RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 20, 2011 10:08:45 GMT -5
The route will come in Canal the usual way, wind around the SW Quad, turn north on Tondorf past MSF, and then turn around in the large open space north of Harbin and south of the new science center. Many will literally get picked up or dropped off at the doorstep of their classroom, office, or dorm room. With a roundabout, yes? I have an illustration of this that Brangman gave me last year. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it would be far better to have the pedestrian-oriented path continue straight through to where the traffic gate arm next to Harbin and MSF is now. It would be paved in such a way as to continue to allow service vehicles to traverse it when necessary, but it would be a walkway first. Like I said, it's not the worst thing ever, and is certainly a major improvement over the GUTS buses barreling down the hill past ICC, pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain. I'm honestly stunned no student was ever (to my knowledge) hit during my time. But a bus route is a bus route, and it's not going to do much for the "lack of walkable green space in the middle of campus" issue.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Sept 20, 2011 10:09:47 GMT -5
It just seems that the courts are most likely going to find in our favor anyway making these concessions pointless and costly. I also refuse to believe the fox hall people will fully drop complaints. All our concessions just seem to say that opposing our efforts is effective and encourages them to ask for even more next time.
We give and we give. I've never heard of a single concession from the neighbors.
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vcjack
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Post by vcjack on Sept 20, 2011 10:12:21 GMT -5
The route will come in Canal the usual way, wind around the SW Quad, turn north on Tondorf past MSF, and then turn around in the large open space north of Harbin and south of the new science center. Many will literally get picked up or dropped off at the doorstep of their classroom, office, or dorm room. With a roundabout, yes? I have an illustration of this that Brangman gave me last year. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it would be far better to have the pedestrian-oriented path continue straight through to where the traffic gate arm next to Harbin and MSF is now. It would be paved in such a way as to continue to allow service vehicles to traverse it when necessary, but it would be a walkway first. Like I said, it's not the worst thing ever, and is certainly a major improvement over the GUTS buses barreling down the hill past ICC, pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain. I'm honestly stunned no student was ever (to my knowledge) hit during my time. But a bus route is a bus route, and it's not going to do much for the "lack of walkable green space in the middle of campus" issue. That and no drunk kid ever falling off of a Village A rooftop has to be a minor miracle
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RusskyHoya
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In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 20, 2011 10:14:15 GMT -5
With a roundabout, yes? I have an illustration of this that Brangman gave me last year. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it would be far better to have the pedestrian-oriented path continue straight through to where the traffic gate arm next to Harbin and MSF is now. It would be paved in such a way as to continue to allow service vehicles to traverse it when necessary, but it would be a walkway first. Like I said, it's not the worst thing ever, and is certainly a major improvement over the GUTS buses barreling down the hill past ICC, pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain. I'm honestly stunned no student was ever (to my knowledge) hit during my time. But a bus route is a bus route, and it's not going to do much for the "lack of walkable green space in the middle of campus" issue. That and no drunk kid ever falling off of a Village A rooftop has to be a minor miracle I do seem to recall a certain sober kid intentionally jumping off of a Village A roof once though... ;D
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vcjack
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Post by vcjack on Sept 20, 2011 10:15:49 GMT -5
That and no drunk kid ever falling off of a Village A rooftop has to be a minor miracle I do seem to recall a certain sober kid intentionally jumping off of a Village A roof once though... ;D sober-ish
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Oct 21, 2011 18:33:56 GMT -5
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hoyatables
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Post by hoyatables on Oct 23, 2011 19:45:32 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 23, 2011 21:34:58 GMT -5
The sentiment is much appreciated, to be sure. Unfortunately, having The Post in your corner these days doesn't seem to mean much. If anything, it might be a negative - just ask Adrian Fenty. The bigger issue is, of course, structural: no one in any position of power is going to stick their neck out for or cast their lot with the university. The (political, professional, financial) incentives are all stacked the other way. Then again, this is all going to end up in the courts anyway, as was predestined from the beginning. If there's anyone left in DC who might be influenced by what WaPo has to say, it could very well be the judges of DC Superior and DC Court of Appeals. P.S. It doesn't help that the editorial authors refer to Foxhall as "Foxhollow." How many of them do you think actually live in DC by this point?
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Post by LizziebethHoya on Oct 23, 2011 22:21:49 GMT -5
At the very least, its a third party telling the Office of Planning (and fellow crazies from the surrounding neighborhoods) that they are being absurd.
Any support helps, and I'm glad the Post is on our side.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Oct 26, 2011 11:46:04 GMT -5
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SSHoya
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Post by SSHoya on Oct 26, 2011 11:51:22 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 30, 2011 11:21:13 GMT -5
Pitchfork Brigade commanders Lenore Rubino and Jennifer Altemus had their rebuttal to the Post's editorial published in its Local Opinions section on Sunday. Most of it is just a restatement of their faulty numbers, in which they conflate increased graduate enrollment with the specter of undergrads running amok. There are, in fact, fewer undergrads living off-campus now than there were before the 2000 Campus Plan, but since that undermines their argument, they simply count any residence they surveyed in which any student - medical, graduate, undergraduate - as a "student house." And then depict them as if they were all cancerous nodes destroying their surroundings. Their solution is, of course, to simply move as much as possible to satellite campuses away from Georgetown. So at least they're finally comfortable in openly accepting and declaring their NIMBYness.
