The Bulldozer Test
I can't get in a lather about crime, taxes, the Community Center, or the gym. Seems like those are issues we can work out no matter who is in office.
MY big worry is the issue that's bearing down on our city like a category six hurricane - and that's DEVELOPMENT. No other issue on the list has the potential to change the city so drastically. And soon! As the condos rise, our quality of life may flatten. In a few short years many of us may not even want to live here any more because all the things we enjoy will be gone: the quiet streets, the local businesses, the diversity, the progressive attitude, the affordable housing. This could be as big a change as when the Adventists surrendered the city to the invading Abbott Revolutionaries.
We've got a number of development projects coming into the Carroll Ave corridor between Takoma Park and the Metro. There are two projects being planned for Old Towne. The WAH grounds will likely become a development of some sort. Any number of apartment buildings in town will probably be converted to condominiums.
The construction alone over the next 5 years is going to be a pain in the ass! It's going to look like the West Berlin building boom after the fall of the Wall!
Both candidates say they are concerned about this. Kathy says she has been working with residents to "modify development at the Metro." She talks about "win-win" solutions such as the one achieved with Montgomery College. She has a quote from Lorraine Pearsall of Historic Takoma saying Kathy "has always worked for balanced solutions with the community's interest at heart."
“Balanced" and "win-win" solutions sound reasonable. But, such solutions may mean that nobody ends up completely happy. How much of the unique Takoma Park quality of life will we have to give up for "balance," I wonder?
As reasonable (and non-commital) as she sounds on this, Kathy’s statement lacks fire. It makes me worried that she doesn't share my fears and concerns about development.
Seth, on the other hand, says, "Residents feel they're strapped in the back seat, being taken for a ride with little say about the destination." Right on, Seth! That's how I feel, exactly!
So, Seth gets empathy and rhetoric points, but how's he going to deal with development - and will it be differently than how Ms Win-Win will deal with it?
Seth puts his finger on the big problem, "The city lacks zoning authority within its borders and has no formal input into most local development"
He proposes a number of things he will do, or attempt to do, to fix that, but my heart sinks as I read down the list and realize all the obstacles and realities that will get in the way. Do we really want city zoning, for instance? Kathy points out, and I suspect she's right, that having our own zoning department will require more city employees and expense.
Seth says he's going to get a "a formally recognized, meaningful seat at the table in zoning and planning matters" with the county. Instead of zoning authority, the city has, as Seth describes it "ad-hoc arrangements based on memorandums of understanding." He says the memoranda of understanding "have not proved sufficient in providing the control."
I'm not sure about that. We may already have a "meaningful seat at the table." I can't think of any development projects that have spun out of control in Takoma Park city limits. The CVS and the Metro development are in DC. There is only one chain fast-food restaurant in the City, Subway, which is understated and blends with the city street-scape fairly well. Years ago there were rumors of a fast food burger joint or a "box" drugstore going in at Takoma Junction, but that was stopped - or discouraged.
If my impression is correct, we haven't really had a full test of the City's power to stop or change a big development. But, we are about to find out.
Seth says "The developer-slanted county agenda must not trump local concerns" which I agree with, but it's one thing to say it and another to get the county to go along with our anti-developer local concerns. When Seth says “local concerns” does he mean the same thing I do?
Seth says he wants to set up a Takoma Park Development Commission (oh, boy, another Takoma Park committee!), made up of representatives from various city interest groups. Most of them reflect business interests, which worries me a bit. As a resident I don't feel well represented by business people. He did not likewise nominate any community organizations for membership in this proposed commission. I wonder if that indicates a bias toward business interests. Seth is, after all, a local businessman.
In summation, based on information at hand, Seth better expresses the fears I have about development. I'm not sure his solutions are necessary or workable. Kathy doesn't come out as two-fisted as I'd like but I suspect her approach is more practical. I get the feeling she knows which Rockville or Annapolis door to knock on to get some influence on development projects.
I'd like to hear more about what the candidates will do to hold firm against quality-of-life-threatening development. So far neither of these two pass the bulldozer test. Only one mayor has ever done that. Thirty years ago Sammie Abbott lay down in front of bulldozers and occupied buildings to prevent an Interstate from being built through the heart of Takoma Park. As problematic a mayor as Sammie was, that's the spirit I want to see from my mayor!
So here's some questions for the candidates or their surrogates: What exactly are you going to do to STOP the Old Town development from taking away ANY commercial space and from creating a traffic snarl due to all the additional residents? Exactly what kind of development are you going to work your tail off to bring into the WAH property that won't also cause traffic snarls and won't be a isolated yuppie residential [e-word]?
- Gilbert
- NOTE: Several new comments on past blog postings, some from candidates. I recommend reading the blog by clicking on the individual post links in the left-hand panel. That way, each entry appears singly, with comments following. If you view the blog on the home page ALL the entries appear on the page, and you have to click on "comments" to read them, which I find more confusing and awkward. Thanks for reading. I hope you find this site helpful.
posted by William L. Brown @ 12:55 PM
16 Comments:
I second that having the WAH property developed as single family homes would be the worst of possible outcomes. Has the College expressed any interest in taking over the building to expand - academic class rooms, Library or dorms etc.
