ReservoirRec Center is now open! The crazy NIMBYs lost

[Anonymous]

After a 3-decade long battle against NIMBYs, the Reservoir Park Rec Center opened this week! It includes many cool features including an indoor pool: https://dpr.dc.gov/reservoirpark

The history of this site should inform anyone assessing current DC planning "controversies" such as the Connecticut Avenue bike lanes. While of course there are people with legitimate concerns about any project, there is also a core of very strange people with who will irrationally fight against any improvements. The challenge is to allow reasonable public input, but recognize when the bad faith/personality disordered have taken over the discourse. We also need major changes to the law to stop NIMBYs from being able to hold up public works projects for decades.

Kudos to the DC Council for finally putting an end to the saga and creating a public space and housing that will benefit the city.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMillan_Sand_Filtration_Site#City_council_and_court_allow_development_to_proceed
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/mcmillan-dc-development-court-bowser/2021/10/28/174b721e-380f-11ec-9bc4-86107e7b0ab1_story.html

[Anonymous]

Such a waste of time and money! This could have been done decades ago. It looks great and the neighborhood needed and wanted services!

Now, I feel like that is happening in Rock Creek Park over the golf course. All privately funded, but trees need to be cut because many are dying and they want 2 golf courses. Say what you want but it will be in litigation for 20 years and then they will end up building 2 GOLF COURSES. All it does is waste time and money.

[Anonymous]

I'm very pro Resevoir Rec Center and anti the "Save McMillan" crazies.. HOWEVER. This park and rec center exist because members of the community pushed for it. The original plans didn't include this at all. So there is a role for engaged community members to advocate, it just has a limit.

[Anonymous]

Totally agree OP -- the Save McMillan movement was one of the weirdest "grass roots campaigns" I've ever encountered and I group up in a town that is pretty much defined by it's NIMBYism where people would protest a stoplight or a bridge renovation on reflex. I have never seen people campaign against their own self interest so hard before. Why would you be against not only a community center and public space in yoru neighborhood but also commercial spaces that might serve your community as well as development that will better link your community to the neighborhoods around it. Bizarre.

I do think one problem in DC is that a lot of longtime residents are deeply skeptical of development because of past experiences with either the city failing to actually hold developers to promises (the city rolls over for developers and doesn't even hold them to their own proposals most of the time both during and after construction) or failing to put any effort into matching a development with the neighborhood. City planning in DC is extremely weak and that empowers the people who want to oppose everything because so many people have had negative experiences that it makes people cynically say "they'll just screw it up so why bother."

[Anonymous]

It is always crazy when they interview the NIMBYs after a project is live and they laud it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm very pro Resevoir Rec Center and anti the "Save McMillan" crazies.. HOWEVER. This park and rec center exist because members of the community pushed for it. The original plans didn't include this at all. So there is a role for engaged community members to advocate, it just has a limit.

They only were able to push for it once DC managed to defeat the NIMBYs. Then the normal and more sane public discussion of what to do with the space could begin. I’ve got no issues at all with the community pushing for more public space amenities!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is always crazy when they interview the NIMBYs after a project is live and they laud it.

they’ll all be at the pool lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree OP -- the Save McMillan movement was one of the weirdest "grass roots campaigns" I've ever encountered and I group up in a town that is pretty much defined by it's NIMBYism where people would protest a stoplight or a bridge renovation on reflex. I have never seen people campaign against their own self interest so hard before. Why would you be against not only a community center and public space in yoru neighborhood but also commercial spaces that might serve your community as well as development that will better link your community to the neighborhoods around it. Bizarre.

I do think one problem in DC is that a lot of longtime residents are deeply skeptical of development because of past experiences with either the city failing to actually hold developers to promises (the city rolls over for developers and doesn't even hold them to their own proposals most of the time both during and after construction) or failing to put any effort into matching a development with the neighborhood. City planning in DC is extremely weak and that empowers the people who want to oppose everything because so many people have had negative experiences that it makes people cynically say "they'll just screw it up so why bother."

