Friends of McMillan Park hosts educational tweet campaign in opposition to McMillan zoning application

Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 15:05:08 -0700
From: erinwhite@yahoo.com
Subject: PRESS RELEASE: Friends of McMillan Park Hosts Educational Tweet Campaign in Opposition to McMillan Zoning Application
To: 
                                                                 

Friends of McMillan Park

For Release: July 28, 2014

Contact: Erin Fairbanks, 240-506-6777, erinwhite@yahoo.com, @czarinamaude

Friends of McMillan Park Hosts Educational Tweet Campaign in Opposition to McMillan Zoning Application

                   

In anticipation of the DC Zoning Commission’s decision this evening, the Friends of McMillan Park hosted a teach-in style Twitter campaign with to highlight how the Gray Administration’s plan to destroy historic McMillan Park would turn this national and local landmark into a private, high-end, high-rise, car-centered development reminiscent of Tyson’s Corner.

                  

The series of tweets from @McMillanPark included links to videos and documents of record that cover McMillan’s history, the gridlock traffic that would be generated by the thousands of additional vehicles in the Mayor’s plan, the proposed out-of-scale high-rise office buildings, the proposed destruction of the beautiful sand filtration caverns needed for flood mitigation and water conservation, and the city-funded effort by an out-of-town PR firm to "neutralize" legitimate grassroots opposition.

                         

The tweets specifically called out Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie for failing to represent the multitudes of his constituents in Stronghold, Bloomingdale, Eckington, and the surrounding communities who are deeply concerned about the misguided development proposal.

      

“These tweets are part of continuing public campaign to keep our thousands of followers and our elected officials fully informed about the most salient points in this multifaceted preservation project, and to educate others about how enormous the stakes are at McMillan Park,” said Hugh Youngblood, Executive Director of the Friends. “We hope to engage stakeholders from across the District and beyond.” The campaign used the hashtag #mcmillanzoning so that readers could easily follow and contribute to the day-long Twitter conversation.

    

The Zoning Commission will announce its ruling on the Mayor’s McMillan Park PUD application this evening at 6:30pm at 441 4th Street N.W., Washington, DC, in Room 220 South. Those unable to attend in person can stream the meeting online by looking up case # 13-14 here: http://dcoz.dc.gov/services/OnDemandVideo.shtm.

        

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