Res 05-06

ANC 3F RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING REFINEMENTS TO
DDOT’S PLANS TO RECONSTRUCT TENLEY CIRCLE

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3F
North Cleveland Park, Forest Hills, and Tenleytown
4401-A Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Box 244
Washington, D.C.  20008-2322


WHEREAS, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has developed plans to reconstruct Tenley Circle, including replacement of roads and modifications to curbs, improvements to utilities, addition of street lights and signs, widening of sidewalks, and planting new trees; and

WHEREAS, on February 15, 2005, DDOT met with residents and representatives of ANC 3E and ANC 3F to explain the proposed changes and to receive community feedback, and as a result, DDOT agreed to:

·    Eliminate an additional island in Fort Drive and a ramp onto Fort Drive from Nebraska Avenue;
·    Replace the sidewalk on the east side of Fort Drive from the traffic signal to the bus stop;
·    Shorten the northern crosswalk across Wisconsin Avenue;
·    Widen the tree space on the north and east sides of the circle to 8 feet;
·    Decrease the sidewalk on the north and east sides of the circle to 10 feet;
·    Provide more street lights, especially along Fort Drive and in front of American University (AU) Tenley Campus;
·    Install period-style street lights in some locations, although the exact locations are not clear from DDOT’s revised plans;
·    Reduce the size of signs indicating direction of travel for Nebraska Avenue and Yuma Street to the dimensions of the existing signs;
·    Replicate in kind and style the retaining wall in front of the AU Tenley Campus;
·    Coordinate with American University landscaping issues arising from relocating the retaining wall;
·    Improve drainage around the circle;
·    Chose a variety of elm similar in shape to existing elms but resistant to Dutch elm disease for replanting along Fort Drive; and

WHEREAS, representatives of ANC 3F again met with DDOT on March 18, 2005, to refine the revisions to the plans;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT ANC 3F recommends and urges that the revised plans for Tenley Circle be refined as follows:

1.    Sidewalks:
·    Indicate clearly on the plans that the existing sidewalks along the east side of Fort Drive and the west side of Nebraska Avenue from the traffic signal on Nebraska Avenue east of the circle are to be replaced, not merely demolished (see sheet # 15);
·    Modify revised sheet # 102 to show 10’ wide sidewalks on the east side of the circle between Yuma Street and Nebraska Avenue and between Fort Drive and Wisconsin Avenue;

2.    Street lights:
·    Add a street light on the outside of the circle in front of AU Tenley Campus to provide greater illumination for that frequently-used sidewalk;
·    Consider eliminating the street light proposed for the island at the south end of Fort Drive because it appears unnecessary;
·    Move the proposed street light on the NE corner of the circle near Wisconsin Avenue closer to Wisconsin Avenue to avoid damaging a mature tree and to provide greater illumination to the Wisconsin Avenue sidewalk;
·    Install tear-drop style street lights around and near Tenley Circle, as well as along Grant Road and Fort Drive between the circle and Grant Road, for uniformity of style, consistency with the historic significance of the park and the Grant Road Historic District, and to provide a better sense of place;
·    Put electric lines underground;

3.    Traffic signals on Nebraska Avenue:
·    Position the stop bars far enough back so that drivers can see the signals;
·    Increase the time for pedestrians to cross the street;

4.    South curb on Yuma Street west of the circle:
·    Increase the turning radius to accommodate buses that use this route;

5.    Fence around the inside of the circle:
·    Replace the broken wrought iron fence in kind to make the circle more attractive and to dissuade pedestrians from crossing the circle outside the crosswalks;

6.    Retaining wall in front of AU Tenley Campus:
·    Take photographs of the existing wall so that its style can be duplicated when rebuilt;

7.    Signs:
·    Make all new “Nebraska Avenue – East – West” signs 3 feet by 3 feet, like the existing signs;
·    Add “Yield to Pedestrians” signs near the traffic signals on Nebraska Avenue east and west of the circle;

8.    Trees:
·    Consider a disease-resistant variety of American elm such as “Princeton” for the west side of Fort Drive;
·    Plant new trees in the tree spaces along Fort Drive, Grant Road, and Nebraska Avenue where they are lacking.

Approved by a vote of 6-0-0 at a duly noticed public meeting of ANC 3F on March 21, 2005, with a quorum present (a quorum being 4).



           /s/ Karen Lee Perry                                                  /s/ Frank Winstead
          Karen Lee Perry, Chair                                              Frank Winstead, Secretary