ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 3C
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
CATHEDRAL HEIGHTS CLEVELAND PARK
MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE HEIGHTS
McLEAN GARDENS WOODLEY PARK
Single Member District Commissioners 3601 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite L-06
01-Lee Brian Reba * 02-Gwendolyn Bole * 03-Jeffrey Kaliel Washington, DC 20008
04-Richard Steacy * 05-Margaret Siegel * 06-Carl Roller Website http://www.anc3c.org
MINUTES
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C
April 21, 2014 Public Meeting
2D MPD Community Room
7:00PM
I. Establishment of Quorum:
At 7:08pm Commissioner Roller acknowledged that, with five commissioners being present, a quorum had been
established and called to order Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C’s (ANC3C) regular public meeting on
March 17, 2014. The meeting took place in the Community Room of MPD 2D, 3220 Idaho Avenue NW. Other
commissioners present were Margaret Siegal, Victor Silveira, Catherine May and Gwen Bole. Commissioners
MacWood and Kaliel arrived at 7:09 and 7:17pm, respectively. Commissioner Reba arrived at 7:30 due to
constituent communications related to recent and today’s shooting incident near the National Zoo, and
Commissioner Bole arrived at 7:32pm.
II. Verification of Notice (List serves: CP,WP, MAHCA, CAH, MG, OG, QH, Ward3DC, and NWC, Twitter)
Commissioner Roller verified that notice was given on the ANC3C website, local community list serves, Twitter,
and in the Northwest Current newspaper.
III. Approval of Agenda
Commissioner Roller requested to postpone the application for 3070 Porter Street, NW. Commissioner Siegel
requested deferment of the HPRB application for 2926 Porter Street NW. Commissioner May requested the
WMATA discussion be moved to Commission Business. Agenda amendments were approved via unanimous voice
vote. Commissioner Roller moved the following agenda:
I. Establishment of Quorum
II. Verification of Notice (List serves: CP,WP, MAHCA, CAH, MG, OG, QH, Ward3DC, and NWC, Twitter)
III. Approval of Agenda
IV. Discussion with Metropolitan police Department regarding Public Safety in Woodley Park
V. Announcements
VI. Community Forum
VII. Consent Calendar
• Consideration of an HPRB application for solar panels at 3533 Quebec St NW
VIII. Commission Business
a) Discussion with DPW Management regarding trash collection during inclement weather.
b) Consideration of Resolution regarding WMATA Consolidation of 30s Bus Line on Wisconsin Ave NW
c) Consideration of a public space application for a double curb cut for 2804 34th Place NW
d) Consideration of an application for 3306 Porter St.
e) Consideration of a resolution on ZZR Elimination of the Diplomatic Overlay
f) Consideration of a resolution regarding the Zoning Regulations involving Tree Protection Issues.
IX. ANC Coordination Issues
a. Mayor
b. Council
c. ANCs
X. Officer's Reports, SMD Reports, Committee Reports, and Administration Issues
a) Approval of Minutes from the March 17, 2014 Meeting
b) Treasurer’s Report: Approval of 2014 Budget
c) SMD Reports
d) Administrative Issue:
• Office Lease Renewal
• Discontinue paper filing (with exceptions)
• Dropbox upgrade vs. Amazon cloud storage
• Discontinue paper filing (with exceptions)
• Dropbox upgrade vs. Amazon cloud storage
XI. Adjournment
IV. Discussion with Metropolitan police Department regarding Public Safety in Woodley Park:
Commissioner Roller gave a brief overview of the purpose of this briefing: on April 14, 2014 there were reports
of a discharge of a firearm multiple times, altercations at the Zoo and in the neighborhood, obstruction of
traffic, and destruction of property. There will be a separate community forum on April 23, at Stanford
University, located at 2661 Connecticut Avenue NW, at 7:30pm.
Capt. Gresham from MPD 2D led the discussion. Every year there is a major event at the Zoo, Family Day.
Individuals from other neighborhoods, who are at odds with each other, want to settle differences at the Zoo.
An individual fired a weapon into the air in the 2600 block of Woodley and fled when police were notified. An
individual was stopped but there was not enough information to charge them.
Today a number of individuals became unruly at the National Zoo. Zoo Police asked them to leave and MPD
was notified. The end result was that two individuals were wounded at this time, one in the hand and one in
the arm. The shooter is still at large at this time and is not believed to be a serial shooter. The Zoo maintains
a close partnership with al the law enforcement agencies, such as park police, zoo police, and Homeland
Security.
