cerns about the project at 311 F St., particularly in regard to the change in building footprint and height of the structure. Commissioners encouraged him to voice his concerns at the Historic Preservation Review Board hearing, Feb. 22. ANC 6C meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month (except August) in the ground floor conference room at the Heritage Foundation (214 Massachusetts Ave. NE). The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 14. u
ANC 6D REPORT by Andrew Lightman
A
dvisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6D met on Feb. 12. Commissioners Gail Fast (6D01), Cara Shockley (6D02), Ronald Collins (6D03), Andy Litsky (6D04, chair), Roger Moffatt (6D05) and Rhonda N. Hamilton (6D06) were on the dais. Meredith Fascett (6D07) was absent.
Allen’s Report Card Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) provided the commission with an update on his work. He began by outlining the budget process. The council is currently holding agency oversight hearings. The mayor will submit her budget shortly, Allen stated. The council will then hold budget hearings to mark it up with a final vote in late spring. The councilmember will hold a Ward 6 Budget Meeting on April 23 at Watkins Elementary School, 420 12th St. SE, at 6:30 p.m. • In response to the tremendous transportation challenges facing ANC 6D, Allen convened a Transportation Strike Force of stakeholders and community members last spring. The group met frequently in the days leading up to the opening of The Wharf. It continues to examine solutions to residential parking, traffic circulation and pedestrian safety. • The return of the Circulator has been delayed to the summer, the councilmember stated, echoing the community’s frustration. July 1 is the new start date.
•
The councilmember took credit for the accelerating the modernization of Jefferson Middle School by two years. • The Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority had removed residential parking spaces at Fourth and M Streets SW. They will be restored, the councilmember stated. • Allen also claimed credit for rebuilding of the Southwest Public Library. He made sure that it was fully funded and preserved the standalone plan. • Allen also stated that he was working on initiatives to encourage first responders to live in the District including financial aid for home purchasing. • Allen reported that he had worked with his colleagues to fully fund and implement The Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results (NEAR) Act in the face of mayoral opposition. The act takes a public health approach to preventing crime. Allen then outlined his plans for 2018 legislation. Firstly, he plans to introduce “Civil Gideon” legislation to prevent eviction. He plans to introduce modifications to the Youth Reform Act and legislation to protect the rights of Sexual Assault survivors. Commissioner Collins complained that the DC Office of Planning had not properly consulted with the ANCs in the formulation of the new Comprehensive Plan. “Great weight is written in the law. It is not optional,” the councilmember replied. There will be many more hearings, he pointed out. Commissioner Fast complained that the city was not enforcing residential parking restrictions near The Wharf. In fact, the DC Department of Public Works (DPW) does not generally ticket on Sundays anywhere in the city, claiming it is not funded. Fast requested that money be included in the 2019 budget for weekend enforcement operations around The Wharf. The councilmember agreed that DPW should be ticketing throughout the weekend. Allen promised to find out the cost and investigate expanding weekend enforcement. Allen stated that he remains committed to a “Build First” approach to the rebuilding of the Greenleaf Gardens public housing complex. The challenge, he pointed out, was identifying the initial site to build on. The solution was to use the property currently occupied by the fire station and repair facility at 1101 Half St. SW. As chair of the
Judiciary Committee, Allen is working to move repair operations elsewhere. The station would be incorporated into the new housing project. Pointing out the pervasive fear of gentrification, Commissioner Hamilton requested the councilmember organize a meeting about Greenleaf ’s redevelopment. The commission had received no notice about the DC Housing Commission’s (DHA) Request for Proposals for the housing development. “DHA has duty to walk the community through the process,” Allen stated. The DHA Director broke his promise to return to brief the commission on Greenleaf, stated Vice Chair Litsky referencing his appearance at a fall meeting. Allen promised to pressure the agency to work with the commission.
Randall School The developers of the Randall School requested the commission’s support for a modification of significance to the project’s original Planned Unit Development (PUD) in advance of their March 29 hearing in front of the Zoning Commission (ZC). The plan is along the lines of what was previously reported. The developers have relocated the museum entrance to the school’s east side, which was originally the gym. The annex planned for the back of the building has been eliminated. Together, these changes better preserve the 1906 historic structure, which will be fully restored to qualify for LEED Silver. The building will house the Rubell Museum, which the developer announced would be free to all DC residents. The rear buildings, set behind the school, framing a large square, will provide approximately 489 residential units. 66 of those would be affordable. This courtyard would be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is an option for ground floor commercial space. The commission unanimously approved to provide letters of support for the development addressed both to the ZC and to the Department of Transportation (DDOT).
Other Matters Forrest City made an initial presentation of its plans for the two empty blocks of Waterfront Station that front M Street SW (375 and 425 M St.). The project’s original Planned PUD called for two office buildings. Their new plan calls for two mixeduse buildings containing 40,000 square-feet of re-
MARCH 2018 H 83