March 2017 Minutes

Community Meeting – March 21, 2017, 7:10 PM

Officers:

• Dan Schramm – President
• Brian Stevens – Vice President
• Teresa Fleming – Membership Director
• Clyde Blassengale – Treasurer
• Lamont Bessicks – Recording Secretary
• Elise Scott – Corresponding Secretary (Absent)
• Ian McFarlane – At-Large Member

Dan opened the meeting at approximately 7:10 PM.

Item 1: Old Business

• Comprehensive Plan
  • Caroline Petti will take meeting notes from January and draft into a formal letter.
  • Members are free to participate in formalizing that letter.
• Traffic and Truck Issues
  • Elise testified at the DDOT Oversight meeting on March 7.
  • City has decided to install a traffic camera at 13th and Franklin.
• Proposed Family Housing Center – 1700 Rhode Island Avenue, NE
  • Jeff Stein reported on more recent developments with shelter.
  • December 12, 2016 – public design meeting.
  • January 4, 2017 – City submitted plans to Board of Zoning
  • January 25 – presented plans to ANC5B
  • February 22 – resolution presented to ANC, but no input from ANC
  • March 1 – BZA Hearing about the shelter
  • March 17 – emergency ANC meeting on whether to vote. Resolution in opposition; votes casted 3-2.
  • Next steps:
    • April 5 – BZA will have decision hearing.
    • Pending outcome, good neighbor agreements will start.
    • Construction to start December, 2017; open in summer of 2019
    • Several variances need to build shelter.
      • 7 variances; 1 special exception40% increase in FAR
      • 82% reduction in parking
      • No loading doc
      • 75% reduction of rear yard
      • 28% reduction of courtyard
      • 40% increase in height
      • mayor.dc.gov/homewarddc

Item 2: Treasurer’s Report

• Clyde presented the March, 2017 report, for the month of February, 2017.
• Beginning Balance of $3,561.22.
• Nine new members; one new associate member
• Income of $110.00
• Bank Charge of $2.00 for paper statements
• Ending Balance of $3,671.22.
• March Treasurer’s Report was voted and accepted.

Item 3: Membership Report

Item 4: Announcements

• BNCA Clean UP Event – Bunker Hill Park on Saturday, April 8, beginning 10:00 AM.
• 10th Annual Yard Sale – Hosting site of Atlantic Electric.

Item 5: The Neighbors of St. Joseph Seminary

• Presented by Anita Green.
  • NSJS is concerned about the potential development on the St. Joseph site, as well as who the developer is (EYA).
  • NSJS is opposed to this development, but understand that the Josephites are attempting to monetize their asset.
  • EYA’s closing is contingent upon obtaining a desired zoning classification of R1A.
  • A survey of the number of development projects within a two-mile radius reveal over 20 new development projects – approximately 2,387 units, and over 4,300 new people.
  • EYA proposes 80 three and four story townhouse units.
  • EYA proposes extending Webster Street through from 12th Street to 13th Street.
  • EYA’s original proposal was for 82 townhouses, which met with considerable resistance.
  • A Set-Down hearing with the Zoning Commission on April 27.
  • Residences have until 9:00 AM, on April 27, to submit comments to the Zoning Commission.
  • EYA is proposing a bike lane on 12th Street, which are seen as problematic due to the amount of traffic.
  • Opening Webster potentially interferes with the ambulance traffic from the Providence Hospital.
  • EYA is proposing a playground at the intersection of 12th & Varnum Streets, which is problematic.
  • EYA is committing to no development along 13th Street, however, they cannot guarantee any future development.
  • EYA plans to seek historic designation for the existing Josephite building, but haven’t revealed their plan for this.
  • NSJS is concerned about the loss of mature trees from the development, as well as potential damage to the aquafer that runs under the project site.
  • EYA ha not addressed issue like, staging, truck access/exit, rodent mitigation…
  • NSJS is asking BNCA to consider voting on a resolution in opposition to EYA’s proposed development project.

Item 6: CAS Riegler/MPR Realty Development Project

• Presented by Robin Bettarel, Senior Vice President
• CAS/MRP responded to an RFP to development “The Green” at Brookland Metro Station.
• CAS/MRP in steady period; renderings, floorplans, unit designs have not been drafted to date.
• Two parcels:
  1. Parcel along Michigan Avenue, NE, between Bunker Hill Road, NE.
  2. A small parcel of land on the north side of the Kiss & Ride parking lot, contiguous to The Green.
• Proposing 160 units on the first parcel; 140 units on the second parcel.
• PUD project – requiring IZ housing – number of units have not been determined.
• Proposing seven stories on the first site; five stories on the second site.
• First parcel has an industrial zoning of PDR-1 [Square 3824, Parcel 133, Lot(s) 0103, 0105, 0107, 0109, 0111, 0113 and 0001
• Second parcel has a residential zoning of R-2 [Square 3826, Lot(s) 0009, 0010, 0014, 0800, 0802, 0803, and 0804].
• CAS/MRP are leasing the site under a 99-year ground lease.
• Per Nina Ablert, Director of Real Estate and Roz Dogget, Project Manager for WMATA:
  • Bus loop to remain intact.
  • Kiss & Ride lot would remain intact.
  • Reconfiguring the bus loop is extremely expensive, and not overall cost effective.
• WMATA will partner with DC Government to provide the proper infrastructure to support development around metro stations. The objective is to increase ridership and revenue.
• DC Government and WMATA have been attempting a land swap for The Green. If possible, the DC Government would continue to be responsible for it. If not possible, an easement can be imposed by WMATA to preserve it, making the development responsible for maintaining the second parcel.

Item 7: Other Community Concerns

Meeting adjourned at 8:55 PM.

Next BNCA Meeting: Wednesday, April 19, 2017, 7:00 PM