Monday, November 28, 2011

Deputy Mayor Hoskins Confirmed for Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting

Please join us for a very important meeting tonight, Wednesday , Dec. 7th, at 6:30pm at the Fort Stevens Rec Center (1327 Van Buren ST, NW). Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor Hoskins has confirmed his attendance at this meeting.

Our focus at this meeting will be- Why Wal-Mart is not a viable option in Ward 4. How we can create a "win win" situation for the residents and business community in Ward 4. And the residents, business owners and property owners vision for Ward 4.

And what governments can do when they do listen to their citizens:

Friday, November 4, 2011

Next Ward 4 Thrives Community Mtg- Nov. 9th at 6:30pm

We've moved the monthly Ward 4 Thrives meeting to next Wednesday, Nov. 9th, at 6:30pm. It'll be at the Shepherd Park Library in the SPK Room B (7420 Georgia Ave, NW, b/w Geranium and Holly ST).

We'll do a report back on the Historic Preservation Board Hearing on Oct. 27th and next steps!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Historic Preservation Board's Meeting- Oct. 27 at 2pm

We need a really good turnout for the October 27th, Thursday, Preservation Board's meeting at 2pm. Show community support for the designation of the car barn on the old Curtis Chevrolet site as a historic landmark that enhances the neighborhood and is a valuable piece of DC history.

Please invite friends and spread the word!

Preservation Board Hearing

October 27th at 2pm
441 4th ST, NW
Room 220 South
(Judiciary Square Metro)

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Reminder- Wed., Oct. 5, Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting

Please join us for our monthly Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting- at 6:30pm on Oct. 5, Wednesday, at the Fort Stevens Rec Center (1327 Van Buren ST, NW b/w 13th and 14th ST).

Friday, September 30, 2011

Keep up the press coverage- submit an op-ed piece!

Check out the latest Northwest Current, Sept. 28, 2011! There's a front page article, "Car barn landmark request stalls work at Walmart site," and a Viewpoint article, "Walmart wrong solution for food desert."

It'd be great to keep up this press coverage if folks continue submitting letters to the editor and op-ed pieces to local papers. It's pretty simple and doesn't take much work.
To help folks along, here are the submission guidelines for a few papers.

The Northwest Current- Letter to the Editor: 450 words limit
- Viewpoint pieces: 750 words limit
Submit to Chris Kain: chriskain@currentnewspapers.com

Washington Post- Op-Ed: 800 words limit
Submit online: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/opeds/submit/

City Paper- Accepts freelance articles.
Guidelines for submissions: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/pages/freelancersguide/

And a sample Viewpoint article from the Northwest Current:

Walmart is wrong solution for 'food desert'
Walmart proclaims itself the salvation of urban “food deserts,” saying it is able to provide healthy and affordable food in a comprehensive one-stop shopping site. It is targeting East New York in New York City and four wards in D.C., claiming these “food deserts” can benefit by Walmart’s presence.

What does it mean to live in a “food desert”? I had to step back and think about what a real desert means.

The Free Dictionary defines deserts as a “barren or desolate area, especially … a dry, often sandy region of little rainfall, extreme temperatures, and sparse vegetation.”

I’ve driven through deserts, and their immensity is impressive and the sense of lack oppressive. Until one hits an oasis. I visited an oasis that supported a date plantation when I traveled in the United Arab Emirates. There were more than 42 different varieties of palm dates. Before their wealth came from oil, the country’s natives cultivated these dates naturally found in the oasis and traded them.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, we apply the term “food desert” to urban or rural areas with limited access to a supermarket or large grocery store, whether due to availability of the stores or limited means of transportation.

Walmart claims the four D.C. wards it is targeting fall under the label “food desert” even though none of them appears in a recent Food Desert Locator published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

I was surprised to see that East New York also did not appear in this locator. I am personally interested in East New York. I spent long days and nights organizing around the neighborhood with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, encountering its cracked sidewalks, crack houses and equally fractured families. This neighborhood on the edge of Brooklyn has suffered from high crime rates for many years, and more than half of its residents live below the poverty line. East New York is a “desert” in many significant ways.

I contacted Shelly Ver Ploeng, the economist who developed the Agriculture Department’s Food Desert Locator, to ask her to explain the methodology. She replied that the agency’s definition had two criteria: first, a high poverty rate or relatively low median income; and second, a significant number of residents living more than one mile away from a supermarket. When pressed further, Ver Ploeng explained, “The term ‘food desert’ is not one that has been standardized or measured consistently over time, so there is a lot of room for different definitions and takes on the issue.”

