Commissioner Simmons’ Minority Opinion
Minority Opinion of Karrenthya Simmons
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, ANC 3/4G-05
Re: ANC 3/4G Resolution Opposing Development of Housing at the Civic Core Site
Dear Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED),
I am the Commissioner for ANC 3/4G-05, which includes the Civic Core site. I submit this minority opinion in support of redeveloping the site to include a new library, community center, green space, and housing.
On July 7, 2025, by vote of 4-2-1, four Commissioners succeeded in passing a resolution requesting DMPED to exclude housing from the Civic Core site. Notably, these four Commissioners who supported that resolution do not represent areas adjacent to the site. In contrast, the two Commissioners representing 1) the Civic Core site itself (SMD05) and 2) the residents who live closest to it did not support that resolution (SMD06). SMD 05 and 06 also include local businesses that would benefit significantly from the addition of new residents, as well as increased foot traffic from people visiting a modernized library and community center.
Excluding housing from the Civic Core site would be a missed opportunity for the District to address our city’s affordable housing crisis. Affordable housing should not be concentrated in just one area or ward, but it must be integrated throughout all neighborhoods of Washington, DC, including our community here in Chevy Chase. As stewards of public land, the District has both a duty and a rare opportunity to use this site as a means for improving its housing goals. Public land must be used to serve the public good—and one of the most urgent public needs in Washington, DC is affordable housing. That includes building homes for the people who keep our city running: teachers, nurses, transit operators, sanitation workers, childcare providers, DC government employees, and countless others who contribute to our city every day but are increasingly priced out of living in it. Using public land to help address this crisis is not just good policy—it is a public responsibility.
Going forward in this letter, any reference to the ANC 2023 or 2025 surveys includes responses from all DC residents, including Ward 3 residents in 3E or 3F who may live closer to the site than some Ward 4 SMDs in 3/4G.
In 2023, ANC 3/4G conducted a community survey[i] that asked whether residents supported redevelopment of the Civic Core site with housing:
39.7% supported redevelopment with housing
47.3% supported redevelopment without housing
9.4% opposed any redevelopment
In 2025, after the release of eight development concepts by respondents to the request for proposal and significant public engagement, the ANC conducted a follow-up survey[ii] and asked residents if they supported housing at the Civic Core site:
45.1% supported the addition of housing
49.5% opposed the addition of housing
5.4% had no preference
The increase in support of housing from 39.7% in 2023 to 45.1% in 2025 can be inferred that many residents responded positively after seeing how housing could be integrated with the library and the community center.
In the 2025 ANC survey[iii], the responses below reflect support for or against housing from the SMD where the Civic Core site is located (SMD 05) and from the neighboring SMD with residents close to the site (SMD 06). Here are the responses to the question: “Do you support housing at the Civic Core site?”
· SMD 05
o Yes 48.83%
o No 47.78%
o No preference 3.39%
· SMD 06
o Yes 52.44%
o No 44.72%
o No preference 2.85%
These survey results show a meaningful shift in community sentiment—while not every resident supports housing at the Civic Core site, acceptance has grown since 2023, especially among those living closest to it.
It’s also important to recognize that, despite the recent ANC resolution opposing housing, ANC 3/4G has a well-documented history of supporting affordable housing at the Civic Core site. Over the past five years, the Commission has repeatedly endorsed adding affordable housing through the District’s processes for revising the Comprehensive Plan, developing a Chevy Chase Small Area Plan, and launching the request for proposal process. In a February 10, 2020 resolution[iv] regarding revisions to the Comprehensive Plan, ANC 3/4G voted 6-0 to advise the District that, "The Rock Creek West Area Element should include a policy that the District will use its publicly-owned property at the Chevy Chase Public Library for future development of a new library that also includes mixed-income housing, with emphasis on affordable and workforce housing."
At its March 22, 2021 meeting[v] acting on housing recommendations from its Task Force on Racism, ANC 3/4G voted 7-0 to call on "the District to build significant dedicated affordable housing and workforce housing with a focus on households earning 50% or less of median family income (MFI) above the Chevy Chase Community Center and Chevy Chase Library."
The ANC's May 9, 2022 resolution[vi] (approved 5-2) said, "The Commission continues to support its March 22, 2021 resolution to include mixed-income housing in the Civic Core with a goal of at least 50% dedicated affordable housing . . . with a focus on households earning 50% or less of [median family income]."
