Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 6A) met via Zoom on April 10. 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.
Commissioner Velasquez updated attendees on the status of an application for a medical cannabis dispensary license proposed near Northeast Library. In January, Proper Exotic applied for a medical cannabis license for 313 Eighth Street NE, next to Hunny Bunny boutique.
ANC 6A reportedly received three dozen letters of concern from neighbors. Among other concerns, they pointed out that the dispensary would have been located within two blocks of Petit Scholars daycare (342 Eighth St. NE), iGen Educational Academy child enrichment center (400 Eighth St. NE), Music on the Hill (400 801 D St. NE) and close to the Northeast Library.
The application had been withdrawn Jan. 29, as one of the two partners had ended his participation in the business. However, the sole remaining applicant applied to reinstate the application under sole ownership. ANC 6A Alcohol Cannabis Committee Chair Mike Velasquez sent a letter opposing the motion to reinstate. The Alcoholic Beverage and Canabis (ABC) Board has decided to have an oral hearing, but as of April 10 that had not yet been scheduled.
Kolb said that the applicant had been seen outside of the proposed premises, attempting to gather signatures for a petition in of the new application. “Nothing has changed since ANC6A voted on January 9 to protest the application,” Kolb wrote in an email to his constituents shortly after he learned of the situation. There was no vote on the matter.
Chicken and Hamburgers At Avec?
Commissioners voted 6-0 to send a letter in of a Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) application for a modification to an approved PUD at 901 H St. NE to allow fast food usage on the main floor to permit the opening of “Nash and Smashed,” a chicken and hamburger restaurant that originated in Manassas, VA. The site is the Avec building which includes the Veterinarian Emergency Group (VEG) and is slated to include a new Aldi.
Motion on Vacant Storefronts
The ANC unanimously ed a letter to DC Council, the Office of Tax Revenue (OTR) and to the District Department of Buildings (DOB), asking that there be a proportional determination of the vacancy status of empty storefronts.
Shapiro said that there are around 80 empty storefronts along H Street between Third and 14th Streets NE. She said that these are not vacant by statutory definition even though they are actually empty.
According to law, if there were one stretch of H Street with five adjacent storefronts on the same tax lot, only one would have to be occupied —or one apartment above the five storefronts— for the entire stretch to be ruled as occupied. That means they cannot be taxed at higher rates applied to vacant properties.
The letter proposes that if there are five storefronts of the same size on a single tax lot and four of them are empty but one is occupied 80% of the property would be taxed at the higher rate and 20% would not. The idea is that landlords would be incentivized to fill vacant properties, lowering rent if needed.
Allen on Budget
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) came to the meeting and discussed the District budget, noting that the House of Representatives was on vacation for the two weeks starting April 11. Allen said since a Senate bill had not been ed by the House, the city will have to propose a budget that will cut the $1.1 billion in spending from the rest of the 2025 fiscal year, which concludes at the end of September. Those cuts will impact public safety, education and core city services, Allen said. “Every aspect of the way the city works will be impacted by this,” Allen said.
The Mayor has also not yet proposed a FY2026 budget because such a budget would have to incorporate the House-imposed cuts. The process is usually concluded in May, but will likely now take place over June.
Even aside from the Congressional problems, it will be a difficult budget, Allen added. He said approximately 40,000 DMV residents are projected to lose their federal jobs. That’s about $5 billion of economic activity, which has caused the Chief Financial Officer to revise projections over the next three years even as costs keep going up.
Allen noted that he had worked in DC politics for more than 20 years, but said this will likely be the toughest budget that he’s ever faced. “There will be things in it that I know that I don’t like,” he said, noting that the goal was to spread the cuts so that the impact does not fall on one particular part of the community.
Allen said the city is tracking unemployment on a weekly basis and the numbers are similar to the beginning of the pandemic. However, he noted many workers are on istrative leave and won’t be able to file for unemployment insurance until they are no longer drawing a paycheck. Others await court decisions. An increase is expected, he said, but the local unemployment insurance is fully funded and federal workers are also covered by a separate source of federal funds. “We feel confident, on the funding side of it, but I mean the sheer amount of pain out there is steep,” he said, noting that at most there was likely to be one degree of separation between any Hill resident and a recently unemployed federal employee.
ANC 6A generally meets on the second Thursday of every month except August. They will meet next virtually via Zoom at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 8. Get details on committee meetings and how to online at anc6a.org.
