Author: will.stephens@dupontcircleanc.net

NEWS: DDOT seeking public comment on neighborhood block party approval process

This from the District Department of Transportation:

***PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE***

DDOT Seeking Public Input on its Neighborhood Block Party Management Process

(Washington, DC) The District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Public Space Regulations Administration (PSRA) is hosting a public meeting on March 20 to allow members of the public to comment and ask questions about its management process for neighborhood block parties.

Representatives from the Metropolitan Police Department, Fire Department, Deputy Mayor’s Office for Public Safety and the PSRA team will be on hand listen to listen to the public and answer questions.

PSRA took over the public space permitting process for neighborhood block parties nearly a year ago and is aiming to improve the process by collaborating with the community and other government agencies.

What:                   Public Meeting for Block Party Management Process

When:                  Wednesday, March 20, 2013, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Where:                DDOT PSRA Permitting Center, 1100 4th Street, SW (2nd Floor Community Room)

For information about the Public Space Permits please visit the Public Space Regulations Administration web-page or contact the Permitting Center at 202-442-4670.

NEWS: Abigail Nichols wins special election for Single Member District 2B05 seat

The ANC hosted a special election last night for the vacant 2B05 seat between candidates Dito Sevilla and Abigail Nichols.  The certified winner was Abigail Nichols.   The ANC has forwarded the attached 2B05 Special Election Certification to the Board of Elections and Ethics for formal approval.  Once the BoEE approves, Commissioner-elect Nichols will be sworn in by Ward 2 Council Member Jack Evans, and she will join the ANC for our April public meeting.

Many thanks to all from 2B05 who came out to vote, and also to Gottlieb Simon and his staff from the Office of ANCs for managing the special election.  Congratulations, as well, to both candidates for a respectful race.

 

NEWS: DDOT’s “Get DC Moving” public workshops this month

This from the Department of Transportation:
*** PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE***

DDOT Building Ideas to Get DC Moving

Public invited to Workshops to discuss Ideas that Build

(Washington DC) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is hosting several public meetings this month to discuss moveDC, DDOT’s initiative to develop a coordinated, multimodal long range transportation plan for the District.  Everyone who drives, walks, bikes, rides a bus, or takes a train in DC should plan to attend to help create a new transportation vision for current and future generations.

Last month, DDOT’s moveDC team kicked off the planning effort with a Transportation Idea Exchange.  The Idea Exchange was open to the public and was attended by more than 250 people from the community who shared their ideas related to transportation in the city.  The Idea Exchange got the conversation started and created energy in the planning process.  Input from the Idea Exchange and the upcoming public workshops will be used to guide and shape the moveDC plan for the next 25 years and beyond.  Final plan recommendations will be organized into short-, mid-, and long-term implementation horizons.

Throughout 2013, DDOT will hold three rounds of public workshops across the District to talk about transportation and how it can help build a more prosperous, sustainable, competitive and vital city.  This first round of workshops, Ideas that Build,  will focus on building the foundation of the plan.  Activities at the workshop will give people a chance to share their thoughts on neighborhood and citywide transportation issues and opportunities, as well as gauge their interests in walking, bicycling, driving, transit, environmental quality, and other important topics.

Ideas that Build Workshops

WHEN & WHERE

Wednesday, March 20, 2013
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Presentation: 6:30 p.m.
Department of Employment Services
Community Room
4058 Minnesota Ave NE

Thursday, March 21, 2013
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Presentation: 6:30 p.m.
Matthews Memorial Baptist Church
2616 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE

Tuesday, March 26, 2013
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Presentation: 6:30 p.m.
Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School
Multi-purpose Room
659 G Street NE

Thursday, March 28, 2013
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Presentation: 6:30 p.m.
Woodrow Wilson High School
3950 Chesapeake Street, NW

Tuesday, April 9, 2013
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
For those who are unable to attend one of the sessions, DDOT will host a one-hour web meeting.  Visit wemovedc.org to sign up for the meeting. Registration begins March 19.

The public is invited to participate in any or all of the workshops.  Each location will follow the same agenda and host the same interactive activities. A brief presentation at 6:30 p.m. will provide an overview of the study and a summary of information gathered at the February Idea Exchange followed by a question and answer period.

“We want to continue with the success of the Transportation Idea Exchange held in February by now going into the communities to meet with people who use our transportation system every day,” said DDOT Director Terry Bellamy.  “In order to build the foundation of our plan, we must better understand what each community needs, the daily challenges they face and the opportunities for improvement.”

moveDC is led by DDOT’s Policy, Planning and Sustainability Administration (PPSA) and is expected to be completed by early 2014. After the Idea Exchange, there will be workshops, public meetings, surveys, and other ways to stay engaged in the process. Follow the project online at www.wemoveDC.org, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/WeMoveDC) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/wemovedc).

For those who need special accommodations or language assistance services (translation or interpretation), please contact Jordyne Blaise, Office of Civil Rights, 202-671-5117 or Jordyne.Blaise@dc.gov by March 15, 2013.  These services will be provided free of charge.

NEWS: ANC 2B to consider resolution on 16th Street bus routes

The ANC will be considering the following resolution by Commissioner Kishan Putta (2B04) at its March 13, 2013 public meeting.  Public comments are welcome.

Resolution in Support of A New 16th Street Rush Hour Bus Route

WHEREAS the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission (the Commission) has received many comments from residents expressing concerns about the 16th Street bus lines (S1, S2, S4, S9), which have the most riders of any route in the District;

WHEREAS most resident comments concerned morning rush hour crowding issues and delayed commutes, though several residents also had other concerns;

WHEREAS the Commission held two community meetings in January 2013 and February 2013 between residents and the bus planners of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Administration (WMATA) and invited other ANCs bordering 16th Street;

WHEREAS WMATA, at the February 20 community meeting, proposed two options for creating a new morning-rush-hour-only route to address the morning rush hour crowding issues (the first being a route starting at U or V street, running south on 16th to H and back up 14th; the second being a route starting at Euclid street at the top of Meridian Hill Park, running down to H street and back up 15th Street)

AND WHEREAS these options are meant to be a first step toward broader solutions for commuters along 16th Street;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission supports WMATA’s efforts to address the crowding issues with the following specific recommendations:

1. WMATA, in deciding which route option to implement should carefully weigh community input, should notify the public and the Commission before implementation, and should make clear to the public that the chosen route will be monitored closely – and could be updated and expanded in the future as determined by analysis of ridership and schedule data.

2. To save time and increase frequency, the north-bound leg of the chosen route should run on 15th street instead of 14th street; 15th street already carries commuter buses which do not have any stops north of Massachusetts Avenue.

3. To minimize disruption, any layover parking spaces created by the Department of Transportation on U Street, V Street, or Euclid Street for buses serving the chosen morning rush hour route option, should only prohibit residential parking during the hours that the route is in operation (morning rush hour).

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission also recommends WMATA confirm its plans to implement a headway initiative to regulate the flow of 16th street buses next year, as stated at the February 20 community meeting. The Commission also recommends that WMATA address other resident concerns with 16th Street buses including:

1. More and larger S1 buses
2. More and larger morning rush hour buses with Federal Triangle destinations.
3. Consider resuming a route with a destination closer to the National Archives and/or Penn Quarter.