On May 8, 2023, the ANC voted 4-1-1 to approve a resolution[vii] calling for the removal of a 1909 deed restriction prohibiting construction of apartments on a portion of the Community Center-Library site in order to "demonstrate the Chevy Chase community's commitment to become more inclusive and remove impediments to creating affordable housing on the civic core site."
Finally, in a resolution[viii] on December 11, 2023, ANC 3/4G recited that, "The Commission has consistently supported the idea that the Chevy Chase community should contribute to solving the District's affordable housing problem, including by developing affordable units as part of the redevelopment of the Community Center-Library and/or adjacent sites." After having surveyed the community, the ANC voted 4-2 to reaffirm its position that some housing should be built at the site in addition to the redevelopment of the Community Center and Library.
This five-year record of ANC support should not be overshadowed by one recent resolution. From 2020 through 2023, ANC 3/4G consistently affirmed that the Civic Core site is an appropriate and necessary place for affordable housing. These positions were informed by public input, driven by values of equity and inclusion, and aligned with the District’s long-term housing goals. DMPED should give greater weight to the ANC’s sustained commitment and continue advancing the Civic Core site with housing.
Finally, I want to ensure that DMPED considers key community preferences reflected in the 2025 survey responses to the eight development concepts. These results provide insight into how residents envision housing, civic uses, and public space coexisting at the Civic Core site. Highlights include:
44.5% support affordable housing for households earning up to 50% MFI; another 44.6% support housing up to 80% MFI; only 27.7% wanted housing for people at or below 30%
58.6% support housing that serves all ages, not just seniors; only 21.2% preferred senior housing
70.8% prefer usable surface-level green space, rather than rooftop space
55.2% prefer some surface-level parking
54.9% support limited retail
46.1% support 50–99 housing units[ix]
29.95% had no preference on how the library, community center, and housing were physically structured while 24.98% preferred that the library and community center reside in one building with housing in a separate building
The top-ranked design concepts were Community Builders, followed by Rift Valley and Urban Atlantic.
These preferences reflect a community that may still be divided but is increasingly open to compromise—especially when it comes to moderate-density, mixed-use development that prioritizes good design, access to green space, and a new library and community center.
Mayor Bowser’s FY26 budget proposal calls on the District to embrace a Grow DC agenda—one that retains residents, attracts new families, supports job growth, and expands housing supply. The Civic Core project directly aligns with these goals. By moving forward with this redevelopment, the District can welcome new residents, strengthen the local economy, support small businesses, and revitalize upper Connecticut Avenue.
Based on all the reasons outlined in this letter, I strongly support DMPED moving forward with the redevelopment of the Civic Core site to include a new library, community center, meaningful open green space, and housing. I also request for DMPED and all other stakeholders to continue robust community engagement after a development team is selected, to ensure the project reflects local input. The success of this site is not only critical to residents and business owners in SMDs 05 and 06—it will also send a clear and powerful message that every part of Washington, DC, including Chevy Chase, is committed to doing its part in advancing affordable housing across the city.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Karrenthya Simmons
Commissioner, ANC 3/4G-05
[i] 2023 survey results https://anc3g.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CCLS-Survey-
[ii] 2025 survey results https://anc3g.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025-Civic-Core-Survey-All-Data-Final.pdf
[iii] 2025 survey results https://anc3g.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2025-Civic-Core-Survey-All-Data-Final.pdf
[iv] anc3g.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Comp-Plan-resolution-2-10-2021.pdf
[v] 2021 03 22 Final Meeting Minutes
[vi] ANC 3:4G Resolution on SAP 5-9-22 Final
[vii] 2023 05 08 lrg signed ANC 34G Resolution on Civic Core Deed Restriction - 2023 05 08 lrg signed ANC 34G Resolution on Civic Core Deed Restriction.pdf
[viii] 2023-12-11-v.FINAL-ANC-34G-CC-Library-Next-Steps-12_11_23-SIGNED.pdf
[ix] The responses favoring 50-99 units necessarily include hundreds of respondents who didn’t want housing at all. Because the survey allowed respondents who opposed housing to continue answering all questions, these results may be skewed due to this design flaw.