Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D

Monthly Business Meeting

St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church

Minutes

June 11, 2007

 

Present:  Commissioners Hamilton, Litsky, McBee, Moffatt, Siegel, Skolnik, and Sobelsohn.

 

The meeting was convened at 7:05 p.m.

 

 1.    Agenda

Commissioner Skolnik, because he had t o leave the meeting early, asked to move discussion of the Treasurer’s Report and the St. Augustine’s grant to Old Business, after the discussion of Ft. McNair..Commissioner Litsky requested that a discussion of H2O and the move of the 1st District Police Headquarters be added to Old Business. Commissioner Sobelsohn asked that discussion of the M Street Retail Study be removed.  Commissioner Sobelsohn also asked to have a discussion of the City Council Roundtable on Economic Development which was to take place on June 16th.  The agenda was approved as amended

 2.    Community Concerns

Gene Solon, of Harbor Square, made remarks

 3.    Public Safety Report

Carolyn Crank, 1st District community outreach coordinator for the Office of the Attorney General, introduced herself, gave a brief outline of her office, saying she worked for Ken Bailey, who is the 1st District Prosecuting Attorney, and said she can be reached at 698-0550.

Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Mullikin introduced himself.  He focused his remarks on the hydrant repair program currently under way, saying the current program should b e completed by September 30th.  WASA has a record of how many hydrants are out Commissioner Litsky asked questions about the impact of construction on the Fire Department’s ability to access fires, and whether there is a plan being developed for accessing fires once the ballpark is open and traffic problems increase.  The Commander responded that  the fire personnel know the back streets and ways to get around the traffic, and that existing codes about blocking hydrants leave them space to access the hydrants.  He also asked about allowing the opening of hydrants for use by kids.  Chief Mulliken said that they did that sometimes.

 4.    Old Business

Corcoran Gallery of Art/Randall School

Carolyn Brown, of Holland and Knight, Jocelyn File of the Corcoran Gallery, Patrick Burkhardt of Shalom Baranes Architects, and Peter Delvecchio of Monument Realty presented an update on the Corcoran Gallery of Art/Randall School project prior to a Mayor’s Agent hearing on June 27th.

Ms. Brown reported that the Historic Preservation Review Board has approved landmark status for the Randall School building, and they now have to go to Mayor’s Agent for permission to substantially raze all but the three buildings fronting I Street.  The project will be set down by the Zoning Commission in September.  Ms. File said the Corcoran has been reaching out to local schools with their education. It was announced that there will be a tour of the exterior of the building and a meeting discussing plans for the building for the community surrounding the building.

Mr. Burkhardt reported on changes in the design of the building, including the addition of an extension to the building on the northeast rear of the building to compensate for the loss of mass necessitated by modifications requested by HPRB .  20% of the 450 apartments will be affordable housing.  They are planning for 18 LEED points. There will be 470 parking spaces, with 60 for the school and up to 400 for residents. The extension in the rear will be 90’ tall, with an 18’6” mechanical penthouse.  Commissioner Litsky expressed concern about the massing on the east side of the building and its impact on the light in the adjacent park and swimming pool...

Motion: Commissioner Sobelsohn moved/Commissioner Litsky seconded a motion to encores the HPRB staff report of April 27th.  The motion failed 3-4 with Commissioners Hamilton, McBee, Moffatt and Skolnik in opposition.

Motion: Commissioner Skolnik moved/Commissioner Skolnik seconded a motion to oppose the request for substantial demolition of the existing Randall School before the Mayor’s Agent.  The motion passed 6-1, with Commission Sobelsohn in opposition.

Motion: Commissioner Skolnik moved/Commissioner McBee seconded a motion to designate Commissioners Hamilton and McBee to represent the ANC before the Mayor’s Agent.  The motion passed 6-1, with Commissioner Sobelsohn in opposition.

