ANC 4A unanimously opposes Walmart LTR as currently submitted

Here are 4A resident Michele Baskin's notes from Tuesday night's ANC 4A meeting, during which 4A's commissioners moved to oppose Walmart's current Large Tract Review.

I made it out to the ANC 4A mtg at Fort Stevens Rec Center on Tuesday night where Walmart's LTR submission was on the agenda. It was really unclear what the commissioners would choose to do since DDOT released their letter earlier in the day noting problems with the LTR and requesting a hold on approval.

All commissioners were present but very few community members. About 3/4 the way through the meeting, Muriel Bowser made an appearance.

The commissioners were originally going to vote on the comments from the ANC either in support of or opposition to the LTR plan. It was suggested that they postpone the vote in light of DDOT's letter. Dave Wilson, the commissioner tasked with creating the ANC's comments, suggested that they go ahead and vote on the LTR as is, in case the window for submitting comments did close as scheduled on May 30th. He also stated that the concerns brought up by DDOT were the same concerns he was bringing up in comments, making the DDOT letter in support of the ANC's proposed comments. After much wrangling around process, a very lengthy motion was crafted (I am still trying to get the exact working from Wilson or Whatley) that stated that ANC 4A was in opposition to Walmart's LTR as written but that this would be suspended if Walmart submitted a new LTR in response to DDOT's letter or if the comment period was extended to June 30th at the earliest, at which point any new submissions by Walmart would be reviewed and a new motion submitted. There was a lot more legalese, but basically this was a vote to oppose the LTR as currently submitted. The vote was 8-0 to oppose the LTR by Walmart.

So let me repeat, ANC4A is on the record as opposing the current Walmart LTR in a unanimous fashion.

The commissioners also took up a separate motion concerning a community benefits agreement. There was much discussion about the reality of enforceability and the fact that Wal-Mart has never signed one of these. There was also concern that it would be problematic to have each ANC in the city craft their own CBA or list of demands. I suggested that the ANC take a look at the draft from Respect DC, and it was agreed that they would table any CBA motions until Respect DC's proposal was read.

Bowser suggested that the ANC need not worry about a CBA because she and her fellow councilmembers would take care of it. She seems to think that she can leverage LTR approval and building permit issuance to get favorable terms and a binding agreement on a CBA.

There was much mention of the upcoming ANC4B meetings and people were directed to next week's meeting to receive more information around the Walmart issue.

The next ANC 4B meeting regarding Walmart will be held on Thursday, May 12, at Emory Methodist Church, 7100 Georgia Avenue NW, 7-9 pm.

(Ink blot) & Councilmember Graham welcome us to Bruce Monroe Park

Former Mayor Fenty's name was blotted off of the Bruce Monroe Park sign. I'm not sure how long it's been since this happened; I just noticed it yesterday. (Any regular park-goers or Park View residents know how long Fenty's name has been inked over?)

USDA: There are no food deserts in Ward 4

Ward 4: Not a food desert.

The USDA has released this handy tool for locating "food deserts" across the country. Enter an address, zoom in/out, and you'll see designated food deserts shaded in pink.

I took a screenshot of the whole city. Notice that there are no food deserts in all of Ward 4, according to this tool. Prince George's County is more food-deserty than the District.

Ecco Park developer aims to begin construction in June, adds PMI parking lot by Takoma Metro to the plan

This post has been updated.

Word from Sas Gharai, the developer of the long-stalled Ecco Park mixed-use development, is that he's now aiming to begin construction this June. Ecco Park is to be located at the corner of Carroll St. and Maple Ave. NW, in the vacant lot across the street from the Big Bad Woof and Trohv.

Gharai has also announced that he intends to develop the PMI parking lot, located on Carroll St. NW between the 7-11 and the Ecco Park site. A rendition of the plans can be seen on ANC commissioner Sara Green's website.

As both sites are located in the Takoma Historic District, the new design has to go before the Historic Preservation Review Board for approval. (EDIT: There are two separate buildings; looking at the above rendering made me think Gharai had overhauled the plan to build one big building, but it's just an illusion, apparently.) A public meeting, enabling community members to ask questions of the developer, will be held toward the end of May (I'll post details once they become available).

DDOT says traffic study for proposed Ward 4 Walmart site is seriously flawed, recommends putting Large Tract Review on hold

This post has been updated.

Summary from ANC Sara Green: "Bottom Line: Walmart did not provide traffic/transportation data for 7 out of 10 categories DDoT asked for (during December 2010 meetings). Therefore the city cannot approve the project at this time."

What follows is a memo from Office of Planning director Harriet Tregoning outlining the details of DDOT's concerns.

OP Walmart Document

Sam Gilliam piece to be installed in Takoma Metro underpass next week

After a long wait. From an email from Deirdre Ehlen, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities' public art coordinator:

The much-anticipated public art installation by renowned artist Sam Gilliam, From a Model to Rainbow, will be installed next week at the Takoma Metro Underpass. The installation will begin on Monday, May 2nd and will most likely conclude by Wednesday, May 11th. In addition, the Mayor will be attending the unveiling ceremony, which will occur on Saturday, June 11th at 10:00am. Formal invitations and details will follow in the next few weeks regarding the dedication ceremony. Please email Deirdre.Ehlen@dc.gov or call 202-724-5613 if you have any questions. It has been an absolute pleasure working on this project and I hope you share in my excitement!

