65 I
Street SW ·
Washington, DC 20024 ·
202/554-1795
June 14,
2004
Present:
Commissioners Assalaam, Hargrave, Litsky, Moffatt, Siegel Williams.
The meeting was convened at 7:07 pm. The Commissioners introduced
themselves.
The agenda was amended to include
an update on the Banneker Overlook site for a baseball stadium. The agenda was
then approved without objection.
Commissioner Litsky raised the
issue of waterfront security, and the increase in youth gang activities,
including the attack on Supreme Court Justice David Souter. He said that he wanted Commander McGuire to
institute scooter or bike patrol on 4th Street and the waterfront,
and suggested the possibility of opening a substation in conjunction with the
Harbor Police. He said that one of his
constituents has compiled a list of incidents.
There is also increased activity on the waterfront, and the police seem
to spend more time at H2O than on the streets.
He wants to encourage the police to come to our meetings and discuss the
question of increasing patrols in that area.
Motion: Commissioner Litsky moved that a letter be sent to
Commissioner Ramsey urging the establishment of scooter and bicycle patrols in
the neighborhood. It was seconded by Commissioner Moffatt. who suggested
inviting the Commander McGuire to come to the next ANC meeting.
Commissioner Hargrave said that
there are already bike patrols in his neighborhood. He suggested issuing an
invitation to the Harbor Patrol, and Commissioner Litsky responded that it was
the police, not the Harbor Patrol that he wanted to speak with about the
issue. Commissioner Williams said that
at the last PSA 104 meeting, they were introduced to the new Lieutenant, and he
said that a bike –patrol had been initiated.
She also said that Officer Daniel was walking a beat that was solely on
4th Street, and said that it was unfair because the attention is
needed in her SMD. She stated that if
there is any request for increased patrolling it should be in the areas where
people are getting shot, There are no patrol officers where the shootings are
taking place.
Commissioner Litsky stated that
something should be on the record about the ANC’s concern about what happened
to Justice Souter. His concern is not
with the Harbor Patrol, because they don’t patrol the streets, and he wants to
talk about establishing a substation.
The motion passed 4-1-0, with Commissioner Williams voting against it,
and Commissioner Assalaam abstaining.
Commissioner Hargrave announce
that the next PSA meeting would be on July 17th, and that, beginning
on July 1st there would be a 40-day “Increase the Peace” campaign of
police-sponsored community events such as picnics for neighborhood children.
Commissioner Williams raised the
issue of Councilmember Evan’s attempt to add an amendment to legislation that
would have mandated that the City’s prospective baseball stadium be built at
the Banneker Overlook. She said that
Councilmember Ambrose’s office had done an excellent job in generating enough
constituent protest to stop Councilmember Evans from offering the
amendment. Commissioner Litsky
complimented the constituents in his and Commissioner Johnson’s SMD who distributed
750 flyers and organized telephone trees, and, having found out about it on
Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, the residents had stopped it by
Tuesday. The residents stopped it. He said that it’s not a dead issue, and it
will be kept alive. He thanked the
residents. Commissioner Williams also
thanked Naomi Monk. Motion: Commission
and further suggested that the ANC go on record opposing any stadium at the
Banneker Overlook site, whenever it came up.
It was seconded by Commissioner Litsky, and passed 6-0.
3.
L’Enfant Plaza/Children’s Museum Site
Bob Elliot of JBG Construction presented a very preliminary plan for L’Enfant Plaza and the new Children’s Museum, which will operate a currently vacant lot at the L’Enfant Plaza. The Children’s Museum is undertaking a national fundraising campaign, and their design process has not yet begun. The deal has been concluded as yet. They plan to also build an office building, and reposition the retail that is now in the basement, and bring it up to plaza level, creating a vibrant space that will be populated after work hours,
Commissioner Litsky asked whether there was any consideration or discussion about the baseball stadium at that location, and was assured that there has been no discussion, and he doubted that there would be. Commissioner Hargrave asked about the retail space and was told there would be about 40,000 sq. ft., and it would be a much more city-like environment with natural light, and would be more of a destination. Commissioner Moffatt asked whether there would be residential development, and was told that there would be a tower on 9th Street that would have waterfront views. Commissioner Williams asked about the kind of retail, and was told that it would feature, because of the Children’s Museum and kids coming during the day, retail consonant with the Children’s Museum, such as Discovery Zone and Rain Forest branches. He talked about creating links between the Mall and the waterfront.
4. Banneker
Memorial Statue and Park
Peggy
Seats, President and Executive Director of the Washington Interdependence
Council gave a presentation on a proposed memorial along the L’Enfant Plaza
overpass. The project has been in
planning stages for eight years, and she received a letter of support from the
ANC about four years ago. The US
Department of Transportation is restoring the overpass to the Banneker
Overlook, and has agreed to include the memorial in the redesign. All the preliminary studies have been done,
including public space with benches, trees and lighting, beginning at
Independence Avenue, and would include a statue of Benjamin Banneker at a
circle in the center, as well as a pedestrian overpass from the Portals to the
waterfront. She is requesting a new
letter of support for the project.
