90-91 Blagden Alley: Developers Commit $75,000 for New Bikeshare Station

Representatives of developer SB-Urban told Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F/Logan Circle October 1 that, if a development at 90-91 Blagden Alley NW is approved, the developers would contribute $75,000 for the establishment of a new Capital Bikeshare station. This promise was made during ANC2F's regular monthly meeting on October 1.

Conception of development viewed from across M Street

The previous week, the Community Development Committee (CDC) of ANC2F tabled SB-Urban's request for a zoning variance that would allow the 132-microunit Blagden Alley development to be built without parking -- see SALM blog post of September 26. They asked the presenters to rework their plan and present it again.

The request is on the agenda for reconsideration at the next meeting of the CDC, scheduled for 7pm, October 29, at the Washington Plaza Hotel (10 Thomas Circle). The offer to purchase a bikeshare station will be part of the amended plan.

CDC Chair Walt Cain (Commissioner for district 02) began the discussion by calling SB-Urban "an example of people who have dealt with the CDC in good faith". Attorney Cary Kadlecek of Goulston & Storrs represented the developers.

Bikeshare

At the September 26 meeting, committee members observed that the additional of 132 small residences with no parking would probably great additional demand on the nearby bikeshare stations. So the developers came back with the promise to fund the station.

In an email, a representative of Capital Bikeshare said a 19-dock bikeshare station in central DC would cost around $55,000, plus about $25,000 for the first year of operation and maintenance. After the first year, Capital Bikeshare handles the cost of maintenance and operation.

Loading, unloading, deliveries

The conversation also continued about the developers' plans to deal with deliveries and garbage pickup. The revised design presented by the developers included the addition of a package delivery room facing M Street. If implemented, delivery drivers would stop on M Street and dash across the sidewalk to deliver packages. They would not need to drive bulky delivery trucks up narrow, brick-paved Blagden Alley to deliver packages to residents.

There would also be a 75-foot-long loading zone on the 9th Street side of the development where larger delivery trucks could park, presumably for a longer time. This was mentioned as a possible staging area for deliveries of supermarket food products from vendors like Peapod. One possible problem with this would be people using the loading zone to pick up and drop off from the businesses already operating on 9th Street, such as pet grooming and boarding shop Wagtime (1232 9th Street).

Garbage

A remaining sticking point seemed to be garbage pickup. The developers continue to plan to have all the garbage from the 132 units brought out to the curb in two-wheeled containers and picked at M Street. This was the same as the plan they presented at the September 26 meeting. However, Kadlecek presented a new revision to the design, with a trash room and holding area on the east side of the M Street front of the building, with a door out onto the sidewalk.

"We won't have trash sitting outside for a long time," promised a member of the team representing SB-Urban.

Among the variants discussed was requiring trash pickup services to radio ahead when they are in the neighborhood, so that trash containers could be moved out to the curb and emptied as quickly as possible.

However, there will still be on-street parking in front of the building. Attendees observed it would be difficult to get the trash removed between the bumper-to-bumper parked cars. The presenters said they were not planning to ask for any M Street parking spaces to be removed to facilitate trash pick up.

No motion was proposed or vote taken at the October 1 ANC meeting.

At the September 26 CDC meeting, representatives of SB-Urban said a hearing at DC's Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) on the proposed zoning relief was scheduled for November 5, roughly 10 hours before the next possible meeting when the full ANC could vote to approve a revised proposal. Attorney Kedlecek asked the ANC to take special measures to expedite their request, so an approval was voted on before the scheduled hearing. Cain said he would see what he could do.

On October 1, however, Kadlecek sent a letter to the BZA, asking for the hearing to be postponed from November 5 while SB-Urban continued to work with the ANC on outstanding issues. The letter asks that the meeting be rescheduled "as soon after November 5 as possible".

At copy of the letter asking for postponement, plus other documents related to the request for zoning variance, can be seen by going to the BZA's Interactive Zoning Information System and entering case number 18852 in the search bar.

1534 5th Street: Owner Has a Driveway but Can't Get a Curb Cut

At its regular monthly meeting September 2, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw voted unanimously to oppose a curb cut in the middle of the 1500 block of 5th Street NW in Shaw, between P and Q Streets. A curb cut would reduce on-street parking on the block by at least two spaces.

1534 5th Street in July

"Parking is such a huge problem on this block and there's no other property that has a curb cut," said Commissioner Kevin Chapple (district 02). Chapple made the motion to oppose the curb cut.

The proposed curb cut would be in front of 1534 5th Street, which is in Chapple's district.

Abraham Soquar came before the ANC to plead his case. He is a newcomer to the neighborhood, and is building a three-and-a-half story semi-detached row house on the formerly empty lot. He talked about when he first saw the lot.

"When I passed by," Soquar said, "people would throw rubbish there, have homeless people living there, and so on."

He said the house, which is currently under construction, is his "first project" and he is hoping to live there. It has space for a driveway on the north side of the property, but there is no rear alley or other way for a vehicle to park there.

Soquar said the completed house would be "more of a sightly place and a better benefit to the street."

Soquar had a letter of support from one of his immediate neighbors, but many of the people in the area were opposed to the curb cut.

"I have received many, many other notices from my constituents that they are opposed to the curb cut," Chappell said.

Other than the next-door neighbor, Chappell said: "Everybody else who has contacted me -- and I've contacted -- are opposed to it because it would put added stress on everyone else..."

