The meeting was held
at the 4th District Metropolitan Police Department's Community Room,
Chair Douglass Sloan
presiding. Also present were
Commissioners 4B01 Sara Green, 4B02 Faith Wheeler, 4B03 Monique Michelle Smith,
4B04 James Sydnor, 4B05 Brenda Speaks, 4B06 Idriys Abdullah, 4B07 Judi Jones,
and 4B08 Yvonne Jefferson.
Renee Bowser, the
former chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4D, presided over the election
of officers.
* Commissioner Sloan was nominated for Chair
by Commissioner Green. He was elected in a 7-2-0 voice vote.
* Commissioner Wheeler was nominated for Vice
Chair by Commissioner Sloan. She was elected in an 8-1-0 voice vote.
* Commissioner Green was nominated for
Secretary by Commissioner Wheeler. She
was elected in an 8-1-0 voice vote.
* Commissioner Sydnor was nominated for
Treasurer by Commissioner Wheeler. He was elected in an 8-0-1 voice vote.
Other Actions
1. Following a motion made by Commissioner Sydnor, the agenda was adopted in an unanimous show-of-hands vote, with one amendment. A discussion about the Takoma Transportation Improvements Project was added to follow the Curtis Chevrolet item on the agenda.
2. In a 7-0-2 show-of-hands vote following a
motion made by Commissioner Green, the minutes for the November 20, December 1,
December 17, 2008 public meetings were adopted, with one change. The third paragraph on page one of the
December 1 minutes included several changes.
The corrected
paragraph reads: "There were questions about the checks written for the
September mailing. Chair Sloan noted two checks were written to H & W
Printing totaling $3,909.53, which cover both printing and postage for the
postcards sent to residents about the September hearing on gun control issues,
initiated by ANC 4B and cosponsored by several other Commissions. Chair Sloan
also explained that some confusion was due to the fact that the H & W
invoices did not clearly indicate the distinction between printing and postage
costs."
3. In an 8-1-0 show-of-hands vote following a
motion made by Commissioner Green, the minutes for the February 22, 2007 public
meeting were amended to eliminate paragraphs two through eight on Item No. 3,
which begins on page one. The new second paragraph reads: "That resolution
calls on ANC 4B to write a letter of concern to D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, with
copies to the D.C. City Council, stating the Commission's concerns about the
school and the principal."
Also, the Commission is
to send a letter to the former Whittier Elementary School Principal apologizing
for any problems she has had stemming from any unproven allegations noted in
ANC 4B's minutes.
4. In an unanimous
show-of-hands vote following a motion made by Commissioner Green, the
Commission authorized the expenditure of $25 to participate in the District of
Columbia Advisory Neighborhood Commission Security Fund.
5. In an unanimous
show-of-hands vote following a motion made by Commissioner Jefferson, the
Commission agreed to support a request for a traffic calming study to install
speed bump(s) and other related signs and improvements in the 300-400 Block of
Quackenbos Street, NE. This request was
made by James P. Key, of
Mr. Keys and his
neighbors are requesting speed bumps for the 300-400 Block of
Quackenbos between Eastern and New Hampshire Avenues. The adopted resolution notes that the
Commission will send the letter to the D.C. Department of Transportation after
it receives a copy of the supporting residents' signatures from Mr. Keys.
6. In an 8-0-1
show-of-hands vote following a motion made by Commissioner Sydnor, the
Commission adopted the following resolution:
"ANC 4B asks that the Office of Planning delay their comment deadline until February 26 to give the affected community an opportunity to comment on the designs. We need a response to this request by January 26."
7. In a 7-0-1 show-of-hands vote following a
motion made by Commissioner Green, the Commission agreed to send a list of
initial, but incomplete, comments to the Office of Planning about the Curtis
Chevrolet site. The Commission also established a committee, to be headed by
Commissioner Sydnor, to gather affected community views.
Initial comments:
·
Concerns about
the impact of increased traffic in the area
Adopted Minutes - ANC 4B -
Jan. 22, 2009 Minutes - Page Three
·
Concerns about
stucco building materials used in construction.
