- Amharic (አማርኛ): ቨርችዋል የህዝብ ችሎት
- Chinese (中文): 虚拟公开听证会
- English: Virtual Public Hearings
- French (Français): Audiences publiques virtuelles
- Spanish (Español): Audiencias públicas virtuales
Zoning Commission (ZC) and Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) are holding virtual public meetings and hearings. With virtual public hearings, no in-person testimony will be taken, but there are several alternative ways that you can provide comments or testify on any of the public hearing items scheduled:
- Submit Written Testimony:
- Using the interactive Zoning Information System at https://app.dcoz.dc.gov/Login.aspx
- E-mailing it to [email protected] for the BZA or [email protected] for the ZC.
- By WebEx Video:
- Register to testify below, and the Office of Zoning (OZ) will email you the instructions to log into WebEx.
- By Phone:
- Register to testify below, and OZ will email you the instructions to call into the public hearing; or
- Call the following OZ staff members to sign up to testify and to receive call-in information:
- ZC: Ella Ackerman at (202) 727-0789
- BZA: Robert Reid at (202) 727-5471
SIGN-UP TO TESTIFY:
Witnesses testifying via WebEx video and phone are strongly encouraged to sign up to testify no later than 24 hours prior to the public hearing. If you have not signed up 24 hours prior to the hearing, you must call the OZ Hotline at (202) 727-5471 for the BZA and (202) 727-0789 for the ZC to sign-up to testify and to receive WebEx login or call-in instructions.
WRITTEN TESTIMONY:
The ZC and BZA request that all witnesses prepare their testimony in writing, submit the written testimony prior to giving statements, and limit oral presentations to summaries of the most important points. The ZC and BZA must base their decisions on the record before them, therefore, all written comments and/or testimony must be submitted to the record at least 24 hours prior to the start of the hearing.
Requests to enter evidence at the time of an online virtual hearing, such as written testimony or additional supporting documents -- other than “live” video which may not be presented as part of the testimony -- may be allowed, pursuant to Subtitles Y and Z § 103.13; provided that:
- The person making the request to enter an exhibit explains:
- How the proposed exhibit is relevant;
- The good cause that justifies allowing the exhibit into the record, including an explanation of why the requester did not file the exhibit prior to the hearing pursuant to Subtitle Y § 206; and
- How the proposed exhibit would not unreasonably prejudice any party.
TIME LIMITS:
The following maximum time limits for oral testimony shall be adhered to and no time may be ceded:
• Organizations 5 minutes each
• Individuals 3 minutes each
All public hearings can be viewed by Webex or on YouTube Live and will be available on video-on-demand the day after the hearing.
If you need special accommodations or need language assistance services (translation or interpretation), please contact Zee Hill at (202) 727-0312 or [email protected] at least five days in advance of the hearing. These services will be provided free of charge.
For more information on testifying virtually, please see the Virtual Hearing FAQs.