Chevy Chase Community Center Redevelopment

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12/25/2023 22:26

Subject: Chevy Chase Community Center Redevelopment

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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

It is an asphalt parking lot that contributes to the heat-island effect and stormwater run-off. Thus, an eyesore and bad for the environment. We can and should do better.

This rear parking lot is being programmed for dense and tall development, not just the “developed” portion of the property along Connecticut Avenue. That’s why there’s a full court press to remove an old covenant that bars commercial and apartment development on the rear parking lot portion of the site. There is no such covenant on the front portion along Connecticut Ave, which is why the argument that the covenant should be presumed to have racist intent is so preposterous and offensive. It’s pretty clear that it was to provide a transitional buffer between denser commercial and apartment development and the low density residential areas to the east. If the whole site is redeveloped with taller density, that transition goes away.

My first response is..."and?"

My second response is, by creating a covenant against multi-family housing, the Chevy Chase Land Company was basically saying " the poors need not apply" - that is what the Councilmember presumably wants to eradicate. And I say, good for him.

Look at all of the other "tall" buildings below Livingston Street where they back up to the houses behind them. No big deal. if the people who live there don't like it, I am sure there will be bidding wars in the $2M + range for their houses.