Fenty Met By Protesters Over Library-School Development
It wasn't pretty yesterday when Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced the developer for a new library-school project in Tenleytown.
About two dozen residents and activists opposed to the plan because they fear the loss of green space for Janney Elementary School heckled the mayor as he explained that the LCOR development firm plans to build about 130 housing units over a new library at the Tenleytown site
Shortly after the old library was demolished last year, the city asked developers to propose mixed-use projects for the site. But the library system had committed more than $1.million to its own design. Fenty (D) said developer fees would pay for the school renovations for Janney.
But some residents weren't in very good moods about the whole thing.
"I don't like it shoved down your throat," neighborhood comissioner Amy McVey told staff reporter Michael Birnbaum in today's story about the plans.
Opponents also accused the mayor's office of changing the news conference time to try to avoid protesters.
"They have been very secretive and hush hush about all this," McVey said. "[Fenty] He promised he'd never go through with the project if the community wasn't behind it. I actually think that he was shocked that there were so many people" at the protest.
Neighborhood commissioner Ann Sullivan said, "They all know they'll be short-changing the children in the long run."
Sean Madigan, a spokesman for the mayor, said Fenty's schedule had changed on short notice but not because he was trying to avoid protesters.
Madigan said the administration had gone "almost above and beyond" with community input and noted that a news conference "isn't a public meeting, per se, where we want to engage community feedback."
Eric Scott, the city's manager for the project, said they have taken some of the comments from the ANC to heart.
By Marcia Davis |
July 11, 2008; 9:27 AM ET
| Category:
Mayor Fenty
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Posted by: Yawn. | July 11, 2008 10:20 AM
The press conference stated fairly clearly that there would not be any loss of green space over the project.
In fact, once built out, when you remove the demountable classrooms, it is possible there is MORE green space.
The people need to chill out.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 11, 2008 3:04 PM
Everybody is ignoring the traffic congestion at that interval this will cause.
Posted by: Jonathan R. Rees | July 11, 2008 3:08 PM
That part of town is so gd ugly. I was driving down that "strip" today. Ughh. Hee hee hee. It is so funny that the people there are so upset.
Posted by: I laugh at you Tenley Town! | July 11, 2008 6:48 PM
I bet the fine residents of Tenley did not know that their "town" is named after Horace Tenley, III. Horace was a slaver who also ran ten houses of ill repute in DC during the Civil War. He died of syphilis around 1875.
Posted by: A P Taylore | July 11, 2008 6:54 PM
Perhaps AP Taylore needs a little history lesson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenleytown
Posted by: really???? | July 12, 2008 6:25 AM
Wow, I did not know Tenley was an outrageous pimp!
Posted by: Maruice Samples | July 14, 2008 12:33 PM
Maurice, they called him the scarlet pimple (he had a very bad Irish-English complexion). His stovepipe hat was 20 feet tall!
Posted by: A P Taylore | July 14, 2008 10:29 PM
The historically correct solution would be a library that serves booze. The residents of Tenley Town always had their liquor close by. In addition, they did not read much while at the library. Their library's primary purpose was to hold cockfights.
Posted by: A P Taylore | July 15, 2008 1:40 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Let all 130 apartment dwellers play ping-pong! Yeagh!