AFRH meeting

A public meeting will be held this Wednesday [6/22] about development plans for the Armed Forces Retirement Home property. Specifically, this meeting is for public comment on the draft Environmental Impact Statement.

This may be one of the only chances for the community to have input in the development process. Many residents would like to see some of the Soldiers Home property made into a public park; others want to ensure that the proposed large-scale development is well-designed and won't adversely impact the surrounding communities.

Now is the time to be informed - and to make your voice heard about a project that is coming and will affect all residents.

Wednesday, June 22, 7-9pm
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Scott Building Auditorium
(enter via the gate at Upshur and Rock Creek Church)

Comments

[gary rice]

Thanks Bill for the dialogue. Hope you can make it to the meeting on the 22nd. We do need input from the community as we are part of the community and certainly the folks living in this area need to be able to comment and have a decision in the disposition of the land surrounding them. gary

[Bill]

Thanks for all the input Gary. My hope - which seems to be shared by at least some residents - is that a modest amount of public green space can be retained in the overall development scheme. Perhaps by selling or leasing a parcel of land to the city so that it does generate income for the Home? My understanding is that DC is open to acquiring fed land in such cases.

Bill

[gary rice]

i agree with some of what you have said but parkland is not an answer when money is needed to go into the trust fund to keep the Home operational in the out years. it must be developed so that we will have a continuous income over a period of years. we also need funds to renovate or build a new dormitory building for independent living. taxpayers have never had to support this home in recent years. the funds have come from active monthly deductions, fines for violations of the uniform code of military justice by active duty military, and a users fee charged to veterans and retirees living at the Home. the community should have a say but you must keep it focused on income producing sources. we must be a self supporting entity of the Federal government. we can only do that by having more sources of income over the long term. hope you understand my point of view. i realize it will have an impact on the neighboring communities and we want you to voice those concerns at the meeting on 06/22/05. but you must understand without long term planning for future financing of the Home; there may not be a Home and the Federal government will sell it off at will. the residents will be forced to go to VA nurtsing homes, private nursing homes or back with their families.

[AJS]

In response to the above comment, first, it's not clear selling half the campus -- the Home's only remaining asset -- will solve the AFHR's money problem.

Second, the neighborhoods have a right to participate in the development process, a process that will impose significant hardships on Petworth and Park View. If park land will help ameliorate some of those hardships, then park land must be considered.

Finally, the Soldiers Home's history is *all* of our history, and there is a public interest in maintaining that history. The Home was established in the 19th Century with money obtained by General Winfield Scott, who was about to lay siege to Mexico City when the City paid $100,000 not to do so. That money went to buy the land for the original Soldiers Home.

The Soldiers Home originally had about 500 acres. Now it has only about 200, and is proposing to get rid of most of that. Despite giving away all its land the Home is in worse financial shape then ever. Because the AFRH's proposed solution to its financial woes is dubious at best, this is all the more reason to preserve as much as possible.

[gary rice]

Please Note: the land is being developed to bring in money for our trust fund. parks will not provide the results we are looking for.