Reply to Hearst Playground story in Current

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The polling showed an overwhelming support for the pool, despite the opponents efforts to stack the votes against it. The neighborhood groups are pariahs that no one listens to.[/quote]

"Pariahs"?  Both neighborhood organizations have substantial membership.  I suspect that you don't actually live in Cleveland Park, so stop claiming to speak for what the neighborhood wants or doesn't want?[/quote]

These are many of the same people that mark it difficult for businesses to survive on the commercial strip.  Enjoy that 7-11.  [/quote]

Huh?  [/quote]

DP here: the CPCA and the CPHS fought Cathedral Commons for 15 years, 
CPHS TOOK NO POSITION ON CATHEDRL COMMONS.  HOWEVER, CPCA WAS A SIGNATORY, ALONG WITH MAYOR WILLIAMS' PLANNING OFFICE ON A 2002 AGREEMENT WITH GIANT WHEREBY GIANT AGREED TO BUILD A NEW STORE ON WISCONSIN AVENUE.  INEXPLICABLY, GIANT THEN BREACHED THE AGREEMENT AND WALKED AWAY.  CPCA LEADERSHIP THEN WORKED WITH THE LOCAL  ANC TO ENGAGE WITH NEW GIANT MANAGEMENT IN THE 2005 TIME FRAME, WHICH RESULTED IN A PLAN TO REDEVELOP TWO BLOCKS AT THE GIANT SITE WHICH MET WITH SUPPORT BY THESE GROUPS AND THE COMMUNITY.  HOWEVER,  A YEAR LATER GIANT CAME BACK WITH YET ANOTHER PROPOSAL, WHICH BUSTED EXISTING ZONING AT THE SITE.  MANY IN THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING CPCA, THEN OPPOSED PORTIONS OF THE PLAN WHICH VIOLATED ZONING.  IT' TOO BAD THAT CPHS STAYED OUT OF DESIGN REVIEW.  EVEN MANY OF THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THE CATHEDRAL COMMONS PLAN NOW CONCEDE THAT THE DESIGN IS UNINSPIRED AND CHEAP-LOOKING.

have for over 20 years, created and enforced the Commercial Overlay, which has limited free market leasing opportunity in Cleveland Park - both the Connecticut Avenue strip and the Wisconsin-Newark area. 
SEVERAL COMMERCIAL SPACES PERMITTED FOR RESTAURANTS UNDER THE OVERLAY ARE EMPTY.  THE ISSUE IS NOT THE OVERLAY, BUT RATHER HIGH RENTS DEMANDED BY REIT LANDLORDS WHO WANT CORPORATE GUARANTEES OF LEASES, WHICH DISFAVOR INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS AND OTHER BUSINESSES.
They have fought to keep the dangerous service lane instead of very wide sidewalks that were ironically there before the 1950's, they stifled the attempts to create a Cleveland Park Farmers Market and the list goes on. 
LEAVE FAKE NEWS TO TRUMP.  CPCA IS WORKING TO SPONSOR A FARMERS MARKET.  t people who understand what these organizations are about have declined membership to the point that at this point, the organizations have a handful of longtime members and very little representation from people who live on the Avenues or newer families with younger kids. Most newer (and by this I mean people who have lived in the neighborhood since 1995 so still long time residents) favor these things but don't want to bother fighting the 40+ year residents any longer. 
THIS IS A TIRED OLD REFRAIN.  IN FACT, IN LAST NOVEMBER'S ELECTION, A VOCAL 'FREE  MARKET' CANDIDATE WHO OPPOSED THE COMMERCIAL OVERLAYS, WANTED DENSE UPZONING OF THE COMMERCIAL AREAS RAN FOR ANC, AND LOST.  BIG TIME.

So when Hearst Pool opponents cite the support of the CPCA and the CPHS against the pool, it is siding with decades old scars of fighting for the neighborhood to evolve to enjoy the assets that other parts of the city have enjoyed - public pools, improve commercial areas etc.  THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH A PUBLIC POOL, BUT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH SACRIFICING HEARST'S PLAYING FIELD, TENNIS COURTS AND WONDERFUL TREE CANOPY TO GET ONE, PARTICULARLY WITH THE ARRAY OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE POOLS IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA (WILSON, JELLEFF, GEORGETOWN, CP CLUB, BEAUVOIR, ETC.0

So when Dino moved to Shaw 5 years ago, he cited better foot traffic to grow his business. That property sat empty for years and is now a 7-11. With the Walgreens and super sized CVS, a 7-11 is not something that helps enhance the commercial area, so I suspect the PP was making that reference.  ISN'T THIS THE 'FREE MARKET' THAT YOU TOUT?!  AND REITS LOVE 7-11'S BALANCE SHEET OVER JOE'S NEIGHBORHOOD BISTRO.  The fact is, the Cleveland Park commercial area is tired and when the older residents have to enact protectionist policies to ensure a lamp repair store and tired restaurants get meager business, then there is a problem.[/quote]  IF A LAMP STORE SURVIVES WHEN DINO DOESN'T, ISN'T THAT A REFLECTION OF FREE MARKET SUPPLY AND DEMAND?

[b]I call B.S. See CAPS above.[/b][/quote]

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