A local governing body was forced to adjourn its meeting early on Wednesday, shelving votes on four agenda items to its October meeting after realizing they had less than the legally mandated number of members present.
Members of the Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission ended their September meeting before voting on two resolutions and two presentations after one member had to leave and the governing body realized it didn’t have a legally mandated quorum — more than half of members. The ANC also struggled to reach its legally mandated quorum in at least two meetings last year because some members, who are not required under ANC bylines to reach a certain attendance threshold, frequently miss meetings but haven’t resigned from the commission.
At the Wednesday meeting, ANC Vice Chair and 2A05 Commissioner Luke Chadwick had to leave early due to an illness, shrinking commissioner attendance from five to four.
The commission at first thought it could continue with the meeting, but soon realized they had too many members missing because they hadn’t received confirmation from the D.C. Board of Elections of 2A07 Commissioner Dasia Bandy’s resignation from the body last month pending a move outside the District.
Without the confirmation, D.C. still considers Bandy a commissioner, meaning the ANC has eight official members and needs five members present to reach the mandated more-than-half quorum.
2A01 Commissioner Yannik Omictin said at the meeting that in addition to Bandy, two commissioners haven’t resigned from their positions, despite not attending meetings. 2A09 Commissioner Evelyn Hudson hasn’t attended a meeting since May 2023 due to health issues and 2A08 Commissioner Jordan Nassar hasn’t attended since September 2023.
Before ending the meeting early, commissioners passed a resolution urging District officials to continue operating the Circulator bus routes and elected a new treasurer for the governing body.
Here are some of the meeting’s highlights:
ANC condemns D.C. government’s decision to end Circulator bus
The commission unanimously approved a resolution urging D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to officially transfer DC Circulator operations to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Association. The District Department of Transportation announced in July that Circulator bus frequency is scheduled to decrease on Oct. 1 and cease operations entirely on Dec. 31 because of District budget cuts.
The resolution discusses how Foggy Bottom residents use the Circulator and suggests actions to help Circulator employees transition to new jobs. Hundreds of Circulator drivers received notices of layoffs in July.
2A01 Commissioner Yannik Omictin, who introduced the resolution, said route changes recently announced by WMATA in preparation for the Circulator’s termination were “a drop in the bucket” for sufficient transportation services in Foggy Bottom.
The Circulator currently operates six routes, three of which pass by or through Foggy Bottom — Dupont Circle to Rosslyn, Georgetown to Union Station and the National Mall route. Omcitin said the loss of these routes, particularly the National Mall route, will “create even more difficult vehicular traffic conditions” on heavily trafficked roads.
“D.C. can’t flourish if residents can’t get from point A to point B in safe and affordable ways,” ANC Chair and 2A03 Commissioner Trupti Patel said.
2A06 Commissioner Joel Causey said though the fate of the Circulator’s buses remains unclear, he expects leaders to consider selling the buses to help bridge the District’s deficits, refuting other commissioners’ claims that the buses would sit unused in a parking lot.
ANC elects treasurer, hires executive director
Commissioners unanimously elected 2A01 Commissioner Yannik Omictin as the ANC’s treasurer. His appointment comes after former treasurer Dasia Bandy, who represented 2A07, announced at the body’s July meeting that she would resign from the governing body on August 19. Bandy, a 2024 GW alum, said she resigned because she was moving outside of the District to pursue further education in Chicago.
ANC commissioners announced that they hired Shelem Cellis as the body’s executive director, a role that compiles agendas, communicates with neighborhood businesses for upcoming licensing applications and advises commissioners on ANC rules and procedures. Former executive director Peter Sacco departed from the role in February.
Since Sacco’s departure, commissioners have held meetings only via Zoom, but the commission previously held in-person meetings with a Zoom option. Former ANC Chair Jim Malec said at the March meeting that the ANC was unable to organize a hybrid meeting without an executive director. ANC Vice Chair and 2A05 commissioner Luke Chadwick said the governing body is working with Cellis to organize an in-person meeting option since her hiring.