Pro Bono Tropical Foods, 5403 Georgia Avenue, robbed at gunpoint last night

MPD reports that Pro Bono Tropical Foods, located at 5403 Georgia Ave. NW, was robbed at gunpoint yesterday evening:

Pro Bono Groceries reports that at approximately 8:30 p.m., they were robbed at gunpoint. A lone suspect entered into the establishment and announced a robbery, subsequently an undetermined amount of US currency was taken. There were no reported injuries as a result of this robbery. The suspect is described as a black male, 25-30 years of age, 6' 160 pounds, wearing a black jacket and black jeans, armed with a silver hand gun.

Anyone with information relative to the above listed offense is asked to call the Fourth District Detectives Office on 202-715-7506.

An email sent about seven hours later by MPD's James Cullen reports:

The suspect in this robbery was later arrested after the complainant saw him back in the area. Officer Pena made the arrest and charged the suspect with Armed Robbery and possession of marijuana.

Gray's Ward 4 Budget Town Hall is Monday, May 2, 7pm

Heads up:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray
Ward 4 2012 Budget Briefing
When: Monday, May 2, 2011, 7:00pm
Where: Brightwood Elementary School, 1300 Nicholson Street, NW

"Come Listen, Come Learn, Come Voice Your Concerns," said an email from Gray's office. "Come participate in the Shaping of our DC Budget."

If you haven't voted in the At-Large Council special election today, you should. Here's why.

From DCist's Martin Austermuhle.

• Your Vote Really Counts: You hear this all the time, but it's probably more true today than ever before. Turnout in special elections has historically ranged from five to 25 percent, and the winner of one of these contests could well be determined by a tiny proportion of votes. Back in 1997, Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large) claimed a win with only 10,818 votes, just over 1,000 more than second-place finisher Arrington Dixon. Only four candidates fought for the seat, and turnout was a meager 7.5 percent. This time around, we've got nine candidates on the ballot, six of them Democrats. Votes are splintering along ideological, demographic, geographic and issue-based lines -- but no one can accurately predict how. Your vote counts. Really.
  
  
• Their Vote Really Counts: As soon as the winner of this Special Election is announced, they'll jump straight into the unforgiving business of debating and amending Mayor Vince Gray's 2012 budget, which slashed funding for many social services and hiked taxes on the city's highest-earners in order to close a $322 million budget gap. The D.C. Council is closely divided between those that want tax increases and those opposed; a single vote could swing the decision either way. Bryan Weaver, Josh Lopez and Alan Page have supported tax hikes in one form or another, while Sekou Biddle, Vincent Orange, Patrick Mara, Dorothy Douglas and Tom Brown have been skeptical. If you feel strongly either way, your vote will count towards making their vote count.
  
  
• You Can Send a Strong Message: Let's be honest -- it hasn't been a particularly good few months in D.C. politics. We've had far too many scandals in far too short a time, and it's easy to see why many residents are becoming more and more cynical about the state of local affairs. Many of the candidates are running on a message of independence, integrity and accountability -- all things that seem to be in short supply these days. Weaver has pledged to clean up how campaign finances are raised, while Mara has emphasized stricter controls on how the government spends its money. Page, Lopez, Mara and Weaver have said that they would be full-time councilmembers, and many of the candidates have said that they would support cutting their own pay (currently at $125,000 a year) and instituting term limits. Voting in this election sends a message that things aren't hunky-dory and that you're not willing to wait until 2014 and the next mayoral contest until things change.
  
  
• This is What Little Democracy We Get: If this were 1972, you wouldn't even get to vote for a member of the D.C. Council, much less a mayor. The 1973 Home Rule Act enshrined what little local democracy we have, allowing residents to actually choose who would govern them. Sure, Congress can overrule it whenever it pleases, but we should cherish an opportunity that District residents 40 years ago didn't even have.
  

If you don't know your polling place, find it here. Polls are open until 8 p.m. And if you're not registered, you can register on the spot if you bring a proof of DC residence with you (a utility bill will do). And I do encourage you to cast your vote for Bryan Weaver (the link is to an endorsement that outlines almost perfectly why I think Weaver is the best candidate for the job).

New approaches to litter enforcement

I think about litter way more than I would like to. Noting that it's unrealistic to expect a police officer to show up and write a ticket every time someone randomly drops an empty soda can on the sidewalk or fails to pick up after their dog, this poster to the Takoma listserv had a different idea, and I have to say I think she might be onto something.

A crucial step, I think...is to attain wider community compliance -- and buy-in -- by requiring residents and businesses to clear litter from the sidewalks and tree boxes in front of their homes and stores--and issuing warnings and fines if they fail to do so. We require homeowners and businesses to clear their sidewalks of snow for the sake of public health and safety. It is not a big jump to require the same for litter. My guess is that if people participate regularly in cleanup--and it would be a relatively small amount in front of
their homes and businesses--they would catch on pretty fast about not throwing stuff on the ground. By the way, many of us on my block already do this front-of-house cleanup on a regular basis.

Sounds like a variation of the broken windows theory that would place the responsibility for cleanliness on all of us, rather than just on the known litterbugs, or on our police officers. Would non-litterbugs be willing to assume this responsibility? I Googled "litter laws" in an attempt to find out if other large cities in the U.S. have adopted any similar codes, but haven't found anything yet...anyone who can school me, please do so.