Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D met on May 11 over WebEx. Commissioners Gail Fast (6D01, Chair), Anna Forgie (6D02), Andy Litsky (6D04, vice chair) and Fredrica (Rikki) Kramer (6D05), Rhonda N. Hamilton (6D06) and Edward Daniels (6D07, secretary) were in attendance. Ronald Collins (6D03, treasurer) was absent.
Anita Valentine of Housing Counseling Services gave an extensive presentation regarding the programs for unemployed and COVID afflicted individuals related to housing. There is a 60-day moratorium on evictions. No fees can be levied until 15 days after the health emergency has been lifted.
Landlords can impose no rent increases until 30 days after the health emergency has been lifted. Landlords of buildings with five or more units must offer a payment plan to resolve arrears. There can also be no utility shutoffs during the emergency. Landlords have no right to ask the health status of a tenant. Tenants have the right to invite a person to help care for them if they are COVID afflicted.
Residents of Section 8 housing cannot be evicted until Aug. 30. Then, only having received 30-days’ notice. Rapid Rehousing Vouchers cannot be terminated during the health emergency. Tenants can apply to Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) for up to $4,250 (abled bodied) or $6,000 (disabled) in assistance. Call 202-667-7339 or visit dhs.dc.gov for more information.
Other Matters
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Lieutenant George Donigian, Jr. briefed the commission on public safety. Crime overall, he stated, has taken a 67 percent fall. He attributed this reduction to the pandemic’s stay at home order. There were, however, one shooting on N Street SW that is still under investigation. Chair Fast commended MPD for its supervision of the SW Fish Market.
Cheryl Morse, an outreach specialist with the Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC), gave an overview of her office’s work with public utilities. She gave a rundown of their COVID mitigation programs. Commissioners requested Morse look into the issue of utility afterhours construction. Commissioners Daniels and Forgie stated that the crews were not posting permits. Moreover, the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) was granting these afterhours permits to utilities without any consultation with the commission.
There were no reports from the chair or treasurer.
The commission voted to:
- support a license, initially stipulated, a community agreement for the Sandlot’s new location at 1800 Half St. SW;
- protest Roy Boys’ (1025 I St. SE) request for extended hours while holding out the hope that a compromise could still be negotiated before the Alcohol Beverage Control Board hearing.
- support Tap House’s, public space application at 1250 Half St. SE for a sidewalk café contingent on the removal of nearby benches to ensure adequate sidewalk space;
- send a letter to the DC Dept. of Energy and the Environment (DOEE) requesting extensive air quality testing and a public hearing before the agency renews the operating license for Vulcan Concrete’s Buzzard Point Plant;
- send a letter to the DC Dept. of Transportation’s Public Space Committee expressing the commission’s concerns with the agency’s approval of 5G monopoles on Buzzard Point;
- send a letter to DCRA asking for increased regulations of food trucks in the Navy Year neighborhood to enforce social distancing and remove sidewalk blockages;
- send a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and the DC Department of Health (DOH) requesting additional resources for the 14,000 residents, who use the Unity Clinic.
ANC 6D’s next meeting will be held on June 8 at 7 p.m. at a place to be determined. Visit www.anc6d.org for more information.
