Reply to Has Au/tenley town gotten seedier? Lots of homeless and random people

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]NP. Obviously some of the rise in issues in places like Tenleytown are the result of nationwide or citywide trends. But, I think that a lot of Ward 3 folks don't realize that quite a bit of it is also the consequence of their own NIMBYism and [b]resistance to development[/b].

Cities are incapable of remaining static. There is a constant cycle of depreciation and redevelopment going on, and Ward 3 has worked for decades to ensure that most of that redevelopment happens elsewhere. As other neighborhoods grow more dense and open many new businesses, they draw foot traffic away from the older commercial districts. This leads to a decline in the number and quality of businesses that can remain viable in the older districts. And, unless there is pretty high residential density (to quote Jane Jacobs, "eyes on the street") this decline also provides for the kind of space that is easily occupied by individuals who create quality of life issues for other residents. It can easily become a self-reinforcing cycle of disinvestment and decline.

This isn't a new story for DC, it's basically what happened to H Street and U Street in the 1950s when the desegregation of downtown businesses led to a large decline in foot traffic there. Obviously the subsequent riots didn't help, but it took many decades for those business corridors to recover, and they only really took off when new residential development led to an increase in residential density.

In the long run, I worry that Ward 3 might start to look more like Wards 7 and 8, where beautiful but low density neighborhoods aren't enough to sustain strong business districts, and the result has been that residents there are both underserved and less safe. I know that there are plans for redevelopment in places like Friendship Heights, but the scale and scope of what's planned (a single 5 over two with a TJ Maxx) doesn't seem like it's nearly enough to stem the underlying forces of decline.[/quote]

I always have to wonder where the "there's no development in Ward 3" crowd gets its information from (probably GGW, which isn't exactly reliable these days). It's just so lazy.

A massive residential development (City Ridge) just opened in Tenleytown, and another massive residential development is soon to open right next to it. The Mazza redevelopment will have 320 residential units, which -- sure -- isn't enough by itself but it's still 320 units! Other developments that are soon to go up: 5500 Wisconsin (380 units), Friendship Center (350 units), the old Fox 5 site (214 units) and Lisner Home (~130 units). Plus whatever happens to the CCDC core on Connecticut, which will add hundreds of units to the pipeline.

But please, keep saying "TheRE's nO dEVelOpMeNT iN wArD 3!!!!" You sound so edgy and informed.[/quote]

Those developments opened despite the nimby actions of many neighbors and certain anc reps. They could have been here sooner, they could be more than they are.  Looking at a few developments and saying "see it happens hahaha you fool" is ignoring the many, many developments that could have been but aren't or won't occur.[/quote]

Besides the Palisades thing (which will get built), please show your work on the "many developments that could have been built but aren't or won't occur." And anything from 5 or more years ago doesn't count. Be specific. [/quote]

The Tenleytown Safeway was closed after being bought by GDS, but not before Safeway had *tried* to work with the community to redevelop it into a mixed use complex with a bigger better Safeway.

The palisades Safeway met a similar fate a couple of years later.

The palisades trolley trail / trestle bridge has been a stalled project for ages.

Why the hell was the Giant at what is now Cathedral Commons there for so long in its dilapidated state and why did the Cathedral Commons project drag on and on and on forever to finally get done?

Right now, if you go over to the Spring Valley shopping center area and walk around in the neighborhoods just east of it (take a stroll down Yuma, I saw some there the other day), you'll see some anti-development signs for "NO MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT AT SUPER FRESH"... been going on for like a freaking decade (https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/795577.page)

Why did people still want to fight against a hiker/biker rec trail for Kingle Valley like 25 years after it washed out and closed??  Enough to file lawsuits to delay the rehabilitation of it into what it finally is today?

Why are there no firestations west of Wisconsin Ave (or NE of Conn Ave) in the residential areas?

Have you seen/heard the noise around Maret's new field that they are building?

The Chevy Chase Civic center project that might get done?  But over the dead bodies of a few residents, apparently.

Why is the safeway at chevy chase still the way it is?

Why is Sam's Park and Shop a freaking one story complex, it's right next to a freaking metro station.[/quote]

Most of the things you list happened a decade or more ago and are not relevant to the current conversation. If you had been paying attention, you'd know that things have changed.

I have no idea what fire stations have to do with development, and do not recall one single person asking why there are so few of them in Upper NW. What a weird argument.

The Maret field is getting built, pretty much exactly the way Maret wants. The protests about that are mostly getting ignored, as they should be.

Sigh, the Safeway in Chevy Chase. Residents there would kill for a non-decrepit grocery store on that site, and have been asking for one for *decades*, but that parcel is a hornets nest for developers. The building and parking lot are owned by two separate entities, and getting them to the table has apparently been impossible. Until that is resolved, nothing can happen there. The stagnation has absolutely zero to do with local-resident protests, which you would know if you weren't just spouting weak GGW talking points.

The Sam's Park & Shop is definitely bad use of that land, but it's historically designated and has been for nearly 40 years. That ship has sailed. Whining about it will accomplish nothing.[/quote]

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