The Mayor's Office, in conjunction with OPEFM is thrilled to announce the Grand Opening and ribbon cutting at the new Wilson Aquatic Center!
Join us on Thursday August 6th at TBD as we celebrate the opening of this state of the art facility.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Empty Storefronts in Cleveland Park on WJLA
WJLA, channel 7 ran this story about empty storefronts in Cleveland Park.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Something Sweet Comes to Cleveland Park
Something Sweet, the new neighborhood bakery/sweet shop, opens Thursday, July 23rd! This is a terrific development for the community at a time when small
business owners face severe challenges. Something Sweet is affiliated with
Surfside, a fine eatery and good neighbor in Glover Park.
Members of AWARE - a group of neighbors that support re-development along
Wisconsin Avenue - are planning to meet at Something Sweet tomorrow night
between 7 and 10pm to celebrate the grand opening.
We encourage you to drop by and celebrate tomorrow, and to focus on supporting
Something Sweet and other neighborhood shops in the future.
business owners face severe challenges. Something Sweet is affiliated with
Surfside, a fine eatery and good neighbor in Glover Park.
Members of AWARE - a group of neighbors that support re-development along
Wisconsin Avenue - are planning to meet at Something Sweet tomorrow night
between 7 and 10pm to celebrate the grand opening.
We encourage you to drop by and celebrate tomorrow, and to focus on supporting
Something Sweet and other neighborhood shops in the future.
Friday, June 19, 2009
CPCA Sets Process Going Forward
Apparently the leadership of the Cleveland Park Citizen's Association has heard the clarion call from the residents of the community and have set the date for the annual elections which, by the by-laws, should have been held June 6th.
The rescheduled date is Tuesday, September 29th at 7:00PM. The CPCA has also pledged to hold a candidates forum for those who intend to run for elective office in the organization. The date for this event is to be determined.
The rescheduled date is Tuesday, September 29th at 7:00PM. The CPCA has also pledged to hold a candidates forum for those who intend to run for elective office in the organization. The date for this event is to be determined.
Van Ness Walgreens Update
An update on the previously discussed Walgreens in Van Ness from the Tsarchitect blog.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
You Can't Make This Stuff Up
As the Cleveland Park community awaits an announcement for the rescheduled elections, pro- and con- posts continue to appear on the neighborhood listserv. Former ANC Chair Nancy MacWood (and current Commissioner) offered this defense of CPCA President George Idelson:
I have read many of the postings about CPCA and George Idelson over the past few weeks. I have worked with CPCA on a variety of issues over the past 8 years as an ANC commissioner and have known George since he became president of CPCA. This is a personal note because I think it is time to share my experience with the community association and with George, specifically. My intention is not to defend George --- he is a tough guy, but to provide some context for considering the future of CPCA and George's role in getting it to where it is today.
I want to start by saying that George is a friend of mine, I respect him. Do we agree on all matters? No. But I admire the process he uses for arriving at decisions. George asks people he thinks might be knowledgeable on an issue to challenge his developing views. He will come back to you with more questions as he hears from other people and considers what you have said. He will often schedule a meeting around a topic that he thinks is unresolved but of critical interest to the community or to the city. That might be in his living room or during a CPCA meeting. More than likely, there will be a debate format and if its an official CPCA meeting there will more than likely be panelists representing different points of view.
George also has a penchant for urging city officials to connect with the community by attending meetings and staying for questions and answers; no free rides for them to just get out their message. He has joined the Woodley Park Community Association and Palisades Community Association on presenting issues of interest or concern beyond Cleveland Park. He is a collaborative guy by nature and he never thinks that he is the sage of Cleveland Park. George knows he is representing an educated, well informed, and committed community that is increasingly diverse and he recognizes that there are new pressures on the community and the city to change in a variety of ways. George has enough experience to know that there is positive synergy from communities like ours and times like these, but also big challenges to prevent the community from splintering. How you build community is debatable but I think George has demonstrated that his tactic is to get out balanced information, let residents ask questions and, at a minimum, help residents to develop an understanding of the other guy's opinion.
So why so much criticism and focus on CPCA right now? It seems to be two issues: opposition to the Giant PUD and the postponement of the CPCA election. The irony, and probably what is most painful to George, is that on the Giant issue he spent years trying to avoid any opposition at all to the PUD. He attended probably 20 meetings since 2005 with Stop & Shop representatives encouraging them to improve the store immediately while developing plans for expansion and renovation. He repeatedly advised S&S that they had an opportunity to do something of great benefit to the community and that could serve as a model for other DC communities that grapple with development if it was done sensitively. He also told them that he thought the overlay was critical to the success of the project. It wasn't until the PUD application was filed that he learned, as did everyone, that the overlay wasn't mentioned and that the Office of Planning interpreted that silence to mean an approved PUD would end the implementation of the overlay restriction on restaurants and bars.
The overlay is an issue that has been championed by CPCA for many years. George inherited the organizational commitment to the overlay. What's so great about the overlay? It is only significant if you value a variety of retail and services in the immediate commercial area, and secondarily want to try to control traffic and parking problems. There seems to be growing evidence, or at least more vocal advocates, for the view that residents want more restaurants and less access to other types of shops. Its not inevitable that our commercial areas transform into more entertainment districts, but it may be a preference. Nonetheless, CPCA ,under George's leadership, has spent countless hours trying to update the overlay so that eating establishments that primarily serve the neighborhood could locate here. It took years to convince the Zoning Commission and many meetings with the Office of Planning to make needed changes. CPCA finally accomplished that and then set out to make sure the Zoning Administrator was implementing the rules in a sensible way. George tracked down non-resident owners of CP commercial buildings to ask about filling vacant sites and he questioned real estate brokers about how aggressively and creatively they were marketing our area. So the silence on the overlay and later the active effort to remove the overlay from the Giant PUD pushed CPCA into a decision on an unresolved issue for the community, but one that CPCA had strived to preserve and modernize while the debate continued.
CPCA could have gone the route of "yes, but." The executive committee has said that they voted to be "no, but" because that position allowed them more time to testify and the ability to question witnesses. The Zoning Commission doesn't sanction gray areas. In my view, CPCA and George decided that they could not abandon the overlay and that they could argue persuasively to the Zoning Commission that it was important to maintain the overlay to ensure local retail options and to avoid the parking supply/demand and traffic congestion problems existing in neighborhoods where many restaurants have located. I believe George felt confident in recommending this position because S&S had consistently said that they had no objection to the overlay and only wanted a few more restaurants, which CPCA endorsed. There was never an issue of trading the overlay for an improved grocery store.
Then there is the election...by his own account George was presented with a large bundle of new memberships that coincided with the perceived deadline for eligibility to vote in an election of officers. Rumors of "coups" and other nefarious undertakings circulated and the CPCA executive committee reacted with apparently one main goal: to ensure that as many residents as wanted could vote. To be sure one person's coup may be another person's lesson in democracy. Democracy can be ugly but one of its enduring tenants is the right to vote in a fair election. Is it fair to let a group energized by the Giant development control the CPCA elections while the rest of the community sleeps? Is it fair to the organized group that had a winning strategy to delay the election so that other groups could organize prior to the election? Knowing George, as I do, there was not a clear choice. Disclosure -- he asked me to attend a meeting with some members of the executive board to help sort out the options available under the bylaws and precedent. It was a difficult meeting and I suspect subsequent meetings were more difficult. In the end I think George decided to risk his personal reputation in order to allow as many as residents as were interested to vote on the future of CPCA and determine who would lead it into the future. I doubt very strongly that George will offer his services again and that is not a comment on anything that has been said --- I think George feels that he has given his all to the community, made informed judgments, and trusted and respected the CP residents. He has relished his opportunity to steward CPCA and I am sure nothing has changed regarding his love for this community and its residents.
Whatever your views on the Giant development or the CPCA election postponement, I hope that this much too long email will help to put the last few months of turmoil into some perspective. CPCA has been a credit to our community. The postponement of the election may indeed be a gift to the community that allows time for each of us to think about what is important to us about Cleveland Park, what changes we would like to see, what concerns or desires of our neighbors we may not have considered or been aware of, and how we manage to continue to have the most wonderful community in the city.
Here is one of what will probably be a number of responses:
The following four comments were particularly interesting:
1) "...intention is not to defend George...but to provide some context for considering the future of CPCA and George's role..."
