Chevy Chase Community Center Redevelopment

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DC is a dumpster fire right now. Everything the city touches turns to ash. Why would anyone trust its judgment to take on a project that would impact the neighborhood enormously?


Exactly. How many times have we heard activists saying "This won't cause any problems at all and anyone who thinks it will is racist"? Decriminalize fare evasion, reduce the police force, the voucher program, the homeless shelters, etc. And now activists are saying we need to ignore all of the bad policies that they were pushing before because this time it's different? They don't even pause to reconsider the messes they've made, it's just immediately on to the next thing.

Five years from now they'll be saying "why are you bringing up the huge failure of the Chevy Chase Community Center development? This new project we're pushing is completely different."


Bullshit. 5 years from now you'll be getting your latte and chocolate crossiant from some trendy shop in what used to be the old community center site and saying to your friend 'can't believe *people* opossed this redevelopment years ago', ignoring that you were one of them.



There's already a quite nice place across the street to get a latte and a chocolate croissant. Do you really know the community, or is this yet another site for generic dense mixed-used sameness?


I want to get back to this post, as I believe it most clearly and succinctly identifies the impasse here.

The supporters of this “redevelopment” are not people who live in the neighborhood or have basically any idea about the neighborhood. They are - and I should say clearly, mostly well meaning - outsiders who were told that Chevy Chase is this wealthy, white enclave completely separate from the city, and that it has no apartments and is fighting against poor people moving into their exclusive enclave.

What they don’t realize is that all of that is just smoke and mirrors. Chevy Chase is one of the few primarily-low density residential, middle-to-upper-middle class neighborhoods in the city with a diverse, engaging community centered around a thriving commercial core that would be detrimentally impacted should these plans come to fruition. They don’t realize this because they don’t come up here to have a lovely scone and coffee at Bread & Chocolate, or get their hair cut at the wonderful family barber shop owned and operated by a first-generation Latino family, or enjoy some of the Best Greek Food in the city at Parthenon Restaurant, or grab a six pack at Magruders while chatting with the wonderful cashier who has been working there since you were a kid.

In short, they mean well, but they do not understand how important that community center and library is, and how big a loss they would be to this community. To those that support this plan, I ask that before you railroad through a plan that will further damage one of the few remaining middle class neighborhoods in this city against our wishes, that you actually come up here and walk down Connecticut Avenue, and enjoy a coffee at Bread and Chocolate, grab a bite to eat at Parthenon, get a haircut at the barber shop, but a six pack at Magruders, and see a show at the Avalon. Then, if you still think your hair rained scheme is a good one, I will look you in the eye and explain why you are wrong, but at least I can respect you.


I live squarely in the neighborhood and I absolutely support redevelopment.

I don’t care about the housing, but the current library and community center are awful, especially the community center. The programming is non-existent and it is literally falling apart.

The library is so much worse than the renovated Tenley and Cleveland Park, such that I rarely use it anymore even though I am only 4 blocks away.

The commercial stuff is fine, although it is frustrating to have so many banks and dry cleaners. I appreciate the Avalon but would have preferred the AMC at Mazza to have survived. There is not any talk of developing the West side of CT Avenue so not even sure why you are implying such.

I am hoping the Friendship Heights development of the former Mazza sparks something as it used to be fairly vibrant. Would love for that area to resemble the new development across from Sidwell with the Wegman’s and all the other new stores.


They destroyed a beautiful modernist building in exchange for some cookie cutter soulessness.


Mazza Gallery was a lot of things. But a windowless rectangle of limestone is hardly beautiful and no one, even architectural critics at the time it opened, ever referred to it as such.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DC is a dumpster fire right now. Everything the city touches turns to ash. Why would anyone trust its judgment to take on a project that would impact the neighborhood enormously?


Exactly. How many times have we heard activists saying "This won't cause any problems at all and anyone who thinks it will is racist"? Decriminalize fare evasion, reduce the police force, the voucher program, the homeless shelters, etc. And now activists are saying we need to ignore all of the bad policies that they were pushing before because this time it's different? They don't even pause to reconsider the messes they've made, it's just immediately on to the next thing.

Five years from now they'll be saying "why are you bringing up the huge failure of the Chevy Chase Community Center development? This new project we're pushing is completely different."


Bullshit. 5 years from now you'll be getting your latte and chocolate crossiant from some trendy shop in what used to be the old community center site and saying to your friend 'can't believe *people* opossed this redevelopment years ago', ignoring that you were one of them.



