The June 4th,
2003, regularly scheduled monthly meeting of ANC-3D was
called to order at Sibley Hospital’s Ernst Auditorium by the chairman,
John Finney, at 7:30 pm. Commissioners Gates, Shapley, Heuer, Mullane,
Hamilton and Polk were present. About 30 others attended.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS
1. Police Report
The presenting officers were honored recently with a special award for
finding a missing person. The commission and attendees applauded them. The
police urged neighbors to look out for a man who is suspected in multiple
burglaries in the area and to call the 2nd District if spotted from the
description given. We were warned to keep doors and windows locked and not
to answer the door to strangers.
2. Citizens
2.1 Michael Harbold, coach of a canoe club team, appealed to the commission
to take a stance against the proposed location of the new Georgetown
University boathouse. He and Chisholm MacAvoy presented a large panorama of
the waterfront and described the benefits of a location to the east of Key
Bridge rather than west as is proposed by the university. The zoning session
on this, however, is scheduled for June 5th, and the project is not within
this commission’s boundaries, and so the Commission declined to go on record
for or against the project. The Commissioners were aware of the arguments
and appreciated that the new boathouse would block access to that part of
the shore but left the advocacy to ANC-2D where it is located.
2.2 Michael Stockton raised the problem of the leftover construction
material at the SE corner of Macomb Street and MacArthur Boulevard. The
street re-paving has long been completed but the dirt piles remain. He has
put in a hotline ticket but has not seen remedy. Jill Diskan, Ward 3
Services Coordinator in the Mayor’s office, pledged to pursue this.
Commissioner Polk noted his disappointment recently with the 727-1000
hotline service’s uptake by the agencies.
3. St. David’s Proposed Nursery School.
3.1 The Reverend Alison Quin, Assistant Rector, presented the current
position, which had changed on Tuesday due to the school’s decision to
withdraw. Her statement was available as a handout. “Update - The Jenny
Waelder Hall Center for Children, Inc., has withdrawn its proposal for a
preschool at St. David’s property at 5144 Macomb Street, NW, rather than
face the possibility of a delay in opening the preschool due to zoning
proceedings. In all likelihood, St. David’s will rent the property to a
residential tenant, while the parish continues to explore future use of
the property. We continue to believe that a preschool would serve the
community while furthering the church’s mission to reach out to families
with children. We welcome dialogue with our neighbors concerning the
possibility of opening a preschool. We will do our best to keep our
neighbors informed and seek their input as part of our planning process.”
3.2 Commissioner Finney reminded the church of the need to get a special
exception from the BZA for such a project in an R-1 area, and Commissioner
Heuer admonished the church to consult fully with neighbors before
undertaking another such venture. Commissioner Shapley acknowledged for the
record that she would recuse herself from any vote on this matter, as she is
a vestry officer of the church.
3.3 Several neighbors spoke in opposition
to the use of the property for a preschool, which they saw as a
non-residential use and beyond being merely an extension of the church’s
Sunday school. Michael Stockton, who lives directly across from the church
on Macomb, spoke for these neighbors and stated their wish to avoid conflict
and gave thanks for the reconsideration and promise of future consultation
by the church. He had a statement with some 20 signatures, which he declined
to share with the commission. He saw the non-residential use of the 5144
house as an
extension of the “footprint” of the church beyond what neighbors would find
tolerable. Three other neighbors spoke and presented written statements to
the commission: Mrs. Toby Gati of 5137 Macomb, Mrs. Rosaleen Cosby of 5123
Macomb, and Mr. Neil Williams of 5205 Klingle Street, adjacent to the
church. Mr. Ken Bloom of 5136 Macomb, adjacent to the 5144 house, spoke in
opposition, objecting to the Hall Center’s “multiple mission” and the higher
number of children in school’s literature than that mentioned by the church.
Julia Roland of 5129 Macomb, who had signed the group letter, also spoke in
opposition, noting in particular the amount
of parking spaces being used for church events. The church, which has grown
in recent years after a severe decline, provided a handout for the meeting
that detailed the current numbers and roster of activities for the
community. Some dozen parishioners were present at the meeting. Linda
Shaughness, resident at 5236 Loughboro Road, member of the church and its
vestry, spoke to register the value of having a church in the community and
the various activities a church can undertake as a matter of right within
current DC regulations.
4. Martin Home Addition at 4700
Reservoir Road.
4.1 Cade and Malvina Martin asked the commission to endorse their
application to the BZA, #17024, for a variance to construct a one-story
addition (14ft x 10ft) to a “non-conforming” single family detached
dwelling. J. Patrick Brown, their zoning attorney, presented the drawings
and calculations of lot occupancy and other perspectives on the property. At
issue were rules on lot occupancy (Sec 403) and
non-conforming structures (Sec 3). The house now occupies 45% (beyond the
40% allowance for current homes) and would occupy 51.1% with the addition.
