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Ward 8 natatorium fight: Council divided over net-zero rules, funding and community requests
Summary
Councilmembers debated emergency measures and a disapproval resolution tied to a Congress Heights recreation-center natatorium, with Ward 8's member arguing the administration shifted course and others warning that exempting a ward from Green Building Act standards would set a bad precedent; the emergency disapproval failed on roll call.
Council debate over a proposed natatorium at the Congress Heights recreation center turned into one of the meeting's longest exchanges, drawing sharp questions about agency decisions, funding and the Green Buildings Advisory Council process.
Council Member Trayon White introduced emergency legislation aimed at ensuring a pool is included in the Congress Heights project and criticized what he described as shifting narratives from the administration: "We was told that DC got denied 3 times, when in fact DC got denied 2 times and the last proposal... was accepted that included a pool," he said, arguing the community repeatedly asked for a pool and that funding had been programmed in prior budgets. He also said earlier reallocations left Ward 8 residents without promised amenities.
Council Member Lewis George and others responded that the project's most recent design had been approved by the Green Building Advisory Council (GBAC) as net zero and that the agencies had both design and funding for a compliant pool, cautioning that an emergency carve-out that exempts a ward from net-zero requirements would set a citywide precedent. Members raised budget and legal concerns; after a roll call (4 yes, 7 no, 1 present and 1 absent), Chair Mendelson announced the measure failed.