There's already a quite nice place across the street to get a latte and a chocolate croissant. Do you really know the community, or is this yet another site for generic dense mixed-used sameness?


I want to get back to this post, as I believe it most clearly and succinctly identifies the impasse here.

The supporters of this “redevelopment” are not people who live in the neighborhood or have basically any idea about the neighborhood. They are - and I should say clearly, mostly well meaning - outsiders who were told that Chevy Chase is this wealthy, white enclave completely separate from the city, and that it has no apartments and is fighting against poor people moving into their exclusive enclave.

What they don’t realize is that all of that is just smoke and mirrors. Chevy Chase is one of the few primarily-low density residential, middle-to-upper-middle class neighborhoods in the city with a diverse, engaging community centered around a thriving commercial core that would be detrimentally impacted should these plans come to fruition. They don’t realize this because they don’t come up here to have a lovely scone and coffee at Bread & Chocolate, or get their hair cut at the wonderful family barber shop owned and operated by a first-generation Latino family, or enjoy some of the Best Greek Food in the city at Parthenon Restaurant, or grab a six pack at Magruders while chatting with the wonderful cashier who has been working there since you were a kid.

In short, they mean well, but they do not understand how important that community center and library is, and how big a loss they would be to this community. To those that support this plan, I ask that before you railroad through a plan that will further damage one of the few remaining middle class neighborhoods in this city against our wishes, that you actually come up here and walk down Connecticut Avenue, and enjoy a coffee at Bread and Chocolate, grab a bite to eat at Parthenon, get a haircut at the barber shop, but a six pack at Magruders, and see a show at the Avalon. Then, if you still think your hair rained scheme is a good one, I will look you in the eye and explain why you are wrong, but at least I can respect you.


I live less than a block from the community center, probably closer to it than you do. I support the proposal. Your post is way off in terms of what people "want."


Why do you support it?



Because the current library and community center are woefully out of date and in disrepair, the surface parking lot is an eyesore and rat hole and the "green space" is meager and underutilized. Rethinking the entire block for 21st century living, with some new residents will make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. I am perfectly fine with adding whatever units of affordable housing for people who work in the community - our firefighters, our policemen, our teachers, the clerk at Broad Branch Market, Safeway etc. This isn't section 8 or voucher housing, this is working people who should have an opportunity to live in the community where they work and "serve"

But to listen to my neighbors waxing poetic about two buildings that are falling apart and never had any architectural charm to begin with, along with a surface parking lot and some scraggley trees as something special borders on offensive.

I would also add, as someone who came into this debate agnostic, and reading posts on the neighborhood email group, it became offensive to listen to 1) the repeated false claims of the opponents. Repeating things that are easily disproven and that had been disproven many times simply undermined their credibility 2) the tacit racism expressed by many, without any recognition, even when gently pointed out, was appalling, and also appalling was many of my neighbors treatment of the volunteer ANC commissioners who have spent probably hundreds of unpaid hours dealing with the issue.

There is so much entitlement and latching on to a mythical past that doesn't exist without any sort of vision or embracing of a better future is just myopic.

Does that help?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Nick, Ed and Lance?


Nick = Nick DellaDonne, the erstwhile bike opponent who has been caught on video yelling at children with a megaphone.

No idea who Ed and Lance are.


Ed Hanlon, his buddy attorney who Chevy Choice Voice retained. Lance is a lackey of theirs who is a frequent agitator on the AdMo listserv and in the public meetings.

Anyway, while certainly they hate bikes and cyclists, the thing they dislike even more is affordable housing and change in the neighborhoods of the city that takes the form of development.


These "nothing can/should ever change because its perfect the way it is" fools. Bound to show up a community meeting or development site near you.




Change for the sake of change or unneeded density also is a real problem.


…and some ideas are just bad. Of course people would show up to community meetings to complain.


At ones 10 neighborhoods or more away from where they live?


So people in the neighborhood should be heard more loudly than people outside the neighborhood? We should listen to the survey? Ok, fine by me.

Please let the YIMBY shills know that they should mind their own business…it’s not their backyard, anyway.


Exactly, it's the bike lobby bro/greater greater washington nexus. Mainly white dudes trying to ruin things.


How very droll of the entitled, white, boomer who adamantly believes their way of life is perfect and all others should just accept that.


