Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A  

  “Serving the Foggy Bottom and West End communities of Washington, D.C.”

 

Special Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, March 4, 2014; 7:00 p.m.

School Without Walls – 2130 G Street NW

 

 

Call to Order

 

Chair Patrick Kennedy (01) called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm. Commissioners,

Rebecca Coder (02), Asher Corson (03), Graham Galka (05), Florence Harmon (06),

Jackson Carnes (07), and Peter Sacco (08) were present.

 

Commissioner Carnes made a motion to adopt the agenda. Commissioner Corson

seconded the motion, which was vote on and passed (VOTES: 7-0).

 

 

Regulatory Agenda

 

Proposal to Reconsider the Commission’s position on B20-0615, the "Closing of a

Portion of the Public Alley and Acceptance of Dedication of Land for Alley Purposes in

Square 75, S.O. 12-03806, Act of 2013.”

 

Commissioner Sacco stated that he would be recusing himself from discussing and voting

on the matter. Commissioner Coder stated that she intended to abstain from voting on the

matter.

 

Commissioner Corson, who called for the Special Meeting with Commissioner Carnes,

gave an overview of the history of the Square 75 alley closing process, including the

previous positions taken by ANC 2A on the matter.

 

Commissioner Corson also highlighted how, at a recent alley closing hearing in front of

the DC Council’s Committee of the Whole, the DC Surveyor testified to the fact that the

DC Government was losing approximately $500,000 as a result of the alley closing. This

$500,000 was calculated based on the differing land values of the pieces of the alley that

were being added and closed to create the final, proposed alley. Commissioner Corson

concluded by stating that he believed GW should pay the DC government for the full

value of the net loss of land value as result of the alley closing.

 

There was a lengthy conversation between the Commissioners; Barbara Kahlow, a

neighborhood resident; and David Avitabile, GW’s counsel for the Square 75 project, on

the legality of conditionally supporting the alley closing provided GW compensate the

DC government for the net loss of land value.

 

Once discussion on the matter had ended, Commissioner Corson made a motion to

rescind ANC 2A’s previous position on the Square 75 alley closure to conditionally

 

 

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support the alley closure with the condition that GW compensate the DC government for

the full net loss of land value. Commissioner Carnes seconded the

motion. Commissioner Corson requested a roll call vote. The final votes were 2-3-1,

with Commissioner Coder abstaining and Commissioner Sacco recusing himself. The

motion did not pass.

 

Roll Call Vote:

 

Commissioner Galka: Nay

Commissioner Corson: Yea

Commissioner Carnes: Yea

Chair Kennedy: Nay

Commissioner Harmon: Nay

Commissioner Coder: Abstain

Commissioner Sacco: Recused

 

 

Chair Kennedy adjourned the meeting at 7:58 pm.

 

 

 

Respectfully submitted by Peter Sacco, ANC 2A Secretary.

 

 

 

 

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