ANC 5C votes to support HU's campus plan

At last night's ANC 5C meeting, the Commission voted to support the Howard University Campus Plan.

Not too much controversy there.

You can see the HU master campus plan here: http://community.howard.edu/

ANC 5C meeting tonight, 10-18-2011

See this message from ANC 5C Chair Ronnie Edwards:

Dear Friends/Neighbors:

Attached for your review is the meeting Notice for ANC 5C upcoming October 18, 2011 Meeting. The meeting will be held at Bennett Career Institute, 700 Monroe Street NE.

We have an action packed agenda with several pressing issues, including an update on Redistricting by the Coucilmember`s office and/or Redistricting Taskforce; the pros and cons of iGaiming and an update on ANC 5Cs protest/mediatiation involving the Engine Company 12`s ABRA application. We will also be reviewing our current Grants Procedures to see if improvements are needed.

Please help with immediate distribution and posting throughout the 5C area. Thanks for your assistance and we look forward to seeing you on the 18th.

Ronnie Edwards, 5C11, Chairman
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5C
(202) 413-2715


Government of the District of Columbia
ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 5C
PO Box 26183 . Washington, DC 20001 . www.ANC5C.COM

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
7:00pm -9:00pm

Bennett Career Institute
700 Monroe Street NE

Notice/Preliminary Agenda
Monthly Public Meeting

At the appropriate time, all attendees will be given the opportunity to participate in the meeting, offer suggestions and make recommendations for consideration. Unless otherwise noted, floor time is limited to 60 seconds. During deliberations, Commissioners are limited to 5-minute presentations and 90 seconds for comment. Please limit your comments accordingly. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

**************************************
Part I: Opening
Call to Order…………………..………………………………….…..Commissioner Edwards, Chairman
Roll Call/Quorum.…………………………………………………….
Adoption of Agenda
Review/Approval of Minutes.………………………………………..

 July 19, 2011 Regular Meeting
 August 4, 2011 Emergency Meeting
 September 20, 2011 Regular Meeting
 October 4, 2011 (Special Meeting)

Chairman`s Report – Summary of Meeting with Mayor
Police/Crime Report

Part II: Business Administration
Financial Report.………..…………………………..……….Commissioner Salatti, Financial Secretary
Review/Update RE: 4th Qtr Financial Report Documents..……Commissioner Ransom, Treasurer
Report & Pay Bills………………………..…………………..………Commissioner Ransom, Treasurer

Part III: Community Concerns, Updates and Resolutions
1. Community Concerns……………………………….……..………………………..
2. Parade Plans for Howard University Homecoming 2011
3. Internet Gaming (iGaming) ``Pros & Cons, Congressional Status; Economical Projections``
4. Update Re: Redistricting…….…….
 Update Re: Ward/ANC Districts
 Consideration of Bates Area Civic Association (BACA) Request for ANC Support for naming BACA as the Community Representative for First Street and Florida Avenue Park Renovation Project
5. Update/Consideration of Progress - Engine Company No. 12 ABRA Application/Mediation
6. Upcoming ABRA Renewal Licenses in 5C Area
7. Committee Reports/Updates…………………….
 Grants Committee Updates/Progress Reports
o Review of Grants Procedures
 Legislation Committee Updates
8. Meeting/Adjournment…………....………………………………………….…………………

Meetings: 3rd Tuesday each month
*Executive Meeting, November 1, 2011
*PUBLIC MEETING, November 15, 2011, (7:00 PM)
Alpha House (Mu Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, 2405 First Street NW
*********
Visit our web site: www.anc5c.org

concerning the future vacanies of HU's Carver and Slowe Halls

Read Eric Fidler`s Left for LeDroit post below on the Howard University Campus Plan.

Note that the LeDroit Park Civic Association voted to support the university's campus plan -- and then voted unanimouslly to amend its support for the HU campus plan to prohibit longer-than-one-year vacancies of Slowe & Carver Hall dormitories, once the dorms are emptied out.

Eric notes that "the civic association will submit this language to the Zoning Commission and urge the commission to attach it to the legally enforceable order that ratifies the campus plan."

So let`s see if the Zoning Commission proceeds with LPCA's amendment.

Bloomingdale residents might have particular interest in Carver Hall, since it borders the neighborhood at 2nd & Elm Street NW.

