Anonymous wrote:I just read in a Northwest Current editorial that the school is no longer including plans for a small pocket park at the top of 42nd street -- one of the featured amenities of the plan they presented to the ANC last fall. What the heck, GDS??!! what exactly is the school doing to offset the impact of all that extra traffic?

Yup. The editorial notes that the "now eliminated park had been one of the much touted amenities" in the GDS project and the school's unilateral decision to remove the park "should be a red flag about its community engagement process."

Anonymous wrote:Which will still be opposed by the neighbors regardless of any development on Wisconsin Avenue. It is such a losing propostion to invest any money in upper-caucasia.

Not necessarily. No neighbor's testified against Sidwell Friends when it recently went to the BZA on its expanded campus. It's interesting that the Northwest Current has an editorial praising Sidwell (and JPDS) for their records in working constructively with their communities and compares GDS's approach unfavorably. Instead of dismissing neighborhood concerns as NIMBY, perhaps GDS should try a more humble and consultative approach. The Current says that GDS should learn from the other schools' success.

I just read in a Northwest Current editorial that the school is no longer including plans for a small pocket park at the top of 42nd street -- one of the featured amenities of the plan they presented to the ANC last fall. What the heck, GDS??!! what exactly is the school doing to offset the impact of all that extra traffic?

Which will still be opposed by the neighbors regardless of any development on Wisconsin Avenue. It is such a losing propostion to invest any money in upper-caucasia.

Anonymous wrote:GDS indicated they would be submitting a matter of right proposal.

Even if that's the case, GDS will still need special exception review of the expanded school plan.

GDS indicated they would be submitting a matter of right proposal.

Serious question. What happens next? Is there another proposal waiting for review or is GDS going back to the drawing board?

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Anonymous wrote:Losing the Safeway, having to drive somewhere for middle-grocery shopping, having dead space on Wisconsin Avenue and having to deal with the car-pooling and suburban dopers, yes, pretty much a net loss.

Long time real estate person here. Expanding the presence of a strong school has never been a net negative for a neighborhood. Never. Just ask the property owners in Edgemoor, Bethesda. It might be a nuisance in the short term, but the rewards are tangible on the back end.

I can understand the presence of a good public school raising property values, but don't see how the general population benefits with a private school. Is there a private school near Edgemoor in Bethesda?

Wealthy educated people buying houses on the neighbourhood -you house value goes up. Plus hedonic pricing (look it up in Google please). Put it simply: would you prefer to have a landfield or a prision just near your house or a top private school?

Those aren't the only options -- nor are they realistic land uses given pre-existing land values and zoning. Pretty much any value that comes from having top private schools in the neighborhood has already been realized, whereas the hassles associated with more than doubling the school's size plus adding 250 apartments and retail in the same couple of blocks will negatively affect quality of life for homeowners in the immediate vicinity. In fact, the Head of School joked in one meeting with parents that this project should make buying up surrounding homes easier.

What an arrogant ass.

Matter of right residential development on the Safeway site in addition to a PUD on the Maartens site is far preferable from a smart growth perspective. It would greatly increase the number of new residents Tenleytown could accomodate.

Inconsistent with zoning and the Comp Plan. Building across the street has about 40 condos -- not 250+. Very different impact than a much large multifamily building plus a commuter school with 1200 students and a few hundred more faculty and staff. Zoning code was revised last year and no upzoning was recommended for this area.

Why is it an inappropriate use of the site? It is on Wisconsin Avenue and is the same size as the building across the street. These aren't 75 story skyscrapers.

It is just plain silly to suggest that slightly taller buildings shouldn't be on a main road.

But matter of right development would be preferable to GDS's PUD proposal and recent projects prove that by right development is doable is this market. The relevant comparison isn't a car dealership -- that was leaving anyway and the current incarnation is just a landbanking use. The land is going to be redeveloped regardless of who owns it. What GDS is offering is a worst of both worlds scenario. Consolidation alone could have been appealing. MOR mixed-use would work. But consolidation plus a mixed use project that's almost twice as large as MOR sucks and it's a totally inappropriate use of the site.

I don't get the doom and gloom of the 7:40 post above.

Last year, there was a car dealership and a failing grocery store.

This year, there is a used car dealer, a bike store and no grocery store.

What GDS is proposing is far superior to bring vitality to the area, help stabilize existing businesses and bring more amenities to the community.

Even you you don't like the amenities, it is still better than what is there today and what is likely to be there tomorrow.

I just don't understand people who fight these projects so much that they are left with worse conditions and amenities in the area.

I am glad I don't live right there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Losing the Safeway, having to drive somewhere for middle-grocery shopping, having dead space on Wisconsin Avenue and having to deal with the car-pooling and suburban dopers, yes, pretty much a net loss.

Long time real estate person here. Expanding the presence of a strong school has never been a net negative for a neighborhood. Never. Just ask the property owners in Edgemoor, Bethesda. It might be a nuisance in the short term, but the rewards are tangible on the back end.

I can understand the presence of a good public school raising property values, but don't see how the general population benefits with a private school. Is there a private school near Edgemoor in Bethesda?

Wealthy educated people buying houses on the neighbourhood -you house value goes up. Plus hedonic pricing (look it up in Google please). Put it simply: would you prefer to have a landfield or a prision just near your house or a top private school?

Those aren't the only options -- nor are they realistic land uses given pre-existing land values and zoning. Pretty much any value that comes from having top private schools in the neighborhood has already been realized, whereas the hassles associated with more than doubling the school's size plus adding 250 apartments and retail in the same couple of blocks will negatively affect quality of life for homeowners in the immediate vicinity. In fact, the Head of School joked in one meeting with parents that this project should make buying up surrounding homes easier.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ay, pobrecito

English, please, amigo?

Aw, poor thing...