June 13, 2013
Reservation 13, a proposed doggie daycare facility, bylaws amendments and comments on the Penn-Potomac Ave Intersection Pedestrian Safety Study were among the many issues on ANC 6B’s June 11 meeting agenda. Here is a brief meeting recap:
- The commission voted unanimously (10-0) to send a letter (pdf) to Victor Hoskins, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, urging his office to move forward with the Donatelli/Blue Skye proposal for parcels F1 & G1 of the Hill East Development/Reservation 13. The commission’s letter also includes specific comments on the Donatelli/Blue Skye plans and urges Mayor Gray and DMPED to take action now to prepare the remaining parcels on the 67-acre site for development. A big thanks to my commission colleagues and the many residents who provided feedback on the proposal and on early drafts of the letter.
- I announced that BB Otero, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and David Berns, Director of the Department of Human Services had agreed to discuss the future of the DC General shelter at a June 27 ANC 6B Hill East Task Force meeting. The meeting will be from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington, 1901 Independence Avenue SE.
- After lengthy discussion and debate, the commission voted 9-0-1 to support a special exception and variance request that would allow City Dogs, a doggie daycare and boarding facility, to open at 1310 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. This was a very difficult case, particularly since one of the adjacent neighbors had converted her property from a commercial to residential use. City Dogs’ willingness to agree to additional operating conditions (pdf) with the commission ultimately persuaded me to support the case. I also agreed with the majority of commissioners that the commission should request that Board of Zoning Adjustment review the use after a certain period of time to ensure that all conditions are being met. Kudos to Commissioner Nichole Opkins (6B06) for her hard work in getting to an acceptable compromise.
- The commission unanimously supported sending a letter (pdf) to the District Department of Transportation outlining our views on the Pennsylvania-Potomac Avenue Intersection Pedestrian Safety Study. In the letter, the commission supports concept 3, which would create “T-intersections” and significantly improve pedestrian safety around the Potomac Avenue Metro plaza. Kudos to Commissioners Kirsten Oldenburg (6B04), Sara Loveland (6B07) and Nichole Opkins for their work on the letter.
- Given my previous work on improving ANC 6B’s bylaws, I was extremely pleased that the commission overwhelmingly approved two amendments to the bylaws. The first amendment, which passed unanimously, clarified that Commissioners can only nominate resident members who live in their Single Member Districts (SMDs) to committees and task forces. The second, which passed 8-1 (7 votes needed), finally allows resident members to vote in ANC 6B committees and task forces. Now residents who take the time to serve on committees can vote on recommendations to the full commission. A big thanks to Commissioner Brian Pate (6B05) for introducing the amendments.
- On an 8-0-1 vote, the commission approved a package of letters on problematic vacant and blighted properties in the commission area. One letter (pdf), addressed to the Vacant Buildings Unit at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, lists problematic vacant properties in each ANC 6B Single Member District, including 6B09. The commission will also send letters directly to vacant property owners urging them to improve their properties and comply with the law.
- Commissioner Oldenburg provided an update on efforts to support Frager’s and the other businesses impacted by the June 5 fire. She mentioned the Friends of Frager’s website, where individuals can make tax-deductible contributions to support Frager’s through the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, and encouraged attendees to visit the Frager’s Garden Center “pop up” across from Eastern Market.
- The commission heard a presentation by Juan Thompson of Serve DC, the Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism, who discussed the office’s efforts to emergency training preparedness efforts. The office is currently looking to recruit residents to serve in neighborhood corps, volunteers who would be able and willing to help neighborhood’s respond in the case of an emergency. You can read more on how to get involved in these efforts on the Serve DC website.
- ANC 6B’s July meeting will be on Tues., July 9, 7 pm at the Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.
2 Comments | 
ANC 6B, Development, Penn East, Potomac Avenue Metro, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront, Transportation | 
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Posted by bflahaven
May 23, 2013
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, former site of Domino’s Pizza.
Another indication of “weak market demand” in Hill East: Bisnow Real Estate recently reported that the Goldstar Group, a private equity firm based in Bethesda, has purchased the Domino’s lot at 1500 Pennsylvania Ave SE and plans to build a 40-unit residential building on the site.
I had a chance to follow-up with Goldstar and learned some additional details about their plans:
- While the building will be mostly residential, Goldstar has not ruled out retail on the first floor of the building. The retail would be small given the lot size.
- As of now, they plan to build the building “matter of right,” and do not anticipate needing any zoning relief or variances. Goldstar believes they can fit the required 20 parking spaces on the site.
