Swear to god, I’m ready to call it for the panicked e-mail that just landed in my inbox, sounding the alarm against the rapacious monstrosity proposed for the old Hine Jr. High School at Eastern Market. On Monday, the Zoning Commission set down Stanton-Eastbanc’s planned unit development for a final hearing, which seems to have set off a last-ditch protest on Saturday. One of the latest renderings is above, and the full package is here.
NEWS ALERT: DEMAND FOR TOMMY WELLS ACTION
EASTERN MARKET COMMUNITY PROTEST.
Eastern Market will be the backdrop for a grass-roots protest to be staged, this Saturday (18th) against the controversial proposed redevelopment plans for the defunct Hine Junior High School.
Starting at 1:00 pm, members of EMMCA (Eastern Market Metro Community Association) will gather outside the Market (at 7th and C Street, SE) to start distributing leaflets (door-to-door and to visitors enjoying the famed attractions of the Market area) to draw attention to the fact that the charm and history of the neighborhood is in grave danger of being ravaged.
The problem is that the plans, as proposed, will blight the very features that make the Eastern Market community such a wonderful place to live – and visit – with a building that is: too high, too dense, too ugly and lacking open space.
The leaflet campaign is being organized by EMMCA in its battle to get the city government powers-that-be to “Right Size” the plans – in favor of the original plans, which were accepted by both the city government and the Eastern Market community.
Inexplicably the plans were changed – and the fight began.
The leaflet will urge people to contact Council Member Tommy Wells, and tell him to speak up, use his influence, to back the “Right-Size” demands of the community he serves.
This is what the leaflets will say:
RIGHT-SIZE HINE
Neighbors,
At half a million square feet, the proposed development of the Hine Jr. High site is the largest ever forced on a historic district in Washington, D.C.
The hulking behemoth proposed by developers Stanton/Eastbanc looks nothing like the development that was promised to us when the city decided to close the school.
At every stage in the process until now, the development has grown. As it currently stands, the proposed project threatens to tower over our residential community and Eastern Market and change its historic character forever.
The project threatens to turn 7th Street into a lightless canyon, push retail into areas that are now residential, and drive out the small retail that characterizes Eastern Market and our neighborhood.
IT’S TIME TO FIGHT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD
The next several months will tell the tale: Will Hine overwhelm and change our neighborhood for the worse, or be one of its crowning features? Starting with the opening of the PUD (Planned Unit Development) process on February 13, the neighborhood finally has a formal opportunity before the Zoning Commission to shrink the project back down to a size compatible with the Eastern Market community.
TAKE ACTION NOW: The Zoning Commission has the power to shrink Hine back to a reasonable size.
TELL OUR COUNCILMEMBER TOMMY WELLS TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY’S DEMANDS BEFORE THE ZONING COMMISSION:
Cut Back the Size of the Development
Don’t Let Retail Overtake Residential Areas
Fight Loss of Open Space, Preserve Space for the Flea Market
CONTACT COUNCILMEMBER TOMMY WELLS:
Phone: 202-724-8072
Email: twells@dccouncil.us
Address: 1350 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Suite 408, Washington, DC 20004
FYI: EMMCA has a website/blog that documents the fight: http://emmcablog.org
For more information contact:
Roger Strauss
tel: 202-669-5892
e-mail: rtauss@earthlink.net
This e-mail has been sent by Maggie Hall of ‘C’ Street, SE, an EMMCA member.