The DC Archives at UDC are a go.
The four current members of the DC Zoning Commission voted on October 26th to approve an amendment to the UDC campus plan, one that will allow a new building to rise in place of UDC’s Building 41.
The vote was unanimous. The fifth seat is vacant.
“I think this is an important project for the university, and can provide a number of student learning and employment opportunities,” said commissioner Robert Miller prior to their vote.
The Zoning Commission heard from supporters and opponents of the archives project during a September 21st hearing, and drew from a case file with additional comments and testimony.
The commissioners also discussed a few reservations they had about UDC’s outreach to the campus community about the project, and about the university’s plans for new community gardens that are to replace garden beds next to the project site along Van Ness Street.
Commissioner Joe Imamura said it appeared that UDC had not been in compliance with the original campus plan, which requires quarterly meetings of the UDC Community-Campus Task Force. Rather, he said, agendas filed by UDC indicated the meetings, for a time, were taking place every six months, and he encouraged the university to hold the meetings more regularly.
Imamura and Miller were also concerned about accessibility and sunlight at new garden sites proposed by UDC.
“Accessibility, I think, is critical for those with mobility issues,” said Imamura. “In the photographs they provided, there seems to be a lot of shade, and I’m not fully convinced those might be the most suitable place for the community garden.”
Miller proposed including in the zoning order these conditions: that the new gardens be in place prior to the archives’ certificate of occupancy, that they be compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and that they have three to four hours of daylight during growing season.
The Zoning Commission order had not been posted on the case website as of this writing.
The archives will house the District’s government and historical records, which are currently scattered at 18 different locations, and are inaccessible to all but a few researchers at a time.
The next meeting of the UDC Community-Campus Task Force is Thursday, November 16th, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Here’s the link to the meeting, the optional link to register, and a place to send questions and request agenda items.
And here are additional details you might need to join the virtual meeting on the WebEx platform.
Meeting number: 2634 027 1888
Password: ePeMhWe9Y44
Join by phone: +1-415-655-0003
UDC Library renovation under way: The delightful UDC Library X account has been posting construction updates about its new space in Buildings 38 and 39.
https://twitter.com/udc_library/status/1721531647265304711
Speaking of delightful:
https://twitter.com/udc_library/status/1722254917702922731
What a lovely gesture for Firebird families.