Author: eckingtoncivic

Today, the Eckington Civic Association submitted budget requests for FY 2021 to the Mayor. The budget requests were developed with community input both online and at the civic association’s February meeting.

Because we anticipate that the city’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and associated impacts on the local economy will result in significant changes to many aspects of the city’s budget, the civic association has prioritized four requests this budget cycle:

1. Continued funding for the Truxton Circle/Eckington violence interruption program;
2. Additional funding for crime prevention efforts, including increasing the deployment of officers who patrol on foot or bike and installing additional permanent or temporary street cameras;
3. Continued funding for the redesign and rebuilding of Dave Thomas Circle on the timetable announced by DDOT in the FY 2020 budget
4. Funding to upgrade restrooms and other sanitation facilities in Eckington’s DCPS schools and at the Harry Thomas Recreation Center

The Civic Association also included longer set of requests gathered from residents prior to the coronavirus crisis. Where possible, we are asking that those items also received funding this budget cycle or be considered for appropriations as the city engages in its recovery efforts.

A PDF of the Agenda is available here.

Community!

Thank you so much to everyone that was able to attend this month’s community meeting. This month we hosted a virtual meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will be hosting the meeting virtually again next month.

During this month’s meeting we largely discussed community issues and concerns around COVID-19.

Click here to view meeting minutes.

Due to the public health emergency, we will not be holding ECA meetings in person. We will be shifting to virtual meetings until further notice, beginning with our April 6 meeting on Monday.

How to participate in the meeting

There are two ways to join the meeting:

(1) Google Hangouts – click this link to join us online at 7pm on Monday: meet.google.com/ung-hazp-jhe

(2) Phone – call (567) 351-1216 and when prompted, enter the PIN: 437273171

Please fill out our survey in advance of the meeting.

We are hoping to get a sense for community needs and concerns in advance of the meeting because participation may be more difficult in this virtual setting—especially the first time around. It is very short! Link here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXybjYoOgjhzeQ9w9PblnHLWIMrW4eAoXH80Q1q-Lx8VOdLQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Agenda Items

Grace Period — 7:00-7:05 pm

We will give folks a few minutes to connect and dial in. Please be patient. And hey—you’re at home, so you could grab yourself a tasty snack or beverage!

Welcome and important reminders — 7:05-7:15 pm

Coronavirus Response in Eckington — 7:15-8:00 pm

Neighbors, I wanted to share a few things with you as we organize to meet the challenges of living in the age of COVID-19, especially while we all take appropriate precautions for the safety of our families, friends, & neighbors.

We created a google document containing helpful information for Eckington Residents during the COVID-19 crisis. Please help us by adding information directly to the document or by emailing us proposed additions. A couple of details are worth flagging

• Meals for students of all ages are available at Eckington’s McKinley Technology High School on weekdays from Monday, March 16 to Tuesday, March 31 from 10 am-2 pm; 
• The city has suspended street sweeping (and street sweeping parking enforcement) for the time being. Other parking restrictions still apply, and the city is still issuing tickets for other violations. 

Folks who are willing to volunteer or who need assistance with various needs to complete this Ward 5 Community & Mutual Aid form. In the coming days, we also expect to recruit volunteers to organize “pods” on each block or in each apartment building in Eckington. We want to ensure that everyone in the community knows how to get support they need in these difficult times. Stay tuned for more details.

The Eckington Civic Association will continue to help communicate community needs to city agencies. For example, we are seeing if the city can open up the track at McKinley Tech to residents during all daylight hours so that folks can get exercise while practicing social distancing. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have needs that are not being addressed, and we will do our best to pass those concerns along to the appropriate office. 

At this point, we expect to hold our next meeting on April 6 using some kind of phone or video conferencing. We will share details in advance of the meeting, and I expect that additional efforts to organize in our community and respond to this crisis will be the main item on the agenda. 

Stay safe and stay in touch!

Conor Shaw
President
Eckington Civic Association

We have received some questions about possible changes to T street NE. I wanted to share what we know so far and how you can weigh in on proposed changes.  

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and ANC 5E (which includes Eckington) are proposing to convert T street NE to one-way eastbound between Lincoln Road NE and 2nd Street NE. Currently T street NE between Lincoln Rd. and Summit Place is one-way eastbound during certain hours on weekdays. You can read DDOT’s analysis here.

The proposal is supposed to address concerns about congestion on T street, especially at school pickup and drop-off times. Conditions have been so poor that there was a violent altercation between two individuals last fall, which is obviously something we want to avoid outside of a school. The current proposal would make T street one-way full time and extend the one-way portion of T street all the way to 2nd street.  DDOT’s analysis states that the change will result in increased traffic on R street NE. It will undoubtedly also make it harder for residents of NE Eckington to drive or bike westbound on local roads. 

Because this proposal will undoubtedly affect many of you, I have invited DDOT to present their plans to the community at an upcoming meeting (either at our regularly scheduled April 6 meeting or at another time). I would love for impacted residents of R Street NE, T Street NE, and northeast Eckington to have an opportunity to weigh in before a plan is finalized. 

Some of you will have seen that ANC 5E has a resolution supporting this proposal on its agenda for their meeting next Tuesday, March 17. In an ideal world, the Eckington Civic Association would help gather input from all of you before the ANC takes action. If you would like to express views regarding the merits of the T street proposal or would like to ask the ANC to hold off on this item until community input has been gathered, please contact Commissioner Pinkney at 5E04@anc.dc.gov and Commissioner Segmen at 5E03@anc.dc.gov.

Thanks!