NP, here. What makes you think anyone here is white or boomer? My family isn't and we oppose this. But your snarkiness puts a microscope on your prejudices. Whenever someone says something you don't like, you decide to try to say they're entitled or old or white. When you very most likely are white and entitled yourself. Why does your voice matter more than others?


Because if you look at the results of the ANC survey, they overwhelming respondents who were oversampled in the results, were aging white boomers who are opposed to the redevelopment. But I am a different posted than who you are responding to. That would be my guess.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Here's a friendly reminder than commercial and residential buildings are the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in DC -- far more than passenger vehicles.


So why not take two buildings constructed at the peak of wasteful energy time and replace it with a net zero, net carbon facility that will help correct the issue?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t care if some developer wants to build more of the same generic-looking upmarket apartments like are going up around Upper NW Washington. But it ticks me off that DC would be taking public assets to create an even more profitable opportunity for some developer to do more of the same. Say no to the Chevy Chase giveaway.


The city is taking its own airights to provide affordable housing. There isn't a "giveaway" - the developer is putting up money to build the units and will recoup that money over time.


Again, no one wants this apart from the developer, the mayor who is enriched by the developer and some bike bros who think greater density will help their cause.


No one wants this apart from ... the people who want this.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DC is a dumpster fire right now. Everything the city touches turns to ash. Why would anyone trust its judgment to take on a project that would impact the neighborhood enormously?


Exactly. How many times have we heard activists saying "This won't cause any problems at all and anyone who thinks it will is racist"? Decriminalize fare evasion, reduce the police force, the voucher program, the homeless shelters, etc. And now activists are saying we need to ignore all of the bad policies that they were pushing before because this time it's different? They don't even pause to reconsider the messes they've made, it's just immediately on to the next thing.

Five years from now they'll be saying "why are you bringing up the huge failure of the Chevy Chase Community Center development? This new project we're pushing is completely different."


Bullshit. 5 years from now you'll be getting your latte and chocolate crossiant from some trendy shop in what used to be the old community center site and saying to your friend 'can't believe *people* opossed this redevelopment years ago', ignoring that you were one of them.



There's already a quite nice place across the street to get a latte and a chocolate croissant. Do you really know the community, or is this yet another site for generic dense mixed-used sameness?


I want to get back to this post, as I believe it most clearly and succinctly identifies the impasse here.

The supporters of this “redevelopment” are not people who live in the neighborhood or have basically any idea about the neighborhood. They are - and I should say clearly, mostly well meaning - outsiders who were told that Chevy Chase is this wealthy, white enclave completely separate from the city, and that it has no apartments and is fighting against poor people moving into their exclusive enclave.

What they don’t realize is that all of that is just smoke and mirrors. Chevy Chase is one of the few primarily-low density residential, middle-to-upper-middle class neighborhoods in the city with a diverse, engaging community centered around a thriving commercial core that would be detrimentally impacted should these plans come to fruition. They don’t realize this because they don’t come up here to have a lovely scone and coffee at Bread & Chocolate, or get their hair cut at the wonderful family barber shop owned and operated by a first-generation Latino family, or enjoy some of the Best Greek Food in the city at Parthenon Restaurant, or grab a six pack at Magruders while chatting with the wonderful cashier who has been working there since you were a kid.

In short, they mean well, but they do not understand how important that community center and library is, and how big a loss they would be to this community. To those that support this plan, I ask that before you railroad through a plan that will further damage one of the few remaining middle class neighborhoods in this city against our wishes, that you actually come up here and walk down Connecticut Avenue, and enjoy a coffee at Bread and Chocolate, grab a bite to eat at Parthenon, get a haircut at the barber shop, but a six pack at Magruders, and see a show at the Avalon. Then, if you still think your hair rained scheme is a good one, I will look you in the eye and explain why you are wrong, but at least I can respect you.


I live squarely in the neighborhood and I absolutely support redevelopment.

I don’t care about the housing, but the current library and community center are awful, especially the community center. The programming is non-existent and it is literally falling apart.

The library is so much worse than the renovated Tenley and Cleveland Park, such that I rarely use it anymore even though I am only 4 blocks away.

The commercial stuff is fine, although it is frustrating to have so many banks and dry cleaners. I appreciate the Avalon but would have preferred the AMC at Mazza to have survived. There is not any talk of developing the West side of CT Avenue so not even sure why you are implying such.