Shaw activist and neighbor Martin Moulton spoke briefly against the curb cut. Moulton said he had lived in the neighborhood for 14 years and had never seen homeless people camping out on the property when it was vacant. However, he conceded: "It was sort of a blight."

Moulton said there had been "at least three or four ground-up constructions" in the same block and "no one has received a curb cut."

"It's totally out of character with the types of blocks we live on," Moulton said.

Soquar had hoped to get ANC endorsement before a District Department of Transportation (DDOT) hearing scheduled for later this month. Curb cuts are the responsibility of the DDOT.

The proposed curb cut at 1534 5th Street was the subject of the SALM blog post of July 16.

ANC6E videos its monthly meetings in their entirety and posts them in half-hour segment on YouTube. See ANC6E's YouTube channel here. The discussion of the curb cut for 1534 5th Street can be on seen here, starting at time 24:10.

Proposal to Permanently Remove 13th and U Bikeshare Station

At its regular monthly meeting on June 19, the Transportation Committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street, heard a proposal by development company JBG that would permanently remove the Capital Bikeshare station at 13th and U Streets NW. The committee decided not to take a decision on the proposal this month. Instead, it will solicit community input and discuss it again at its next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, July 17, at 7pm, at the Thurgood Marshall Center (1816 12th Street).

The Rite-Aid as seen from across 13th Street

JBG is getting ready to construct an eight-story building on the southwest corner of 13th and U Street, in a building currently occupied by a Rite-Aid and other tenants. Representatives of JBG told the committee they were "very far along in design" and planned to break ground by the end of the year.

The new building will have 130 apartments and brand-new retail space for the Rite-Aid, who have a 20-year lease on the spot.

In order to get Rite-Aid on board for the renovation, JBG reported, "we had to promise them the nicest Rite-Aid ever."

Temporarily moving the bikeshare station

There is a Capital Bikeshare station on the 13th Street side of the Rite-Aid. During the construction, it will have to move. The committee discussed possibilities for a temporary home for the station.

JBG proposed four destinations for the temporary move, which qualified by virtue of having wider-than-normal sidewalks:

• In front of the metro entrance on the south side of U Street
• On the southeast side of 12th Street
• On the northwest side of 11th Street
• On the southeast side of 11th Street

See a series of JBG-supplied photos here of the above-listed possible temporary locations for the displaced Capital Bikeshare Station.

The committee unanimously recommended the first option above for the temporary location. ANC1B will probably vote on the recommendation at its next meeting, scheduled for July 10, 7pm, at the Reeves Center (14th and U Streets).

Permanently moving the bikeshare station

The fate of the bikeshare station after the construction is completed was the subject of some discussion. The design favored by JBG puts a small green space, with some trees, bushes, flowers, and grass, in the current bikeshare space. However, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) wants to move the bikeshare station back to the same spot.

"If you don't vote to support the garden, the bike share is staying there," JBG representatives told the committee.

JBG tried to sell the committee on the garden idea, but they could not guarantee they would be able to convince the DC government and/or neighboring property owners to permanently put the bikeshare station in a convenient nearby spot.

"This needs to be vetted by a wider swath of the community," said one committee member.

The motion to revisit the topic next meeting was passed unanimously.

ANC1B's Transportation Committee would like to hear community comment. Email the chair of the committee, Ben Klemens, at bklemens at gmail dot com.

Some of JBG's plans and drawings for the site, including the small green space, are available here.

Ward Two Parking for Shaw Residents: Lobbying on Both Sides

Tomorrow (June 3), DC Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward Six) will put forward a resolution that will enable an estimated 1,100 Shaw car owners -- although resident in Ward Six (see map below) -- to retain their Ward Two Residential Parking Permits.

Formerly Ward Two, now Ward Six

Rachelle Nigro, representative for district 04 on Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw announced the initiative on her Facebook page May 30. She asked her constituents to call the offices of all members of the DC City Council to express their support of the bill, called the ANC 6E Residential Parking Permit Exception Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2014. 

Also on May 30, Nigro sent tweets to DC Councilmembers David Grosso (I-At Large), Jack Evans (D-Ward Two), Mary Cheh (D-Ward Three), and Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward Five), urging them to vote for the resolution.

The neighborhood was formerly a part of Ward Two. It was redistricted into Ward Six after the 2010 Census. Residents successfully resisted a previous attempt to change their parking permits. See the SALM blog post of May 14 for more details. 

Meanwhile, neighboring ANC 2F/Logan Circle is mobilizing against the plan. At its regular monthly meeting on May 14, voted unanimously to send a letter to the DC Council "making the Council aware of ANC 2F’s opposition to all proposed or pending legislation that would grant Ward 6 residents the ability to park in Ward 2."

Long-Delayed Federal Money Funds 7th Street Repaving, Sidewalk Upgrade, New Bike Racks

At its regular monthly meeting May 6, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw heard that the 7th Street NW corridor is about to be given a facelift with federal government money. If all goes as planned, streets will be repaved, street lighting will be given a elegant new look, sidewalks will be uniform, and bike racks will be installed on every block of 7th Street between N and Florida Avenue.

Coming soon on 7th Street

ANC6E Chair Alexander Padro (Commissioner for district 01) recalled that the project, which will cover the 1300 to 1700 blocks on 7th Street, has been in development for "the better part of a decade" and had been repeatedly delayed by "a number of missteps".

The project was originally part of the Howard Theatre renovation project, but it was detached so that the portion of the project near the Howard Theatre could go ahead using money from the D.C. budget. The Howard Theatre project was finished in 2012.

