For Chevy Chase and Foxhall Village who now will be in different wards, uncertainty still surrounds the processes for new ANC boundary selection and residential parking permits. Corporation Counsel has ruled it is legal to have ANCs that cross a Ward boundary (like Woodley Park) but Council’s process for cross-ward input is not in place.

Unlike Ward redistricting where no formal input was required, for ANCs each Council member has to nominate a committee. In Ward 2, Linda Greenan has been nominated as the chair, as someone who was formerly Jack Evan’s Chief of Staff, but she is also GU’s External Relations officer. What obligation is there for her to ensure Foxhall will even be represented in the ANC2E boundary selection processes, or that a student will be part of this committee process, to ensure GU students do not once again end up with gerrymandered boundaries?

With parking, Kathy Patterson introduced two bills but the full text of neither is up on Council‘s website. (see Bill 14-0272  'Unified Residential Parking Zone' and  Bill 14-0273 'Redistricting Residential Parking')  The unified parking bill is more ambitious, but could be a double-edged sword. In allowing DC residents (but not MD or VA commuters) to park more than 2 hours anywhere in the District, areas near good bus routes may be overwhelmed with all-day parking. It certainly will require more vigilance to ensure people living in DC register their cars here. MPD aand DPW need now to improve their processes for DC residents to identify persistent non-registrants.

The Redistricting bill is an interim measure for two years where Ward boundaries hanged. If this passes, the Foxhall area would have both Ward 2 & Ward 3 residential parking. Come to FCCA meeting July 18 to hear Councilors Patterson and Mendelson clarify the above issues.