Ft. McNair Security Fence

This is a request for support of a Public Space Permit for Ft. McNair to construct a brick and iron security fence on its 2nd Street side.  Commissioner Moffatt pointed out that no representative of Ft. McNair was present, and this was part of a project that the ANC had previously opposed, Motion: Commissioner Litsky moved/Commissioner Sobelsohn seconded a motion to oppose the request for support for a security fence at Ft. McNair.  It passed 7-0.

 5.    St. Augustine’s Church Grant

Commissioner Sobelsohn reported on the history of the proposed grant of $1000 to St. Augustine’s Church toward construction of a disabled ramp at its entrance, and pointed out that while the local ACLU had taken a hard line on whether the ANC could contribute to a church, the Office of the Attorney General ruled that, because the church serves a large secular role in the community.  Motion: Commissioner Sobelsohn moved/Commissioner McBee seconded the following motion: ANC 6D approves a grant of $1,000 to St. Augustine's Episcopal Church to help build a new wheelchair access ramp, on condition that St. Augustine promises as follows:

1. As long as it owns this 600 M St., SW building, St. Augustine's will continue to make the church available for use by secular civic organizations, on the same basis as it has through 2006 and 2007, as set forth in its grant application.  Otherwise St. Augustine's will repay ANC 6D the full $1,000 grant.

2. Should St. Augustine's sell the church to another religious institution; the contract of sale will commit the buyer to continue to make the church available for use by secular civic organizations, on the same basis as St. Augustine's has through 2006 and 2007, as set forth in its grant application.  Otherwise St. Augustine's will repay ANC 6D the full $1,000 grant.

Commissioner Litsky said that he feels the money should be given to St. Augustine’s without any strings attached and Commissioner. Siegel agreed, and Commissioner Moffatt said that the ANC should not give grant with strings attached.  Commissioner Skolnik said he was opposed to giving money to a religious institution under any circumstances .The motion failed 3-4, with Commissioners Litsky, Moffatt, Siegel and Skolnik in opposition, and Commission Hamilton not voting.  Motion: Commissioner Litsky moved/Commissioner Siegel seconded a motion that the issue be referred back to the Grants .Committee.  The motion failed 2-4-1, with Commissioners Litsky, Moffatt, Siegel and Skolnik in opposition, and Commissioner Hamilton not voting.

 6.    Treasurer’s Report

Commissioner Skolnik presented the Treasurer's Report for May 14 to June 11, 2007...  A copy of his report is attached to these minutes.  ANC 6D has $37,884.47 in current funds.  The savings account has $5,135.71, including an interest payment of $2.18.  The report includes expenses submitted for approval staff salary, $554.10 (Check #321), $91.78 to Verizon for telephone services (Check #322); $90 to St. Augustine’s Church for space rental (Check #323); $1000 to Southwest Neighborhood Assembly for a community grant (Check #324); NS $1000 to KidSafe for a community grant (Check #3425) Motion: Commissioner Skolnik made/Commissioner Litsky seconded a motion to approve the June report and to authorize payment of the expenses. The motion passed 7-0.

 

 7.    Old Business (continued)

 

H2O

 

Commissioner Litsky reported that he attended a hearing on H2O after its closing because of a shooting outside the club.  The ABC allowed the club to have its license back with several restrictions that will be monitored by ABRA and the police.  They will have to return to ABC in two weeks (June 20th) to see whether they have followed the rules for operation placed on them.

 

Commissioner Litsky announced that H2O’s license is up for renewal, and the case will be heard on July 20th.  Motion: Commissioner Litsky moved/Commissioner Skolnik seconded a motion to support a resolution stating:

 

Be it resolved that at a regularly scheduled meeting of ANC 6D, on Monday, June 11, 2007, at which a quorum was present (a quorum being four of seven commissioners) AMC 6D by a vote of 7-0 voted to oppose the renewal of a license to serve alcoholic beverages in the District of Columbia to 800 Water Street, Inc. T/A H2), located at 800 Water Street SW and to formally challenge a reissuance of the license at a hearing before the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board that is currently scheduled for July 18m 2007 and at any subsequent hearing on the matter of reissuance of the license on the issues of peace, order and quiet, and frequent and flagrant violations of no fewer than six sect ions of the current standing Voluntary Agreement between H2) and ANC 6D, agreed to by both parties in July 2005.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       The motion was agreed to 7-0. Motion: Commissioner Litsky moved/Commissioner Skolnik seconded a motion to authorize Commissioner Skolnik to act on behalf of the Commission at the hearing.  It passed 7-0. (Commissioner Skolnik left the meeting.)