Community concerns were numerous. The following list outlines the majority of the concerns.
1. If this is gang related, can zoo limit access on this particular day to such things as families with children?
MPD asked the Zoo to cancel live entertainment this year (crowds not at large this year). It is up to the zoo
to limit access, and this is a legal issue.
2. How will MPD plan in the future to prevent this? Participants post in social media and intelligence groups
have been gathering this information and sharing with MPD to work on mitigating outbursts. In addition a
number of retired officers work in conjunction with Zoo Police or as Zoo Police; there is no issue getting
real time info.
3. Can you confirm if there were other weapons at the Zoo? No other confirmation of weapons at the zoo.
4. What is the role of Park Police? They have been supportive. They monitor our zones in 2D, and we
continue to work closely together.
5. What was the police staffing like at this event? 43 assigned to the zoo area (PSA 204), heaviest in the
evenings (6 assigned to zoo). Heavy traffic: perimeter monitored, but there are no MPD inside the zoo.
No increased monitoring because there was no intelligence forthcoming indicating that there were
disruptions planned.
6. Why didn’t MPD prohibit the shooter from going into the zoo? MPD doesn’t know all the individuals
involved. Cannot really search people who might be bringing guns into the zoo, as it is a violation of 4th
amendment right. No indication that the incident would take place today. The disruptive individuals had
been asked to leave the zoo. Officers were patrolling Connecticut Avenue. A number of fights did
occurred throughout the time period, but did not involve any arrests as witnesses could not positive
identify the shooter.
7. Did MPD alert the community of the discharge of the weapon / Institutions need to be told by MPD that it is
safe or not safe / No community notification is not acceptable / School was closed-aftercare programs in
process / Officers should have notified the schools. PD had officers in the area alerting people entering
and exiting the Metro, but no posting on the List serves.
8. Will Commander Reese be making a public statement from MPD? There was one about an hour ago, but it
is still active investigation. MPD has increased patrols in the area, added a decoy car, intelligence agencies
and Homeland Security are aggressively monitoring social media. We will go over planning issues to better
prepare for next year.
9. What is the role of non-MPD agencies in the community? Those agencies do not usually patrol outside their
area. Zoo police are only powerful in the Zoo. The Park Police can go out of DC so they have more power.
US Secret Service has been helpful.
10. Can you consider closing the Zoo tomorrow to show community they have an understanding that things are
under control? Not at this time.
11. There were three fights on Monday - is this normal? Zoo has its own police department and process arrests
at their own facilities. Easter weekend seems to be the weekend when increased incidents occur at the
zoo.
V. Announcements:
a. Michael Chambers, of the DC Community Heritage Project announced that grants of up to $2500 are
available to documents the culture/history/heritage of your community (building, festival, etc.).
Applications are due May 9, 2014.
b. Commissioner Bole announced that she participated in the Age Friendly DC Walkabout, assessing the
condition of the neighborhood sidewalks. Single member districts 3C04, 3C05, 3C07 and 3C08 are still in
need of assessment.
c. Judy Hubbard, Assistant Director of Constituent Services, and John Cheeks introduced themselves.
VI. Community Forum: nothing forthcoming
VII. Consent Calendar
a. Consideration of an HPRB application for solar panels at 3533 Quebec St NW:
Commissioner May moved to approve the Consent Calendar. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote.
VIII. Commission Business
a. Discussion with DPW Management regarding trash collection during inclement weather: Commissioner May
provided a brief overview of the rational for the discussion and focused on how DPW decides when trash
will be collected following a snow emergency.
Mr. Howland, Director of Public Works addressed the audience. 15 years ago the DC government
separated trash collections from snow removal operations. 600 people deal with snow removal, while 250
deal with trash collections. This past winter there were 28 snow events in which personnel were
deployed. DPW could not get through the alleys on a couple of those days and the DC government was
closed for 3 days. Trash collections have never been shifted due to inclement weather, like it does for
major holidays. There have never been as many missed trash collections as DC has seen this year. There
were widespread misses in trash pick up, instead of the usual few blocks here and there. There were
numerous missed days in December, January, and February, and this was coupled with personnel
absences. The combination of factors caused the problem.
