Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 6A) met via Zoom on Feb. 13. Commissioners Paul Spires (6A01, Vice-Chair), Mike Velasquez (6A02), Roberta Shapiro (6A03, treasurer), Amber Gove (6A04, Vice Chair/Parliamentarian), Dave Wethington (6A05, Chair), Jeff Giertz (6A06, Secretary) and Steven Kolb (6A07) were in attendance.
Improvements are underway at Sherwood Recreation Center (640 Tenth St. NE), Commissioner Shapiro reported, but progress is very slow. In fall 2023, City Manager Kevin Donahue allocated $1.4 million to external capital improvements, Shapiro said. The project started in November this year, and was expected to be completed by early 2025, but there are delays.
Tennis courts and basketball courts have been milled and resurfaced, but the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) says crews will not repaint lines and open either for use until May. Playground equipment repairs scheduled for the week of Feb. 10 were rescheduled for March 13. Those necessitate a week-long closure, Shapiro said, adding that she had hoped that the tennis and basketball courts would be open to provide space for activity during equipment repair. Instead, due to the delayed court reopenings, play space will be limited in March. However, Shapiro said the soccer field surface has been redone and lines painted.
During a meeting with DPR, Shapiro said the agency indicated the project had a budget of $1.3 million. Shapiro said she is making inquiries about the $100,000 difference, hoping that funding will be available to do landscaping and some additional improvements.
The ANC took no vote on the matter.
Emergency DDOT Response at C Street and North Carolina Avenue
Commissioner Gove reported that the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is installing some “emergency response” measures at the site where C Street diverges from North Carolina Avenue between 16th and 14th Streets NE.
The improvements come after 66-year-old Hill East resident Ronnie Clark was killed by the driver of an SUV as he stood on the sidewalk along the 1500 block the evening of Christmas Eve 2024. The SUV jumped the curb, apparently riding along the retaining wall for a distance before coming to a stop on top of Clark. The driver fled. Clark was declared dead on the scene. Police have made no arrests.
DDOT is going to re-examine the turning radius at the bulb out where 15th meets C Street. There will be a sign indicating the presence of the bump out and additional flex posts around the bump out at the north side of the street, which bears tire marks from a vehicle collision. Plans also include a raised sidewalk across C Street at 16th Street NE, as soon as temperatures warm, as well as a speed sign. These things can be done without additional study. Gove said DDOT is planning a larger evaluation study of the C Street corridor in the spring about the C Street corridor improvements.
At the meeting, the ANC unanimously ed a letter on the consent agenda, addressed to DDOT and proposing additional improvements to the area in light of Clark’s death. The ANC proposes that DDOT extend protected bike lanes several blocks, asks for raised crosswalks on the North Carolina sides and for decreased speed limits to begin further east on C Street NE.
Tigo’s to Serve Alcohol
The ANC voted to an application to the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis istration (ABCA) for a stipulated license from Tigo’s Peruvian chicken (1322 H Street NE). The restaurant has expanded their menu to include some Mexican food and have applied for a Class C Restaurant license. The license will allow them to sell beer and margaritas on site, for delivery and carry out. Tigo’s has already signed a Settlement Agreement (SA) with the ANC.
The ANC voted unanimously to on consent:
• a letter ing a Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) application from Jonathan Askarinam and Moe Pishvaei. The applicant has acquired four buildings and five alley lots, including the former Biergarten Haus (1355 H St. NE). They are asking for special exceptions from the minimum parking, rear yard and fast-food use requirements in zoning code. The applicant wants to combine five lots, two facing H Street NE and three facing the alley, to convert the buildings to a small food hall.
• a letter of to the DOB and the BZA for a request for a deadline extension and to expedite requests associated with bringing the Sasha Bruce facility at 1022 Maryland Ave. NE into compliance with updated zoning regulations.
• A request from the Capitol Hill Cluster schools for a letter of to DDOT for road closures around the May 2025 Capitol Hill Classic. The event is a series of road runs that three local public schools.
• A letter to DDOT in of public art projects at crosswalks around Maury Elementary (1250 Constitution Ave. NE)
• A letter to DDOT asking for traffic calming initiatives on 14th Street near East Capitol Street NE.
• A protest of an alcohol license application from Dumpling Hot Pot (1216 H St. NE) in pursuit of an SA. Dumpling Hot Pot has indicated that they are looking to serve alcohol with food on customer request.
• A protest of a medical cannabis retailer license application from Dreamy DC (1111 H St. NE) in pursuit of an SA
• a letter to the Mayor, the Chair and Council of DC Council requesting the city legislation creating provision for a moratorium zone for medical cannabis retailer licenses. Such legislation would provide a mechanism to request limits on cannabis license concentration in one neighborhood, a provision that already exists around alcohol licensing.
ANC 6A generally meets online via Zoom on the second Thursday of every month except August. The next meeting takes place at 7 p.m. March 13. See the agenda and other committee meetings as well as information on how to at anc6a.org
