Wardman Vision Community Meeting, Sat, April 23
Wardman Hotel Strategy Team
FOR RELEASE: April 20, 2022
Contact: Gail Sonnemann, 202-286-0845, gsonnemann@gmail.com
Three of the nine Ward 3 Democratic council candidates supported more affordable housing at the Wardman on April 7 at the Cleveland Park Library. Phil Thomas: “the city has to bring the developers [i.e. Carmel Partners] to the table to impress [upon] them to increase the affordable housing” at the Wardman. Tricia Duncan: “We need to change our zoning … so that these developers make better projects … I would like to see [us] bear down on Carmel and say you ‘gotta do this’ because the way it is now is terrible but it could be awesome.” Diedre Brown: “We missed an opportunity, and we have to make sure that this doesn’t happen again … [to be] organized … to get the affordable housing we need for our seniors, our families, our workforce residents." At-large candidates also mentioned the Wardman at the Empower DC March 30 forum on affordable housing. Dexter Williams: “We’ve missed an opportunity in Ward 3 and the project that really comes to mind is the old Wardman Hotel where the developer … is setting aside the minimum threshold of 8% for affordable units [which] is only 72 out of 900. I agree with the community it should be increased and if I were councilmember I would work with the administration to incentivize the developer to provide more affordable units that could be in emergency legislation or appropriation.” Lisa Gore: “We’ve failed utterly to use sites in Ward 3 that could be used for affordable housing, including the Wardman … There are folks in Ward 3 who want to see this happen, but we need the city and the council to get behind it and make it happen.” Bradley Thomas: “Mr. Williams stole my thunder on the Wardman … We need to change the inclusionary zoning law because I think 8% is ridiculous …The law should be more like 15% set-aside for affordable housing … that would help not only in Ward 3 [but] all over the city.” Nate Fleming: “We’ve lived in a city that’s segregated west of the Park/east of the River for too long [and it’s] accelerating not diminishing … we’re gonna need leadership that’s gonna resolve these inequities, because everyone does not like that Wardman Park project.” Wardman Vision Community Meeting Saturday, April 23, 2:30 pm, In person, Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave., NW, and Online Register here for the Zoom meeting link . Carmel Partners has been invited to discuss the larger Wardman potential, including the Mayor’s Ward 3 goal of 1990 affordable units by 2025; Deputy Mayor Falcicchio’s commitment to “maximize the residential potential of the site with an emphasis on affordable housing and attainable, middle-income housing;” environmental impacts of demolition; adding a grocery store; pedestrian access; city financing, exercise of eminent domain; enforcing Large Tract Review; space for overcrowded local schools. Mayor Bowser Has Not Answered WHST letter On March 5, WHST asked the Mayor to use city financing and her powers (e.g., Large Tract Review) to make the Wardman an urban planning model.
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