McMillan Reservoir development issues

DC's McMillan Reservoir
Originally uploaded by Grundlepuck

I am not sure whether I am against any development at this site, but there is no question that there aren't many sites like this, and it is beautiful in its own way. But, I will say that:

1. Generally, I don't agree necessarily when people fight development based on traffic concerns, except that

2. For some reason, DC doesn't feel it is necessary to require transportation enhancements as part of development projects., which means that

3. In Arlington or Alexandria, developments on the scale of McMillan Reservoir or the Armed Forces Retirement Home would trigger proffers for transportation enhancement, but such isn't the way things work in DC.

Anyway, Don writes:

I live next to the McMillan site and cannot believe the City has turned over all development planning to a private developer. Traffic here is crazy already. The developer's solution for tripling traffic on 1st Street it to install timed trafic lights. So, I've been telling folks that if they like North Capitol Street, they will love the new and improved 1st Street.

Also, check out this new blog: No Drilling At McMillan.

I will add the blog to the right sidebar and it will be a useful site for tracking development plans there.

I think that there should be a streetcar line serving McMillan, the Washington Hospital Center, and the Armed Forces Retirement Home, connecting to Brookland on the red line subway and to Columbia Heights or Petworth (but Petworth is far up) on the green line.

Service to this area (but not in this fashion) was proposed in the DC Alternatives Analysis (DC Transit Future) in the 2005 version of the study, which has since been scuttled more or less, by DC's Dept. of Transportation.

Such service hasn't been suggested as part of subsequent Office of Planning efforts considering the area.

(Flickr photo of McMillan Reservoir by Grundlepuck.)