2) "large bundle of new memberships that coincided with the perceived deadline for eligibility to vote in an election of officers."
3) "rumors of 'coups' and other nefarious undertakings."
4) "Democracy can be ugly but one of its enduring tenants is the right to vote in a fair election."
On point 1, isn't Mr. Idleson much better placed than anyone else to explain his own rationale, his own community building philosophy, and so forth?
On point 2, bylaws exist for a variety of reasons. Bylaws make it clear to members how an organization operates and prevent organization leaders (who are elected to act on the behalf of members) from changing the rules at random and for their own convenience. Don't the CPCA bylaws clearly state a deadline for individual members' eligibility to vote in an election? If so, how is this a 'perceived' deadline? The bylaws either speak to a deadline or they don't.
As to point 3, the scheduling of the CPCA election was not a secret. As I understand it, it is held in June of every year. It seems to me that those who wanted to vote in this election were not staging a coup--in fact, as I understand such things, coups generally are violent affairs that dispense with the finer points of elections. To call an orderly effort to express the opinion of a large, organized group of CPCA members a coup is to misrepresent an effort to have voices heard.
How can it be defensible to cancel an election that from all appearances was going to be well attended in order to "ensure as many residents as wanted could vote"? I suggest that if Mr. Idleson et. al. were truly interested in voter turnout, and were truly interested in ensuring as many residents as wanted to could vote, he/they would have expended some amount of energy well in advance of the election in ensuring this in fact occurred. As far as I can tell, Mr. Idleson has never expended effort to ensure as many residents as possible could vote, and certainly has never cancelled an election to ensure as many members as possible could vote, so why on Earth start in May, 2009?
As to point 4, I need help understanding how getting out the vote, a time honored method of community activism, makes an election unfair. How is growing membership in an organization that should welcome more members unfair? How is advocating a message of change and growth unfair? How is operating within the published bylaws of one's own community organization unfair? And as to the assertion "Is it fair to let a group...control the CPCA elections while the rest of the community sleeps?", I ask were those characterized as sleeping going to be disenfranchised? Were they going to be prevented from voting? Since when is not paying attention the same as disenfranchisement? The new members of CPCA were not going to "control" the election. They simply were going to arrive at the appointed place at the appointed time and vote. Does the possibility that the candidates the new members supported were going to win either prevent others from voting or make the election unfair?
To close, I do not believe the move by the CPCA executive committee, which has at no time in the past postponed elections in order to increase voter turnout and has never taken extraordinary efforts to increase the number of voting members at an election, is a gift to the community, or that it reflects well on this wonderful community of ours.
There have been few, if any personal attacks of Mr. Idelson or his character. However, there have been many questions raised about the actions of the CPCA under his leadership. They are two very different elements of this discussion, and playing on any sort of sympathy for someone who has chosen to lead an organization for 5+ terms confuses the core issues that residents may have and does nothing constructive to move the community past the current divide.
I have read many of the postings about CPCA and George Idelson over the past few weeks. I have worked with CPCA on a variety of issues over the past 8 years as an ANC commissioner and have known George since he became president of CPCA. This is a personal note because I think it is time to share my experience with the community association and with George, specifically. My intention is not to defend George --- he is a tough guy, but to provide some context for considering the future of CPCA and George's role in getting it to where it is today.
I want to start by saying that George is a friend of mine, I respect him. Do we agree on all matters? No. But I admire the process he uses for arriving at decisions. George asks people he thinks might be knowledgeable on an issue to challenge his developing views. He will come back to you with more questions as he hears from other people and considers what you have said. He will often schedule a meeting around a topic that he thinks is unresolved but of critical interest to the community or to the city. That might be in his living room or during a CPCA meeting. More than likely, there will be a debate format and if its an official CPCA meeting there will more than likely be panelists representing different points of view.
George also has a penchant for urging city officials to connect with the community by attending meetings and staying for questions and answers; no free rides for them to just get out their message. He has joined the Woodley Park Community Association and Palisades Community Association on presenting issues of interest or concern beyond Cleveland Park. He is a collaborative guy by nature and he never thinks that he is the sage of Cleveland Park. George knows he is representing an educated, well informed, and committed community that is increasingly diverse and he recognizes that there are new pressures on the community and the city to change in a variety of ways. George has enough experience to know that there is positive synergy from communities like ours and times like these, but also big challenges to prevent the community from splintering. How you build community is debatable but I think George has demonstrated that his tactic is to get out balanced information, let residents ask questions and, at a minimum, help residents to develop an understanding of the other guy's opinion.
So why so much criticism and focus on CPCA right now? It seems to be two issues: opposition to the Giant PUD and the postponement of the CPCA election. The irony, and probably what is most painful to George, is that on the Giant issue he spent years trying to avoid any opposition at all to the PUD. He attended probably 20 meetings since 2005 with Stop & Shop representatives encouraging them to improve the store immediately while developing plans for expansion and renovation. He repeatedly advised S&S that they had an opportunity to do something of great benefit to the community and that could serve as a model for other DC communities that grapple with development if it was done sensitively. He also told them that he thought the overlay was critical to the success of the project. It wasn't until the PUD application was filed that he learned, as did everyone, that the overlay wasn't mentioned and that the Office of Planning interpreted that silence to mean an approved PUD would end the implementation of the overlay restriction on restaurants and bars.
The overlay is an issue that has been championed by CPCA for many years. George inherited the organizational commitment to the overlay. What's so great about the overlay? It is only significant if you value a variety of retail and services in the immediate commercial area, and secondarily want to try to control traffic and parking problems. There seems to be growing evidence, or at least more vocal advocates, for the view that residents want more restaurants and less access to other types of shops. Its not inevitable that our commercial areas transform into more entertainment districts, but it may be a preference. Nonetheless, CPCA ,under George's leadership, has spent countless hours trying to update the overlay so that eating establishments that primarily serve the neighborhood could locate here. It took years to convince the Zoning Commission and many meetings with the Office of Planning to make needed changes. CPCA finally accomplished that and then set out to make sure the Zoning Administrator was implementing the rules in a sensible way. George tracked down non-resident owners of CP commercial buildings to ask about filling vacant sites and he questioned real estate brokers about how aggressively and creatively they were marketing our area. So the silence on the overlay and later the active effort to remove the overlay from the Giant PUD pushed CPCA into a decision on an unresolved issue for the community, but one that CPCA had strived to preserve and modernize while the debate continued.
CPCA could have gone the route of "yes, but." The executive committee has said that they voted to be "no, but" because that position allowed them more time to testify and the ability to question witnesses. The Zoning Commission doesn't sanction gray areas. In my view, CPCA and George decided that they could not abandon the overlay and that they could argue persuasively to the Zoning Commission that it was important to maintain the overlay to ensure local retail options and to avoid the parking supply/demand and traffic congestion problems existing in neighborhoods where many restaurants have located. I believe George felt confident in recommending this position because S&S had consistently said that they had no objection to the overlay and only wanted a few more restaurants, which CPCA endorsed. There was never an issue of trading the overlay for an improved grocery store.
Then there is the election...by his own account George was presented with a large bundle of new memberships that coincided with the perceived deadline for eligibility to vote in an election of officers. Rumors of "coups" and other nefarious undertakings circulated and the CPCA executive committee reacted with apparently one main goal: to ensure that as many residents as wanted could vote. To be sure one person's coup may be another person's lesson in democracy. Democracy can be ugly but one of its enduring tenants is the right to vote in a fair election. Is it fair to let a group energized by the Giant development control the CPCA elections while the rest of the community sleeps? Is it fair to the organized group that had a winning strategy to delay the election so that other groups could organize prior to the election? Knowing George, as I do, there was not a clear choice. Disclosure -- he asked me to attend a meeting with some members of the executive board to help sort out the options available under the bylaws and precedent. It was a difficult meeting and I suspect subsequent meetings were more difficult. In the end I think George decided to risk his personal reputation in order to allow as many as residents as were interested to vote on the future of CPCA and determine who would lead it into the future. I doubt very strongly that George will offer his services again and that is not a comment on anything that has been said --- I think George feels that he has given his all to the community, made informed judgments, and trusted and respected the CP residents. He has relished his opportunity to steward CPCA and I am sure nothing has changed regarding his love for this community and its residents.