Move of the 1st District Police Station

Commissioner Litsky reminded the Commission that it had been briefed by Deputy Mayor Ed Reiskind about the construction of a Consolidated Forensic Lab for the District that would cause the 1st District headquarters to be moved to 225 Virginia Avenue SE, to a new building that will also be headquarters for the headquarters of MPD.  Motion:  Commissioner Litsky offered/Commissioner Sobelsohn seconded a motion opposing that decision:

Be it resolved that at a regularly scheduled meeting of ANC 6D, on Monday, June 11, 2007, at which a quorum was present (a quorum being four of seven commissioners) AMC 6D by a vote of 7-0 voted to oppose the relocation of the first District Police Station from 415 4th Street SW to the new Metropolitan Police Headquarters Building at 225 Virginia Avenue SE#.

The First District Police station is currently located within ANC 6D.  The new consolidated Crime Lab is scheduled to be located within ANC 6D.  The new MPD Headquarters Building is scheduled to be located within ANC 6D.  While ANC 6D has taken no posit ion at present on the location of either the Consolidated Crime Lab or the new MPD Headquarters Building in our ANC, we do strenuously object to moving the First District station from its present location to 225 Virginia Avenue SE for the following reasons:

 1.    The First District Police Station has been located at 425 4th Street SE for more than 25 years and has become a valued and trusted part of the Southwest community.

 2.    District police stations ought to be physically located within the middle of the residential neighborhoods they serve to more directly meet the needs of neighborhood residents on a walk-in basis, and to facilitate community policing.

 3.    The location ion of the First District station within the walls of the mammoth new Metropolitan Police District Headquarters, along with Headquarters Special Operations Division (SOD), Emergency Response Teams, MPD Evidence Warehouse, MPD Equipment and Supplies Warehouse, Office of the Superintendent of Detectives and the Violent Crimes Branch, will make it less likely that residents from across the First District will be able to comfortably use the facilities on a walk-in basis.

 4.    The lack of parking will create a significant obstacle at 225 Virginia Avenue SE for both occupants and patrons, an obstacle that will only be exacerbated by the incorporation of First District officers—particularly at shift change—to the ANC 6D residents living in the new Hope VI Dwellings where there are no special parking facilities, and to the resident of the Garfield Park section of Capitol Hill.

 5.    The current First District Sub-Station, located at 500 E Streets, SE on Capitol Hill, is located but four blocks from 225 Virginia Avenue SE, and, should the First District move take place, it will contribute to a significant massing of police manpower in a very concentrated area to the detriment of the remainder of the First District.

 6.    Southwest Washington is undergoing significant growth and development and is expected to increase its population by 60% within the next eight years.

 7.    During the period of Waterside Mall redevelopment, safe access to the Waterfront Metro station for thousands of Southwest residents living north of the project will be impossible.  Residents have been urged to use the Federal Center Southwest station.  The presence of the First District station on 4th Street is crucial for safe pedestrian passage along otherwise deserted 4th Street at night from the Federal Center Metro into residential Southwest.

 8.    The Southwest Waterfront is to be redeveloped and will become a major Washingt0on attraction for hundreds of thousands of tourists.

 9.    Southwest Washington is the residential neighborhood most directly imp0acted by the traffic, safety and security problems posed by the opening of the new baseball stadium.

 10.            The only existing police presence left in Southwest will be the Harbor Patrol, with very separate, distinct and growing responsibilities on Washington’s burgeoning waterfront.

