“Proposal to close 18th Street on weekend nights and create a pedestrian mall.”

Thanks to a reader for passing on from ANC 1C’s Wilson Reynolds:

“An update on the agenda for the Wednesday, September 6 meeting of our ANC. There has been discussion inside the ANC on bringing forward to the community a proposal to close 18th St. (and by that I mean the 2300/2400 blocks) to transit traffic on weekend nights.

The creation of a ‘pedestrian mall’ on weekend nights is not new. Veterans of the 18th St. reconstruction project in 2012 will remember well this idea being brought forth. And also will remember the opposition expressed by so many in the community of being forced to deal with the displacement of all that traffic on to the side streets of our neighborhood. Believe me, as a resident of the 2300 block of Champlain St, I get it, I have seen the lines of cars, heard the horns, seen it for myself.

As this discussion moved forward inside the ANC I asked to be be absolutely transparent on how we are to move forward on this issue. At my urging, we have placed this item on the agenda, and the revised version of the agenda is immediately below. I want to be very clear on on point. This will not be a discussion on the issue itself, to close the street.

It will be a discussion on how to plan a series of meetings to make sure that you, my neighbors, can attend and express your views, opinions, and direction on how the ANC should yake action. In other words, it is a planning process to make sure all of you are heard.”