I am hoping the Friendship Heights development of the former Mazza sparks something as it used to be fairly vibrant. Would love for that area to resemble the new development across from Sidwell with the Wegman’s and all the other new stores.


They destroyed a beautiful modernist building in exchange for some cookie cutter soulessness.


Mazza Gallery was a lot of things. But a windowless rectangle of limestone is hardly beautiful and no one, even architectural critics at the time it opened, ever referred to it as such.


I was curious about this! So, here's Benjamin Forgey, the architecture and art critic in the Washington Post, in 2000, and yeah, no mention of any "beautiful modernist building."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/04/29/mazza-gallerie-strives-for-a-new-look/3761e37b-d79e-450b-b2da-e9665a2d0ba4/
Anonymous
No accounting for good taste. He probably likes the current FBI building as well.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t care if some developer wants to build more of the same generic-looking upmarket apartments like are going up around Upper NW Washington. But it ticks me off that DC would be taking public assets to create an even more profitable opportunity for some developer to do more of the same. Say no to the Chevy Chase giveaway.


The city is taking its own airights to provide affordable housing. There isn't a "giveaway" - the developer is putting up money to build the units and will recoup that money over time.


Again, no one wants this apart from the developer, the mayor who is enriched by the developer and some bike bros who think greater density will help their cause.


I am none of these things. I am also a Chevy Chase DC home owner and resident. And I want the apartments above the library/rec center. I think the density will help support the local businesses that I hope continue to stay and thrive in our neighborhood. And I think we are snack in the middle of a housing crisis that needs our support. To look at my home and think “at least I have housing do screw the rest of you” is a-hole behavior.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DC is a dumpster fire right now. Everything the city touches turns to ash. Why would anyone trust its judgment to take on a project that would impact the neighborhood enormously?


Exactly. How many times have we heard activists saying "This won't cause any problems at all and anyone who thinks it will is racist"? Decriminalize fare evasion, reduce the police force, the voucher program, the homeless shelters, etc. And now activists are saying we need to ignore all of the bad policies that they were pushing before because this time it's different? They don't even pause to reconsider the messes they've made, it's just immediately on to the next thing.

Five years from now they'll be saying "why are you bringing up the huge failure of the Chevy Chase Community Center development? This new project we're pushing is completely different."


Bullshit. 5 years from now you'll be getting your latte and chocolate crossiant from some trendy shop in what used to be the old community center site and saying to your friend 'can't believe *people* opossed this redevelopment years ago', ignoring that you were one of them.



There's already a quite nice place across the street to get a latte and a chocolate croissant. Do you really know the community, or is this yet another site for generic dense mixed-used sameness?


I want to get back to this post, as I believe it most clearly and succinctly identifies the impasse here.

The supporters of this “redevelopment” are not people who live in the neighborhood or have basically any idea about the neighborhood. They are - and I should say clearly, mostly well meaning - outsiders who were told that Chevy Chase is this wealthy, white enclave completely separate from the city, and that it has no apartments and is fighting against poor people moving into their exclusive enclave.

What they don’t realize is that all of that is just smoke and mirrors. Chevy Chase is one of the few primarily-low density residential, middle-to-upper-middle class neighborhoods in the city with a diverse, engaging community centered around a thriving commercial core that would be detrimentally impacted should these plans come to fruition. They don’t realize this because they don’t come up here to have a lovely scone and coffee at Bread & Chocolate, or get their hair cut at the wonderful family barber shop owned and operated by a first-generation Latino family, or enjoy some of the Best Greek Food in the city at Parthenon Restaurant, or grab a six pack at Magruders while chatting with the wonderful cashier who has been working there since you were a kid.

In short, they mean well, but they do not understand how important that community center and library is, and how big a loss they would be to this community. To those that support this plan, I ask that before you railroad through a plan that will further damage one of the few remaining middle class neighborhoods in this city against our wishes, that you actually come up here and walk down Connecticut Avenue, and enjoy a coffee at Bread and Chocolate, grab a bite to eat at Parthenon, get a haircut at the barber shop, but a six pack at Magruders, and see a show at the Avalon. Then, if you still think your hair rained scheme is a good one, I will look you in the eye and explain why you are wrong, but at least I can respect you.


I live squarely in the neighborhood and I absolutely support redevelopment.

I don’t care about the housing, but the current library and community center are awful, especially the community center. The programming is non-existent and it is literally falling apart.