Whatever your views on the Giant development or the CPCA election postponement, I hope that this much too long email will help to put the last few months of turmoil into some perspective. CPCA has been a credit to our community. The postponement of the election may indeed be a gift to the community that allows time for each of us to think about what is important to us about Cleveland Park, what changes we would like to see, what concerns or desires of our neighbors we may not have considered or been aware of, and how we manage to continue to have the most wonderful community in the city.
Here is one of what will probably be a number of responses:
The following four comments were particularly interesting:
1) "...intention is not to defend George...but to provide some context for considering the future of CPCA and George's role..."
2) "large bundle of new memberships that coincided with the perceived deadline for eligibility to vote in an election of officers."
3) "rumors of 'coups' and other nefarious undertakings."
4) "Democracy can be ugly but one of its enduring tenants is the right to vote in a fair election."
On point 1, isn't Mr. Idleson much better placed than anyone else to explain his own rationale, his own community building philosophy, and so forth?
On point 2, bylaws exist for a variety of reasons. Bylaws make it clear to members how an organization operates and prevent organization leaders (who are elected to act on the behalf of members) from changing the rules at random and for their own convenience. Don't the CPCA bylaws clearly state a deadline for individual members' eligibility to vote in an election? If so, how is this a 'perceived' deadline? The bylaws either speak to a deadline or they don't.
As to point 3, the scheduling of the CPCA election was not a secret. As I understand it, it is held in June of every year. It seems to me that those who wanted to vote in this election were not staging a coup--in fact, as I understand such things, coups generally are violent affairs that dispense with the finer points of elections. To call an orderly effort to express the opinion of a large, organized group of CPCA members a coup is to misrepresent an effort to have voices heard.
How can it be defensible to cancel an election that from all appearances was going to be well attended in order to "ensure as many residents as wanted could vote"? I suggest that if Mr. Idleson et. al. were truly interested in voter turnout, and were truly interested in ensuring as many residents as wanted to could vote, he/they would have expended some amount of energy well in advance of the election in ensuring this in fact occurred. As far as I can tell, Mr. Idleson has never expended effort to ensure as many residents as possible could vote, and certainly has never cancelled an election to ensure as many members as possible could vote, so why on Earth start in May, 2009?
As to point 4, I need help understanding how getting out the vote, a time honored method of community activism, makes an election unfair. How is growing membership in an organization that should welcome more members unfair? How is advocating a message of change and growth unfair? How is operating within the published bylaws of one's own community organization unfair? And as to the assertion "Is it fair to let a group...control the CPCA elections while the rest of the community sleeps?", I ask were those characterized as sleeping going to be disenfranchised? Were they going to be prevented from voting? Since when is not paying attention the same as disenfranchisement? The new members of CPCA were not going to "control" the election. They simply were going to arrive at the appointed place at the appointed time and vote. Does the possibility that the candidates the new members supported were going to win either prevent others from voting or make the election unfair?
To close, I do not believe the move by the CPCA executive committee, which has at no time in the past postponed elections in order to increase voter turnout and has never taken extraordinary efforts to increase the number of voting members at an election, is a gift to the community, or that it reflects well on this wonderful community of ours.
There have been few, if any personal attacks of Mr. Idelson or his character. However, there have been many questions raised about the actions of the CPCA under his leadership. They are two very different elements of this discussion, and playing on any sort of sympathy for someone who has chosen to lead an organization for 5+ terms confuses the core issues that residents may have and does nothing constructive to move the community past the current divide.
Monday, June 15, 2009
цarьchitect on Giant and Wisconsin Avenue
The Tsarchitect blog has an entry about Giant with an interesting passage:
Wisconsin Avenue needs more of this healthy density. The example that this sets will be a lesson to Ward 3, demonstrating how a few stores and few more stories can create an enjoyable neighborhood center. Not only will the extreme non-failure of the site be ammunition for people who support smart growth, it will serve as a billboard for those who are not engaged in debates, that urbanism is possible in Northwest.
He includes an admonition that pedestrian improvements and mass transportation enhancements are key components to a successful result.
Wisconsin Avenue needs more of this healthy density. The example that this sets will be a lesson to Ward 3, demonstrating how a few stores and few more stories can create an enjoyable neighborhood center. Not only will the extreme non-failure of the site be ammunition for people who support smart growth, it will serve as a billboard for those who are not engaged in debates, that urbanism is possible in Northwest.
He includes an admonition that pedestrian improvements and mass transportation enhancements are key components to a successful result.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
DC Metrocentric: TD Bank Update
The DC Metrocentric Blog has this update on the former Cinema site at Ellicot and Wisconsin.
Zoning Commission: Giant is Planned Appropriately
In its June 8th hearing, the Zoning Commissioned approved the Giant PUD application 4-0 without conditions.
The Commission did ask the applicant to revisit the loading dock issue which may impact the Idaho Street residents, but this seemed to be a suggestion and not necessarily part of the future written order.
The Commissioners reviewed each of the issues: loading, traffic, parking, land use, zoning and the relationship to the Comprehensive Plan and found the applicant had sufficiently addressed each of the areas of concern.
What is next for this project?
The Commission did ask the applicant to revisit the loading dock issue which may impact the Idaho Street residents, but this seemed to be a suggestion and not necessarily part of the future written order.
The Commissioners reviewed each of the issues: loading, traffic, parking, land use, zoning and the relationship to the Comprehensive Plan and found the applicant had sufficiently addressed each of the areas of concern.
What is next for this project?
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Don't like your Association? Start another one!
In the recent discussion over Community Associations, one Friendship Heights activist offered this advice:
...membership in neighborhood associations is voluntary and no such
group has monopolistic powers. If you think an existing neighborhood
organization represents a small out-of-touch group, you can always start another one.
That seems to be a standard operating procedure in upper Northwest, where there is no shortage of Community Associations representing the masses.
There is the Alliance for Rational Development and the Committee to Stop Tenleytown Overdevelopment which have no mention of who it is, who the leadership is, any bylaws or dues, how to join etc.;
The Friendship Neighborhood Association features a little used, closed Yahoo Listserv and no other website or additional information.
There is the Fort Gaines Citizens Association of which there is virtually no information.
The Friendship-Tenley Neighborhood Association which seems to exist, or have existed in the early 2000's. but appears to be moribund now.
Then there is the Tenleytown Historical Society, and the Tenleytown Neighborhood Association whose site hadn't been updated since 2005 and seems to be a dead link anyhow - the TNA is a member of the Federation of Community Associations;
Finally, there is Ward 3 Vision which is a campaign, not a membership organization.
So when activists claim that "six different organizations who passed resolutions" are the voice of the broader community, who are these organizations, how many members do they have, who is their leadership? What is their outreach, and how do they justify speaking on behalf of a community of thousands of residents? Is there outreach or notice given for new membership? Is there notice given that a resolution is to be discussed or acted upon?
Certainly the Tenleytown Historical Society provides programming and education, and has sponsored historic landmark applications to the city, and the Tenleytown Neighborhood Association appears to be a member of the Federation of Citizens Associations.
Perhaps the actions of the CPCA open the door to shed light on other community groups throughout the Ward and the City?
...membership in neighborhood associations is voluntary and no such
group has monopolistic powers. If you think an existing neighborhood
organization represents a small out-of-touch group, you can always start another one.
That seems to be a standard operating procedure in upper Northwest, where there is no shortage of Community Associations representing the masses.
There is the Alliance for Rational Development and the Committee to Stop Tenleytown Overdevelopment which have no mention of who it is, who the leadership is, any bylaws or dues, how to join etc.;
The Friendship Neighborhood Association features a little used, closed Yahoo Listserv and no other website or additional information.
There is the Fort Gaines Citizens Association of which there is virtually no information.
The Friendship-Tenley Neighborhood Association which seems to exist, or have existed in the early 2000's. but appears to be moribund now.
Then there is the Tenleytown Historical Society, and the Tenleytown Neighborhood Association whose site hadn't been updated since 2005 and seems to be a dead link anyhow - the TNA is a member of the Federation of Community Associations;
Finally, there is Ward 3 Vision which is a campaign, not a membership organization.
