We want to let you know that ANC 3F is creating a “Van Ness Vision Committee” to look into ways to improve the Van Ness commercial areas. The Committee formation is on the agenda for the ANC’s next regular meeting, to be held on February 19, 2013, at The Methodist Home, 4901 Connecticut Avenue, NW. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m., but we do not know when this item will be discussed.

If you are interested in participating, you can attend the meeting or you can contact the ANC chair Adam Tope at adam@adamtope.com.

“Think globally, act locally” became a leading environmental movement slogan in the 1970′s. People had fled the city for the white picket fence quarter acre and a two-car garage. Companies relocated to sprawling suburban campuses and shopping malls with acres of parking were springing up like dandelions. Washington’s 1950’s-era zoning codified an auto-centric mindset focused on parking and downtown interior malls (“gallerias” meant to compete with the suburban malls) destroying the very qualities that made urban life attractive while enabling sprawl, wreaking havoc on the environment and the coffers of jurisdictions trying to provide expensive infrastructure for low density suburbs, or services in cities with a diminishing tax base.

Some planners resisted, but in the face of Departments of Transportation (and Federal funding) showing a marked preference for automobiles over people and an “urban renewal” mentality in city planning that swept poor residents from their neighborhoods, it was an uphill battle. Urban poverty, crack, crime and racism didn’t make it any easier. Sprawl was king, farmland was disappearing at an alarming rate, the quality of urban life was in the tank, and regional environmental quality was not far behind. Like many cities, DC lost almost half its population. Not coincidentally, people started talking about something called Global Warming.

In the early 1990′s, Maryland leaders recognized this failure and a coalition of environmentalists – the “Save the Bay” community, urban advocates and the agriculture community – created the first of several initiatives we call “smart growth”. The basic idea was to focus new development where transportation and other infrastructure existed while preserving and protecting farming, forest, and other natural features.

Fast forward two decades, and a very similar progressive coalition – affordable housing, transportation and environmental advocates – vigorously supported candidate Barack Obama, whose 2008 campaign featured improving American cities. Among the first pieces of legislation introduced by the Obama Administration, the Livable Communities Act, required HUD, EPA, DOT and SBA to evaluate federal proposals to ensure proper coordination. In other words, no longer would the federal government subsidize housing projects that were isolated from transportation infrastructure or dispersed without the integrated review of the EPA. America was finally catching up to the rest of the world recognizing the environmental imperative of focusing housing and business on transportation corridors and protecting green space.

So how does that manifest in the District?

DC’s exciting urban revitalization is attracting new residents to existing infrastructure – roads, utilities and public transportation. It is clearly good to broaden the tax base, and it is certainly good for the environment when these new residents live a car-free or car-light lifestyle, hence the strong support for alternative transportation infrastructure (both hardware such as streetcars and software such as new approaches to parking) and new housing (both big buildings on avenues and little ones in alleys) that reflect the desires of younger residents to save thousands of dollars per year on car expenses and use the savings to build up a nest egg, pay off student loans or pump back into the economy one latte at a time.

In Ward 3 that means we might have new housing along transit corridors made more affordable housing by decoupling parking from rent. New residents will support local restaurants, shops, grocery stores and other services that benefit all. It also strengthens the market for homes as apartment residents start families and look to buy in the neighborhood.

Yes, developers build these buildings. Does that make it “republican” or some sort of conspiracy? Ward3Vision believes there is room for a few more residents in our terrific neighborhoods by way of some transit corridor density and addition of modest ADUs. We believe new understanding of the environmental impact of development means we should demand even higher standards than we did of the past developers who built the houses and high-rises of Ward 3. We believe the character of our neighborhoods – their livability and walkability – could be enhanced by new environmentally responsible development.

The progressive democratic leadership of the country agrees. Smart Growth is the best policy.

Think Globally, Act Locally.

Side note: throughout the 1990′s, the Maryland State office responsible for this project was none other than current DC OP Director Harriet Tregoning.

Looking Back on 2012:

• American University Law School relocation to the Tenley Campus
• Babe’s/The Bond at Tenley
• Capital Bikeshare
• Davenport Street Safeway
• Cleveland Park Giant/Cathedral Commons
• Dialogues on Development
• City Council Hearings

Looking Forward to 2013:

• Changes to the Zoning Ordinance
• Development in Ward 3

Thank you again for your support and willingness to get involved this past year.  As always please encourage like minded neighbors to get on our email list and if you are interested in being more actively involved with the group please feel free to email us at info@ward3vision.org.

Please follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Happy Holidays and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year from Ward3Vision.

–
The Ward3Vision Steering Committee
info@ward3vision.org

LOOKING BACK ON 2012

American University Law School relocation to the Tenley Campus

Ward3Vision continues to be engaged with American University and is pressing the university to further refine the design of the law school front lawn at Capital Hall to enliven Wisconsin Avenue at Tenley Circle.  Nationally, many universities have created exciting public spaces in similar situations, building on the student population and enhancing both town and gown.

Babe’s/The Bond at Tenley

In this project located on Wisconsin Avenue a block and a half from Metro, the developer proposed a building with no parking for residents, some additional retail space, and significant improvements to the streetscape.  Ward3Vision supported the project because it is so close to Metro and included restrictions on Residential Parking Permits to protect nearby neighbors.

