Mary Cheh has turned Cleveland Park/Cleveland Park North into her personal political asset

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cheapest possible housing is about to come to Cleveland Park in the form of hundreds of Condos in the old fFannie Mae building. If that doesn’t elevate the housing problem, what will?

What’s the pricing?

Forget the pricing, I just looked at the sketch drawings and Wisconsin Ave is going to be forever unusable once this is done. It’s friggin enormous. I count 7 buildings behind the Fannie Mae building. How did this ever get approved based on traffic impacts alone? They also refuse to release pricing, but entry price will easily be $700k from the looks of things. I’m not sure how this development will support the more supply reduces price thesis.

Plus Sidwells new lower school campus will be opening directly across the street. Bear that in mind. And that Wisconsin and Connecticut are supposedly evacuation lanes.

DC will need to widen 34th/Reno corridor as a relief route for Wisconsin, etc. Price of progress.

There isn’t room to widen Reno/34th - bad idea

Look at DDOT’s traffic analyses. They consider Reno as a leading alternative corridor for through traffic as greater density and bike lanes are added along the major arterials, Connecticut and Wisconsin Ave.

But how? Maybe it could be widened if the sidewalks are taken out and they cut down the hundreds of trees that line the road. They could take portions of the front lawns of the homes using eminent domain but does that work for the embassies? What about the schools along 34th? Do they become even smaller? I can’t imagine how that plan would work or what the costs would be.

I can imagine them making Reno/34th one way at certain times. That would be a bother for locals but would help with traffic patterns.

They don’t have right of way to widen, at least 34th. You can see this when you get to Eaton. I am not sure about Reno but the only way to make 34th wider is to remove sidewalk. Or, expropriate people’s minuscule front yards opposite Eaton which probably would only net 1 lane max and would be more trouble than it’s worth. I would also note that the Speed Limit on 34th is now 15 MPH which is also incompatible with being an arterial thoroughfare. The reality is that DC really needs to start focusing on promoting development in the less dense parts of the city.

Like the Cleveland Park commercial area.

Isn’t Cleveland Park an historic district?

Yes, it is. But that wouldn't prevent expansion of the buildings that are there.

In vacant lots maybe, but they wouldn’t allow a one or two story historic building to become a six or seven story building. Despite proximity to Metro Cleveland Park will never have the density of Van Ness (nor should it, if it’s in a historic district).

I feel like this discussion is just missing all of the “density” that already exists on Quebec and Porter. Maybe they could upzone Orday Gardens, but those are condos so it would be challenging to redevelop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cheapest possible housing is about to come to Cleveland Park in the form of hundreds of Condos in the old fFannie Mae building. If that doesn’t elevate the housing problem, what will?

What’s the pricing?

Forget the pricing, I just looked at the sketch drawings and Wisconsin Ave is going to be forever unusable once this is done. It’s friggin enormous. I count 7 buildings behind the Fannie Mae building. How did this ever get approved based on traffic impacts alone? They also refuse to release pricing, but entry price will easily be $700k from the looks of things. I’m not sure how this development will support the more supply reduces price thesis.

Plus Sidwells new lower school campus will be opening directly across the street. Bear that in mind. And that Wisconsin and Connecticut are supposedly evacuation lanes.

DC will need to widen 34th/Reno corridor as a relief route for Wisconsin, etc. Price of progress.

There isn’t room to widen Reno/34th - bad idea

Look at DDOT’s traffic analyses. They consider Reno as a leading alternative corridor for through traffic as greater density and bike lanes are added along the major arterials, Connecticut and Wisconsin Ave.

But how? Maybe it could be widened if the sidewalks are taken out and they cut down the hundreds of trees that line the road. They could take portions of the front lawns of the homes using eminent domain but does that work for the embassies? What about the schools along 34th? Do they become even smaller? I can’t imagine how that plan would work or what the costs would be.

I can imagine them making Reno/34th one way at certain times. That would be a bother for locals but would help with traffic patterns.

They don’t have right of way to widen, at least 34th. You can see this when you get to Eaton. I am not sure about Reno but the only way to make 34th wider is to remove sidewalk. Or, expropriate people’s minuscule front yards opposite Eaton which probably would only net 1 lane max and would be more trouble than it’s worth. I would also note that the Speed Limit on 34th is now 15 MPH which is also incompatible with being an arterial thoroughfare. The reality is that DC really needs to start focusing on promoting development in the less dense parts of the city.

Like the Cleveland Park commercial area.

Isn’t Cleveland Park an historic district?

Yes, it is. But that wouldn't prevent expansion of the buildings that are there.

In vacant lots maybe, but they wouldn’t allow a one or two story historic building to become a six or seven story building. Despite proximity to Metro Cleveland Park will never have the density of Van Ness (nor should it, if it’s in a historic district).

Have you been to 14th street in the last 20 years?