Supercans: The distribution of Supercans was faster than expected. Ten people were hired today to help
pick up the old supercans, but DPW is still about three weeks behind. The 96-gallon supercans are a
safety measure in the event of a missed trash pickup, and it helps deter rodents. If one person calls DPW
about a supercan pickup, the staff will pick up all the cans on that alleyway. Please make sure the cans
have the yellow sticker on them. The old supercans should be placed where their collection point is. If
your sticker has blown off, feel free to label it in any way to indicate that it needs to be picked up.
Maintenance of median strips: medians are under the purview of DPW. If it is a small park in the middle
of the road, it is under the jurisdiction of the Park Service. Mowing of parks is an ongoing concern,
especially the triangle parks on Massachusetts Avenue.
Fort Totten is now open every Saturday for hazardous waste. Document shredding is only on the first
Saturday of the month. A contractor handles the waste as they are certified handlers, thus hazardous
materials cannot be left during the week.
b. Consideration of an HPRB application for patio and surface parking lot proposal for 2926 Porter St.:
Commissioner Siegel provided the overview for this application. The building is a 1923 nonconforming
apartment building, but contributing to the Cleveland Park Historic District. The developer will convert
19 apartment units to 23 condo units. There will be no expansion of outdoor space. Doug Euresko of
Adams Investment Group, representing The Lantana, provided additional information. Exterior work:
creation of terrace pods of green space garden areas around the perimeter of the building. In addition,
the plan is to create pervious asphalt and add parking spaces along the rear (7 on the south, 3 on the
west, 3 on the east side). There is existing asphalt that would remain. Trash area would remain in
current site.
Neighbors were represented by community member Glen Zwicker, who expressed concerns about safety
risks in the alley, that it was not designed to handle additional parking, light noise pollution are concerns,
there are 10 existing balconies, which will remain. 12 pods would be created. Drainage and
environmental concerns also presented in a letter read to the Commission. All neighbors are single-family
residences; current green areas provided screening for the neighbors. Additional parking is not necessary
as the building is one block to metro station, bike shares, and public transportation.
Commissioner Siegel read and moved a resolution on this matter. After a bit of brief rebuttal by Mr.
Euresko the Commission voted to oppose the application by a roll call vote of 8-0.
c. Consideration of a public space application for a double curb cut for 2804 34th Place NW:
Commissioner May provided an overview on this issue. Nurray Noa, of NOA Architects, also provided
details of the project. Most of the project is interior remodeling but the current garage is only a 1.5 car
garage. The owners would like a 2-car garage and they cannot expand the current attached garage. They
can build detached garage but needs a 12-foot setback from center of alley. There is a poplar tree that is
greater than 55 inches in circumference in the way. The lot is a double lot and according to zoning, it can
have a 19’ curb cut. The current plan would need two garage doors as a structural necessity.
Colleen Dailey spoke on behalf of several neighbors. A lot of street parking occurs, the impact is intense
and losing two spaces would be detrimental to the neighborhood. The look and feel would be impacted
as well. Restore Mass Avenue Heights group noticed that the large oak tree in public space couldn’t
remain if the curb cut is granted.
NOTE: Commissioner Kaliel left the meeting at 8:22pm.
Commissioner May read and moved a resolution on this issue. The motion to object to the curb cut was
passed by a roll-call vote of 7-0.
d. Consideration of an HPRB application for 3306 Porter St. NW:
Commissioner Siegel provided the background on this application, noting that the house is
noncontributing. Bernie Gay, architect, provided additional details. The Application is to add an
addition to rear of the house. Proposal is to compile previous additions into one façade. The new
addition will extend out about four feet and tie in with the existing additions. The sides will be brick and
rear will be siding. The current windows are original to the structure, and the new windows would be
wood but not single paned.
Commissioner Siegel read and moved a resolution on this issue. The motion to approve the application
passed with a roll-call vote of 7-0.
e. Consideration of a resolution on ZZR Elimination of the Diplomatic Overlay:
Commissioner May provided information on this issue. She read and moved a resolution opposing the
elimination of the Diplomatic Overlay. Commissioner Bole offered a friendly amendment, which was
accepted. The motion passed by a roll-call vote of 7-0.
f. Consideration of a resolution regarding the Zoning Regulations involving Tree Protection Issues.
Commissioner May provided a brief background on this matter, asking that UFA compile standards that
must be adhered to by Zoning, and citing other arborists recommendations as standards. One item for
consideration is how far from a driveway apron can a tree be planted for safety reasons. Commission
questions included whether there has been any investigation into “canopy streets”. Commissioner May
noted that this is driven by the canopy replacement.
