On September 9, 2020, ANC 5A held a special public meeting. Commissioners present: Grace Lewis-Parliamentarian (5A02); Emily Singer Lucio-Secretary (5A03); Ronnie Edwards-Chair (5A05); Claudia Barragan (5A06); Sandi Washington-Treasurer (5A07); Gordon Fletcher-Vice Chair (5A08)
Hope & Joy Home Health Care Agency
The owner of Hope and Joy Health & Allied Services, a home health center based in Laurel, Maryland is looking to open a location in DC, specifically in Ward 5. Ostensibly the purpose of appearing before the ANC was to request the Commission’s support for the business’s Certificate of Need application with the DC Department of Health State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA). The owner identified a home at 4328 Varnum Place NE that is currently being used for a catering business as a potential location. Because this home is zoned for residential use only, he would need a special exception to operate a business at the home. It is not clear if the homeowner currently resides in the home while the catering business is being operated, but if Hope & Joy’s owner were to obtain a special exception, no one would reside in the home and there would be four to five employees working out of the home. No clients would be served at the home.
The ANC voted (5-0-1) not to support Hope & Joy because the owner would ultimately be seeking to operate a business in a residential zone. Commissioner Claudia Barragan (5A06) abstained. The discussion was strange because the owner stated that it would actually be more affordable for him to lease an office suite rather than go through the zoning process to turn a residence into a business, so it was not clear why he was even approaching the ANC about this idea. At any rate, he is apparently committed to opening in Ward 5, so he is working with Commissioner Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) to identify commercial space in Ward 5, including available space at Art Place at Fort Totten. He stated that he does not need to have a location identified for the Certificate of Need, but it would be useful and ultimately he would of course need to identify a location for SHPDA.
EYA Josephite Development
EYA is proceeding with a townhome development at the St. Joseph’s Josephite Seminary called Townhomes at Michigan Park near 12th Street and Allison Street NE, after the DC Court of Appeals affirmed the Zoning Commission’s approval of the project back in July of this year. That lawsuit by a nearby resident delayed the project for a few years. View EYA’s presentation to the ANC here.
The project will have roughly 80 three to four bedroom townhomes. Six of the homes will be reserved for families with income at or below 60 percent of area median income. The price of those homes will be in the $250,000 to $300,000 range. Four of the homes will be reserved for families with income at or below 80 percent of area median income. The price of those homes will be in the $350,000 to $400,000 range. There are other community benefits, including a permanent easement preserving some green space, public art, publicly accessible playground, training opportunities for Phelps High School students, money for a tax assistance fund, and an application for historic preservation of the seminary building, as well as pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures associated with the project. Residents will see a sales trailer at the site in the next couple of months. The first homes are anticipated to be completed by late 2021. If you have questions about the project, contact Commissioner Emily Singer Lucio (5A03).
Pepco Proposed Rate Increase
The DC Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC) gave a very detailed presentation on Pepco’s proposed multi-year rate increase application. The presentation is not available on the ANC website yet, but a helpful fact sheet from OPC on this issue is available on the OPC website. According to the fact sheet,
On August 11, 2020, OPC and all of the non-utility parties to the Pepco rate case proceeding (Formal Case No. 1156), filed a joint motion with the DC Public Service Commission (PSC) requesting that the PSC direct Pepco to withdraw its rate increase application, dismiss Pepco’s Multiyear Rate Plan (MRP) Enhanced Proposal, and grant additional consumer relief.
OPC Consumer Fact Sheet available at https://opc-dc.gov/images/pdf/OCF_PastPerformanceEvaluation.pdf
I will not attempt to explain OPC’s position in full; the fact sheet is a good explainer. OPC and the other non-utility parties argue that Pepco has not provided enough evidence to support its requested rate increase and that Pepco has used unreliable data.
The ANC voted unanimously to support OPC’s recommendation requesting that Pepco withdraw its proposed rate increase application and multi-year rate plan. A public hearing before the DC Public Service Commission is scheduled for September 29, 2020. Individuals may sign up to testify or submit comments for the public record. Instructions from OPC’s fact sheet:
• You can file comments with the PSC via this link:
https://edocket.dcpsc.org/public/public_comments or send an email to
PSC-CommissionSecretary@dc.gov. Please reference Formal Case No. 1156.
• You can speak at the virtual community hearing that the PSC will be holding on September 29. If you wish to testify, send an email to
PSC-CommissionSecretary@dc.gov by the close of business on September 22.
ANC Space at Art Place at Fort Totten
The ANC gave Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) the green light to proceed with securing a self-insured document from the Office of ANC so that ANC 5A can occupy space set aside for the ANC at the Modern at Art Place. Once that document is obtained, the ANC will apparently be able to use the space free of charge. Recall that there has been a multi-year conversation regarding this approved public benefit and who would be responsible for utilities and liability and such. To date, the space, which was completed in 2017, has remained unused. The commissioners now believe that they can in fact secure the required self-insured document and will decide later on how to best use the space for the ANC.
ANC 5A08 Public Safety Task Force
There was a bit of follow-up regarding the creation of a public safety task force for ANC 5A08. It sounded like orange hats have been purchased for that single member district (SMD). The idea of the orange hat is an old one; individuals wearing orange hats would walk around their neighborhoods promoting public safety. If you live in ANC 5A08 and would like more information, contact Commissioner Fletcher.
The next ANC meeting is scheduled for September 23, 2020.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 