Commentary: ANC 5D Meeting February 2021

Last week I wrote about Chief of Police Robert Contee’s appearance at this month’s ANC meeting, and this week I’ll do my usual review and commentary on the rest of the meeting.

Once again, nearly every commissioner attended the meeting. Besides Chief Contee, the most dynamic moments of the meeting were about transportation.

Greg Matlesky, Bicycle Program Specialist for the District Department of Transportation, presented new plans for creating protected bike lanes on West Virginia Avenue, on the western edge of Trinidad, next to Gallaudet. Notably, the new plans consolidate the two “phases” of the original plan and now the entire length of West Virginia Avenue, from Florida Avenue to New York Avenue, will be completed this year, instead of next year.

This change is exactly what Mark Sussman sought in December when he petitioned DDOT on behalf of Ivy City businesses. “I'm thrilled that DDOT took the concerns of the Ivy City business community seriously and demonstrated flexibility and ingenuity to move this project forward,” says Sussman. “Hopefully, this can be a model to make streets safer across the District -- a model that is already bearing fruit on H St NE.”

As part of the plan, vehicle lanes will be slightly narrowed, and a path for cyclists will be separated from cars with flexible posts. Both Matlesky and Commissioner Cobb attempted to get ahead of perceived criticism about the removal of parking spaces. According to Matlesky, a study found that most of the vehicles parking along the corridor, which is not restricted to local parking, were from out of state. “You’ll still be able to park your car in front of your house if you live on West Virginia,” said Cobb. Commissioner Latoya Moore asked about how long DDOT had been planning this project and the current reconstruction of Maryland Avenue nearby. Matlesky answered that Maryland Avenue had been in the works for a decade, and had explained earlier that West Virginia Avenue had first been identified as a candidate for bike lanes in 2005. It was later added to the Move DC plan in 2014, and other DDOT representatives presented plans for West Virginia before the ANC last April. The new lanes could be in place on West Virginia Avenue as soon as this summer, said Matlesky. There are also plans to upgrade the lanes on Florida Avenue.

Commissioner Cobb introduced a resolution calling for safety improvements on H Street, which has had numerous car crashes, especially recently. Even though most of it does not fall within ANC 5D, Cobb said H Street is a “main commercial corridor” for us and that its safety affects us as well. Joining nearby ANCs, the resolution calls for improvements such as larger sidewalks, designated pickup/drop off zones, and streetcar-only lanes. 

During the campaign, candidates answered this question in the Greater Greater Washington survey: "Do you support transit-only lanes on H St NE and Benning Rd NE to give the streetcar and the X2/X9 buses a dedicated right of way? Would you support removing on-street parking on H St to make this happen?" Latoya Moore, now commissioner for 5D03, answered simply, "No. No." However, Cobb's resolution was supported unanimously, including Commissioner Moore.

While no commissioners protested either transportation-related measure at the meeting, Commissioner Sauceda-Guzman tweeted this last week:

Spoke one on one with many residents in my area regarding the proposed Bike Lane plan for #WestVirginiaAve and their main concern is GENTRIFICATION compared to parking... “I’ve been biking down that lane for 30 years & never been hit but I know what those lanes will bring...” 🤷🏻‍♂️

— Salvador Sauceda-Guzman (@SalvadorFor5D02) February 12, 2021

The zoning-related voting items were all quick votes on properties that had already been discussed at previous meetings. At 1419 Trinidad Ave, a request to expand the roof over the entrance was supported. The changes to 1707 H Street’s PUD that were presented at the last meeting, specifically adding about 6700 square feet in the form of 10 more units and removing 8-16 balconies, were easily supported.

Commissioner Hoffman introduced a letter to the Department of Employment Services about changes to the unemployment insurance system. Problems with the benefits have been widely reported, and even though Mayor Bowser announced an $11 million plan to improve the system on the same day as the ANC meeting, Hoffman said that urgent changes were needed for the many residents who currently rely on the UI payments during the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m one of them,” he said. “They really need to get it in gear.” The letter, which suggests a range of improvements, was supported unanimously by the ANC.

Silas Grant, representing Councilmember McDuffie, talked about the city acquiring the land in the middle of New York Avenue occupied by Wendy’s, otherwise known as Dave Thomas Circle. While plans have been in the works for years, Grant said that there will be more DDOT meetings about the project soon, and that construction on the redesigned intersection is now estimated to begin later this year or in early 2022.

A grant to fund a food distribution site was also awarded.

Finally, Commissioner Sauceda-Guzman is holding an Action Meeting to discuss restarting the Trinidad Neighborhood Association, this Sunday, at 7pm. Simply fill out this form to recieve the Zoom link and passcode. The agenda says that a group of volunteers "will spearhead revival within three months," so if you're interested in being a part of this effort, now's the time.