The library is so much worse than the renovated Tenley and Cleveland Park, such that I rarely use it anymore even though I am only 4 blocks away.

The commercial stuff is fine, although it is frustrating to have so many banks and dry cleaners. I appreciate the Avalon but would have preferred the AMC at Mazza to have survived. There is not any talk of developing the West side of CT Avenue so not even sure why you are implying such.

I am hoping the Friendship Heights development of the former Mazza sparks something as it used to be fairly vibrant. Would love for that area to resemble the new development across from Sidwell with the Wegman’s and all the other new stores.


They destroyed a beautiful modernist building in exchange for some cookie cutter soulessness.


Mazza Gallery was a lot of things. But a windowless rectangle of limestone is hardly beautiful and no one, even architectural critics at the time it opened, ever referred to it as such.


I was curious about this! So, here's Benjamin Forgey, the architecture and art critic in the Washington Post, in 2000, and yeah, no mention of any "beautiful modernist building."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/04/29/mazza-gallerie-strives-for-a-new-look/3761e37b-d79e-450b-b2da-e9665a2d0ba4/


The article says the original 1970s building was interesting, but says the building as of 2000 (when the article was written) after multiple renovations/additions is basically crap.

So…it basically supports that what was there was nothing special.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DC is a dumpster fire right now. Everything the city touches turns to ash. Why would anyone trust its judgment to take on a project that would impact the neighborhood enormously?


Exactly. How many times have we heard activists saying "This won't cause any problems at all and anyone who thinks it will is racist"? Decriminalize fare evasion, reduce the police force, the voucher program, the homeless shelters, etc. And now activists are saying we need to ignore all of the bad policies that they were pushing before because this time it's different? They don't even pause to reconsider the messes they've made, it's just immediately on to the next thing.

Five years from now they'll be saying "why are you bringing up the huge failure of the Chevy Chase Community Center development? This new project we're pushing is completely different."


Bullshit. 5 years from now you'll be getting your latte and chocolate crossiant from some trendy shop in what used to be the old community center site and saying to your friend 'can't believe *people* opossed this redevelopment years ago', ignoring that you were one of them.



There's already a quite nice place across the street to get a latte and a chocolate croissant. Do you really know the community, or is this yet another site for generic dense mixed-used sameness?


I want to get back to this post, as I believe it most clearly and succinctly identifies the impasse here.

The supporters of this “redevelopment” are not people who live in the neighborhood or have basically any idea about the neighborhood. They are - and I should say clearly, mostly well meaning - outsiders who were told that Chevy Chase is this wealthy, white enclave completely separate from the city, and that it has no apartments and is fighting against poor people moving into their exclusive enclave.

What they don’t realize is that all of that is just smoke and mirrors. Chevy Chase is one of the few primarily-low density residential, middle-to-upper-middle class neighborhoods in the city with a diverse, engaging community centered around a thriving commercial core that would be detrimentally impacted should these plans come to fruition. They don’t realize this because they don’t come up here to have a lovely scone and coffee at Bread & Chocolate, or get their hair cut at the wonderful family barber shop owned and operated by a first-generation Latino family, or enjoy some of the Best Greek Food in the city at Parthenon Restaurant, or grab a six pack at Magruders while chatting with the wonderful cashier who has been working there since you were a kid.

In short, they mean well, but they do not understand how important that community center and library is, and how big a loss they would be to this community. To those that support this plan, I ask that before you railroad through a plan that will further damage one of the few remaining middle class neighborhoods in this city against our wishes, that you actually come up here and walk down Connecticut Avenue, and enjoy a coffee at Bread and Chocolate, grab a bite to eat at Parthenon, get a haircut at the barber shop, but a six pack at Magruders, and see a show at the Avalon. Then, if you still think your hair rained scheme is a good one, I will look you in the eye and explain why you are wrong, but at least I can respect you.


I live less than a block from the community center, probably closer to it than you do. I support the proposal. Your post is way off in terms of what people "want."


Why do you support it?



Because the current library and community center are woefully out of date and in disrepair, the surface parking lot is an eyesore and rat hole and the "green space" is meager and underutilized. Rethinking the entire block for 21st century living, with some new residents will make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. I am perfectly fine with adding whatever units of affordable housing for people who work in the community - our firefighters, our policemen, our teachers, the clerk at Broad Branch Market, Safeway etc. This isn't section 8 or voucher housing, this is working people who should have an opportunity to live in the community where they work and "serve"

But to listen to my neighbors waxing poetic about two buildings that are falling apart and never had any architectural charm to begin with, along with a surface parking lot and some scraggley trees as something special borders on offensive.

