Commentary: ANC 5D Meeting January 2021
Notably, the ANC is full once again, with commissioner in attendance. Zachary Hoffman was elected to represent SMD 5D06, the lowest third of Trinidad. (I live here.) This district hasn’t had a representative since Jason Burkett resigned in March — ahead of the deadline for a special election — and the Board of Elections allegedly slow-rolled the vacancy right into the pandemic, so the seat has sat empty. Hoffman said at the meeting he was working through a gigantic email backlog and that if anyone sent a message to the 5D06 email in the last three months he would get to it eventually.
Very quickly the new ANC voted on some administrative items: paying into the ANC security fund (which insures against fraud), adopting the same calendar as last term (with July and August off) and electing new officers. Please note that there are now two different Commissioner Moores, so I’ll add their first names as well.
Secretary: Latoya Moore
Treasurer: Stephen Cobb
Vice Chair: Zachary Hoffman
Chair: Sydelle Moore
Comm. Sydelle Moore, who served last term (along with Comm. Blacknell), was previously Vice Chair, and she has a firm grasp of procedure and crucially, timing. It’s very difficult to keep things on time, but Comm. Sydelle Moore was able to actually get ahead of schedule at one point during the meeting!
This write-up will be brief, but I wanted to note a very important Covid-related issue: vaccinate.dc.gov, the portal for residents 65 and up to sign up for the coronavirus vaccine, is now open. (It says that all appointments are taken but you can sign up to be notified when more are available.) Elders not familiar with the internet can call 311 or they can directly call the hotline at 855-363-0333. Please be a good neighbor and share this information with your elderly neighbors in a safe way. I’m happy to facilitate efforts to do this here.
Much of the voting actions at the meeting involved zoning cases that have already taken up hours of public meeting time. At this point, I can tell you all about the situation with the windows facing the neighbor’s property at 1638 Trinidad Avenue, and I was relieved that the ANC finally voted to support the case.
There was an interesting update about a project at 1701 H Street, past the starburst intersection, in Carver-Langston. Months ago, before I started these write ups, the developer presented plans to the ANC. The project had already been approved, before the previous term even. Zachary Hoffman, who had not been elected yet, made it known from the audience that he was disappointed that the project merely hit the legal minimum of 8% of inclusionary zoning units required for new apartment buildings.
Flash forward to Tuesday night. Hoffman, now a commissioner, said “I think maybe I owe you an apology,” to Michael Perine, the developer. “I was very aggressive,” he said. However, Perine was gracious and happy to report that his company had worked with Comm. Sydelle Moore to understand the pushback. They have since taken the response so seriously that they reconsidered part of the building’s height. The project will now have an additional ten units, all of which will be rated at 50% AMI. As I remember Comm. Sydelle Moore saying months ago, “elections do matter,” and so do comments at ANC meetings, apparently!
Commissioner Stephen Cobb announced that because of a recent job move to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, he will have to recuse himself on zoning votes. This is likely to be a disappointment for ANC 5D02 residents, who may have voted for Cobb because of his work creating and serving on the Zoning subcommittee, as well as for Greater Greater Washington, who endorsed Cobb partly because of his positions on housing.
Two more notes:
Commissioner Sauceda-Guzman announced his intention to revive the Trinidad Neighborhood Association, and invited neighbors to fill out a survey on his website.
Also, Comm. Sydelle Moore offered words of warning about security around President-Elect Biden’s inauguration next week. “If you see folks in your neighborhood who are up to no good, call 911,” she said. “We don’t want to take any chances of that violence spreading.”
Apologies for no drawing this time and the very late timing of the post, but, we’ve all had quite a week! Image is a screenshot from the meeting itself.
Commissioner Stephen Cobb announced that because of a recent job move to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, he will have to recuse himself on zoning votes. This is likely to be a disappointment for ANC 5D02 residents, who may have voted for Cobb because of his work creating and serving on the Zoning subcommittee, as well as for Greater Greater Washington, who endorsed Cobb partly because of his positions on housing.
Two more notes:
Commissioner Sauceda-Guzman announced his intention to revive the Trinidad Neighborhood Association, and invited neighbors to fill out a survey on his website.
Also, Comm. Sydelle Moore offered words of warning about security around President-Elect Biden’s inauguration next week. “If you see folks in your neighborhood who are up to no good, call 911,” she said. “We don’t want to take any chances of that violence spreading.”
Apologies for no drawing this time and the very late timing of the post, but, we’ve all had quite a week! Image is a screenshot from the meeting itself.
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