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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Ward 3 Councilmember Cheh responds to Daniel Wolkoff regarding McMillan

Posted at the Historic Washington list at Yahoogroups:


      

Re: Demolition at McMillan
Wed Mar 13, 2013 4:54 am (PDT) . Posted by: "Daniel Wolkoff" amglassart

Councilmember Cheh, thanks so much for the response. I can tell you from my contact with the people in the area around McMillan, they see this as a "mixed- use" development, not unlike numerous similar "same as, same as, mixed-use developments" and they are very frustrated that such a major site, with so-called historic designation is going to be built over in such a mundane way virtually not recognizing the special interest and layout of the Sand Filtration plant.

Council Chair Mendelson wrote his letter asking HPRB to deny this development and preserve the site better. Then he passed the $40 million to waste on demolition. What is the message here? If the city government is so confused and wasteful, why don't they just get out of this?

The VMP, which takes it's name from Sen. McMillan but otherwise has been brought along kicking and screaming, to add or subtract anything that the community wanted in preservation of his legacy. Now they brag they have included this or that. We can thank Tony Norman and the Friend's of McMillan for these changes, forced on this "so-called&quo t; selected team. However it is a wrong fit and most people who have educated themselves and learned the amazing story of this site, understand this.

Why not big parks, why not "Great Places" , green, wooded and uncrowded by buildings? We are the richest city in the world!!! We should all shed a tear for the poor DC government, forced to turn everything over for tax revenue. How does Cleveland, or other cities have parks? Richmond a gracious city full of parks with much less money?

We need to solve the disparity between the sections of DC, 5 times the parks in your section, as in this section. We can talk over-urbanization after the disparity is corrected. I drove through Rock Creek today. It calmed me and renewed me. Every part of DC needs access to natural areas.

Why has this special site been so abused and deteriorated? Let me tell you why! This land is on the wrong side of town, that is why. I just worked on your block with Laura and Don Oberdorfer a few weeks ago, so I know your area. Would the DC government fence off a 25 acre park, artificially separate it from it's reservoir, let it get overgrown and waste it for over 27 years, a total waste of $15 million, if it was anywhere near your part of DC???? Granted there is a federal connection, and it should revert to NPS.

It get's very demoralizing when a resident like me, self employed, puts a huge amount of time into community meetings with OP, and they hypocritically contradict themselves, up and down! Office of Planning said on the final draft of the Brookland-CUA Small Area Plan essentially "It is healthier to not have the density of the over-urbanized area, than the more rural, better hygiene" , something to this effect.
 
Bottom line, L'Enfant and McMillan planned a gracious healthy open city plan, and this development (and your govt.) erases that plan, Why? It is very difficult for those committed to improving DC who have educated ourselves, to see the fabulous work of L'Enfant and Sen. McMillan, never completed and now treated like a curiosity between new building complexes.

I was at Glen Echo tonight, and the neon was on, and all those charming buildings sat on their parkland producing healthy activities and art work and festivals and theater for the residents. I ask again, what does a West Bethesda resident deserve that we here a few miles away don't deserve? Why does your city council, and mayor think our youth and adults of this city don't need the open, green, that your neighbors enjoy at Rock Creek Park?  The young people are unhealthy and violent, so now they can watch as our resources are handed over to a big business, and more services for the privileged can occupy our land. The DC govt. if it had any integrity at all, would be commissioning a McMillan Park Consortium, or Preservation Conservancy and stop abusing this section of DC as a Commodity.

The Zoning Commission has approved a huge amount of development, thousands of sinks, toilets, dish washers and commercial space, making a crisis of residential flooding that much worse, how irresponsible is that. So the next insult to DC residents is turning McMillan, a clean water landmark, into a sewer. When do they implement all the natural mitigation listed in the Flooding Taskforce report, to reduce the flooding and, we have responsible zoning.

I cannot understand how the clean water utility, an engineering miracle, at McMillan, is not being preserved as a Water Security Back-up System, for our own security. How do we know that DalCarlia will never have a serious problem and McMilan can again provide fresh water. Not after demolition and $700 million in construction and paving, and adding to the flooding problem. What city would not have planted the site with trees? A city that didn't care who was flooded with sewage in their homes, until a class of people moved in, they cared about. I think this is ugly!

At no time, has there been a proper analysis of this site as restored park, offered to the community for a myriad of healthy activities, training in restoration trades, urban agriculture, sustainable energy demonstration, healing garden etc.

I encourage you to contact Michelle Obama, who so sincerely wants to see our youngsters grow vegetable gardens, and eat healthy and exercise and fight obesity. The president can declare a national monument, unilaterally at McMillan as the first in a movement. A living commemoration of the death of the young lady who performed at the inauguration, but lost her life in Chicago street violence. Let our tragedy, "Hydea Pendleton" , inspire a national movement of parks, recreation, classes in art and dance, training for hands on careers, at and with historic preservation of urban sites to help turn around a violent destructive young generation, Councilmember Cheh. This we need to attend.

Councilmemeber Cheh, there has never been any serious research or community meeting on this issue as stated above for a park. We are repeatedly and only handed what the mayor and his appointees want to do, and told "you have a 3 minute comment" . Many people are very excited about the plan by CUA professor Gusevich, as it has "world class" site planning and reflects the history well. I think elements of her plan, mainly the City Market and Bazaar, and the waterworks, can co-exist with the kind of "community building" we need at this site. You and I know very well. You cannot do everything, but you can do certain things very well and succeed.

Please share these emails with the other city officials as they have not responded or just say, I'll send it along, thanks so much council member, we need to talk about transitioning away from gas powered lawn care and noisy leaf blowers soon.

Thanks,

Daniel Goldon Wolkoff
1231 Randolph Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017
202-232-8391

From: Cheh, Mary (COUNCIL)
Subject: Re: Demolition at McMillan
To: "Daniel Wolkoff"
Date: Friday, March 8, 2013, 7:32 PM

Dear Mr Wolkoff, Thanks so much for sending me your testimony. I found your vision for the Park to be inspirational. I confess I haven't been focused on this and regret that. Have all of the plans proceeded so far that this is a lost cause.... I am having my staff brief me on this next week. Again, thanks for sending this to me.

Mary Cheh

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