RF-1 zone.
• Discussion of Fines for Violating Historic Preservation and Unauthorized Work. 

ANC 6C Transportation & Public Space Committee holds a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6c.org/hot-topics/     

Among item on the agenda:

• Not available at press time.

ANC6B’s Special Committee on Public Safety met with Ward 6 CM Charles Allen last Wednesday night.

ANC6B Commissioners Talk Crime with CM Charles Allen

by Larry Janezich

Posted September 30, 2023

ANC6B’s Special Committee on Public Safety met with CM Charles Allen on Wednesday night.  Five ANC6B  Commissioners attended the hybrid in-person/virtual meeting as well as several  resident members of the committee and community members.  The agenda included a discussion of the “Secure DC” package of proposals to address crime (some of them controversial) which was released by CM Brooke Pinto (Chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee) on September 18.  This is the promised follow up to the emergency measures the city council passed in July.  Pinto will schedule hearings on the measures this fall.  Here’s a link to Pinto’s plan:  https://bit.ly/45ehbCL

Afterward, CHC asked the ANC Commissioners and the Resident Member Committee Chair, Lisa Matsumoto about their reaction to the meeting.  The response – edited for brevity – of those who commented follows:

Public Safety Committee Chair Lisa Matsumoto:  We were pleased to hear from Councilmember Allen.  He discussed many of the current legislative initiatives relating to public safety and also highlighted the collaboration, and often the tension, between different government entities in trying to address crime and public safety-related social programs.   I think there is recognition from the committee, the community, and from CM Allen that public safety is a complex issue requiring a multifaceted approach to stemming crime and protecting the public.

ANC6B Commission Chair and ANC6B06 representative Edward Ryder:  “It was useful to learn more about what is in the Secure DC package of bills and how some elements look to address things that the [Congressionally vetoed] revised criminal code would have addressed.  I was distressed to hear about the number of vacant social worker positions and I share Councilmember Allen’s thoughts that we need to do more to attract people to fill those vacancies.”  

Commissioner Kasie Durkit ANC6B05: “ I think neighbors have a genuine and well-founded fatigue for crime, but perhaps even greater fatigue for conversations that feel like they don’t lead anywhere.  Anecdotally, neighbors don’t feel like another committee or another meeting will help such a mired issue.  That said, I was very encouraged last night that Councilmember Allen met almost two hours’ worth of questions with patience and thoughtful responses, and we seemed to gain new pieces of information we didn’t have before.  There has been a lot of reporting, for example, on certain portions of this story—like understaffing at the OUC, the lack of accreditation for DFS, and recruitment issues within MPD—but this was the first time I really heard other shades of what has potentially led to crime as we are experiencing it now.  Some of those things, discussed last night, being the 40 vacancies within Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA), leading to more than 1,000 missed home visits among areas experiencing violence.  Other elements included the deployment strategies of MPD with respect to their less tenured officers, and the impact of new legislation like ‘Secure DC.’”

Commissioner David Sobelsohn ANC6B03:  I ran for ANC in part because, as Councilmember Allen reminded us Wednesday, Washington has a “broken” crime-control system….  At my first meeting as a Capitol Hill ANC commissioner, I got the ANC to revive our public-safety committee.  That makes crime fighting an ongoing ANC priority.  Crime threatens all of us….Our meeting with Councilmember Allen proved invaluable to get his overview of the problems facing the city’s crime-control efforts.  As a result of information shared at this week’s meeting, our ANC will work with Councilmember Allen to secure “Safe Passage Zone” status for the Eastern Market & Potomac Avenue Metro areas….”         

Commissioner Frank D’Andrea ANC6B:   ….”I think Charles Allen provided a frank assessment of where things stand and answered the questions about what is being done.  Now, whether the answers he gave are sufficient is a different question.  I think the answer to that is that we aren’t thinking big enough or about crime in an integrated enough manner.   I think we are all very focused on the short term spike in crime and “fixing” that without realizing how much of an overhaul our justice system and social safety net/support systems need to support a long term durable reduction.  It was revealing to know that the agency that does home checks on at risk kids is woefully understaffed.  Could that be leading to the rise in carjackings as young kids who usually would be nudged away by a visit from a social worker slip through the cracks?  It would stand to reason….  If we don’t think about those big changes now (as they will take years, if not decades to implement) we will be left scratching our heads at why we are in the same place we were years ago.”

CM Charles Allen (at right) heard from a group of New Jersey Avenue, SE, residents on a tour to look at residential properties near the U.S. Capitol which are being used for non-residential purposes by corporations or non-profits or political organizations. ANC6B01 Commissioner Frank Avery is at left.

