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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Ward 3 Vision and Greater Greater Washington are basically mouthpieces for big development interests. [/quote]

I assume we'll get the proof of this . [/quote]

You might want to check the July/August 2008 edition of Building in Maryland and Washington, DC, a publication of The Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association (available on-line).  That issue includes a profile of the Smart Growth Alliance, and according to the M-NCBIA, the Smart Growth Alliance was founded by a partner of Holland & Knight (one of the major land use law practices in DC). The Holland & Knight partner was made the first director. According to the article, they partnered with groups like the Coalition for Smarter Growth (Ward 3 Vision’s partner) to advance the main purpose of the organization: to secure approvals for projects that had substantial increases in density and faced neighborhood opposition. One of their first projects was to set up an awards program, which could be used by the developers in zoning hearings. The only objective criteria for the award was that the project was somewhere near transit, had a substantial increase in density and faced credible opposition. The groups like Coalition for Smarter Growth were frequently tapped to testify at the zoning hearing that the project won a Smart Growth Alliance award.

In addition, the book NIMBY Wars, a book of case studies published by a consulting firm, includes a description of how the consulting strategist used the local “smart growth” group, Ward 3 Vision, to attempt to demonstrate support for a project which they recognized was opposed by local residents.
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