Testimony presented by Lars Etzkorn, Director of the Office of Property Management, delivered on June 7, 2007, stated that OPM is already exploring options for placing the First District Police Station in 10,000 square feet of space while 225 Virginia Avenue is build out.

Consequently, ANC 6D requests the Mayor of the District of Columbia, the members of the City Council of the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department to reach an accommodation that will keep the First District Police Station in Southwest, located in the new building that will house the Consolidated Crime Lab—on the very same site that the First District has occupied fro more than as quarter century.  The motion passed 6-0.

Motion: Commissioner Litsky moved/Commissioner Sobelsohn seconded a motion to authorize Commissioner Litsky represent the ANC at hearings on the issue.  It passed 6-0.

Diamond Teague Park

Mia Francis of the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation gave a presentation on Diamond Teague Park, a riverfront space to be built at Potomac Avenue and 1st Street, below the baseball stadium, and at the headquarters of the Earth Conservation Corps.  The park is names for an ECC participant who was recently murdered.  The park be built in two phases and will eventually stretch, over a boardwalk to the Southeast Federal Center.  It will be a public gathering place as well as a water taxi landing place.

Community Benefits Coordinating Council

Commissioner Sobelsohn reported on the two community meetings, sponsored by the Community Benefits Coordinating Council (CBCC) at which the benefits the Southwest/Near Southeast community could derive from neighborhood redevelopment were discussed. The CBCC is sponsored by the ANC, the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly and the South Washington/West of the River Family Strengthening Collaborative.

He reported on the consensus achieved by those present on the priorities that are important to the community:

 1.    A community workforce-development center, which would focus on a/workforce development; b/community-based mentoring; c/life skills courses; d/neighborhood internships; e/a wellness center; f/ a daycare center; g/ pre-school and after-school youth programs, and; h/corporate-sponsored arts;

 2.    Housing, including a/preserving low-income houses, while increasing the supply of affordable and mixed-income housing; b/identifying and assisting potential neighborhood homeowner; c/ ensuring diverse housing—including live-aboard housing; and d/giving displaced residents the right to return to the neighborhood;

 3.    The establishment of as neighborhood-run community fund, either an “Enterprise Investment Fund: or a fund to help “community institution” meet “community-based needs.”

 4.    Diverse, walkable, neighborhood-oriented retail, with space specifically set aside for neighborhood-owned and operated retail, and with specific resources provided for new neighborhood-oriented businesses.

He reported there was substantial support for other priorities, including youth and senior services, his environment, and the establishment of a neighborhood institution to monitor benefits agreements.

Motion: Commissioner Sobelsohn moved/Commissioner Siegel seconded a motion that the ANC adopt the priorities recommended by the CBCC as its priorities.

 

Commissioner Moffatt expressed a desire to have an exhaustive list of the priorities selected by the participants, and without them, the motion was presented incorrectly. The vote to accept the motion was 4-0-1, with Commissioner Moffatt abstaining. Motion:  Commissioner Moffatt moved that the motion include the complete list of priorities adopted by the CBCC.  The motion passed 4-0-1 with Commissioner Sobelsohn abstaining.

 

 8.    New Business

Council Economic Development Committee Roundtable

 

 

Commissioner Moffatt announced that the City Council Committee on Economic Development would be holding a Roundtable on Southwest Development on Saturday, June 18, at Westminster Church at which views would be solicited from the community, city officials and the developers of new projects in the neighborhood on the upcoming projects and changes to the community. He urged everyone to attend and express their views.  Motion: Commissioner Sobelsohn moved/Commissioner McBee seconded a motion to authorize Commissioner Hamilton to testify as the official representative of the ANC at the Roundtable.  The motion passed 4-0-1, with Commissioner Moffatt abstaining.

 9.    Minutes

Commissioner Litsky moved/Commissioner Siegel seconded a motion to accept the May minutes.  The motion passed 6-0.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 10:10 pm.