DDOT presentation

Richard Kenney and Adil Rizvi, program managers at the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), told the ANC that 7th Street will be resurfaced and renovated. But don't call the project a "resurfacing project".

"That's kind of misleading because we're including building-face-to-building-face streetscape improvements," Rizvi said.

Kenney and Rizvi told ANC6E the project would, in addition to road resurfacing, include street light and traffic signal upgrades, sidewalk replacement, the addition of green infrastructure, improvements to wheelchair ramps to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), and other changes.

The work will start in "late summer to early fall" and will continue for nine to twelve months, "weather permitting". Work will be done from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday. There will be some Saturday work, but no Sunday work. The DDOT presenters said all blockage of traffic and detours would take place outside of rush hours.

The project will work to make the sidewalks uniform. Right now, there is a patchwork of brick and concrete, some of which is deteriorating, making the sidewalks unsafe. The sidewalks will be uniformly concrete. The areas around the trees will be given a uniform look as well, with low ornamental rails on three sides. DDOT assured the committee the ornamental rails will be well anchored and will not come up or fall over by themselves. However, these rails cannot withstand the impact of a vehicle.

Cobble pavers are green infrastructure

The tree space will also be given a uniform look, with cobble pavers to each side of the tree (see photo). These cobble pavers catch storm water and allow natural filtration to take place, which captures pollutants before they can become part of the storm water runoff.

Bike racks for all

The DDOT presenters asked for ANC and public opinion on bike racks. Members of the public spoke strongly in favor. Commissioner Padro said he had asked for bike racks along 7th Street many times but was told they should wait for the long-delayed repaving project.

"It seems like the biggest comment we have for you is: We certainly do want to see bike racks installed," Padro said. "A number of businesses have requested them."

Padro volunteered to walk the route of the project along with Shaw resident and Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) Vice-President Michael Moulton to suggest placement of the bike racks. Moulton was present at the meeting and advocated for bike racks as part of the project.

ANC6E voted unanimously to support the project and recommend bike racks be installed on every block.

About 2/3rds of the area of the renovation falls with the borders of ANC6E. The other third is in ANC 1B/U Street.

ANC6E videos its meetings and posts them, in their entirety, on their Youtube channel. This discussion can be viewed on video number 00047 here, starting at time 11:05.

(Photo credits: details from hard copies of the DDOT presentation to ANC6E)

Shaw Car Owners Ask to Retain Ward Two Residential Parking

"This issue is not dead yet," said Rachelle Nigro of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw. "We'll fight to the very end for my constituents."

Ward Six, north of New York Avenue

The issue is the residential parking permits (RPPs) of about 1,100 car owners living north of New York Avenue NW in Shaw, surrounded on three sides by other wards (see map). Up until 2011, these car owners lived in Ward Two. As a result of redistricting, they now live in Ward Six. They have lobbied successfully to retain Ward Two RPP up until now. Currently they are resisting an attempt by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to change the street signs in their area so that they will be required to have Ward Six stickers on their windshields to park on the street.

Nigro said the majority of people in this area wished to retain Ward Two residential parking permits. She said she would need to have some organized show of support, like an online petition, to demonstrate this.

The ANC passed a resolution at its regular monthly meeting May 6 asking the city council, and specifically Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward Six) to introduce the necessary legislation to implement this. The resolution passed with one vote against, by Commissioner Marge Maceda (district 05).

Ashamed of Ward Six?

Earlier, during the debate, Maceda asked Nigro: "Are the people in your area ashamed of being in Ward Six?"

"No, it has nothing to do..." Nigro began.

"It certainly is," Maceda said.

A member of the audience resisted Maceda's tendency to interrupt.

"I've been living in this neighborhood all my life...," the audience member began.

"And it's changing," Maceda said.

"Excuse me, let me finish," the audience member said. "One of the things that's happened now is this new little piece of carve-out. If I go one block east, I'm in Ward Five. If I go one block north, I'm in Ward 1. If I got four blocks west, I'm in Ward Two. I can't even go to a restaurant, my cleaners, and park there anymore."

At the end of the debate, Nigro said of the request for legislation: "If it works, great. If it doesn't, we will just move forward as Ward Six, but at least we're trying our best."

Who needs Georgetown?

ANC6E Chair Alexander Padro (district 01) said he expected City Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward Two) to oppose the legislation because he doesn't want more people parking in Georgetown.

"We don't need to go to Georgetown anymore to go to restaurants and clubs," an audience member said. "We've got our own neighborhood now. We just can't park there."

ANC6E has a Youtube channel, on which it posts its monthly meetings in their entirety. The discussion on this matter can be seen on video 00048 here, starting at 5:15.

See a current map of Ward Six from the D.C. Office of Planning here.

(Map from D.C. Office of Planning website)

Ward One Church and Community Parking Task Force "Summit" June 10

At its regular monthly meeting on May 1, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B/U Street heard plans for meetings -- both public and private -- by the Ward One Church and Community Parking Task Force. The task force will have a town meeting-style "summit" at Cardozo High School (1200 Clifton St NW) at 7pm on June 10. Members of the public are invited to this meeting.

"We hope you'll come with solutions," ANC1B Commissioner E. Gail Anderson  Holness (district 11) said.

