During the past two years, ANC 3/4G has devoted easily half of its meeting time and votes to land use and development issues. The experience has taught commissioners that these issues often involve complicated matters of design, engineering, law and past District practice. In anticipation that the issues will remain central to its work, the Commission approved resolutions on June 27, 2022 and October 24, 2022 establishing a Zoning, Design and Development (ZDD) Standing Committee to advise us and appointed five members.

The Commission now seeks to fill the two remaining seats on the ZDD Standing Committee and invites residents to let us know if they are interested in serving. As the resolutions establishing the ZDD Standing Committee make clear, the Committee’s purpose is to help the ANC research issues involving Chevy Chase’s built environment and provide the Commission with options for how it might address them. It is an advisory body only and not decision-making body, a responsibility that remains squarely with the ANC.

Among tasks for the Committee that the ANC listed in its Oct. 24th resolution:

• Helping the Commission participate with the city in devising the rules for the special zoning district or zone for the upper Connecticut Avenue corridor;

• Helping the Commission work with the DC Office of Planning and other city agencies to devise a “form-based code” for upper Connecticut Avenue that aims to ensure that new development complements the existing built environment;

• Advising the Commission on how most effectively to pursue redevelopment of the Community Center-Library campus to ensure robust community participation, inclusion of mixed-income housing and a structure that complements and improves the Connecticut Avenue commercial core; and

• Finding ways to help the Commission ensure that Chevy Chase’s growth is balanced between structure and infrastructure, larger development along Connecticut Avenue and smaller structures in adjacent residential areas, change and continuity.

If you would like to be part of the ANC 3/4G Zoning, Design and Development Standing Committee, we want to hear from you. You can send an email expressing your interest to Peter Gosselin at peter.gosselin@anc.dc.gov by Jan. 5, 2023.

The Commission intends to appoint the new members at its first regular public meeting of the New Year on Jan. 9th.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Peter Gosselin & Connie Chang Co-chairs

Standing Committee on Zoning, Design and Development

ANC 3/4G