Chair Amber Gove (6A04) convened the June 9 meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6A via Zoom, with Commissioners Keya Chatterjee (6A01), Phil Toomajian (6A02), Laura Gentile (6A05), Sondra Phillips-Gilbert (6A07) and Brian Alcorn (6A08) in attendance. Commissioners Mike Soderman (6A03) and Robb Dooling (6A06) were absent.
Urban Forestry
Ward 6 DC Urban Forestry Arborist Alex Grieve joined the meeting and outlined the four primary actions for maintaining safe and healthy trees. First, DC residents can request tree plantings. Second, residents can also request pruning of trees in public spaces, though requests may require two to five months to be completed. Third, full removal of a limb or a complete tree may take multiple months, though unsafe trees or limbs can be checked in a much shorter time. Finally, residents can request simple inspection of a tree to diagnose issues or potential infections. These services are only available for trees in public spaces, not in alleyways or on private property. Residents who want to report a tree root disrupting a sidewalk may send a 311 ticket directly to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), which operates the Urban Forestry Division (UFD. For more information visit www.ddot.dc.gov/page/ddot-urban-forestry. Grieve advised residents submitting a request using the 311 system to include photos and details.
Transportation and Public Space Commission (TPS)
The following actions passed unanimously:
- ANC 6A will send a letter to DDOT reiterating its requests for traffic-calming measures on H Street NE and requesting their implementation by Feb. 1, 2023, including a westbound speed camera on the 1300 block; sidewalk extensions/bulb-outs at 14th Street, 10th Street, Eighth Street and Sixth Street; a mid-block crosswalk in the 1300 block of H Street NE and a red painted bus-only lane similar to other installations.
- ANC 6A voted to send a letter to DDOT supporting the project to increase safety on 17th Street and 19th Street for all users and provide the opportunity for ANC 6B and ANC 7D to join the letter.
- ANC 6A will send a letter to each DC Councilmember in support of the Safe Routes to School proposed The ANC supports the bill’s requirement to install vertical safety features in proximity to schools, given DDOT’s recent refusal to install raised crosswalks near Maury Elementary on 13th Street NE.
- ANC 6A will send a letter to DDOT urging coordination between the annual repaving projects and the installation of speed humps/speed tables, including a list blocks currently scheduled for repaving.
Economic Development and Zoning (EDZ)
The following actions passed unanimously:
- ANC 6A will send a letter of support to the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) for special exception zoning relief from the lot occupancy requirements and an area variance from the design requirements at 1252 H St. NE (BZA Case #20742).
- ANC 6A will send a letter of support to BZA for special exception zoning relief from the minimum vehicle parking requirements to construct a front-, rear- and third-floor addition with penthouse, and to convert to a mixed-use, nine-unit apartment house, with first-floor retail, an existing attached six-unit, two-story-with-cellar, mixed-use building at 1447 Maryland Ave. NE (BZA Case #20731) in the NC-14 zone, on condition that the developer make best efforts to get letters of recommendation from the neighbors at 1489, 1445, 1443 and 1439 Maryland Ave. and 712 15th St. NE.
- ANC 6A will send a letter of support to the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) for historic review of the construction of a rear addition at 1320 North Carolina Ave. NE (HPRB Case #22-325), on condition that the owner make best efforts to get letters of support from the immediate adjacent neighbors.
Community Outreach Committee (COC)
The following actions passed unanimously:
- ANC6A approved the Ludlow Taylor Elementary School Food Print grant for $2,500.
- ANC6A approved a grant for the Eliot-Hine Middle School Band for $2,000.
Other Actions
The commissioners voted to narrow the focus of the ANC 6A Google Group to serve solely as means of communication for ANC meeting agendas and notices as well as for sharing information with the community. All commissioners, committee chairs and the ANC administrator would have permission to post to the list.
Two committee recommendations were tabled:
- Altering the COC grant requirements to allow 501(c)3 and non-501(c)3 organizations that demonstrate a public benefit to the ANC 6A community be eligible.
- Sending a letter of support for zoning relief from the lot occupancy requirements, and special exception zoning relief from the rear addition requirements to construct a third story and rear addition, and convert to a flat, an existing attached, two-story-with-cellar principal dwelling unit at 647 16th St. NE (BZA Case #20612) in the RF-1 zone, on condition that the construction debris be removed, that an update to the BZA package note a six-foot privacy fence around the entire property, that best effort be made to get a letter of support from the owner of 649 16th St. NE (noting that they have seen the shadow study), and that the contact at DC Water regarding the brick issue and the contact information for the construction project manager be provided, when that person is named. The vote was 5 in favor of tabling with Phillips-Gilbert opposed.
The full ANC 6A commission meets July 14. Visit www.anc6a.org for a calendar of meeting times, meeting agendas and other information. Note: ward 6 ANCs do not generally meet in August.
