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 [b]despite the nimby actions of many neighbors and certain anc reps[/b]. 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]

Let me get this straight, so you're [i]not[/i] for representation in DC?[/quote]

This is a BS straw man and you know it. Am I against representation for disagreeing with, say, the abortion policies that the Texas legislature has enacted? Or Florida's latest anti-LGBTQ laws? Or every gun policy in America? Some of those laws are even very popular with constituents! Believing in democracy doesn't somehow mean one has to agree with everything that a body does, quite the opposite.

That said, I think it's pretty obvious that the ANC system doesn't always do a very good job of representing DC residents. Since their authority is advisory only, the city still has wide latitude in how and when they adhere to ANCs recommendations. And, ANCs are so small that they can easily be hijacked by a handful of residents. A system with a state legislature and no ANCs would do a better job of representing people.

But the more important point is that even if a majority of residents are anti-development (which I actually doubt), that doesn't magically make it good policy. Planning decisions have economic consequences, whether we want them to or not. The people and businesses whose behavior creates those consequences are much broader than a small neighborhood of voters. The residents of Upper NW might want their neighborhoods to stay the same forever, but basic economic forces mean that's not actually an option they have. Building nothing new means decaying in place. More people should recognize that fact, and they should recognize that the kinds of issues they're complaining about on this thread are the initial signs of exactly that mechanism.[/quote]

And yet it's you criticizing residents of DC for using the mechanisms available to them to share their voice and input - the very definition of representation.  You should brush up on what it is about representation that irks you, as well as your fanciful notion that nothing new has been built in Ward 3.[/quote]

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