That's Not My Giant -- More about Giant-Horning-- NCRC response

Plan to Address Pedestrian Safety Issues at Tivoli Square Giant Food
Statement by Sandra Fowler
Vice President for Asset Management
The RLA Revitalization Corporation
June 21, 2005

We are working with Giant Food, the developers, Councilmember Graham, Deputy Mayor Stan Jackson and the appropriate District agencies to address the safety issues raised by the community regarding the parcel pick up at the Giant in Tivoli Square. Giant agreed to make the temporary and permanent changes to satisfy the DC Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) requirements for pedestrian safety.

DDOT will issue an interim public space permit that establishes:
· A 14.5 foot wide sidewalk along the front face of the store;
· A 12 foot wide parcel pickup lane, which is a 30 percent reduction in width over the previous plan;
· A 9 foot wide ‘traffic island’ to separate the customer pick-up area from Park Road traffic; and
· The placement of bollards and new street trees to clearly delineate the pedestrian-safe routes.

This interim plan will assure pedestrian safety as the developer and DDOT develop and implement a permanent plan over the next 30 days.

Tivoli Square is one of the Columbia Heights developments made possible through NCRC’s subsidiary, the RLA Revitalization Corporation.

_______
My response:

This statement is definitely more about the car, and less about making great public places.

"Think different" shouldn't just be limited to Nike.

Chicago Independent Grocery Store in a historic building.

You could have just as easily required Giant-Horning to make the Park Road facade engaging and open to the public space, one that strengthens the public realm by reaching out and connecting to the street and thereby adding to the vitality of the street experience.

Astoria, New York City

What if Giant would have put the produce section on the street, like a green market, and opened up this more like a patio?

Outside the Andronicos Grocery Store in Berkeley, California

By definition, suburbanizing the city by favoring and catering to the automobile destroys the vitality and competitive advantage of the city by promoting the car over the pedestrian.

We have so many opportunities to strengthen and extend urban vitality and time after time the city seems to blow it.

Given the millions of city and federal dollars "invested" in this project, this is extremely disheartening.