About 40 people attended last night’s ANC 6B meeting at the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS (522 7th Street SE). All commissioners were in attendance. Here are the highlights:
- Kim McCall of the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency provided an update on emergency preparedness plans and asked commissioners and residents to consider volunteering to help the agency develop neighborhood based plans (Her e-mail is Kim.McCall@dc.gov). Compton Douglas updated the commission on DC Water’s Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan.
- During the commission announcement period, I invited residents to participate in Hill East neighborhood walks beginning this Sunday, Feb. 13. Two walks will take place each Sunday in February – the first at 6 pm and the second at 8 pm. Both walks will begin in front of Harris Teeter (1350 Potomac Ave. SE). I also encouraged attendees to join the orange hat walk that takes place every Friday, 7:30 pm sharp at the corner of Kentucky Ave SE and 14th St. SE.
- Commissioner Carol Green (6B07) announced the owners of two proposed restaurants for Barracks Row – Nooshi and Moby Dick – and neighbors surrounding the row had agreed to sign a voluntary agreement limiting the seating capacity, hours of operation, and addressing parking concerns at the new establishments. The commission voted to approve the voluntary agreement, effectively dropping the commission’s earlier protest of liquor licenses for the new establishments.
- After a lengthy debate, the commission voted to support the building design for the Bavarian Beer Garden (720 L Street SE), which is set to go before the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) later this month. A few commissioners raised concerns about the building design. However, when I asked if the commission had received any letters from residents in opposition to the design, both the owner and commission staff answered “no.” Given the significant number of letters in support of the project and my strong belief that the new establishment will bring some vitality to a relatively depressed area, I voted to support the design. The commission’s letter of support to the HPRB will include some of the design concerns raised by various commissioners. Two other votes – one to oppose the design and the other to take no position – were defeated (I voted against both motions for the reasons stated above).
- Two planning & zoning cases in our neighborhood were approved – a two-year extension of the variance waivers for the old KFC site (unanimous) and variances for a proposed 5-unit residential development at 732 15th St. SE (9-1). I announced that I would be meeting with DDOT representatives to discuss whether additional parking spaces can be added to the western side of the 700 block of 15th St. SE. I also thanked residents for attending the meeting and weighing in on the project.
- Commissioner Carol Green was unanimously elected chair of the Alcoholic Beverage Committee (ABC Committee). Commissioner Green selected Commissioner Norman Metzger (6B03) to serve as vice chair of the committee.
- Commissioner Francis Campbell (6B10) was unanimously re-elected chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee. Commissioner Campbell selected Commissioner Kirsten Oldenburg (6B04) to serve as vice chair of the committee.
- My consent agenda proposal was approved unanimously by the commission. And a proposed checklist that will help residents understand what materials/documents they need to bring to commission meetings was also unanimously approved. I’ll post the checklist on my website shortly.
- Chairman Glick appointed Commissioner Brian Pate (6B05) to serve as the commission’s representative on the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC), with Commissioner Ivan Frishberg (6B02) as the designated back up.
Have any questions about the meeting? Feel free to post them in the comments below or send me an e-mail.
Brian Flahaven 
Hi Brian: Thanks for this detailed recap. It’s really helpful to have, especially for those of us who couldn’t make it to the meeting.