Civic association conditions zoning support on vacancy
By Eric Fidler
September 29, 2011
http://leftforledroit.com/2011/09/civic-association-conditions-zoning-support-on-vacancy

At Tuesday night`s meeting of the LeDroit Park Civic Association, the association voted 11-2 to support the Howard University Campus Plan (http://community.howard.edu/). Since several issues in the plan remain unresolved and unspecified, your author voted against supporting it.

Among many concerns are the several vacant properties that Howard University owns in the area. Though Howard has made a commendable effort to refurbish and sell many of these properties in LeDroit Park over the past decade, we are worried that the university, after it moves students out of Slowe and Carver Halls might leave these two dormitories vacant for several years.

The university has been very adept at finding excuses for keeping several of its properties vacant in decades past.

For current vagueness in the plan, university officials say they haven`t determined a use yet or that they haven`t found the financing or that everything is the economy`s fault.

That may be true, but vacant buildings attract trouble. They become safe-havens for criminals, vagrants, and rodents. Some vacant properties become truly blighted with windows covered up with plywood or metal covers. This blight drags down property values and lowers the quality of life.

For most private property owners, vacant properties (class 3) face a steep 5% annual property tax and blighted buildings (class 4) face a 10% annual property tax. These punitive tax rates (http://otr.cfo.dc.gov/otr/cwp/view,A,1330,Q,609710.asp) are meant to urge owners of vacant and blighted properties to return their properties to good order and productive use.

As a university, however, Howard pays no taxes on its land, so a punitive 5% or 10% tax on $0 is still $0 . As such, the neighborhood needs a legal mechanism to ensure the university does not vacate Slowe and Carver Halls and then blame the economy as they board up the buildings for several years.

Whether the university keeps the buildings as student dorms or converts them to faculty housing is fine either way, but vacancy and blight threatens the progress the neighborhood has made over the past decade.

To prevent this, your author moved ``To amend our support [for the campus plan] to prohibit vacancy of Slowe and Carver Halls for more than one year.``

The motion was property seconded and passed unanimously.

The civic association will submit this language to the Zoning Commission and urge the commission to attach it to the legally enforceable order that ratifies the campus plan. This will ensure that these two large dormitories do not sit vacant for an unreasonable length of time over the next decade.

Howard University`s campus plan is an ambitious and mostly good plan, but it`s important that point out its shortcomings and to ensure the university does not get away with undue burdens on neighborhoods and the District.

Exemption from property taxes is a privilege, not a right, and residents are wise to ensure this exemption is not abused to the detriment of the public interest.

agenda for this Monday's Bloomingdale Civic Association

See this Bloomingdale Civic Association meeting information supplied by BCA President Teri Janine Quinn:

Bloomingdale Civic Association Agenda -- Monday, September 19, 2011

WELCOME
Teri Janine Quinn, BCA President

BCA BUSINESS
§ Bloomingdale House Tour report
§ Elections and Nominating Committee selection
§ ANC grant status update

PRESENTATIONS
§ WeatherizeDC: Making homes more energy-efficient through weatherization
§ Howard University: Campus plan proposal
§ Statehood for DC: Political advocacy for statehood
§ Volunteers of America: New facility proposed for Florida Avenue
§ R Street shared lane: Street markings to indicate usage by cyclists and cars
§ Medical marijuana dispensary: Application by VentureForth LLC for location on North Capitol Street

COMMUNITY UPDATES
§ Executive Office of the Mayor
§ Office of the Ward 5 Councilmember
§ ANC 5C Commissioners

NEWS AND NOTICES
§ September 20 – ANC 5C monthly meeting (6:45 PM at Franklin United Methodist Church, 2001 Lincoln Road NE)
§ September 21 – PSA-501 monthly meeting (7 PM at the Harry Thomas, Sr. Rec Center, 1743 Lincoln Road NE)
§ September 25 – Northwest Learning Center open house (1-3 PM, 1837 First Street NW)
§ September 26 – Ward 5 Democrats monthly meeting (6:30 PM at Michigan Park Christian Church, 1600 Taylor Street NE)
§ October 15 – Bloomingdale House Tour: Fierce, Fresh, and Fabulous, $10 (1-5 PM at First and T Streets NW)

NEXT MEETING
The next BCA meeting will be held on Monday, October 17, 2011.

