Friends of McMillan Park Annual Progress and Giving Season Donations Rally

From: Friends of McMillan Park
Date: Tue, Dec 1, 2020 at 8:08 PM
Subject: Friends of McMillan Park Annual Progress and Giving Season Donations Rally

 

Preserve, restore, and reopen McMillan Park for the people.  View this email in your browser                                             FRIENDS of McMILLAN PARK   Contribute to the Friends of McMillan Park Legal Fund, Donate Now   Friends of McMillan Park Annual Progress and Giving Season Donations Rally! With giving season upon us, the aim to save McMillan Park from destruction continues and we hope with your support. The legal work we continue is not free and only with your continued support can we accomplish this objective. Key recent activities and outcomes of Friends of McMillan Park's actions this year are: The D.C. Court of Appeals' May, 2019 decision approved the unfavorable Zoning and Historic Preservation decisions but also indicated in its conclusion that “The applicants are not at liberty to  begin demolition or subdivision, however, unless the appeal of their PUD approval is favorably resolved  and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs independently determines that they possess the ability to complete the project.” Friends of Mc Millan Park subsequently formally informed DCRA of the Court’s requirements concerning DCRA's role. Following the issuance of a demolition permit by DCRA in August, 2019, Friends of McMillan Park requested an injunction. On February 19, 2020, the Court of Appeals granted an injunction against any demolition or construction activity on the McMillan site until that Court decides this case.  The Court also said, “We do not decide on the question whether DCRA’s issuance of the demolition permit is reviewable by the DC OAH (Office of Administrative Hearings)” and the Court “enjoined OAH to complete its review of this matter” (whether OAH can properly review the demolition permit issuance). The OAH review process is still ongoing.  There was a hearing on the matter in November 2020, but OAH has not issued a final decision, promising a decision “soon.” Friends of McMillan Park expects the case to return to the Court of Appeals regarding the issue of whether the applicant provided, and DCRA independently verified, satisfactory proof of the financial ability to complete the project, as instructed in the Court’s May 2019 decision. (See additional details of the above on our web page) With the giving season upon us, please consider making a donation to help replenish our legal fund and continue our mission to preserve, restore, and adaptively reuse historic McMillan Park in Washington, DC for the benefit of the people. We know that our City can do better than to let historic McMillan Park become an amorphous grid of buildings. Your donation provided in December 2020 will be matched 100% for the first US $5,000 to help us reach our current goal of US $50,000 to replenish our legal fund. All proceeds benefit the Save McMillan Park Legal Fund. Happy holidays! To make a gift, please click: https://www.crowdrise.com/savemcmillanpark Friends of McMillan Park is a 501(c)3 educational non-profit. Donations to this cause are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. To obtain a letter confirming your donation and the tax-exempt status of your donation, please contact Friends of McMillan Park Treasurer Kirby Vining at 202 213-2690 or at restoremcmillan@gmail.com.    Friends of McMillan Park is now a part of the Amazon Smile program, allowing you to directly and automatically donate to the Friends of McMillan Park when you shop on Amazon.com.  See this link for more information:  https://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-0977224 Thank you for your continued interest and support! John Salatti, Kirby Vining, and Hugh Youngblood Board of Directors, Friends of McMillan Park, Inc.  If you have any questions, please contact restoremcmillan@gmail.com or call 202.213.2690.       Copyright © 2020 Friends of McMillan Park, Inc., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: restoremcmillan@gmail.com .