2016 ANC Candidate Questionnaire - Summary of respondents from Write-in Candidates First Name
Latonda Nicole Eve
Last Name
James Cacozza Zhurbinskiy
ANC
1A 1B 2A
SMD
1A11 1B10 2A08
Greater Greater Washington ANC Candidate Questionnaire - 2016
Name: Latonda James
ANC and Single Member District: 1A11
What is your opinion on the controversy over the former Hebrew Home development and the Park Morton redevelopment? Discussions of these developments center around affordable housing issues and how much those with means are willing to subsidize those with limited to no means. It is clear that the greater community of the District of Columbia has decided through legislation that the privileged will not be allowed to simply live in gated communities and keep out their less affluent neighbors. However, the devil is in the details of implementation, which occurs at the micro level (ANC level). I recognize the legal obligation to provide affordable housing and believe that each final development or redevelopment plan should go above the 30% minimum affordable housing allotment but do not agree with a 90% allotment. What is your opinion of the recent debate over whether Columbia Heights is going downhill or not (City Paper and Popville articles)? I can see some truth to the articles in regards to crime and housing prices. With each effort to improve our public spaces in and around Columbia Heights (sitting spaces near CVS at 14th & Irving and the plaza for example), the improvements also attract unattractive use of the public space with drunkards and the like using the spaces as sleeping pallets at best and causing public disturbances at worst. Since the passage of the referendum decriminalizing marijuana use in the District, the smell of marijuana is a frequent occurrence along 14th Street. There is also a sense that there are more people who are loafing about as unproductive citizens in our community and it makes some residents uncomfortable, especially when you receive your hefty tax bill. There is work to be done in the area of crime prevention and housing prices in Columbia Heights but I will not fully concede that Columbia Heights is going downhill. What changes, if any, do you hope to see at the Columbia Heights Metro station plaza area? I really wish the space was more ascetically attractive and not crowded with people who seem to have nothing better to do but hang out. How would you like your neighborhood to look in 20 years? How will you help bring that about? I am fairly happy with how my neighborhood looks now and every week I notice some new construction either in the works or completed. I agree with the height restrictions on DC and think that continued support of that restriction will go a long way in keeping DC's skyline character different from New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc.
Greater Greater Washington ANC Candidate Questionnaire - 2016
Assume your ANC will definitely be adding more housing. Where would be the best place for it? Beyond development efforts at Bruce Monroe and 1125 Spring Road NW, I support efforts to convert former single family units into two and three level (and where appropriate, even four level) unit flats. I am not clear where more housing units would be added in my ANC at the current time.
Where would you like to see new bicycle lanes, sidewalks, or other infrastructure to make it safer for residents, families, and seniors to walk and bike? Generally speaking, the sidewalks are ample in Columbia Heights for pedestrians. I do wish there were more protected bicycle lanes on 14th Street and Irving/Porter Streets going to Connecticut Avenue similar to those found on 15th Street and L Street. If there were a way to improve bus transit in your neighborhood, but it required removing on street parking, how would you approach the situation? I would oppose further removal of street parking. What is the biggest controversy in your neighborhood not already listed on this questionnaire, and what is your position on it? I think the biggest issues are crime prevention, housing prices, and new development seen as a means of pushing out long time residents. Development, crime, housing prices, and community engagement by new and long-time residences has created mistrust of among residents and their elected officials in some cases. I recognize that I am not a long-time resident but I am a resident and care about my community. Columbia Heights is a fairly safe walkable community with affordable food shopping nearby. I get MPD alerts and I have often thought of discontinuing them because it can be a bit scare knowing some the incidents of crime that are happening within a block or two of my home. However, I can bury my head in the sand so I try to be an engaged resident and know my neighbors so I can support them also. The community problems are our problems and we need to be honest and face them. Why do you think you are the best person to represent your SMD? I think I am the best person to represent my SMD because I care about my SMD and the issues facing my SMD. I am committed to communicating with all who make up my SMD so that constituents do not feel as if they have no voice. I have opinions but I want to be engaged with my neighbors so that my opinions are not just formed by the ideas in my head and my experiences alone.
