Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What Landon is to character and sportsmanship, GDS is to architecture and cafeterias.

How about, what Landon is to Duke and UVA, GDS is to Harvard.

You seem really nice.

Instead of a commercial developer trying to maximize his profit at that site, what we'll have is both a commercial developer trying to maximize his profit at the site and a school trying to create revenue stream large enough to prevent tuition increases (for 1200 students) and to increase financial aid. Having GDS in the mix just increases the amount of revenue extraction necessary to make a development project viable.

From the developers' POV, having the school do the PUD offloads predevelopment costs and represents the best chance for maximizing allowable density since the whole campus can be used as a basis for determining how many SF can be built. GDS will argue that all the unused development capacity on land devoted to the playing field, green space, and lower scale academic buildings should be transferred to the Wisconsin Ave frontage. That's an outcome a developer purchasing the Martens property probably couldn't achieve on his own.

"What Tenleytown neighbors had better not forget is that, if GDS plans to build along Wisconsin Ave. are frustrated, it can always sell the property to a third party developer and make a tidy profit. A new developer won't have the same incentive as the school necessarily to try to be a good neighbor to the community. It will have every incentive to to completely max out the development potential of the site, and will probably have the support of the mayor's office to do so."

Ask the folks who spent more than 12 years getting Cathedral Commons approved how that worked out. Once the neighbors get organized - if they are not already - they will argue that a developer is using the school as a public relations ploy. Whether you or pro or anti development on Wisconsin Avenue and the GDS project itself, it will be increasingly difficult to argue that GDS's involvment makes it more neighborly. From the neighbor's point of view, it's just another big construction project. The school, with its' hard start at the beginning of the day and at the end, is like having a factory in the neighborhood in terms of traffic. Plus, condos and stores have a more spread out traffic pattern and would be easier for the neighborhood to absorb. So one could argue that it would be easier to approve and to swallow if the school was not involved.

What Tenleytown neighbors had better not forget is that, if GDS plans to build along Wisconsin Ave. are frustrated, it can always sell the property to a third party developer and make a tidy profit. A new developer won't have the same incentive as the school necessarily to try to be a good neighbor to the community. It will have every incentive to to completely max out the development potential of the site, and will probably have the support of the mayor's office to do so.

Very interesting article on traffic and parking and the GDS proposal in the NW Current.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It does further the GDS social justice mission by providing funding for financial aid. In addition, the project likely will include some designated affordable housing units. And by adding to the overall stock of housing in DC, the project will exert downward pressure on rents/prices, thus enhancing overall availability and hopefully affordability.

Not to mention all those new kids who will be in-bound for Janney. I hope they plan something to help with added pressure put on the public school system!

Do you have a problem with students who live in affordable units coming to Janney?

It's not the SES, it's that the school is already so overcrowded. More kids... just what Janney doesn't need. Maybe they could get a discount from GDS?

GDS has already announced that the investment will be used to support financial aid. But admission is a separate process, and it would be inappropriate to tie admission or tuition to geographic proximity to GDS.

As far as Janney becoming overcrowded, isn't the easiest solution to split the district and send part to nearby Hearst?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It does further the GDS social justice mission by providing funding for financial aid. In addition, the project likely will include some designated affordable housing units. And by adding to the overall stock of housing in DC, the project will exert downward pressure on rents/prices, thus enhancing overall availability and hopefully affordability.

Not to mention all those new kids who will be in-bound for Janney. I hope they plan something to help with added pressure put on the public school system!

Do you have a problem with students who live in affordable units coming to Janney?

It's not the SES, it's that the school is already so overcrowded. More kids... just what Janney doesn't need. Maybe they could get a discount from GDS?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What Landon is to character and sportsmanship, GDS is to architecture and cafeterias.

How about, what Landon is to Duke and UVA, GDS is to Harvard.

ouch! I think...?

They have now.

Please tell me that, at some point in this thread, someone has actually said, "I know you are, but what am I?"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What Landon is to character and sportsmanship, GDS is to architecture and cafeterias.

How about, what Landon is to Duke and UVA, GDS is to Harvard.

ouch! I think...?

Anonymous wrote:What Landon is to character and sportsmanship, GDS is to architecture and cafeterias.

How about, what Landon is to Duke and UVA, GDS is to Harvard.

Anonymous wrote:Totally sarcastic.

Proving my theory that intelligent readers don't really need emoticons to interpret listserv posts accurately, LOL!

What Landon is to character and sportsmanship, GDS is to architecture and cafeterias.

Totally sarcastic.