So when activists claim that "six different organizations who passed resolutions" are the voice of the broader community, who are these organizations, how many members do they have, who is their leadership? What is their outreach, and how do they justify speaking on behalf of a community of thousands of residents? Is there outreach or notice given for new membership? Is there notice given that a resolution is to be discussed or acted upon?
Certainly the Tenleytown Historical Society provides programming and education, and has sponsored historic landmark applications to the city, and the Tenleytown Neighborhood Association appears to be a member of the Federation of Citizens Associations.
Perhaps the actions of the CPCA open the door to shed light on other community groups throughout the Ward and the City?
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Some Defense of the CPCA
Three listserv contributors have come to the defense of the Executive Committee of the Cleveland Park Citizens Association. Longtime resident Margaret Lenzner suggests:
The suggestion that postponing the annual meeting "disenfranchises" anyone is ridiculous. In fact, the delay will fully and indisputably enfranchise all. Not only will there will be no question of whether a new member joined in time for a pre-meeting/vote deadline, but members won't be conflicted by the year-end school events so prominent on many calendars for June 6.
Jeff Davis says that he wants CPCA to use online polls to identify issues and assess neighborhood views, and to allow members to voice opinions (and, even, to vote?) without attending meetings. I agree that internet use can be a valuable tool, but it is no substitute for meetings. I hope that all members, new and old, will appreciate that attending meetings regularly, meeting other members in person, and becoming actively involved in person -- not just online -- is essential to building and maintaining a healthy community association. It isn't always easy, but it's worth it.
Meanwhile, Friendship Height resident Sue Hemberger argues:
A hostile takeover campaign of a voluntary association based on a single issue and with votes essentially buyable (pay the membership fee and you get a vote) is a crisis not so much because it threatens the current leadership but because it threatens the association as a whole. You can't tell whether the newcomers will stay and put in the hard work necessary to keep an organization like this alive or whether the goal is just to destroy/neutralize the organization as a power base for the "other side." That's why a kind of sweat equity requirement might be functional.
Advocates for a reinvigorated CPCA make a different argument:
Over and over the new members have said that their goal was to revitalize the CPCA by providing better communications with its members and more participation. We want to keep the effective members of the current leadership and tried to develop a joint slate in keeping with the precedents of uncontested elections with the CPCA. Because the CPCA now has over 500 members, it is ludicrous to think that a small minority could "destroy/neutralize the organization". Instead, the new members are making a major commitment to improve the organization.
For example, I volunteered to start a listserve to facilitate internal communication. This is not a casual commitment but one that I view as at least a five year effort. And not an easy effort at that. The executive committee of the CPCA wants me to shut down the listserve and stop all unsupervised internal discussions. The executive committee will not help me verify who is a member of the CPCA and so I have to use addresses and rely on the word of the people joining.
To use terms like "hostile takeover", "votes essentially buyable" and "destroy/neutralize" in one paragraph is more than mischaracterization, it is insulting our intelligence. I have put in lots of sweat equity over the years to improve Cleveland Park and for a person in Friendship Heights to say that I should have no right to vote in a Cleveland Park organization is more than annoying.
Many of the new members of the CPCA are more than ten-year residents of the neighborhood, some even have more tenure than the entrenched leadership of the organization! Should these variables matter in the lifeblood of the community and its community association?
The suggestion that postponing the annual meeting "disenfranchises" anyone is ridiculous. In fact, the delay will fully and indisputably enfranchise all. Not only will there will be no question of whether a new member joined in time for a pre-meeting/vote deadline, but members won't be conflicted by the year-end school events so prominent on many calendars for June 6.
Jeff Davis says that he wants CPCA to use online polls to identify issues and assess neighborhood views, and to allow members to voice opinions (and, even, to vote?) without attending meetings. I agree that internet use can be a valuable tool, but it is no substitute for meetings. I hope that all members, new and old, will appreciate that attending meetings regularly, meeting other members in person, and becoming actively involved in person -- not just online -- is essential to building and maintaining a healthy community association. It isn't always easy, but it's worth it.
Meanwhile, Friendship Height resident Sue Hemberger argues:
A hostile takeover campaign of a voluntary association based on a single issue and with votes essentially buyable (pay the membership fee and you get a vote) is a crisis not so much because it threatens the current leadership but because it threatens the association as a whole. You can't tell whether the newcomers will stay and put in the hard work necessary to keep an organization like this alive or whether the goal is just to destroy/neutralize the organization as a power base for the "other side." That's why a kind of sweat equity requirement might be functional.
Advocates for a reinvigorated CPCA make a different argument:
Over and over the new members have said that their goal was to revitalize the CPCA by providing better communications with its members and more participation. We want to keep the effective members of the current leadership and tried to develop a joint slate in keeping with the precedents of uncontested elections with the CPCA. Because the CPCA now has over 500 members, it is ludicrous to think that a small minority could "destroy/neutralize the organization". Instead, the new members are making a major commitment to improve the organization.
For example, I volunteered to start a listserve to facilitate internal communication. This is not a casual commitment but one that I view as at least a five year effort. And not an easy effort at that. The executive committee of the CPCA wants me to shut down the listserve and stop all unsupervised internal discussions. The executive committee will not help me verify who is a member of the CPCA and so I have to use addresses and rely on the word of the people joining.
To use terms like "hostile takeover", "votes essentially buyable" and "destroy/neutralize" in one paragraph is more than mischaracterization, it is insulting our intelligence. I have put in lots of sweat equity over the years to improve Cleveland Park and for a person in Friendship Heights to say that I should have no right to vote in a Cleveland Park organization is more than annoying.
Many of the new members of the CPCA are more than ten-year residents of the neighborhood, some even have more tenure than the entrenched leadership of the organization! Should these variables matter in the lifeblood of the community and its community association?
Friday, June 05, 2009
ANC 3E meeting: June 11, 2009
Among the agenda items:
Discussion of, and possible vote on, request for zoning relief to permit use of off site parking at Lord & Taylor lot for retail development at Western Ave. and Jennifer Street.
Discussion of status of 5013 Belt Road
Discussion of and possible vote on request for letter seeking elimination or alteration of N8 bus travel on Yuma Street.
Discussion of and possible vote on resolution regarding the "Sidewalk Assurance Act of 2009," which would, in part, require construction of a sidewalk on at least one side of the street in most instances when the District resurfaces or reconstructs streets, curbs, or gutters.
Discussion of, and possible vote on, request for zoning relief to permit use of off site parking at Lord & Taylor lot for retail development at Western Ave. and Jennifer Street.
Discussion of status of 5013 Belt Road
Discussion of and possible vote on request for letter seeking elimination or alteration of N8 bus travel on Yuma Street.
Discussion of and possible vote on resolution regarding the "Sidewalk Assurance Act of 2009," which would, in part, require construction of a sidewalk on at least one side of the street in most instances when the District resurfaces or reconstructs streets, curbs, or gutters.
Monday, June 01, 2009
History of the Commerical Overlay in Cleveland Park and Woodley Park
In light of the discssion about the CPCA and the Zoning Overlay in Cleveland Park, former ANC Commissioner and zoning expert Ann Loikow has provided the following history:
ANC Commissioner Reeves asked why if CPCA has been working on the overlay for years it wasn't referred to the ANC. ANC 3C has been involved in the the issue of the neighborhood commercial overlay districts for twenty years.
ANC 3C was intimately involved in the creation of the neighborhood commercial overlay zones in Cleveland Park (both on Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenues) and in Woodley Park which the Zoning Commission created in May 1989 (Zoning Commission Order No. 616, cases No. 86-26 and 87-27). These cases grew out of the effort to eliminate inconsistencies between the Zoning Regulations and the 1984-85 Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element. ANC 3C, and in particular Commissioner Phil Mendelson, the Cleveland Park Citizens Association (CPCA), the Woodley Park Community Association (WPCA), and the Cleveland Park Historical Society, among others, participated actively in these cases. As an Office of Planning's report noted these overlays were designed to ensure the compatibility of the use and scale of development in these neighborhood commercial centers with the surrounding residential areas. The limitation on uses was designed to help maintain a mix of neighborhood retail and services and ensure that there were a sufficient volume of both daytime and night-time customers to keep the businesses there economically viable. However, the overlays' limitations on eating and drinking establishments were never really implemented.
