1/20/2022 WHAT WE ARE DOING ON YOUR BEHALF -- LATEST ACTIONS
We will continue to follow every relevant thread and speak with every related individual in this City to be heard. We are helping to develop a united voice, your voice, our voice. We want the best for our City. Thank you for giving us your trust in representing you.
12/15/2021 WHAT WE ARE DOING ON YOUR BEHALF
When news that the fields were to be developed by Maret first reached us, I contacted our ANC and said the following:
“I hope that all the homes that abut the property will be part of this early dialogue of critical design parameters. In best practice, the homes on Nebraska, 28th, Rittenhouse and Utah Avenues whose properties border the school including the streets/alleys should also be heard in the process of the plan development. It, as you know, not only gets the best product for the neighborhood, but will have the neighbors as positive stakeholders.” Claudia Russell, a neighbor and Friend of the Field, dated June 27, 2021.
Three months later in the September 27 ANC Zoom meeting when Maret made its first public presentation, it became clear they had developed their design without the level of citizen input that is typically expected. This is when members of the community jumped into action.
1. We galvanized a community group, now over 200 strong, to represent our unified concerns. This meant distilling the issues and presenting them to neighbors to collect input and participation. We attended various local events, including the Oliver Street Halloween Block Party where we discussed the proposed project with people who had heard nothing about it. We largely have been the conduit of this project into our expanded neighborhood. Maret was only required to notify households within a 200’ buffer around the property.
2. This required developing our own communications by first creating a roster of supporters. You then saw our flyers. We now have a Gmail account, Friendsofthefield20015@gmail.com, for two-way communication, and are working on a website. We chose a NAME and developed a LOGO! We are getting there in terms of unified clear communication and expression.
3. In early October we saw the need to advocate for a 3-D model and a timeline of the process so that everyone could understand the proposal and the process. Thinking in 3-D is not a skill that comes naturally to all. Understanding a complicated administrative process can be equally difficult.
4. It became clear that we had many questions and concerns, which many of you agreed with and endorsed. We sent a long list of these to Maret, asking them to flesh out the blank spots and clarify the unknowns. This was followed by a second letter requesting clarification of inconsistencies and “promises” made in Maret’s neighborhood meetings.
5. We have reviewed comparable athletic field developments, with the most relevant and obvious being St. John’s. Its football and baseball fields are nearly identical in size and disposition to Maret’s proposal, with of course the associated tall netting, but without the number of nearby houses. We recorded traffic congestion and parking density, food trucks, and noise. We continue to review the various DC fields to show how unprecedented this proposal in our neighborhood would be.
6. We reviewed the missteps of Maret's involvement with the Jelleff fields and spoke with people who had been involved.
7. We continually advocate for greater understanding of this proposal and its implications from many sources.
8. We have spoken with consultants, specialists, and individual experts. These include the Audubon Society, acoustical consultants, civil engineers, planners, and environmental consultants including Potomac Riverkeepers. We have researched aspects of the environmental degradation that would surely follow the acceptance of this proposal.
9. On your behalf, we have sent letters to city administrators regarding transportation, safety, stormwater management, noise, and zoning. Traffic is a fundamental concern, highlighted recently when traffic to our neighborhood was affected due to a backup on Military beyond 16th Street from a football game at St. Johns. We have sent numerous letters to the Office of Planning, Department of Energy & the Environment, and DC Councilmembers, and have been in regular correspondence with our ANC commissioners requesting an opportunity to provide a clear and complete response to the Maret proposal.
10. We interviewed several attorneys, exploring their history and experience with similar cases, and what help they might offer. Ultimately, we chose Ed Donohue’s (and Tracy Themak’s) firm, based in part because they respect our ability to do a great deal of the leg work ourselves, saving time and money, and broadening understanding. They are also well-versed in the complexities of DC zoning.
11. We had a visioning session to sharpen critical thinking and refine messaging.