As Transit-Oriented Development increases the walkability throughout DC, and biking and car-sharing make it easier to live car-free or car-lite, we are not surprised to see the demand for parking near Metro diminish.  The results can be significant improvements in neighborhood quality of life – fewer cars, less traffic, more pedestrian activity on the sidewalks, more demand for nearby shops and restaurants, storefront improvements to better compete, on and on.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E voted to support the proposed PUD at 4600 Wisconsin Avenue at its October meeting.   The Zoning Commission held public hearings on the case in November and Ward3Vision was a party in support at these hearings.   The Zoning Commission is expected to rule on the case in early 2013.

Capital Bikeshare

In December the District’s Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced 78 new Capital Bikeshare (CABI) stations, including several along Wisconsin, Connecticut and Massachusetts Avenues in Ward 3.  Additionally Montgomery County will soon start participating in CABI and will likely install a station on the Maryland side in Friendship Heights.  Ward3Vision also participated in several meetings regarding expanded on-street bicycle facilities in Ward 3 with a focus on pressing DDOT to implement recommendations in the DC Bicycle Master Facilities Plan.

Davenport Street Safeway

Ward3Vision opposed the redevelopment of this store unless it was part of a mixed-use project befitting its transit-oriented development location and Safeway came back with a proposal for grocery store in a residential building.  Numerous meetings were held with neighbors, the ANC, Councilmember Cheh and the development team.  Although a consensus was reached on the appropriate type of development for this important site, the project is currently on hold and we hope to see it again this year.

Cleveland Park Giant/Cathedral Commons

After nearly 12 years of engagement, debate and discussion, Ward3Vision is excited that construction has finally begun on the new Giant and Cathedral Commons development in Cleveland Park.

Dialogues on Development

Ward3Vision is committed to the kind of open dialogue about Smart Growth that will dispel the misinformation that sometimes threatens to undermine the progressive goals of walkable urbanism we have for our neighborhoods.

In February, we hosted a discussion entitled Implementing Smart Growth in DC and Ward 3 featuring a high profile panel including:

• Cheryl Cort, Policy Director at the Coalition for Smarter Growth
• Chris Leinberger, professor at the George Washington University School of Business and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
• Roger Lewis, architect and author of the Shaping the City column in the Post
• Harriet Tregoning, Director of the DC Office of Planning

Ward3Vision sponsored two events in October.  First, In the Trenches – Advocating for Smart Growth with:

• David Alpert, founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Greater Greater Washington blog
• Jeff Davis, citizen turned activist and leader of AWARE, which advocated for Cathedral Commons
• Ellen McCarthy, Director of Land Use and Planning at Arent Fox, and former Director of the DC Office of Planning

Later in October, Ward 3Vision joined the Coalition for Smarter Growth in sponsoring a very well-attended walking tour and discussion of the past failures, and future hopes for the Van Ness Metro neighborhood.  We stressed the point that density is not enough to create walkable urbanism absent thoughtful design choices.  The tour was led by:

• Matt Bell, Principal at EEK Architects
• Andrea Limauro, Ward 3 Neighborhood Coordinator, DC Office of Planning
• Kelly Peterson, DC Department of Transportation
• Erik L. Thompson, University of the District of Columbia

City Council Hearings

Members of Ward3Vision testified in 2012 before the City Council about the Zoning Re-write and proposed changes to the Residential Parking Permit program. Ward3Vision also testified in opposition to some components of the Historic Preservation Application for AU’s Tenley Campus when it came before the Historic Preservation Review Board.

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2013

Changes to the Zoning Ordinance

The DC Office of Planning (DCOP) will likely be submitting final recommendations for updating the District’s Zoning Ordinances to the Zoning Commission sometime this spring.   At this time DCOP is hosting a series of meetings across the city to introduce the draft proposals to the community – theWard 3 meeting will be held at Wilson High School on January 8th at 630PM and we encourage all supporters of Ward3Vision to attend.  Although the proposed changes are progressive and somewhat modest, much of the noise about and opposition to them has been coming from Ward 3 so it is important that pro smart growth members of the community be engaged in this process.  Ward3Vision anticipates testifying when the Zoning Commission votes on various components of the Zoning re-write.

Development in Ward 3

It is contemplated that there is upwards of a billion dollars being invested in the Wisconsin Avenue corridor.  This includes anticipated 2013 development proposals that will be unveiled for the Martens site at 4800 Wisconsin Avenue and theSafeway store across 42nd Street at Davenport Street and others.

Despite the progress of the past year promoting the environmental imperative of Smart Growth and the joys of urbanism we find there are still many who are skeptical and opposed to new proposals.  The owners of the vacant lot at Military Road and Connecticut Avenue are proposing an apartment building on their land, and some in the community are organizing in opposition, claiming this is an inappropriate site for residential density despite the fact that Connecticut Avenue is lined with historic buildings of similar heights and densities and has long been considered a successful mixed use corridor.  Even though this is a ‘matter-of-right’ building there will be meetings to discuss it.  Ward3Vision hopes we can help move the discussion from density to design, from quantity to quality, and to focus on ways the new structure can contribute to, rather than contrast with, the neighborhood.