Pages

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Email to Ward 5 CM Cheh: McMillan and Mayor Gray's "Surplus Land" meeting

Note that this neighbor also sent a similar Email to the remaining DC Councilmembers.
                                                                   
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.

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
                      

                                 

No comments:

Post a Comment