Ward 2 to Expand Under Redistricting Plans
By • November 22, 2021 0 1749
The District’s Ward 2, of which Georgetown is a part, will expand its eastern boundaries to include all of the Shaw neighborhood, according to a D.C. Council report released last week.
The D.C. Council’s Subcommittee on Redistricting released its final map proposal which seeks to balance the city’s population among the eight wards that are to be approximately equal in number of constituents. This redrawing occurs every ten years with new U.S. Census numbers.
“I am thrilled that most of our current Ward 2 residents will remain in Ward 2, including the neighborhoods in Burleith, North Dupont Circle, Chinatown/ Penn Quarter …,” commented Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto. “I’m disappointed that the residents in Judiciary Square would no longer be in Ward 2, nor would the courts, the Building Museum, Capital Jewish Museum.
“The proposal also reunites the Shaw neighborhood into one ward, adding about 12,000 residents to Ward 2. I’m looking forward to meeting the new residents and pledge to represent you with the same openness and eagerness as all of our current constituents!”
The District’s official Census count was 689,545, which means every ward must be between 81,883 and 90,503 residents, At-Large Council member Elissa Silverman, who chairs the Redistricting Subcommittee, said during a Thursday briefing, according to WTOP.
On Nov. 18, Silverman’s subcommittee has released its final map proposal. In the map, the existing ward boundaries are in color, and the new ward boundaries are shown with the black line. The subcommittee will voted on the map proposal on Nov. 19. Read the draft subcommittee report, with a rationale of the changes, here.
Below are the proposed boundary adjustments by ward, according to WTOP.
Ward 1: Absorb the Armed Forces Retirement Home and medical center from Ward 5, and extend southern border three blocks east along S Street NW.
Ward 2: Accept the Ward 6 Census tracts comprising Shaw; move western border south of Massachusetts Avenue NW to 5th Street NW.
Ward 3: No change.
Ward 4: No change.
Ward 5: Transfer Armed Forces Retirement Home to Ward 1.
Ward 6: Transfer the Shaw Census tracts into Ward 2; transfer most of Navy Yard to Ward 8; change border with Ward 7 to be C Street NE to the north, to 15th Street NE, down to Potomac Ave SE, to 11th Street SE, returning Kingman Park to Ward 6.
Ward 7: Change the border with Ward 6 to be C Street NE to the north, to 15th Street NE, down to Potomac Ave SE, to 11th Street SE, returning Kingman Park to Ward 6.
Ward 8: Accept Navy Yard from Ward 6.
A full vote on the redistricting plans by the District Council is expected in December.
