All Commissioners were in attendance: Ann Mladinov (3B01), Jackie Blumenthal (3B02), Melissa Lane (3B03), Mary Young (3B04) and Brian Turmail (3B05). Chairman Blumenthal called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. She made a motion to vote on agenda. The motion was seconded and the Commission voted 5-0 to approve the agenda.
Police Report. Lt. Ralph Neal gave the police report. Violent crime in PSA 204 is down for the month of October compared to the same month in 2016. Property crime, however, is up due largely to thefts from auto. Last month, there were 12 TFA incidents compared to half that number for the previous year. In terms of traffic, Commissioner Blumenthal asked that Lt. Neal increase traffic patrols on the 3800 block of Davis Place. Commissioner Young asked Phil Thomas who is the Mayor’s representative to Ward 3 to check on the installation of new stop signs on Cathedral Avenue. Both agreed to do so.
Resolution Regarding Liquor License for Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s is planning to open in the former Holiday Inn development in late 2018 or early 2019. It seeks a Class B liquor license to sell beer and wine during standard hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. A comment period was opened at the ANC’s October meeting. No issues or concerns were raised during the comment period. Trader Joe’s stores in nearby Bethesda and the DC west end have the reputation for being a good neighbor. Commissioner Blumenthal presented a resolution to support Trader Joe’s liquor license application. It was seconded and passed unanimously.
Resolution Regarding Zoning Variances for Proposed Domino’s. In order to qualify for the special exception in the zoning code that permits fast-food restaurants to operate in the Glover Park commercial area, Domino’s is seeking approval for two variances: 1) to override the requirement for a brick enclosed trash area (the enclosure is wooden); and 2) to override the requirement that fast-food operations be separated from residential areas by an alley and/or a distance of 25 feet (the parking lot is zoned residential). The proposed site is half of the former El Salvadoran Consulate at Calvert Center, which already has two fast-food operations, Chipotle and Bruegger’s. A comment period was opened at the ANC’s September meeting. During the comment period, neighbors brought up a number of concerns including potential problems with delivery vehicles (parking and unsafe driving), unsecured trash leading to increased rat infestation, signage, delivery truck size and schedules and entrance and exit from the 37th Street driveway. Commissioner Blumenthal worked with these neighbors and Domino’s representatives to development an agreement with six conditions that Domino’s agreed to meet in order to address the concerns raised. In light of the successful negotiation of terms of agreement and because ANC 3B Commissioners feel that empty storefronts are a big problem, Commissioner Blumenthal presented a resolution to support the zoning variances for Domino’s. The resolution was seconded and passed unanimously.
Grant Request from Hardy Middle School. Jason Orlando presented a grant request from Hardy PTO to fund the purchase of for books and other library materials to help bring the school’s library up to date. The request is for $2,500. A motion was made to approve the grant request. It was seconded and passed unanimously.
Presentation Regarding the Downtown DC Public Restroom Initiative. Marcia Bernbaum from the People for Fairness Coalition discussed their initiative to provide clean, safe, free public restrooms in downtown D.C. They are seeking the endorsement of ANCs and community groups for legislation pending before the DC Council. The Public Restroom Facility Installation and Promotion Act of 2017 requires relevant DC government agencies to “coordinate installation of at least 10 public restroom facilities in areas of the District with limited access to public restroom facilities; to authorize the creation of a subsidy program for private entities that keep their restrooms open to the public; and to require the MPD and the Mayor to provide annual public restroom reporting.” A hearing on this bill is scheduled for early December. ANC 2A and 2B have endorsed the legislation. ANC 3B tabled the issue for further discussion.
Updates.
- Whole Foods has expressed their desire to renovate and re-open their Glover Park store. The matter is still in litigation with Whole Foods suing Wical (the property owner) for not signing the building permits and Wical countersuing saying that Whole Foods broke the terms of their lease by not re-opening with 60 days of their closing date in March. Stay tuned.
- Commissioner Blumenthal and Commissioner Brink (ANC 3C) met with Jeffrey Neal who is interested in purchasing the IUOE property on the SE corner of Calvert and Wisconsin. They discussed potential uses for the building including retail, a new mixed-use structure that would retain the current footprint, an urgent care facility, or a pre-school. No definitive plans have been developed to date.
The next meeting of ANC3B will be Thursday, December 14th. The agenda will be posted at anc3b.org at least a week before and will be circulated via list servs.