Brian Flahaven

On Tues., Jan. 8, around 40 residents attended the first ANC 6B meeting of the new year. This was also the first meeting for new Commissioners Nichole Opkins (6B06), Sara Loveland (6B07), Chander Jayaraman (6B08) and Phil Peisch (6B03).

Here is a brief recap:

• The meeting began with the election of officers. I was elected commission chair for 2013. Commissioner Ivan Frishberg (6B02) was elected vice-chair, Commissioner Phil Peisch (6B03) was elected secretary, Commissioner Brian Pate (6B05) was elected treasurer and Commissioner Nichole Opkins was elected Parliamentarian. I’m extremely grateful to my commission colleagues for their support, and I’m looking forward to a productive year for the commission.
• As required, commissioners approved standing rules (9-1) and the 2013 meeting schedule (10-0). The Commission also scheduled a special call meeting for Tuesday, Jan. 22 to conduct a comprehensive review of the standing rules. The special call meeting location will be announced shortly.  
• Stephen Flippin and Officer Andrew Ford of CSX Railroad announced the opening of a community outreach office for the planned reconstruction of the CSX Virginia Avenue Tunnel between 2nd Street SE and 11th Street SE.  The office, located at 861 New Jersey Avenue SE, will remain open through the entire three-year project and will be the company’s primary point of outreach for the community. The office will also be the headquarters of up to three CSX police officers. You can read more about the project on the Virginia Avenue Tunnel website. 
• The Commission unanimously supported parking and lot occupancy variances for a proposed three unit residential building on the vacant lot at 1311 Pennsylvania Avenue SE (next to Mangialardo’s).
• The Commission voted 8-0-2 to support MedStar Health’s applications for certificates of need to the DC Department of Health to establish a primary care physicians’ and urgent care practice on the first floor of the National Association of Home Health Care and Hospice Building (228 7th Street SE). Commissioners Dave Garrison (6B01) and Kirsten Oldenburg (6B04) voiced support for the facilities but argued that the commission did not have the technical expertise to determine if there was a need for such a practice on the Hill. I agreed with the majority of my colleagues that there is certainly a need for primary care physicians and urgent care on Capitol Hill and that the commission should not unnecessarily limit our voice when asked by a DC agency for our opinion. 
• During community speakout, residents of the 300 block of 7th Street SE expressed concern that Chipotle (415 8th Street SE) was violating the terms of its agreement with the neighborhood. Back in 2011, ANC 6B voted unanimously to support a special exception for the restaurant contingent on a signed agreement covering noise, trash and other nuisance issues (fast food establishments are typically not allowed on Barracks Row). Residents are concerned about noise and trash issues and an inability to get Chipotle, or building owner Street Sense, to resolve the issues. The commission will likely consider the issue and whether to formally alert the Board of Zoning Adjustment of the agreement violations in February.
• After changes were made to the parade route, the commission unanimously supported the 2013 Tour de Fat Bicycle Parade taking place Saturday, June 1. The bicycle parade, which supports the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), will begin at Yards Park and weave through portions of Capitol Hill.
• I announced that DDOT would hold a public meeting on the Pennsylvania-Potomac Avenue intersection project on Thursday, Jan. 31. Location to be determined. DDOT also plans to hold a public meeting on the Barney Circle-Southeast Boulevard project in late February. I’ve posted some background information about both projects.
• ANC 6B’s February meeting will be on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 7:00 pm at the Hill Center.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 10th, 2013 at 10:08 am and is filed under ANC 6B. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.