Commissioner
Hargrave asked whether she had spoken with JBG. She said yes, but that Councilmember Evans has not been
supportive because she’s not giving up the space for a baseball stadium. She received approval for the statue in
1998, and wants the letter of support because, while it has been approved with
National Capitol Memorial Commission, she is now beginning the approval process
with city agencies. Commissioner Litsky
inquired where the statue would be sited, and was told it was at the
intersection of Maryland Avenue and the Plaza.
The project is completely underwritten by the US Department of
Transportation and the National Park Service, and the statue is included in
their plan, and has been approved by them.
Commissioner Moffatt asked what specifically she wanted us to support
and was told the statue and park.
Commissioner Hargrave asked about the impact of the Anacostia Waterfront
Initiative on the project, Commissioner Litsky said that while he liked the
idea of the statue, he didn’t have the plan in front of him, and the Anacostia
Waterfront Initiative has an impact on the plan, which it didn’t six years
ago. Ms. Seats said that nothing has
changed in the six years, and was reminded that there was no AWI six years ago.
Motion: Commissioner Hargrave moved to defer consideration of the issue
to the next meeting. It was passed
5-0-1. with Commissioner Assalaam abstaining.
5. Residence
Inn Public Space Permit
Michael
O’Connor of Donohoe Construction presented a request for a Public Space permit
for the new Residence Inn Hotel being constructed on E Street between 3rd
and 4th Street SW.
The
request is for planters, two lay-bys, and flagpoles on E Street. The garage fronts on E Street, right across
the street from NASA headquarters. He
doesn’t have the exact date when the request for the permit will come from the
City. Commissioner Moffatt asked how
wide the sidewalk is. He said the
entrance is about 24’, and is designed to be consonant with two-way traffic. Commissioner Moffatt inquired about
sightlines coming out of the garage, and was told that there are several feet
before the sidewalk. In response to
questions, Mr. O’Connor said that Public Space had not yet sent out its request
for approval, and he was just here to let the ANC know that the request would
be coming. It was determined to defer
consideration until the next meeting, or until the ANC had the request in hand.
6. South
Capitol Overlay II-East
Joel
Lawson, of the Office of Planning, presented OP’s plan for the eastern end of M
Street SE, from 4th Street to its end. It is currently zoned for industrial use, and a decision was made
to zone it for other forms of development to conform the zoning to the
Anacostia Waterfront Initiative. The
South Capitol Gateway zoning area leapfrogs over the SEFC to the Navy Yard to
eliminate making another stand-alone zoning overlay. They want to switch the zoning from industrial to W-3, to allow
commercial development. There are
currently very few landowners in that area, and much of the land belongs to the
District government. There will also be
retail in the area, and they are looking at the possibility of W-2 lower
density zoning in the area abutting Capitol Hill. He mentioned that while the overlay is within the area of ANC 6D,
there is one change in the plan that affects ANC 6D, and that is a reduction in
height of retail space from 15’ to 14’.
Commissioner Moffatt asked whether there would be residential
development at the site, because there is contamination on the land. Mr. Lawson said that for commercial
development its possible that the land could be decked over, but it would have
to be decked over. Commissioner
Williams asked about whether the new overlay would affect the timetable of the
South Capitol Gateway project and was told that it will have no impact
whatsoever.
7.
Northeast Entertainment Center
John
Ray presented his proposal to bring a video terminal lottery (VTL) center to
Northeast, as part of a massive entertainment center to be built on a
triangular 14-acre site at Bladensburg Rd, New York Avenue and Montana Avenue NE
in Ward 5. The center, 1.2 million sq.
ft. would include a 600-800 room hotel, retail, restaurants, a theatre, a
“kidzone”, a 1500 seat multiplex movie theatre and a bowling alley, as well as
a 35000-terminal VTL center. He
described the VTL’s as a video version of a scratch-card lottery ticket, rather
than a slot machine. He said the City
would be getting 25 percent of the before-overhead profits for use for school
improvement and health care. He said the center would create 1400 permanent
jobs, and said that the reaction in Ward 5 has been positive, including the
local ANCs. It is also being supported
by Local 25 of the Restaurant Workers Union.
He said that the VLT center would only comprise 11% of the entertainment
center.
Commissioner
Litsky asked whether the center would be sustainable without the VLT component,
and was told that it would not. He also
inquired about the initiative process, and expressed his concern about John
Ray’s support of gambling, which this is, and is detrimental to the entire
fabric of the city. He also questioned
Mr. Ray’s unorthodox method for getting the initiative on the ballot. John Ray
said that poor people can make rational decisions about how they spend their
money, and Mr. Litsky suggested checking out who plays the lottery. Commissioner Assalaam said that the drawing
of the center looked more like Las Vegas than the District. Commissioner Hargrave questioned how VLT’s
work, and whether there were alternatives to the terminals for that portion of
the building. Mr. Ray responded that
Delaware has VLTs and Maryland is attempting to get slot machines. With slots, he said, you are playing against
the house, with VLTs you’re playing against the pool, like a lottery. He said that VLTs would provide most of the
revenue for the entertainment center.