In 2000, both ANC 3C (which adopted a resolution on the issue in January 2000), individual commissioners from Woodley Park and Cleveland Park, CPCA and various community members sought to get the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) to enforce the limitations on eating and drinking establishments in the overlay districts. In fact, the Zoning Administrator made a formal presentation about this to the ANC at its June 2000 meeting. As a result of this, DCRA issued proposed procedures for implementing the the limitation for eating or drinking establishments in the neighborhood commercial overlay districts in February 2002 which it adopted in May 2002. ANC 3C and CPCA and several individual District residents formally commented on the procedures.
In May 2002, in order to consider some of the concerns raised by the Zoning Administrator and DCRA on how to interpret the overlay regulations, the Zoning Commission published a notice of public hearing to be held in July 2002 on Case 02-06, "Text Amendments to Neighborhood Commercial Overlay District: Limitation for Eating or Drinking Establishments." In December 2002, the Zoning Commission tasked the Corporation Counsel with producing a proposed replacement or amended text. In November 2003, CPCA approved a resolution proposing a text amendment to the Zoning Commission to eliminate the ambiguities in the regulation regarding the limitation on eating and drinking establishments. The Zoning Commission noticed a second public hearing on Case 02-06 which was held in September 2005. At its December 2005 meeting, the Zoning Commission itself proposed an alternative solution and decided to hold further public hearings. This was all covered extensively in The Northwest Current.
In May 2006, ANC 6A petitioned the Zoning Commission to amend the Zoning Regulations to revise the definitions of "restaurants" and "fast food restaurants," among other things. The Zoning Commission set down the case as Case No. 06-23, "Text Amendment - Eating Establishment Definitions," in March 2007 and noticed a public hearing to be held in April 2007. ANC 3C, CPCA and WPCA, among others, participated in this case. The Zoning Commission approved a final order on the text amendments in Case No. 06-23 in July 2007.
The Zoning Commission's consideration and adoption of the neighborhood commercial overlay regulations has been a public process, of which both the public and the ANCs have been notified. ANC 3C, CPCA, WPCA and other neighborhood groups and individuals, as well as others from across the city, have been active participants in the process over the past twenty years. There is a substantial public record on the issue, as well as much news coverage, particularly in The Northwest Current, that is there for anyone who wishes to learn about it.
ANC Commissioner Reeves asked why if CPCA has been working on the overlay for years it wasn't referred to the ANC. ANC 3C has been involved in the the issue of the neighborhood commercial overlay districts for twenty years.
ANC 3C was intimately involved in the creation of the neighborhood commercial overlay zones in Cleveland Park (both on Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenues) and in Woodley Park which the Zoning Commission created in May 1989 (Zoning Commission Order No. 616, cases No. 86-26 and 87-27). These cases grew out of the effort to eliminate inconsistencies between the Zoning Regulations and the 1984-85 Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element. ANC 3C, and in particular Commissioner Phil Mendelson, the Cleveland Park Citizens Association (CPCA), the Woodley Park Community Association (WPCA), and the Cleveland Park Historical Society, among others, participated actively in these cases. As an Office of Planning's report noted these overlays were designed to ensure the compatibility of the use and scale of development in these neighborhood commercial centers with the surrounding residential areas. The limitation on uses was designed to help maintain a mix of neighborhood retail and services and ensure that there were a sufficient volume of both daytime and night-time customers to keep the businesses there economically viable. However, the overlays' limitations on eating and drinking establishments were never really implemented.
In 2000, both ANC 3C (which adopted a resolution on the issue in January 2000), individual commissioners from Woodley Park and Cleveland Park, CPCA and various community members sought to get the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) to enforce the limitations on eating and drinking establishments in the overlay districts. In fact, the Zoning Administrator made a formal presentation about this to the ANC at its June 2000 meeting. As a result of this, DCRA issued proposed procedures for implementing the the limitation for eating or drinking establishments in the neighborhood commercial overlay districts in February 2002 which it adopted in May 2002. ANC 3C and CPCA and several individual District residents formally commented on the procedures.
In May 2002, in order to consider some of the concerns raised by the Zoning Administrator and DCRA on how to interpret the overlay regulations, the Zoning Commission published a notice of public hearing to be held in July 2002 on Case 02-06, "Text Amendments to Neighborhood Commercial Overlay District: Limitation for Eating or Drinking Establishments." In December 2002, the Zoning Commission tasked the Corporation Counsel with producing a proposed replacement or amended text. In November 2003, CPCA approved a resolution proposing a text amendment to the Zoning Commission to eliminate the ambiguities in the regulation regarding the limitation on eating and drinking establishments. The Zoning Commission noticed a second public hearing on Case 02-06 which was held in September 2005. At its December 2005 meeting, the Zoning Commission itself proposed an alternative solution and decided to hold further public hearings. This was all covered extensively in The Northwest Current.
In May 2006, ANC 6A petitioned the Zoning Commission to amend the Zoning Regulations to revise the definitions of "restaurants" and "fast food restaurants," among other things. The Zoning Commission set down the case as Case No. 06-23, "Text Amendment - Eating Establishment Definitions," in March 2007 and noticed a public hearing to be held in April 2007. ANC 3C, CPCA and WPCA, among others, participated in this case. The Zoning Commission approved a final order on the text amendments in Case No. 06-23 in July 2007.
The Zoning Commission's consideration and adoption of the neighborhood commercial overlay regulations has been a public process, of which both the public and the ANCs have been notified. ANC 3C, CPCA, WPCA and other neighborhood groups and individuals, as well as others from across the city, have been active participants in the process over the past twenty years. There is a substantial public record on the issue, as well as much news coverage, particularly in The Northwest Current, that is there for anyone who wishes to learn about it.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
WPCA weighs in on CPCA
Dear Anne and other Executive Board Members:
As some of you may be aware the Cleveland Park Citizen’s Association has postponed their election of officers until the fall. The claim by the President of that Association was that the increase of new members constitutes an emergency and thus was their excuse to use their executive powers to postpone their election.
This is wrong.
The Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia is predicated on the concept that citizen activism is good, that democracy is good, and that the rule of law matters. The good people of Cleveland Park are doing the very things that we admire.
The Federation has spoken out and acted on these issues time and time again, be it the deplorable state of the EMT service, the lack of oversight on the mayor’s office, the public health committee you name it. The Federation has always been there to speak out when something is wrong. We must be there to speak again.
In this instance it is not the city government, or the federal government that is abusing the public trust, it is one of our member associations. We, as the premier umbrella organization of community associations, cannot afford to stay quiet on this issue. By staying quiet we are giving tacit consent to what is happening in Cleveland Park. We must act and we most positively affirm that citizens joining citizens’ organizations are good, and that the rule of law must continue and the CPCA is wrong in doing this.
I am writing to you today to inform you that if The Cleveland Park Citizens Association fails to conform to its own bylaws and holds their election as scheduled that I will introduce a resolution at our next assembly meeting calling for the removal of CPCA from membership in the Federation. The presence of an organization that is so Nixon-esque in its abuse of power gives the rest of our associations a bad name.
I remain committed to a better Washington, DC.
Sincerely Yours,
Peter W. Brusoe
Woodley Park Community Association Delegate
The Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia
As some of you may be aware the Cleveland Park Citizen’s Association has postponed their election of officers until the fall. The claim by the President of that Association was that the increase of new members constitutes an emergency and thus was their excuse to use their executive powers to postpone their election.
This is wrong.
The Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia is predicated on the concept that citizen activism is good, that democracy is good, and that the rule of law matters. The good people of Cleveland Park are doing the very things that we admire.
The Federation has spoken out and acted on these issues time and time again, be it the deplorable state of the EMT service, the lack of oversight on the mayor’s office, the public health committee you name it. The Federation has always been there to speak out when something is wrong. We must be there to speak again.
In this instance it is not the city government, or the federal government that is abusing the public trust, it is one of our member associations. We, as the premier umbrella organization of community associations, cannot afford to stay quiet on this issue. By staying quiet we are giving tacit consent to what is happening in Cleveland Park. We must act and we most positively affirm that citizens joining citizens’ organizations are good, and that the rule of law must continue and the CPCA is wrong in doing this.
I am writing to you today to inform you that if The Cleveland Park Citizens Association fails to conform to its own bylaws and holds their election as scheduled that I will introduce a resolution at our next assembly meeting calling for the removal of CPCA from membership in the Federation. The presence of an organization that is so Nixon-esque in its abuse of power gives the rest of our associations a bad name.
