Makeover: Edgewood Triangle Park Edition

As part of the PUD with the EYA Chancellor's Row Development was funding for them to renovate the large triangle park in Edgewood which is bounded by Lincoln Road, Franklin Street and Fourth Street NE.  Construction on the park has already started and is supposed to be completed this fall. 

PUDs and CBAs in Edgewood

Since many stalled projects have been taking off in Edgewood over the last couple of years the fulfillment of Community Benefit Agreements (CBA) that were negotiated many years ago have now come to pass.  There are two such agreements that will give money to the Edgewood Civic Association.  I have noticed through the listserv that the Eckington Civic Association has decided to use their money from an agreement to install historic neighborhood signs.  The language of the agreements states what purposes the money can be used for by the association.  I asked at the last Edgewood Civic association if we were going to have a vote on how to use the money and was told that the board was going to make the decision.

The 2008 EYA-St Pauls College (07-27) CBA states that:

Contribution to Edgewood Civic Association – Prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for this PUD project, the Applicant will provide $15,000 for equipment and services for the benefit of Edgewood Civic Association. EYA will purchase laptop and printer for the Association so that it may further its membership goals. Any funds remaining from the purchase of the referenced equipment will be used pay
legal fees for establishing the Association as a non-profit 501(c)(3) and to prepay printing costs of the Association.

Since the Edgewood Civic Association is already a non-profit it seems that this money will go to a laptop and printer and a whole lot of printing!  I am not sure how much paper this can buy, but I am guessing that we will find out over the coming years.  There was mention at the meeting that the civic association is looking to produce newsletters now and welcomes contributors.

The 2007 NoMa West Residential One, LLC (05-23A) CBA states that:

A statement providing an additional condition of the Modified PUD approval, providing for a $20,000 contribution to the Edgewood Civic Association approval to cover (i) the cost of printing and distributing the Association's quarterly newsletter, (ii) donations of equipment to the Harry Thomas Recreation Center and the Edgewood Recreation Center, (iii) donations to the PTSA for the Emery and Shad Elementary Schools for student and parent enrichment programs, (iv) grants to senior citizens for snow removal and safety maintenance of their homes, (v) a summer festival for youth in the community, and (vi) community beautification projects, which is marked as Exhibit 26 of the record;

Since the EYA CBA has to be spent on printing and there is already $10,000 in this CBA donating equipment to the Harry Thomas Recreation Center I think it would be nice if we used this money for equipment for the Edgewood Recreation Center and community beautification projects.  Both Bloomingdale and Eckington  have signs and decorated lampposts.  It would be nice to have flowers and signs added to the lampposts in Edgewood as we are often grouped in with Brookland.  It would help to define our neighborhood and add a sense of community pride.  Again, the board of the Edgewood Civic Association stated that they were going to decide at their board meeting so we will have to wait and see.

My thoughts on the CBAs are that they really should be negotiated better to serve the community surrounding the development.  I know that these were negotiated years ago, but I do not think cash donations to organizations should be part of them.  The civic associations may cover large areas but have small memberships.  I think it would be better if we had more items that included improvements to roads, sidewalks, parks, bikeshare stations, facade improvements for current businesses and funds to run cleanup crews.  While I may be dreaming here it would be great to collect donations to start a BID similar to what NoMa has that promotes the area, plans events and maintains and performs beautification.

WBJ: DDOT has issues with Abdo's Brookland/Edgewood project road-related plans

See this Washington Business Journal article on the Jim Abdo Brookland/Edgewood project.

Transportation officials don`t like route Brookland project is taking

Premium content from Washington Business Journal - by Michael Neibauer

Date: Thursday, November 4, 2010, 1:57pm EDT.

[http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/print-edition/2010/11/05/transportation-officials-dont-like.html]



Few major projects have coasted through the District`s complex development process like Abdo Development LLC`s 8.9-acre, mixed-use mammoth that will connect the Brookland and Edgewood neighborhoods.

However, the D.C. Department of Transportation, one of the last bureaucratic hurdles to be cleared, has become an unpleasant, if not unexpected, bump in the road.

DDOT detailed its opposition to a half dozen roadway-related pieces of the Northeast D.C. project in an Oct. 20 memo to the D.C. Office of the Surveyor. The challenge, which the department describes as procedural, has nonetheless slowed an otherwise fast-moving redevelopment that promises to transform the neighborhoods.

It`s been relatively smooth sailing for the $225 million development on the former south campus of The Catholic University of America, where Abdo is working with Bozzuto Development Co. and Pritzker Realty.

The project is expected to include 800-plus residential units, 45 townhouses, close to 85,000 square feet of retail, 27 artist studios and exhibit space. A tunnel will link the project with the Brookland/CUA Metro station.

The planned-unit development application has the D.C. Zoning Commission`s approval and a thumbs up community groups. It is backed by Mayor-elect Vincent Gray.

