Upcoming Events - Sidewalk Paloozas!

Sidewalk Palooza is here! This annual event invites neighbors to walk, roll, and talk all things pedestrian safety and accessibility. Mark your calendars for two events in our community. For both events, volunteers will walk the neighborhood to submit 311 requests with a bonus option to add some trash cleanup as you go! For more info, visit https://sidewalkpalooza.org/about.html. 

Northern Columbia Heights Sidewalk Palooza! Saturday, September 28, Keith from Ogden Street & Commissioners from ANC1A and ANC1D will lead an event from 11-1:00, starting at the triangle park at Oak & Ogden. Sign up here.

Mount Pleasant Sidewalk Palooza! Saturday, October 5, Mt Pleasant Village & ANC1D Commissioners and current candidates will lead an event from 1-4:00, starting at Lamont Plaza with drinks to follow at Don Juan's. Sign up here. 


ANC1D Public Safety Committee

ANC1D established an ad hoc committee to address growing public safety concerns in the commission area. Nominations were sought from community members to serve on the committee over the next 6 months and the members that were selected by public vote can be found below. Members will support the work of the committee on an ongoing basis, and engage with neighbors to advance the objectives of the committee.   

  • Terry Lynch

  • Camilo Mantilla

  • Sumir Rawal

  • Katie Giordano 

  • Constantine Katsarakis

ANC1D estableció un comité ad hoc para abordar las crecientes preocupaciones de seguridad pública en el área de la comisión. Se buscaron nominaciones de miembros de la comunidad para formar parte del comité durante los próximos 6 meses y los miembros que fueron seleccionados mediante votación pública se pueden encontrar a continuación. Los miembros apoyarán el trabajo del comité de manera continua y se comprometerán con los vecinos para promover los objetivos del comité.

  • Terry Lynch

  • Camilo Mantilla

  • Sumir Rawal

  • Katie Giordano 

  • Constantine Katsarakis



[POSITION FILLED] ANC1D is Hiring a Part-Time Administrative Assistant!

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1D is hiring a part-time independent contractor to provide administrative assistance with communication, documentation, and other duties.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC) are unpaid, non-partisan, locally elected bodies that have the responsibility and opportunity to be a neighborhood’s official voice in advising the District of Columbia government on things that effect residents’ daily lives (e.g. traffic, parking, recreation, zoning, and more). ANCs conduct monthly public meetings, build consensus on resolutions, testify at hearings, and liaise with DC agencies to keep the neighborhood informed.‍

Administrative Tasks

·         Scheduling presenters for public meetings 

·         Coordinating and confirming meeting room reservations or remote platform operation during virtual or hybrid meetings

·         Confirming the attendance of presenters and collecting advanced presentation materials

·         Ensuring audio/video recording is made of each public meeting, and downloading and posting meeting videos

·         Ensuring letters and resolutions passed by the Commission are properly formatted, edited, and circulated to the appropriate recipients including elected officials and government agencies

·         Assisting in maintaining financial files, including receiving and organizing invoices and drafting financial reports

·         Ensuring documents are organized and filed in a shared drive and uploaded online

·         Drafting meetings notes and circulating draft to commissioners for comment

·         Drafting templates for flyers and resolutions

·         Assisting with the maintenance of orderly records

Communications Tasks

·         Implementing a communications plan to improve outreach to community members, including drafting a monthly newsletter with input from all commissioners; starting a new YouTube channel to store and share meeting recordings; and improving public-facing website for stronger accessibility and language-access

·         Providing required public meeting notice on website and social media

·         Assisting with commission’s inbox management

·         Performing such other duties as the Chairperson or the Commission may prescribe

Applicants should have strong organizational skills and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively on assigned tasks in a hybrid environment.

Students are welcome, including but not limited to those in a field of study related to topics to communications, governance, or public policy, or with an interest in such topics.

Ideal qualifications:

·         Strong writing and interpersonal skills

·         Proficient in Zoom, Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and other office programs

·         Experience with website content management

·         Creative problem solver

·         Ability to work independently and with a team

·         Experience managing social media applications

·         Spanish language fluency

Experience:

·         Minimum of 2 years professional level work experience

·         Willingness and ability to learn new skills

·         High School Diploma or equivalent

Compensation: $23/hour for 10-15 hours each week. Payments will be made on a monthly basis under a contractual agreement.