[Anonymous]

ANC Chairman Finley has not impressed me so far

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In typical fashion DDOT admits it has done zero analysis of the impact of rerouting traffic on the side streets between Connecticut Ave and Reno/34th and Wisconsin.

Actually if you look at the Conn. Ave study, they HAVE done exactly this analysis.

Not on the safety and other impact on the residential side streets that would connect all the traffic to/from Connecticut Ave to Reno/34th and Wisconsin. They said so themselves in a call with community members

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In typical fashion DDOT admits it has done zero analysis of the impact of rerouting traffic on the side streets between Connecticut Ave and Reno/34th and Wisconsin.

Actually if you look at the Conn. Ave study, they HAVE done exactly this analysis.

Not on the safety and other impact on the residential side streets that would connect all the traffic to/from Connecticut Ave to Reno/34th and Wisconsin. They said so themselves in a call with community members

Shouldn’t DC be a grid system like NYC? Distribute traffic across the grid, including the side streets. Waze makes this doable. That way, everyone shares the burden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cheapest possible housing is about to come to Cleveland Park in the form of hundreds of Condos in the old fFannie Mae building. If that doesn’t elevate the housing problem, what will?

What’s the pricing?

Forget the pricing, I just looked at the sketch drawings and Wisconsin Ave is going to be forever unusable once this is done. It’s friggin enormous. I count 7 buildings behind the Fannie Mae building. How did this ever get approved based on traffic impacts alone? They also refuse to release pricing, but entry price will easily be $700k from the looks of things. I’m not sure how this development will support the more supply reduces price thesis.

Plus Sidwells new lower school campus will be opening directly across the street. Bear that in mind. And that Wisconsin and Connecticut are supposedly evacuation lanes.

DC will need to widen 34th/Reno corridor as a relief route for Wisconsin, etc. Price of progress.

There isn’t room to widen Reno/34th - bad idea

Look at DDOT’s traffic analyses. They consider Reno as a leading alternative corridor for through traffic as greater density and bike lanes are added along the major arterials, Connecticut and Wisconsin Ave.

But how? Maybe it could be widened if the sidewalks are taken out and they cut down the hundreds of trees that line the road. They could take portions of the front lawns of the homes using eminent domain but does that work for the embassies? What about the schools along 34th? Do they become even smaller? I can’t imagine how that plan would work or what the costs would be.

I can imagine them making Reno/34th one way at certain times. That would be a bother for locals but would help with traffic patterns.

They don’t have right of way to widen, at least 34th. You can see this when you get to Eaton. I am not sure about Reno but the only way to make 34th wider is to remove sidewalk. Or, expropriate people’s minuscule front yards opposite Eaton which probably would only net 1 lane max and would be more trouble than it’s worth. I would also note that the Speed Limit on 34th is now 15 MPH which is also incompatible with being an arterial thoroughfare. The reality is that DC really needs to start focusing on promoting development in the less dense parts of the city.

Like the Cleveland Park commercial area.

Isn’t Cleveland Park an historic district?

Yes, it is. But that wouldn't prevent expansion of the buildings that are there.

In vacant lots maybe, but they wouldn’t allow a one or two story historic building to become a six or seven story building. Despite proximity to Metro Cleveland Park will never have the density of Van Ness (nor should it, if it’s in a historic district).

Have you been to 14th street in the last 20 years?

The DC Historic Preservatjon Review Board looks to height and adjacent height in decideing what additions are historically compatible. 14th St has, on average, taller buildings than Cleveland Park’s one or two story commercial area. In fact, the Cleveland Park Connecticut Avenue strip is recognized on the National egister of Historic Places for its intact assemblage of low scale commercial buildings, many of which are Art Deco. That basically precludes infill over three, in some cases four stories in height there. And that’s a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cheapest possible housing is about to come to Cleveland Park in the form of hundreds of Condos in the old fFannie Mae building. If that doesn’t elevate the housing problem, what will?

What’s the pricing?

Forget the pricing, I just looked at the sketch drawings and Wisconsin Ave is going to be forever unusable once this is done. It’s friggin enormous. I count 7 buildings behind the Fannie Mae building. How did this ever get approved based on traffic impacts alone? They also refuse to release pricing, but entry price will easily be $700k from the looks of things. I’m not sure how this development will support the more supply reduces price thesis.

Plus Sidwells new lower school campus will be opening directly across the street. Bear that in mind. And that Wisconsin and Connecticut are supposedly evacuation lanes.

DC will need to widen 34th/Reno corridor as a relief route for Wisconsin, etc. Price of progress.

There isn’t room to widen Reno/34th - bad idea

Look at DDOT’s traffic analyses. They consider Reno as a leading alternative corridor for through traffic as greater density and bike lanes are added along the major arterials, Connecticut and Wisconsin Ave.