But developers still need the council`s OK to close portions of streets and adjust rights of way — the legally granted access to property owned by someone else — to make room for construction and realigned intersections. That`s where DDOT comes in.

The agency has problems with all but one of the developers` road-related plans, although DDOT doesn`t want its written opposition to be seen as actual opposition.

``In the world of street closures, the legal counsel is that we must write our reports to `object until and unless,``` wrote Karina Ricks, associate director for the DDOT`s Policy, Planning and Sustainability Administration, in an e-mail. ``Although the report, at first reading, very much sounds like an objection, it is not.``

Legislation before the council would authorize the creation of a right-turn lane at Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street, realignment of the Seventh Street and Michigan intersection into a T-intersection at the entrance to the university, development of a public square at Michigan and Monroe featuring a clock tower and fountain, and the redevelopment of Eighth Street from Monroe to the Michigan Avenue viaduct as a pedestrian-only walkway that ends in a public piazza.

But those plans, developers say, mean closing portions of Monroe, Seventh and Eighth streets and Bunker Hill Road, removing some public land from D.C.`s long-term highway plan and dedicating some public property on Monroe to the right-turn lane.

Ricks told the surveyor she opposes all but one of those plans for reasons including roadway design issues and traffic impacts. The developers responded in testimony before the council that the roadway changes are critical and ``we will not be able to satisfy`` several DDOT objections.

The parties say this back-and-forth won`t kill the deal even if it does add delays.

The DDOT is ``very supportive of the development plan,`` Ricks said, but legally the agency has to oppose it. Abdo will have to file more material to satisfy the concerns, Ricks said, such as establishing an easement to ensure the department retains the ability to maintain the Michigan Avenue bridge.

Toby Millman, Abdo`s vice president of project development, agreed that DDOT`s opposition is a matter of course. The agency, he said, doesn`t have a another word in its legal toolbox to denote ``concern.`

ANC 5A Meeting on the Brookland Small Area Plan and PUDs

This morning I attended the meeting hosted by the ANC5A on the Brookland Small Area Plan and PUDs. I am not sure why I think every meeting that I attend will be different and informative. I thought this meeting was going to be about timelines for the plan and information on what parts are being implemented; however, it seemed to be an anti-plan and anti-development meeting.

This meeting went along the same lines as the other development meetings that I have attended. In fact I am starting to recognize the same loud, opposing people from meeting to meeting and really wish I could come up with some cool nicknames for them (as a group I call them the fearmonging anti-development coalition). The meeting started with a panel brought together by the ANC5A for the meeting - Ms. Hine (president of the Lamond Riggs Civic association), Mr. Houghton (resident, property owner and architect), Mr. Johnson (resident, business owner and architect/planner), Ms. Pearson-West (resident, property owner and former ANC) and Ms. Thomas (resident, property owner and Premier CDC). This group went through introductions and spoke against the plan and development in Ward 5. The group then fielded questions until Harriett Tregoning, Director of DC Office of Planning, joined the meeting to answer questions.

Ms. Tregoning addressed many of the previous items that had been complained about especially about traffic. She explained that they are conducting a traffic study of the area and the statistics on vehicle ownership in the District. I am not going to go into details of all the discussions that took place because while I lost three hours of my life I do not want to subject anyone else to that. There were people there that indicated that they do not want any more residents in Brookland and they do not want development. Some people even brought up other projects in other parts of the Ward which were not relevant to the meeting. Ms. Tregoning did a great job of fielding questions in a hostile environment and promised to answer all others written down.

I think that the plan is good for Brookland and Edgewood (yes part of this small area plan is in Edgewood which is why I went to the meeting). Change is coming to this area and is needed. I think the Office of Planning is conducting a good number of studies to ensure that the issues involving retail, traffic, shuttle services and green spaces are addressed. I also believe that we all need to learn to compromise because everyone in the community is not going to want the same additions to our neighborhood.

Here is a link to the plan:

http://planning.dc.gov/planning/cwp/view,a,1285,q,645935.asp

Here are the projects in the Edgewood area:

Chancellor's Row at Brookland Metro (3015 4th Street NE) - 10-acre residential development on St. Paul's campus with construction to begin Fall 2010

CUA South Campus Development (7th Street and Michigan Ave NE) - mixed use development will include approximately 761 housing units, studio space for artists, retail, and a public square with a ground breaking planned for Winter 2011

Brookland Artspace Lofts (3225 Eighth Street NE) - 41 live/work rental units directly adjacent to Dance Place's HQ and studio space for qualified DC artists making 60% or less of the area median income planned construction to begin Spring 2010

What do others think of the developments coming to Edgewood? I know a lot of people that are excited about them but avoid meetings such as this one because of the way they tend to turnout. Maybe more of us that are in support of the development need to attend so our voices are heard as well.