From: [Bloomingdale resident] Erin Fairbanks
To:
"Cheh, Mary (COUNCIL)" <MCheh@DCCOUNCIL.US>
Sent:
Monday, May 13, 2013 12:26 PM
Subject:
McMillan and Mayor Gray's "Surplus Land" mtg
May
13, 2013
Dear
Councilmember Cheh:
I
wrote you earlier about DC Food Trucks, but I would also like to address with
you another matter, that is more important matter:
I
am a Bloomingdale resident and mother of three small children that lives two
blocks from the Historic McMillan Water Filtration Site. I am NOT anti-McMillan
development, but I am pro-SMART and historically respectful development. Over a
year ago, a number of neighbors and I, after sitting in on a MAG meeting that
revealed the VMP development plans at the time that involved bulldozing the
entire site and leaving us with a tiny fraction of park, embarked on a campaign
to discover what our community REALLY wanted with McMillan. We created an unbiased survey and knocked on virtually
every door in the surrounding area. It is important to note that our survey was
the only organized effort to survey residents that has been done in the 25
years that the city has owned the property. Neither the District nor any
developer the District has brought to McMillan has ever been so transparent to
bother to ask the community about what we want and think in such a clear
organized manner.
The
results were completely contrary to what VMP planned to do: 86% of 837
residents wanted 50% or more of park. 46% of residents wanted 75% or more of
park. Regarding the underground cells, 64% said the preservation of them was
very important to them. In short, VMP’s development plans were not and still
are not what the majority of the community wants.
As
you may already know, VMP, adjusted their development plans - increased green
park space, saved a few silos, but nearly destroys all the underground cells.
Have you seen these underground cells? They are beautiful. Take a look at the
photo of them below.
I
recently learned, that in spite of McMillan being declared a historical site by
the HPRB, a Sierra Club Letter of Opposition dated April 3, 2013, and large
population of locals that don’t want what VMP is offering, the office of the
Mayor will be holding a community hearing on designating the site "surplus
land." He is attempting to circumvent his opposition. He is trying to
eliminate the hassle of dealing with 80% of McMillan neighbors by designating
the land surplus and selling the land to developers to do with it how they
please. This is not acceptable.
Councilmember Cheh, I am kindly asking that you publicly rebuke Mayor Gray for this maneuver and demand it be stopped.
Councilmember Cheh, I am kindly asking that you publicly rebuke Mayor Gray for this maneuver and demand it be stopped.
Prior
to the announcement of the "surplus" community meeting, my neighbors
and I created a petition to put a stop to VMP and their unimaginative and
historically destructive development plans. In just a week and a half, we have
more than 400 signatures and we will continue to get more, both online and on
paper around the city. Here is a link to that petition.
Students
at Catholic University have come up with an alternative plan that my neighbors
and I think shows the kind of creative thinking the city should engage in. You
can see the students’ plan here. Sadly, this plan is not
under consideration.
Please
review the documents and images I have attached. I think you will find that the
McMillan structures are too lovely to destroy. But also, in spite of what some
are saying – that we are a small but vocal minority – we are, in fact, a large
and very vocal MAJORITY based on the community door-door survey and our
petition when it is completed.
Thank
you so much for your attention to my letter.
Sincerely,
Erin
Fairbanks
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