With Washington planning for its next 20 years of development, city officials said GW must explain how its plans for the old hospital site are in the best interests of students and D.C.
The University is planning to use the site, located across the street from the Foggy Bottom Metro stop, for mixed-use commercial development including retail space, condominiums and office buildings. But Ellen McCarthy, director of the D.C. Office of Planning, said the University must prove how using Square 54 for profit-generating purposes, as opposed to meeting housing or classroom space needs, will help both students and the city before plans can go forward.
“In order for Square 54 to be approved for non-academic use, GW must prove to the Zoning Commission and Foggy Bottom residents how this construction can benefit the community,” she said.
McCarthy’s comments came at a planning fair Tuesday night, where residents gave city officials input on D.C.’s Comprehensive Plan, a required document outlining policy and planning guidance on the physical development of Washington over the next 20 years.
Tracy Schario, GW’s director of media relations, said the school’s plans for Square 54 benefit both the University and the city because they will further the economic growth of the District and fund other campus initiatives.
“This site, if approved by the Zoning Commission, will be used for commercial use. No concrete plans for what Square 54 will be have been decided, but we are hoping to use the land for investment purposes,” she said. “With the money made from Square 54, GW is better able to fund academic resources.”
Some Foggy Bottom residents are staunchly opposed to the University’s plans to use the site for commercial purposes. By not building dorms, students will be forced to live in neighborhood apartments, and by not building classrooms, students will be forced to take classes in non-GW buildings in the area, they said.
The University believes that using the site for commercial purposes will allow the school to generate funds that can be applied to other projects for students.
“If approved, the new construction of Square 54 will not include student housing or classrooms,” Foggy Bottom Association President Joy Howell said. “The University is not taking the needs of the community or its students into consideration with this plan. Already lacking enough classrooms and residence halls for its students, GW shouldn’t be using this huge plot of land as a commercial revenue generator.”
Tuesday’s meeting was the third of four community fairs that the D.C. Office of Planning held in different locations across the city this month to receive suggestions from residents.
City officials said they are trying to bridge the gap between residents by giving people of all backgrounds the chance to weigh in on issues such as education, the environment, land use and transportation.
“D.C. has become more divided by race, income and education over the past decade, and we hope these meetings will bridge that gap and involve all residents of many backgrounds in the decision-making process,” said Dwight Kirk, media coordinator for the D.C. Comprehensive Plan.
At the meetings D.C. residents filled out questionnaires to give their opinions on certain ideas proposed by the Comprehensive Plan. Kirk said that during the first set of meetings held in January, the majority of people expressed a strong desire for a more inclusive city planning process. The meetings were held again this month to continue the suggestion process.
“The point of these meetings are to hear the diverse viewpoints and ideas of D.C. in our final Comprehensive Plan which will be considered in January, and hopefully adopted by June,” Kirk said.
At the meetings D.C. residents were also able to speak directly with planning officers at one of the 12 stations that focused on the different development issues in the District.
D.C. resident Rich Carlson, who attended Tuesday’s planning fair, praised the efforts of the Office of Planning for attempting to use the community’s input in its decisions. He said that the main points he wanted to address were the use of public space around Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, transportation issues and education.
“I think the meeting is a great idea. Any type of public involvement in city planning is a phenomenal breakthrough especially when we are in such a time of flux in the city,” he said. “This is an exciting time to be in Washington, D.C., due to tremendous amounts of urban growth and changes.”
While the District has been undergoing an economic boom in the past few years, Carlson said that where D.C. really needs to focus is on its public schools.
“When I talk to my friends in the suburbs about why they live outside of the District, (they say) the only drawback of living in Washington is the schools,” he said. “D.C. needs to improve its schools, and it has the ability to do so with the appropriate resources and policies.”
