Armed Forces Retirement Home comments

The previous blog entry on this topic, "Urgent - Please comment on Soldiers' Home Preservation Plan -- by Monday at 4 pm," was for the most part a repeat of an email alert. Unfortunately, the alert could be a little more detailed in linking to the Documents on the site that are relevant to historic preservation. Click on Section 106 under the Project Information tab to access the relevant documents. The documents/webpages are also accessible with these links:

AFRH Phase I Archeological Assessment
Draft Preservation Plan
Volume I
Volume II (Resource Inventory and Evaluation)
Volume III (Appendices)
Preservation Plan Comment Form

I have to say that the Historic Preservation Plan (v. 1) reads pretty well. There is no question that with development, historic landscapes will be lost. From time to time I have disagreements with EHT Traceries, the historic preservation consulting firm that produced the report, because they shape their recommendations to the desires of their clients. But the document reads pretty well.
One of my fake magazine covers from last year, commenting on EHT Traceries...

Of course, you can understand the concern expressed by advocates about the fundamental changes being proposed to the AFRH site. As Scott Roberts pointed out in an elist post about today's Post article about this, "Retirement Home Site Tempts Developers" these two words: 'historic' nor 'preservation;' aren't deemed worthy of mention in this article.

Index Keywords: historic-preservation