St. Augustine Catholic Church, 15th and V Streets

Among the people scheduled to participate, Holness said, are Dr. Earl D. Trent Jr. of Florida Avenue Baptist Church (623 Florida Avenue), Father Patrick Smith of St. Augustine Catholic Church (1419 V Street), Rev. Dr. Winston C. Ridley, Jr. of The Greater First Baptist Church (2701 13th Street), Rev. Dr. Paul H. Saddler of the Twelfth Street Christian Church (1812 12th Street), and Chief of Staff Calvin Woodland from the office of D.C. City Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward One).

"We tried to include people from all the quadrants of Ward One," Holness said. 

Holness also announced there would be a meeting at 7pm on May 22 for members of task force and ANC1B Commissioners only. A location for the meeting had not been set at the time of Commissioner Holness's announcement.

Holness announced the creation of the task force at the April 3 regular monthly meeting of ANC1B -- see SALM blog post of April 7. At that time, the subject of the task force was announced to be facilitating parking on Sundays at the 67 churches around Ward One.

At the May first meeting, Holness said the task force was working on a variety of issues, including parking, but also including public safety, senior housing, and taxation.

"A lot of people don't understand what churches do -- how they benefit the community," Holness said.

In preparation for the meeting, Holness said an online survey was being prepared on the website Survey Monkey. Participants would be invited to the survey via email.

CORRECTED: T Street Bike Lane in Shaw to Become a Trench for the Summer

CORRECTION: Ben Klemens emails that the bike lane will be a trench for "four to six weeks", and NOT months as I reported. Apologies for the error.

Ben Klemens, Chair of the Transportation Committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street, told the ANC on May 1 travel along the T Street bicycle lane in Shaw will be disrupted for four to six weeks several months. The disruption should start in May or June, and last four to six months.

T Street between 7th and 11th Streets will receive a set of more elegant-looking street lights from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) -- see SALM blog post of April 28. DDOT officials told the Transportation Committee about the project at the Committee's meeting of April 16. At that time, the officials said that's as part of the project, they'd need to dig a trench, in sections, along one side of the road. A committee member asked if the trench would be on the side of T Street with the bike lane, or the other side. DDOT promised to check and get back to the committee with the information.

On May 1, Klemens told ANC1B the trench would go "right down the bike lane", according to DDOT. When crews were not working in the trench, Klemens said, they would cover them with sleet plates. It was agreed that this was not the optimum arrangement for bicyclists, especially when it rains.

When the project is finished DDOT will install manhole covers and resurface T Street.

At the same time, DDOT will also be working on the neighboring sidewalks, so using them as an alternate route may not be an option.

The next meeting of ANC1B's Transportation Committee is scheduled for 7pm on May 15th at the Thurgood Marshall Center (1816 12th Street NW).

T Street: New Streetlights from 7th to 11th Streets

T Street NW between 7th and 11th Streets will get more elegant-looking street lights soon. The Transportation Committee of Advisory Neighborhood Committee (ANC) 1B/U Street heard about the project at its April 16 meeting.

Out with these

In with these

Representatives of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) told the Transportation Committee the design phase of the project is 95 percent complete. The all of the 11 existing 400-watt "cobra-head" street lights (right) will be replaced. Ten new street lights of the same design will be added. The new 100-watt street lights will have a retro look (see example left), with a vase-shaped glass lamp on a column.

"They'll look really great," a DDOT representative said.

Work along T Street will start in May or June and take 4 to 6 months. DDOT will have to dig a trench and eventually resurface the entire stretch of road. The trench will be dug along one side of the street, section by section. Steel plates will be put over the trenches when work is not in progress. When the work is in progress, there will be no room for parked cars. After completion, there will be dedicated manholes on T Street for the street lights.

"Is this going to interrupt traffic?" a committee member asked.

"Every project is going to interrupt traffic," the DDOT representative replied.

T Street has a bike lane.  Members of the committee asked if the trench was going to be dug on the side of the street with the bike lane. The DDOT representatives were not sure and promised to get back to the committee with the information.

ANC1B Commissioner Ricardo Reinoso (district 05) asked if the residents had been informed.

DDOT representatives said they were using email, ANC meetings, and postal mail to inform residents in the affected area.

A flyer distributed by DDOT at the meeting promised sidewalk repair along T Street will be coordinated to coincide with the work on the new street lights.

The old "cobra-head" street lights will be retained by DDOT and used elsewhere as needed.

Representatives of DDOT may be back to present to the full ANC at their next monthly meeting. This is scheduled to take place Thursday, May 1, at 7pm, at the Reeves Center (14th and U Streets).

(Photo credit: left - from DDOT brochure distributed at the April 16 meeting, right - Google Street View of 900 block of T Street)

1248 Fairmont Street: One ANC1B Committee for, One Against

When Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street has its regular monthly meeting at the Reeves Center (14th and U Streets NW) on Thursday, May 1, at 7:30pm, it will be faced with an unusual situation. Two separate ANC1B committees have considered a request for the same project. One voted to approve it, the other voted to oppose it.

1248 Fairmont Street (Google Street View)

Jennifer Fowler of Fowler Architects and Brian Smith of Coldwell Banker are asking ANC1B to endorse a request for a curb cut on the street next to 1248 Fairmont Street. This is a one-family house on the southeast corner of 13th Street and Fairmont. It is being converted into five units "by right". The curb cut will allow access to the two spaces of enclosed off-street parking the developers are obligated by zoning regulations to provide.

On April 17, ANC1B's Transportation Committee voted to endorse the request -- see SALM blog post for April 21. The vote was 2-0 with one abstention. On April 21, ANC1B's Design Review Committee voted not to support the request. The vote of the Design Review Committee was 7-0 with one abstention.

