Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 7D met Feb. 13 via WebEx. Commissioners Siraaj Hasan (7D01), Wendell Felder (7D03, chair), Milton Hardy (7D04), Ebony Payne (7D05), Marc Friend (7D06), Brett Astmann (7D07, treasurer), Brian Alcorn (7D08, vice chair) and Ashley Schapitl (7D09, secretary) were in attendance. Single Member Districts 7D02 and 7D10 remain vacant.
District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Everett Lott briefed the commission. Safety, Lott stated, remains the highest priority. “Everything that we do is based on safety and improving safety and increasing safety,” Lott said.
Lott emphasized the agency’s creating equitable mobility options across all eight wards. The department is implementing an eastern extension of H Street streetcar. “We hope to have the project completed by fiscal year 27,” Lott said. “So, we’re about four years away from final implementation and hopefully deliverance to the residents.”
Commissioners expressed their appreciation for the various traffic calming measures, bike lanes and other improvements. Then, they raised concerns.
“The biggest issue that I always hear is about the frequency of buses,” Commissioner Friend said.
The “pockets” across all eight wards that have limited access to transit service are a priority for DDOT, Lott responded. He promised the department will collaborate with WMATA to close these service gaps.
The new Traffic Safety Investigation (TSI) dashboard was created without any input from the commission, pointed out Commissioner Astmann. “I appreciate that it’s taking an algorithmic approach to looking at these, but my concern with it is traditionally [that] the ANC has had a voice into which TSI gets priorities, to unify and give visibility to some that they know are community problems,” he said.
Her constituents are concerned about the lack of Residential Parking Enforcement (RPP) near their homes, stated Commissioner Schapitl stated. “There are just a lot of out-of-state cars and cars without RPP parking for days and weeks at a time and there’s very minimal parking enforcement compared to Dupont Circle or other parts of downtown,” Schapitl pointed out.
DDOT plays a small role in enforcement of road and traffic violations. Lott advised. Parking enforcement is the responsibility of the Dept. of Public Works, while moving violations are the purview of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). “We are not in the enforcement business besides our automated traffic enforcement cameras. We’ll have to make sure that we do share this information with MPD,” he responded
Other Matters
Commissioners established five committees: Housing, Economic Development and Economic Justice, Transportation and Public Space, Grants and Community Outreach, Environment and Public Safety. Current 7D commissioners plan to solicit constituent participation.
The commission unanimously supported the DC State Board of Education Youth Safety Resolution presented by Ward 7 State Board of Education Representative Eboni-Rose Thompson.
The commission unanimously DDOT’s 19th Street and Potomac Ave Cycle Track Project, stipulating that it create minimal disruption to residents. The project will improve bicycle safety and promote walking, transit and biking.
ANC 7D next meets March 13 at 6:30 p.m. via WebEx.
Sarah Payne is a reporter for Capital Community News. She can be reached at sarahp@hillrag.com.