Mr. Ray concluded by speaking to what it would bring to the community –
a half billion-dollar facility that would create one of the safest areas in the
city. Commissioner Siegel asked whether
this would be the only place in the District to have VLTs, or would others
follow, and was told that this would be the only location, according to law,
and if there were to be any other location, it would have to go to the City
Council.
8.
Friendship Baptist Church
Commissioner
Assalaam reported that on May 27th the old Friendship Baptist Church
was both approved for historic designation by the Historic Preservation Review
Board, but it is being nominated for inclusion in the National Register of
Historic Places. The application put
in by the Applicant was amended by Commissioner Assalaam to include the
additions to the original building and the amendments were accepted. Commissioner Hargrave asked what is the
current status of the project, and was told that the legal situation regarding
the original transaction has yet to be resolved, and the Applicant has to
redesign his building to conform to the designation of the additions.
9.
Treasurer’s Report
Commissioner
Siegel reported that the petty cash fund has $72,21, the savings account has
$5,071.18, and the checking account has $23,780.24, for a total of available
cash of $28,932.63. That figure
includes a deposit of a quarterly allotment from the City of $9,198.70.
There
was a discussion about the outstanding amount owed on Gottlieb Simon’s taxes,
and including the penalties, the outstanding amount is $142.85. Motion: Commissioner Hargrave moved
that the outstanding bill be paid. It
was seconded by Commissioner Litsky.
Commissioner Williams reiterated her view that the ANC should not have
to pay the bill, that the ANC should not be penalized, and to pay it sets a bad precedent on the
Commission’s part. Commissioner Siegel explained that Ms. Gordon at DOES placed a
time limit on forgiving the penalty, and the ANC had not met it, because there
was so much discussion about the payment.
Commissioner Hargrave said that the bill should be paid up and any
questions should be answered later. The
motion was passed 4-1-1, with Commissioner Williams voting against the motion,
and Commissioner Assalaam abstaining.
Commissioner
Williams asked which quarterly payment the ANC had received, and Commissioner
Siegel said that he would check with the Office of the Auditor and find out
whether the ANC’s payments were behind.
She also inquired as to the amended Quarterly Report, and said she would
like to see it. The Administrative
Assistant reported on her petty cash expenditures, which were $5.21 for a
telephone jack; $7.39 for paper towels and garbage bags; and $5.21 for file
folders. Commissioner Hargrave said
that he had read with pleasure the letter from the Office of the DC Auditor
saying that our financial affairs were in good order.
Commissioner
Siegel indicated that checks had been written to Roberta Weiner in the amount
of $443.28, to the US Treasury for $56; to Millennium Arts Center for $350; and
to the Department of Employment Services for $114.23; and that the monthly fee
for on-line banking of $3.95. Motion:
Mr. Litsky moved that the
Treasurer’s Report be accepted. It was seconded
by Commissioner Moffatt, and passed 5-0-1, with Commissioner Williams
abstaining.
10.
Minutes
The
minutes were approved without objection.
11.
Commissioner’s Concerns
Commissioner
Williams spoke of her concern for the tenants of Town Center, who were still
attempting to negotiate with NCRC for the purchase of the land under the
development. She also expressed her view that there should be a ban on the
issuance of new liquor licenses within the boundaries of the ANC until there is
some decision about what the ANC wants to do.
She said she would try to get in touch with Commissioner Johnson to
schedule a meeting.
Commissioner
Siegel raised an issue about three new pay phones at a gas station at South
Capitol and M Streets, and expressed his concern that there is no need for
three phones at that corner. He also
stated his concern that at Half and N Street SE there is a trash transfer
station and a mom and pop restaurant and cars barrel around the corners, and a
4-way stop sign is needed for that corner.
Commissioner
Williams raised the issue of the hearing on the closing of Van Ness School that
was taking place at the same time as the ANC meeting, and, as there is
opposition to the closing, she is concerned that the ANC was not able to
testify. She said there is a proposal
to temporarily turn the school into a charter school. Commissioner Assalaam stated that the Board would keep the
hearing record open for a month, but that it wasn’t the same as attending the
hearing and listening to the testimony while offering ours. Commissioner Siegel
stated that its use as a charter school would only be temporary, and that a lot
of people were upset about the closing. Commissioner Hargrave mentioned that
Save our Schools is active on the issue, and asked whether the ANC could play a
role in SOS, and let the School Board know that the ANC is not happy with the
closing.
12.
Audience Comment
Gene
Solon commented on the lack of handouts from participants in the ANC meeting;
and in answer to comment was told that there had been an update on Waterside
Mall at the May meeting when he wasn’t present.
Beverly
Wilborn introduced herself as the new director of the Washington, DC
Partnership office, and said she would attend as many meetings as she could
because of her interest in knowing the views of local residents.
The
meeting adjourned at 9:53
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D
65 I Street SW
Washington, DC 20024
554-1795
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FAX
554-1774
office@anc6d.org