Commissioner May read and moved a resolution adopting tree protection issues. The motion passed by a
roll-call vote of 7-0.
g. Consideration of Resolution regarding WMATA Consolidation of 30s Bus Line on Wisconsin Ave NW:
Commissioner May provided some background on this issue. The consolidation issue is comingled with a
previous ANC3C resolution regarding the moving of the bus stop on Wisconsin Avenue at Edmunds Street.
Commissioner May read and moved a resolution on this issue. Commissioner MacWood offered a friendly
amendment, which was accepted. Commissioner MacWood noted that she was opposed to consolidation
of stops in her SMD until more information is gathered.
The motion to object to the bus stop consolidation plan as currently outlined was approved by a roll-call
vote of 7-0.
IX. ANC Coordination Issues
a. Mayor: Michael Fabricant sent word apologizing for missing the meeting as he is out of town.
b. Council: Judy Hubbard noted that Councilmember Mary Cheh is actively talking to the Smithsonian
National Zoo Director Kelly and Commander Reese about recent community incidents.
c. ANCs: no issues at this time.
X. Officer's Reports, SMD Reports, Committee Reports, and Administration Issues
a) Approval of Minutes from the March 17, 2014 Meeting: Minutes were approved by unanimous voice vote.
b) Treasurer’s Report: Approval of 2014 Budget. Commissioner Siegel noted that ANC3C has not received a
schedule of due dates and she is not sure when next quarterly report due. Emails have been sent, and
Commissioner Siegel will follow up with the Auditor on due dates.
c) SMD Reports
01: Dunkin Donuts did not file signage permit. HPRB is sending inspector to review signage. DCRA is
conducting a site review. Trash at National Zoo – we need a collaborative community effort to clean up
the corridor. Look into Deputy Mayor for public safety talk about safety in the city – perhaps May or June
meeting depending on availability.
02: Steep hill on west side of 29th street. Trees fall from there about every 2 years. 1870 law and
regulations require homeowners whose property abuts the city-owned slope to look after the city trees.
The city says it is not the city’s responsibility. Have been in contact with Department of the Environment
to look at watershed issues and make some recommendation.
05: New bench in front of Engine Company 28 with footrest.
07: Washington Gas and the 3800 block Cleveland Place. $35000 charged to hook up to gas line.
Beginning in early 2000s, Washington Gas can charge consumers to connect to the main line, at a per foot
charge, roughly $200 per foot depending on how deep they go.
07: Embassy Church: have a number of local residents. Will check with Councilmember Cheh’s office to
see what the legal environment /regulatory body for a church to become a hotel, frat house, etc. Any
help is greatly appreciated on this matter.
08: St Albans is building its fields. Glover park has not redone the striping yet. It was supposed to have
started April 1. Will ask PS to keep May date for curb cut issue.
09: Abigail Smith has been asked to come to May meeting re: boundary proposals. Record on the Zoning
rewrite has been extended to Sept. 15, 2014. Governmental appointments are being made and it is likely
the Council will consider extending acting appointees to serve longer than 6 months so no confirmation
hearings before general election.
d) Administrative Issue:
1) Office Lease Renewal: Commissioner Roller moved that this be moved into Executive Session for
discussion. The expenditure will be approved in the General Session.
At 10:14pm the Commission went into Executive Session to discuss negotiation of a sublease for office space.
Commissioner May moved to authorized the Chair to negotiate a draft sublease from Cleveland & Woodley Park
Village (“the Village”), with ANC3C as the sublease, and to submit the draft to the Commission for ratification at
its May meeting. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote.
At 10:23pm, the Commission returned to General Session and continued with the agenda.
2) Discontinue paper filing (with exceptions): Commissioner Roller noted that there is no Procurement
requirement. We may use ANC funds for digitizing. Commissioner Silveira moved a resolution
authorizing Balancing Images to collect the ANC3C generated chronological files for digitization and
expenditures for Amazon Cloud storage. The motion was approved by a roll–call vote of 7-0.
Commissioner Roller moved to approve up to $600 to relocate the office once the lease is signed with
the Village. The motion was approved by a unanimous voice vote.
3) Dropbox upgrade vs. Amazon cloud storage: Per above resolution, the Commission approved increasing
the Dropbox storage space until such time as the Amazon Cloud storage is available.
XI. Adjournment: Commissioner May moved to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
Meeting was adjourned at 10:28pm.