Greater Greater Washington ANC Candidate Questionnaire - 2016
Name: Nicole Cacozza
ANC and Single Member District: 1B10
There has been recent debate about where to put additional CaBi stations in our neighborhood. Where would you advocate for additional stations, and are there areas where you oppose them? While there are two bikeshare docks in or bordering my district, there are not always enough bikes available during popular commuting hours and I would support and additional station south of the current Georgia Avenue ones in order to alleviate demand. What is your opinion of the recent debate over whether Columbia Heights is going downhill or not (City Paper and Popville articles)? While it is important to recognize the concerns that residents have over public safety, crime, and rising housing costs, I think it is not accurate to focus only on those aspects of the community. Portraying Columbia Heights and its environs as being “in decline” ignores so many positives of a group of dynamic and accessible neighborhoods.
What will you do as commissioner to address crime and public safety concerns? My district contains a section of the Howard University campus, and an important step would be to communicate with Howard’s Department of Public Safety as well as MPD in order to properly cover the concerns of all residents. As a first-time commissioner, I would want to hear the concerns of the people in my district as well as the input of public safety professionals to determine what would serve our area best. How would you like your neighborhood to look in 20 years? How will you help bring that about? As we can see from the renovations and construction on Georgia Avenue, our neighborhood is already changing into what it could be in 20 years. While the promise of new businesses and apartments is exciting, I think that the best thing for the neighborhood is to preserve a balance of liveability and open space alongside the development that is already occurring. I think there are also opportunities to improve transportation routes and make repairs to streets and sidewalks so that residents can move more easily in the future.
Assume your ANC will definitely be adding more housing. Where would be the best place for it? Georgia Avenue is already home to a number of buildings being redeveloped for housing and dorms, and I feel that it is the best location to add larger or multi-unit buildings. Though my district does have undeveloped land, much of it is already owned by the nearby hospitals, Howard University or DC Water.
Greater Greater Washington ANC Candidate Questionnaire - 2016
Where would you like to see new bicycle lanes, sidewalks, or other infrastructure to make it safer for residents, families, and seniors to walk and bike? I support the new Crosstown transit routes proposed by DDOT, which would add protected bike lanes to Kenyon and Irving street, just north of my district beginning in 2018. The proposal would also work to simplify pedestrian crossing at Hobart Place and Michigan Ave, which is another area of concern. In addition to the bike lanes, sidewalk repairs on Bryant Road and Georgia Avenue would make walking around the reservoir and along Georgia easier for residents and passersby
If there were a way to improve bus transit in your neighborhood, but it required removing on street parking, how would you approach the situation? I approve of the system in place on Georgia Ave just above Florida Ave, with a dedicated bus and bike lane along the curb and I would support extending it further north into my district. I do not think removing street parking would be a viable alternative for the routes which run along smaller east-west streets, as the residents of those houses need access to parking.
What is the biggest controversy in your neighborhood not already listed on this questionnaire, and what is your position on it? In the ANC as a whole, access to affordable housing is a major concern, and one to consider while viewing the increase in developments.
Why do you think you are the best person to represent your SMD? Though I am new to the ANC, I am a lifelong Washingtonian, and I care deeply for the city. I want to bring that concern to my new community, and do my best to deepen connections with existing local leadership in order to provide connections and resources to the people of my district. My primary goal is to focus on listening to the residents of ANC1B, and acting both for them and with them in order to create change.
Greater Greater Washington ANC Candidate Questionnaire - 2016
Name: Eve Zhurbinskiy
ANC and Single Member District: 2A08
What would you like to see changed as part of the next campus plan for George Washington University? The current campus plan still has over a decade left, so it's too premature to say for sure what should be changed to better accommodate the needs of both students and neighbors. I would like to see the enrollment cap maintained in order to prevent housing costs in Foggy Bottom and the surrounding communities from skyrocketing further. Additionally, I believe it's vital to maintain GW's "grow up, not out" vision, and maintain the current prohibition on GW not purchasing property outside of its campus plan boundaries. I think GW could play a greater role in encouraging students to use public transportation than they currently do, but it's too early to figure out how that will be presented in 2027.