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Post by LizziebethHoya on Oct 30, 2011 13:52:42 GMT -5
The worst part about it is that they don't seem to understand that Georgetown isn't forcing the owners of the property in the area to convert it into student housing.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 31, 2011 10:45:53 GMT -5
The worst part about it is that they don't seem to understand that Georgetown isn't forcing the owners of the property in the area to convert it into student housing. Oh, they understand everything just fine, especially Rubino the Realtor. Indeed, that is one of the main behind-the-scenes sideshows in this sordid tale: Washington Fine Properties and other firms are angry because they think they're losing out on tons of business flipping Georgetown and Burleith homes because the owners find it more profitable to rent them out to students. Similarly, that ANC proposal that the University be prohibited from purchasing any property in 20007 without it's permission didn't come out of nowhere - that's the realtors trying to eliminate a variable in the housing market that is outside of their control.
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Post by LizziebethHoya on Oct 31, 2011 12:21:41 GMT -5
The worst part about it is that they don't seem to understand that Georgetown isn't forcing the owners of the property in the area to convert it into student housing. Oh, they understand everything just fine, especially Rubino the Realtor. Indeed, that is one of the main behind-the-scenes sideshows in this sordid tale: Washington Fine Properties and other firms are angry because they think they're losing out on tons of business flipping Georgetown and Burleith homes because the owners find it more profitable to rent them out to students. Similarly, that ANC proposal that the University be prohibited from purchasing any property in 20007 without it's permission didn't come out of nowhere - that's the realtors trying to eliminate a variable in the housing market that is outside of their control. Thats interesting - I never thought of that.
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hoyatables
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Post by hoyatables on Oct 31, 2011 12:39:33 GMT -5
The worst part about it is that they don't seem to understand that Georgetown isn't forcing the owners of the property in the area to convert it into student housing. Oh, they understand everything just fine, especially Rubino the Realtor. Indeed, that is one of the main behind-the-scenes sideshows in this sordid tale: Washington Fine Properties and other firms are angry because they think they're losing out on tons of business flipping Georgetown and Burleith homes because the owners find it more profitable to rent them out to students. Similarly, that ANC proposal that the University be prohibited from purchasing any property in 20007 without it's permission didn't come out of nowhere - that's the realtors trying to eliminate a variable in the housing market that is outside of their control. I couldn't agree more - at least about the neighborhood part. Not as sure about the prohibition in 20007 in general. That seems to be much more about this supposed conspiracy to take over Georgetown, which is just not true. We all know the University has neither the ambition nor the resources to do that.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Nov 11, 2011 16:00:33 GMT -5
I couldn't agree more - at least about the neighborhood part. Not as sure about the prohibition in 20007 in general. That seems to be much more about this supposed conspiracy to take over Georgetown, which is just not true. We all know the University has neither the ambition nor the resources to do that. We do all know that. So do Ed Solomon, Jennifer Altemus, Ron Lewis, Lenore Rubino, et. al. They're not dumb enough to believe their own rhetoric. The "supposed conspiracy" has long, deep, and fanciful roots. See, for instance, this story about neighborhood opposition to the creation of the 1789 restaurant: According to Curran, local residents appealed to powers beyond the local government and alcohol board.
"One resident wrote to the Archbishop of Washington: ‘The clock on Healy Hall strikes … pealing forth over our neighborhood the ominous suggestion that our days as a residential community are numbered and soon … Georgetown University will extend all the way to Rock Creek,'" Curran said.
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RusskyHoya
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In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
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Post by RusskyHoya on Nov 11, 2011 16:03:44 GMT -5
The ANC (or some members of the ANC, anyway, as they apparently never put it to a vote) and CAG/BCA shoot off their next round of submissions in opposition to the plan: blog.georgetownvoice.com/2011/11/11/anc2e-and-bcacag-file-more-compaints-against-the-campus-plan/The latter is a particularly nasty piece of work, attempting to discredit individual citizens who testified in support of the Plan. Apparently, "in the past associated with a non-profit supported by GU" is now grounds to have your input dismissed. By that logic, we should definitely disregard anything ever said or written by Jennifer Altemus, who actually went to Georgetown! And if "rents to GU students" makes your opinion unworthy of consideration, then we should append a giant "rents tuxedos to GU students" next to anything associated with Ed Solomon.
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Nov 11, 2011 17:54:57 GMT -5
The ANC (or some members of the ANC, anyway, as they apparently never put it to a vote) and CAG/BCA shoot off their next round of submissions in opposition to the plan: blog.georgetownvoice.com/2011/11/11/anc2e-and-bcacag-file-more-compaints-against-the-campus-plan/The latter is a particularly nasty piece of work, attempting to discredit individual citizens who testified in support of the Plan. Apparently, "in the past associated with a non-profit supported by GU" is now grounds to have your input dismissed. By that logic, we should definitely disregard anything ever said or written by Jennifer Altemus, who actually went to Georgetown! And if "rents to GU students" makes your opinion unworthy of consideration, then we should append a giant "rents tuxedos to GU students" next to anything associated with Ed Solomon. How dare Georgetown not get rid of SafeRides! Bastards.
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Post by TrueHoyaBlue on Nov 16, 2011 9:11:33 GMT -5
Some thoughts that I recently posted on the campus plan showdown. jacquesofalltrades.tumblr.com/post/12880756815/how-do-we-get-to-a-more-constructive-campus-planRegardless of the merits of opposition, the fact that an absolutist position has been taken by many of the plan opponents seems to make an honest and constructive dialogue impossible. I am curious as to whether, given the history of rocky relations and the fact that the last campus plan spent several years in court, there were any ways in which this could have gone differently. Or ways that we (collectively, university and community) could build a more constructive dialogue for ten years from now.
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