ANC Report: New Year Kicks Off with Updates from Jelleff, Volta Park, More
By • January 19, 2026 0 412
The first ANC2E meeting of the year was held on January 12 and began with the election of ANC officers for 2026, including Anna Noakes serving as executive director.
Update from the Mayor’s Office
The mayor’s office then gave an update. Jamika Williams, the new Ward 2 liaison for the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services, spoke. Williams sent a flyer for the D.C. Snow Heroes program, which has volunteers assist residents with disabilities to clear snow from their walkways and driveways.
Update from Councilmember Pinto’s Office
Next, Councilmember Brooke Pinto’s office gave an update. Hannah, a constituent services coordinator for Councilmember Pinto, spoke about the challenges D.C. has faced over the past year, including job loss, the National Guard deployed on neighborhood streets, federal immigration policies leading to trauma and how they have been very real threats to the city’s Home Rule. Hannah mentioned a letter Councilmember Pinto sent, signed by all her colleagues, to MPD, requesting information about both engagement and coordination with federal law enforcement and allegations of misclassifications of crime data.
Also, it was noted that this year’s Ward 2 budget forum will be Tuesday, February 3, at 7 p.m. via Zoom, where residents and commissioners are welcome to testify about budget priorities.
Volta Park Update
Volta Park was then brought up. Councilmember Pinto’s office was asked if they are considering the park in a deeper way, as it doesn’t seem like much is happening with park improvements and citizens are upset and feel Volta Park has been neglected. Recently during park renovations, human remains were found, halting work there. We reported about the findings in our January NewsBytes.
EastBanc Project Update
The next item on the agenda was an update on the EastBanc project at the corner of 27th and M Streets NW. Hope Richardson of EastBanc gave an update. There are seven apartments on five stories with ground floor retail. Right now, the project is planned to be complete by early 2027.
Due to ongoing economic uncertainties, EastBanc asked for a PUD modification to allow for some lodging use on the property (three out of seven units, to be exact). They are hoping for less than half the units to be run as a hotel and wanted to get some feedback from the community first. Questions were asked about the lodging, including length of stay for the lodging and the type of hotel it would be. There was some pushback, including the use of the word “hotel” and short stays.
Duke Ellington Field Update
There was also an update on Duke Ellington Field. The track is now paved, and the field has been put down. All that remains is a rubberized track. Unfortunately, there is a major supply chain issue on the rubber so there is a delay to get it, as well as weather delays. There are hopes for the field to be completed by the spring.
Book Hill Park Update
Book Hill Park’s update was quick. There was a public meeting in December on proposed renovations to the park, and people were generally happy with it (the Georgetowner reported on the meeting here). The only new news is that the proposed terraces that were thrown out as a possibility have been scotched.
Jelleff Recreation Center Update
Jelleff Recreation Center got the next update. The $28 million renovation, which The Georgetowner reported on two years ago, has some confusion as far as the start date. Plans as of November still needed to go through OGB. It was found with just three days’ notice that the plans for Jelleff had been changed by DPR and DGS, particularly the removal of an auxiliary gym. The gym was to help youth that were not in Ward 2 and young people affiliated with the Boys and Girls Club. It was stated as “disappointing” to see the “once in a generation project” be axed.
Councilmember Pinto investigated why this happened and why the ANC found out at the last minute. Council is recommending that plans move forward without the gym, so there is no further delay, and there’s no guarantee that DPR and DGS will have the money to re-add the gym. DPR suggested they were $10 million behind, which would be about 36 percent of the budget. As of now, the gym could be added later or looked at differently, as many community members are upset that it is not planned to be included at present.
Resident Only Parking Project Update
The resident only parking project was next discussed. The commission is seriously considering moving forward with a request to the city to introduce resident only parking to parts of residential Georgetown. A fact sheet was drawn up that explains exactly what residential parking is. See below for more:
Residential permit parking (RPP) – the normal parking that currently exists throughout the residential streets of Georgetown.
If you have a zone 2 sticker and are a resident of four two, you can park there all the time. If you are not and not a valid visitor, you have two hours during a time from Monday through Saturday to park there. A lot of blocks near Georgetown University and Wisconsin and M Streets are full and residents have been having trouble finding parking. The commission is interested in exploring the possibility of having some spots be resident only, where during a period, either 24/7 or just during peak hours, only people with zone 2 parking or valid visitor parking permits would be able to park there.
If DDOT does decide to install the program on a particular block, it would only be on 50 percent of the spaces. Now is the time to reach out to commissioners regarding the program and whether you want it on your street.
Brief End of Meeting Updates: CAG Concerts in the Park, Brasserie Atlantico, Residential Work
Amy Titus of CAG briefly spoke about Concerts in the Park. This year, they will both be at Rose Park on May 17 and October 4 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
A representative from Brasserie Atlantico, located at 1066 Wisconsin Ave. NW, is looking to increase occupancy on an ABC license. The proposal seeks a substantial change from 199 to 244, aligning with final inspection. The ANC supported the stipulated license if submitted through the proper channels.
A zoning application for work in the rear at 1610 32nd St. NW was debated in depth, touching on concerns about light and privacy.
The ANC also covered repaving a driveway at the Duke Ellington Field Project, a small patch of asphalt off 37th St. NW. There was no objection to the project.
The meeting also covered a project at 1805 Wisconsin Ave. NW, letting everyone know where to cross the street safely while construction is ongoing. Traffic management and public space access regarding the project was addressed. The Georgetowner previously reported on the project, which will be a mixed-use development with nine townhomes.
The next ANC meeting is slated for Monday, February 2.
