two upcoming McMillan Project community meetings – first meeting this Thursday, 03/29/2012 -- focusing upon the community amenities package

The MAG (McMillan Advisory Group) is sponsoring * two * meetings to hear the community`s issues, concerns, and ideas about the McMillan Project.

Date: Thursday, March 29th, 2012
Time: 7PM – 9PM
Location: All Nations Baptist Church
2001 North Capitol St NE (N Cap & RI Ave)

Date: Saturday, April 7th, 2012
Time: 2PM – 5pm
Location: The Summit
116 T Street NE (near McKinley HS)

For more detailed information, please call Dianne Barnes, 202 then 387 then 2497.

See this question from Bloomingdale resident Chris:

Dianne,

A question for clarification.... Are the two MAG-sponsored community meetings for general input on the project or is the focus specifically on the community amenities package?

Thanks

Chris

Read Dianne Barnes’ response:

Whatever input the community offer is welcome but the main issue is the community amenities package.

McMillan community benefits agreement (CBA) proposal kickoff letter

Followers of the McMillan Sand Filtration site project:

John Basile of EYA send a letter to MAG member Dianne Barnes from Jeff Miller that is titled "McMillan CBA proposal kickoff letter."

You can see this letter, dated 03-13-2012, in PDF format posted at the Bates Area Civic Association blog.

McMillan Advisory Group (MAG) meeting tonight, Thursday, 3-15-2012

From: Dianne Barnes
Sent: Saturday, March 10, 2012 10:43 PM
Subject: MAG Meeting

MAG Members:
There is a scheduled MAG Meeting. This is an open meeting to the public.

Date: Thursday, 15 March 2012
Time: 7PM - 9PM
Location: All Nations Baptist Church (corner of RI Ave, NE and North Capitol St NE).

Request that you come prepared to discuss the community benefits package.

Thanks in Advance.

Dianne Barnes
MAG Member
202 then 387 followed by 2497

McMillan Advisory Group (MAG) meeting – Thursday, 10-20-2011

See this message passed along by ANC 5C04 Commissioner John Salatti:

Hello Community MAG members,

Just a friendly reminder of our next MAG meeting on Thursday, October 20th, 7pm, at St. George`s Episcopal Church, 2nd & U Streets NW.

The Agenda will be devoted entirely to a review and discussion of the draft PUD application. Invited guests are VMP and Jeff Miller (DMPED`s Real Estate Office). I have also asked them to provide the listed information requested by the members.

Although this is a meeting for the community (voting) MAG members, all residents are welcome to attend.

Look forward to seeing you!

Gwen Southerland
Chair

=====
Requested Information from the city per our last meeting:

COMMUNITY BENEFITS PACKAGE
We need specificity in providing more information on the Community

Benefits Package (CBP) that was *not* included in the PUD Application, dated

July 25, 2011. It is my understanding that the CBP was submitted to the city and VMP by MAG approximately two years ago. I have also been advised that the CBP is required by DC law to be included in the PUD Application to the Zoning Commission (ZC). It would be extremely helpful if VMP could address this issue, in particular its exclusion from the PUD.

HARD COPIES
It would be very helpful if your office or VMP could provide 15 hard copies of the draft PUD Application for the voting community members of MAG.

GROCERS
Can you please provide more information on the plan for the grocery store? Mr. Jackson informed us at the last MAG meeting, that the grocery store is to be developed in Phase Two of the proposed plan. Needless to say, this was distressing information since the majority of the community would welcome a grocery store. Please provide a list of grocers that the VMP and/or the city has engaged, and the outcome(s).

MARKET STUDIES
The members have also asked for any and all market analysis and demographic studies conducted by VMP or the city.

McMillan Planned Unit Development (PUD) documents available for pubic review

See this message from ANC 5C03 Commissioner Hugh Youngblood:

Please publish the following note to the relevant listservs and blogs to help spread the word about the McMillan PUD documents available for public review.

Hello,

We need your help with McMillan.

On behalf of the for-profit McMillan development team, the DC Government intends to apply for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) in the coming months.

``A PUD is a planning tool which allows a developer greater flexibility in site planning and building design. This flexibility permits the developer to incorporate amenities in the project that exceed those that could have been achieved under the general provisions of the Zoning Regulations. When a project is designated as a PUD, the Zoning Commission usually mandates the development of standards specifically tailored to the project.`` (http://dcoz.dc.gov/services/zoning/commish.shtm)

There`s still time to make a difference. We invite you to review the draft McMillan PUD documents and collect your questions, comments, and concerns for submission to the Zoning Commission and the McMillan Advisory Group (MAG).