Fowler presented to the Design Review Committee at the very end of a 3-1/2 hour meeting. She was told there was no community support for the project, only opposition.

ANC Chair James Turner (Commissioner for district 09) said he had sent an email requesting the developers do outreach to the neighbors about the planned expansion of the house. There had not been any outreach.

"Brian's been doing outreach," Fowler said. Smith was not present, and Fowler didn't know anything about what Smith might or might not have done.

Turner explained that, although the project itself is in the district of Commissioner Sedrick Muhammed (district 03), the neighbors across the street from the project were in Turner's own district. At the April 17 meeting, Smith said he had been in touch with abutting neighbors only -- implying Turner's constituents had not been contacted.

The committee also disputed the contention, made by Smith in his April 17 presentation to the Transportation Committee, that the curb cut would remove only one space from the street. With the addition of a two-car parking garage, this would result in a net gain of one parking space for the area.

The Design Review Committee maintained that, even though the curb cut might be the length of one car, legally-mandated no-parking areas on each side of the cut, plus the inexpert parking methods of the average on-street car parker, would mean that, in practice, two on-street spaces would be lost. On top of that, committee members said, it seemed likely that five units would bring more than two cars into the neighborhood.

Members of the committee further redefined the situation. What the developers were doing, they said, was removing two public parking spaces and making them private.

Fowler said it might be possible to design a garage with three spaces. 

A committee member also noted that the design for the ramp from the street to the enclosed garage included a five-foot-high wall on the property line. This meant that pedestrians and bicyclists coming down Fairmont Street would be invisible to drivers backing out of the planned garage, and visa versa. Fowler suggested the developers could put in a mirror.

A representative of the project may present some new ideas at the next ANC meeting on May 1, when the full ANC may try to reconcile to two conflicting recommendations.

1248 Fairmont Street: Curb Cut Helps Turn Single-Family House to Five Units

1248 Fairmont Street NW is being converted from a single-family home to five units by an addition to the rear. If you are a neighbor and stand to lose sunlight and air from the rear expansion of this house, you still have a chance to make your displeasure known. There is a meeting of the Design Review Committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street scheduled for 6:30pm tonight (Monday, April 21) at the Thurgood Marshall Center (1816 12th Street). The developers converting the property have said they will be there.

As seen from Fairmont Street (Google Street View)

This conversion is a "matter of right", which means that the developers do not have to ask for zoning variances or special exceptions from the D.C. government. A publicly-available letter from D.C. Zoning Administrator Matt LeGrant (.pdf here) confirms no zoning variances or special exceptions are necessary. Nevertheless, the developer told the Transportation Committee of ANC1B on April 17 they would be at the Design Review Committee. They will probably present to the committee as a matter of courtesy.

A representative of the developers of 1248 Fairmont Street NW appeared before the Transportation Committee to ask for ANC1B endorsement of a curb cut. The curb cut is necessary to provide access to the two parking spaces that the zoning will require for the five units. The developers received a conditional endorsement of the curb cut. Now their request moves to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) for final approval.

The building is on the southeast corner of Fairmont and 13th Streets. The proposed curb cut will be on the Fairmont Street side, about 85 feet from the corner of 13th. It will provide access to a two-car covered garage. The representative said LeGrant told him surface parking would not be permitted -- only garage parking.

The curb cut will remove one on-street parking space.

Members of the committee asked if more than two spaces for the five units were possible. The developers' representative said it was not.

How happy are the neighbors?

Commissioner Ricardo Reinoso (district 05) asked if the developers had been in touch with ANC Commissioner for the district Sedrick Muhammed (district 03). The developers had not.

Reinoso also asked the representative if he had been in touch with the neighbors. The representative said he had been in touch with abutting neighbors only. He did not report any complaints from the abutting neighbors.

A person who says "[m]y townhouse is connected to 1248 Fairmont Street", in a March 3 post in a forum of the blog Popville, said that the proposed development will block views and sunlight. The neighbor wished to discuss the situation with the developer. The neighbor, identified on Popville by the user name "comerte", also said he/she could not find contact information about the developer online.

(Google searches for the developer on April 18, 2014, yielded addresses, but no phone number or email.)

It is possible that, in the time between the March 3 Popville post and the April 17 Transportation Committee meeting, all the parties met and came to a mutually satisfactory arrangement.

Other details about the project

The additions are all on the rear of the building.

"The building will look as it is," the representative said. "It will look like it was built in the early 1900s."

The architect is Jennifer Fowler of Fowler Architects.

Plans for the renovation are available online -- six-page .pdf here. In addition to the garage, more basement space will be dug underneath the existing ground-floor patio. Two additional floors will be added over the rear part of the existing house and the proposed garage. The roof of the addition will have a deck. The total square footage of the house will increase from about 3,800 square feet to nearly 6,900 square feet.

On-line information says this house was sold in December 2103 for $990,000.

About the parking

The Transportation Committee was concerned that the placement of the curb cut was too close to the property line. It voted to recommend that the full ANC endorse the request to DDOT for a curb cut, on the condition that it be moved a few feet off the property line to allow optimal street parking. The vote was two in favor and one abstention.

Ward One Task Force on Community and Church Parking Created

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street will participate in a Ward One-wide task force on community and church parking. ANC1B Commissioner E. Gail Anderson Holness (district 11) made an announcement about the formation of the task force at the ANC's monthly meeting on April 3.

