Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6D met on May 13 via Zoom. Commissioners Bob Link (6DO1, vice chair), Ronald Collins (6D02, treasurer), Gail Fast (6D03), Andrea Pawley (6D04), Bruce Levine (6D06, secretary) and Fredrica (Rikki) Kramer (6D07, chair) were in attendance. Chearie Phelps-El (6D05) and Rhonda Hamilton (6D08) were absent.
Bus Service
Charles Dingboom, bus service planning manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), briefed the commission on plans to establish two new stops for the 74 bus route along Half Street SW on Buzzard Point. Due to construction at The Stacks, WMATA detoured the 74 from its route on First and T streets to Half Street SW, which dropped two established bus stops.
WMATA has decided to make the 74’s detour route permanent on June 16, Dingboom stated. The agency plans to add two stops at Half and T streets and Potomac Avenue and R streets SW. The DC Department. of Transportation (DDOT) has issued a notice of intent (NOI) establishing the stops in public space, since they require curb improvements to operate, he added. The stop at Half and T streets will be done for the route change and the other stop by the end of summer, confirmed Maya Coleman, DDOT’s Ward 6 transportation planner.
Kramer, whose single member district (SMD) is impacted, proposed writing DDOT and WMATA a letter in of the NOI. Fast and Pawley objected, questioning whether the public and the ANC’s Transportation Committee had sufficiently weighed in on the matter. The commission voted to send the letter, with Fast and Pawley in opposition.
Merchant’s Marina Special Meeting
The commission has consistently objected to encroachments on public space at The Wharf. Most recently, it has raised objections to the establishment of summer gardens along Water Street SW. According to Levine, Phillippe Chow is building a pavilion on M Street Landing, which is the pedestrian space between The Amaris at 760 Maine Ave. and 610 Water St. SW, which houses Politics and Prose. The restaurant has applied to DDOT for a streetery license to permit it to operate a new outdoor sports bar, known as the Merchant’s Marina, in that space.
The previous commission, Levine stated, ed Phillippe Chow’s liquor license. The current commission has negotiated a cooperative agreement with the restaurant that includes the new location, he added. However, the commission has not had the opportunity to take a position on the construction of the physical structure itself. Generally, the commission opposes commercial encroachment on pedestrian space at The Wharf, Levine stated, with no objection from his colleagues.
Phillippe Chow, however, has applied to the Zoning Commission (ZC) for a “modification of consequence” to the planned unit development (PUD) that governs the development of the second phase of The Wharf. The DC Office of Planning opposes the structure, Levine stated. The ZC had originally scheduled a hearing on the matter for May 10, which was postponed at the applicant’s request to May 30 to allow for more negotiations with the commission.
After some discussion on the requirements of legal notice, the commission voted to address the matter at a special meeting on May 23.
Public Safety
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Captains Hrebenak and Tyler briefed the commission on public safety. Crime is trending down, Hrebenak stated, though there were three robberies in the last 30 days.
Several juveniles committed a robbery at L’Enfant Plaza. Police closed the case with the quick arrest of four youths, Hrebenak said. The robbery of a DoorDash scooter driver on the 1100 block of Fourth Street SW is still under investigation. The last robbery, involving several students and an adult perpetrator, occurred on the 400 block of C Street SW, Hrebenak stated.
Police also closed a homicide on Buzzard Point involving a dispute between two employees, due to quick work by an officer at the scene, he said. Scooter and bike patrols will be ramped up as the summer arrives. There are still issues with theft from autos and automobiles from parking garages, he reported.
Other Matters
Tiffany Crowe, director of the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DL), briefed the commission on Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) FY25 budget. Crowe touted $460 million in Ward 6-specific investments and another $600 million of general projects impacting the ward. She cited improvements to the Fish Market, public schools and rec centers. Collins asked about the cuts to payments to childcare workers. Fiscal constraints forced the mayor to make some difficult choices related to childcare, Crowe stated, but the program has not been eliminated.
The developers of 280 12th St. NW, a triangular plot located next to Cotton Annex, have requested a two-year extension on their PUD to develop a hotel. Development had been approved by the ZC with from the previous commission, stated Link. The project then encountered delays to accommodate a WMATA underground power station and the need to settle a legal dispute over a right-of-way easement. No design changes are contemplated, reported Link. The commission voted to the extension.
Collins appointed Wilma Goldstein as his representative to the Transportation Committee.
Kurt Sanders, chair of the Transportation Committee, briefed the commission on his committee’s work. The committee is focused on The Wharf’s issues with delivery trucks and for-hire vehicles. Committee held a successful meeting with a group of DDOT representatives on the matter. Fast and Levine encouraged the committee to dig into DDOT’s Better Bus Plan. Kramer requested the committee to map out existing curbside parking.
The commission voted to:
- renaming the 1100 block of Sixth Street SW as Zelda Way in honor of Zelda Fichandler, founding artistic director of Arena Stage;
- the Paul Taylor Birthday Party on June 15 at Lansburgh Park;
- renewal of a Class A liquor license for Cordial Craft & Liquor at its new location at 70 District Square SW;
- protest the licenses for two vessels at the District Pier operated by American Cruise Lines on the basis of peace, order and quiet in the absence of a community agreement;
- write to Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis and DDOT objecting to the establishment of streeteries at The Wharf which reduce pedestrian space;
- the license and community agreement for Hen Quarter, withdrawing an earlier protest;
- approve the commission’s quarterly financial reports for the first and second quarters of 2024.
ANC 6D meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of every month. The next meeting is June 10. For more information, visit www.anc6d.org.