Please send me your email address if you`d like me to provide you access to the McMillan PUD documents via an online file repository.

Thank you,

Hugh Youngblood
ANC, SMD 5C03
anc5c03 @ gmail.com
@ANC5C03

tonight's Bloomingdale Civic Association meeting

See this message from Teri Janine Quinn, President, Bloomingdale Civic Association

Please Join Us for the Bloomingdale Civic Association Meeting
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 7pm at
St. George`s Episcopal Church
(2nd & U Streets, NW)

Agenda Highlights:

• Howard University – Update on Changes to the Campus Master Plan



• Update on BCA Representation on the McMillan Advisory Group (MAG)



• Heritage Trail Request for a Letter of Support



• ``Get the Rats Out of Here``: Presentation on reducing rats in the neighborhood from Gerard Brown, Program Manager, the Rodent & Vector Control Division, Bureau of Community Hygiene



• Discussion about Block Captains and Safety Issues with a representative from the 5th District Police Department



• North Capitol Main Street`s Request for a Letter of Support for the Art Walk

Please spread the word to your neighbors…especially those without Internet access. Also, St. George’s is fully handicapped accessible and has a separate room for families and children. We hope to see you Monday night!

The next Bloomingdale Civic Association Meeting will be held Monday July 18, 2011.

John Salatti wants to add some text regarding the meeting being family-friendly:

To ensure that all Bloomingdale meetings are family friendly, we have reserved a room at St. George`s for parents and children. They can use the space as a place to take a break during the meeting, or parents can organize some activities so that most parents can be in the meeting while other parents are watching and playing with the kids.

McMillan Advisory Group (MAG), DMPED & Vision McMillan Partners (VMP) meeting Thursday, 03/17/2011

A reminder from ANC 5C Commissioners James Fournier, John Salatti, and Hugh Youngblood:

As a follow-up to the flyer that many of you may have received, the McMillan Advisory Group (the "MAG") will be convening tomorrow, March 17, at 7:00pm at All Nations Baptist Church (on the corner of N. Capitol Street, NE and Rhode Island Avenue, NE) for a meeting between the MAG, the city, and Vision McMillan Partners (the development team).

The MAG has indicated to Clint Jackson, the Project Manager from the Deputy Mayor's Office (DMPED), that the MAG would like the city and the development group to:

- Provide us with updates regarding the development design, at what point the city is in the process, and next steps;

- Present to us the renderings of the most recent design;

- Describe the differences between the previous design (i.e., 2009) and the most recent design and, specifically, how the MAG's and the community's input were incorporated into the most recent design; and

- Share their thoughts about what role they envision the MAG playing at the different phases of the process.

The MAG voted last year to open to the public its meetings with the city and the development team, but public attendance is for observation purposes only.

(McMillan Sand Filtration site image used here courtesy of Bloomingdale resident Suzanne Des Marais.)

Mehdi Mansouri has resigned "the City has proven the depth of its corruption"-seeking McMillan Advisory Group (MAG) representation from Channing St NW

See this message from ANC 5C07 Commissioner Barrie Daneker:

As you can read below, Mr. Mansouri has resigned from the MAG Group. I am hoping that we can find a resident from Channing Street who will represent the interests of the residents of Channing St. I will be out in the community over the next few weeks talking to residents on Channing Street to find someone willing to put the time and energy into helping shape this project. I`d like to thank Mr. Mansouri for his time. If anyone from Channing Street NW is interested, please feel free to email me at 5C07@anc.dc.gov or call me at 202- 986- 8781.

Sincerely

Barrie Daneker
Commissioner 5C07
Financial Sec. ANC 5C
202- 986- 8781

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Mehdi Mansouri [mailto: Mehdi@eeducation.us]
Sent: Tue 10/5/2010 4:53 AM
To: `Mehdi Mansouri`
Subject: A New Direction

To the DC Community:

Once again the City has proven the depth of its corruption and its commitment to the businesses that are running our DC Government by denying my request to do a 15 minute presentation at the upcoming public meeting that the City is arranging to show people what it has decided to do with the McMillan sand filtration. And once again most MAG members have proven their continuous submissiveness to the criminals acts of the City by not asking any questions from the City, as they didn`t for the past three or four years (hence, their participation in the crimes of the City against WeThePeople).