Florida Avenue Baptist Church

"These problems are not new," Holness said. "They've just become more intense."

Commissioner Holness announced the office of City Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward One) had formed the task force to address how to facilitate parking at churches across Ward One on Sundays and at other times of religious worship. Holness said she expected the task force to meet three or four times. The first meeting will be within the next two weeks, and there will be a town meeting. The task force will issue a final report.

"We want the final report to reflect the entire community," Holness said.

Task force membership

Holness said eight Ward One pastors would serve on the task force. She named several of them, including Dr. Earl D. Trent Jr. of Florida Avenue Baptist Church (623 Florida Avenue NW) and Father Patrick Smith of St. Augustine Catholic Church (1419 V Street).

Holness also asked for "a commissioner other than me" to participate in the task force. Commissioner Dyana Forrester (district 06) volunteered to do so. Forrester said she has attended Florida Avenue Baptist Church.

Forrester compared D.C. police tactics concerning churches and parking to suburban police tactics in the same context.

"In Maryland and Viriginia, police help. They don't write tickets," Forrester said.

Holness on the traffic scene

Holness took the opportunity of the announcement to touch on several traffic-related issues. They included bloggers who complain about suburbanites coming on Sunday to park near historical churches, while not complaining about suburbanites who drive into D.C. from Monday to Friday and park on local streets.

She compared weekday commuters to Sunday church visitors: "Many people who come in on the weekends have lived here at one time."

She also commented on bicyclists.

"I'm 57 and I ride a bike," she said.

However, Holness went on, bicyclists received too much consideration because they do not bicycle in inclement weather.

"You don't see bikes when it snows, when it's raining," she said.

Concerning the historic churches in Ward One, Holness said: "They were here before many of the new residents came. They will be here after they are gone."

Dupont Outlobbies Shaw for SW Circulator Bus

Dupont Circle and Shaw are candidates for new Circulator Bus routes from Southwest. But Dupont Circle is mounting a more vigorous lobbying campaign.

Map of possible DC Circulator expansion

At its regular monthly meeting March 12, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B/Dupont Circle passed a resolution calling for the creation of two new Circulator bus routes. One route would run from Southwest to Dupont Circle. Another would run from the Lincoln Memorial on the Mall to U Street, home of Ben's Chili Bowl -- spawning the nicknames "Abe to Ben's" and "A to B" for the proposed routes.

Perhaps more importantly, Commissioners from ANC2B and ANC 2A/Foggy Bottom have been actively lobbying for the Dupont Circle routes. The Commissioners have been advocating for the Abe to Ben's route on the blog Greater Greater Washington. These same Commissioners -- Mike Silverstein (2B district 06) and Patrick Kennedy (2A Chair, district 01) -- also testified at a DC Circulator public meeting held by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) February 25 at Eastern Market (see result of the meeting in 25-page .pdf here).  

There is no comparable campaign from the Shaw neighborhood. Both candidates in the April 1 Democratic primary for City Councilmember from Ward Six have promised to advocate for a Southwest-Shaw line if elected -- see SALM blog post of March 13. But the general election is not until November, and the winners will not be seated until January 2015. By that time, decisions may have already been made.

The effect of the Dupont effort can be seen in the report of the February 25 meeting. At the meeting, participants were asked to post stickers on a map to show where they would like to see Circulator go. The results were then weighted and tabulated. Interest in the Dupont Circle alternatives scored twice as high as the proposed route from Southwest to the Convention Center in Shaw. The comments section of the report also shows much greater interest in another Dupont Circulator route.

See a summary of the February 25 meeting made by goDCgo using the tool Storify here.

(photo credit: from DC Circulator website)

At-large Candidates on Bicycling, Marijuana Legalization, and LiquorLicenses

Nate Bennett-Fleming, Pedro Rubio, and John Settles, three candidates for the At-Large City Council seat in the April 1 Democratic primary, met at a candidates' forum on Tuesday, March 18, at the Black Cat nightclub (1811 14th Street NW).

One doesn't know how to ride a bicycle.

Another is a skateboarder.

One has never smoked marijuana.

One wants to extend operating hours for liquor licensees.

The conversation ranged over a wide variety of topics. Here is a selection of comments about issues of particular local interest.

Bicycles

A question about bicycle policy also asked the candidates about their person bike use. Bennett-Fleming admitted he did not know how to ride a bicycle.

"I learned how to read at three, but I never learned how to ride a bike," he said.

Bennett-Fleming proposed (as one of many "small solutions") making drivers answer some questions about pedestrian and bicycle safety when renewing their driver's licenses online.

Rubio said he was in favor of more bicycle lanes, increased traffic police visibility, and more street cameras. Rubio said he was a skateboarder and wanted to make streets safer for skateboards.

Settles produced his bicycle helmet from under the table to demonstrate his creditibility.

"This speaks to the difference between me and people running on the council. I ride every day," he said.

Settles went on to say "some of my fellow cyclers" are part of the problem, running red lights or failing to observe the law. But he also said police could be more aggressive against drivers who fail to pay heed to bicyclists.

See a video of the candidates' answers to this question below. If the video below will not play, see it on Youtube here.

Marijuana

Will Sommer of Washington City Paper asked the candidates for their views on marijuana legalization in light of the March 11 decision by the District of Columbia Board of Election and Ethics (DCBOEE) to allow a possible referendum on legalization to go ahead if supporters can gather enough signatures.

