Brookland resident Daniel Wolkoff: "McDuffie, DC Govt and Development"

From: Daniel Wolkoff <amglassart@yahoo.com>
To:  brookland@yahoogroups.com; EdgewoodDC@yahoogroups.com 
Cc: Linda Yahr  
Sent: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 12:38 AM
Subject: please post thankyou, McDuffie Dc Govt. and Development

 

Hugh, Kirby, et al, I saked Shiv at Mayors office of Economic Development to post the "Surplus Property" law on the Bloomingdale Blog and Scott Roberts, so we can all have the background to this process. Maybe if you also request he post the law, he won't simply run out of time before the so called hearing for community input. He gave me the story of how mush more opportunities there are for more hearings and testimony. they really have this Bullshit down, and repeat it as if it has some real meaning! 

  
I wrote this in response to a Nolan Treadway applause session for McDuffie, which of course did not mention mcmillan.
 
In relation to Council-member McDuffie and this obviously petty scandal of a staffer misusing receipts, or whatever, for around $200, I agree it is insignificant. But the cozy relationship between DC officials, deputy mayors and Office of Planning and the construction, real estate and development industries is extremely significant. The undemocratic decisions made to gobble up all remaining land, remove mature trees wholesale and build ONLY new construction curb to curb, is distorting the city. It is  reducing or eliminating options for important aspects of a healthy community. NOMA has been completely over-urbanized with no open space or parks. They have been lobbying and are receiving $50 million for parks, but this is backward, and miserable urban planning. 

  
 Ironically our major area park at McMillan Sand filtration Plant is being "surplussed" to developers with an "exclusive rights agreement" and consecutive Council-members including  McDuffie, refuse to give the surrounding neighborhoods proper discussions and exploration of alternatives to preserve the park and moderate it's development with common sense and balance. McDuffie, just as  Harry Thomas Jr. and Kwami Brown and the rest of the city council are likewise, "symbiotic"  with the developers and not facilitating the peoples informed choices. The recent investigative report by WAMU-FM DC reporters Patrick Madden and Julie Patel, call it the "Symbiotic Relationship" between DC Government and Developers.

               
DC's gracious and forward thinking Le'nfant and McMillan plans are being erased under the heavy onslaught of super-urbanization, making this private business sector Billions of dollars. But a city is not only condos and Whole Foods stores, not when the last remaining open spaces get paved, and we see the destructive impact on our environment. The irresponsible zoning that approves  this rampant all devouring growth has caused horrible flooding, and more paving and construction everywhere is not the solution and homogenizes DC, as we lose neighborhood character and historic fabric to "cookie-cutter" mixed use developments.  Senator McMillan over 100 years ago, when the outer city was still  huge tracts of open land, had the foresight to plan a system of parks which we need more than ever and we must demand our section of DC become as green and healthy as the upper income side.  

       
 We need hiking, jogging, off-road biking, sunlighted streams(Tibor Creek at Mcmillan), the "Emerald Necklace" with AFRH, Harewoood RD. Fort Circle Parks and decent objective civic minded planning can transform our side of DC, give us places to exercise, picnic, run, in wooded, shady, cool parkland that reduces the heat island effect, solves the  flooding problems and finally ends this class and racial discrimination by the DC Government. We suffer from terrible youth crime, our streets are not safe, everyone wants a safe neighborhood. Well open McMillan as our Glen Echo, give the kids classes, urban agriculture, art and music activities and job training there. To build a respectful community. the kid who punches your face and  mugs you or carries a gun, might be a great mason, or artist, with a place like McMillan to grow , to build integrity and "COMMUNITY". We cannot have everything everywhere. Every condo built there is one less derelict property recovered, and an imaginative "World Class" City Market in adaptive reuse of existing structures, is a national destination, not just the developers "grocery store".
  The city officials are acting in shocking irresponsibility, as if resources, energy, and critically, carbon emissions can go, on and on as if "everything is fine", a very destructive delusion. 

          
Their blatant crimes and convictions don't impact our lives and future compared to this developer sell out of our city and the manipulations like this "surplus property" charade, the mayor and city council have provided themselves to foist this destructive relationship on us. 

         
Parks on this side of DC and all  the healthy benefits enjoyed by upper income NW residents are practically non-existent here, this is discrimination against us, McMillan is the worst example. A 113 acre federal greenspace and reservoir fenced off by "our" government, excluding the people from their park for 27 years , as it was held back from public benefit to hand over to private businesses in the "Surplus Property" scam now taking place, (see below)Pay to Play, Business as Usual ,,PLEASE SAY NO!!!

      
The concept of density around mass transit is a good theory, but doesn't mean every square inch, and the same monotony in every project. Our elected (the mayor was elected with criminal campaign fraud, and Anita  Bonds with 4% of the registration) officials and their appointees are on an unthinking tangent, or outright corrupt, where nothing else than density and new construction of super urbanizing mass development has value. The Brookland green at the Metro is an example we are also being confronted with now.

     

Surrounded by 2500 new residential units, how misguided will it be when WMATA decides to erase that nice grove of trees for more McDonalds, and Payless Shoes, or whatever crass franchise will rent the space. 

   
Below please see the meeting McDuffie held with constituents and where are the answers.

 
Why no McMillan Park? Who decided to give Vision McMillan Partners a "exclusive rights agreement", Who was in office since 1986 and never provided the city with it's own Central Park, and warehoused this incredible national treasure to hand over to the developers. What outright racial and class discrimination permitted this abuse? Who decided to keep this development team going, that has  been so marginal in their planning, it has required ten top design firms to finally arrive at this Master Plan. Why are the city council, and the recent mayors not accountable for this affront to our city. Where will  our candidates who represent the peoples needs for parks, trees, shade and healthy quality of life come from? Not the inbred council that doesn't even know enough or care about McMillan to lead, in good urban planning.

   
 McMillan was planned by Senator McMillan and leaders vastly more moral, and visionary, it was  designed by Olmsted. We we have been deprived of 27 years of heathy outdoor access and the realization of McMillans "Emerald Necklace", by a mayor and city council of cronyism, nepotism, corruption, crime, and felonies. 

    
Arrests, convictions and imprisonment cannot be their only accountability. When the mayor is arrested protesting that DC should be granted statehood, what a farce, he wants more autonomy, while 20 people decide the entire fate of $65 billion in development and our parks, and neighborhoods reflect their values and priorities ,,and NOT OURS!  It is Shocking! Where is the Ballot referendum for the people to decide how we want our parks restored and neighborhoods preserved, and developed and shaped for our future, and our children. 
    
Today a delegation from Friends of McMillan Park met with Councilmember McDuffie, delivered a thick stack of signed petitions, and talked through the attached agenda. 

   

Attendees: CM McDuffie, Stephanie Liotta-Atkinson, Jon Mandel, Gwen Southerland, Tony Norman, John Salatti, Patrick Hudak, Kirby Vining, Hugh Youngblood

    

The big takeaway from the meeting was that CM McDuffie clarified his position that regardless of how many of his constituents oppose the VMP plan, he will continue to support the VMP plan. Please keep this in mind when he comes up for re-election in November. 

      

We look forward to hearing your testimony this Thursday June 5, 2013 night at the McMillan Park Surplus meeting starting at 630pm at All Nations Baptist Church. Please see the attached flyer for details about the event.

         
Daniel Goldon Wolkoff
Adams Morgan Stained Glass
1231 Randolph Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017
Tel: 202-232-8391
www.adamsmorganstainedglass.com