Bloomingdale Civic Asssociation, Inc., P.O. Box 1438, Washington, DC 20013

tonight's Bloomingdale Civic Association meeting

See this message from Teri Janine Quinn, President, Bloomingdale Civic Association

Please Join Us for the Bloomingdale Civic Association Meeting
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 7pm at
St. George`s Episcopal Church
(2nd & U Streets, NW)

Agenda Highlights:

• Howard University – Update on Changes to the Campus Master Plan



• Update on BCA Representation on the McMillan Advisory Group (MAG)



• Heritage Trail Request for a Letter of Support



• ``Get the Rats Out of Here``: Presentation on reducing rats in the neighborhood from Gerard Brown, Program Manager, the Rodent & Vector Control Division, Bureau of Community Hygiene



• Discussion about Block Captains and Safety Issues with a representative from the 5th District Police Department



• North Capitol Main Street`s Request for a Letter of Support for the Art Walk

Please spread the word to your neighbors…especially those without Internet access. Also, St. George’s is fully handicapped accessible and has a separate room for families and children. We hope to see you Monday night!

The next Bloomingdale Civic Association Meeting will be held Monday July 18, 2011.

John Salatti wants to add some text regarding the meeting being family-friendly:

To ensure that all Bloomingdale meetings are family friendly, we have reserved a room at St. George`s for parents and children. They can use the space as a place to take a break during the meeting, or parents can organize some activities so that most parents can be in the meeting while other parents are watching and playing with the kids.

Bloomingdale Civic Assn & HU welcome back meet & greet

See this message from Bloomingdale Civic Association President Robert Brannum:

The Bloomingdale Civic Association, Inc.
www.bloomingdalecivic.org

in collaboration with

Ward 5 Council Member Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr.,
Ward 5 D. C. State Board of Education Member Mark Jones,
5C04 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner John Salatti,
and The Howard University Office of Vice President for Student Affairs

cordially invite you to an

End of Summer and Welcome Back Meet & Greet

on

Tuesday, September 7, 2010
5:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.

at the St. George’s Episcopal Church, 2nd and U Streets, N.W.

Come and say hello to your new neighbors and welcome back our neighbors returning from summer vacations.

Refreshments will be served.

HU is updating its campus plan -- care to take the campus plan survey ?

See this request from Maybelle Taylor Bennett, Director, Howard University Community Association:

I would appreciate it if you could circulate this message on your listservs and to your various networks.

As many of our neighbors are aware, Howard University is updating its campus plan in accordance with the Zoning Commission's requirement that such an update take place once every ten years. Part of this plan includes the development of the Howard Town Center, a project described in some detail in the DUKE Plan, enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia on June 21, 2005, which had a great deal of stakeholder input. Following the most recent selection of a developer for the Town Center, a series of meetings took place in August, September and October, where a number of neighbors became more familiar with the most current plans for the project. The Pleasant Plains Civic Association hosted the first meeting on August 31st. Commissioner Gail Holness of Single Member District 1B11, where the project is located, hosted a second presentation on September 14th. The LeDroit Park Civic Association included this presentation on their agenda on September 22nd, and ANC 1B included the presentation of this project at their October 4th meeting. Questions about the project were entertained and suggestions for the enrichment of the plan were received.

Howard University is continuing the data collection phase of its campus planning process, and as part of that process, we are engaging our neighbors in a more comprehensive way than we have in the past. This includes:

• participation in quarterly Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings, which have taken place continuously since 1998, and includes area residents, civic association leaders, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, church, business and community organization representatives in the area;

• participation in individual interviews of community members from these same groups, which were conducted in September, 2009;

• participation on campus plan working groups which will be organized once the campus plan team has collected and analyzed enough data to report back for review and discussion; and

• participation in a community-wide survey that is distributed on-line and in hard copy for those without computers.


With this communication, we are inviting our neighbors to fill out the survey attached in the link below:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229PW39UT5J


Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback on this survey. As the draft campus plan begins to come together, we will be making presentations at area ANC and civic association meetings, so that we can receive your feedback at that point as well.

We look forward to your participation, and if there are any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Maybelle Taylor Bennett
Director
Howard University Community Association
2731 Georgia Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Ph: (202) 806 - 4771
Fx: (202) 667 - 5964