Big GDS news

[Anonymous]

It will be a serious cash cow for the developers. Just as with Rosedale in Cleveland Park, they can hide behind the facade of the school (or the park in the case of Rosedale) and make a ton of money developing fancy homes and condos on the periphery.

Completely agree - even with a vocal, organized neighborhood group the construction will go on for many years. I'm sure the developer(s) GDS selects will appoint neighborhood liaisons and hold meetings to appease the concerns, but ultimately those who live nearby will have to live with years/multiple phases of major construction. Unplanned street closures, lost parking spaces to construction workers and the machinery, night time and Sunday work once the project falls behind, etc. If you live nearby, seriously consider moving before it starts.

[Anonymous]

Not to mention the decades of congested roads between 7 and 9 every morning and 3:30 to 4:30 every afternoon. Weekend games?

Quality of life diminishes significantly for the nearby residents without any of the positives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The developer partners are part of the GDS board who have orchestrated this development. So basically, GDS is turning to the GWU model of being a land developer which happens to educate some kids. And yes, the neighborhood is getting the worst of all worlds. How they are going to get all of the cars that by necessity will have to pick up and drop off lower school and many if not all middle school kids (and many high school kids) in those streets is beyond me, and I am glad that isn't my problem.

-Developer gets 1-2 major projects.
-School gets 1200 or whatever kids on to a single campus.
-Developer gets to redevelop the lower school campus for townhouses.
-Neighbors in both Palisades and Tenley get???

I would be very wary about this if I lived in that area.

Doesn't look like a good move for the school either. 1200 students on a campus no bigger than Maret's (which serves 645). L/MS playing field on the roof. Drop-off for the lower school inside a garage. Way to go uber-talented developers!

I looked at the site plan and was surprised to see no playground area planned for the lower school. How can that be?

[Anonymous]

i can't believe that anyone on the board of GDS would personally profit from this move.

[Anonymous]

I can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The developer partners are part of the GDS board who have orchestrated this development. So basically, GDS is turning to the GWU model of being a land developer which happens to educate some kids. And yes, the neighborhood is getting the worst of all worlds. How they are going to get all of the cars that by necessity will have to pick up and drop off lower school and many if not all middle school kids (and many high school kids) in those streets is beyond me, and I am glad that isn't my problem.

-Developer gets 1-2 major projects.
-School gets 1200 or whatever kids on to a single campus.
-Developer gets to redevelop the lower school campus for townhouses.
-Neighbors in both Palisades and Tenley get???

I would be very wary about this if I lived in that area.

Doesn't look like a good move for the school either. 1200 students on a campus no bigger than Maret's (which serves 645). L/MS playing field on the roof. Drop-off for the lower school inside a garage. Way to go uber-talented developers!

I looked at the site plan and was surprised to see no playground area planned for the lower school. How can that be?

Apparently, the thought is that playground equipment will be located along the edge of the property near the lower school. Strikes me as a real downgrade from the lower school playground at the MacArthur campus (which wasn't exceptional to begin with).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The developer partners are part of the GDS board who have orchestrated this development. So basically, GDS is turning to the GWU model of being a land developer which happens to educate some kids. And yes, the neighborhood is getting the worst of all worlds. How they are going to get all of the cars that by necessity will have to pick up and drop off lower school and many if not all middle school kids (and many high school kids) in those streets is beyond me, and I am glad that isn't my problem.

-Developer gets 1-2 major projects.
-School gets 1200 or whatever kids on to a single campus.
-Developer gets to redevelop the lower school campus for townhouses.
-Neighbors in both Palisades and Tenley get???

I would be very wary about this if I lived in that area.

Doesn't look like a good move for the school either. 1200 students on a campus no bigger than Maret's (which serves 645). L/MS playing field on the roof. Drop-off for the lower school inside a garage. Way to go uber-talented developers!

I looked at the site plan and was surprised to see no playground area planned for the lower school. How can that be?

Apparently, the thought is that playground equipment will be located along the edge of the property near the lower school. Strikes me as a real downgrade from the lower school playground at the MacArthur campus (which wasn't exceptional to begin with).

