The quorum: Jennifer Samolyk (6B01), Jerry Sroufe (6B02), James Loots (6B03, Parliamentarian), Kirsten Oldenburg (6B04, secretary), Steve Hagedorn (6B05), Nick Burger (6B06, treasurer), Kelly Waud (6B07), Chander Jayaraman (6B08, vice-chair), Daniel Ridge (6B09, Chair) and Denise Krepp (6B10).
Community Speak Out
Pepco representative Jamal Jordon discussed the Capitol Conversion Project. As part of the larger Capital Grid Project, which aims to enhance the reliability and resiliency of the city’s electrical system, Pepco is upgrading underground equipment to increase feeder cable capacity from 4 Kw to 13 Kw. This will involve excavation, trenching, conduit laying, milling and resurfacing along routes in Capitol Hill.
Upgrading of the conduit along Benning Road NE east to Hill East is underway and expected to be completed next year. The north and south sides of Pennsylvania Avenue SE are slated to be undertaken as two alternating projects between 2019-2022.
9000 feet of line and 18 manholes will be installed to extend the network from the new electrical substation at Waterfront to G and Seventh Streets SE in order to pick up load from the soon-to-be-retired Buzzard Point Station.
Work on Seventh Street between E and G Streets SE will begin in early November. The work is expected to be completed in February of 2019.
Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Committee
Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Chair Chander Jayaraman (6B08) and Single Member District (SMD) Commissioner Kirsten Oldenburg (6B04) announced that they had entered into a settlement agreement (SA) with Orchid (520 Eighth St. SE) in regard to their application to change their liquor license from a Class C Restaurant to a Class C Tavern License. The application had originally been presented at the September meeting of ANC 6B. Orchid had requested the change because they were unable to meet the requirement of the restaurant license that 45 percent of sales be from food. The SA requires the kitchen be maintained and food items be promoted. It allows for hours of sales and service comparable to other establishments on the street and allows for earlier hours on Saturday and Sunday to enable Orchid to serve brunch in an effort to increase food sales.
Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Committee
1225-1227 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
The ANC heard a Historic Preservation Application (HPA) for a second-story addition to a one-story commercial building, which would be visible from the street and cause the roofline to align with adjacent property.
The P&Z Committee had some concerns about the design, considering it too contemporary, and the color scheme, which they felt did not differentiate it from the historical elements. The applicant presented alterations to coloring, materials and the fenestration. The second story would be set back from the façade of the adjacent building to the west by six feet.
The property was purchased in 2003 with the intention of adding a second story at some point. The project was paused in 2007 with the changing market. The applicant is using the space as offices for his business and would like to increase the square footage with a view to future use as retail space.
ANC 6B ed a motion that the proposal be ed as presented but with setback aligning with the building on the western side 9-0-1 (Denise Krepp abstained as she had been out of the room).
710 E St. SE
A Historical Preservation Application (HPA) was on the agenda, related to a concept design of a three-story rear addition at 710 E St. SE. The applicant did not appear at the P&Z Committee meeting or the full ANC meeting, so ANC 6B moved a letter be sent requesting Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) defer the case until the applicant is ready to present.
302 South Carolina Ave. SE
The ANC heard an HPA application in regard to the concept design for rear porches and a rooftop addition at 302 South Carolina Ave. SE. The addition is set far back enough not to be visible from sidewalks, but the height of the addition might be. The party wall will be consistent with the existing structure but treated differently. Although some neighbors had provided letters of , an abutting neighbor had objected on the grounds of concerns with the effect on the structural integrity of his property and the effect on his property values.
After some discussion about the obligation of neighbors to protect the property values in the neighborhood from causes other than damage, a motion to ed 7-1 with two abstentions, with the ANC suggesting a construction management agreement and requesting that the applicant talk to the neighbors before a BZA hearing takes place.
329 16th St. SE
The ANC heard a Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) request for a special exception to construct a third-story and rear addition to a principal dwelling unit and convert the dwelling into two three-bedroom flats. The addition would project 12 feet past the abutting southern neighbor, requiring an exemption. That neighbor had owned the property for two months and had concerns with the effect on air and light at her property, and for a tree on the property line that might be a causality of the excavation. Arguing that the 10-foot limit had been created to protect small properties such as these, the ANC voted to oppose the relief 6-4-0.
Presentation by Metropolitan Wellness Center
General Manager Vanessa West spoke as part of the consideration of the application of license renewal for Metropolitan Wellness Center (2-409 Eighth St. SE) to sell medical marijuana to patients 18 years old or older with doctor-issued cannabis cards. The center has been open for five years and serves about 100 patients a day, most of whom are 45 years old or older. Wells has 12 years’ experience managing dispensaries; this is her third. A motion endorsing the license renewal was ed unanimously.
Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee
ANC 6B Representative to the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) Jayaraman noted that ANC 6B voted to send a letter to DDOT suggesting it needs to alter parking signage currently in the Eastern Market Special Use Area, including Seventh St between North Carolina and Pennsylvania Avenues SE and a portion of C Street SE, to conform to agreements reached with ANC 6B and the community in 2012 or follow normal procedure to change them. According to the agreement, signage should indicate two-hour paid parking with zone 6 exceptions made. These were removed, and signs indicating paid parking for two-hours until 6:30 and then three-and-a-half hours from 6:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. with no zone 6 exception were installed, Jayaraman said. He said the zone 6 exemption was negotiated to facilitate senior access to the market. As a Special Use Area, the city is required to consult with the ANC and EMCAC in order to make these changes.
Input on Other Concerns
The ANC voted to send a letter to the District Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) in regard to their proposed rule-change which would take away the ability to submit a FOIA request for DCRA materials at no cost, stating that ANC 6B objects to the change as it is not in the interest of the ANC or its constituents. Commissioner Loots said that he thought the idea was ‘antithetical’ to everything an open government was supposed to stand for; Commission Chair Ridge added that any FOIA submitted by the ANC was an official government act. The letter was ed unanimously.
The next meeting of ANC 6B will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 13 at the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE). Visit anc6b.org for more info, or find @ANC6B on Twitter.
