Chevy Chase Development

There has been some chatter on the Chevy Chase Listserv about a development proposal for the large tract of undeveloped land bordered by Connecticut Avenue, Military Road and Kanawha Street. Known now as 5333 Connecticut Avenue, the local residents are attempting to raise concerns with city officials through a petition campaign.

Unlike other development proposals such as Cathedral Commons or The Bond which required Zoning Commission review, this project is being proposed by the developer as a matter of right proposition. In other words, there appears to be little to no opportunity for public input because the proposal complies in every way with current zoning rules.

On the listserv, one resident suggests:

Chevy Chase’s largest development in perhaps a half century is on the verge of
breaking ground without an iota of local input, or even any notice.

Many neighbors think this is just plan unfair. And they’re going door to door
beginning this weekend with what information about the project we've been able
to gather in the days since we first learned of it. They’ll also have petitions
and letters calling on Mary Cheh, our councilmember, Mayor Gray and Nicholas
Majett, the head of the city department that's been handing out municipal
approvals for the project, to help us get our concerns heard and addressed.


So it begs the question, what is appropriate in this case? Even though it is a matter of right development, should there be opportunity for residents to have a recourse? Are there extenuating circumstances that the rest of the public isn't aware of? Is there any irony that many of these same residents probably opposed the historic district proposal, which may have had impact on the scale of the development proposal?

Palisades Archeology

Palisades Museum of Prehistory Director Doug Daupin explains his efforts to understand the current process for preserving artifacts in the neighborhood.

Cleveland Park Historical Society Preservation Café

Cleveland Park Historical Society Preservation Café

7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28 at Ardeo

$35 (member), $45 (non-member)

The Preservation Cafe series offers the Cleveland Park community an opportunity to learn from experts in a variety of fields relating to historic preservation. The Cafe includes an opportunity to ask our speaker questions and will be followed by dinner.

This month's Preservation Cafe will feature a PowerPoint presentation on Washington area Residential Historic Architecture with architect Bruce Wentworth and will be held at Ardeo, where they've offered us an impressive three-course meal for $35 (members) and $45 (non-members) which includes tax and gratuities (beverages are additional).

Mr. Wentworth is the founder of Wentworth, Inc., a residential design-build firm and has worked in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area for over twenty years. Passionate about historic architecture, Mr. Wentworth has recently put his survey of residential architectural styles in the DC metro area online allowing a wider community to research and identify their own home's period and style.

Following his presentation, Mr. Wentworth will answer your questions about historic styles and characteristics.

Reservations are required – please email: staff@clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org

You can mail your check to:
Cleveland Park Historical Society
PO Box 4862
Washington, DC 20008.

Upcoming Preservation Café topics will include: Tips for Improving Garden Walls, Walks, and Steps; Container and Outdoor Gardening; Windows, Walls and Wood Floors; and How to Research your Home's History.

Uptown Theater Expands Business

ANC 3C Commissioner Bruce Beckner posted posted potentially shattering news to the Cleveland Park Listserv:

It appears that our neighborhood theater will soon be no more. I just received a call from a City Paper reporter asking what I knew about the sale of the Uptown to the McLean Bible Church (nothing until he called). Here's a link to the church's website with information about their planned use: http://www.mcleanbible.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=18091

Off the top of my head, I don't see much of a "regulatory hook" for this, other than the fact that the church will have to get Historic Preservation Review Board approval for any changes to the exterior. I believe the commercial zoning that applies to this area probably permits this use, whether it's considered "religious" or not.

Assuming this is true, it means that Cleveland Parkers will no longer have the pleasure of having a movie theater within walking distance.

My personal recollection of the first time I was at the Uptown was in 1963, when I saw "How the West was Won" there in "Cinerama" - a 3-projector system that used a semicircular movie screen. I think the Uptown was the only theater in the DC metro area that had that at the time. I also saw the Stanley Kubrick "2001 - A Space Odyssey" there in 1967, also in "Cinerama."

