A local governing body Tuesday approved a slew of resolutions addressing a power outage at The Aston unhoused shelter, public transportation routes and federal layoffs.
The Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission on Tuesday passed resolutions with recommendations for the Department of Human Services, DC Water and other government agencies. After a two-day power outage in West End last month left The Aston — an unhoused shelter on New Hampshire Avenue — without power, the ANC passed a resolution calling on the District to install a generator in the building.
Before the March meeting, the ANC could not conduct official business, including passing resolutions, when the term started in January because they could not reach a legally mandated quorum. The Foggy Bottom and West End communities elected only four commissioners in the November election, one short of the required amount for a meeting to count toward satisfying the District’s mandate.
Here are some of the meeting’s highlights:
Pepco pitches plans for F Street substation
Linda Green — a business analyst at the Potomac Electric Power Company, an electrical utility company serving D.C. and suburban Maryland — said Pepco officials are proposing a plan to raze and upgrade the electrical substation on the 2100 block of F Street, with plans to hold meetings with neighbors in the coming months.
Pepco officials said the substation needs upgrades to meet customers’ electrical needs.
“It kind of needs a little bit of a face lift,” a project manager from Pepco said. “The infrastructure needs to be upgraded to kind of keep up with consumer demand for power these days.”
Pepco officials said the building needs a “face lift,” requiring boosted electrical capacity to meet the demand of power. The upgrades will replace “aging” infrastructure, rebuilding the substation in compliance with industry standards and increasing square footage from 7,800 square feet to about 10,000, officials said.
Green said to accommodate the added square footage, Pepco proposes removing Anniversary Park on F Street between 21st and 22nd streets. She said Pepco owns the land but worked out a deal with the University for the park.
For the project to begin, Pepco will file an application with the Board of Zoning Adjustment in late 2025 or early 2026, officials said. The construction is slated to begin in late 2031, pending BZA approval.
Commissioners approve nine resolutions
The body discussed 10 resolutions and passed nine. 2A03 Commissioner Trupti Patel penned nine resolutions, and 2A04 Commissioner Ed Comer penned one — all in response to constituent complaints or governmental moves that impact Foggy Bottom neighbors.
The body passed a resolution calling on District officials to install a generator in The Aston.
Last month, Pepco workers responded to an underground fire at New Hampshire Avenue and M Street at about 4 a.m., which left The Aston unhoused shelter on New Hampshire Avenue without power for two days.
The ANC also passed a resolution, penned by Comer, requesting the National Park Service coordinate with the D.C. Department of Transportation to address potential changes to traffic caused by the National Park Service’s proposed plan to eliminate one-way rush hour traffic zones on Rock Creek Parkway. The resolution aims to increase safety to the intersection, like fixing signage, amid the potential elimination of the one-way traffic pattern, the resolution states.
The resolution, which passed unanimously, requests that DDOT obtain feedback from the ANC and community to address the need for traffic controls, signage and pedestrian crosswalks.
In a resolution drafted by Patel, the body called upon the Department of Employment Services to administer unemployment benefits and deliver stronger communication to laid off employees because DOES directs affected federal employees to the District’s federal worker support site for assistance.
The resolution comes in the wake of mass federal layoffs — with nearly 12,000 federal employees filing initial unemployment claims since Jan. 4.
In a resolution drafted by Patel, the body called upon the Committee on Transportation and Environment to treat the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority as “essential” and “critical.” The resolution also recommends WMATA prioritize preserving routes that serve schools and hospitals — including School Without Walls on G Street and the GW Hospital — when evaluating potential service changes.
The resolution also requests that buses increase frequency between 7 and 9 a.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. to accommodate for school pick-ups and drop-offs and that buses increase stop frequency to every 10 minutes during second and third shifts on 24/7 bus routes.
The resolution follows WMATA’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, which includes opening one hour earlier and closing one hour later during weekend service.
Another unanimously passed resolution urged DC Water to perform“ robust engagement” to resolve sewage issues at Snows Court, a historic string of rowhouses between 25th and 26th streets. The resolution states that Snows Court residents have observed cracks in their building’s walls, which they believe may be attributed to “ongoing” water issues.
The ANC deadlocked on a resolution, written by Patel, requesting the Department of Buildings conduct a full investigation into Claridge House on 25th Street NW. Patel requested in the resolution that the DOB check elevators, mold in common areas and in units, water systems, fire panels and lead pipes and conduct a rodent inspection.
The resolution cites a fire alarm pulled at Claridge House on Feb. 8 as the origin of the complaint.
The resolution states that in the days following, officials told Patel the elevator caused the smoke. The fire marshal investigated the elevators on Feb. 10, but residents still felt their concerns were “dismissed” by building management, the resolution states.
The body deadlocked, and the resolution did not pass.
Comer said he voted against the resolution because he wanted to see more evidence of a widespread problem.
“Adding information like that that goes beyond one building would change my attitude towards the resolution because it would demonstrate a broader impact and broader problem,” Comer said.
The ANC will meet again virtually on May 21 at 7 p.m.
