On Saturday, the Anacostia Waterfront Corp. (AWC) and DC government officials finally unveiled at a public hearing in Anacostia the long-awaited plans for a mixed-use project on 110 acres along the Anacostia River that would include a new soccer stadium for DC United, but the plan as it currently stands is meeting some resistance from area residents. The Poplar Point plans call for 2,000 housing
units, a 27,000-seat stadium, a hotel and conference center, and a 70-acre park. Residents and neighborhood activists quickly voiced concern over the upscale nature of the project, which might preclude them from enjoying the development, if not price them out of the area. Also, the hotel, conference center, and stadium were not services they need or would use, and there was no guarantee regarding job creation for the community. The AWC will continue to hold public hearings through the Spring (when the US Department of Interior will complete transfer of this land to DC) in hopes of addressing these concerns and altering the project accordingly.
4 comments:
i feel bad for these people that they feel they are being left out of the development here, but what exactly do they want? i mean, do they expect that, instead of a quality development being added to the neighborhood, that something shoddy will be added? yes, the development should be steered to benefit local residents as much as possible, but people can't expect that they'll be given everything they want on what isn't their property. ugh, it's tough to come up with a truly coherent thought on this one.
You are right - development that appeals to and pleases every side is almost impossible. For decades the residents of Ward 8 have waited, and finally there are some great strides being made ... should folks there just be happy with what is coming and not complain, as some say? Not when they see some weaknesses ... this might be their one shot to help developers get it right. I remember when City Place Mall was built in Silver Spring 15 years ago - the attitude was folks in SS (which then was still struggling for direction) should just be grateful for it ... but if only there was more input and thought behind this plan, we wouldn't be stuck with this White Elephant clogging downtown SS.... Thanks for the feedback and thoughts!
Another example is with the new convention center. Local residents wanted there to be more retail space and they got it. Of course, it's been several years before any of that retail even opened. But looking forward in time, that retail will save the convention center from being a big building everyone has to walk around before they can find retail. The convention center will also be a destination for locals.
I live in near a crappy indoor mall that has been planned to be redeveloped for years. I'm not worried about what they will do there because I actually believe in market forces and how it is in a developer's best interest to build what the surrounding community wants = more visitors, more money spent, higher retail lease rates, more money in owner's pocket. What's sad is that people can't put a value on the time they go WITHOUT the redeveloped asset and it's even more sad when local government can't put a value on it either. More time without redeveloped asset = delayed future tax revenues from the improved asset which can be used on....AFFORDABLE HOUSING...YAY!!!! See, everybody wins.
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