Brian Flahaven

Looking for a great opportunity to meet your neighbors? Join one of two Hill East neighborhood walks beginning this Sunday, Feb. 13. The first walk will be at 6 pm and last an hour while the second walk will be at 8 pm. Both walks will begin in front of Harris Teeter (1350 Potomac Avenue). We will also be walking on Feb. 20 and Feb. 27.

You can also join tonight’s (Fri., Feb. 11) regularly scheduled Orange Hat walk, which begins at 7:30 pm sharp at the southeast corner of 14th St. SE and D St. SE.

Have a great weekend!

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.

While ANC 6B meeting agendas change, one thing typically stays the same: the meetings are too long.  A 7 pm meeting that ends at 10 or 10:30 has been a common occurrence for ANC 6B. Excessively long meetings are not good for public participation. A number of residents have complained that they miss key portions of the agenda because they have to leave at 9 or 9:30.
 
During tomorrow night’s commission meeting, we will debate my proposal to introduce a consent agenda at future commission meetings. A consent agenda is a tool that allows governmental bodies and boards to approve a list of noncontroversial or mundane items as a group at the beginning of a meeting.  Items can be on the consent agenda only if all commission members agree; any one commissioner can remove an item from the consent agenda prior to its adoption. You can read more about my proposed consent agenda on the ANC 6B website (12th  item on the list).
 
While a consent agenda will not solve all of our time issues, it will allow the commission to focus meeting time and discussion on controversial issues, the issues that typically draw residents to our meetings in the first place.

• On Feb. 2, ANC 6B held a special meeting on development plans for Hine Jr. High School (335 8th St. SE). In short, the project has been scaled back a bit and will include more residential units than the original plan. You can read about the meeting and the project at The Hill is Home and the Eastern Market Metro Community Association (EMMCA) blog. One big outstanding question – what to do with the flea market during demolition and construction. 
• This coming Tues., Feb. 8, ANC 6B will hold its monthly full commission meeting at 7:00 pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS (522 7th St. SE – the old Safeway building). Here is the agenda.  In addition to the two planning & zoning cases in our neighborhood, the commission will also consider voluntary agreements for two new restaurants – Nooshi and Moby Dick Grill – on Barracks Row. If the agreements are approved, ANC 6B will drop its protest of liquor license requests for both establishments. The commission will also consider my proposal to introduce a consent agenda, which I’ll write about next week.
• Since the weather is supposed to be nice (mid-forties), I plan on walking the neighborhood this Sunday afternoon around 3 pm. If you happen to see me, feel free to share any issues or concerns.
• Finally, we have A LOT of football fans in the neighborhood. And while the clear majority are Redskins fans (as it should be), we do have a fair number Packers and Steelers fans who have a lot at stake on Sunday. Here is my prediction for Super Bowl XLV: Steelers 21, Packers 17. Not a surprising prediction from a die-hard Chicago Bears fan. Feel free to share your predictions in the comments below.

Have a great weekend!

We had a great turnout from the neighborhood at last night’s ANC 6B Planning & Zoning Committee meeting. After listening to residents and discussing the merits of the projects, the committee unanimously voted (8-0) to recommend that the full ANC approve:

1. a two-year extension of the waiver to Douglas Development for the old KFC site (1442 Pennsylvania Avenue SE),  and
2. parking and lot occupancy variance requests for a proposed residential development at 732 15th Street SE.

Here are a few highlights from the meeting:

• Paul Millstein of Douglas Development was optimistic that the KFC site would be developed in the next year. The project has stalled due to the down economy and a lack of financing.
• Mr. Millstein said that Douglas planned to continue to abide by the Memorandum of Understanding signed three years ago between the company and neighbors. The MOU makes it clear that Douglas will not pursue a number of potential retailers, including a 7-Eleven, night clubs, check-cashing establishment, or liquor store to fill the site.
• A few residents noted that the KFC site had not been shoveled during recent snowstorms. Mr. Millstein said that he will make sure the site is shoveled and maintained year round.
• Gary Cohen of Willco Development and Jeff Goins of PGN Architects walked through their plans for a proposed 5-unit residential development at 732 15th St. SE. Mr. Cohen said that he would like to provide parking on the site but cannot because there is only a five foot wide entrance to the property from Freedom Way SE (zoning requires 9 feet for a vehicle entrance).
• A number of residents voiced support for the project, saying that the new development could spur further development and improve public safety at the corner of 15th and Penn. Most said that parking in the area was an issue during day – commuters with Ward 6 stickers park in the neighborhood and walk to the nearby Potomac Avenue Metro. A few neighbors did mention difficulty finding parking spots at night.
• I noted that the full commission had received a petition signed by 16 individuals opposed to the project due to the lack of parking. I shared that I had been in contact with Councilmember Wells’ office and that the Councilmember was willing to consider asking DDOT to conduct a study of the area to see if additional parking spaces could be made available. One potential area for more spaces is the eastern side of the 700 block of 15th St SE. 

Thanks to all of the residents who showed up, waited patiently through the agenda, and weighed in on these two projects. The committee’s recommendation is just a recommendation – the full commission will vote on both of these projects at ANC 6B’s February full commission meeting next Tues., Feb. 1, 7 pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS (522 7th St. SE – the old Safeway building). Only two commissioners were unable to attend last night’s meeting – Ivan Frishberg (6B02) and Brian Pate (6B05).
 
Any thoughts about last night’s meeting or the two proposed projects? Please comment below.