Since none of my efforts so far produced any changes in the direction that the City and MAG are going (other than probably the City having adopted a ``new start`` for its old tricks), I am starting a new process and direction at a much broader legal and public range. As before, this legal and public process will include everyone who is involved in pushing the McMillan process forward, and will hold them responsible for their role in deceiving people and causing astronomic, unrecoverable damages and losses for WeThePeople. As I mentioned before, McMillan will be used as an example of elements in our society that cause and support corruption and closed doors in our government system, and therefore, devastation for WeThePeople. I will send out an email in the near future to officially announce the new efforts as well as a series of websites and forums that will serve as information dissemination and discussion tools on the subject of corruption and closed DC Government, as well as corrupt businesses that are pulling the strings of our so called ``government officials`` and ``politicians.``

Since I have all the information that I need to have regarding the MAG , and since I see most MAG members shamelessly continue betraying people`s trust in them, I see there is nothing else that I can do on the MAG as a representative of people. I believe now I can be more effective in my efforts in helping to clean our DC Government by not being on the MAG. As such, I am resigning from my MAG position as of now. Kenyan will be notified once the person who will replace me is identified. However, I will continue going to the MAG meetings as myself. In the meantime, I will also continue informing my neighbors on our street about MAG reports until the new person is identified.

Best Regards,

Mehdi

open letter from Mehdi Mansouri regarding notes taken at the August 2010 McMillan Advisory Group (MAG) meeting

Edgewood resident Michael Henderson attended the Thursday, August 26, 2010 meeting of the McMillan Advisory Group regarding the McMillan Sand Filtration site project.

Michael kindly took notes at this meeting and posted them at the EdgewoodDC.org website. Here is the link: http://www.edgewooddc.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/mag_august_2010.pdf. Michael makes it clear that his meeting notes are not official meeting minutes.

His notes were posted at the Historic Washington list at Yahoogroups.

Bloomingdale resident Mehdi Mansouri also attended this August 2010 MAG meeting.

Mehdi has responded with this open letter to Michael Henderson regarding his notes from the MAG meeting:

I have copied in Mehdi's open letter below:

Michael,

Your notes similar to the following were posted on Scott`s news a while ago. I see you are now distributing it to even a wider audience. That is why I think it is important to mention that you seem to be on the side of the City and not people. I say that because a) your notes are (severely) deceptive either intentionally or unintentionally, and that night in the meeting you did a number things to show your support of what the City and developers were saying, which were all nothing but deception. As your actions that might, your notes too are in complete support of the actions of the City, no matter what the City does. For example, you have mentioned ``The City has decided to pull together a full public process; asked a design team to work with the stake holders/ community; will be 3 public meetings; first one will be scheduled in September;`` Some questions are: Why has the City decided to this open process now after three years of telling people that the McMillan has been a ``full public process`` all the time, when in reality it was only the developers and the City who were making the plans behind heavily guarded closed doors? By saying this and doing this, the City is proving that they either lied for the past three years, or they are lying now, or both. If you think I am not right, tell me why am I not right? Why don`t you ask the City what made them ``open`` their process now? And how are they going to ensure that this process will truly involve and include people`s reasonable ideas and is not just anther empty word to deceive people? Why don`t you tell us why you think we can trust the City after three or four years of doing the closed process and now all of a sudden they decide to ``open the process?`` Is it not important to you to find out what changed? And what do you think the difference will be between the plan that will come out of this process this time, versus the infamous ``EYA Plan?`` Is it not important to you that if the City has been deceiving us for three or four years already, there is no reason to trust and believe them now in what they are saying, especially because still the same people with the same ultimate goals are running the ``show?``

I am fairly confident that you won`t answer the above questions or you won`t continue discussion with me until we come at truly logical and reasonable conclusions. My guess is that you have been hired by the City to pretend that you are not affiliated with the City and then distribute reports like this so the City can deceive people even more. If you think I am not correct with my evaluation of your report, I hope you would be willing to answer my above questions and continue our discussion until you truly show why you seem to be fully supportive of the City (because there is no single point in your report about what the City has been and is doing wrong out of countless cases that are there). I look forward to hearing from you.

Mehdi