Hours: Hours may vary each week, estimated at 10-15 hours weekly. Contract will go through December 31, 2023, and may be continued for an additional 12 months.  

Schedule: Schedule is flexible. All duties may be performed virtually. The ideal candidate will be able to attend public meetings online and/or in-person (generally twice a month).

To Apply: Please submit your resume, cover letter, and references to 1D06@anc.dc.gov with “ANC 1D Administrative Assistant Position” in the subject line by June 26, 2023.

As an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer, ANC1D is committed to excellence through diversity. ANC1D recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.


[POSITION FILLED] Download a PDF of the job description here.

16th Street bus-only lane

DDOT has released the engineering drawings for the bus lane proposed for 16th Street. The portions of that bus lane adjacent to Mount Pleasant, from Harvard Street in the south to the Piney Branch overpass in the north, are posted here for community information.

Harvard Street to Argonne Place

Irving Street intersection

Irving Street to Lamont Street

Park Road intersection

Monroe Street to Newton Street

Meridian Place to Oak Street

Spring Place eastbound intersection

Spring Road intersection

ANC1D's Covid-19 response

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1D, the five-person elected body that represents Mount Pleasant, has been working hard to assist our neighborhood during the COVID-19 crisis. We wanted to share with you what the commission has undertaken over the last 3+ months.

Beginning in mid-March, ANC 1D partnered with the Mount Pleasant Village, which supports seniors, to form Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN), a volunteer initiative to help neighborhood residents stay safe and well during COVID-19. NHN is now 200 volunteers strong, and has grown into something much larger than either the ANC or the Village envisioned. In partnership with World Central Kitchen, Food Rescue, and Food For All DC, the amazing NHN volunteers are organizing neighborhood food aid programs that reach an estimated 1,000 unique people in and near Mt P each week. Volunteers are also on site to assist the Spanish Catholic Center's weekly food distribution program, and they're lending a hand with grocery distribution via Sanctuary DMV and the Latin American Youth Center.

Teams of volunteers are also sewing masks, strategizing with District Bridges (a local economic development nonprofit) to support our neighborhood businesses, and organizing around other neighborhood needs. For the past three months, NHN volunteers have been helping to keep the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market running every Saturday. In addition, volunteers run errands and provide other assistance for homebound or quarantined neighbors. (Interested volunteers can sign up for NHN at www.anc-volunteering.org.)

It has been truly overwhelming to see the outpouring of volunteer activity through NHN. Many of us believe Mount Pleasant is a special neighborhood but this has been extraordinary to witness. The commission does not have adequate words to convey our gratitude for the NHN volunteers.

In addition to helping to coordinate NHN, ANC 1D is fortunate to have significant savings in its bank account. The commission has been of the unanimous opinion that this life-threatening crisis is a critical time to leverage our savings to help our neighborhood. To that end, we have:

-- Purchased 3,200 adult-sized reusable cloth masks, 1,000 child-sized reusable cloth masks, and 2,000 large 16 oz. bottles of hand sanitizer, totaling $29,000. These have been distributed to about 2,000 vulnerable families in our neighborhood through the Spanish Catholic Center, La Clinica del Pueblo, Bancroft Elementary, and the DC Housing Authority. We also distributed these supplies directly to half a dozen apartment buildings through NHN's World Central Kitchen meal delivery partnership. The hand sanitizer and child-sized masks were both purchased from local businesses, Cotton & Reed Distillery and District Masks, to benefit our local economy as well as provide these vital supplies.

-- Awarded a $10,000 grant to support the Food Pantry at the Spanish Catholic Center. The SCC provides huge boxes of food on Wednesdays to as many as 600 families -- TEN TIMES the number of families they served pre-COVID. It has been an all-hands-on-deck effort for them to meet the need. Thanks to their arrangements with the Capital Area Food Bank and other suppliers, the cost is about $20 per box and yet is enough to feed a household for almost a week, helping to stretch our commission dollars as far as possible.

--Provided modest financial support for administrative and supply costs associated with NHN. Incredibly, NHN's work has been accomplished over the last 3 months with less than $1,000 in direct expenses.

We continue to explore ways to support our neighborhood during this time. Three-and-a-half months in, we are keenly aware that the danger from COVID-19 is still present and the economic fallout from this crisis is only deepening.