There may be some room next to the Metro power substation on the north side where the elem school is planned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The developer partners are part of the GDS board who have orchestrated this development. So basically, GDS is turning to the GWU model of being a land developer which happens to educate some kids. And yes, the neighborhood is getting the worst of all worlds. How they are going to get all of the cars that by necessity will have to pick up and drop off lower school and many if not all middle school kids (and many high school kids) in those streets is beyond me, and I am glad that isn't my problem.

-Developer gets 1-2 major projects.
-School gets 1200 or whatever kids on to a single campus.
-Developer gets to redevelop the lower school campus for townhouses.
-Neighbors in both Palisades and Tenley get???

I would be very wary about this if I lived in that area.

Doesn't look like a good move for the school either. 1200 students on a campus no bigger than Maret's (which serves 645). L/MS playing field on the roof. Drop-off for the lower school inside a garage. Way to go uber-talented developers!

I hadn't considered the Maret comparison. And Maret's beautiful front lawn aside, its campus seems pretty tight. You would think it logical that GDS woukd want to use at least part of the Maartens site on Wisconsin for campus punposed instead of having to really pack everyone (almost 2x Maret's population) in on the west side of 42nd.

[Anonymous]

But that is the prime developable area, so there is no reason to reserve that for academic use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The developer partners are part of the GDS board who have orchestrated this development. So basically, GDS is turning to the GWU model of being a land developer which happens to educate some kids. And yes, the neighborhood is getting the worst of all worlds. How they are going to get all of the cars that by necessity will have to pick up and drop off lower school and many if not all middle school kids (and many high school kids) in those streets is beyond me, and I am glad that isn't my problem.

-Developer gets 1-2 major projects.
-School gets 1200 or whatever kids on to a single campus.
-Developer gets to redevelop the lower school campus for townhouses.
-Neighbors in both Palisades and Tenley get???

I would be very wary about this if I lived in that area.

Doesn't look like a good move for the school either. 1200 students on a campus no bigger than Maret's (which serves 645). L/MS playing field on the roof. Drop-off for the lower school inside a garage. Way to go uber-talented developers!

I looked at the site plan and was surprised to see no playground area planned for the lower school. How can that be?

Apparently, the thought is that playground equipment will be located along the edge of the property near the lower school. Strikes me as a real downgrade from the lower school playground at the MacArthur campus (which wasn't exceptional to begin with).

There may be some room next to the Metro power substation on the north side where the elem school is planned.

Then GDS should change its mascot name from the GDS grasshoppers to the glow worms!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But that is the prime developable area, so there is no reason to reserve that for academic use.

I get that, but then cramming everyone on to one lot that GDS is enlarging modestly casts doubt on whether this whole project is worth the touted benefits of a combined campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The developer partners are part of the GDS board who have orchestrated this development. So basically, GDS is turning to the GWU model of being a land developer which happens to educate some kids. And yes, the neighborhood is getting the worst of all worlds. How they are going to get all of the cars that by necessity will have to pick up and drop off lower school and many if not all middle school kids (and many high school kids) in those streets is beyond me, and I am glad that isn't my problem.

-Developer gets 1-2 major projects.
-School gets 1200 or whatever kids on to a single campus.
-Developer gets to redevelop the lower school campus for townhouses.
-Neighbors in both Palisades and Tenley get???

I would be very wary about this if I lived in that area.

Doesn't look like a good move for the school either. 1200 students on a campus no bigger than Maret's (which serves 645). L/MS playing field on the roof. Drop-off for the lower school inside a garage. Way to go uber-talented developers!

The board knows what it is doing. Ever hear the expression the "smartest guys in the room"? That describes some of the GDS volunteers who put this together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous

The developer partners are part of the GDS board who have orchestrated this development. So basically, GDS is turning to the GWU model

From GDS' perspective, they no doubt would prefer to be compared to Harvard in Allston than to GW in Foggy Bottom!

[Anonymous]

You're familiar with the connotations of the phrase "smartest guys in the room, right?" Are are you making fun of GDS?

[Anonymous]

Yeah, LOL -- if the "smartest guys" post was meant as a joke/parody, it was brilliant. But I suspect that the poster was serious.

That said, here it's probably the Board misleading the Administration rather than vice versa (as it was in the Enron case).