Hill Rag

ANC 6A MEETING REPORT

by: Heather Schoell

The April 13, 2006 ANC 6A meeting assembled all Commissioners: Raphael Marshall, Single Member District (SMD) 01; Chairman Joseph Fengler, SMD 02; Cody Rice, SMD 03 & Economic Zoning Development (EZD) Chair; Nicholas Alberti, SMD 04 & Treasurer; Mary Beatty, SMD 05 & Alcohol Beverage Licensing (ABL) Chair; Marc Borbely, SMD 06, Secretary and Schools & Libraries Co-Chair; Gladys Mack, SMD 07; and Mfon Ibangha, SMD 08, Vice-Chair, and Schools & Libraries Co-Chair.

Schwartzman’s Stink

The meeting began with Clifton Humphries clearing the air. Humphries, owner of the Martini Lounge on H St., NE, wanted to let people know that his comments were taken out of context in the race-baiting April 4 Washington Post article by Paul Schwartzman, “Whose H Street Is It, Anyway?”, and that he continues to welcome all patrons for pleasure and community meetings.

Cluck-U & Birdland on the Table

Mayoral candidate Marie Johns, who attended an informal H St. Saturday morning coffee meeting with Commissioner Borbely and 17 others said at the ANC meeting, regarding Cluck-U, “I think we have to insist that all rules are followed.” Borbely made a motion to reconsider the appeal of Cluck-U’s occupancy. On a vote of 4-4, the motion failed. Borbely then made a motion to reconsider their vote to appeal Birdland. Rice suggested to Marshall that if there is evidence that Birdland’s immediate neighbors support the establishment, then the EDZ Committee would consider a recommendation of dropping the appeal. Alberti made the motion to table the reconsideration, which succeeded 4-3.

Define ‘Restaurant’

Rice presented a list of defined terms for “restaurant,” “fast food restaurant,” “delicatessen,” and “coffee shop,” crafted to clearly classify establishments from submitted building plans – before business owners’ money is spent. Rice and the EDZ Committee’s recommendation was to send said list to the Zoning Commission on an emergency basis for quick action. Alberti said, “I like it.” Borbely commented, “I think the Committee has a fantastic proposal,” though he wanted to postpone the motion for a month. Ibangha agreed, saying, “The Committee has done an excellent job on the definitions,” but claimed not to have had enough time to go over it. He expressed great concern over the accuracy of categorizing this as an emergency, such that Fengler divided the motion into two parts – the text amendment and the emergency status. Beatty commented, “There’s been plenty of time for Commissioners to educate themselves. I would move not to table.” Alberti added, “It’s important that businesses have stability as quickly as possible.” There were several questions from the Commission and audience. Some answers: it would not apply retrospectively; it would apply city-wide; and under the H St. overlay, no more than 25% of H St. frontage can be fast food. After one small tweak to the list, it was adopted as amended, the vote 6-2, with Borbely and Ibangha against.

As for sending the revised definitions under emergency status, the motion failed 3-4 (Rice, Alberti, and Fengler in favor, Beatty abstaining).

Protest Parameters

The ABL Committee will send a letter to the DC Alcohol Beverage Regulatory Administration (ABRA) to recommend that they consider a geographical limit on the protest of a liquor license in effort to reduce frivolous protests. The ABL Committee could not agree that the limitation should or should not include the proximity to a protester’s workplace, so they recommend that ABRA give the issue some thought.

Construction Workers Gone Wild

Commissioner Fengler reported on two examples of rogue construction. First, the difficulty at 1124 E St., NE is now more difficult as one of the units is now legally sold, and the building is still without proper permits. Second is an addition of third floor at 810 F St., NE, for which there are no permits and no cleanup of debris.

Survey for Schools

Borbely and Ibangha presented an idea to survey staff of five local schools to find out what they need in the way of help from neighbors. Alberti expressed concern about taking teachers’ time to complete a survey before knowing what to do with the data. He suggested a pilot program. Mack and Beatty agreed. The vote to send the issue back to the Schools Committee for further consideration was 6-2, with Borbely and Ibangha against.

Final Bits

Rice recalled the old firehouse at 1341 Maryland Ave., NE, which still sits vacant. “This whole discussion about chicken wings is a distraction. What we need to be discussing is affordable housing.”

Dea Varsovczky has resigned as Transportation Committee Chair due to time constraints; Omar Mahmud replaces her. The Committee meets at 7 PM on the 4th Monday of each month in the Community Room of the Capitol Hill Towers, 900 G St., NE.

Commissioner Beatty will meet April 19 with neighbors to and the principals of Options and Sasha Bruce Charter schools regarding the behavior of their students. Reported incidents of bad behavior include uprooting a bus stop sign and breaking glass bottles on the sidewalk.

The recent scare in Borbely’s SMD of a man rifling through trash for personal information turned out to be nothing – it was a DC sanitation worker was simply preparing the trash for pickup, but serves as a good reminder to shred documents before throwing them away.

ANC 6A meetings are held at Miner Elementary at 7 PM, the 2nd Thursday of each month. Off-street parking is available at the school’s entrance at 15th and G Sts., NE. All are welcome. For more information on ANC 6A, its Commissioners, and their efforts, visit www.anc6a.org.


