Community News

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner 4B01 Sara Green

ANCSaraGreen@yahoo.com (202) 829-8802

7106 Piney Branch Road, NW

Finally! A New Blair/Cedar/4^th Street Intersection

After more than a decade of lobbying from Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B (ANC 4B), the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) is redesigning this dangerous five-legged intersection. The most important fix DDOT proposes is to make 4^th Street one-way going north from Butternut to Cedar. State-of-the art signals will be installed, along with timing changes, adjustments to turn lanes, and pedestrian safety improvements.

Thanks to a neighborhood Committee for working closely with DDOT on the proposal and to Council Member Muriel Bowser for supporting it. Commissioner Faith Wheeler and I are also working hard to get landscaping and streetscape improvements included in the project, which is part of the ANC 4B01, 4B02 and 4B07 Single Member Districts.

Next Steps: DDOT will complete its proposal and submit it to the community and ANC 4B for review and comment. More public meetings will be held. To learn more, go to ANC4B.org

Walter Reed Update

The DC government is now working with the Department of the Army and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to purchase 66.57-acres -- over half of the former hospital site. The DC portion is an L-shaped chunk of land fronting Georgia Avenue and Aspen Street, NW. The rest, fronting 16^th Street and Alaska Avenue, goes to the State Department for chancelleries.

The DC Office of Planning will hold a public hearing on its draft Small Area Plan for the site October 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, at Tifereth Israel Congregation, 7701 16^th St., NW. A link to the draft plan will be on ANC 4B’s web page as soon as it is available. Go to ANC4B.org The link will appear at the top of the page. For specific questions about the plan and testifying, contact Malaika.Abernathy@dc.gov

Some highlights:

* Total: 4.1 million sq. ft. --housing, schools, offices, nonprofits & retail when complete in 2030 or later

* Historic properties to be saved for reuse make up about 25% of the site

* Open space, including the large lawn in front of the historic original red brick hospital, makes up 21%

* Retail will make up 7%; with many stores and mixed use buildings on Georgia Avenue

* Residential uses total 63%, with many to be built on Fern Street and Aspen Street

* Nonprofits could start moving in as early as 2014 on the Aspen Street side, including

* Washington Yu Ying Charter School & the Latin American Montessori Bilingual Charter School

* So Others May Eat & HELP USA – Up To 115 Units of Assisted Housing

Some Concerns:

* Transportation planning remains incomplete

* A “Master Developer” is to be hired to oversee billions of dollars of infrastructure and land sales. We need transparency and an on-going process for public input. So far, plans for both are sketchy.