A DVISORY N EIGHBORHOOD C OMMISSION 7C04 T OGETHER …B ETTER !

Testimony of Sylvia C. Brown, ANC7C04

Office of Planning Oversight Hearing
February 16, 2011
Mr. Chairman, my name is Sylvia Brown. I am Advisory Neighborhood
Commissioner 7C-04. I am testifying today regarding the Office of Planning
(OP). Generally, my interactions with the Office of Planning have been
productive. The Ward 7 planner Giz Andargeh is responsive and cares deeply for
the role OP plays in community development.

My challenge with OP lies in its ability to proactively move neighborhoods

forward with realizing potential and opportunity. Specifically, in Deanwood
approximately two years ago we completed the Deanwood Small Area Plan
(DSAP). During the development of the DSAP, as with many plans for east of
the river, a consistent message from community members was “we’ve been
studied enough; let’s see some action and make sure these plans are not just put
on a shelf.” Within the DSAP footprint are the Neighborhood Investment Fund,
a healthy foods and activity action plan, the Far Northeast Livability
Transportation Study, and several projects that are led by the Deputy Mayor for
Planning and Economic Development (DMPED). Granted OP initiated a
taskforce of community members to try to fulfill the community’s desires but its
level of activity has been disappointing. In my expectation OP would not only
organize a grassroots taskforce just as importantly the agency would organize a
similar taskforce for government agencies. Working together, OP and the
resident/stakeholder and government taskforces would work much more closely
and aggressively to not only ensure projects in the pipeline follow the small area
plan but also engage, if not develop, a clear and strategic path toward broad-
based community development.

1
Sylvia C. Brown, ANC 7C-04
4651 N.H. Burroughs Avenue NE Suite 2 Washington, DC 20019
P: 202-398-5100 E: brown.sylvia2@gmail.com
 A DVISORY N EIGHBORHOOD C OMMISSION 7C04 T OGETHER …B ETTER !

I’ll give two examples. DMPED is managing the Lincoln Heights-Richardson

Dwellings New Communities Initiative. This project is the “jump off,” if you
will, for several sub-projects—4427 Hayes Street, 4800 Nannie Helen Burroughs
Avenue, and Eden Place with Beulah Community Development Corporation.
While these projects individually come before OP, the Council and Board of
Zoning, it is, I think ineffective and a disservice to the residents for there to be a
piecemeal approach. These projects thus far are operating as islands, each with
their own community benefit plan, each with their own employment plan, and
each focused on their individual project’s impacts on the neighborhood.

Another example is the current discussion around Wal-Mart, which has been
proposed for a location in the Deanwood Small Area Plan. Again, the discussion
is moving forward with no holistic integration with the New Communities
Initiative and no clarity on the way forward to achieve the goals of the planning
document. Where does OP come into play to coordinate land use and zoning,
engage other government agencies to collaborate, and galvanize the taskforce to
be active “planners” to ensure projects come online as a domino effect instead of
one project every two-three years? The agency’s lack of focus on this role
hampers community economic development. Speaking specifically about
Deanwood the island approach is shortsighted and ill-advised. Consider this:
when the developers of the various projects begin marketing the footprint of the
Deanwood Small Area Plan how effective will the marketing plan be when they
lead with “There’s a proposed retail center for the East Capitol corridor and for
the Burroughs and Division intersection but we’re not for certain when those
plans will come online.”

Both the Council and the Mayor want to focus on east of the river development,
particularly job growth, increased tax generation and education attainment. It is my

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Sylvia C. Brown, ANC 7C-04
4651 N.H. Burroughs Avenue NE Suite 2 Washington, DC 20019
P: 202-398-5100 E: brown.sylvia2@gmail.com
 A DVISORY N EIGHBORHOOD C OMMISSION 7C04 T OGETHER …B ETTER !

contention that, as OP’s role is reconsidered along with DMPED, considering the
perspective I have shared will help all stakeholders and meet mutually beneficial
outcomes. This perspective agrees with Ms. [Cheryl] Cort’s point of improved land use
and economic development coordination.

An additional concern not noted in my testimony is about out-of-character construction.

McMansions on small lots are becoming prevalent in the neighborhood. In the DSAP
this was raised and included in the document. Several concerned about the out-of-
character construction, which impacts not just Deanwood but also neighborhoods across
the city, have thought about the role of conservation districts in putting a cap on these
buildings. Certainly, OP isn’t the only agency to engage, Department of Consumer and
Regulatory Affairs and the Board of Zoning, are key players. Again, though will OP take
the lead to coordinate the resident and government stakeholders?

I also support the work of the Humanities Council and its Community Heritage Project.
The Community Heritage Project in Deanwood covered the social history of churches in
the area and matched that heritage with the economic development planned and
underway.

Thank you.

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Sylvia C. Brown, ANC 7C-04
4651 N.H. Burroughs Avenue NE Suite 2 Washington, DC 20019
P: 202-398-5100 E: brown.sylvia2@gmail.com