Which is why in other studies, East New York and D.C.’s wards 4 and 7 qualify as a food deserts. In East New York, the closest food option tends to have poorly stocked produce sections. Ward 7 has one of the District’s highest poverty rates and only four full-service grocery stores. For Ward 4, there are only two full-service supermarkets for a population of more than 74,000. Access to these stores may be difficult if one does not have a car or does not live along the main arteries in order to use public transportation.

If D.C. is to accept Walmart’s premise that these four wards are food deserts, then has D.C. considered looking at what the “oasis” in each ward could provide?

For D.C.’s Ward 4, why not consider an Essex Street/Eastern Market model for the car barn where local shops can sell affordable produce and offer retail space for other items? Essex Street Market in New York City was introduced for that reason, to counter the reality of a food desert in the Lower East Side. It houses small grocers that carry fresh and affordable produce.

Better yet, why not ask each of the wards what residents there want to enhance their community and address the shortage of good food and jobs in their communities?

D.C. tends to follow, not lead, when it comes to trends. It leaves innovation and creativity to occur in other cities, and jumps on board when it proves popular. Could the District, for once, be an innovator and not a follower of trends (the invasion of urban markets by big-box stores) by nurturing these locally produced “dates” and creating something D.C. can call its own?

Mo-Yain Tham is a resident of Ward 4.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Flyering Action at Brightwood Day- Sept. 24th

Please join us as we flyer during Brightwood Day this Saturday, Sept. 24, from 11:30am to 1:30pm at the Neighborhood Pavilion on Piney Branch Road NW and Georgia Ave (b/w Sheridan and Tuckerman Streets NW). We're asking Ward 4 residents to demand the Mayor and Council Member Bowser refuse a building permit for the Walmart development.

If you can't join us, please do call the Mayor and Council Member Bowser. Of course, feel free to add your own reasons (DC needs living wage jobs or you live near the proposed site).

There is a slight hold period- and to help you through it, a song by DC locals, Lost Bois: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1zqzGuDgjI

Mayor Gray's Office- (202) 727-6300
Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser- (202) 724-8052

Hi, my name is __­­________________ and I am a resident of Ward 4. I was very upset to hear of the approval of the Large Tract Review for the proposed Ward 4 Walmart. I am strongly opposed to a Walmart being built at Georgia and Missouri and there are still major concerns that have not been addressed:

1) With 6 schools surrounding the proposed Walmart site, the increased traffic will make it more dangerous for children in the area.

2) Small businesses in the immediate area will lose business and likely close down, causing increased unemployment and less competition.

3) The Office of Planning disregarded the community's input and concerns which were voiced consistently at public meetings and written comments. The City also did not fully address the explicit objections of ANC 4B.

I demand that Mayor Gray deny a building permit for a Walmart in Ward 4 and instead consider alternative developed through a community-led process.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Foulger Pratt Issued Stop Work Order on Wal-Mart Development by DCRA

For Immediate Release- Foulger Pratt Issued Stop Work Order on Wal-Mart Development
Developer Caught Deconstructing Site Without Permit
September 8, 2011
Contact: Baruti Jahi (202) 904-7307

Ward Four Thrives members noticed this week that corporate developer Foulger Pratt had begun removing the roof of the Curtis Chevrolet site on Georgia Avenue without posted permits.  W4T subsequently notified the District Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). Yesterday, the DCRA issued a stop work order to Foulger Pratt regarding their deconstruction on the site for the proposed and highly controversial Wal-Mart.

“Foulger Pratt’s flagrant disregard for due process in developing the Curtis Chevrolet site does not bode well for their presence in our community” says Ward Four Thrives spokesperson Baruti Jahi. “We need solid community partners to develop businesses and good jobs in our neighborhoods, and thus far neither Wal-Mart nor Foulger Pratt have demonstrated even a hint of good will towards the residents of Ward Four.”
The office of planning recently approved Foulger Pratt’s Large Tract Review of the site despite an ANC4B resolution calling for “a binding and enforceable Community Benefits Agreement that will spell out [Wal-Mart’s] commitments with respect to hiring and employment practices, workforce training, contracting, transportation and traffic mitigation, environmentally sound building practices, public safety, small business assistance, community input, and financial support for on-going community programs.”

“The choice isn’t between WalMart and jobs. DC should seek to attempt to bring good community partners to our neighborhoods, especially small business that offer good jobs that allow residents to live where they work. WalMart offers none of these things,” says Ward Four resident and W4T member Renee Bowser.  

Ward Four Thrives is neighbors, business owners, and allies committed to community-led development in Ward Four.

