WARD 8: Covers more than 4,000 acres yet has the smallest percentage of taxable land in DC

From the DC City Council Website:

Ward Eight is the southernmost ward in the city, covers more than 4,000 acres and has the smallest percentage of taxable land in the District. The tax-exempt property including St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Boiling Air Force Base, the city’s Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant, D.C. Village and parkland leave just 962 acres that are subject to taxation. Neighborhoods in Ward Eight include Anacostia, Barry Farm, Bellview, Buena Vista, Congress Heights, Douglas, Fairlawn, Garfield Heights, (which consists of Parklands, Hunter Pines, Ridgecrest, and Manor Gardens), Knox Hill, Sheridan, Shipley Terrace, Washington Highlands, and Woodland.

There are five (5) Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs), in Ward Eight and they are labeled A through E. Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consist of elected representatives from neighborhood communities. The ANCs advise the District government on issues relating to zoning, social service programs, health, police protection, sanitation, and recreation.

All of the Seventh Police District and the southernmost part of the Sixth Police District constitute Ward Eight. Both the Sixth and the Seventh District’s enjoy an active community that is committed to working with the police to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in the area.

The Seventh District has 11 Police Service Areas (PSA’s) and the part of the Sixth District in Ward Eight has two (2) (PSA’s). The PSA is the smallest geographical subdivision of the city; its size and shape usually follow neighborhood and natural boundaries. The PSA system is an outgrowth of the community policing effort which Chief Charles Ramsey implemented when he came to the District. Every resident lives in a PSA and every PSA has a team of police officers and officials assigned to it.