Community Outreach for 19th & Lamont Public Space Improvements

The District's Fiscal Year 2019 budget includes up to $1.5 million to support improvements to the parcel of land located at 19th & Lamont Streets NW. DPR and DGS will be working with the community to determine the scope and scale of any improvements.

A project webpage, with community meeting dates and project details, is available here. Interested neighbors are encouraged to bookmark the webpage and check it regularly to stay up-to-date as this project takes shape. https://dgs.dc.gov/page/parcel-19th-and-lamont

The first in-person community planning meeting for this project will take place from 6:30-8:30 pm on Thursday, March 28, 2019, in the large community meeting room at the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library (3160 16th St NW). Spanish language interpretation will be provided. All are welcome!

Four to six additional community meetings will take place in the coming months; dates will be announced several weeks prior to each meeting.

In addition, households in Mount Pleasant will receive a mailer in March 2019 with information about accessing an online survey to share their ideas and preferences for this parcel. ANC 1D covered the costs of this mailer to help increase awareness of this project and its planning process -- robust neighborhood participation is encouraged!

ANC testimony concerning short-term rental legislation

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE PUBLIC HEARING
Bill 22-92, “Short Term Rental Regulation and Affordable Housing Protection Act of 2017”
Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Testimony by Jon Stewart, ANC 1D01

Thank you, Chairman Mendelson and Councilmembers, for hearing my testimony on the proposed bill today. My name is Jon Stewart and I am an ANC commissioner from Mount Pleasant, ANC 1D. My testimony represents ANC 1D.

There are obviously large forces on either side of the issue. Our commission has been lobbied by both, but Mount Pleasant is, as you probably know, very engaged in civic issues and keeps its own counsel. There was broad consensus in our community on the proposed legislation, which, I’m sure that Councilmember Nadeau will stipulate, is a significant fact in its own right. I hope you hear my testimony in that light.

Not long after the bill was proposed, the ANC began to hear from residents. Seeing that there was interest, we actively solicited feedback. Mount Pleasant is not close to hotels, our houses are small, and many residents appreciate having short-term rentals available in the neighborhood for when family comes to visit, as it’s convenient and offers homier quarters than most hotels. Mount Pleasant also cares greatly about DC's affordable housing crisis and we heard some general concerns about the possible impact of short-term rentals on affordable housing. However, we heard very specific feedback from residents opposed to this bill. After consideration, ANC 1D unanimously passed a detailed resolution opposing the bill in its current form. You should all have received a copy of our resolution.

Let me state our specific objections. We are skeptical that the proposed regulation would have much positive impact on the affordable housing crisis in Mount Pleasant. We feel that the limit of 15 days per year on vacation rentals is extremely limiting to homeowners, many of whom work for federal agencies, international organizations, and nonprofits and travel for long periods of time. They can earn a bit from renting their homes while traveling. We do not feel that homeowners renting rooms, their own homes, or English basements should be subjected to the proposed licensing requirements nor the severe fines—our homeowners don't need more DCRA in their lives. We understand there's concern about so-called "commercial operators", but we think that regulation needs to be carefully targeted and we feel that a Council-funded, unbiased study would be a good first step at understanding the problem.

I'd like to tell you about two short-term rental operators in my SMD. The first is a college professor, an immigrant with academic and familial ties back to his home country. During the summer break, his family travels back to his home country, to visit family and support his research, and they rent out their home using short-term rental platforms. That very much helps him afford his mortgage. He'd quickly run into the 15 day limit, and his usage of short-term rental platforms has no impact on affordable housing.

The second is a couple who bought a grand home in Mount Pleasant, decades ago when the neighborhood was far more affordable. They still work, but their income is modest. They've built equity in their home, but their property taxes have greatly increased. To continue to afford their home, they now operate their home as a traditional bed-and-breakfast to supplement their income. They use AirBNB to market their BNB, handle 

booking, vet their guests, and receive payment. It works very well. Their home is not multi-unit, it just has several bedrooms, so their usage of AirBNB also has no impact on affordable housing. The regulation envisioned by this legislation would be a big hassle for them, and the loss of their AirBNB income would likely force them to sell their home.

Councilmember McDuffie, after our ANC passed its resolution, your legislative director, Ms. Mitchell, engaged our commission on our stance. We appreciated that engagement and hope your office found our feedback helpful.

Thank you again for hearing my testimony.