Conor Shaw
President
Eckington Civic Association

Agenda                                                                                    

Guest Presentations — 7:00-7:40 pm

• Public life study of NY/FL Ave a/k/a Dave Thomas Circle (Erkin Ozberk, DC’s Office of Planning)
• Petition requesting that Council Member McDuffie support emergency legislation requiring DDOT to start construction on 9^th Street NW bike lane
• Request for Special Exceptions (# of units, density relief, square footage for accessory structure, multiple alley dwellings) at 2116 4th Street NE & 315 W Rear St. NE a/k/a “Eckington Court” (Andre Jean and Emily Morris)

ECA business — 7:40-8:10 pm

• Officers’ updates (Arlene Johnson, Dana Samuels, Daniel Agold, Neil Shah, Benjamin Colbert)
• Vote to authorize ECA spending on outreach materials (yard signs, business cards, etc)

Updates from community leaders and offices — 8:10-8:30 pm

• Silas Grant, Constituent Analyst, Office of Council Member Kenyan McDuffie (Ward 5)
• Dominique Chestnut, Ward 5 Liaison, Mayor’s Office of Community Relations & Services
• Other members of the community

Upcoming Meetings & Events                                                        

• March TBD: Ribbon cutting for Tanner Park
• March 7, 3-6pm: Langley PTSA “Make Some Noise!” fundraiser at Boundary Stone, 116 R.I. Ave
• March 19: ECA Neighborhood Happy Hour @ 135 Rhode Island Avenue (Neil Shah)
• April 6: ECA Meeting. Our 2020 schedule is at https://eckingtoncivicassociation.com/meetings-agendas/
• April 15: Meeting for Friends of Eckington Parks & Arts. Join here: https://eckingtonparks.com/
• Spring TBD: Grand opening of Tanner Park

About the Eckington Civic Association                                          

The Eckington Civic Association meets the first Monday of each month (unless otherwise noted). All Eckington residents are welcome to attend. If you are interested in becoming a member of the association, which allows you to vote at meetings and serve on committees, please contact or speak to one of the officers at our monthly meeting or reach out to us at the contact information below. Annual dues are $10, $7 for seniors.

Website: https://eckingtoncivicassociation.com

Twitter: @EckingtonCivic

Email: eckingtoncivic@gmail.com

Eckington listserv: eckington@googlegroups.com

The ECA will be holding its February meeting on Monday, February 3, 2020 from 7:00PM-8:30PM at the Summit at St. Martin’s, 116 T Street NE. PLEASE NOTE: a photo ID is required to enter the building

Agenda Items                                                                                    

Guest Presentations — 7:00-7:15 pm

• Representative of MPD, 5th District
• Eckington Parks & Arts

ECA business— 7:15-8:00 pm

• Budget priority discussion
  • Please review and contribute ideas to the ECA’s running list of proposed budget priorities
  • Those in attendance will also help identify top priorities for the ECA to pursue in the coming months in our advocacy to the Mayor and the DC Council

Updates from community leaders and offices —8:00-8:30 pm

• Silas Grant, Constituent Analyst, Office of Council Member Kenyan McDuffie (Ward 5)
• Dominique Chestnut, Ward 5 Liaison, Mayor’s Office of Community Relations & Services
• Sylvia Pinkney, ANC 5E04 (West Eckington)
• Cortney Segmen, ANC 5E03 (East Eckington)
• Other members of the community

Upcoming Meetings & Events                                                         

• February 6 at 4pm: Langley Elementary Tiger Trek
• February 8 from 12-2pm: DDOT Ward 5 Open House @ Trinidad Rec. Center, 1310 Childress St. NE
• March 2: Next ECA meeting @ The Summit at St. Martin’s, 116 T Street NE

On January 10, 2020, the Eckington Civic Association submitted a letter D.C.’s Office of Planning asking it to reconsider its decision not to recommend for inclusion in the Comprehensive Plan several map amendments (tracking numbers 2416.1, 2416.2, 2416.3, 2419.1, 2419.2, and 2419.3) and one text amendment (tracking number 1702) that the ECA proposed in 2017. 

ECA’s proposed map amendments can be viewed here and here, and its original set of proposed text amendments can be viewed here. The Office of Planning has already proposed adopting some of the ECA’s proposed amendments, and the ECA is only requesting reconsideration of proposed policy Policy MC-2.8.2 (OP tracking number 1702).

The ECA’s letter asserts that the Office of Planning erred in concluding that these requested changes were inconsistent with completed plans or policy documents or “inappropriate,” and are requesting that the Office of Planning reconsider. The ECA’s letter further argues that that the ECA’s proposed amendments are entirely consistent with the Mayor and Office of Planning’s stated goal of increasing more housing in the District and in the Mid City. 

Finally, the ECA’s letter asks the Office of Planning could clarifywhat aspects of the ECA’s submissions were “inappropriate,” so that we have an opportunity to address whatever procedural or substantive concerns that language is intended to reference.

ANC 5E previously gave unanimous support to the ECA’s proposed amendments. The ANC is slated to consider its own comments to the Office of Planning regarding the Comprehensive Plan amendments at its January meeting, and the ECA is asking its ANC commissioners, Cortney Segmen and Sylvia Pinkney, to support the requests made in our January 10, 2020 letter.

On January 7, 2020, the Eckington Civic Association submitted comments on the District Department of Transportation’s 65% design for Florida Avenue NE and 30% design for Dave Thomas Circle. Those comments were approved at the ECA’s meeting on January 6. Based on conversations we have had with DDOT, we understand that some of the issues we are raising cannot be addressed in these two projects. Where that is the case, we are encouraging DDOT to address those comments with other resources and/or in future projects. 

Our members appreciate the steps DDOT has already taken to address community needs. Folks in the neighborhood are genuinely excited about the prospect of a Dave Thomas Circle that better serves local residents no matter what mode of transportation they choose. The ECA looks forward to continuing our dialogue with DDOT as it refines its design.