Two upcoming meetings on the controversial Hurt Home near 30th & R Streets offer a final opportunity for Georgetown residents to have input before the D.C. Council votes on whether to declare the property surplus and proceed with a sale to Argos, a developer who plans to put 35 2- and 3-bedroom condos on the property with just 41 parking spaces, according to resident John Zirinsky in a letter to neighbors.
The D.C. Council will hold a hearing Thursday July 1 at 3:00 pm at 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. To offer comments, residents should call Priscilla Ford 202-727-6684, or email pford@dccouncil.us.
Council member Jack Evans and the Office of the Deputy Mayor will hold a community meeting starting at 6:30 the same night at Hyde-Addison Elementary School at 3129 O Street in Georgetown.
Neighbors have voiced the following concerns, Zirinsky wrote in a letter to neighbors:
* The development plan was negotiated without proper transparency and without sufficient regard for the process of community feedback required by law.
* The true needs of the community and other potential uses for a historic 33,000 square foot building appraised at over $8 million were not properly considered.
* The current plan would double the building's footprint, damaging its historic character and permanently destroying green space.
* The additional residents would place too much pressure on a neighborhood that already has insufficient street parking.
* The use of a one-way alley by the building's garage would create a rush-hour traffic hazard on R Street.
Zirinsky is asking neighbors to petition the Committees and the City Council to take no action on 3050 R Street until they follow the right procedures and give us a chance to consider and discuss this issue. The Mayor's office, Zirinsky said, is treating this as a "fire sale." But it is a major decision about a historic landmark in the heart of Georgetown. "Rather than a protracted battle between the neighborhood and the developers, we'd like to see a true effort at cooperation and community engagement from both Argos and the District. We want three simple things from Argos and the Mayor's office," he said, including:
1) Share their plans for the Hurt Home with the public
2) Give the community adequate time to consider the proposal and convene a community meeting
3) Treat the community as a partner in this process
But wait, why host a community meeting AFTER the Council hearing, when the day's opportunities to be heard are over?
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