SE Residents Cite 22 Corporate Owned Residential Properties Near U.S. Capitol

By Larry Janezich

Posted September 27, 2023

CM Charles Allen and ANc6B01 Commissioner Frank Avery led a community walk to hear neighbors’ concerns about what they see as an existential threat posed to the South Carolina Avenue SE neighborhood posed by the increasing practice of corporations illegally buying up residential houses to use for corporate purposes including fund raising events and social gatherings.  The corporations, they say, are a nuisance presence who make the neighborhood less desirable for residents and inflate the value of properties beyond what families can afford or are willing to pay. 

Avery says that he and neighbors have identified at least 22 corporate owned properties located on New Jersey Avenue, 1st Street, D Street, and 2nd Street, SE.  They have forwarded the list to CM Allen and the Acting Director Brian Hanlon, Department of Buildings.  The exact locations are not being made available owing to ongoing legal issues with some of the properties.

Allen told residents, that he didn’t care about the politics of the corporations using residential properties. “My biggest frustration is that it’s blatantly illegal – they aren’t allowed and there should be enforcement.  Getting the Mayor’s agencies to do enforcement has been incredibly difficult.  They have found every reason why they can’t do this – ‘we found a technicality – we can’t do that’….  So Brian Hanlon, our new Director of the Department of Buildings, should be here tonight – they are not.  That being said…he met with me…and the very first thing I talked about was this issue.  He did say, ‘I get it.  I will work on this, just give me a little bit of time to get in the agency to figure out how do I get the right people in the right place‘.  But the clock is ticking Many of you know Brian – he’s a really good guy.  But we also are expecting that he has to deliver in this job and be able to do the enforcement.”

Hanlon is in a hard place.  On one hand, Allen is pressuring him to enforce the city regulations that ban commercialization of residential real estate.  On the other, there are good reasons the Mayor might not want to push city agencies to poke this bear.   Residents say one of the corporate houses is owned by Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Super PAC.  Other houses are owned by major corporations such as UPS, General Dynamics, and Amway.  Still others are occupied by lobbyists.  

Allen pointed out that the problem is not unique to ANC6B and that ANC6C shares similar concerns.  Some NE residents have pushed ANC6C to take a more active role in ramping up the pressure on the city to address the problem.  But despite 6C Chair Mark Eckenweiler’s pledge to make the issue a discussion item on the Commission’s agenda last July, that discussion has not taken place.  (In 6C, the Heritage Foundation owns an entire block of commercial zoned offices on Massachusetts Avenue, NE, and has bought a half dozen properties around the corner on 3rd Street, NE, which it uses for residential purposes.  Similarly, the Conservative Partnership has bought several commercial properties on Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, and several residential properties on 3rd Street, SE, which will apparently be used for residential and entertainment spaces.) 

Residents cite the un-neighborliness of the businesses operating on New Jersey and near-by blocks and say the activities associated with the houses affect their quality of life.  They say that the corporations are paying less in property taxes than they would for commercial property and that the inflated purchase price for the commercialized properties based on the purchase price increases the property taxes on their own homes. 

Hanlon’s nomination has to be confirmed by the City Council and that confirmation hearing is coming before the Committee on the Whole on October 18.  Here’s a link to the hearing:  https://bit.ly/457QYpo  

Allen said he told Hanlon, “I want to see a set of policy recommendations before I can vote for you.  Can you help me with that so I can feel more confident that yes, you get this issue and you’re truly going to be working on it?  Those are some of the things…how  I can use the seat that I have to compel them into different kinds of solutions.”

Allen said he would like DOB to come and do a similar walk.  Hanlon was scheduled to participate in such a walk last week, but cancelled.  Allen said, “We tried really hard to get them to be here tonight… I think it would be helpful for them to have to stand here and hear what you are describing.  And I want them to be in a position to say, ‘Well, here’s why that’s legal or here’s why I can’t do that” – I want to be able to put them on the spot in front of constituents.  We’ve got to have an agency that will enforce and inspect – not be afraid to knock on the door.”

The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week

by Larry Janezich

Posted September 24, 2023

A new family-oriented restaurant on Barracks Row?  A source told CHC that the owner of the building at 527 8th Street Barracks Row – previously the home o f CAVA and before that Marty’s – is going to open a new family place similar to Marty’s.  Nothing yet on a time line…

… but there has been some work going on behind the screens.

