The annual Square 242 Alley Block Party was Saturday night. The event is for neighbors between Rhode Island and Vermont Avenues and 14th Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Mike Kohn. Got some news that Mike missed? He wants to hear it from you. Drop him an email or find him on Twitter @mike_kohn.
Don’t Fall Down
Hold on tight boys and girls. The Examiner tells us that Metro is planning on sticking with the manual operational mode that it’s been in since the Fort Totten crash of 2009. The folks at WMATA apparently need another several more years before they can replace all of the potentially faulty safety modules. The only way they can speed up the process is with more shutdowns or fewer hours of service — is anyone excited about either of those options? So be prepared for quite a few more bumpy rides, but just remember, it’s all in the name of safety.
Brianne Nadeau is a former ANC commissioner. She represented district 05 in ANC 1B.
Editor’s note: After the DC Council approves a new Ward map with boundaries based on the 2010 Census results, the city will begin redistricting Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs). The following letter/column is from Brianne K. Nadeau, former ANC commissioner for 1B05 and represents the opinion of Nadeau and her fellow signatories, not Borderstan.com. The letter was originally posted Monday on Nadeau’s blog. Borderstan.com welcomes similar columns of various and differing viewpoints — you can reach us at [email protected].
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From Brianne K. Nadeau
Tomorrow night [June 1], Commissioner Aaron Spencer [1B02] and I will offer this testimony on behalf of all those listed below.
June 1, 2011
To: Subcommittee Chairman Michael Brown
Re: Ward 1 Boundaries
Dear Chairman Brown,
We are writing today as representatives and residents of our Single Member Districts 1B02 and 1B05. Our districts are on the border of Ward 1, shared with ANC2B. As you know, during the last redistricting process in 2000, the southwest corner of 14th Street and U Street, NW corridor was removed from Ward 1 and placed into Ward 2. At the same time, Ward 1 held onto territory in Woodley Park that does not share the identity of the rest of the Ward. The ANC in Woodley Park that is a part of Ward 1 identifies itself so little with Ward 1 that it is actually called ANC3C.
News from Dupont-Logan-U Street (mostly).
From Michelle Lancaster. Tell me what I missed on Twitter @MichLancaster.
Welcome to Summer: “Hot, Hazy & Humid, With a High of 90”
I know the rapture didn’t happen, but are we sure? It is hot as Hades out there. No records were broken, but it is full on sauna out there. The The Washington Post has a fun poll up where you can vote on how hot you think it will get this summer. Go check it out, remember to hydrate but as WJLA reminds us, do NOT do so with city fire hydrants.
Click on image for the map at Scribd: The DC Council subcommittee on redistricting has released a proposed redistricting map for DC’s wards based on 2010 Census results.
From Matty Rhoades
Over at Scribd, you can get a look at the proposed new D.C. Ward maps based on the 2010 Census results. In addition, the DC Council subcommittee’s report on redistricting is also available.
The information was released by email Wednesday evening from the office of Councilmember Michael A. Brown (I-At Large).
Yes, Ward 2 residents, Shaw does go to Ward 6 on the proposed map. In the Borderstan area, the eastern boundary of Ward 2 is now essentially 9th Street and 7th Street NW.
This map shows what territory was moved between Wards 2 and 6. The thick gray line is the current boundary between the two wards. The area being moved from Ward 6 to 7 is also visible on this map.
DC is divided into eight wards; Ward 2 is highlighted in red and borders on five the city’s seven other wards. (DC Government)
From Tom Hay. Questions for Tom? Send him an email. You can follow him on Twitter@Tomonswann
Over the past few months we have seen lots of news about the 2010 census results, which provided some groundbreaking news about the demographics of Washington, D.C. For starters, the city had the first population increase in decades, topping out at almost 602,000 residents.
By law, the District must redraw ward boundaries to balance the population of cities eight wards to ensure equal legislative representation — within 5% of the average. above or below. The census data shows that Ward 2 is too large and will need to give up residents to a neighboring ward, while Wards 7 and 8 will need to pick up residents from neighboring wards. The other four wards fit within the acceptable range.
Hearings and a Vote
The Council redistricting subcommittee has three members: Michael A. Brown (I-At-Large), Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large). The Council held public hearings last month and offered the public an opportunity to comment on the process before the committee. At the first hearing on redistricting Evans, who is a veteran of the process from 1991 and 2001, cautioned that based on past experience he has learned the process will make people “very very angry.”
Too many people in Ward 2: In a Tweet today, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells speculated: “Shaw likely to be dropped by Evans and added to Ward 6 with Ward 5 untouched. Shaw is indeed a terrific community.”
The Council committee is now doing presentations for the public about what to expect. After analyzing options, the committee will vote on a proposed map, which will then go to the full Council for hearings; the committee vote is expected on May 26. The new map will have to be approved by two votes of the full Council. The ward redistricting process should be wrapped up late June or early July, according to Evans’ office.
The Ward 2 Democrats are holding a forum on redistricting Monday, May 16, at 6:30 pm. Location is the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Ward 2 will have to lose population (not much) when redistricting is done for 2012 DC elections. The ward grew at a much faster rate than the rest of the city. This will also mean that some Advisory Neighborhood Commission boundaries will be redrawn.
Click for detailed maps. DC's Ward map. (DDoT Website)
The very good news that the most recent estimate puts DC’s population right at the 600,000 brings up the redistricting angle and how the increase will affect various boundaries within the city.
You can bet that lots of folks inside the Wilson Building have been asking these questions for some time.
- The additional 28,000 residents since the 2000 census is about a 5% increase. It’s not huge, but it appears to be concentrated in a relatively small section of the city.
- How many new residents were added in the Logan Circle, U Street, NoMa, Shaw and Columbia Heights neighborhoods? What will population growth in these neighborhoods mean after the 2010 census and it is time for redistricting… to redraw various city boundaries– Ward maps and ANC maps? (more…)
