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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Here is the reality of SHA  on AH
[i]
Speech by President Nancy R. Jennings
November 8, 2018

This is my 9th opportunity to speak about events on Seminary Hill during the past year.  It’s been almost a decade since I became President and I will step down as the face of the Association—but I do not plan on leaving the Board—though I’m sure there are some who will be disappointed I am not going away.  Citizens across the City have common concerns but are divided to be conquered by staff.  There are several organizations where citizens connect—such as the Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations and the West End Coalition—and perhaps progress can be made on broader topics; for example:

•	Currently the City has no policy regarding “best use” of open spaces when churches or other property owners make them available.  [b]Recently they have all become affordable housing developments, but the City has other needs that do not place demands on already overwhelmed public resources and services, such as our tree canopy, open space, parking, and schools.  It would be good to define these needs and weigh them against each other when a project is proposed.[/b]

•	[b]The City is allowing developers to burden City services and ruin the quality of life in neighborhoods by the imposition of dense development under the politically correct guise of “affordable housing.[/b]”[/i]

To me this suggests that SHA would not welcome additional AH in the area.  
[/quote]

Interesting that you quoted that without context instead of the testimony they gave to city council on the Presbyterian Church AH project which was the subject of these comments. Here a a snippet of that testimony:[i]

We, the neighbors, do not oppose affordable housing in our community.  We have affordable housing in our community.  Our concern is one of scale and density.  The City’s own small area plan for Seminary Hill envisions a low-density community of single-family homes, townhomes and garden style rental housing.  That is what the city wants for this neighborhood and it is what we, the residents, want as well.
 
The scope of what is being proposed, although technically permitted, is well outside what currently exists in the community.  The project, if completed will impose serious new problems on our community including parking, traffic and increased burdens on our already overcrowded school.
 
It doesn’t have to be this way.  The community has asked the proponents to sit down around a table in a collaborative way and see if a project could be developed that would meet the needs of both the developer and the neighbors.  We asked – they refused.  City staff is solidly behind this project and is working with the developers to move forward.  [/i]
 [/quote]

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