I would also add, as someone who came into this debate agnostic, and reading posts on the neighborhood email group, it became offensive to listen to 1) the repeated false claims of the opponents. Repeating things that are easily disproven and that had been disproven many times simply undermined their credibility 2) the tacit racism expressed by many, without any recognition, even when gently pointed out, was appalling, and also appalling was many of my neighbors treatment of the volunteer ANC commissioners who have spent probably hundreds of unpaid hours dealing with the issue.

There is so much entitlement and latching on to a mythical past that doesn't exist without any sort of vision or embracing of a better future is just myopic.

Does that help?


the parking lot is not an eyesore and it is very useful
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t care if some developer wants to build more of the same generic-looking upmarket apartments like are going up around Upper NW Washington. But it ticks me off that DC would be taking public assets to create an even more profitable opportunity for some developer to do more of the same. Say no to the Chevy Chase giveaway.


The city is taking its own airights to provide affordable housing. There isn't a "giveaway" - the developer is putting up money to build the units and will recoup that money over time.


Again, no one wants this apart from the developer, the mayor who is enriched by the developer and some bike bros who think greater density will help their cause.


There are thousands of your neighbors who support this. Why are you marginalizing their voices?


Thousands of our neighbors? Or thousands of random people who claimed to be neighbors but actually lives miles away?

As someone in the area, I do not know any of my neighbors actually in the area that support this corrupt gift to private developers. Everyone I have talked to in real life have been solidly against this boondoggle, ranging from mildly annoyed about the loss of public land to private interests, to having already put their house on the market due to the project, and everywhere in between.

Sure, some might not be loudly up in arms about it, and for a small portion it might only be seen as a mild inconvenience, but despite claims on here to the contrary, I have yet to meet someone from the neighborhood in real life who is even mildly supportive of the project. Hell, even the older lady who was knocking on doors in support of the project on our street was from some church in SW DC, not local. I’m not sure how they thought that was okay, but just goes to show how little DC cares about local residents’ opinion.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t care if some developer wants to build more of the same generic-looking upmarket apartments like are going up around Upper NW Washington. But it ticks me off that DC would be taking public assets to create an even more profitable opportunity for some developer to do more of the same. Say no to the Chevy Chase giveaway.


The city is taking its own airights to provide affordable housing. There isn't a "giveaway" - the developer is putting up money to build the units and will recoup that money over time.


Again, no one wants this apart from the developer, the mayor who is enriched by the developer and some bike bros who think greater density will help their cause.


There are thousands of your neighbors who support this. Why are you marginalizing their voices?


Thousands of our neighbors? Or thousands of random people who claimed to be neighbors but actually lives miles away?

As someone in the area, I do not know any of my neighbors actually in the area that support this corrupt gift to private developers. Everyone I have talked to in real life have been solidly against this boondoggle, ranging from mildly annoyed about the loss of public land to private interests, to having already put their house on the market due to the project, and everywhere in between.

Sure, some might not be loudly up in arms about it, and for a small portion it might only be seen as a mild inconvenience, but despite claims on here to the contrary, I have yet to meet someone from the neighborhood in real life who is even mildly supportive of the project. Hell, even the older lady who was knocking on doors in support of the project on our street was from some church in SW DC, not local. I’m not sure how they thought that was okay, but just goes to show how little DC cares about local residents’ opinion.


Um.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t care if some developer wants to build more of the same generic-looking upmarket apartments like are going up around Upper NW Washington. But it ticks me off that DC would be taking public assets to create an even more profitable opportunity for some developer to do more of the same. Say no to the Chevy Chase giveaway.


The city is taking its own airights to provide affordable housing. There isn't a "giveaway" - the developer is putting up money to build the units and will recoup that money over time.


Again, no one wants this apart from the developer, the mayor who is enriched by the developer and some bike bros who think greater density will help their cause.


There are thousands of your neighbors who support this. Why are you marginalizing their voices?


Thousands of our neighbors? Or thousands of random people who claimed to be neighbors but actually lives miles away?

As someone in the area, I do not know any of my neighbors actually in the area that support this corrupt gift to private developers. Everyone I have talked to in real life have been solidly against this boondoggle, ranging from mildly annoyed about the loss of public land to private interests, to having already put their house on the market due to the project, and everywhere in between.

