DDOT to Discuss 17th Street SE, Status of Capitol Hill Transportation Study at June 5 Meeting

May 29, 2012

The “17th Street Speedway” will be a topic for discussion at the June 5 ANC 6B Transportation Committee meeting.

Representatives from the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) will discuss the status of the Capitol Hill Transportation Study during ANC 6B’s Transportation Committee meeting on Wednesday, June 6, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at Payne Elementary School, 1445 C Street SE.

The Capitol Hill Transportation Study was an extensive, year-long study by DDOT to identify and propose solutions to traffic issues and problems across Capitol Hill.  Among the study’s major recommendations was a proposal to turn 17th Street SE, 19th Street SE and Independence Avenue SE into two-way streets as a way to reduce traffic volume and speed through the neighborhood.

While the study was released in December 2006, DDOT has not implemented a number of the study’s recommendations, including the 17th, 19th and Independence Avenue SE recommendation. On June 6, I plan to ask DDOT representatives the following questions:

  • Is DDOT still considering the recommendation to make 17th, 19th and Independence Avenue SE two-way streets? If so, how do they plan on seeking neighborhood feedback? What is the timeline? And have they collected updated traffic data on the street, particularly since traffic has significantly increased over the past 2-3 years?
  • What other traffic calming measures is DDOT prepared to implement along 17th, 19th and Independence Avenue SE to slow traffic down?
  • Truck traffic is a major nuisance in Hill East. Has there been any thought to limiting/prohibiting truck traffic on local streets and encouraging trucks to use the 11th Street bridge?
  • Can 17th Street SE be re-paved soon?
  • Does DDOT still have plans to improve Barney Circle SE? And will the fence at Barney Circle ever get fixed?
  • Does DDOT have plans to improve the Potomac Avenue Metro plaza, particularly for pedestrians?

If you have other questions for DDOT, please post them below.

Thanks to Principal Vielka Scott-Marcus for allowing us to hold this meeting at Payne Elementary School.

2 Comments | 17th Street SE, 19th Street SE, ANC 6B, Transportation | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Reservation 13: AG Declines to Provide Written Opinion to ANC 6B

May 25, 2012

During ANC 6B’s May 15 special call meeting on Reservation 13, the commission passed a resolution (pdf) that included a request that the Office of Attorney General provide  a written legal opinion on the litigation risks associated with the District immediately seeking Best and Final Offers from the two development teams that responded to the 2010 request for BAFOs on parcels F1 and G1.

In a May 23 letter (pdf), Attorney General Irvin Nathan notified that the commission that his office has declined the commission’s request, stating that “my office is not in a position to share with third parties, or the public at large, the nature of its internal legal advisory communications with District agencies.” The Attorney General did confirm that his office had been in “consultation” with the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) on the Hill East Waterfront.

The next step is to ask DMPED to provide a copy of the written opinion they received from the Office of Attorney General. During the May 15 meeting, Deputy Mayor Hoskins said he would be happy to provide such an opinion. I’m looking forward to reviewing it.

Leave a Comment » | Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Vacant Building Enforcement on ANC 6B Task Force Agenda

May 22, 2012

Vacant apartment building at 321 18th Street SE.

Tomorrow night (Wed., May 23), ANC 6B’s Outreach and Constituent Services Task Force meeting will feature Reuben Pemberton, Director of the Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) Vacant Building Enforcement. The meeting will take place at 7:00 pm in the Frager’s Conference Room at the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE). As always, the meeting is open to all.

The agenda will include:

  • Overview of District’s laws and processes for dealing with Vacant and Blighted Property
  • What makes a property Vacant or Blighted?
  • Effectiveness of program in returning properties to productive use
  • Role of residents and neighbors in the Vacant and Blighted program
  • Presentation of ANC6B consolidated list of potential vacant or blighted properties
  • Q&A

I’m currently compiling a list of vacant buildings in 6B09. If you know of a vacant building on your block, please e-mail me and I will add it to the list. You can also e-mail VacantBuildings@dc.gov.

For more information on Pemberton and the Vacant Building Enforcement unit, check out this May 11 Washington City Paper Housing Complex blog post.