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ANC 6A MEETING REPORT

by: Heather Schoell
The April 13, 2006 ANC 6A meeting assembled all Commissioners: Raphael Marshall, Single Member District (SMD) 01; Chairman Joseph Fengler, SMD 02; Cody Rice, SMD 03 & Economic Zoning Development (EZD) Chair; Nicholas Alberti, SMD 04 & Treasurer; Mary Beatty, SMD 05 & Alcohol Beverage Licensing (ABL) Chair; Marc Borbely, SMD 06, Secretary and Schools & Libraries Co-Chair; Gladys Mack, SMD 07; and Mfon Ibangha, SMD 08, Vice-Chair, and Schools & Libraries Co-Chair. Schwartzman’s Stink The meeting began with Clifton Humphries clearing the air. Humphries, owner of the Martini Lounge on H St., NE, wanted to let people know that his comments were taken out of context in the race-baiting April 4 Washington Post article by Paul Schwartzman, “Whose H Street Is It, Anyway?”, and that he continues to welcome all patrons for pleasure and community meetings. Cluck-U & Birdland on the Table Mayoral candidate Marie Johns, who attended an informal H St. Saturday morning coffee meeting with Commissioner Borbely and 17 others said at the ANC meeting, regarding Cluck-U, “I think we have to insist that all rules are followed.” Borbely made a motion to reconsider the appeal of Cluck-U’s occupancy. On a vote of 4-4, the motion failed. Borbely then made a motion to reconsider their vote to appeal Birdland. Rice suggested to Marshall that if there is evidence that Birdland’s immediate neighbors support the establishment, then the EDZ Committee would consider a recommendation of dropping the appeal. Alberti made the motion to table the reconsideration, which succeeded 4-3. Define ‘Restaurant’ Rice presented a list of defined terms for “restaurant,” “fast food restaurant,” “delicatessen,” and “coffee shop,” crafted to clearly classify establishments from submitted building plans – before business owners’ money is spent. Rice and the EDZ Committee’s recommendation was to send said list to the Zoning Commission on an emergency basis for quick action. Alberti said, “I like it.” Borbely commented, “I think the Committee has a fantastic proposal,” though he wanted to postpone the motion for a month. Ibangha agreed, saying, “The Committee has done an excellent job on the definitions,” but claimed not to have had enough time to go over it. He expressed great concern over the accuracy of categorizing this as an emergency, such that Fengler divided the motion into two parts – the text amendment and the emergency status. Beatty commented, “There’s been plenty of time for Commissioners to educate themselves. I would move not to table.” Alberti added, “It’s important that businesses have stability as quickly as possible.” There were several questions from the Commission and audience. Some answers: it would not apply retrospectively; it would apply city-wide; and under the H St. overlay, no more than 25% of H St. frontage can be fast food. After one small tweak to the list, it was adopted as amended, the vote 6-2, with Borbely and Ibangha against. As for sending the revised definitions under emergency status, the motion failed 3-4 (Rice, Alberti, and Fengler in favor, Beatty abstaining). Protest Parameters The ABL Committee will send a letter to the DC Alcohol Beverage Regulatory Administration (ABRA) to recommend that they consider a geographical limit on the protest of a liquor license in effort to reduce frivolous protests. The ABL Committee could not agree that the limitation should or should not include the proximity to a protester’s workplace, so they recommend that ABRA give the issue some thought. Construction Workers Gone Wild Commissioner Fengler reported on two examples of rogue construction. First, the difficulty at 1124 E St., NE is now more difficult as one of the units is now legally sold, and the building is still without proper permits. Second is an addition of third floor at 810 F St., NE, for which there are no permits and no cleanup of debris. Survey for Schools Borbely and Ibangha presented an idea to survey staff of five local schools to find out what they need in the way of help from neighbors. Alberti expressed concern about taking teachers’ time to complete a survey before knowing what to do with the data. He suggested a pilot program. Mack and Beatty agreed. The vote to send the issue back to the Schools Committee for further consideration was 6-2, with Borbely and Ibangha against. Final Bits Rice recalled the old firehouse at 1341 Maryland Ave., NE, which still sits vacant. “This whole discussion about chicken wings is a distraction. What we need to be discussing is affordable housing.” Dea Varsovczky has resigned as Transportation Committee Chair due to time constraints; Omar Mahmud replaces her. The Committee meets at 7 PM on the 4th Monday of each month in the Community Room of the Capitol Hill Towers, 900 G St., NE. Commissioner Beatty will meet April 19 with neighbors to and the principals of Options and Sasha Bruce Charter schools regarding the behavior of their students. Reported incidents of bad behavior include uprooting a bus stop sign and breaking glass bottles on the sidewalk. The recent scare in Borbely’s SMD of a man rifling through trash for personal information turned out to be nothing – it was a DC sanitation worker was simply preparing the trash for pickup, but serves as a good reminder to shred documents before throwing them away. ANC 6A meetings are held at Miner Elementary at 7 PM, the 2nd Thursday of each month. Off-street parking is available at the school’s entrance at 15th and G Sts., NE. All are welcome. For more information on ANC 6A, its Commissioners, and their efforts, visit www.anc6a.org.