Need a refresher on what the ANC is?
As stated by dc.gov, “The ANCs’ main job is to be their neighborhood’s official voice in advising the District government on things that affect their neighborhoods. Although they are not required to follow the ANCs’ advice, District agencies are required to give the ANC’s recommendations ‘great weight.’ Moreover, District law says that agencies cannot take any action that will significantly affect a neighborhood unless they give the affected ANC 30 days’ advance notice. This includes zoning, streets, recreation, education, social services, sanitation, planning, safety, budget, and health services. The ANCs also initiate recommendations for improving city services, conduct neighborhood improvement programs, and monitor resident complaints.”
The ANCs in the city are grouped by Ward and then each is subdivided into a number of smaller areas called Single Member Districts (SMDs). Each SMD, which consists of approximately 2,000 people, gets one SMD Commissioner to represent them on their ANC. For example, ANC 6B has 10 SMDs, which means that ANC 6B has 10 Commissioners, each representing a chunk of the ANC, as seen in this map. The biggest ANCs have 12 SMDs, while the smallest only have two. So basically, your neighbor up the street is your voice in community meetings where decisions about your street are made. ANCs weigh in on whether or not streets should be shut down for marathons, whether or not a restaurant should have its liquor license renewed, whether or not your neighbor should be able to build a deck on their roof…and much more. So making sure that your commissioner knows where you stand, and showing up to the monthly meetings to voice your opinion can have an impact.
To figure out which ANC and SMD you live in (and who your commissioner is) put your address into the DC Citizen Atlas.