I remain committed to a better Washington, DC.
Sincerely Yours,
Peter W. Brusoe
Woodley Park Community Association Delegate
The Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia
CPCA: An update
Two updates to the recent entry regarding the Cleveland Park Citizen's Association.
Marc Fisher and Greater Greater Washington have both provided commentary.
Marc Fisher and Greater Greater Washington have both provided commentary.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
What's Going on in Cleveland Park?
If the vacant storefronts weren't enough, Cleveland Park seems to be in turmoil over the leadership of the local Citizen's Association.
A posting on the Cleveland Park Listserv today, in response to questions about the upcoming meeting, opens the question about the legitimacy of the organization. From President George Idelson:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cleveland-park/message/56399
The Cleveland Park Citizens Association welcomes the many new members who have joined in recent weeks. This is a president's dream come true and we look forward to their active participation. A recent listserv posting by a CP'r suggested that his call to join CPCA to "make sure all voices are heard" apparently spurred this membership surge. He also described a recent meeting where he and others offered suggestions for achieving broader representation. What the posting didn't mention is that those attending the meeting specifically requested an "equal voice" -- one-half the members of CPCA's Executive Committee -- either on the slate or as heads of our committees, for our upcoming election. They didn't spell out who these new candidates might be, but said such a "joint" slate would avoid an acknowledged, organized campaign to take over the entire leadership of CPCA at our annual meeting. The campaign urged people to join by a certain date, to be eligible to vote for this competing, unnamed slate. Sad to report, this campaign has been fueled by false charges that the Association opposes all change and development. It has distorted our position on the Giant development and makes the wild claim that the Association is responsible for store vacancies on Connecticut Avenue. That the campaign was orchestrated was demonstrated by some 60 bundled applications received by certified mail just before the specified cut-off date, by anonymous leaflets, and by private emails urging residents to join CPCA to "stage a coup." Normally, competition for leadership is healthy and our nominating process is wide open. Demonizing an association and encouraging a chaotic election is hardly normal. This is Cleveland Park, not some third world country. We are deeply dismayed over the divisiveness this campaign has caused in our community. Development issues can be contentious, but they ought not be used to tear the community apart. The Giant hearings have ended and the record is closed. The Zoning Commission will decide whether all the upzoning requested in our low-density neighborhood is worth the potential impact. We need some time for cooling off. Time to reflect on the issues. For these reasons, CPCA's Executive Committee has executed the emergency powers granted in our bylaws to postpone the election of officers until the Fall. This is clearly an emergency. In the interim, we will seek ways to mend this tear in our neighborhood fabric. We look forward to constructive support and suggestions.
One could expect a response like this from a third-world banana republic, but in the heart of the nation's capital? The by-laws seem fairly specific:
All officers provided for in Article V and the delegates to the Federation of Citizens' Associations and the Federation of Civic Associations shall be elected for a term of one year at the annual meeting which shall be held on the first Saturday of June each year.
So does anyone from the CPCA care to rationalize this other than a ploy to maintain control over a volunteer organization?
A posting on the Cleveland Park Listserv today, in response to questions about the upcoming meeting, opens the question about the legitimacy of the organization. From President George Idelson:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cleveland-park/message/56399
The Cleveland Park Citizens Association welcomes the many new members who have joined in recent weeks. This is a president's dream come true and we look forward to their active participation. A recent listserv posting by a CP'r suggested that his call to join CPCA to "make sure all voices are heard" apparently spurred this membership surge. He also described a recent meeting where he and others offered suggestions for achieving broader representation. What the posting didn't mention is that those attending the meeting specifically requested an "equal voice" -- one-half the members of CPCA's Executive Committee -- either on the slate or as heads of our committees, for our upcoming election. They didn't spell out who these new candidates might be, but said such a "joint" slate would avoid an acknowledged, organized campaign to take over the entire leadership of CPCA at our annual meeting. The campaign urged people to join by a certain date, to be eligible to vote for this competing, unnamed slate. Sad to report, this campaign has been fueled by false charges that the Association opposes all change and development. It has distorted our position on the Giant development and makes the wild claim that the Association is responsible for store vacancies on Connecticut Avenue. That the campaign was orchestrated was demonstrated by some 60 bundled applications received by certified mail just before the specified cut-off date, by anonymous leaflets, and by private emails urging residents to join CPCA to "stage a coup." Normally, competition for leadership is healthy and our nominating process is wide open. Demonizing an association and encouraging a chaotic election is hardly normal. This is Cleveland Park, not some third world country. We are deeply dismayed over the divisiveness this campaign has caused in our community. Development issues can be contentious, but they ought not be used to tear the community apart. The Giant hearings have ended and the record is closed. The Zoning Commission will decide whether all the upzoning requested in our low-density neighborhood is worth the potential impact. We need some time for cooling off. Time to reflect on the issues. For these reasons, CPCA's Executive Committee has executed the emergency powers granted in our bylaws to postpone the election of officers until the Fall. This is clearly an emergency. In the interim, we will seek ways to mend this tear in our neighborhood fabric. We look forward to constructive support and suggestions.
One could expect a response like this from a third-world banana republic, but in the heart of the nation's capital? The by-laws seem fairly specific:
All officers provided for in Article V and the delegates to the Federation of Citizens' Associations and the Federation of Civic Associations shall be elected for a term of one year at the annual meeting which shall be held on the first Saturday of June each year.
So does anyone from the CPCA care to rationalize this other than a ploy to maintain control over a volunteer organization?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Cleveland Park Magruders to close
According to fliers around the neighborhood and confirmed reports on NBC4, the Cleveland Park Macgruders grocery store is slated to close this weekend.
Along with the Starbucks, McDonalds, Blockbuster and other retail outlets, this marks another in a long string of vacancies in Cleveland Park.
Along with the Starbucks, McDonalds, Blockbuster and other retail outlets, this marks another in a long string of vacancies in Cleveland Park.
Friday, May 08, 2009
CPCA: Another Case Study
A recent discussion on the Greater Greater Washington Blog dealt with the current status of the Dupont Circle Citizens Association, and its accurate representation of the community. Blogger David Alpert noted:
Do citizens' and civic associations represent the broad interests of residents, or very narrow factions within a neighborhood? Recently, growing numbers of residents have started to question the long-standing role of these groups as the voices of residents in the civic discourse. The Dupont Circle Citizens' Association (DCCA) faces a contested election next month, where a slate of candidates nominated by the current Board seeks to bring the neighborhood together and represent the broader resident interest, while competing candidates, nominated from the floor, would keep the organization on one specific, partisan side of major issues.
Citizens' and civic associations have existed in DC for a long time. When DC lacked home rule, they played an especially important role to amplify resident needs to a frequently uninterested Congress. They then had to fight for a better city during decades of a completely dysfunctional District government. Today, our government is much better, but residents still need a voice.
It is a good question because the ANCs and Council provide ample opportunity for residents to have a more direct voice to the city and its leadership on issues ranging from alcohol licenses to the comprehensive plan or baseball lights on a public park. So what is the purpose of a Citizens Association and what is the responsibility to provide a voice for the whole community?
As was discussed this winter, the Cleveland Park Citizens Association decided to vote (with fewer than 30 people present) in February to oppose the Giant PUD eventhough it had filed papers in opposition in January. This despite hundreds of letters and petitions of support from the broader community, even members of the CPCA. Indeed, when these numbers were disclosed during a recent Zoning Commission hearing, the Commission Chair, Anthony Hood noted that such a low turnout was not representative of the community, did not constitute a quorum and if he conduction an association in such a manner, his tenure as president would be short.
At the monthly meeting on May 7th, CPCA President gave an impassioned speech to the few assembled about the heart and soul of the Cleveland Park community, and how the AWARE group (Giant supporters) were staging a coup. The allegations included the characterization that AWARE was nothing more than shills for the developer and a groups of newer residents who have neither the best interests of the community or its community association at heart.
One board member offered a resolution prohibiting Board membership by a CPCA member until said member had enjoyed 6 months of membership. According to the CPCA bylaws (pdf) Article VII, Section 3 "Election of all officers and delegates and members of the Nominating Committee may by request be by a secret, written ballot. A majority vote of those qualified members present and voting is required for election." So in other words, the it was proposed that the definition of "qualified members" be amended to exclude any recent applicants for membership to participate in the posted nomination and election process.
