DC North | August 2007

Ward 5 News

by: Jenny Johnson

Draft Brookland Area Plan Goes Final – With a Twist
The Office of Planning presented community members with a final draft Brookland Area Plan that contained the addition of a never-before-seen development option that residents at the presentation overwhelmingly welcomed.

The new idea is to create decking across the railroad tracks from Michigan Avenue to Monroe Street at the point of the Metro station that would completely connect the east and west sides of Brookland. The decking concept would entail lowering the train tracks to create a new street-level area that would include eliminating the Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street bridge. The concept was unveiled at a community meeting on July 19 at Catholic University.

“That's the bold version of the plan that we are presenting here tonight, and we're excited because we are seeing a lot of enthusiasm from the community about that option,” said Merrill St. Leger-Demian of the SmithGroup, who worked with the city to draft the concept plans.

The original concept plan remains as an option in addition to the new plan with decking. The original concept includes revitalizing Monroe Street and the Michigan Avenue bridge to make them more pedestrian and bike-friendly and create greater connectivity with Catholic University on down to the Washington Hospital Center.

Outside of the Metro station area, the two plans remain the same, with mixed-use transit-oriented development as the key concept. Development plans include 2,000 new residential units and 14,000 square feet of new retail space. The Metro station is envisioned as the “civic core” of the community, with Brooks Mansion playing a big role in creating an open, active public space. Making streets adjacent to the Metro station pedestrian-friendly is another priority, as is revitalizing the businesses along the 12th Street corridor to compliment the new retail planned at the Metro station area.

While community members at the July 19 meeting seemed widely enthusiastic about the decking plan, several hurdles remain for the bold development idea. Perhaps the main obstacle is the enormous cost of lowering the train tracks.

Harriet Tregoning, director of the Office of Planning, said the city has not yet done a cost estimate on the decking plan, but said, “Obviously it's not inexpensive.” Tregoning also said, however, that the plan may be feasible because new addresses would be created that would increase the real estate values in the area, which could in turn help pay for the plan. “Who owns that decked-over land should that go forward will have to be negotiated,” Tregoning said.

Catholic University of America's plans for development could present another obstacle to the bold development plan, according to minutes from a July 18 meeting on the plan with university representatives, city planners and neighborhood residents.

The lengthy timeline of five to 10 years or more to complete the bold development plan is the university's main concern, according to the meeting minutes, because that could jeopardize CUA's own development agenda on land it owns in the affected area.

CUA is planning to begin separate development discussions with Brookland residents in September about its ideas for developing its land around the university, according to the meeting minutes. “We have some ideas of what should be developed on our site,” the meeting minutes say on CUA's development agenda. “However, we will go and ask what uses they [the community] would like to see as well.”

Residents have expressed repeated concerns that the Brookland Area Plan in combination with other major developments in the area – including the McMillan Reservoir and the Soldier’s Home – would seriously exacerbate the traffic congestion problem. The District Department of Transportation responded with a traffic study that looked at a 10-year horizon. It was also first presented at the July 19 meeting.

DDOT concluded that the likely developments adjacent to Brookland would significantly increase the traffic problem in the neighborhood, but the Brookland Area Plan development proposal would have only a negligible impact. Some residents responded that the majority of the development would likely take place outside the 10-year timeline, so the real impacts of the development on traffic are still not accounted for.

The part of the area plan that assumes the Brooks Mansion will be a central part of the civic center of Brookland also is not without controversy, as DC TV has a long-term lease on the space. But St. Leger-Demian of the SmithGroup said there is a possibility of negotiations on the lease with DC TV that could include the station moving to some of the newly developed commercial space in Brookland.

“There may still be problems, but this has come so far,” Iris Miller said at the meeting. She was among the many residents who expressed support for the two final draft plan options.

City Touts Services to Ward 5 Residents
Many young people came out for an event put on by the District Department of Human Services that sought to spread the word about all the services offered to both youths and adults in Ward 5.

The “Hands Across Ward 5” event took place at the Trinidad Recreation Center July 21. The event brought together a range of service providers from both the public and private sectors. HIV and AIDS testing, adult literacy, GED practice, mentoring programs, adoption and foster opportunities and more were highlighted at the event.

The DC Fatherhood Initiative was one of the city's main partners at the event, according to Community Services Chief Rufus Mayfield of the Department of Human Services. “It was a success – 1,500 people turned out,” Mayfield told DC North.

Young people gathered around a large stage to watch local hip-hop performers and other acts. Several folks gathered in one tent to play Bingo. In another tent, literacy services were promoted through a spelling bee with cash prizes for the fist, second and third place winners. And a long line for hot dogs and hamburgers formed around the grill. Children could even get free hair cuts.

“I'm all for it – anything to support DC,” local hip-hop artist A. Wood said after performing before a large crowd.

One of the objectives of the event was to bring together various service providers under one roof, so they could talk to each other and connect the complimentary aspects of their work, Mayfield said. People who provide a literacy program may serve a person who is also working with people in rehabilitation clinic, and these service providers should know each other, according to Mayfield.

The event was one of the first times the city has put on such an event, and there are plans to continue the effort. “This is the beginning of a long journey,” Mayfield said, as the city is beginning to focus on Ward 5 for these types of initiatives.

Correction:
The caption on a photo for the July Ward 5 neighborhood news wrongly indicated the photo was about the announcement of the McMillan developer. It instead pictured an earlier meeting about the Brookland Area Plan.


