DDOT just had a private meeting to discuss Grant Circle and you (probably) weren't invited

A private meeting at Center City School on Monday left most the community out of any discussion regarding Grant Circle.

A number of readers have reported that DDOT held a private, unpublicized meeting with a group of residents about the proposed safety changes coming to Grant Circle on Monday, July 8th at Center City School on Webster Street NW.

You probably weren’t invited, likely didn’t even know about it, and weren’t offered a similar opportunity.

While it’s great to see DDOT spending more time talking with the community… holding small, undisclosed meetings is a real problem that opens up many questions.

• How do groups get DDOT to meet with them? Why meet with just one group? What is different about the topic of this meeting than was discussed at the public meetings?

• Who from DDOT attended the meeting? What topics were discussed in detail?

• What Petworth areas / streets were represented by residents at the meeting, and did any non-Petworth residents attend to share concerns? (This has been an issue at the public meetings, with a couple of anti-bike lane people who don’t live in Petworth were denouncing the plan.)

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Petworth News asked these questions and more directly to DDOT and they confirmed the private meeting took place on Monday, but deny that it was special. A DDOT spokesperson said, “DDOT has hosted two public meetings on the Grant Circle project, and we’ve also met with residents upon request who are also committed to improving safety along the circle and beyond the project area.”

DDOT Acting Director Sharon Kershbaum responded on the email thread, saying, “This wasn’t a private meeting held at the expense of other voices.” She compared this meeting to other community meetings and walks to go over issues. However, those meetings are publicized and normally include the applicable ANC commissioner — very different than this past Monday’s meeting.

Kershbaum did not respond to several questions directed at her regarding the unpublicized meeting held with a small group that no one else knew about (which makes it a “private meeting”) and what specifically was discussed or who attended. Nor did she or DDOT respond to why other groups were ignored or denied in their attempts to meet with the agency.

There are other groups who have contacted DDOT and would have benefited from a meeting with DDOT to clarify their requests / concerns. One is a group of residents along the 4201–4215 block of Illinois Avenue who are concerned about safety, noise and access concerns if Illinois Ave returns to 2-way traffic. (Editor’s Note: This group of residents wrote a letter to DDOT and submitted comments on an earlier Petworth News article, and reached out to Petworth News after this article was published to say they did not specifically request a meeting with DDOT, and were not involved in the meeting on Monday night.)

Another group called “Petworth for Safer Streets,” made up of approximately 160 residents who advocate for Alternative 1 of DDOT’s proposal, did directly request a meeting with DDOT after hearing about Monday’s private meeting, and were denied.

There have been several public meetings on the most recent proposals organized by DDOT and ANC 4C, and residents have had the opportunity to go to those meetings and share their concerns with the larger community. Additionally, residents have been able to submit letters to DDOT and respond to a survey that ANC 4C is currently conducting. With these avenues offered to all, it seems odd that a private, undisclosed meeting was held with one group, but not with other concerned groups also wishing to be heard. 

For example, the churches on the Circle have concerns regarding parking access, senior citizen access to the bus stops and parking for child care access, as do residents who live on the Circle. There are concerns about delivery trucks on the Circle, cars entering at high speed and driving into the center of the Circle (happens annually if not more). Additionally, there are concerns regarding access to trash collection on 5th Street if it were to be closed, concerns about noise and two-way traffic on Illinois, and if the light at 5th Street will be moved. 

Others who live off New Hampshire are concerned about how New Hampshire northbound goes from two lanes to a single entrance lane at Grant Circle, and DDOT’s plan to resolve the backups and conflict zone that this merging area represents.

Transparency in the process should be a priority.

At the Wednesday, July 10th meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4C, the ANC voted to support Alternative 1 of DDOT’s proposed changes. They also have published data showing that 78% of respondents to their survey also support that proposal.

Graph shared by ANC 4C05 Commissioner Kademian on Twitter.

DDOT’s Grant Circle safety proposal remains open for public comment until Friday, July 12th.
According to DDOT, “Following this period, we will review the feedback provided and make a final design recommendation. The next public meeting on this project, as committed during our June 17 public meeting, will be held following the final design selection which should be early fall.”

While it’s true we are unaware who at DDOT is the right person to send requests for special, private meetings, residents can send feedback on the proposal to:

• Kornelius Anderson, Ward Engagement Lead -  kornelius.anderson@dc.gov

• Zhibo Zhang, Project Manager – zhibo.zhang@dc.gov

• Neelima Ghanta, Administration Chief – Neelima.ghanta@dc.gov

It’s unfortunate that some in the neighborhood were given the chance to share their concerns directly with DDOT, and others were ignored.

Will update if/when DDOT responds to follow-up questions.

7/11 4:35pm Update: A group of residents on Illinois Avenue reached out this article was published to say they did not specifically request a meeting with DDOT, and were not involved in the meeting on Monday night.

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