Environmental Nonprofit Urges Mayor to Move Forward with Waterfront Vote
American Clean Skies CEO says the GenOn site can be addressed accordingly without including it in the current waterfront plan.
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American Clean Skies, a nonprofit that released a vision for revitalizing the GenOn site in North Old Town when the power plant closes, has told Mayor Euille that City Council should not delay a vote on the waterfront plan to immediately determine how best to treat the GenOn site.
On Dec. 15, the mayor wrote a letter to American Clean Skies Foundation CEO Gregory Staple outlining the current timetable regarding the GenOn site. Mayor Euille said in the letter to Staple that he noticed Clean Skies’ help-wanted ads calling for staff to work on the land use planning process at the GenOn site. Those ads spurred some concern in the community, according to Euille.
“I wanted to take the opportunity to bring you up to speed on the likely planning timetable so you can coordinate that with your plans,” Euille wrote in the letter obtained by Patch. “It is the city’s understanding that GenOn plans to continue to keep the plant operational, safe and in compliance with regulatory requirements until October of 2012.”
The mayor added that it’s the city’s understanding that PEPCO retained and utilizes subservice rights beneath the land that is the subject of the GenOn ground lease where the transmission lines are currently located.
PEPCO has told the city that it doesn’t intend to move its substation operations or those transmission lines from the Potomac River Generating Station site. There must be negotiations between GenOn and PEPCO to determine how to separate the two facilities while keeping the transmission infrastructure operational, the mayor explained.
“As a result of this situation, the community based planning for the site that is anticipated will not likely start until 2013 at the earliest,” the mayor said. "Accordingly, we think it’s premature for the city or for Clean Skies to engage the community before then.”
Staples sought to assure Euille in a Jan. 16 letter that Clean Skies “has no wish to mislead anyone regarding the current status of its PRG proposal…It has always seemed to us that a site-specific planning process should be conducted” after the city resolves the main terms of the waterfront plan.
“While we understand that some portions of the community wish to delay the city’s adoption of any waterfront plan until the PRGS parcel can be included, we do not think that is necessary to ensure that key features of the PRG plan (including, notably, the riverfront parks and community access) are preserved.”
In separate news, the Seminary Hill Association is urging City Council not to vote on the plan until the GenOn site can be included in the waterfront plan. The Old Town Civic Association is urging that council vote against the plan for multiple reasons.
irret
1:31 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012
why isn't the city listening and hearing what the old town civic association is saying??
this business as usual routine is what is driving americans crazy. it is sad to see that even on a hyper-local level the politicals still don't get it. i firmly believe that development of the waterfront is a huge mistake. let it return to wetlands.
Doug
2:03 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012
So you advocate letting most of what is east of Lee Street be allowed to go back to wetlands?
irret
4:12 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012
i advocate for the gen-on property and the robinson terminal property and anything else on the river being considered for development to be a natural area and some of that to be wetlands. it would help mitigate the frequent flooding problems in old town
Andrew Macdonald
5:34 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012
Here's the real message: Leave waterfront planning to the special interests! Listen to citizens, think long term? Not necessary. Show a real concern for the environment? Not necessary. Include a part of the waterfront that lies within the City's waterfront planning boundaries? Not relevant.
Mark Mueller
9:18 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012
Ms Baum- with regard to o t c a, did you miss the small detail that enough petitions were collected from both residential and commercial property owners in the specific "300 foot zone" area to force a super majority? The statistics I will share tomorrow, assuming council doesn't cancel the hearing, will show that you are just plain wrong.... A significant amount of land owned by Commercial property owners are represented in the petition effort and they expressed similar concerns about this plan as the vocal residents who oppose the plan you seem to be the lead cheerleader for.
Andrew Macdonald
9:46 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012
Dear Council:
I find it quite troubling that a spokesperson for Waterfront4$ has the temerity to suggest that the Old Town Civic Association is an irrelevant organization, composed of citizens whose opinions are not worthy of your attention.
I beg to disagree,
Andrew Macdonald
Mike Urena
10:09 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012
Cheerleader Mark? Really? It's the same people from CAAWP - Co-Founders, Vice Presidents, former members - posting and writing letters to the local papers over and over. That's surely a form of cheerleading too. See you tomorrow.
Boyd Walker
10:49 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The American Clean Skies Foundation is funded by the Natural Gas Industry, and with their proposal to build on the GenOn site already outlined on their website: http://www.potomacrivergreen.org/ of course they have an interest in pursuing that GenOn not be included in the current waterfront plan. They already have a plan so why would they want the city or citizens to have a say. The public might also be interested in knowing that the city has budgeted 350,000 for planning the GenOn site so expect them to hire a consultant soon. I have put forward a proposal to let citizens come upwith a plan, not use consultants, and involve the National Park Service from the get go, so that we secure land for the Mt. Vernon Bike Trail and possibly more for permanent open space.