Reply to New Ward 3 Homeless Families Shelter Site

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Wow, I can't believe this thread is still going on and some of the crazy and wrong things being said.  We live close to the site in Cleveland Park and my husband is involved in supporting the construction of the shelter.  WIN is a charitable organization and most of my husband's dealings with them have been through clergy in the local area.  This issue is very similar to the craziness that happened around the Giant development.  The NIMBYs complained for years that all kinds of bad things would happen and instead the area has improved substantially as a result of the Giant development.

The shelter needs to go somewhere and it is pure fairness that Ward 3 have at least one shelter for goodness sake.  The land is already public land adjacent to the police station.  It is just off of Wisconsin Avenue in an area that has tall, medium and low buildings.  The area is lovely (I live there remember) and is one of the most stable and expensive areas of DC.  The addition of one building with poor people in it is not going to change that (especially given that it is literally going to be next door to the police station for goodness sakes).  Once this shelter is built, we probably will not even know the difference between it and another apartment building (except perhaps for the racial and age makeup of the people who come and go and I'm sure no one would admit to that being an issue for them).

Finally, for those who keep harping on the "process" I say two things.  First, the reason that the decisions on sites were made as they were is because the Council knew that any area in Ward 3 would be plagued by opposition so if they had kept multiple sites in play they would just create a war over which site was best and never get anything done.  Second, the process about how to proceed is being subjected to lots of process now.  Of course, the NIMBYs cannot be satisfied.  They identified parking as a major complaint for months.  So the city finally came back and said that it would expand the parking garage to meet the community concern over parking.  You guessed it--now the opponents think the parking structure is too big.  At least I respect the people who say honestly that they just don't want those people in the neighborhood or worry about property values.  The opponents who make up reasons (like parking) are the worst.  Fortunately there are lots of neighbors who do support the shelter and I think it will make it through the process at last.[/quote]

This process was not fair and open, sweety, that's not how this should have been done.  When a life changing and property value changing event is going to happen in a neighborhood the dictator in chief does not get to waive her magic wand and get what she wants.  There should have been more transparency and this alone will cost her any re election.  I have an idea, let's put the shelter in yours and her backyard.  They can have family dinners with you.[/quote]

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