Here’s Alicia “Decoy” Cosnahan’s latest – and probably last – mural on the walls of The Fridge.  This tribute to The Fridge’s passing is a reference to the recent “For Sale” signs found elsewhere on the building. The image is the centerpiece of a larger work by several artists, including Taxi Gang, a tag used by Fridge owner Alex Goldstein.  Cosnahan, a friend of both Goldstein and The Fridge itself is deeply involved in DC public art and education – as is Goldstein. The Fridge is located at 516 1/2 8th Street, SE, in the rear alley.  Go here for more on Cosnahan:  https://s.si.edu/3rzeIVr   Go here for a visual history of photos of The Fridge:  https://www.instagram.com/thefridgedc/ and here:  https://www.facebook.com/TheFridgeDC The Fridge is located at 516 1/2 8th Street, SE, in the rear alley.

Here’s some new signage celebrating the pending arrival of Los Caballeros coming to 310 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, in the space formerly occupied by La Lomita II. 

Here’s a reminder about Yard Waste Pickup:  With yard waste bags lingering on sidewalks for weeks – as in the photo above – residents may not know that DPW has changed their procedures and residents must schedule a yard waste pickup request in the 311 app or by calling 311 and submitting a verbal request.  It usually takes about a week to ten days for the baggage to be picked up.  Yard waste must be placed in paper bags (plastic bags will not be collected) and placed where your trash gets collected.

This Friday night, Art All Night on Barracks Row celebrates the performing and visual arts.  Free and Open to the Public.  This year Barracks Row is introducing Dark Glow Park, from 5pm – 10pm – a one of a kind experience with dazzling lights and vibrant colors. Also at Eastern Market Metro Park:

• Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation performs 5pm – 6:30pm
• DJ Throw Down from 7pm – 8pm
• Too Much Talent Band from 8:30pm – 9:30pm

And: The Laser Man Show at the Ugly Mug.

Other “activation” venues include Eastern Market Main Street, as you are, Taoti, Aunt Helen’s, the Brig and the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop Black Box Theater. For more, go here: https://www.barracksrow.org/coming-soon-02

The Week Ahead…

Tuesday, September 26

ANC6B Executive Committee holds a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6b.org/

Agenda:

• To set the agenda for the ANC6B October 10^th monthly meeting.

ANC6A Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar

Among items on the draft agenda:

• Discussion of application of Bloom at 1402 H Street, NE, for a Class C Tavern License.

Wednesday, September 27

ANC6A Community Outreach Committee meeting holds a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar

Among items on the draft agenda: 

• Vote to approve Committee’s contribution to ANC 6A’s Annual Report.
• Discuss calendar for remainder of 2023.
• Delegate tasks related to November 2023 educational meeting.

ANC6B Special Committee on Public Safety will hold a virtual meeting at 6:30pm

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6b.org/  

Among items on the draft agenda:

• Guest speaker – Ward 6 Councilmember, Charles Allen
• Discussion – Secure DC Package of Bills

Thursday, September 28

ANC6A will hold a virtual special meeting at 7:00pm. 

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/

Among items on the draft agenda:

• Approve Fiscal Year 2023 2nd Quarter Report. 

American Trucking Association Show Truck parked illegally on the 400 block of First Street, SE.

Part of the American Trucking Association lobbying complex on the 400 block of First Street, SE.

Trucking Association Flouts the Regs and City Shrugs

by Larry Janezich

Posted September 23, 2023

Ten days ago, the American Trucking Association (ATA, HQ at 430 1^st, SE) decided to hold a little celebration of “National Trucking Day” by illegally parking an 18-wheeler in the street outside their lobbying office and keep it idling all day long – 8:00am until 4:00pm – despite neighbors’ polite requests that they turn off the diesel engine.  Even more, neighbors allege, the truckers “mocked and laughed” at them, apparently reacting to community opposition to holding such events on the block in the past.

If you haven’t been in close proximity of an idling semi-tractor trailer you’d be surprised how annoying it is after a few minutes, not to mention living across the street from it and hearing it all day long. 

Nearby residents say that nobody at city agencies or the Mayor’s hotline did anything to help them and the only one who did was ANC6B01 Commissioner Frank Avery. 

Avery says he tried to approach the situation in three different ways:

• ATA’s failure to obtain an event permit (which would have required neighbor notification).
• ATA’s failure to abide by the restrictions of the posted reserved parking permit (which in fact turned out to be invalid).
• Violation of the city’s idling laws.