The city has a long history of screwing everything up whenever they get involved with anything. It's a well deserved reputation that they fully earned and a lesson our more recent transplants haven't learned yet but soon will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree OP -- the Save McMillan movement was one of the weirdest "grass roots campaigns" I've ever encountered and I group up in a town that is pretty much defined by it's NIMBYism where people would protest a stoplight or a bridge renovation on reflex. I have never seen people campaign against their own self interest so hard before. Why would you be against not only a community center and public space in yoru neighborhood but also commercial spaces that might serve your community as well as development that will better link your community to the neighborhoods around it. Bizarre.

I do think one problem in DC is that a lot of longtime residents are deeply skeptical of development because of past experiences with either the city failing to actually hold developers to promises (the city rolls over for developers and doesn't even hold them to their own proposals most of the time both during and after construction) or failing to put any effort into matching a development with the neighborhood. City planning in DC is extremely weak and that empowers the people who want to oppose everything because so many people have had negative experiences that it makes people cynically say "they'll just screw it up so why bother."

yeah totally. but this wasn’t just the normal DC native skepticism of development, which is understandable. This weird strain is connected to a Ralph Nader paranoia about any public-private projects and also includes campaigns against developing that plaza in Dupont and building condos over the police station on U, and fighting over building libraries…

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/207188/ralph-nader-and-dc-public-libraries/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree OP -- the Save McMillan movement was one of the weirdest "grass roots campaigns" I've ever encountered and I group up in a town that is pretty much defined by it's NIMBYism where people would protest a stoplight or a bridge renovation on reflex. I have never seen people campaign against their own self interest so hard before. Why would you be against not only a community center and public space in yoru neighborhood but also commercial spaces that might serve your community as well as development that will better link your community to the neighborhoods around it. Bizarre.

I do think one problem in DC is that a lot of longtime residents are deeply skeptical of development because of past experiences with either the city failing to actually hold developers to promises (the city rolls over for developers and doesn't even hold them to their own proposals most of the time both during and after construction) or failing to put any effort into matching a development with the neighborhood. City planning in DC is extremely weak and that empowers the people who want to oppose everything because so many people have had negative experiences that it makes people cynically say "they'll just screw it up so why bother."

The city has a long history of screwing everything up whenever they get involved with anything. It's a well deserved reputation that they fully earned and a lesson our more recent transplants haven't learned yet but soon will.

I mean, the city literally just opened a large park and pool on this site that had previously been inaccessible. Is that screwing it up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree OP -- the Save McMillan movement was one of the weirdest "grass roots campaigns" I've ever encountered and I group up in a town that is pretty much defined by it's NIMBYism where people would protest a stoplight or a bridge renovation on reflex. I have never seen people campaign against their own self interest so hard before. Why would you be against not only a community center and public space in yoru neighborhood but also commercial spaces that might serve your community as well as development that will better link your community to the neighborhoods around it. Bizarre.

I do think one problem in DC is that a lot of longtime residents are deeply skeptical of development because of past experiences with either the city failing to actually hold developers to promises (the city rolls over for developers and doesn't even hold them to their own proposals most of the time both during and after construction) or failing to put any effort into matching a development with the neighborhood. City planning in DC is extremely weak and that empowers the people who want to oppose everything because so many people have had negative experiences that it makes people cynically say "they'll just screw it up so why bother."

yeah totally. but this wasn’t just the normal DC native skepticism of development, which is understandable. This weird strain is connected to a Ralph Nader paranoia about any public-private projects and also includes campaigns against developing that plaza in Dupont and building condos over the police station on U, and fighting over building libraries…

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/207188/ralph-nader-and-dc-public-libraries/

Also these people just object to change period. They have a psychological need to oppose anything that they feel they don’t agree with in the use of public space and to police what others do. Sometimes they nominally do have an interest in the matter, but more often its the self-aggrandizing drama of being “anti.” Then there are the actually personality disordered like ND …