John Settles said he never smoked marijuana, but was glad to support decriminalization. He said he would support any decision made by the voters. "I won't disrespect the votes like the attorney general vote," Settles said, referring to the recent court decision that effectively overruled a D.C. referendum in favor of an elected attorney general.

Rubio, after recalling a childhood neighborhood riddled with drug dealers, said he was not in favor of legalization now "but will be down the line". Rubio said he had smoked marijuana.

Bennett-Fleming also said he had smoked marijuana when he was a student at University of California at Berkeley. He called the present D.C. law "restrictive" and said he would "uphold legalization".  

Liquor license related issues 

Near the end of the evening, one question brought some general opinions about D.C. liquor licensing practices together with specific comments on the recent proposal by D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward One) to license party promoters.

Bennett-Fleming was against Graham's proposal. He said D.C. had to have "solid nightlife options", so he was in favor of longer open hours for liquor licensees.

"I would look into extending operating hours, particularly on the weekends," he said.

Bennett-Fleming went on to say that small groups of residents shouldn't be allowed to obstruct liquor licenses.

"We can't let small groups, you know, two or three ad hoc groups, stop liquor licenses, stop development, stop nightlife," he said. Bennett-Fleming said he would look into changing D.C. regulations on this matter.

Rubio and Settles also said they were against Graham's proposal for licensing promoters. Settles recalled working as a D.C. party and concert promoter "in college and after college".

Anita Bonds, the incumbent and a candidate for re-election, did not attend the forum.

In addition to Will Sommer, Sarah Anne Hughes of the DCist and Clinton Yates of the Washington Post questioned the candidates. The event was sponsored by the Washington City Paper, which has an audio recording of the entire event available here.

Raising "the Tommy Wells flag" at the Ward Six Candidates Forum

Charles Allen and Darrel Thompson, candidates in the April 1 Democratic primary to replace mayoral candidate Tommy Wells as Ward Six representative, met for a forum in the basement of Watha T. Daniel Library (1630 7th Street NW) in Shaw on March 12. The forum was moderated by Andrew Lightman, publisher of MidCity DC and other hyperlocal news outlets.

The candidates were urged to take off their ties.

The candidates agreed on many things. For example:

• There is an ethical crisis in DC government.
• They support new legislation on campaign contributions.
• They want to improve public transit in Ward Six.
• They will not seek outside employment if elected to the DC Council.
• They are against neighborhood preferences for charter schools.

"These wonderful men are very well behaved," Lightman said at the beginning of the evening. Throughout the forum, the candidates spoke respectfully to one another and the general tone remained civil.

Tommy Wells: absent but present

The most discordant note was when Thompson accused Allen of either adopting or rejecting the legacy of Tommy Wells according to political expediency. Allen has been Wells' Chief of Staff for more than six years.

"You can't raise the Tommy Wells flag when it helps you and lower it when it doesn't," Thompson said.

Thompson cited two instances when he thought Wells was insufficiently attentive to his constituents. The first involved the former Shaw-Southwest Circulator Bus, which discontinued service in 2011.

"It got yanked largely at your mentor's [i.e., Wells'] request," Lightman said.

Allen said he would fight for its reinstatement.

"You were there when we lost Circulator in the first place," Thompson said.

The second involved a question about increased demand for "walk-to" neighborhood schools.

"That's a difference between Tommy and me," Allen said. "I'll be a stronger fighter for neighborhood schools."

Thompson said Allen should have started fighting sooner as Chief of Staff.

"You have the ear of your boss," Thompson said.

The Culture of Corruption

The forum took place at the same time as Mayor Gray's State of the District address, and Gray's recent problems were a subject for discussion. In answer to a question about legislative initiatives to curb corruption, Allen suggested a complete elimination of corporate contributions.

As it stands now, a limited liability corporation (LLC) in D.C. can donate to a campaign, so people can and have anonymously established multiple LLCs to enable large but quiet donations.

"When someone is able to give once as themselves, and once for each corporation, that's wrong," Allen said.

At another point in the evening, Allen said: "The way you make sure you have accountability is that you have one name on the check."

Thompson did not come out for elimination of corporate contributions, but instead said "the [D.C. city] council should have some say so."

"We should hold corporations responsible," Thompson said.

Later, Thompson said, "We need new fixes and legislation. This comes back to integrity and character."

ANC1B Committee Supports Reduced Parking Minimums

The Transportation Committee of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street voted, 4-2, to endorse the reduced parking minimums in D.C.'s proposed zoning update. The vote took place at a meeting on February 20. The recommendation will now go to the full ANC for approval.

Logo from the zoning update blog

Cheryl Cort, Policy Direction of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, told the committee about the new parking minimums. As the law stands now, developers of new residences are generally obligated to have one parking space for every three residential units. If the proposed zoning update becomes law, the parking minimum will be one space for every six units in areas well-served by public transit.

"Well-served by public transit" is defined as less than one-half mile from a Metro station or a quarter-mile from major bus lines (e.g., the 16th and 14th Street lines).

This minimum is a change from an earlier proposal, which would have eliminated parking minimums altogether in areas well-served by public transit.

"One space for six units is below where the market is producing parking," Cort said.

The proposed change would also eliminate downtown parking minimums entirely, and require buildings with 50 parking spaces or more to have at least one space for car-sharing services.

See an information sheet about the proposed new parking minimums from the Coalition for Smarter Growth here.

