Chevy Chase ANC race features tensions over Civic Core redevelopment debate

Chevy Chase residents are seeing something novel this election season: a contested race for two seats on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission that straddles Wards 3 and 4 – an ANC some community members call dysfunctional.

However, despite the unique ANC race, neighborhood residents remain focused on one topic: Civic Core, the redevelopment effort that will modernize an existing library and community center and introduce 177 affordable housing units.

The contested ANC 3/4G-05 election features Commissioner Carol Grunewald running against candidate Shannon Tregar, while Commissioner Karrenthya Simmons is facing off against Weiqing F. Torti.

Jerry Malitz, owner of the community newsletter Chevy Chase Notes and former ANC commissioner from 2017 to 2020, said the election is interesting because, unfortunately, ANC seats are rarely contested, as they are unpaid, voluntary positions.

But for the community, Civic Core continues to be the top issue, followed by problems such as bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue and overcrowding at Lafayette Elementary, Malitz said.

Beyond those issues, Malitz also highlighted recent events during an ANC meeting that left him stunned but not surprised.

During a Sept. 28 virtual ANC Meeting streamed on YouTube, Chairwoman Laura Phinizy chastised Commissioner Simmons for mispronouncing Commissioner Liz Nagy’s last name. Simmons later said on the Chevy Chase Forward Listserv that she has multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease that affects muscle control and language processing.

Malitz said he was “totally offended” by Phinizy’s comments, adding that ANC meetings occurring over Zoom gives some commissioners the audacity to “act any way they want when they don’t have someone sitting in front of them.”

Tregar, a supporter of the Civic Core redevelopment, also expressed disdain for the comments and actions of the commissioners, writing on the Listserv, “Our ANC is broken.” She said that as commissioner, she would help the ANC focus on what is possible and find practical solutions to moving the neighborhood forward.

“Our neighborhood can be a place where people feel safe, connected, heard, and welcome—and were solving problems and treating each other with respect matters more than winning arguments,” Tregar said.

James Lyman Nash, a former ANC commissioner from 2022 to 2024, described the current commissioners’ behavior as “arguably counter-productive” when addressing community problems.

“It was difficult to address community problems when I was commissioner, but it has only gotten worse since,” said Nash. “I find I can no longer attend ANC meetings…I know I am not alone.”

The Civic Core redevelopment remains a point of contention. The plan is set to break ground in 2028 and would add 177 mixed-income housing, modernize the existing community center and library, and provide the community with an open space.

According to a June 2025 ANC survey, 45% of residents support the addition of housing at the Civic Core while 49% are in opposition.

Grunewald has opposed its inclusion of housing, publicly petitioning D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in support of Chevy Chase Voice, a local organization formed to fight against the development of the Civic Core. Torti has not taken a public stance on the plan.

On Oct. 21, Tregar said on the Listserv that several neighbors have informed her of a three-page document being handed out door-to-door by Grunewald titled “My Opponent in the ANC Contest.”

Tregar has since filed an official complaint with the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability regarding what she calls the libelous nature of the document, but residents and voters are still weighing the candidate’s positions on the Civic Core redevelopment, remaining a central issue in the neighborhood.

Jack Mullen, a Chevy Chase resident of 10 years, said that he supports modernizing the area but not adding more housing as it will constrain already limited parking options and it is “not nearly metro accessible.”

“I like [the community] the way it is,” he said.

Isabel Merino, a resident of 14 years who works at Barista on Connecticut Avenue, NW, said she used to go to the Civic Core when her son was little and wished there were more things for elders, kids, and mothers to do in the immediate area.

“I’m excited about the new kids park and development to the area,” said Merino. Some improvement would be wonderful.”