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114 It was the consensus of Council to reaffirm the resolution adopted in 1988 and no action was taken on the request to,recommend tax exempt status to the Association for Retarded Citizens for their property at 1t00 Locust Avenue. STAFF REPORT: MARTHA JEFFERSON HOSPITAL IMPACT STUDY Mr. Satyendra Huja, Director of Community Development, explained that the original Martha Jefferson Hospital Impact Study was conducted in 1977 and was reviewed last year to see what changes had occurred and if changes needed to be made in the original recommendations. Mr. Huja reviewed the backgroundand noted the following changes~in the study area: significant increase in office use, with residential use declining accordingly; decrease in owner occupied units and rental units remaining constant; decrease in population; significant increase in parking; increase in.traffic on ~ Locust and High Streets; and an increase in Martha Jefferson Hospital staff. Mr. Huja reviewed the following recommendations made by the Martha Jefferson Hospital~Area Task Force: 1) maintain office use designation for 528 Locust Avenue and 501, 504, 505, 506, 521, and 525 GroVe Avenue;~2) maintain office use~ designation for 320, 321, 322, 323, and 325 tlth Street, N.E.; 3) change the designation from commercial or industrial to residential for 210 t0th~St., N.E., 206, 207 and 211 llth Street,. N.~E., Virginia Power Substation, and 1007, 1009, 1011, 1015, 1017, 1101, 1103, 1105, and 1107 E. Market Street; 4) widen East High Street to three lanes with center lane reserved for turns~between 9th Street, N.E. and Long Street; 5) undertake traffic control improvements in neighborhoods adjacent~to the Martha Jefferson Hospital office~area to help control speeding and cut-through activity; and 6) make sidewalk/curb or, curb and gutter improvements to provide for safe pedestrian access in the area and to control drainage. Responding to a question from Ms, Waters, Mr. Huja stated that no vote had been taken on drainage priorities. Ms. Waters stated that she felt a traffic count on Little High Street might be beneficial since it is becoming a major cut-through. Mr. Toscano questioned how the R-lA designation, if adopted, would affect the neighborhoods surrounding Martha Jefferson Hospital and Mr, Huja replied that he-felt R-lA would help stabilize what presently exists in the neighborhood, c Mr. Ed Travis of 724 Locust Avenue, expressed his support of the study, particularly with regard to maintaining the office designation for the 500 block of Grove Avenue. Mr, Travis stated that a poll was taken of the six properties-and five owners favored maintaining the B~i ~ designation and a larger poll was taken of 100 neighborhood association members, with 90 responding and 75 persons favoring maintaining the~office designation. Mr. Travis stated that he felt it was beneficial to have medical offices in the neighborhood which were~better than absentee landlords. Mr. Travis stated that he felt there were adequate safeguards in place which would prevent demolition of the residential buildings. Ms. Monica LeBeau, President of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Neighborhood Association and a member of the Task Force, presented a minority view for recommendation number one of the report. Ms. LeBeau stated that she felt the bottom line question befores.Council was-whether the Hospital's perceived needs for close by B-1 property is more important than protecting the neighborhood and listed the