Eastbanc To Start From Scratch On West End Project

In a public hearing yesterday, the DC Council unanimously passed a motion to reconsider the sale of property on the West End to Eastbanc Inc. The Council then passed a second motion proposed by Councilmember Jack Evans to table the property disposition, which effectively ended discussions on the deal. “The die is cast,” Councilmember Carol Schwartz stated, in stolid reference to the fate of a development process which has caused uproar for some concerned residents of the West End.

Had the deal gone through, Eastbanc Inc. would have constructed a new library, fire station and police station on the public land while redeveloping the adjacent Tiverton apartment building. The Council had initially resolved to approve the development plans "in the belief that [the Council] was protecting the rights of the Tiverton tenants," said Evans, but in the end the entire council agreed that the West End community did not have ample opportunity for public input.