He says the initial responses from city agencies to his requests for city intervention were:

• DC Licensing & Consumer Protection (DLCP) confirmed there was no event permit but apparently took no further action.
• The Department of Public Works (DPW) confirmed that the parking permit wasn’t “verified,” meaning it wasn’t valid and the vehicle didn’t have the right to be parked where it was, let alone block the (northbound side of the) street.  The agency said they would send someone over.  (Maybe they did – maybe they arrived after the event – it’s hard to say.) 
• DC Department of Public Works parking enforcement dispatch misinformed Avery by saying the idling law didn’t apply because “it wasn’t over 90 degrees.”

Next, Avery reached out to CM Charles Allen’s office and the Mayor’s Ward 6 Office of Community Relations.  Avery says CM Allen’s office attempted to contact the DC Department of Energy Efficiency   (DOEE) on the idling issue, but to his knowledge, didn’t receive a response.  Avery did not hear back from the Mayor’s liaison until the event was over.

Avery’s litany of disappointments includes:

• No Front Line Enforcement Attempt:  No agency, particularly DC DPW as the “first line of enforcement” for parking issues, would address the issue directly.  
• Inaccurate Information:  Being provided with inaccurate information by DC DPW.
• Burden of Proof on the Resident:  Neighbors and Avery collected all the information that made it clear that something was likely going on that justified an agency inspection.  There were four agencies that could have responded to gather evidence – DC DPW, DDOT (who issued the parking permit), DLCP (who issues event permits for street closures), and the DOEE (anti-idling enforcement).  None did, despite neighbors and their commissioner demonstrating that a violation of some kind was likely occurring and warranted action.

In Avery’s follow-up with DDOT, he was told that MPD could have enforced the parking placard – information that somehow failed to get transmitted by any of the agencies engaged.   And despite many neighbors having called the Mayor’s Hotline the morning of the event with complaints, none received adequate follow up or enforcement.

Currently, the issue of the commercialization of residential properties near the Capitol Building is a hot topic in the ANCs who have been successful in getting the issue on the Department of Building’s radar.  Though in this instance, the transgression involves occupants of commercial property, it points up the failure of commercial entities to be good neighbors to nearby residents.  CM Charles Allen will participate in a walking tour of commercial entities occupying residential properties on and near New Jersey Avenue, SE, on Monday night at 6:00pm.  The previously scheduled tour was organized by Commissioner Avery. 

Photos from the Capitol Hill Book Fest on Sunday Afternoon

By Larry Janezich

Posted on September 18, 2023

CHC visited the Capitol Hill Book Fest in the North Hall of Eastern Market on Sunday afternoon.  Dozens of authors from across the city were there, promoting their works.  Panels of writers discussed their works outside on the west side of the Market under a tarp protecting from the occasional rain drop. 

Here are some random photos of some of the vendors:

Robert Pohl, Capitol Hill resident and President of Friends of SE Library.  Has half a dozen books to his credit, the latest being 101 Hours in a Zeppelin: Ernst August Lehmann and the Dream of Transatlantic Flight, 1917.  Based on the original letters of physics professor Robert Wichard Pohl this book tells the story of the first flight to exceed 100 hours in the air.

Adrienne Tropp.  Capitol Hill Resident.  Author of Shanghai Losses.  “Ever since young Rachel Weiser and her family fled Nazi Germany for Japanese-controlled Shanghai, her grandfather’s tours of the city, her close friendship with a Russian schoolmate, and her doll, Mary, are what enable Rachel to endure this new life.”

Sunu P. Chandy.  Author of My Dear Comrades.  “In this poetry collection, Sunu P. Chandy includes stories about her experiences as a woman, civil rights attorney, parent, partner, daughter of South Asian immigrants, and member of the LGBTQ community.”

Louis Bayard.  Prolific Capitol Hill resident author.  His latest is Jackie and Me.  His 2006 award winning novel The Pale Blue Eye is a historical murder mystery featuring a young West Point cadet – Edgar Allan Poe – and was adapted for the screen by Scott Cooper and features actor Christian Bale.

East City Books had a presence ….

as did Capitol Hill Books. 

Monday night, CM Charles Allen led a public safety walk with 60 plus attendees through the neighborhood around Watkins School.  He encouraged residents who attended to engage him and MPD officials on their specific concerns about crime in the neighborhood. 

Council Chair Phil Mendelson was in attendance and pointed out that he lived half a block away from the starting point outside the Peter Bug Shoe Academy, adding “Your concerns are mine as well.”

Commander Colin Hall, MPD First District since August 3, said he was encouraged by seeing the turnout –and that it is “people who make the difference.  We want to hear your thoughts and concerns – things that affect people personally.” 