I'll keep folks posted of any further developments that I learn.

Bruce Beckner
Commissioner ANC3C05


According to the Church's website:

MBC Uptown is a Community Campus of McLean Bible Church. It will impact the District of Columbia and nearby communities in both Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Ministries at MBC Uptown will include:

Videocast messages by Lon Solomon and the MBC Teaching Team
Worship led by the MBC Worship Leaders and Bands
Localized ministry teams and outreach events
Opportunities to connect in biblical community with others who live in the DC metro area

Weekly services will start in January 2008.


In fact, the Uptown has not been sold. As featured on the DCDL website, an official response from the Church:

Keith,
I am writing to clarify our, McLean Bible Church's, intended use for the Uptown Theater. We are not purchasing the theater. We are simply renting it on Sunday mornings. As such, our use will not limit public use of the theater. We realize the place that the Uptown holds in the heart of the community and are committed to developing services and ministries that are
fitting for the Uptown and for Cleveland Park.

Mike Hurt
McLean Bible Church
Director of Community Campus Development

UPDATE: Here is Washington Post coverage.

Examiner reports on Cleveland Park Vacancies

Michael Nelbauer wrote a nice article published in the Examiner today about the ongoing struggle between vacant store fronts and opposition to new food establishments in Cleveland Park. Opposition may be strong word, perhaps 'enforcement of zoning restrictions' might be more appropriate.

Of particular note to me was the verification of the rumor about a mattress store coming to the neighborhood:

For now, he said, Federal Realty has stopped marketing the strip to boutique coffee and sandwich shops. It is, however, being pursued by a mattress store.

I suppose the discussion about development in the Tenley to Friendship Height corridor has come full circle.

ANC Commissioner breaks new ground

ANC 3F Commissioner Jane Soloman was inspired by broader environmental concerns in suggesting that an erroneously built house in Ward 4 be "deconstructed" rather than demolished.

According to the Washington Post, other jurisdictions have encouraged the expense of additional funds in razing structures to encourage the adaptive re-use of materials such as bricks, windows, shingles, fixtures, etc.

While a traditional demolition would take a few days, this procedure would require 3-4 weeks. However, the example set by the city for environmental stewardship is worth the time.

More on the Chevy Chase Historic District

In a recent posting, I mentioned the proposal to create a historic district in several portions of Chevy Chase, DC, one of the original streetcar neighborhoods in Ward 3.

There have been a few posts on the Chevy Chase Listserv regarding the creation of the district ranging from incredulaity of judging what is historic to dismay that the creation of the historic zone is a forgone conclusion without a neighborhood vote or apparent consensus. There are of course, many posts supporting the proposal, or otherwise encouraging residents to attend the event on December 5th.

One of the tacts I take in evaluating this proposal is taken from presentations which have become standard both in the historic preservation and smart growth communities which make some of the following observations:

-If we are to expect citizens to use their cars less, and use their feet more, then the physical environment within which they live, work, shop and play needs to have a pedestrian rather than vehicular orientation.

-The diversity of housing sites, qualities, styles and characteristics of historic neighborhoods stands in sharp contrast to the monolithic character of current subdivisions. The diversity of housing options means a diversity of human beings who can live in historic neighborhoods.

-historic preservation is the one form of economic development that is simultaneously community development.

-The diversity of housing sites, qualities, styles and characteristics of historic neighborhoods stands in sharp contrast to the monolithic character of current subdivisions.

-Historic Preservation IS Smart Growth...a Smart Growth approach that does not include historic preservation high on the agenda is not only missing a valuable strategy, but, like the historic buildings themselves, an irreplaceable one.

Indeed, a speech in 2002 by Ward 3 resident and National Trust for Historic Preservation Presdident Richard Moe noted:

Smart growth advocates density and diversity of use. Most older communities were designed and built with these factors in mind. Saving them is smart growth...