- Goldstar will spend the next four months designing the building. In terms of height, they plan to start at the height allowed under the site’s current zoning (C-2-A, 50 ft.). Height could be adjusted based on design.
- The adjacent laundromat building just north of the site (732 15th Street SE) is not a part of the project. A separate owner, Gary Cohen, still plans to build a small condo building on the laundromat site.
- Regardless of whether they seek zoning relief or not, Goldstar is very interested in coming out to the neighborhood to share their plans with the neighborhood, probably sometime this fall. If everything goes smoothly with permitting, etc. , they hope to begin construction in early 2014.
You can read more about the Goldstar Group at www.thegoldstargroup.com.
12 Comments | Barney Circle, Development, Penn East, Potomac Avenue Metro | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven
May 19, 2013
The T-Intersection Concept for the Pennsylvania Ave-Potomac Ave Intersection.
On May 16, the District Department of Transportation held its second public meeting on Pennsylvania-Potomac Avenue SE Intersection Pedestrian Safety Study at Payne Elementary School. Here are the highlights:
- Sanjay Kumar of DDOT and Karl Kratzer of CH2MHill, DDOT’s consultants for the project, opened the meeting with a presentation on the project and the project timeline. The goal of the second public meeting was to present potential design concepts and get community feedback.
- Kratzer outlined four potential design concepts:
- No Build – No changes to the intersection, just adjustments to signal timing.
- Mid-Block Crosswalk – A mid-block pedestrian crosswalk would be added between the two existing intersections of Penn Ave SE and Potomac Ave. SE.
- T Intersections – The Potomac Ave entrances to Penn Ave SE would be modified to intersect at T configurations. The new intersections would result in additional public space both north and south of Penn Avenue. A mid-block pedestrian crosswalk would be added between the two re-configured intersections. And the southbound approach of 14th Street SE to Penn Ave adjacent to the Potomac Ave Metro station would be closed to traffic and be converted to a new Kiss and Ride.
- Signalized Oval – The intersection would be completely reconstructed into a signalized traffic oval with all approaches to the oval signalized. There would a mid-oval crosswalk installed at 14th Street SE and pedestrian crosswalks installed at each end of the oval.
- DDOT conducted traffic studies of each design concept based on projected traffic flow in 2040. Concepts 1 (no build) and 2 (mid-block crosswalk) would improve existing conditions for vehicular traffic and would slightly improve conditions for pedestrians. Concepts 3 (T-intersections) and 4 (signalized oval) would minimally degrade intersection conditions for vehicles but would significantly improve conditions for pedestrians.
- After analyzing the data and considering cost, DDOT has ruled out Concept 4 and will examine concepts 1, 2 and 3 for the remainder of the study.
- Of the three remaining concepts, my preference is T-intersections, which would do the most to improve pedestrian crossings and safety. I also like the additional public space that would be created around the Potomac Avenue Metro plaza. The other two concepts would really not do near as much to improve pedestrian safety at the intersection.
- The project’s third public meeting will likely be a public hearing on a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) which will recommend one of the concepts. DDOT anticipates holding this hearing in July.
Please post your comments and questions below.
Summary of design concepts for the DDOT Penn-Potomac Ave Pedestrian Safety Study.
1 Comment | Penn East, Potomac Avenue Metro, Transportation | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven
May 13, 2013
Mark your calendars for two important upcoming meetings:
- The District Department of Transportation will hold Public Meeting #2 for the Pennsylvania-Potomac Avenue SE Intersection Pedestrian Safety Study this Thursday, May 16, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at Payne Elementary School (1445 C Street SE). DDOT is expected to share design alternatives for public feedback. Read more about the Penn-Potomac Intersection Study.
- Donatelli/Blue Skye Development, the sole respondent to the recent Hill East/Reservation 13 RFEI, will once again present their plans at ANC 6B’s Hill East Task Force meeting on Wednesday, May 22, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington (1901 Independence Avenue SE). If you missed the April 24 meeting, this will be an opportunity to see the proposed plans for parcels F1 & G1 and share your comments. ANC 6B will likely submit formal comments to the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development in June.
Hope to see you at both meetings!