L-R – ANC6B Commissioner Vince Mareino, MOCR Jake Stolzenburg, (unidentified), ANC6B Chair Edward Ryder, Ward 6 CM Charles Allen, Peter Bug Mathews (seated with friends), Council Chair Phil Mendelson, First District Commander Colin Hall.

Union Kitchen Still on Track for Barracks Row:  A source tells CHC Union Kitchen’s plan to open on Barracks Row in the space formerly occupied by Subway at 8th and E, SE, “hit some snags,” but that Union Kitchen still has the property and is looking forward to opening at 430 8th Street.  Reportedly, it will be a small store about the same size as the one on 3rd Street, NE, near Union Station.  As of yet, there’s no time line.

New Commissioner joins ANC6C.  David Wethington sworn in as Commissioner for ANC6C05 on September 12. by Ward 6 CM Charles Allen.  Wethington was the only candidate for the seat vacated by Commissioner Laura Gentile, who resigned after a work promotion brought her new responsibilities and less time for community service.  As such, Wethington was declared the new commissioner by the DC Board of Elections.  In his day job, Wethington works as a liaison between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Congress.

Controversy over DDOT 8^th Street Bus Priority Plan.  The plan – intended to more efficiently move some 3,000 people a day up and down 8^th Street, SE, has a couple of elements which are causing some grumbling by businesses and residents.  Barracks Row merchants don’t want to lose some 60 parking spots which the plan anticipates and some of the businesses on D Street south of Pennsylvania Avenue are unhappy about the proposal to reverse traffic on the street and make it west bound.  Similarly, the residents on D Street on the north side of Pennsylvania Avenue oppose reversing the flow of traffic there to make it east bound.  A previous ANC was successful in defeating such a plan in 2017.  ANC6B voted unanimously to send a letter to DDOT which states regarding D Street south of PA Ave, that the ANC “recommends DDOT incorporate recommendation from Barracks Row Main Street on this project”….and for D Street north of PA Ave, the ANC requested “alternative options to be presented with an assessment of their potential safety impacts including and not limited to potential closure of either section or adjacent road.”   For the full text of the letter, go here:  https://bit.ly/3ZsBT0f (Photo DDOT)

ANC6C Wants Public Safety Answers from Mayor Bowser:  At the ANC6C September meeting last Wednesday night, on the issue of public safety, Commissioner Joel Kelty called up two letters for the Commission’s consideration.  The first had been sent to Mayor Bowser 11 months ago which she never responded to and which Kelty suggested the Committee resend.  The second was to the Attorney General for DC urging the AG to prosecute two cases involving the distribution of drugs stemming from two MPD arrests on H Street, NE.  The ANC agreed to send both letters.  The debate sparked a discussion on the idea of creating a new public safety committee.  There appeared to be considerable enthusiasm for the move.  Committee Chair Eckenweiler, who had recused himself from the discussion on the public safety letters, rejoined the Committee and said there were “lots of ways a public safety committee could be unproductive and he preferred a longer conversation.” 

The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from Last Week

By Larry Janezich

Posted September 17, 2023

Monday, September 18

ANC6A Transportation & Public Space Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm. 

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/

Among items on the agenda:

• Florida Ave NE Streetscape Project Update. The Florida Ave NE Streetscape Project outreach team will provide project updates and address community safety concerns with related contractor work.
• Honorary Renaming of the 1300 through 1600 Blocks of A Street NE, to recognize the Eastern High School Blue & White Marching Machine. ANC 7D has requested the support of ANC 6A for their recent resolution requesting the honorary street renaming. 
• Public Space Construction Permit Application at 1101 H Street, NE.
• Other outstanding public space permit applications, as necessary. 
• TPS Committee contribution to the ANC 6A Annual Report.

 Tuesday, September 19

Meet the editors of The Hill Rag, 11:00am – 2:00pm, Lobby of National Capitol Bank

Readers of The Hill Rag will have a chance to meet editors Andrew Lightman and Liz O’Gorek in the lobby of National Capitol Bank, 316 PA Avenue, SE.  They will take questions, hear concerns and suggestions. 

Wednesday, September 20

ANC6A Economic Development and Zoning Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm. 

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/

Among items on the draft agenda:

• Resolution of previously heard BZA/HPRB cases (Brad Greenfield)
• Annual Report of Activities: Discuss requirement to submit a summary of our economic development and zoning activities for the year. Designate a writer to draft the Committee contributions.