From the Takoma Newsletter
allowable uses include embassies, adult foster care, publicly supported rescue squads, churches, memorial gardens, convents, monasteries and other places of worship, fire stations, housing projects, respite care, libraries, museums, parks, playgrounds, private swimming
pools, agriculture, and kennels.
Any of these outcomes would be more desirable. One caveat - I would have to be convinced of the housing project.
As for the Metro - stop the ride I want to get off.
No the college has not expressed interest and, from what we heard from WAH, they don't have the money even if they do have the interest.
Another correction (or viewpoint). The "Abbott Revolutionaries" didn't take over from "the Adventists". Sam broke up the monopoly of candidates backed by Citizens for Sound Government, which had held virtuyally every city office from the end of WWII until the early1980's. It was NOT an Adventist organization.
There were one or two members who belonged to the Seventh Day Adventist Church on the City Council before(Clayton Forshee, was one) and after (Don Ramsey and, more recently Carol Stewart) Sam Abbott was mayor. I never perceived any of them as part of an Adventist poltical movement.
I was very involved in city politics for a long time and never noticed an Adventist sponsonored, oriented or fostered agenda. It was often spoken of, but didn't exist. The main church-related player has always been Washington Adventist Hospital. I don't think the issues (mostly involving expansion) would have been vastly different if the Hospital were otherwise affiliated.
Just my two cents.
May I suggest that responders either use their names or come up with screen names as is common on other website. It is difficult to gauge who is responding to whom when anonymous is doing all the posting.
Thanks.
Mugs
Tom Gagliardo has a good point. It was not specifically the Adventists who controlled the City Council before Abbott and friends were elected (actually first Sammie was elected mayor and his slate joined him next election). I characterized the pre-Abbott conservatives that way because of the Adventist reaction to the election (moving their hq.).
I did not mean to cast aspersions on Seventh Day Adventists.
As I recall, the factor that allowed Abbott's slate to win election was the advent of ward representaton. Prior to that city council elections were at-large.
- Gilbert
A community organization leader wrote me in alarm because of this:
"Seth says he wants to set up a Takoma Park Development Commission (oh, boy, another Takoma Park committee!), made up of representatives from various city interest groups. Most of them reflect business interests, which worries me a bit. As a resident I don't feel well represented by business people. He did not likewise nominate any community organizations for membership in this proposed commission. I wonder if that indicates a bias toward business interests. Seth is, after all, a local businessman."
It's wrong. Please read the material that has been up on my Web site since August at http://www.sethgrimes.com/issues.dt.html :
"As mayor I will...
"Work with my City Council colleagues to set up a Takoma Development Commission that will include residents and representatives of cross-jurisdictional organizations such as Historic Takoma, the Old Takoma Business Association, Washington Adventist Hospital, and the Takoma-Langley Crossroads Development Authority, working in close cooperation with representatives from the District of Columbia and Prince George's and Montgomery Counties."
Residents are first on the list and a community organization (of which I'm a member) is listed second: Historic Takoma. And please note how I open this point:
"Work with my City Council colleagues..."
Seth
Seth, I was looking at that very passage as I wrote the words you object to. "Residents" is indeed the first listing, but it is nebulous to me. What residents? What is the criteria for their selection?
Historic Takoma is a community organisation but it is a narrowly focused. For instance, their concerns about the Old Town development were centered around the preservation of the Laurel Ave. store-fronts and skyline. Worthy concerns perhaps, but they were not the concerns of the neighborhood association. There were no neighborhood associations listed in the paragraph you cite.
- Gilbert
Gilbert, I find today's message helpful although I disagree with your analysis.
Kathy has no plan to deal with development, similar to her approach to other issues. Just react. Her strength is her contacts with other elected officials.
Seth demonstrates a better understanding of community sentiment, has numerous ideas and suggests we develop plans in anticipation of future events.
This election year Kathy's contacts seem to be the only answer I hear. For me it's not enough, because:
+ The mayor holds one of seven seats on the Council. Most of the council members are unapposed and each of them has the same contacts Kathy has.
+ Staff members should do much of the work in dealing with other jurisdictions and those contacts won't change.
+ We'll have a new mayor who has fresh ideas and can develop relationships while working with staff and other council members.
+ Next year is election year. I won't bother listing all the politicians who are suspected of moving on to other jobs that may or may not be as helpful as the current jobs. Kathy or Seth will have to establish new relationships with any newly elected representatives.
Seth Grimes comes out the winner on today's information.
By residents, I mean neighborhood assocations and any individuals who want to get involved.
On the Community Center & gym, yes, back in 1999 I wasn't involved. I figured, the city wants to build it and it will be financed mostly with state & county & federal money? Fine! Of course it hasn't worked out that way.
We have a facility that will serve the community well and I will work to make sure that it does provide the maximum benefit to the community. There's more on my Web site, http://sethgrimes.org .
