Getting the GDS mojo back

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spin is all the GDS administration can do these days. So when they lose control of the discussion, that's a crisis from their POV. That's a depressing phenomenon in a school that prides itself on having difficult but important conversations and on teaching its students to think critically. The kids actually rose to the challenge; the adults let them down.

Speaking of spin, it's pathetic to see the school spokesperson flacking for the PUD, mouthing empty slogans like "smart growth" and "urban vibrancy." It seems that the school has enough core challenges going on right now, without playing wannabe developer.

Except that given what is there now, the area needs smart growth and vibrancy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spin is all the GDS administration can do these days. So when they lose control of the discussion, that's a crisis from their POV. That's a depressing phenomenon in a school that prides itself on having difficult but important conversations and on teaching its students to think critically. The kids actually rose to the challenge; the adults let them down.

Speaking of spin, it's pathetic to see the school spokesperson flacking for the PUD, mouthing empty slogans like "smart growth" and "urban vibrancy." It seems that the school has enough core challenges going on right now, without playing wannabe developer.

Except that given what is there now, the area needs smart growth and vibrancy.

It is only the dumbest developer who would not call his project "smart growth" -- whatever that means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spin is all the GDS administration can do these days. So when they lose control of the discussion, that's a crisis from their POV. That's a depressing phenomenon in a school that prides itself on having difficult but important conversations and on teaching its students to think critically. The kids actually rose to the challenge; the adults let them down.

Speaking of spin, it's pathetic to see the school spokesperson flacking for the PUD, mouthing empty slogans like "smart growth" and "urban vibrancy." It seems that the school has enough core challenges going on right now, without playing wannabe developer.

Except that given what is there now, the area needs smart growth and vibrancy.

+1 Fortunately, I only rarely have to be on Wisconsin Avenue, but I have to say that I have zero understanding of the Tenleytown neighbors fighting the GDS proposal (which seems to have spawned anti-GDS trolls who clutter DCUM with the same ridiculous posts constantly). The Tenleytown strip of Wisconsin Avenue is a sad, dreary spot. Could any developer really make it worse, instead of better? How could it get worse?

My goal is to just step on the gas and fly down Wisconsin Avenue as fast as I can. More power to GDS or any developer who can build anything on that strip that's worth slowing down for.

[Anonymous]

Check out the posts on the GDS development. Consolidating the school creates significant traffic problems but is ok within the zoning overlay. Development of the Martens site is fine. But building outside of zoning creates a variety density issues.

If the market decides development along Wisconsin Avenue makes sense, it will start near the Tenley metro station -- not between Friendship and Tenley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spin is all the GDS administration can do these days. So when they lose control of the discussion, that's a crisis from their POV. That's a depressing phenomenon in a school that prides itself on having difficult but important conversations and on teaching its students to think critically. The kids actually rose to the challenge; the adults let them down.

Speaking of spin, it's pathetic to see the school spokesperson flacking for the PUD, mouthing empty slogans like "smart growth" and "urban vibrancy." It seems that the school has enough core challenges going on right now, without playing wannabe developer.

Except that given what is there now, the area needs smart growth and vibrancy.

+1 Fortunately, I only rarely have to be on Wisconsin Avenue, but I have to say that I have zero understanding of the Tenleytown neighbors fighting the GDS proposal (which seems to have spawned anti-GDS trolls who clutter DCUM with the same ridiculous posts constantly). The Tenleytown strip of Wisconsin Avenue is a sad, dreary spot. Could any developer really make it worse, instead of better? How could it get worse?

My goal is to just step on the gas and fly down Wisconsin Avenue as fast as I can. More power to GDS or any developer who can build anything on that strip that's worth slowing down for.

So I guess the carpool line will be a traffic-calming device.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check out the posts on the GDS development. Consolidating the school creates significant traffic problems but is ok within the zoning overlay. Development of the Martens site is fine. But building outside of zoning creates a variety density issues.

If the market decides development along Wisconsin Avenue makes sense, it will start near the Tenley metro station -- not between Friendship and Tenley.

which is why The new building at Bandywine is now open and the new development next door is being planned. All great, but there should be more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spin is all the GDS administration can do these days. So when they lose control of the discussion, that's a crisis from their POV. That's a depressing phenomenon in a school that prides itself on having difficult but important conversations and on teaching its students to think critically. The kids actually rose to the challenge; the adults let them down.

Speaking of spin, it's pathetic to see the school spokesperson flacking for the PUD, mouthing empty slogans like "smart growth" and "urban vibrancy." It seems that the school has enough core challenges going on right now, without playing wannabe developer.

Except that given what is there now, the area needs smart growth and vibrancy.

+1 Fortunately, I only rarely have to be on Wisconsin Avenue, but I have to say that I have zero understanding of the Tenleytown neighbors fighting the GDS proposal (which seems to have spawned anti-GDS trolls who clutter DCUM with the same ridiculous posts constantly). The Tenleytown strip of Wisconsin Avenue is a sad, dreary spot. Could any developer really make it worse, instead of better? How could it get worse?

My goal is to just step on the gas and fly down Wisconsin Avenue as fast as I can. More power to GDS or any developer who can build anything on that strip that's worth slowing down for.

You don't live here; we don't care about your vision that you want to impose on someone else's neighborhood, mkay?

[Anonymous]

There is a thread for discussing the GDS development project (and/or any poster could start another one). It'd be nice if not every post about GDS devolved into a discussion of smart growth (or Harvard admissions or why the Obamas went elsewhere).

This started out as a thread about the school as a school and the challenges it is currently facing. Being sidetracked by a development project may be one of them. But does our discussion have to be sidetracked as well?

[Anonymous]

The local neighbors want to dominate the conversation however and wherever they can. They are more entitled than the the private school the espouse to hate.

[Anonymous]

Insisting that GDS follow the law is not a sign of entitlement or domination.

[Anonymous]

Since when is a PUD illegal?

[Anonymous]

When is not approved by the sovereign.

Not illegal to try -- but it did not work.

[Anonymous]

They haven't filed anything, so to say "it did not work" is factually incorrect.

[Anonymous]

What I don't get is that, regardless of who owns it, the old Volvo dealership building is coming down and the big parking lot will be developed. It's ridiculous to think that a piece of vacant land along a major thoroughfare is going to sit there undeveloped, even if the parking lot is beloved by the neighborhood. Is the goal of the neighbors to make the zoning process on the volvo lot so onerous that GDS drops its plan? And if that happens, what do you think will happen next? Won't it sell the land to a major developer that will have even bigger plans for it, and not give a hoot about the neighbors? And likely be willing to play whatever awful game developers play to get things approved. Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get is that, regardless of who owns it, the old Volvo dealership building is coming down and the big parking lot will be developed. It's ridiculous to think that a piece of vacant land along a major thoroughfare is going to sit there undeveloped, even if the parking lot is beloved by the neighborhood. Is the goal of the neighbors to make the zoning process on the volvo lot so onerous that GDS drops its plan? And if that happens, what do you think will happen next? Won't it sell the land to a major developer that will have even bigger plans for it, and not give a hoot about the neighbors? And likely be willing to play whatever awful game developers play to get things approved. Am I missing something?

Yes.

If I understand correctly, GDS proposed transferring unused floorspace from the school site to the commercial site, so they aimed to build something bigger on the commercial site than would be allowable to a developer who owned the commercial site only.