WMATA Unanimously Approves EYA Takoma Demolition Specials

EYA -

- it built the irresponsibly located row of 'Capitol Square'  townhouses within 17 feet of the the SW Freeway retaining wall, thus complicating any future project to widen and cover the freeway

- it built its 'Capitol Quarter' townhouses along Virginia Avenue, establishing a new neighborhood to oppose the CSX Tunnel reconstruction, while censoring information about that project from prospective buyers to keep them in the dark

 continues to get over upon the general public.

On March 27, 2015 EYA gets its way in Takoma, with WMATA's irresponsible unanimous vote to sell out the Takoma WMATA station property for an unnecessary residential safety hazard/I-270 Tunnel right of way conflict.

http://takomaconnected.com/2015/03/27/wmata-board-approves-plans-to-move-forward/

Yesterday, the WMATA Board of Directors voted unanimously to allow plans for our new multi-family residential community on at the Takoma Metro station to move forward.

We’re pleased with the results and look forward to working together as the plans move to the next phase of the approvals process. We will continue to provide updates and share new information as we moved ahead.

Stay tuned for more images of our revised concept plan and information about the next steps in the approval process.

Have questions or comments? Email our team at info@takomaconnected.com

 The problem is the portion of the building closest to the railroad.

http://takomaconnected.com/2015/03/09/takoma-community-feedback-creates-updated-concept-plan/

Takoma Station Promenade 

Atop Railroad-Highway Tunnel

"Takoma Connected" is an EYA site.

EYA project irresponsibly places residential dwellings within the footprint and at a lower elevation of a potential heavy freight rail car derailment, similarly as done a few hundred feet to the south with the Elevation 314 deathtrap, and as built and proposed on the other side of the Metropolitan Branch-CSX/WMATA railroad.

By building so closely to existing elevated railroad, this sort of "smart growth' works to lock in such a wall by introducing potential newcomer neighborhood opposition to project to bury railroad and underground highway.

Such "smart growth" creates such problems out of a serious case of short-sightedness, if not a conscious malicious intent.

Haphazard anti multi model planning that further underscores the need to abolish WMATA for its deliberate undermining of transportation competitiveness.

Notably the Takoma Connected site contains a blog-roll that includes such sites as Greater, Greater Washington, Rebuilding Places In the Urban Space, and Just Up The Pike- all of which make the cut as sufficiently un critical of real estate development projects.

The creator of Rebuilding Places In The Urban Space, Richard Layman, to his credit, has acknowledged the need for underground road connections, particularly in the Takoma Station area.

However, quite sadly, he has been utterly incapable of even questioning or challenging a single real estate development project that is badly placed to conflict with ever constructing an underground bypass.

This Takoma EYA Demolition Special was reported at this blog earlier here.

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2014/03/takoma-dc-chock-2014.html

EYA Fostered & Exploited Buyer Ignorance & Lack of Forethought

"Capitol Quarter" project

http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Dangerous-Cargo-Hazardous-Materials-That-Travel-Through-DC-287852791.html

When Maureen Cohen Harrington moved into her home on Virginia Avenue Southeast, she said she never thought about trains. But she said she started paying attention when she realized CSX wants to temporarily reroute trains through her front yard, as close as eight steps from her front door by her count, so CSX can double the size of its nearby tunnel.

See:

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2014/12/newcomer-development-residents-threaten.html

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2015/02/wheres-dc-safe-rail-on-takoma-transit.html

D.C. Corridor Chock Epidemic

Contempt of the Medievalists

The proposed DC CUA-Brookland Small Area plan is not the only threat to major transportation corridors within Washington, D.C., particularly regarding or connecting to the built and un-built I-395.

Here's is a list of the most infamous transgressors:

Capital Square Townhouses
I-395 SW Freeway bottleneck pinch

Eakin-Youngentob "Capital Square" townhouses, on land plot between 6th, 7th, G Street SW and the SW Freeway, with row of 28 townhouses a mere 16 1/2 feet from SW Freeway retaining wall, one block south of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This 16 1/5 foot setback is significantly less then that of all of the other buildings along the southern side of the SW Freeway, which have 70-90 feet of setback.

This makes it more difficult and expensive to construct new retaining wall for tunnel roof (as the existing walls would not be likely to be so designed), hence keeping the existing SW Freeway in a configuration that divides DC SW - hence contrary to long term NCPC planning for the removal of the mass of elevated highways and railways that now cross over South Capital Street. This also makes it more difficult and expensive to improve safety and decrease congestion and pollution with mitigating the SW Freeway bottleneck southwards and westerly of the Center Leg -- hence more likely remaining a traffic bottleneck with ripple effects well into Virginia.

Increased costs required for Eminent Domain and Demolition for row of 28 townhouses : $30 million.

Increased costs required for obtaining construction staging area elsewhere, and for required extra construction equipment trips on local streets: $10 million by denying a logical staging area for achieving the long touted goal of constructing a new monumental replacement "14th Street Bridge"

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2008/07/takoma-dc-tranport-chock-developer_4323.html


Golden Rule Apartment
I-395 Center Leg (3rd Street) Tunnel on ramp blockage

Placing senior citizens in new apartment house that blocks the 2nd Street NW I-395 northbound tunnel on-ramp, placing greater traffic on a New Jersey Avenue where it established new migratory pattern of senior citizens carrying their groceries from food market owned by the same entity owning this apartment building.

Blocks currently unused on ramp built as a part of the 1978-82 3rd Street Tunnel north of Massachusetts Avenue for later use, hence increasing traffic load upon New Jersey Avenue north of K Street.

Establishes a migratory pattern of elderly pedestrians carrying groceries across New Jersey Avenue with its increased traffic load, with this new "Golden Rule" apartment building on the west side of New Jersey Avenue, with the closet grocery store being the "golden Rule" Market 1-2 blocks east.


Capital Gateway
I-395 NY Avenue Alternative Tunnel blockage

None of the official studies address the practicalities of constructing a tunnel directly beneath heavily traveled NY Avenue rather then partially alongside in undeveloped land, particularly at the spit where the existing cross RR bridge lands in the vicinity of Florida Avenue. Building beneath open adjacent land by definition will be less disruptive to traffic, yet officials say nothing about preserving an easement alongside New York Avenue, first with the Fed Ex building to the north, and now this project to the south.

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2008/08/washington-gateway-chock_11.html

CUA-Brookland Area Small Area Plan
North Central Freeway Tunnel Chock

This blocks any multi-modelization of the Metropolitan Branch RR other then the multiple level stacked elevated concept proposed in 1965.

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-obama-must-do-for-transportation.html
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2008/05/cuabrookland-transport-corridor-chock.html

Takoma Metro Area: Elevation 314, and Cedar Crossing DEATH TRAPS
North Central Freeway Tunnel Chock

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2011/11/takoma-dc-death-trap-residential.html

New residences in wood framed structures within 15 and 45 feet respectively of elevated heavy freight RR, largely within the footprint of a potential RR derailment, tumbling downward.