Leave a Comment » | Development, Penn East, Potomac Avenue Metro, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront, Transportation | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven
April 12, 2013
We had a packed agenda and a full house for most of ANC 6B’s 3+ hour April meeting on Tuesday night. Two major Hill East projects – a proposed residential building at 1550 Penn Ave SE and DDOT’s Barney Circle-Southeast Boulevard Project – were on the agenda along with a long list of liquor license renewals. Here is a recap:
- After hearing comments from the attendees and the developer, the commission voted 9-0 to support zoning relief for a proposed 81-unit apartment building at 1550 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, a site located in my Single Member District. NOVO Development is seeking a special exception related to the height of the building’s mechanical penthouse and variances related to the size of the loading dock and parking. The latter is the most controversial variance – NOVO plans to provide 30 of the 41 required parking spaces for the building.
- Having worked with a number of nearby neighbors and the developer to negotiate an acceptable Memorandum of Understanding (pdf) between the parties, I voted to support the special exception and variance requests. With a signed MOU in place, which specifies the developer’s commitment to 1) develop a transportation demand management plan, 2) pursue car share and 3) urge DDOT to add on-street parking on the Penn Avenue side of the building, I felt any potential impact of the parking variance request would be minimized. Note that the developer is providing a significant number of the parking spaces required under zoning (30 of the 41 required for an 81-unit building, so the variance is for 11 spaces). The nearby neighbors deserve a lot of credit for negotiating the MOU and ensuring that negative impacts of the building beyond parking (loading, garage entrance, etc.) are addressed by NOVO Development.
- It is important to remember the benefits this building will provide to the neighborhood. Most residents want more retail and restaurant options in Hill East. This building will help generate additional foot traffic on the 1400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, which will help existing businesses and new businesses open and thrive. And the new building will be the first thing drivers, bikers and pedestrians see as they approach Capitol Hill – an improvement over the existing used car lot.
- The Board of Zoning Adjustment will hear the 1550 Penn Ave SE case on Tuesday, April 30, 9:30 am at 441 4th Street NW, Room 220 South.
- The commission voted 8-0 to send a letter (pdf) to the District Department of Transportation outlining issues and concerns related to the Barney Circle-Southeast Boulevard Project. Among a long list of issues, the commission 1) raises concerns about a proposed bus depot under the proposed Southeast Boulevard, 2) asks DDOT to include the 700 & 800 blocks of Kentucky Ave SE, the 700 block of 16th Street SE, Freedom Way SE and the stretch of 17th Street SE between Potomac Ave and Barney Circle in the scope of the project, and 3) requests that DDOT consider the project’s potential impact on Historic Congressional Cemetery.
- The commission also voted 8-0 to send the Barney Circle project letter to Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At-Large) with a special cover letter (pdf) referencing the Councilmember’s Feb. 23, 2013 press release “expressing joy” at DDOT’s consideration the area under the proposed Southeast Boulevard for a bus depot.
- A good portion of the meeting was spent considering liquor license renewal requests for restaurants in the commission area. In general, the commission supported an establishment’s renewal request if they agreed to sign a settlement agreement (SA) with the commission. SA’s generally cover hours of operation and include provisions on noise and trash. The commission did vote to protest liquor license renewals for restaurants that did not sign a SA, though the commission anticipates being able to come an agreement with most of these establishments.
- Commissioners announced a number of upcoming meetings, including:
- April 24 DMPED meeting on Reservation 13, 6 pm – 8 pm, Dept. of Corrections Training Academy at DC General
- Mayor Gray’s April 25 Ward 6 FY14 Budget Town Hall, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Capitol Hill Montessori, 215 G Street NE
- May 16 DDOT meeting on the Pennsylvania-Potomac Avenue Pedestrian Safety Study Project, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Payne Elementary School
- Doug Klein, the First District Prosecutor from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia gave a brief presentation on the office’s activities. Klein agreed to attend a future ANC 6B Outreach & Constituent Services Task Force meeting to answer additional commission and community questions.
- During community speakout, Commissioner Ron Swanda of the DC Commission on Aging announced the creation of the Ward 6 Senior Network. Commissioner Swanda is looking for representatives to serve on the network, which plans a variety of activities to ensure that seniors in the ward have access to information and the services they need. Residents interested in participating in the network can contact Commissioner Swanda at dc.coa.ward6.swanda@gmail.com or 202-340-7708. If you would like to represent ANC 6B09 on the network, please let me know.
- ANC 6B’s May meeting will be on Tuesday, May 14, 7 pm at the Hill Center.
1 Comment | ANC 6B, Barney Circle, Development, Liquor License, Penn East, Potomac Avenue Metro, Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven
Brian Flahaven 