At the April ANC 6D meeting, Genevieve Hanson of the General Services Administration (GSA) presented the Federal Triangle South plan. This includes the Department of Energy’s Forrestal buildings, both the FAA buildings, and GSA’s Regional Office Building. In December, GSA issued a Request for Information on possible uses for these sites. They received eight responses and two letters of intent. They think that 6,000,000 square feet of usable space could be developed on these sites, while only 4,000,000 square feet is available now. Ms. Hanson said they want a rich mix of uses and to get away from the 9-to-5 occupancy. By late summer, they expect to issue a request for proposals to relocate the agencies that are on this site. She pointed out that the FAA has eight satellite offices and they need to consolidate divisions. She does not expect to see physical changes for five years or more. The project website is www.gsa.gov/federaltrianglesouth.
The cherry blossom events in the Southwest were a great success. About 60,000 people attended. The pre-fireworks activities included 147 volunteers, more than half of whom were from the live-aboard boating community.
Ronald Swanda from the DC Commission on Aging announced the creation of the Ward 6 Senior Network. He would like about seven volunteers from our ANC to be members of the network. You can reach him at DC.COA.WARDS.SWADA@gmail.com or at 202-340-7708.
The commissioners unanimously supported writing a letter to Safeway asking that the street door to Starbucks inside Safeway be opened immediately, so patrons can use it and do not need to walk to the main Safeway door.
Commissioner Rhonda Hamilton wanted the commissioners to request the District Department of Traffic to return O St SW, between South Capitol St and Half St, to one way, going west. She said it had been one way, but it was made two way during construction of the apartment building on it. The other commissioners asked her to write up her request and bring it up at the next meeting.
Two documents about the KIPP@Randall High School Plan were distributed at the meeting. One was a brochure from KIPP saying that in just two weeks more than 300 SW Ward 6 residents, including two ANC Commissioners, Ed Kaminski and David Garber, and more than 1300 District residents supported their plan to build a high school at South Capitol and I St SW, along with upgraded athletic fields, a renovated swimming pool, and a new community center. The other document was a letter on ANC 6D letterhead to Mayor Grey correcting “the impression conveyed in a letter to you from two of our Commissioners misrepresenting that there is overwhelming support for the immediate development of a KIPP High School at the Randall Recreation Site in Southwest.” It was dated March 21 and signed by Andy Litsky, Roger Moffatt, Donna Hopkins, Rhonda Hamilton, and Ron McBee, but Andy Litsky said that no meeting of the commissioners had been held since the March 11 regular meeting. In their January meeting, the commission had voted unanimously to support a resolution to take no substantial action regarding use of public land in Southwest until a small area plan was completed.
The next ANC 6D meeting will be Monday, May 13, at 7 PM. It will be in the DCRA Conference Room, 1100 4th St SW. It is expected to be a busy meeting, with three different Planned Unit Developments (PUD) to be presented.
By B. K. Lunde