Sure, some might not be loudly up in arms about it, and for a small portion it might only be seen as a mild inconvenience, but despite claims on here to the contrary, I have yet to meet someone from the neighborhood in real life who is even mildly supportive of the project. Hell, even the older lady who was knocking on doors in support of the project on our street was from some church in SW DC, not local. I’m not sure how they thought that was okay, but just goes to show how little DC cares about local residents’ opinion.


1. Using pejorative terms does not help your case. It is development, and there is no reason to conclude it is "corrupt."
2. DC's job is to care about ALL residents and do the thing that brings the biggest benefit to all of them. So yes, the people in SW DC are constitutents who matter too.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t care if some developer wants to build more of the same generic-looking upmarket apartments like are going up around Upper NW Washington. But it ticks me off that DC would be taking public assets to create an even more profitable opportunity for some developer to do more of the same. Say no to the Chevy Chase giveaway.


The city is taking its own airights to provide affordable housing. There isn't a "giveaway" - the developer is putting up money to build the units and will recoup that money over time.


Again, no one wants this apart from the developer, the mayor who is enriched by the developer and some bike bros who think greater density will help their cause.


There are thousands of your neighbors who support this. Why are you marginalizing their voices?


Thousands of our neighbors? Or thousands of random people who claimed to be neighbors but actually lives miles away?

As someone in the area, I do not know any of my neighbors actually in the area that support this corrupt gift to private developers. Everyone I have talked to in real life have been solidly against this boondoggle, ranging from mildly annoyed about the loss of public land to private interests, to having already put their house on the market due to the project, and everywhere in between.

Sure, some might not be loudly up in arms about it, and for a small portion it might only be seen as a mild inconvenience, but despite claims on here to the contrary, I have yet to meet someone from the neighborhood in real life who is even mildly supportive of the project. Hell, even the older lady who was knocking on doors in support of the project on our street was from some church in SW DC, not local. I’m not sure how they thought that was okay, but just goes to show how little DC cares about local residents’ opinion.


Um.


I’m sure there is some small number of local supporters, but if the hundreds of local residents I know, I really can’t say I know any supportive of this project.

I just see a lot of people on here claiming to be local and are supportive of the project, and wanted to make sure it is clear that is a minority of local residents.
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Anonymous wrote:Nick, Ed and Lance?


Nick = Nick DellaDonne, the erstwhile bike opponent who has been caught on video yelling at children with a megaphone.

No idea who Ed and Lance are.


Ed Hanlon, his buddy attorney who Chevy Choice Voice retained. Lance is a lackey of theirs who is a frequent agitator on the AdMo listserv and in the public meetings.

Anyway, while certainly they hate bikes and cyclists, the thing they dislike even more is affordable housing and change in the neighborhoods of the city that takes the form of development.


These "nothing can/should ever change because its perfect the way it is" fools. Bound to show up a community meeting or development site near you.




Change for the sake of change or unneeded density also is a real problem.


…and some ideas are just bad. Of course people would show up to community meetings to complain.


At ones 10 neighborhoods or more away from where they live?


So people in the neighborhood should be heard more loudly than people outside the neighborhood? We should listen to the survey? Ok, fine by me.

Please let the YIMBY shills know that they should mind their own business…it’s not their backyard, anyway.


Exactly, it's the bike lobby bro/greater greater washington nexus. Mainly white dudes trying to ruin things.


How very droll of the entitled, white, boomer who adamantly believes their way of life is perfect and all others should just accept that.


NP, here. What makes you think anyone here is white or boomer? My family isn't and we oppose this. But your snarkiness puts a microscope on your prejudices. Whenever someone says something you don't like, you decide to try to say they're entitled or old or white. When you very most likely are white and entitled yourself. Why does your voice matter more than others?


Because if you look at the results of the ANC survey, they overwhelming respondents who were oversampled in the results, were aging white boomers who are opposed to the redevelopment. But I am a different posted than who you are responding to. That would be my guess.


It’s really hard to fathom why anyone would be cheerleading so hard (on Christmas no less) for fancy housing on this civic site when there are other buildings and developments going up around upper Northwest. One assumes that the cheerleader either is a developer who hopes to scoop up an opportunity on favorable terms or someone being paid by a developer, an investor group, or maybe the DC planning office. In any event, the attempt to sow division based on race and age is offensive. It’s a real estate project.
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