[Anonymous]

Of course the whole story is about NIMBYs and not legal covenants in the land transfer to blocked redevelopment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After a 3-decade long battle against NIMBYs, the Reservoir Park Rec Center opened this week! It includes many cool features including an indoor pool: https://dpr.dc.gov/reservoirpark

The history of this site should inform anyone assessing current DC planning "controversies" such as the Connecticut Avenue bike lanes. While of course there are people with legitimate concerns about any project, there is also a core of very strange people with who will irrationally fight against any improvements. The challenge is to allow reasonable public input, but recognize when the bad faith/personality disordered have taken over the discourse. We also need major changes to the law to stop NIMBYs from being able to hold up public works projects for decades.

Kudos to the DC Council for finally putting an end to the saga and creating a public space and housing that will benefit the city.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMillan_Sand_Filtration_Site#City_council_and_court_allow_development_to_proceed
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/mcmillan-dc-development-court-bowser/2021/10/28/174b721e-380f-11ec-9bc4-86107e7b0ab1_story.html

Calling everyone who disagrees with you irrational and mentally ill and in need of people like you to think for them--what an original tactic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree OP -- the Save McMillan movement was one of the weirdest "grass roots campaigns" I've ever encountered and I group up in a town that is pretty much defined by it's NIMBYism where people would protest a stoplight or a bridge renovation on reflex. I have never seen people campaign against their own self interest so hard before. Why would you be against not only a community center and public space in yoru neighborhood but also commercial spaces that might serve your community as well as development that will better link your community to the neighborhoods around it. Bizarre.

I do think one problem in DC is that a lot of longtime residents are deeply skeptical of development because of past experiences with either the city failing to actually hold developers to promises (the city rolls over for developers and doesn't even hold them to their own proposals most of the time both during and after construction) or failing to put any effort into matching a development with the neighborhood. City planning in DC is extremely weak and that empowers the people who want to oppose everything because so many people have had negative experiences that it makes people cynically say "they'll just screw it up so why bother."

yeah totally. but this wasn’t just the normal DC native skepticism of development, which is understandable. This weird strain is connected to a Ralph Nader paranoia about any public-private projects and also includes campaigns against developing that plaza in Dupont and building condos over the police station on U, and fighting over building libraries…

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/207188/ralph-nader-and-dc-public-libraries/

Also these people just object to change period. They have a psychological need to oppose anything that they feel they don’t agree with in the use of public space and to police what others do. Sometimes they nominally do have an interest in the matter, but more often its the self-aggrandizing drama of being “anti.” Then there are the actually personality disordered like ND …

Again, everyone who disagrees with you is literally mentally ill or brain damaged? Wow...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree OP -- the Save McMillan movement was one of the weirdest "grass roots campaigns" I've ever encountered and I group up in a town that is pretty much defined by it's NIMBYism where people would protest a stoplight or a bridge renovation on reflex. I have never seen people campaign against their own self interest so hard before. Why would you be against not only a community center and public space in yoru neighborhood but also commercial spaces that might serve your community as well as development that will better link your community to the neighborhoods around it. Bizarre.

I do think one problem in DC is that a lot of longtime residents are deeply skeptical of development because of past experiences with either the city failing to actually hold developers to promises (the city rolls over for developers and doesn't even hold them to their own proposals most of the time both during and after construction) or failing to put any effort into matching a development with the neighborhood. City planning in DC is extremely weak and that empowers the people who want to oppose everything because so many people have had negative experiences that it makes people cynically say "they'll just screw it up so why bother."

The city has a long history of screwing everything up whenever they get involved with anything. It's a well deserved reputation that they fully earned and a lesson our more recent transplants haven't learned yet but soon will.

I mean, the city literally just opened a large park and pool on this site that had previously been inaccessible. Is that screwing it up?

Have you not followed the sagas of the Wilson amd East Potomac Park pools?