The full ANC will probably consider the committee's recommendation at its next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, March 6, at 7pm, at the Reeves Center (14th and U Streets)

ANCs Push for 16th Street Bus Lanes

An effort is underway to have local Advisory Neigbhorhood Commissions (ANCs) pass nearly identical resolutions urging more progress on proposed dedicated bus lanes on 16th Street NW.

16th Street looking South from S on a quiet morning

ANC 2B/Dupont Circle passed the resolution (available here) at its last meeting on February 17th, by a vote of 6-0 with one abstention. On February 20th, the Transportation Committee of ANC 1B/U Street voted to recommend the full ANC approve a similar resolution. The recommendation was passed by a voice vote with no audible objections. ANC1B will probably vote on the resolution at its next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, March 6, at the Reeves Center (14th and U Streets).

ANC2B Commissioner Kishan Putta (district 04) and Cheryl Cort, Policy Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, appeared before the ANC1B Transportation Committee to urge they endorse the resolution. Cort said the purpose of the resolution was to urge the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to move forward on the long series of public consultations and studies (e.g., air quality approval, environmental assessment) necessary before the lanes can become a reality.

"We'd like them to go through the whole process," Cort said.

The committee discussed the exact definition of a dedicated bus lane. Such a lane, in this case, would also allow bicycles and right-turning cars and taxis.  If not turning right, taxis would be forbidden from the bus lanes.

ANC1B Chair James Turner (district 09), although not a member of the Transportation Committee, was present at the meeting. He said he wouldn't support the resolution, because it does nothing to address the congestion problems of buses that pass through his district, for example, buses that travel on 14th Street, 11th Street, and Georgia Avenue. Cort replied improved 16th Street service would draw off riders currently taking 14th Street buses, relieving congestion.

The ANC1B version of the resolution will have some additional language in it pointing out that bus demand has exceeded capacity on both 14th Street and Georgia Avenue buses as well.

Putta has been campaigning vigorously to get the bus lanes moving forward, most recently testifying at a D.C. Council hearing on February 20.

He has also been working hard to inject the issue into the April 1 D.C. primary elections, often asking candidates for their views at public events.

Putta says D.C. Councilmember Muriel Bowser (Ward Four) has declared herself in favor of the bus lanes, after initially expressing skepticism about the proposal. Other candidates from the city council -- Jack Evans (Ward Two) and Tommy Wells (Ward Six) -- have also expressed their support. In addition, both candidates in the Ward One City Council primary -- Jim Graham and Brianne Nadeau -- have told Putta they support the proposal.

"DDOT itself did a study last year recommending a rush-hour bus lane.  Now they need to make it formal and implement it," Putta said.

The 2013 DDOT study found that bus lanes could reduce commute time by 30%, Putta said.  They could also increase total bus capacity by 10% because buses could be reused faster.

(Photo credit: Google Street View)

ANC1B Chooses New Committee Chairs

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1B/U Street chose new chairs for its committees at its regular monthly meeting of February 7.

The meeting gets started

ANC1B has five committees: Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), Design Review, Grants, Public Safety, and Transportation. In 2013, four of the five chairs were also ANC1B Commissioners. In 2014, only one will be. At the February 7 meeting, Commissioners said they would still be active in committees, even if they are not chairing them.

Nick Baumann will be chair of the ABC Committee, which reviews liquor licenses and related issues. Baumann is already a member of the ABC Committee.

Baumann's day job is Senior Editor at Mother Jones magazine. He has also written for The Economist, The Atlantic, and other publications. Last year, he wrote some posts about the proposed U Street liquor license moratorium on his blog.

Also nominated for chair of the ABC Committee was Lela Winston, who eventually was chosen as chair of the Design Review Committee (see below).

The voting:

For Baumann: Commissioners Marc Morgan (district 01), Jeremy Leffler (district 02), Ricardo Reinoso (district 05), Dyana Forester (district 06), Juan Lopez (district 07), Emily Washington (district 08), James Turner (district 09), and Zahra Jilani (district 12)
For Winston: Commissioners Tony Norman (district 10) and E. Gail Anderson-Holness (district 11)
Absent from the meeting and all votes: Commissioners Deborah Thomas (district 02) and Sedrick Muhammed (district 03)

Baumann replaces Commissioner Leffler, who proposed Baumann for the job.

Lela Winston will be chair of the Design Review Committee, which often reviews requests to expand, renovate, or alter commercial and residential properties. Winston is already a member of the committee. She is a freelance journalist, media consultant, and founder of Winston Media Concepts.

All ANC1B Commissioners voted for Winston with the exception of Commissioner Reinoso. Reinoso voted for an absent community member whom he had nominated. I did not catch the community member's name.

Winston was nominated by Commissioner Anderson-Holness, and replaces Commissioner Norman.

Jennie Nevin will be chair of the Grants Committee.

She has done this job before -- in 2012, according to an online document. She was approved by acclamation.

Nevin replaces Commissioner E. Gail Anderson-Holness.

Commissioner Sedrick Muhammed will remain chair of the Public Safety Committee.

Two members of the community were also nominated to chair the committee. One of them was Winston (see above), the other identified herself as Jessica Rucker. The voting was confused. Commissioners Leffler, Lopez, Norman, and Anderson-Holness voted for Muhammed. The other candidates split the remaining vote.

Ben Klemens will remain chair of the Transportation Committee.

Klemens is a statistician at US Census Bureau, according to his LinkedIn Profile. He is also the author of three books. He has a Wikipedia page.

Klemens received the votes of all ANC Commissioners except Reinoso, who voted for the same absent community member he had once again nominated.