Category: Agendas

ZPD Committee Meeting Agenda 7-9PM March 4th

The Zoning, Preservation, and Development committee will meet this Wednesday March 4th from 7-9PM at Public Citizen, 1600 20th St NW. The committee will begin with an application from 1534 Swann Street NW to construct a deck in the rear of the building.

The committee will then discuss the Historic Preservation application by St. Thomas Church. A copy of the plans which will be presented to the committee is available here. The discussion will begin with a presentation by the developer, up to 45 minutes of neighbor and community questions and feedback, up to 20 minutes of committee discussion, and up to 15 minutes of further community feedback before a consensus resolution will be reached by the committee for consideration at the ANC’s meeting on March 11th.

NEWS: Dupont Circle ANC Publishes Draft Goals for 2015

In an effort to be more transparent, accountable and productive the Dupont Circle ANC presents for public comment a list of draft goals for calendar year 2015.

There will be a brief discussion of the goals at the January 14th meeting and final goals will be adopted at the February 11th ANC meeting. The ANC will then establish committees and working groups comprised of members of the community to begin addressing those goals in a proactive manner and may consider holding several special meetings throughout the year to act on the work of those groups. The draft goals were developed by the 2015 Commissioners; we look forward to their enhancement through public comment.

The ANC asks that you submit your feedback on these draft goals, including which should be addressed first or not at all and what goal statements may be missing, by February 5, 2015 (Deadline extended!) by emailing commissioners@dupontcircleanc.net. The goals do not appear in any particular order.

Overarching Goals

  • Address policy issues proactively and streamline reactionary approaches to regulatory applications.
  • Enhance engagement and involvement of residents, neighboring ANCs, neighborhood organizations, businesses and not-for-profit groups.

Specific Policy-related Goals

  • Better understand the role of the ANC and community in impacting historic preservation in the neighborhood and use that knowledge to better influence preservation activities.
  • Address rat infestation together with residents, businesses, organizations, and the city.
  • Identify and prioritize issues related to liquor-licensed establishments in ANC2B and recommend comprehensive approaches to address those issues.
  • Engage with and support schools located within ANC 2B as well as those that serve as part of the neighborhood feeder pattern.
  • Assist the City in improving communications with residents and businesses during natural and man-made emergencies.
  • Work with area organizations to promote independent and diverse retail businesses that serve and enhance our neighborhood.
  • Inventory ANC2B parks and explore opportunities to increase the number and utilization of public parks in the neighborhood.

Significant Specific Issue Goals

  • Continue to represent the best interests of the neighborhood regarding development of land at St. Thomas Church.
  • Provide recommendations to the ABC Board on the West Dupont Liquor License Moratorium by April 2015.

 

NEWS: ANC 2B to Host City and PEPCO on January 14 to Discuss Recent Power Outage

At its regular monthly meeting on January 14th at 7:00 pm at the Brookings Institution (1775 Massachusetts Ave NW) the Dupont Circle ANC will host Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, and representatives from the Mayor’s Office and PEPCO to discuss the response to the recent neighborhood-wide power outages.

On January 6th an underground cable fault occurred shortly before 7 a.m. near 18th and Corcoran streets, NW.  That affected three underground feeders and led to power outages for approximately 6,100 customers. At first, customers were told power would be restored before noon. That assessment was incorrect, but residents made plans without proper information, and some were stranded in unheated homes in sub-freezing temperatures. By nightfall, a warming center had been set up in Petworth, but it was more than 2 miles away, and many residents did not learn about it until after dark. Many did not feel safe leaving their homes to walk icy sidewalks with no street lights.
 
Above all, our neighbors did not receive enough timely and accurate information to make proper decisions about their own health and safety. While the ANC fully understands that infrastructure breaks down and that it can be difficult to diagnosis and fix the problem, our concern here is about how we respond to such emergencies. What went wrong here, what can we learn from that, and what steps can we take now to improve our communications systems so that future emergencies are better managed?

At the same meeting, four new Commissioners and five returning Commissioners will be sworn in by Mr. Evans and the ANC will discuss a range of regulatory applications as well as their 2015 goals. The full agenda, which will be updated on Sunday, is available HERE.