Whitehurst Madness
Ah, the crazies strike again.
So, it seems that some DC councilman has got serious ants in his pants about the Whitehurst Freeway, a big ugly artery that bypasses Georgetown. $400,000 has already been allocated to study the issue (I can think of a few better places around here to put that...). Jack Evans, who represents Ward 2, is thoroughly behind the change:
"One of my fondest dreams is seeing the Whithurst torn down during my lifetime."
What can we say of such a man? Certainly he seems dedicated. Possibly overly so - who cares that much about a freeway? Well, a local politician whose friends own the Georgetown waterfront property thought undervalued because of the highway, for one.
Lets talk about those property values. Property in the Whitehurst study area, according to the West End Guide, is valued at over $1.3 Billion; that represents a 100 percent increase over 7 years. Now, to me, that seems sufficient. The owners may be blubbering because they aren't seeing the rocketing increases that areas like Arlington and Columbia Heights have shown, which were up 24 and 25 percent last year. Those areas have a lot more room for inflation, though, especially the latter as it gentrifies. The Post explains:
Some pricey neighborhoods such as Georgetown, Kalorama, Wesley Heights and Palisades, where values have risen 94 percent or more over the last three years, showed a below-average increase in the latest assessments. But Braham noted that the increases in those neighborhoods still were roughly 12 to 14 percent.
"They are still increasing by 1 percent a month or greater," Branham said. "And they were growing at 20 percent or 30 percent when other areas weren't."
Interesting. Puts a few holes in the claim that taking down the freeway will garner the District so much tax revenue that it'll pay for itself - since the neighborhood overall is experiencing less growth, the dearth can't be explained by Whitehurst alone. And there is still growth there, so the District will get more money even if they don't spend the millions it'll take to remove the freeway.
Oh, one more bit. 42,200 cars use Whitehurst each week day. M Street, from which the freeway was built to divert traffic, carries only 26,000. M is a parking lot now. Without the freeway, I can't imagine how Georgetown will be accessible at all.
I think Jack Evans ought to get his priorities straight; the same goes for misguided residents who favor cosmetic appeal over practical considderations. We don't need this.
So, it seems that some DC councilman has got serious ants in his pants about the Whitehurst Freeway, a big ugly artery that bypasses Georgetown. $400,000 has already been allocated to study the issue (I can think of a few better places around here to put that...). Jack Evans, who represents Ward 2, is thoroughly behind the change:
"One of my fondest dreams is seeing the Whithurst torn down during my lifetime."
What can we say of such a man? Certainly he seems dedicated. Possibly overly so - who cares that much about a freeway? Well, a local politician whose friends own the Georgetown waterfront property thought undervalued because of the highway, for one.
Lets talk about those property values. Property in the Whitehurst study area, according to the West End Guide, is valued at over $1.3 Billion; that represents a 100 percent increase over 7 years. Now, to me, that seems sufficient. The owners may be blubbering because they aren't seeing the rocketing increases that areas like Arlington and Columbia Heights have shown, which were up 24 and 25 percent last year. Those areas have a lot more room for inflation, though, especially the latter as it gentrifies. The Post explains:
Some pricey neighborhoods such as Georgetown, Kalorama, Wesley Heights and Palisades, where values have risen 94 percent or more over the last three years, showed a below-average increase in the latest assessments. But Braham noted that the increases in those neighborhoods still were roughly 12 to 14 percent.
"They are still increasing by 1 percent a month or greater," Branham said. "And they were growing at 20 percent or 30 percent when other areas weren't."
Interesting. Puts a few holes in the claim that taking down the freeway will garner the District so much tax revenue that it'll pay for itself - since the neighborhood overall is experiencing less growth, the dearth can't be explained by Whitehurst alone. And there is still growth there, so the District will get more money even if they don't spend the millions it'll take to remove the freeway.
Oh, one more bit. 42,200 cars use Whitehurst each week day. M Street, from which the freeway was built to divert traffic, carries only 26,000. M is a parking lot now. Without the freeway, I can't imagine how Georgetown will be accessible at all.
I think Jack Evans ought to get his priorities straight; the same goes for misguided residents who favor cosmetic appeal over practical considderations. We don't need this.
posted by onlooker at 1:57 PM
2 Comments:
Let's ban all personal vehicles from DC and update the public transportation. The air would be great and the buildings would stay cleaner. Also smog is surely eating all the stone monuments. Imagine the quiet.
That sounds good for downtown, maybe, where there's enough density to support the public transportation. I think there's still room to have cars in the further-flung neighborhoods, though, since I can't imagine walking to some places in this city on any regular basis, even with the help of bus routes. Maybe some plan where downtown is closed off, save for busses, cabs, delivery vehicles and, maybe, cars owned by residents? I'd prefer beefed up public transit, but the current system can't serve every need.
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