Commissioners voice concern on rent prices for 2100 M Street renovation
Matthew Pestronk, co-founder of Philadelphia-based real estate firm Post Brothers, presented an updated design for the long-vacant office building at 2100 M Street. Though commissioners couldn’t take official action due to a failure to meet quorum, the Commission was skeptical about apartment prices for the much-anticipated office-to-home conversion proposed by the real estate firm at the meeting.
The firm initially purchased the building in 2023 and is now planning to convert the space into a residential building. Office-to-home conversions have been spotlit in the District due to a growth in office vacancies and changes in commuting patterns following the pandemic. In July, Bowser announced the first successful conversion at 1111 20th Street, Northwest, only two blocks away from 2100 M Street.
Commissioners expressed concerns about the affordability of building rentals after Pestronk said units would start at $4,000 for a studio apartment. In response to a question from Omictin about whether the firm had pursued affordable housing subsidies, Prestonk explained that a combination of high interest rates and construction requirements precluded their project from meeting the criteria to be eligible for tax abatements and other housing programs. Pestronk added that the District’s limits on building heights make it difficult for the firm to reach densities required for programs like housing subsidies.
ANC tables two resolutions
Commissioners failed to vote on two resolutions after tabling them to the end of the meeting over disagreements on the resolutions’ messaging and later losing quorum.
The ANC first tabled a resolution that Patel sponsored calling on the D.C. Council to launch a task force to investigate “chronic failures” within the Office of United Communications, the District’s 911 center which has faced unplanned computer outages and staff shortages. Commissioners pushed the resolution back to the end of the meeting to rewrite the resolution to reflect legislation Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto introduced aiming at improving the 911 center.
Commissioners delayed to the end of the meeting voting on a resolution urging the D.C. Council’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee to implement policies to promote a “culture of equity and transparency” within the Metropolitan Police Department. The resolution came in response to two MPD officers fatally shooting Justin Robinson, a 26-year-old Black man from Southeast D.C., after responding to a car crash at a Southeast McDonald’s on Sept. 1.
Commissioners tabled the resolution after disagreeing on whether they should vote on the legislation since the U.S. Attorney’s office is still investigating the shooting. During his monthly update to commissioners earlier in the meeting, MPD Lieutenant Michael Howden said it would be “irresponsible” for the commission to pass the resolution, arguing the document references “things that are not entirely true” and contains statements on events that are still under investigation.
“At best, it’s inflammatory, at worst, it’s something else,” Howden said. “It attempts to pass off unverified and uninvestigated things as fact.”
ANC extends bylaws commission deadline
Commissioners voted unanimously to extend the deadline for the Bylaws Revision Special Committee to submit its written report to the ANC from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1, and to extend the term of the committee by one month from Dec. 31 to Jan. 31 to give the group more time to complete changes. Commissioners created the committee in February, and appointed members in April, to ensure the body’s bylaws are updated and compliant with the D.C. Code.
Patel said she is thankful to Chadwick for leading the Special Committee and looks forward “to getting the finished product.”
Officials cancel 26th and I streets dog park, Francis Field renovations
2A04 Commissioner Ed Comer announced that officials canceled renovations on the dog park and playground on 26th and I streets because contractors found that trees in the park are large enough to meet standards for historical preservation, meaning District officials will not allow contractors to expand the dog park or playground.
The ANC endorsed the renovation at their April meeting, which planned to improve ADA accessibility by resurfacing the dog park and playground, replacing seating and furnishing and moving the playground to a more visible area.
Will Crane, the vice president of the Foggy Bottom Association, said the District’s Urban Forestry Division conducted tests and determined the renovations wouldn’t harm historic trees. He said the FBA has been working to renovate the park for more than five years.
“It is causing me to go gray and lose my voice and just even lose any last semblance of respect for the District Urban Forestry Division,” Crane said.
Causey said the National Park Service will not transfer the Francis Field land to the District, canceling renovation plans on the park. City officials planned to add new fencing around athletic fields, and grading, sod, irrigation and turf in the dog park.