Consider brick.
·
Concerns that
the sidewalks are wide enough to comfortably accommodate two couples passing
each other in the opposite direction.
·
The project
should be safe and attractive
·
Barney House
may be looking for a new home. Is it possible for Barney Senior House to move
there?
·
We would like to
establish an ad-hoc constituent committee to meet monthly with
developers/owners to track the progress of development. The committee will give developers feedback
on the types of stores located in the project and will gather information from
the community and address other concerns.
Will the Office of Planning and the project's developer work with the
Committee on a monthly basis?
·
The
"low-income" rents are too high.
·
How is this
project being funded and if the apartments/retail space is not filled to
capacity? How will the lost income be made up?
·
Are there any
plans to invest in the surrounding neighborhood (i.e. road and green space
improvements)?
·
What is the
projected environmental impact due to increased residential, retail, and public
transportation traffic?
·
How will
property values and property taxes be affected?
·
Is 8% a large
enough allocation for low- income residents?
·
What is the
estimated difference in pollution impact between transporting the new apartment
residents to the Silver Spring Metro Station and transporting them to the
Takoma Metro Station, given the added distance to the Silver Spring Metro
Station?
·
What is the
estimated difference in travel time during rush hours between transporting the
new apartment residents to the Silver Spring Metro Station and transporting
them to the Takoma Metro Station?
·
Can 20% of the
units be allocated to screened city service employees (e.g., teachers, police,
and firefighters)?
Adopted Minutes - ANC 4B - Jan. 22, 2009 Minutes - Page Four
·
What is the
plan for increased security and human services considering the significant
increase in population?
8. In an unanimous
show-of-hands vote following a motion made by Commissioner Wheeler, the
Commission agreed to send a letter to the D.C. Humanities Council in support of
the Takoma Mural Committee's grant application for up to $5,000 to provide seed
money and research for a mural to be placed in the underpass at the Takoma
Metro Station.
WHEREAS, the Takoma
Metro underpass on
WHEREAS, for several
years, individuals in the community as well as the Old Takoma Business
Association have expressed interest in finding a way to put a mural there;
WHEREAS, several
residents in the area have formed the Takoma Mural Committee in order to work
on getting an appropriate mural conceived, funded and created for the Takoma
Metro underpass;
WHEREAS, the Takoma Mural Committee has met with representatives from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority – which owns most of the property – and from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities – whose mission in part is to “provide grants, programs and education activities that encourage diverse artistic expressions and learning opportunities so that all District of Columbia residents and visitors can experience the rich culture of our city”;
WHEREAS, the
Humanities Council of Washington DC has announced a Request for Proposals for
projects that “highlight, enrich, and/or bring about a greater awareness of
WHEREAS, the Takoma
Mural Committee proposes to apply for a “Major Grant” from Humanities Council
of Washington DC in the amount of $5,000
to advance the mural project toward fruition;
WHEREAS, the
Humanities Council requires a “Humanities Scholar” who is “keyed into the
discipline and topic” of the program and whose expenses will require funding;
Adopted Minutes - ANC 4B - Jan. 22, 2009 Minutes - Page Five
BE IT RESOLVED that
the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B supports this endeavor and will send a
letter of support to the Humanities Council of Washington DC.
1. Jason Turner, of the D.C. Department of Parks
and Recreation, reported on the on-going construction of the
2. Commissioner Wheeler discussed the proposed
Takoma Transportation Improvements Project now being designed by the D.C.
Department of Transportation. She noted
that the city engineer working on the project asked for one and one-half hours
to make a presentation to the Commission in advance of
its recommendation vote. These street and intersection improvements
affect several SMDs.
Four copies of the
130-page plan were given to the Commission.
One copy was given to Commissioner Jones for placement in the
Lamond-Riggs Public Library. Others were to be put in the Takoma and Shepherd
Park Public Libraries and in the ANC 4B office.
3. Commissioner Jones asked for and was given an
office key.
Community
Concerns
1. Michael Sindram, of
The meeting ended at
about 10:00 p.m.
--- Submitted by Sara
Green, Secretary