Neighborhood Notes - Foxhall: 27 December, 2000
Last week’s letter to the Editor from the chair of ANC3C
about the scaled-back redevelopment of Giant’s supermarket in Tenleytown revealed
their challenges between serving area-wide and local needs. A similar opportunity exists
for the Safeway on MacArthur Boulevard, purported to be the smallest Safeway in the U.S.
For locals, an expanded store with wider variety of offerings could be a bonus, but will
this chain now even entertain expanding their store, in the face of what just happened in
Tenleytown? Should Safeway ever choose or agree to proceed, it would also be incumbent on
affected neighborhood associations (Palisades, Foxhall & Wesley Heights) to first
garner support for e.g. accompanying parking expansion, with safer exit and entrance
control for vehicles AND pedestrians.
As was shown with Giant in Tenleytown and with the Cafritz
estate on Foxhall Road, the threat of litigation can change what gets developed, but not
necessarily stop it. Litigants have tended to look at impacts for just their block or
street, without always thinking of all the residents in their neighborhood.
The issue of development “as-of-right” will also
inevitably come up again for the former Brady estate on Foxhall Road. Since it is zoned
for single-family housing, as long as it remains on the market there is always the chance
this is exactly what will happen, without creative approaches between any purchaser and
neighborhoods. One possibility being explored is land conservancy as a buffer to
Glover-Archbold Park. But another possibility is restoring the Brady mansion to use for
hosting functions. Georgetown’s experience with Tudor Place shows that there
certainly is demand for such a facility. While there are concerns, mainly on late-night
noise and rush-hour traffic, surely they could be covered in an enforceable zoning order.
© Bob Andrew, Foxhall
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