Soldiers Home meeting

The second Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) "master plan" meetings for Petworth residents is tonight.

Development plans will be discussed and community input is being solicited. You can register to attend by calling 202-558-7029 (M-F, business hours) or through the AFRH website.

I've attached a comment about last Friday's meeting. Seems like so far the AFRH folks aren't delivering a high degree of confidence in the sincerity of their community outreach.

Monday, October 24, 7pm
St. Gabriel's Church
26 Grant Circle NW

Comments

[Ed]

The following I copied from the ncpc.com website. So basically they say the government SHOULD be finding a way to turn parts of the AFRH campus into public parkland. Who do I need to contact to find out more about that decision making process?

Preservation and Maintenance Policies

The federal government should:

1. Enhance parks and preserve open green space for future generations.
2. Maintain and conserve federal open space as a means of shaping and enhancing urban areas.
3. Preserve open space that is crucial to the long-term quality of life of a neighborhood or the region.
4. Conserve and maintain the essential open space character of areas in the region with significant park, open space, cultural, or natural qualities that contribute to the setting of the National Capital Region. Such areas include the National Arboretum, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, and McMillan and Dalecarlia Reservoirs.
5. Conserve portions of military reservations that add significantly to the inventory of park, open space, and natural areas and should, to the extent practicable, be used by the public for recreation. Examples include Andrews Air Force Base, Fort Belvoir, U.S. Soldiers and Airmens Home, Fort Meade, and Marine Corps Base Quantico.
6. Maintain wildlife refuge areas in the region as critical natural open space and protect these areas from potential adverse impacts from surrounding developments, including major highway or other transportation projects.
7. Maintain and conserve trees and other vegetation in the landscaped buffer areas on federal installations in a natural condition. Perimeter roads and cleared areas on these sites should be kept to a minimum, carefully landscaped, and managed in a manner that addresses security, aesthetics, and natural character.
8. Enter joint ventures to acquire and manage parks and open space.

[A.J.]

After reading the post about Frank Smith being on AFRH's planning committee, I'm finding the committee's "coziness" (and AFRH's chutzpah!) quite striking. More specifically, Joe Ruffin, who is heading up community outreach for AFRH, said at the October United Neighborhood Coalition meeting that he used to work for former DC Councilmember Frank Smith. Looks to me like now Joe Ruffin and company need members of the "community" to pad/derail the planning committee, so Joe digs up his ex-boss... Like I said, it certainly all seems very cozy and also makes the whole process look even more questionable.

[Joseph Martin]

That there is only one person representing all of Petworth, ANC Commissioner Timothy Jones, indicates to me the "community participation" aspect of the planning committee is not serious. Moreover, it is standard practice that if any commissioners participate in meetings before governmental agencies, they are welcome to represent their own Single Member District (SMD) but cannot lay claim to represent the full Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) without a vote by their respective ANC endorsing their actions. I asked that the reference to ANC 4C be replaced in AFRH materials with a reference to Commissioner Jones' Single Member District reference. The AFRH refuses, suggesting to me that they are more than happy to fraudulently lead people to believe ANC 4C has endorsed the process and Commissioner Jones' participation. For the record, we may even vote to have Commissioner Jones, and I welcome his participation. Karen Archer, the retiring chair of ANC 4C, confirmed yesterday that she never heard from the AFRH about the formation of a planning committee and was never asked to have a representative of ANC 4C on the planning committee.

Joseph Martin
Acting Chair, ANC 4C
SMD 4C09 Commissioner
202-309-1817 cell

[Ed]

So I came home from tonight's meeting at St Gabriels and since then have read all my emails with posts about what went on at Saturdays meeting which I missed. I was wondering what the Metropolis Development Company, listed on the planning committee, was. Turns out this is the same company that's building all of those "luxury loft" condos along 14th street and near Logan Circle. I'm game for them to be interested in the Great Streets program and Georgia Avenue redevelopment, but AFRH? Since I moved to Quincy Street less than 2 years ago several houses on the street have been sold, renovated and turned into condos. This means that where there once was a single family home, there are now 2 to 3 condos. Do we need more condos in Petworth? Do we need them to start going in further and further away from the Metro station and main transportation avenues? Where will all the new parking spaces come from??
Another question I have.... Who is Frank Smith Jr.? He is on the Planning Committee and is listed as being affiliated with the African American Civil War Memorial. Does he live in the neighborhood near Soldiers Home? Is he an authority who is consulting with AFRH on the preservation and memorialization of Lincoln's Cottage? If not, why was he invited to join the planning committee? Was anyone from the National Trust for Historic Preservation invited to join the committee?
Kudos for all the residents who stood and asked questions about this process!

[Cliff]

If anyone is interested, here are my notes from todays meeting..

Hosts:
Steven G. McManus – CFO
Nancy Czapek – GSA
Desa Sealy Ruffin

This meeting was basically a waste of time. They really offered no new information, and only offered information that was at times contradictory. At one point Nancy Czapek said that this was an open process and then at another point she said that the plan was more than 50% complete and its too far in the process to change now, or add members to the development panel they have formed. Another time she said about 4 acres in zone 3 and 4 would be saved as green space but not accessible to the public, then later she said it would be. Nancy said they are only looking at developing zone 3 and 4 right now. Someone asked what the process would be for zone 5 and 6, but it didn’t really get answered. She did say the next steps for the public would be 2 public meetings sometime in January with the National Capitol Planning Commission, with a plan in place by August/Sept of 2006. A couple of people spoke about how they have a development committee made up of people who do not have any vested interest in this area of town. Many people said they want other groups from the neighborhood o be involved, but Nancy and Steven flat out said no. Many questions were asked, but they really were not prepared to provide answers. A lot of people were upset at the level of secrecy they are proceeding with.

One glimmer of hope is that Nancy said they would consider selling zone 5 and 6 outright. This would be our opportunity to get the city to make it a much needed park. Another interesting thing that Steven McManus said was that they actually took in 5 million more in revenue this year than last, which makes me wonder if finances are really the reason they want to over-develop this property.