1D01: Yasmin Romero-Latin Mount Pleasant 1D04: Phil Greiner
Commission
1D02: Adam Hoey
Chairperson 1D05: China Boak Terrell
1D03: Jack McKay
Secretary and Treasurer 1380 Monroe St NW, #117 website: www.anc1d.org
Minutes of the May 20, 2014 meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1-D
These minutes accepted at the ______, 2014 meeting.
Call to order
[7:07 pm] Chair Adam Hoey called the May meeting of ANC1D to order at 7:07 pm. Three of the five
commissioners were present: China, Adam, and Jack, constituting a quorum. Jack attempted to link Yasmin
in via Skype, but was unsuccessful.
Public Discussion
[7:07 pm] The meeting was opened to public discussion. Phil Greiner arrived at 7:15 pm.
Secretary’s report
[7:22 pm] Jack asked if there were corrections to the minutes of the April 15 2014 meeting. No corrections were
offered, and the minutes were declared accepted.
Treasurer’s report
[7:23 pm] Jack asked if there were any concerns about two routine expenditures: Tony Grillo, $50, postering for
the April meeting; Hearsay Interpreting, $100, for Spanish interpreting at this meeting. No concerns or
objections to these expenditures were expressed by the commissioners.
Mount Pleasant School Attendance Zones
[7:24 pm] China introduced the following resolution, incorporating a friendly amendment by Jack:
RESOLVED, that ANC1D advises the Deputy Mayor of Education, and the DC Advisory Committee on
Student Assignment, as follows:
• The southern boundary of Bancroft Elementary should be shifted to Harvard Street;
• Bancroft should be a feeder school for Deal MS and Wilson HS; and
• The attendance zones for Deal MS and Wilson HS should encompass the entire attendance zone for
Bancroft ES.
Why: It is important to improve choices for all DC Families. The Bancroft-Deal-Wilson feeder pattern is
ANC1D meeting minutes, May 20, 2014, p. 1 of 3
good for both Mount Pleasant and the city as a whole because it helps promote local and city wide student
and school development. Access to Deal and Wilson provides excellent educational opportunities to
Bancroft students, who are 74 percent Hispanic and 77 percent low income.
The feeder pattern contributes to diversity at Deal and Wilson, helping young people and their parents to
form friendships that bridge the east-west divide in our city. It also helps encourage middle class families to
remain committed to the District's public schools well beyond the point where their children turn middle
school age. And in this way, the city continues to attract the critical tax revenues required to improve
teachers and schools overall.
Bancroft Elementary has recently made progress in truly becoming our neighborhood’s elementary school.
A foundation of that progress is the guaranteed path from Bancroft Elementary to Deal MS and Wilson HS,
a feeder pattern which encourages families to send their children to Bancroft and to set down roots in
Mount Pleasant. If this feeder pattern is lost, there would likely be an exodus of Mount Pleasant children
from Bancroft, as parents again seek to place their children in west-of-the-park elementary schools, for
assurance of a path to Deal and Wilson. This would cause great harm to the process of Bancroft becoming
Mount Pleasant's neighborhood elementary school.
As for the alignment of attendance zones, that is a technical change that aligns the rights based on address
to those based on feeder patterns. This technical change reduces complexity and does not alter the existing
feeder rights of Bancroft students.
Finally, as for the shifting of Bancroft's southern boundary from Irving Street to Harvard Street, that is a
change that is consistent with the traditional boundaries of Mount Pleasant, and will contribute to the school
in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood being Mount Pleasant's neighborhood school.
Passed, 4 to 0 vote.
Supporting a parklet pilot program (unfinished business)
[7:33 pm] Adam's resolution concerning a pilot parklet program for Mount Pleasant was brought up. The text of
that resolution was replaced with the following:
ANC1D advises the District Department of Transportation to provide technical assistance to the businesses
and others developing a proposal for a parklet pilot program in Mount Pleasant. ANC1D is interested in the
concept as possibly enhancing a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere in Mount Pleasant. We look forward to
determining the details and vetting the proposal with the community before a final judgment is made.
Why: Parklet programs have been successfully implemented in cities across the country including San
Francisco, Austin, Portland, New York and Philadelphia. The concept provides a way to leverage public
space to stimulate local business, sustainability and to improve the customer user experience. Parklets have
unique designs which can complement the usage needs and cultural character of a neighborhood. The
concept was presented at a meeting in March to local business and property owners and was well received.
DDOT is researching and developing parklet policy now and is open to proposals and participation from
DC neighborhoods.
Passed, 4 to 0 vote.
BZA Application #18783, 1809 Kenyon St
[8:01 pm] China introduced the following resolution:
Resolved, that ANC1D advises the Board of Zoning Adjustment to approve the "special exception"
application for 1809 Kenyon St NW, Case Number 18783.
Why: ANC1D agrees that this special exception is "in harmony with the general purpose and intent of the
ANC1D meeting minutes, May 20, 2014, p. 2 of 3
Zoning Regulations and Zoning Maps", and "will not tend to affect adversely, the use of neighboring
property in accordance with the Zoning Regulations and Zoning Maps". The property in question is on an
alley that is virtually solid with automobile garages and back-yard fences. Building a new garage on that
alley will be wholly in harmony with the practices of the neighbors. The garage would not only have no
adverse effect on the neighbors, but would enhance the physical security of the neighboring homes, as the
absence of a garage at that spot provides an opening for surreptitious access to the neighboring homes.
The Commission is content to have the BZA deal with this application as an Expedited Review.
Passed, 4 to 0 vote.
Supporting a Friends of Lamont Park application (unfinished business)
[8:04 pm] Adam asked, and the commission agreed, to table this until the June meeting.
Mount Pleasant Street Treebox cleaning
[8:04 pm] Adam introduced the following matter:
Request to donate $1245.88 to the Mount Pleasant Business Association to pay Rudi for Spring cleaning to
treeboxes along Mount Pleasant St. and Lamont park.
The commission requested more detailed information on this effort and, by unanimous consent, tabled the
matter until the June meeting.
Adjournment
[8:13 pm] The meeting was adjourned at 8:13 pm.
ANC1D meeting minutes, May 20, 2014, p. 3 of 3