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Ward 5 News

by: Jenny Johnson
Draft Brookland Area Plan Goes Final – With a Twist The Office of Planning presented community members with a final draft Brookland Area Plan that contained the addition of a never-before-seen development option that residents at the presentation overwhelmingly welcomed. The new idea is to create decking across the railroad tracks from Michigan Avenue to Monroe Street at the point of the Metro station that would completely connect the east and west sides of Brookland. The decking concept would entail lowering the train tracks to create a new street-level area that would include eliminating the Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street bridge. The concept was unveiled at a community meeting on July 19 at Catholic University. “That's the bold version of the plan that we are presenting here tonight, and we're excited because we are seeing a lot of enthusiasm from the community about that option,” said Merrill St. Leger-Demian of the SmithGroup, who worked with the city to draft the concept plans. The original concept plan remains as an option in addition to the new plan with decking. The original concept includes revitalizing Monroe Street and the Michigan Avenue bridge to make them more pedestrian and bike-friendly and create greater connectivity with Catholic University on down to the Washington Hospital Center. Outside of the Metro station area, the two plans remain the same, with mixed-use transit-oriented development as the key concept. Development plans include 2,000 new residential units and 14,000 square feet of new retail space. The Metro station is envisioned as the “civic core” of the community, with Brooks Mansion playing a big role in creating an open, active public space. Making streets adjacent to the Metro station pedestrian-friendly is another priority, as is revitalizing the businesses along the 12th Street corridor to compliment the new retail planned at the Metro station area. While community members at the July 19 meeting seemed widely enthusiastic about the decking plan, several hurdles remain for the bold development idea. Perhaps the main obstacle is the enormous cost of lowering the train tracks. Harriet Tregoning, director of the Office of Planning, said the city has not yet done a cost estimate on the decking plan, but said, “Obviously it's not inexpensive.” Tregoning also said, however, that the plan may be feasible because new addresses would be created that would increase the real estate values in the area, which could in turn help pay for the plan. “Who owns that decked-over land should that go forward will have to be negotiated,” Tregoning said. Catholic University of America's plans for development could present another obstacle to the bold development plan, according to minutes from a July 18 meeting on the plan with university representatives, city planners and neighborhood residents. The lengthy timeline of five to 10 years or more to complete the bold development plan is the university's main concern, according to the meeting minutes, because that could jeopardize CUA's own development agenda on land it owns in the affected area. CUA is planning to begin separate development discussions with Brookland residents in September about its ideas for developing its land around the university, according to the meeting minutes. “We have some ideas of what should be developed on our site,” the meeting minutes say on CUA's development agenda. “However, we will go and ask what uses they [the community] would like to see as well.” Residents have expressed repeated concerns that the Brookland Area Plan in combination with other major developments in the area – including the McMillan Reservoir and the Soldier’s Home – would seriously exacerbate the traffic congestion problem. The District Department of Transportation responded with a traffic study that looked at a 10-year horizon. It was also first presented at the July 19 meeting. DDOT concluded that the likely developments adjacent to Brookland would significantly increase the traffic problem in the neighborhood, but the Brookland Area Plan development proposal would have only a negligible impact. Some residents responded that the majority of the development would likely take place outside the 10-year timeline, so the real impacts of the development on traffic are still not accounted for. The part of the area plan that assumes the Brooks Mansion will be a central part of the civic center of Brookland also is not without controversy, as DC TV has a long-term lease on the space. But St. Leger-Demian of the SmithGroup said there is a possibility of negotiations on the lease with DC TV that could include the station moving to some of the newly developed commercial space in Brookland. “There may still be problems, but this has come so far,” Iris Miller said at the meeting. She was among the many residents who expressed support for the two final draft plan options. City Touts Services to Ward 5 Residents Many young people came out for an event put on by the District Department of Human Services that sought to spread the word about all the services offered to both youths and adults in Ward 5. The “Hands Across Ward 5” event took place at the Trinidad Recreation Center July 21. The event brought together a range of service providers from both the public and private sectors. HIV and AIDS testing, adult literacy, GED practice, mentoring programs, adoption and foster opportunities and more were highlighted at the event. The DC Fatherhood Initiative was one of the city's main partners at the event, according to Community Services Chief Rufus Mayfield of the Department of Human Services. “It was a success – 1,500 people turned out,” Mayfield told DC North. Young people gathered around a large stage to watch local hip-hop performers and other acts. Several folks gathered in one tent to play Bingo. In another tent, literacy services were promoted through a spelling bee with cash prizes for the fist, second and third place winners. And a long line for hot dogs and hamburgers formed around the grill. Children could even get free hair cuts. “I'm all for it – anything to support DC,” local hip-hop artist A. Wood said after performing before a large crowd. One of the objectives of the event was to bring together various service providers under one roof, so they could talk to each other and connect the complimentary aspects of their work, Mayfield said. People who provide a literacy program may serve a person who is also working with people in rehabilitation clinic, and these service providers should know each other, according to Mayfield. The event was one of the first times the city has put on such an event, and there are plans to continue the effort. “This is the beginning of a long journey,” Mayfield said, as the city is beginning to focus on Ward 5 for these types of initiatives. Correction: The caption on a photo for the July Ward 5 neighborhood news wrongly indicated the photo was about the announcement of the McMillan developer. It instead pictured an earlier meeting about the Brookland Area Plan.