Breakfast links: We're here, we're urban

Development

Breakfast links: We're here, we're urban

by David Alpert • March 24, 2009 8:34 am

Photo by bensheldon.

Hopefully not just like the Pentagon: "In her own Special Olympics-like gaffe, the [DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano] referred to St. Elizabeths as being in 'a very run-down part of the District of Columbia.'" But, DHS also hopes their upcoming move to the Ward 8 campus will "do the same thing for the surrounding neighborhood that the CIA did for Langley and the Pentagon did for Northern Virginia." Great, but this is still part of the city, not part of the 'burbs. Ideally DHS will "do" more for Ward 8 than just drawing large amounts of auto traffic to the area. (DCmud, Jaime)

Life, liberty, happiness and the ability to build sprawl?: County government just can't make everyone happy. Neighbors complain about development, and developers complain about non-development. In this case, that's a rezoning for rural southern Prince George's County to keep more of the Rural Tier land rural. But some landowners are threatening to sue to protect their right to build sprawling suburban developments in far from everything in Accokeek and Brandywine. (Gazette)

Crosswalks aren't temporary loading zones: A letter writer asks drivers contribute to safety on Connecticut Avenue by realizing pedestrians need to use the street, too. One SUV driver was blocking a crosswalk and reacted very irately when the writer asked him to move. (Post Get There)

Commute correlation computation: Extraordinary observations graphically analyzes the relationships between commute times and transit and driving. Does transit use cause long commute times? Or do long commute times spur transit use? Or large cities most often have transit and long commutes? (Chris)

Seattle starts curbside composting: Residents in Seattle will now be able to recycle food waste through a new curbside composting program. Food waste will be turned into compost for local parks and gardens. Would something like this be possible in DC or are there too many rats? (Seattle Medium, Lynda)

Mini links: Construction on the Silver Line and HOT lanes around Tysons will complicate traffic for some time (WTOP, Froggie) ... Private development around the Silver Spring transit center is floundering due to the economic downturn (DCmud, Jaime)

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David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington and Greater Greater Education. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.

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That's a good point, Tim, although I'd like to point out that there are a fair number of Suitland workers who do go out during lunch (including myself from time to time). Also, traffic's not too bad around here, and we have a Metro station in close proximity (though the long-time presence of the Federal Center is probably why the Metro station exists to begin with).

by Froggie on Mar 24, 2009 8:59 am • link • report

Napolitano may be referring to how the Pentagon and CIA drew people to settle in Arlington and places North. OTOH, the often ludicrous security requirements in federal buildings, even for low-security-type agencies may make it difficult for the campus to have much impact. I used to work in an Atlanta office park for CDC and although many people went out for lunch, few patronized some of the closest restaurants, including some in walking distance. The social distance from the nearby immigrant Hispanic neighborhoods was too much and the one mainstream super market in the area never caught on despite its conveninece for after work shopping. I could see a lot of DHS-types being too paranoid to use the neighborhood in ward * and I've worked with military and law enforcement folks in the past.

by Rich on Mar 24, 2009 9:55 am • link • report

The Pentagon is something that shouldn’t be compared to anything. The entire structure and surrounding “reservation” is designed for siege defense. Granted this was way back in the 40’s when rockets and atomic bombs were relatively unknown threats.

by RJ on Mar 24, 2009 9:58 am • link • report

Yeah, I cringed when I heard Napolitano say that. I doubt she has even the remotest clue what she's talking about, either with regards to the Pentagon or, even more so, St. Elizabeth's.

Even if she meant that the Pentagon brought massive middle-class home construction to Arlington, that has little to do with the building itself and its desert island layout.

And besides, no offense to their current residents, but the vast, vast majority of those homes are utterly depressing and lacking in even the most basic architectural merits. They'll put a triangle piece of wood over the doorway to a squat brick box and call it a colonial.

WRT to the CIA, that's just ridiculous. Before the CIA showed up, Langley was an exclusive enclave of expensive residences. Now it's an exclusive enclave of expensive residences that just happens to have the CIA as a neighbor.

by Reid on Mar 24, 2009 10:30 am • link • report

The Pentagon also gave us 395.

by RJ on Mar 24, 2009 10:59 am • link • report

With regard to crosswalks, there is an intersection in Bethesda where this problem is flat-out dangerous on a regular basis. At Montgomery and Waverly, people are always trying to make a right turn onto Montgomery on red, which is somehow legal, and sitting in the middle of the crosswalk, often nearly running people over. I see somebody either get bumped into or nearly missed on a weekly basis there. Considering the police station is right next door, you'd think the police would do something about it, but I know they won't, so I wish they would at least restrict times you can turn on red.

by Nate on Mar 24, 2009 11:11 am • link • report

Michael:

I worked there in the summer once during college (worst job ever, btw), and took public transportation from Clarendon. The Pentagon will pay for your transportation. Re: parking, I believe it was based almost completely on seniority. For example, my boss lived in Arlington close to a metro, but drove. The secretary lived in Falls Church and had to car share. So yeah, not the best planning involved and there is much to be improved on.

In general, I don't think that the Pentagon should be a shining model of urban planning. But it was built in the 40s very very quickly at a time when Arlington was turning into a car-based community. Remember, it is (was?) the largest office building in the world.

by Max on Mar 24, 2009 2:22 pm • link • report

there is a commenter on the dcmud article who points out that the construction of the pentagon meant the displacement of an african-american neighborhood. it seems like ms. napolitano's biggest gaffe could be referring to st. e's ability to replicate the pentagon in that way.

by IMGoph on Mar 26, 2009 8:04 am • link • report

I can't imagine it was intentional, but the same thought crossed my mine as well. The Pentagon certainly didn't help those that were displaced to build it. I assume Sec. Napolitano is simply unaware of that part of it's history, which I can certainly understand, but it raises the question for St E. How will the new complex help the immediate neighbors? And not in a generalized x many construction jobs, etc. way.

by Tim K on Mar 26, 2009 8:55 am • link • report