CPCA President George Idelson admitted that such a provision had been considered by the Executive Committee, but after some discussion the amendment was tabled.
So it begs the question, are these valid organizations in terms of representing the true voice of the community? What are they afraid of when suggesting such measures as amending by-laws to maintain control? Perhaps it is time for the heart and soul of the community to be truly represented?
Do citizens' and civic associations represent the broad interests of residents, or very narrow factions within a neighborhood? Recently, growing numbers of residents have started to question the long-standing role of these groups as the voices of residents in the civic discourse. The Dupont Circle Citizens' Association (DCCA) faces a contested election next month, where a slate of candidates nominated by the current Board seeks to bring the neighborhood together and represent the broader resident interest, while competing candidates, nominated from the floor, would keep the organization on one specific, partisan side of major issues.
Citizens' and civic associations have existed in DC for a long time. When DC lacked home rule, they played an especially important role to amplify resident needs to a frequently uninterested Congress. They then had to fight for a better city during decades of a completely dysfunctional District government. Today, our government is much better, but residents still need a voice.
It is a good question because the ANCs and Council provide ample opportunity for residents to have a more direct voice to the city and its leadership on issues ranging from alcohol licenses to the comprehensive plan or baseball lights on a public park. So what is the purpose of a Citizens Association and what is the responsibility to provide a voice for the whole community?
As was discussed this winter, the Cleveland Park Citizens Association decided to vote (with fewer than 30 people present) in February to oppose the Giant PUD eventhough it had filed papers in opposition in January. This despite hundreds of letters and petitions of support from the broader community, even members of the CPCA. Indeed, when these numbers were disclosed during a recent Zoning Commission hearing, the Commission Chair, Anthony Hood noted that such a low turnout was not representative of the community, did not constitute a quorum and if he conduction an association in such a manner, his tenure as president would be short.
At the monthly meeting on May 7th, CPCA President gave an impassioned speech to the few assembled about the heart and soul of the Cleveland Park community, and how the AWARE group (Giant supporters) were staging a coup. The allegations included the characterization that AWARE was nothing more than shills for the developer and a groups of newer residents who have neither the best interests of the community or its community association at heart.
One board member offered a resolution prohibiting Board membership by a CPCA member until said member had enjoyed 6 months of membership. According to the CPCA bylaws (pdf) Article VII, Section 3 "Election of all officers and delegates and members of the Nominating Committee may by request be by a secret, written ballot. A majority vote of those qualified members present and voting is required for election." So in other words, the it was proposed that the definition of "qualified members" be amended to exclude any recent applicants for membership to participate in the posted nomination and election process.
CPCA President George Idelson admitted that such a provision had been considered by the Executive Committee, but after some discussion the amendment was tabled.
So it begs the question, are these valid organizations in terms of representing the true voice of the community? What are they afraid of when suggesting such measures as amending by-laws to maintain control? Perhaps it is time for the heart and soul of the community to be truly represented?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
GGW: Live Chat with Cheh
The Greater Greater Washington blog has announced a Friday, May 1 Chat with Cheh:
This Friday at 1:00 pm, Greater Greater Washington will host Mary Cheh, DC Councilmember for Ward 3, and Chair of the Council's Committee on Government Operations and the Environment. Ms. Cheh is also a tenured law professor at GWU.
Please tune in live on Friday when Ms. Cheh will take your questions. If aren't available then, feel free to leave your questions in the comments and we'll select some for the discussion.
This Friday at 1:00 pm, Greater Greater Washington will host Mary Cheh, DC Councilmember for Ward 3, and Chair of the Council's Committee on Government Operations and the Environment. Ms. Cheh is also a tenured law professor at GWU.
Please tune in live on Friday when Ms. Cheh will take your questions. If aren't available then, feel free to leave your questions in the comments and we'll select some for the discussion.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Summary of the Giant Zoning Commission Hearing 4/23/09
From Gabe Fineman on the Cleveland Park Listserv:
Notes from the April 23, 2009
Zoning Commission Meeting about Giant at Newark
[Having trouble reading this because you do not get mail in HTML format? You can download a formatted copy from http://CPposts.com/Giant.htm that also has a lot of background documents.
So, what was this Meeting all about? Giant had applied for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) exception to the current zoning on the parcel of land that they own around Wisconsin and Newark. Their plan includes a doubling in size of the supermarket, and housing to the north of Newark and about the same amount of other retail space as they currently have. The usual anti-development crowd objected and this was the third of four hearings, but the first one I went to.
So, what happened at the previous meetings? At the first meeting (February 19th), Giant presented its case and Councilmember Cheh endorsed the application. The meeting lasted for five hours because the Board did not consolidate the opponents into one group but allowed each of the five opposition groups to individually ask the same witnesses the same questions that were often long statements rather than questions. At the second meeting (April 6th) the Office of Planning and the District Department of Transportation said why they supported the PUD and again, the opponents spent hours cross examining the City witnesses and a third meeting was needed.
So, who was on last night? Last night it was the proponents of the Giant Plan who mainly testified. First the ANC that voted to unanimously back the application but with a laundry list of issues that the Zoning Board should address. Then AWARE, the new local group of neighbors that want the application to be approved without additional conditions. Finally twenty-five individuals who spoke for themselves or some special interest issue (like affordable housing), but for the application.
So, What did the ANC say? Anne-Marie Bairstow, the chairman of the ANC, summarized the resolution unanimously passed by the ANC in January. The key thing about the resolution is that it was addressed as advice to the Zoning Commission. There were 11 conditions. The first was that the Zoning Commission should address certain issues about loading docks. The second was that the Zoning Commission makes Giant review its driveway designs and to mitigate noise. The third was to require Giant to continue to work with the City agencies to have adequate parking. The list went on. The opponents tried very hard to have Ms. Bairstow say that this meant that Giant must implement every suggestion about loading docks and must make specific changes to the driveway design and make all changes that they wanted. They also tried to get her to opine on if Giant and the Zoning Commission had done all of these things. The Chairman of the Zoning Board was very annoyed. This was precisely what had happened at previous meetings and he was not going to allow that badgering. The resolutions speak for themselves and he urged Ms. Bairstow to answer that she did not know instead of guessing at answers.
So, why did I stay? I suppose it was because I was already down town. When the meeting started, I envied the Commissioners. They were a vital part of the process of rebuilding a better City. They had a PUD that would revitalize an out of date neighborhood center and was Green and pedestrian friendly. They had a developer that intended to finance development in a very bad economy. However, I soon felt sorry for them as they tried not to roll their eyes and cut questioning short and the hours rolled by toward another five hour meeting.
So, what did AWARE say? They were very clear that they felt that the PUD was finished and needed no more revisions after what has been a ten year process. They urged the Board to approve it without any changes and let Giant quickly start building. Jeff Davis and Anne Large spoke for the 175 members and were so forceful and articulate that only two of the five groups wanted to question them. These two questioned every witness (or panel of individuals) much to the groans of even their supporters.
What did the individuals say? The individual ANC Commissioners explained why they wanted their particular point on the laundry list of conditions to the ANC resolution and why it was the most important point. The other neighbors gave examples of why the benefits of the development outweighed any possible problems, let alone actual problems. One major issue of the opponents raised before was that the Commission lacked authority to issue a PUD because it was overruled by the Comprehensive Master Plan. Ellen McCarthy, the former head of the Office of Planning who drafted the Master Plan, said that was nonsense and explained why in some detail (all within three minutes). The Zoning Commission members were very attentive. Someone from the Washington Interfaith Network asked the Commission to require 30% affordable housing instead of the 8% volunteered by Giant (there are still not regulations on the matter). The commission wondered why he weighed in at the last minute and had not talked to Giant before now. Ex-ANC Commissioner Dogget summed it up saying that she has seen this Giant process drag on since 2001 and the opponents are once more trying for "death by process".
