Maret School plans to destroy 60* trees at the Episcopal Center for Children (ECC), Nebraska and Utah Avenues, NW, in January.
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION to Save the Trees!
"We, the undersigned, ask Maret to postpone tree work at the ECC until the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) has issued its written approval, and an appeal has been resolved."
- Sign online at: www.ipetitions.com/petition/Maret-save-the-trees.
- Sign in person, or for more information reach us by email at: friendsofthefield20015@gmail.com
If more than one person in your household would like to sign, please do so separately. Numbers count!
And free to share this message with your neighbors, friends and family. There are over 280 Friends of the Field, and our ranks are growing!
Any personally identifiable information provided to Friends of the Field will be kept in confidence.
- Maret plans to act before receiving written approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) to build a multi-sports complex in a residential neighborhood
- Maret’s irreversible tree work could come before they obtain all required construction permits
- Maret should postpone all tree work until it obtains final approval of its multi-sports complex
Maret school plans to destroy 60* at the ECC to clear the site for construction of a planned sports complex.
But there is no guarantee that Maret's current plans will be allowed to go forward.
Permission to build the proposed athletic facility in this residential district, located at the corner of Utah and Nebraska Aves. NW, requires approval of a special zoning exception. Maret does not yet have, and does not know when it will have, final DC Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) approval. This means they have not yet obtained the necessary construction permits.
Once the BZA order is released, neighbors, as Friends of the Field, will appear in court, and file for a stay of construction. There are solid grounds for appeal. The scope and scale of Maret's proposal are out of keeping with this residential zone. Maret should seek a use variance and not merely a special exception. DC's office of the Attorney General submitted a letter to the BZA supporting this position.
Taking down dozens of trees now would be premature, and unwarranted, and would leave the 5-acre site irreversibly devoid of mature tree canopy.
That's why we're asking you to sign our petition.
Sign online at: www.ipetitions.com/petition/Maret-save-the-trees.
Note: the online petition is hosted free of charge by iPetitions. They ask for a voluntary donation to support their service. Any such donations do not go to Friends of the Field.
And thank you for your support!
* DC permit number TA88465 allows for removal of 60 trees, preservation of 7, and relocation of 4.
