.capitol streets.
closely conforms to fast-food use. Because the building is in an MU-25 zone, fast food use requires a special exception from the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) and consideration before the ANC. Resident (and former ANC 6B10 commissioner) Francis Campbell wrote in the meeting chat that the difference matters because residents on the block have worked for nearly 20 years to secure inside trash storage and to mitigate the rodent population. Those efforts would be undermined by Ledo’s non-compliance with the standards of the other businesses. 6B06 Commissioner Corey Holman said holding agencies to account is one of the things ANCs do. It is dangerous to allow agencies to overlook regulations, he said.
Protest Food Truck Zone The ANC Voted to protest a Notice of Intent (NOI) issued by the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) to create a Mobile Roadway Vehicle—or food truck—Zone on the 100 block of D Street SE. Commissioner Jennifer Samolyk (6B01) said that the community has been fighting food trucks on the block for years. The vehicles often park directly across the street from brick-and-mortar restaurants such as Tortilla Coast or Bullfeathers. The trucks are illegally occupying public space, she said, and sales create more trash than receptacles are equipped to handle in the area, leading to an uptick in rats. Samolyk said that the proximity of the proposed zone to the US Capitol campus is also a safety hazard, given the number of propane tanks utilized by some of the vehicles. “It’s just not the right spot,” Samolyk said, suggesting that some triangle parks or even lots in the area might be better suited to the use. Attending were Commissioners Jennifer Samolyk (6B01), Gerald Sroufe (6B02), Brian Ready (6B03), Kirsten Oldenburg (6B04), Steve Holtzman (6B05), Corey Holman (6B06), Edward Ryder (6B07), Peter Wright (6B08), Alison Horn (6B09) and Denise Krepp (6B10). The next meeting of ANC 6B is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. For the most up-to-date information on meetings and how to join a virtual meeting via Webex, visit anc6b.org. Learn about Commissioners and committees and subscribe to the ANC 6B newsletter by visiting anc6b.org or connect with the commission via email at 6b@anc.dc.gov or via @ANC6B on Twitter. u
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ANC 6C Questions NoMA Encampment Removal ANC 6C Report by Elizabeth O’Gorek
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t the Sept. 9th meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6C, commissioners said they were pleased to hear access to housing for those living in the underpass at L and M Street NE would be accelerated by a pilot project that aimed to remove the NoMA encampments by Sept. 20. However, representatives also expressed concern with a prohibition on tents at the site after that date, the lack of public notice and the speed of program implementation. Jessica Smith, Deputy Chief of Staff in the office of the Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services (DMHHS), spoke at the meeting. She said the three pilot areas include the NoMA encampments, Allen Park where O Street meets New Jersey Avenue NW and the area of E Street near 21st and 22nd Streets NW. Smith said that DMHHS focused on these three encampments because of the risk they pose to health and safety of both those living and traveling through the area. The NoMA encampment is one of the largest of the approximately 140 in the District, Smith said, and one of the more transient. The pilot project, initiated Sept. 1, dedicates increased resources to the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and other support workers such as Pathways to Housing DC. This allows daily visits to connect those living in pilot locations with social services including addiction and behavioral health services. The pilot also accelerates access to Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), moving residents in over a matter of days rather than the typical application period of six to nine months. Smith said that a little more than 90 percent of those living in the pilot areas are eligible for the program. The goal is to move those eligible by Sept. 20. If an individual does not want to be housed, she said, outreach workers will help them relocate. 6C06 Commissioner Drew Courtney told Smith he was pleased with the effort to find support-
Two people walk through tents under the L Street NE overpass, Sept. 9, 2021. E. O’Gorek/CCN
ive housing, but that he was concerned that the creation of a no-tent zone criminalizes homelessness. He said he worried that the program was not a real housing-first answer to the problem and wondered if there was a way to compromise on space use with residents of the underpass. “I am concerned that we are somehow pairing it [accelerated access to PSH] with criminalizing homelessness in these encampments. It feels like a bit of a bait and switch,” he said. Smith pushed back, arguing that the effort was based on the idea of housing first. “Housing first is literally saying that you first and foremost address people’s housing needs,” she said, emphasizing that the pilot doesn’t simply remove residents but finds them homes before attempting to address their other needs. Efforts made over the years to find a way to facilitate passage through the encampments floundered, Smith said, because of the transient nature unique to the NoMA encampments. A group will buy in to this idea, she said, but then will move on and the agreement will have to be re-established. Some commissioners expressed doubt about the transient nature of the encampment. They said they were also concerned with the lack of public notice, noting that Smith’s appearance was the first information they had received about the program. However, Commissioner Joel Kelty (6C05) acknowledged that there were many criticisms of the effort but added that many of his constituents will be thrilled to hear about that some sort of action is being taken.
Speed Bump Installation 6th Street Commissioners voted to send a letter to District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Ever-
