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For Release: March 2, 2007
For
More Information Contact:
Cheryl
Cort CSG, 202-244-4408 x112
Tom
Hier, Ward 3 Vision, 202-365-4311 (cell)
Laura
Olsen, CSG, 202-320-4578 (cell)
Community & Environmental Groups support Redevelopment
along Wisconsin Avenue
Project could be
City’s first certified green residential
building
On March 8th, the DC Zoning Commission will consider what
could be the city’s first certified green residential
building. The proposal, redevelopment of a used car lot a
block from the Friendship Heights Metro into a mixed use
building, is receiving support from neighbors and environmental
groups.
“There are many of us in the neighborhood who want
to see Wisconsin Ave. improved to set a benchmark for quality
development in the city, and this project is certainly one
of those,” said Ellen Myer, a Tenleytown resident,
in a letter to the Zoning Commission.
If approved, this project will be an important first step
toward redeveloping upper Wisconsin Avenue and will set a
high bar for future redevelopment projects.
“The quality of the development proposal, its location,
and the community amenities provided make this the right
building at the right scale, in the right place,” said
Tom Hier, Chair of Ward 3 Vision, an active community group
working to ensure new development is positive and forward-thinking,
and brings new life and vibrancy to Ward 3 neighborhoods.
Ward 3 Vision and the Coalition for Smarter Growth have
worked hard over the past year to improve this project and
ensure that the community receives the maximum benefit.
“Overwhelmingly, what we hear from Ward 3 residents
is a desire for redevelopment along Wisconsin Avenue that
will provide more local shops and restaurants and a vibrant
street life,” said Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for
the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “This project is
a step towards that vision while also providing affordable
housing, a precedent-setting green building, bicycle parking,
and onsite carsharing all within steps of the Metro.”
The project has not only been endorsed by the members of
Ward 3 Vision, but also by the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club,
Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, former three-term Councilmember
Kathy Patterson, and the Washington Smart Growth Alliance,
which includes members from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,
the Coalition for Smarter Growth and the Urban Land Institute.
“Too often local governments accept poorly planned
development, and the traffic that goes with it, because they
believe they have no other choice,” said Chris Carney,
a Sierra Club organizer. “By speaking up for a good
proposal, we hope D.C. area residents will look at this project
and demand better ones in their own neighborhoods.”
After the March 8th public hearing, the Zoning Commission
will consider public comments and vote on the proposal, generally
within a few months.
For more information about the proposal, visit www.Ward3Vision.org
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