Mr. Brown argued that the shape and character of the lot only allows
addition in the way proposed, that it would be invisible from the street and
not change the profile of the house from that vantage, and that the side
yard being used still had a 10-foot setback when only an 8-foot one was
required.
4.2 David Conner, resident at 4702 Reservoir Road, stated his opposition to
the variance since his demand for a conveyance with deed of the Martins’
offer of a binding agreement to do no further construction was not accepted
by the Martins, although they had offered to incorporate the binding
agreement with them into the BZA variance. He had circulated a letter with
his views to commissioners prior to the meeting.
4.3 Speaking to the technical and historical aspects of this sort of zoning
issue in our area were George Watson and Alan Aiches, both of whom had
visited the lot in question.
4.4 The Commission noted that the homeowners knew, or should have known, the
constraints when they bought the home and looked to their future as a
growing family, and that the Commission disapproves almost all such
variances presented to it. To approve would be to set a bad precedent given
the pressure for over-development already felt in the area. The Commission
voted 6 to disapprove, 1 to approve (Shapley), with none abstaining. A
letter to the BZA will be sent. (See attachment.)
5. Driveways.
5.1 An application to install a driveway at 5066 Sherier Place was approved
by the commission with a 7-0-0 vote. Commissioner Polk was persuaded of the
need for this after a visit to the site.
5.2 An application to install a driveway at 5016 MacArthur Boulevard was
approved by the commission with a 7-0-0 vote. It was noted that it was bad
precedent to build and then get a permit but visits to the site by
Commissioner Gates, in whose SMD it is, and Chairman Finney persuaded them
that there was a real need for this access for the group of houses there.
6. Four-way Stop at 46th & W Streets.
Commissioner Gates presented a petition from residents, including Marisa
Rausch, near this intersection with 42 signatures to install a four-way stop
sign there. While all the signatories did not reside at the intersection,
they and their children used it frequently on way to the park. The
Commission voted to approve the petition, 7-0-0.
7. Public Playing Fields
7.1 As follow-up to the commission’s meeting in May with Neil Rodgers, Chief
of Staff for the DC Dept. of Parks and Recreation, on the problem of
over-use and miss-use of public playing fields by private groups to the
detriment of casual use by neighbors, the Commission discussed a draft
letter by Chairman Finney to Mr. Rodgers on its position. There was
extensive discussion, covering concerns about the lack of fees earmarked for
upkeep paid by private groups and the lack of public
understanding of permitting schedule and process. Commissioner Mullane
particularly advocated emphasizing this last point and also recommending an
agronomy study on better field maintenance. Earmarking funds from fees for
the actual, local field used by a group was endorsed by the commission too.
7.2 These points are to be made in revision of the letter. The Commission
voted (6-1-0) to approve in principle the re-draft, with Commissioner
Mullane dissenting by reason of a different perspective on the balance
between local public and other organized use of fields today.
8. Tree/Slope Overlay Position.
8.1 The commission had been invited to give its views on the value and
effectiveness of Tree/Slope Overlays as part of the city planning and zoning
process. Chairman Finney had drafted a letter to the DCRA. It was agreed
that these overlays were useful and necessary to maintain green space in our
area but also that they were poorly enforced and recorded. The commissioners
saw the overlay as especially needed in our area with its older, historic
homes and their mature tree cover. It was agreed to add specific demands to
flag properties in the city’s mapping of database of real property within a
given overlay and to include a
trigger for prospective homebuyers and agents with referral to actual Lot
and Square in zoning books. The Commission voted 7-0-0 to approve the
revised letter.
8.2 It was agreed that the revised letter should be also sent to the zoning
bodies, the Office of Planning, the Mayor, and City Council members
Patterson, Mendelson, Catania, Schwartz, and Ambrose. (See attachment.)
9. Casey Mayoral Mansion Update.
9.1 There was a meeting of some local neighborhood association
representatives with city officials on this issue. Steven Green, EOM, and
Ellen MacCarthy, Office of Planning, said they were reviewing the study by
the National Park Service and the survey from the 1940’s. The Casey
Foundation had given 60 days for the government to come to resolution on
their demands but May 21 has come and gone without resolution or formal
response to the various conditions proposed for the
deal.
10 Commission Business.
10.1 Treasurer’s Report. There is currently a balance of $ in the Bank of
America checking account.
10.2 Secretary’s Minutes. The minutes of the May meeting were approved
unanimously.7-0-0.
10.3 Next Meeting. The next meeting will be Wednesday, July 2nd. There will
be no meeting in August.
Respectfully submitted,
Sarah Stowell Shapley, Secretary, ANC-3D |
