In light of the Babe's site at Wisconsin and Brandywine being revisited, discussion on the Tenleytown Listserv has intensified. This post by former ANC Commissioner Beth Kravitz, in response to a question regarding the most sensible place to house some of the expected 2 Million new residents in the region, is self-explanatory:
How about putting them in OTHER parts of the city that are also near the subway and public transportation and are desperately looking for quality development that new residents would bring, such as east of the Anacostia and the new North of Union Station? Not all development and high density residential has to be in Tenley. Many of us worked very hard to keep Tenleytown from becoming like Cleveland Park and Friendship Heights. Growth, even "smart growth" (whatever THAT is) is not necessarily a good thing. Sometimes status quo is actually best. For those who want a Manhattan/Ballston/Friendship Heights style of living, I say, go there. Leave Tenleytown the small town oasis that it is.
I think the idea is to fully realize the regional investment in Metro. It shouldn't be an 'either/or' proposition. There should be new, transit oriented development in other parts of the city, and, there should be new transit oriented development in Friendship Heights and Tenleytown. One can see the walkability, sustainability and tax benefits realized by Montgomery County (Bethesda and Friendship Heights) and Arlington (the Orange Line corridor). These are models (if not necessarily the scale) for the kinds of positive changes that can take place along a transit corridor without negatively impacting the existing residential experience.
A close examination of the parking and traffic impacts to these close-in neighborhoods demonstrate that new residents can be introduced into existing neighborhoods without the negative impacts often claimed by those opposed to new development.
1 comment:
Beth, sounds like you need to move somewhere that is still a "small town oasis". Sounds like the rest of the neighborhood is adapting and changing for the greater good of lots of new residents. Where do you get your sense of entitlement? Because you were their "first"? Why don't you advocate for the establishment of Powhatan tribal villages filled with "yehakins" being reestablished in DC - after-all they were really here first? Look, your world will not be destroyed by some increased density around the metro - especially since your current property values are really high thanks to that very metro you seem to despise - which the DC tax payers payed for (you're welcome). So either adapt for the greater good or YOU move along to another neighborhood.
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