[from Andrew McGilvray]
As many folks have already heard, the management of the Old Soldiers Home Property has released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as a further step towards sale of much of their land. Information about the process -- including opportunity for public comment -- can be found on the internet at www.afrhdevelopment.com. The Soldiers Home management has NOT put the draft EIS on the internet, but the United Neighborhood Coalition (www.u-n-c.org) is in the process of scanning it to make it available on the web. We hope to have the several hundred pages of the EIS up by the middle of next week.
We also plan to have a table at the June 4 Farmers Market (www.u-n-c.org/market) where neighbors can learn more on this, as well as about an opportunity on June 11 to visit the Lincoln Cottage (on the Soldiers Home property) that the National Historic Trust is restoring so that it can be a major historic attraction. There are only 30 slots available for the Lincoln Cottage visit -- we will conduct a sign-up on a first-come, first-served basis at the table at the June 4 Farmers' Market. (Because slots for the visit are so limited, please sign up only if you'll actually be able to participate.)
Before cracking open that EIS statement, and so that everyone is informed - you'll find much of what you want to know regarding the development of this property by reading (or quickly perusing)the contents of the new web site created for this project at http://www.afrhdevelopment.com
It lists a schedule - including the beginning of development in 2007.
The pictures posted on the site detail exactly what they are planning.
The development of this Federal property is governed by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPCand I suggest everyone become familiar with their review process, which is described at http://www.ncpc.gov/actions/review_process.html.
You can also subscribe to their mailing list as well (http://www.ncpc.gov/meeting_info/mailing_list.html)
On JUNE 2, 2005, the NCPC will hold its monthly meeting and the tentative agenda lists this project under "Information Item" -and states "update on master plan" - no public comments.
Hopefully a meeting (stemming from the interest shown here) can be scheduled after everyone has kind of "processed" what they perceive will be the ramification of the development plans.
Posted by: flower_dc | May 27, 2005 at 06:35 PM