Res 04-07


ANC 3F SUPPLEMENTAL RESOLUTION OPPOSING
THE DRAFT UPPER WISCONSIN AVENUE CORRIDOR STRATEGIC
 FRAMEWORK PLAN AND RECOMMENDING ADDITIONAL REVISIONS
 BEFORE IT IS RESUBMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY AND ANCS
 FOR REVIEW AND COMMENT


Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3F
North Cleveland Park, Forest Hills, & Tenleytown
4401-A Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Box 244
Washington, D.C.  20008-2322


WHEREAS:  On January 12, 2004, ANC 3F unanimously approved Resolution 04-04 opposing the Draft Plan and requesting that it be revised and resubmitted to the community and ANCs for review and comment before any action is taken to send it to the D.C. Council; and

WHEREAS:  in Resolution 04-04, ANC 3F requested that properties in and around Tenley Circle, including the Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church, be removed from designation for any number of stories on the Framework Plan map on page 24, but did not make any recommendation for these properties on the Growth Restriction Area map on page 27, which shows where zoning changes or planned unit developments would not be supported; and

WHEREAS:  on the Framework Plan map on page 24, building heights of six stories and more are recommended for the commercial corridor from Chesapeake to Ellicott Streets, but buildings this high could block historically-significant views from Fort Reno National Park of the site of a Civil War signal station at “Peach Grove”, near present-day Tyson’s Corner, and a splendid panorama of the Virginia countryside, enjoyed by people who picnic, walk, sled, and paint pictures along the heights of Fort Reno Park; and

WHEREAS:  federally-owned Fort Reno Park serves not only residents of ANC 3E and ANC 3F, which include the park within their boundaries, but also the entire city, the metropolitan area, and the nation; and

WHEREAS:  on January 21, 2004, Ward 3 Councilmember Kathy Patterson wrote a letter to the Mayor asking that “considerable additional analysis be completed prior to the study being finalized, and in advance of submission to the council for approval as a ‘small area plan’”, and

WHEREAS:  on February 7, 2004, the D.C. Office of Planning informed the Wisconsin Avenue Plan Advisory Steering Committee that it now intends to revise the Draft Plan and resubmit it to the community for review by mid-April, followed by a 30-day comment period, before sending the plan to the D.C. Council, and that analyses of the Plan’s impact on the area’s infrastructure (schools, public safety, traffic and parking, etc.) will be taken from routine planning data compiled by District agencies and not by independent outside analysis focused on this study; and

WHEREAS:  residents are concerned that these data will not fully address the implications of the higher density inherent in the Draft Plan,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:  ANC 3F continues to oppose the Draft Plan and requests that it be revised by:

·    Amending the map on page 27 to place the properties in and around Tenley Circle, including the Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church, in the Growth Restriction Area, as shown on the attached draft map for the study, dated June 25, 2002;
·    Amending the map on page 24 by reducing the recommended building heights for the area between Chesapeake and Ellicott Streets to protect views from federally-owned Fort Reno Park;
·    Removing references to 6-8 stories from the paragraph on urban form on page 41 and pictures showing buildings of 6-8 stories for Sites B-4 and B-5 on page 40; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT:  ANC 3F requests that OP consult with the National Park Service to consider whether a zoning overlay for the Fort Reno area should be developed to protect sightlines to Peach Grove, Fort Bayard, Fort DeRussy, and Fort Stevens – all important sites in the Civil War defenses of Washington; and  

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT:  ANC 3F strongly urges that the Office of Planning delay the resubmission of the Draft Plan to the community and ANCs in order to conduct full, independent analyses of the impact of development on the corridor and neighboring communities, to revise the Draft Plan accordingly, and to make a commitment not to send any plan to the D.C. Council until a consensus has been reached with residents.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Approved by a vote of 6-0-0 at a duly noticed public meeting of ANC 3F on February 9, 2004, with a quorum present.




________/s/ Karen Lee Perry________            ___________/s/ Cathy Wiss___________
                 Karen Perry, Chair                                             Cathy Wiss, Secretary        

Attached draft map for the study, dated June 25, 2002