Seth
Kathy Porter told me that the College has some intertest in some of the WAH property...as someone who has a NIMBY interest in the WAH site, it is walking distance, I hope we will at least look at rezoning it for mixed development, meaning some small shops in addition to public space and likely some residential. Those of us who live in wards 2,5, and 6 could really use some walkable commerce at this site (my eye teeth for coffe and a bun!). It is too valuable a lot to think it can all be converted to parkland, and frankly, I don't feel underserved by parks in our area. Soccer fields probably merit a look, but it's a hilly site for that. I think there's a real opportunity for a small community square for our corner of Takoma, and yes, there will probably be new housing.
I can't really see that traffic is going to be an issue -- while traffic impact of all options needs to be considered, there is almost no use of that site that will generate more traffic than the hospital already does -- and they wanted to put a lot more cars on Flower and Carroll with their growth plan.
I've been dealing in other contexts with my supposed business-dominated development agenda. To reinforce what I'm actuall talking about: I named the Old Takoma Business Association, of which I'm a member. Check them out at http://takomaonline.com .
OTBA is made up of small, local business. President Pennye Jones-Napier owns The Big Bad Woof. Vice President is David Eisner of the House of Musical Traditions. Treasurer is Bob Atwood, General Manager of the TPSS Co-op.
Regarding WAH: when I met with hospital President Jere Stocks, he expressed the view that the college could afford to buy WAH land and that Adventist Healthcare needs to maximize the $$ they get for the site.
I told him I thought having retail in the mix would be great, per harpiequeen, and I suggested along Flower facing the college. The college owns and I believe has plans for that land but perhaps we could work with them to reshape those plans.
Should WAH, a business, be included in local development decisions? Of course: how could we find a solution for their site without them?
I'll add that we should be working with them on this now: they've surely already been talking to developers.
Seth
Nuts, I had a typo:
Regarding WAH: when I met with hospital President Jere Stocks, he expressed the view that the college could NOT afford to buy WAH land
Dear reader/voters
Please read and forward the following to all potential voters and community lists
Thank you.
Byrne H. Kelly,
former Community Center Site Selection Committee Co-chair and Community Liaison Committee Tri-Chair, and President or THE GREENFIELDS COMPANY, Inc.
Signs of our times
or
Why to vote for Seth Gimes
Written by Byrne H. Kelly © November 4, 2005 all rights reserved. This poem may be distributed and copied without the author’s permission between November 4th through November 8th 2005. This poem has not been approved or endorsed by any political campaign.
This is just a little ditty,
Something about our times in Takoma Park.
Some may say, “it aint real pretty”.
It’s about an “edificio” and an ex-officio.
Story starts with the Captain, her officers, her navigator, and his crew.
Story ends, hopefully, cause of me & you.
$10 million reasons, and late, by eight or more seasons,
all come into play, I can list many more reasons,
and you can make a difference, vote for a change, on Election Day.
To the “Ark” that is Takoma Park, many a visionary, both old and young did come,
By committees and one by one, to give evidence and documents.
They were delivered in the rotting council chambers.
There the Captain and her staff, said they were listening,
Now, to some, that is a laugh, to this poet it is our tragic past.
You see, the stream and floodplain both were on record, for I was there and said beware!
No edifice erectors did work in the discordant sea, that to some is known as the Government of T.P.
Nor did those orating before that body, comprehend the extent of their contempt for
all things desired, including building green, a performance space, a gallery, and lowering the rent.
Now, we are bonded for decades by a weaker rating, for we have not finished,
but we could never fly straight, given such a crooked Finn.
And tell me dear Madame Mayor, when will we have our Gym?
She and he, you see, made some wonder if, in fact, they were dating.
For why else, we wondered, would a Captain and her Council always deny their wrongs
and adamantly defend Himm.
So Vote Takoma, for a change, and please relieve us of our perennial fiscal pains.
Recognize that the ship has floundered under the watch of the current Captain,
her officers and her crew.
Let her go out to salvage and lobby for her and his overruns, and the completion of our due.
So let’s VOTE SETH GRIMES in, for so many reasons, and sounder financial times.
A family man with kids in our schools, a business in town, and he’s not the Captain of any ship of fools.
If you want more facts, just contact the author, he’s got an arsenal of realistic ammo to continue his attack.
But best of all, exercise your rights, no complaints, know need to fight, use all your might.
VOTE on the day of November the eighth, as by that night we can start to, once again make Tacky Park right.
A truely . . . unique . . . poetical effort.
Do you suppose Mr. Kelly is angling for the position of City Poet Laureate under the Grimes administration?
If that happens, I predict a mayoral recall movement.
- Gilbert
Gilbert who be thee?
Since thy has taken such liberty?
A lore at it, but I be no laurate, save for hallowed weens.
But please me, you did, for reprinting my curse, proclaiming it to almost be verse.
Now for you know who I might be, tis who is you I wonder; but will I see?
I think you've gone from bad to verse
You know, Freedom of Speech does not include awful poetry. The Supreme Court will back me up on this.
- Gilbert
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