Leave a Comment » | ANC 6B | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

Friday Updates: Birds, Vacant Property, PeterBug Day Parade

May 18, 2012
  • The birds are back on the 1600 block of Potomac Avenue SE, and, unfortunately, the city is not doing anything to address the problem. Every May and June, thousands of starlings roost in the large trees on Potomac Avenue during the early evening and early morning hours. The sidewalk and cars get absolutely covered in bird waste, and the odor is a major health hazard. It was so bad three years ago that the postal service ceased delivering mail to homes on the block due to health concerns. The Mayor’s Office has known about this problem for over a year, yet there is no plan for addressing the issue. I am working with residents to push the city to find a solution and will continue to post updates.
  • ANC 6B’s Outreach and Constituent Service Task Force will talk vacant properties with Rueben Pemberton, director of the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) Vacant Property Unit , on Wednesday, May 23, 7 pm at the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE). To prepare for the meeting, I’m doing an inventory of all the vacant buildings in 6B09. Please let me know if you have a vacant property on your block. You can also e-mail vacantproperty@dc.gov to report the property directly to DCRA.
  • The Friends of Watkins and Buchanan Parks are hosting the 35th Annual PeterBug Day Parade and Festival this Saturday, May 19. The parade begins at 10:00 am  at 18th and E Streets SE near the main entrance to Congressional Cemetery (lineup begins at 9:30 am). The parade will feature marching bands, Congressional Cemetery dogwalkers, antique cars, etc. and will end at 13th Street SE (PeterBug Matthews Way and E Street SE). The festival will be from 12:00 noon to 6:30 pm at 13th and E Streets SE. You can e-mail John “PeterBug” Matthews at shoeshopboyz@gmail.com if you would like to participate in the parade.

Leave a Comment » | ANC 6B, Congressional Cemetery | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

ANC 6B Res. 13 Special Call Meeting: To Re-Bid or Not Re-Bid

May 16, 2012

We had a great turnout at last night’s ANC 6B Reservation 13 Special Call Meeting to discuss the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development’s plans for parcels F1 and G1 on the site. Unfortunately, we may be looking at another year+ of process before the city selects a developer. Extremely frustrating.

Here were my takeaways:

  • As expected, Deputy Mayor Hoskins announced that instead of seeking best and final offers from the two developers who responded to the 2010 request to develop parcels F1 and G1, his office plans to issue a new request for proposals for the two parcels. The reason? DMPED has received a legal opinion from the Office of Attorney General stating that not re-issuing the request for proposals would subject the city to potential litigation. I’m personally skeptical that the litigation risks associated with choosing one of the two responding developers are higher than the litigation risk that comes with any proposed development. ANC 6B is requesting that the Office of Attorney General provide a written legal opinion on this issue. The commission’s preference would be for DMPED to seek best and final offers from the developers that bid in 2010, which would get the long-stalled project moving sooner.
  • Some new information – I asked Deputy Mayor Hoskins directly if the city had ruled out a proposed Redskins training facility for parcels F1 and G1. He said that F1 and G1 are “off the table” for a proposed training facility but did not rule out using the remaining parcels for such a facility. Deputy Mayor Hoskins’ statement a proposed training facility was “never on the table” for Reservation 13 was extremely confusing, given that Mayor Gray has said a number of times that he would like to see a training facility at the site. Until I hear Mayor Gray say the training facility is off the table, it is still on the table in my view.
  • DMPED appears ready to eliminate language from the 2010 request that gave the winning development team for parcels F1 and G1 the “right of first refusal” to develop the rest of the site. I strongly disagree with this decision and feel that any new request should include this language. If nothing else, it requires development teams who bid on parcels F1 and G1 to develop plans with the entire site in mind.
  • After hearing from the Deputy Mayor, his team and the community, ANC 6B approved a resolution that, in lieu of an opinion by the Office of Attorney General, urges DMPED to immediately seek Best and Final Offers from the two developers who responded to the 2010 request. This is exactly what Mayor Gray directed DMPED to do during the March 22, 2012 Reservation 13 community meeting. The commission is also asking the Mayor and DMPED to develop a phased plan for preparing infrastructure for full development of the site and for addressing the future of community/social services at the site.
  • Deputy Mayor Hoskins announced that he and his team would be meeting with Ward 7 ANC commissioners next month to get their feedback on the site.
  • ANC 6B is also sending a letter to the Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs asking for clarification as to why DCRA continues to classify Reservation 13 as “unzoned” for purposes of building/construction permit applications. The site is zoned as the “Hill East District.”

A big thanks to all who attended. And I also want to thank Deputy Mayor Victor Hoskins and his team for attending the meeting and answering commission and resident questions. I’ll post ANC 6B”s resolution in the next day or so.

Please post your takeaways from the meeting below.

1 Comment | Reservation 13/Hill East Waterfront | Permalink
Posted by bflahaven

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