Please let folks know that Holland & Knight filed a document just now with the following caption:
Public benefits and project amenities
1. Urban Design, Architecture, Site Planning, Landscaping, and Open Space: a) New network of blocks, streets and alleys that permeate the site; b) Comprehensive mixed use, mixed-income development (1) Medical office, (2) Residential, (3) Retail/grocery store, (4) Community center; c) Connects site to adjacent residential areas d) Substantial public open space:: (1) More than 60% of the total site is not occupied by buildings (2) 5.8 acre park and community center
2. Public Infrastructure: a) Project site work b) Restoration of Cell 14 c) Community center and park d) All streets, alleys, sidewalks, bike paths e) Olmsted Walk and berm f) All related utilities and landscaping, trees g) All related streetscape improvements and street furniture, including lighting, benches, trash receptacles, bicycle racks
3. Uses of special benefit: a) Retail/grocery store (1) Total retail of approximately 97,770 square feet (2) Includes potential grocery store of approximately 52,920 square feet; b) Community center - 17,500 square feet
4. Housing and Affordable Housing: a) 674 units of new housing, in single family and apartment houses, for both rental and ownership opportunities b) Workforce housing - 400 units ?? c) 85 senior apartment units @ 50% to 60% of AMI d) 25 apartments @ 80% of AMI e) 18 rowhouses @ 80% of AMI f) 19% of total number of units and 15% of the gross floor area will be affordable at the levels specified g) 66,935 square feet countable towards IZ h) Additional 67,775 square feet devoted to senior housing
5. CBE Participation: a) CBE agreement b) 25% development participation by a CBE
6. Training and Employment Opportunities: a) First Source Employment Agreement with DOES; b) Creation of approximately 3,000 new jobs during construction; c) Approximately 3,200 permanent jobs
7. Environmental Benefits: a) Minimum LEED-NC (new construction) certification; b) LEED Silver level certification or higher for individual buildings; c) GAR of 0.254, in excess of the minimum required of 0.2; d) Improvement to storm water management conditions in the area
8. Historic preservation: a) All regulator houses and sand bins are being preserved, as well as at least 1 sand washer, majority of service court walls and portals; b) Cell 14 being preserved; c) Cell 28 adjacent to the South Service Court incorporated into park design; d) Restoring Olmsted Walk; e) Signage program on-site to identify historic resources; f) Consistent with approvals from Historic Preservation Review Board
9. Community benefits: a) $250,000 for scholarships for community residents; b) $50,000 to DC Public Schools for programs at Dunbar and McKinley Technical High schools; c) $150,000 to facilitate business start-ups in the project; d) 1,800 square feet of community event space in one of the medical office buildings or the mixed use building (Parcel 4); e) $150,000 for neighborhood beautification projects in surrounding communities balanced against
Mat
1 comment:
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. The Gem of the National Park Service was already serving upper North West, 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 the land over-developed and urbanized, we don't have the foresight to preserve all of 25 acres of McMillan. As a real park, like Meridian Hill, and "advance the 'emerald necklace" as developers and their lackeys in govt. gobble up the little remaining open space we so deserately must preserve. Any city in the entire world would have restored this park and cherrished the fascinating historic treasure, long ago. Something very backward and anti-urban with this VMP monstrosity, and it's McPark, lawn in front of a comercial corridor, they are jamming down our throats in a full court press. That includes the subversion of even our sincere opposition , 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 worlwide embarrassment, and all our recent convicted felons on the City Council had a par, and oversight of the VMP plan, with city officials swinging in and out of the revolving door, back and forth from govt. to Holland and knight, and Jeff Miller himself, our mayor's manager of this atrocity, came right from Vic President 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 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 Sallatti, 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, that you ain't invited to.
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. Enough! take it back DC. for the value in fighting global warming, for your own healthy recreation space for your families.
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