Subject: Fwd: Call to Action: Please Send McMillan Park Testimony to Zoning Commission by May 7th
From: Hugh Youngblood
To: Scott Roberts
CC: John Salatti
Scott,
Please publish the following message to today's edition of the listserv.
Thank you,
Hugh
---------- Forwarded message ----------
http://friendsofmcmillan.org/call-to-action-please-send-mcmillan-park-testimony-to-zoning-commission-by-may-7th-2/
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
We need your help.
We’ve reached another critical moment in the Gray Administration’s plan to destroy historic landmark McMillan Park and replace it with a plan designed by Vision McMillan Partners (VMP). The DC Zoning Commission will consider the Mayor’s latest development plans and request to re-zone the the Park for high rise buildings and massive development in a set of public hearings beginning on Thursday, May 1st at 6:30 PM.
Like we did back in October with the Historic Preservation Review Board, we now need to flood the Zoning Commission with public comments in opposition to the lame duck Mayor’s plan. Let the Commission know that converting this historic Olmsted park into the proposed concrete monstrosity would cripple the surrounding communities with completely unacceptable impacts on traffic, parking, flooding, open space, and the environment. Please send your written testimony to the Zoning Commission by May 7th and attend the hearings to testify in person if possible.
Below we’ve included two sample letters as guidance for your letter to the Zoning Commission plus a list of points that you can use to tailor your draft.
Help us send the message to the Zoning Commission that this development plan is unacceptable for a Park that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places—our great city, the surrounding communities, and our historic landmark deserve better!
Are you available to testify in person at the Zoning Commission hearings on May 1st, 5th, and 8th? Here’s what you need to know: The hearings will take place at 441 4th Street NW, Room 220 South (Metro: Red line, Judiciary Square station). The zoning Case # is 13-14. Please bring printed copies of your testimony for the Commission if possible. If you have any questions, please contact restoremcmillan@gmail.com or 202.234.0427. A fourth hearing could also take place on May 13th.
Here are two sample letters to the Zoning Commission plus additional points:
- ZC Sample Letter 1 – Opposition to VMP
- ZC Sample Letter 2 – Opposition to VMP
- Points for your McMillan Park Zoning Testimony
Please see instructions below on how to present your views to the Zoning Commission for these important hearings.
To see all documents submitted for the hearings online:
Go to this web page:
Enter 13-14 in the ‘Search Term’ box, and click ‘Go.’ (13-14 is the “zoning case number” for the proposed VMP development). At the bottom of the page, beside information about case 13-14, click ‘View Details.’ On this page, under the ‘Case Documents,’ click ‘View Full Log’ and all the documents filed concerning this case will be visible, currently about 5 pages of them. To view any of these documents, click on ‘View’ on the far right side of any document.
To present oral testimony at the hearings:
Submit a copy of your written testimony before the hearing (see below) OR bring 12 copies with you to the hearing. Only 3 minutes are allowed for each speaker, 5 minutes for organizations, so submitting longer written testimony that you can refer to in your 3 minutes may help. The hearings will all take place at 441 4th St., NW, Suite 220 South, all at 6:30PM. (Metro rail to the Judiciary Square station)
To submit written testimony:
Go to this web page to create an “IZIS Account” (necessary to submit any documents):
Then go to this page and log in with the login/password you created above:
http://app.dcoz.dc.gov/Login.aspx . Click on “file documents in an existing case,” and then specify case number 13-14, and ‘select’ that case in the next window. Click ‘choose file’ to select the document on your computer that you wish to submit as your written testimony, then select ‘document type.’ If you oppose the current development plan, you would select ‘Letter in Opposition.’ Your letter should explain your position and why you think McMillan Park should not be zoned to permit high-rise buildings. Then hit ‘Submit’ and your document should soon be visible in the list of documents for case 13-14 (see instructions above for how to see all documents for these hearings).
Thank you for your support!
ReplyDeleteThis development is not a monstrosity, of concrete , paving, privatization, carbon emissions, crowding, congestion, traffic in a cul-de-sac, storm water mitigation, and destruction of sklyline sunset vistas, and historic demolition of a designated landmark.
How is it that in early 1900's, when Washington DC had much less resources than it has today, the real Senator James McMillan Plan could start to create "the emerald necklace" of extensive parks to serve all of the City. Rock Creek Park, like McMillan, was designed by Olmsted, America's premiere Landscape Architects, and we had a Central park, "Great Place", the DC govt. has relegated to obscurity, in a shameful, waste of incredible proportions.
While the rest of DC was open fields and farms, wooded, and hardly developed. But they had the foresight to provide healthy parkland to all of DC.
So now with the power and budget of a state,, and huge budget surplus, and virtually all of DC land over-developed and urbanized, we don't have the foresight to preserve all 25 acres of McMillan? As a real park, like Meridian Hill, saving McMillan will advance the "emerald necklace" as developers and their lackeys in govt. gobble up the little remaining open space, for incredible profit. To reduce the heat island effect, and reduce DC carbon emissions, for a cooler, breezy , open space, we need our park! We so desperately must preserve McMillan which is part of private development. The water project wasn't to help the Bloomingdale neighbors homes from sewage flooding. the water project is to keep the DEVELOPMENT JUGGERNAUT rolling along.
Private streets and 3000 parking spaces. And the subversion of even our sincere opposition. Our own tax money is spent on, an "astroturf", fake grass roots campaign of contrived support, from PR firm Jamie Fontaine from Baltimore.
The government of the District of Columbia is already a worldwide embarrassment, and all our recent convicted felons on the City Council had a part, and oversight of the VMP plan, with city officials swinging in and out of the revolving door, back and forth from govt. to VMP's legal hot shots, Holland and knight. Jeff Miller the Deputy Mayor for Real Estate, our mayor's manager for the VMP monstrosity, came right from Vice President of Real Estate at the main development partner Trammel-Crow...
How did the District Government have the arrogance to spend $250,000 a year on cutting a useless lawn on the site, but never spent a dime on preparing the site for re-access for the community for almost 30 years! This govt. would have made this a showplace of historic preservation and community recreation had it just been located in the white, upper income areas of DC. Blatant racism, and economic class discrimination, as plain as the nose on your face! To spend $250,000 a year, which is $1000 a day, but not to spend a dime to secure any minor hazards, and make the 25 acres safe to play, and picnic and enjoy the sunset vistas. Were we ever abused by this corrupt govt? The people's requests to re-open the park after WWII, was denied. Recently, Jeff Miller of the Deputy Mayor's office even terminated the perfectly safe tours run by BNCA, John Sallati, when 100's of DC residents were enthralled by the fascinating 20 acres of underground water filtration cells, and support for the preservation of the park was increasing.
The record of malfeasance of office by successive administrations has been so abominable as to preclude the district from ever being allowed to do what is happening now. A humongous money driven, greenhouse gas emitting, traffic congesting, monstrosity development, a private party to control the decisions and the future.
The "surplussing land disposition", a billion dollar give- away of your public assets to a private development conglomerate by a mayor elected by massive electoral fraud.
Fight global warming, for your own healthy recreation space for your families. STOP THE RE-ZONOING! It is not a monstrosity!LOL