What will you do address homelessness in our neighborhood? I'm currently working with the Foggy Bottom Association's Homelessness Task Force to pinpoint ways to end homelessness in our neighborhood and to aid those who are experiencing it. In the long term, I believe that it's vital to negotiate affordable housing as part of a PUD amenity package, every time a PUD crops up. In the short term, the FBA Homelessness Task Force is discussing creating a neighborhood awareness campaign to ensure that more residents in Foggy Bottom are aware of resources like the hypothermia hotline if they witness someone struggling. I also support engaging GW on this issue. Though GW has declined to use unused classrooms as hypothermia shelters, the university is now providing GW Police officers with shelter hotlines to call if someone uses GW property for shelter. GW can be an ally in other capacities, such as lending its listservs and public poster boards to disperse information about tackling homelessness to a wide audience. Additionally, engaging students on this issue is crucial. Some student groups already volunteer with organizations like Miriam's Kitchen and Grate Patrol, and are working to divert food waste on campus to those in need in our community. I hope to engage students in neighborhood-wide discussions about homelessness, such as looping students into the FBA task force, in order to encourage an all-hands-on-deck effort to aid those experiencing homelessness. Finally, I will continue to work to identify neighborhood projects related to ending homelessness that qualify for grant funding from the ANC, and encourage the ANC to disburse grant money for such a project.
How would you like your neighborhood to look in 20 years? How will you help bring that about? Two decades from now, I'd like to see GW's campus plan boundaries maintained as they currently are. I would oppose any campus plan amendment that would seek exceptions to that (though GW has no plans to do so). I also want to see more affordable housing stock in the neighborhood, particularly for people earning below 80% AMI. Should a PUD come up, I will fight for amenities that increase affordable housing. I hope that 20 years from now there is an end to homelessness, and will take the actions outlined in my previous response to bring about such a future. I'd like to see more bike lanes, and will engage on this issue with DDOT when Greater Greater Washington ANC Candidate Questionnaire - 2016
applicable, such as with the Pennsylvania Ave redesign project. Finally, I hope that the second entrance to the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station is built at some point in the next few years, and that this entrance includes escalators and stairs, not just an elevator. I will continue to engage with the office of Councilmember Evans and WMATA on this issue, as other commissioners have also done.
Assume your ANC will definitely be adding more housing. Where would be the best place for it? There's very little room in Foggy Bottom/West End for housing, as the two neighborhoods are already dense. One solution to examine is to retrofit existing office buildings to use as housing. Where would you like to see new bicycle lanes, sidewalks, or other infrastructure to make it safer for residents, families, and seniors to walk and bike? Right now, Foggy Bottom lacks bike lanes, and I would like to see bike lanes on K Street and on major arteries on GW's campus, such as 23rd and 21st Streets. I also would like to see DDOT install a crosswalk on I and 22nd Streets, where one is currently missing.
If there were a way to improve bus transit in your neighborhood, but it required removing on street parking, how would you approach the situation? This would largely depend on the location of the proposal. I would listen to the needs of residents and businesses near the affected area to decide whether removing street parking would be detrimental or not. What is the biggest controversy in your neighborhood not already listed on this questionnaire, and what is your position on it? One issue that often comes up is student-neighbor relations. This manifests itself in the form of concern from neighbors about noise and trash from student-rented properties, especially in the Historic District. I support continued communication on the part of all parties - GW, the Student Association, neighbors, and off-campus students - in order to remedy these concerns. I will continue to engage with GW to provide more information to off-campus students about expectations, and will continue to oppose efforts to allow GW Police to patrol off campus. Why do you think you are the best person to represent your SMD? I have represented this SMD for over a year now, and am the only GW student who regularly attends ANC meetings. During my time on the commission, I've scored numerous successes, including successfully stopping the off-campus policing legislation backed by the GW-led Consortium of Universities and opposed by students and neighbors. I've also worked with GW to install brighter lights on the I Street Plaza, and convinced DDOT to replace the broken sidewalk in front of the President Condominium on I Street between 21st and 22nd. Additionally, I've worked with GW Hospital and other stakeholders to streamline rape kit accessibility and ensure that no survivor waits a long time to receive the care they need. I hope to continue this track record of fighting for students on the commission until I graduate.
Greater Greater Washington ANC Candidate Questionnaire - 2016