So, was there any comic relief? Only at the very end when the crowd of about 100 had dwindled to about 50. The two of the small opposing groups presented their testimony. The first was the tenants at 3725 Macomb that is an apartment building that backs onto the Giant property and is probably the only affordable housing in the area. Their lawyer said that the new Giant building was only seven feet from the back of the apartment building so that fire trucks could not get in to save residents and this was illegal. Everyone was startled except for the Zoning Commissioners who seemed to know all about fire requirements. They first asked if the lawyer had consulted with the fire department. No. Why was there a letter in the file from the fire department saying that the design met their requirements? The law does not require access from all four sides and that is why apartment buildings are limited in their depth and why firemen are trained to enter through the front. The Giant lawyer asked only three questions about the actual distance that seemed to vary from seven to seventeen feet and might or might not be measured from a lawn rather than the building.
The other opponent was the big group of ten houses on Idaho Avenue that claimed that their residential street would be destroyed if trucks went down the part not in front of their houses to make deliveries at Giant. Yes destroyed, because trucks were heavy. The problem is that it is not currently a residential street. Most of it is bordered by the Giant on one side and the Police station on the other. It may become a residential street because Giant wants to build houses across from the Police Station, but the new residents will know what they are buying. In any case, they hired a Traffic Engineer (http://psivanness.com) that reached conclusions that the Commission considered incredulous. When questioned, the 'expert' admitted that he used models that were marked as unreliable and studies from Australia. He also did not seem to understand basic Traffic Engineering terminology and confused trips (one in to a dock and one out from the dock) with trucks making deliveries, resulting in the doubling of his numbers. It would have been much funnier if it were not 11 PM. I used to sympathize with these people but if you buy a house where you could throw a baseball into a shopping center, why would you to expect it to remain unchanged for more than half a century?
What is next? Yet another hearing, solely devoted to the opponents, on Monday, May 4 that should wrap things up. The next step is that the Zoning Commission allows written comments and uses those written comments and meetings with Giant to determine how the Planned Unit Development (PUD) should be re-written. It can be put in as is, made so restricted that Giant will abandon it or something in-between. Then, in at the end of the Summer (if everything goes without a hitch) the final PUD is approved and Giant can apply for building permits.
More Information?
http://wisconsinavegiant.com
http://www.cpposts.com/Giant.htm
Notes from the April 23, 2009
Zoning Commission Meeting about Giant at Newark
[Having trouble reading this because you do not get mail in HTML format? You can download a formatted copy from http://CPposts.com/Giant.htm that also has a lot of background documents.
So, what was this Meeting all about? Giant had applied for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) exception to the current zoning on the parcel of land that they own around Wisconsin and Newark. Their plan includes a doubling in size of the supermarket, and housing to the north of Newark and about the same amount of other retail space as they currently have. The usual anti-development crowd objected and this was the third of four hearings, but the first one I went to.
So, what happened at the previous meetings? At the first meeting (February 19th), Giant presented its case and Councilmember Cheh endorsed the application. The meeting lasted for five hours because the Board did not consolidate the opponents into one group but allowed each of the five opposition groups to individually ask the same witnesses the same questions that were often long statements rather than questions. At the second meeting (April 6th) the Office of Planning and the District Department of Transportation said why they supported the PUD and again, the opponents spent hours cross examining the City witnesses and a third meeting was needed.
So, who was on last night? Last night it was the proponents of the Giant Plan who mainly testified. First the ANC that voted to unanimously back the application but with a laundry list of issues that the Zoning Board should address. Then AWARE, the new local group of neighbors that want the application to be approved without additional conditions. Finally twenty-five individuals who spoke for themselves or some special interest issue (like affordable housing), but for the application.
So, What did the ANC say? Anne-Marie Bairstow, the chairman of the ANC, summarized the resolution unanimously passed by the ANC in January. The key thing about the resolution is that it was addressed as advice to the Zoning Commission. There were 11 conditions. The first was that the Zoning Commission should address certain issues about loading docks. The second was that the Zoning Commission makes Giant review its driveway designs and to mitigate noise. The third was to require Giant to continue to work with the City agencies to have adequate parking. The list went on. The opponents tried very hard to have Ms. Bairstow say that this meant that Giant must implement every suggestion about loading docks and must make specific changes to the driveway design and make all changes that they wanted. They also tried to get her to opine on if Giant and the Zoning Commission had done all of these things. The Chairman of the Zoning Board was very annoyed. This was precisely what had happened at previous meetings and he was not going to allow that badgering. The resolutions speak for themselves and he urged Ms. Bairstow to answer that she did not know instead of guessing at answers.
So, why did I stay? I suppose it was because I was already down town. When the meeting started, I envied the Commissioners. They were a vital part of the process of rebuilding a better City. They had a PUD that would revitalize an out of date neighborhood center and was Green and pedestrian friendly. They had a developer that intended to finance development in a very bad economy. However, I soon felt sorry for them as they tried not to roll their eyes and cut questioning short and the hours rolled by toward another five hour meeting.
So, what did AWARE say? They were very clear that they felt that the PUD was finished and needed no more revisions after what has been a ten year process. They urged the Board to approve it without any changes and let Giant quickly start building. Jeff Davis and Anne Large spoke for the 175 members and were so forceful and articulate that only two of the five groups wanted to question them. These two questioned every witness (or panel of individuals) much to the groans of even their supporters.
What did the individuals say? The individual ANC Commissioners explained why they wanted their particular point on the laundry list of conditions to the ANC resolution and why it was the most important point. The other neighbors gave examples of why the benefits of the development outweighed any possible problems, let alone actual problems. One major issue of the opponents raised before was that the Commission lacked authority to issue a PUD because it was overruled by the Comprehensive Master Plan. Ellen McCarthy, the former head of the Office of Planning who drafted the Master Plan, said that was nonsense and explained why in some detail (all within three minutes). The Zoning Commission members were very attentive. Someone from the Washington Interfaith Network asked the Commission to require 30% affordable housing instead of the 8% volunteered by Giant (there are still not regulations on the matter). The commission wondered why he weighed in at the last minute and had not talked to Giant before now. Ex-ANC Commissioner Dogget summed it up saying that she has seen this Giant process drag on since 2001 and the opponents are once more trying for "death by process".
So, was there any comic relief? Only at the very end when the crowd of about 100 had dwindled to about 50. The two of the small opposing groups presented their testimony. The first was the tenants at 3725 Macomb that is an apartment building that backs onto the Giant property and is probably the only affordable housing in the area. Their lawyer said that the new Giant building was only seven feet from the back of the apartment building so that fire trucks could not get in to save residents and this was illegal. Everyone was startled except for the Zoning Commissioners who seemed to know all about fire requirements. They first asked if the lawyer had consulted with the fire department. No. Why was there a letter in the file from the fire department saying that the design met their requirements? The law does not require access from all four sides and that is why apartment buildings are limited in their depth and why firemen are trained to enter through the front. The Giant lawyer asked only three questions about the actual distance that seemed to vary from seven to seventeen feet and might or might not be measured from a lawn rather than the building.
The other opponent was the big group of ten houses on Idaho Avenue that claimed that their residential street would be destroyed if trucks went down the part not in front of their houses to make deliveries at Giant. Yes destroyed, because trucks were heavy. The problem is that it is not currently a residential street. Most of it is bordered by the Giant on one side and the Police station on the other. It may become a residential street because Giant wants to build houses across from the Police Station, but the new residents will know what they are buying. In any case, they hired a Traffic Engineer (http://psivanness.com) that reached conclusions that the Commission considered incredulous. When questioned, the 'expert' admitted that he used models that were marked as unreliable and studies from Australia. He also did not seem to understand basic Traffic Engineering terminology and confused trips (one in to a dock and one out from the dock) with trucks making deliveries, resulting in the doubling of his numbers. It would have been much funnier if it were not 11 PM. I used to sympathize with these people but if you buy a house where you could throw a baseball into a shopping center, why would you to expect it to remain unchanged for more than half a century?
What is next? Yet another hearing, solely devoted to the opponents, on Monday, May 4 that should wrap things up. The next step is that the Zoning Commission allows written comments and uses those written comments and meetings with Giant to determine how the Planned Unit Development (PUD) should be re-written. It can be put in as is, made so restricted that Giant will abandon it or something in-between. Then, in at the end of the Summer (if everything goes without a hitch) the final PUD is approved and Giant can apply for building permits.
More Information?
http://wisconsinavegiant.com
http://www.cpposts.com/Giant.htm
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