But how? Maybe it could be widened if the sidewalks are taken out and they cut down the hundreds of trees that line the road. They could take portions of the front lawns of the homes using eminent domain but does that work for the embassies? What about the schools along 34th? Do they become even smaller? I can’t imagine how that plan would work or what the costs would be.

I can imagine them making Reno/34th one way at certain times. That would be a bother for locals but would help with traffic patterns.

They don’t have right of way to widen, at least 34th. You can see this when you get to Eaton. I am not sure about Reno but the only way to make 34th wider is to remove sidewalk. Or, expropriate people’s minuscule front yards opposite Eaton which probably would only net 1 lane max and would be more trouble than it’s worth. I would also note that the Speed Limit on 34th is now 15 MPH which is also incompatible with being an arterial thoroughfare. The reality is that DC really needs to start focusing on promoting development in the less dense parts of the city.

Like the Cleveland Park commercial area.

Isn’t Cleveland Park an historic district?

Yes, it is. But that wouldn't prevent expansion of the buildings that are there.

In vacant lots maybe, but they wouldn’t allow a one or two story historic building to become a six or seven story building. Despite proximity to Metro Cleveland Park will never have the density of Van Ness (nor should it, if it’s in a historic district).

I feel like this discussion is just missing all of the “density” that already exists on Quebec and Porter. Maybe they could upzone Orday Gardens, but those are condos so it would be challenging to redevelop.

Smart Growth ANC chairman Finley in fact proposed upzoning Ordway Gardens for tall and dense. However, he failed to discuss the idea with residents who actually live in Ordway Gardens — admittedly difficult when the ANC commissioner lives most of the time at his SFH house in Calvert County, MD — and they were not amused by his plan.

You would need unanimous agreement of all condo owners, which would be impossible unless the they offered enough money. But once they do that, redevelopment becomes financially unviable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ANC Chairman Finley has not impressed me so far

Not a fan of Finley and his obnoxious little cohort of Density Bros that GGW recruited for ANC 3C.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ANC Chairman Finley has not impressed me so far

Not a fan of Finley and his obnoxious little cohort of Density Bros that GGW recruited for ANC 3C.

ANC 3C has been completely hijacked by them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The DC Historic Preservatjon Review Board looks to height and adjacent height in decideing what additions are historically compatible. 14th St has, on average, taller buildings than Cleveland Park’s one or two story commercial area. In fact, the Cleveland Park Connecticut Avenue strip is recognized on the National egister of Historic Places for its intact assemblage of low scale commercial buildings, many of which are Art Deco. That basically precludes infill over three, in some cases four stories in height there. And that’s a good thing.

Almost all of the new development there are "additions" to existing low scale buildings. There is really nothing precluding the adding of density within the historic district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ANC Chairman Finley has not impressed me so far

Not a fan of Finley and his obnoxious little cohort of Density Bros that GGW recruited for ANC 3C.

ANC 3C has been completely hijacked by them.

Hijacked?

You mean they ran for seats and were elected to them, and in the case of more than one, they were highly contested races.

Maybe the NIMBYs need to understand that their views are in the deep minority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The DC Historic Preservatjon Review Board looks to height and adjacent height in decideing what additions are historically compatible. 14th St has, on average, taller buildings than Cleveland Park’s one or two story commercial area. In fact, the Cleveland Park Connecticut Avenue strip is recognized on the National egister of Historic Places for its intact assemblage of low scale commercial buildings, many of which are Art Deco. That basically precludes infill over three, in some cases four stories in height there. And that’s a good thing.

Adjacent, like the buildings at Macomb and Conn. that are five (gasp) stories tall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ANC Chairman Finley has not impressed me so far

Not a fan of Finley and his obnoxious little cohort of Density Bros that GGW recruited for ANC 3C.

ANC 3C has been completely hijacked by them.

Hijacked?

You mean they ran for seats and were elected to them, and in the case of more than one, they were highly contested races.

Maybe the NIMBYs need to understand that their views are in the deep minority.

What do you call it when an “astroturf” group, started and run by a Trump-Manafort operative and financed by development interests, recruits and helps to fund candidates for ANC. One of the “successful” candidates doesn’t really live in the ANC, but instead in Maryland.

Tin-foil hat much?

Bottom line, the candidates that represent the areas along Connecticut Ave successfully turned out voters in the buildings, whose numbers are many X those of the Single Family areas that have been ruling the roost on the ANCs for decades.

ANCs don't really have funding for races, but even they file reports at BOEE....go take a look, it really isn't a lot of money.

[Anonymous]

What is Mary Cheh doing to step up public safety in Cleveland Park after the John Eaton drive-by shooting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is Mary Cheh doing to step up public safety in Cleveland Park after the John Eaton drive-by shooting?

Why don't you ask her rather than posting on an anonymous forum?

http://www.marycheh.com/contact-us/