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Advisory
Neighborhood Commission 3D
MINUTES OF JUNE 1, 2005 Meeting
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3D held its regularly scheduled monthly
meeting at the Ernst Auditorium of Sibley Hospital on Wednesday, June 1, 2005,
at 7:30 pm. Present were Commissioners A. Gates, A. Haas, A. Heuer, H. Mullane,
S. Shapley, J. Stern and R. Thompson. There were about 19 people in the
audience.
1. POLICE REPORT – PSA 205
1.1. Officer David Baker presented the police report for PSA 205 as Officer
McElwee was on leave. He reported that police continue to pay special
attention to Foxhall Road under the Partnerships for Problem Solving program.
They have also been monitoring Canal Road in the mornings for speed
infractions. A total of 104 Notices of Infraction (NOIs) were issued this past
month. The crime rate was lower than the same month last year.
1.2. Commissioners raised several points for follow-up by the police. The
alley off MacArthur Blvd. between Macomb St. and Cathedral Ave. is being blocked
by construction truck parking and should be monitored. The request by the
Commission last month for monitoring prior to installing a traffic light to
allow left turn off of Arizona Avenue onto Canal Road during morning rush hour
needs to be pursued. Officer McElwee proposed he conduct a traffic study prior
to a formal request being submitted to DDOT.
Officer Baker agreed to remind Officer McElwee of his proposed study.
2. COMMUNITY CONCERNS
2.1. Jeffrey Leitner, a member of the Foxhall Community Citizens
Association, asked the commission to consider supporting a proposal to allow dog
parks, which would require the DC Dept. of Parks and Recreation to fence off
areas for dog, runs in city parks. He gave the website <http://www.dcdogs.org>
as a referral for this enabling legislation now before the City Council and
agreed to forward a copy of a resolution by e-mail to the ANC for consideration
of support in July.
3. WASA – RATE CHANGE BRIEFING
3.1. Michelle Cowan, WASA’s Director of Finance and Budget, presented a
briefing, which is available on WASA’s website, on the proposed rate increase
for consumers of Washington’s water system. She also covered the new
Capital Improvement Program, which will spend some $2.1B over the next 10 years
and remedy the historic underinvestment in infrastructure in DC. Of this
$700M is targeted for the EPA-mandated upgrade of the sewer system. The
Lead (Pb) service lines are being replaced in this four-year period, with 4000
already done. New water meters are being installed that are automated with
more detail on the consumer’s consumption pattern to be made available on the
bill. The proposed rate increase is 6%. Four massive “Digester”
domes will be built to do bio-treatment of waste, and three catchment tunnels
with piping will take 90% of the outflow from the Anacostia and Potomac rivers
to the Blue Plains treatment facility.
3.2. Commissioner Thompson raised a concern in the way the Lead line replacement
is being conducted. Various contractors are assessing and test-digging
when the presence of Lead is already known, and there is confusion about
responsibility inside property lines. Ms. Cowan promised to follow up with
a contact to sort out the problem.
On the question of the Aqueduct’s rate increase, she said that costs
had already been factored in to the current estimate of the Capital Improvement
Plan. Also factored in were projected population increases in DC.
4. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY – NEW CAMPUS BUILDING
4.1. David Taylor, Chief of Staff, Office of the President, and Jorge Abud,
Assistant Vice-President for Facilities and Administrative Services, presented
American University’s plan to build a connecting wing between the current
Kogod Business School building and a neighboring building formerly used by the
drama department that is now being vacated. These buildings sit on the NW corner
of the quadrangle. This proposal was not a part of the approved Campus
Plan of 2001 and does not signify any change in student capacity or traffic
volume. This proposal will be presented to AU’s Neighborhood Liaison
committee at their June meeting. The purpose of the addition is to allow greater
capacity for space and to allow the facility and its offerings to be more
competitive with other business schools. The university will file an
application to the Zoning Commission and expects a hearing in October. Construction
is scheduled in the summer of 2006.
5. PROPOSED MODIFICATIONS TO ZONING CODE BY ANC3D ZONING
COMMITTEE
5.1. The ANC 3D Zoning Committee, headed by Commissioner Thompson, reported
on its recommended changes to the Zoning Code. These changes arise from the ANC
3D’s experience with applying the code to real-life situations. The
subjects for change were: Side Yards, Front Yards (Sec 405 and 406);
Structures (Sec 199); and Building Height (Sec.
199). The Commission reviewed a mark-up copy. Also, reviewed was a
suggested list of revisions for DCRA applications.
5.2. Discussion of the front and side yard revision with its address to
corner siting of houses resulted in sending the proposal back to committee.
Also remanded to committee was a proposed revision of the definition of
Structures.
5.3. ANC ACTION: The commission voted 6-1-0 to support the proposal for
building height measurement (40 ft. from natural grade) and to sanction its
being forwarded to the Office of Zoning and Office of Planning. The
commission voted unanimously to support the proposed amendments to the DCRA
application form. (See Attachment.)
6. WHITEHURST FREEWAY UPDATE
6.1. Commissioner Rachel Thompson presented a new resolution of opposition
and concerns about the proposed demolition of the Whitehurst Freeway, which
resolution is a follow-up to the June ANC 3D discussion on this issue and also
reflects subsequent consideration by other citizen groups and ANCs.
6.2. ANC ACTION: The commission voted unanimously to approve the
resolution. (See Attachment.) Commissioner Heuer had to leave and did not
participate in this vote
7. SPRING VALLEY STREET LIGHT RESOLUTION – FROM
COMMISSIONER STERN
7.1. Commissioner Stern circulated a resolution on the Spring Valley street
light upgrade before the meeting, which was taken up by the commission.
The
resolution urged DDOT to suspend action relating to the streetlights until it
addressed neighborhood concerns (See Attachment.)
7.2. ANC ACTION: The commission voted 5-0-1 to approve the resolution for
forwarding to DDOT and Traffic Services Administration. Commissioner
Shapley abstained.
8. COMMISSION ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS
8.1. The May minutes were accepted.
8.2. The Treasurer reported there is currently $24,785.37 in the commission’s
Bank of America checking account. This
includes a direct deposit of our quarterly allotment of $6,388.20
8.3. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, July 6, 2005.
9. ANC 3D BY-LAWS REVISION DRAFT
9.1. Commissioner Stern circulated the second revision of ANC 3D bylaws.
The changes from the first revision were reviewed. A final revision
incorporating the changes from this discussion will be circulated prior to the
July meeting at which time the commission will vote on the changes to the
bylaws.
9.2. Commissioner Mullane had to
depart before this discussion.
Respectfully submitted
Sarah Stowell Shapley
Secretary
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