More info at wardfourthrives.blogspot.com, on facebook, and twitter @ward4thrives

###

Friday, September 2, 2011

Please join us for our monthly Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting- at 6:30pm on September 7th, Wednesday, at the Fort Stevens Rec Center (1327 Van Buren ST, NW b/w 13th and 14th ST).

And a reminder to please call the Mayor's and Council Member Bowser's office saying, "We don't want a Walmart- we want alternatives." Below is a call script to guide you through the process. Of course, feel free to add your personal reasons (environmental concerns, DC needs living wage jobs or you live near the proposed site)

There is a slight hold period- and to help you through it, the grandfathers of DC punk, the Bad Brains: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3cA4re4Tsg

Call Script:
Mayor Gray's Office- (202) 727-6300
Ward 4 Council Member Muriel Bowser- (202) 724-8052

Hi, my name is _______ and I am a resident of Ward 4. I was very upset to hear of the approval of the Large Tract Review for the proposed Ward 4 Walmart. I am strongly opposed to a Walmart being built at Georgia and Missouri and there are still major concerns that have not been addressed:

1) With 6 schools surrounding the proposed Walmart site, the increased traffic will make it more dangerous for children in the area.

2) Small businesses in the immediate area will lose business and likely close down, causing increased unemployment and less competition.

3) The Office of Planning disregarded the community's input and concerns which were voiced consistently at public meetings and written comments. The City also did not fully address the explicit objections of ANC 4B.

I demand that Mayor Gray deny a building permit for a Walmart at Georgia and Missouri and instead consider alternatives developed through a community led process.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Press Release: Ward Four Thrives Demands City Reject Building Permits

For Immediate Release :  Ward Four Residents respond to Approval of WalMart Large Tract Review

City Approves Plans for Ward Four WalMart Despite ANC Concerns
Ward Four Thrives Demands City Reject Building Permits
August 31, 20011
Contact: Baruti Jahi (202) 904-7307

Ward Four residents and members of community group Ward Four Thrives responded yesterday to the Office of Planning’s recent Large Tract Review approval of corporate developer Foulger Pratt’s proposal for the development of a WalMart on upper Georgia Avenue.

 “The choice isn’t between WalMart and jobs. DC should seek to attempt to bring good community partners to our neighborhoods, especially small business that offer good jobs that allow residents to live where they work. WalMart offers none of these things,” says Ward Four resident and W4T member Renee Bowser.  

A resolution passed on June 27th by the ANC4B called for WalMart to “sign a binding and enforceable Community Benefits Agreement that will spell out its commitments with respect to hiring and employment practices, workforce training, contracting, transportation and traffic mitigation, environmentally sound building practices, public safety, small business assistance, community input, and financial support for on-going community programs.” This resolution also included detailed concerns for remedying a potential traffic nightmare.

Brenda Speaks (ANC 4B05) says, “The city’s complete disregard for the ANC process and documented concerns is unacceptable.  A big box disaster like WalMart should not be allowed to proceed without addressing ANC 4B’s resolution on the development. We need the city to take our concerns to heart. We have invested our lives in this community, and what we as elected officials say should matter, and the Mayor’s office should do what’s best for residents, not developers.”

Owner of local chain Yes! Organic Foods Gary Cha says “WalMart will put local employers like Yes! out of business and destroy the decent-paying jobs we create for a few hundred poverty-wage jobs.”

Ward Four Thrives, which has collected over 1300 signatures of Ward Four residents against the proposed Walmart, formally demands that the mayor’s office respect ANC4B’s resolution and refrain from approving building permits for the development. W4T demands a community-led development process that ensures that any large development on upper Georgia Avenue meets the needs of area residents.

“We’ve been steamrolled,” says resident Michele Baskin. “Ward Four won’t be bullied into allowing this unwanted development.  We need community participation in neighborhood development in order for businesses and job seekers to truly thrive”

Ward Four Thrives is organizing residents to call the offices of Muriel Bowser and Mayor Gray, as well as organizing demonstrations at upcoming public events to be held by both Bowser and Gray. Ward Four Thrives has also called on ANC4B to pass a resolution against a WalMart on the Georgia Avenue site.

Ward Four Thrives is neighbors, business owners, and allies committed to community-led development in Ward Four.

More info at wardfourthrives.blogspot.com, on facebook, and twitter @ward4thrives
###

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Call Script to the Mayor's Office: Say No to Walmart- Yes to Alternatives

With the recent passing of the Large Tract Review for the proposed Walmart, we're asking folks to flood the Mayor's and Council Member Bowser's office with calls saying, "We don't want a Walmart- we want alternatives." Below is a call script to help guide you through the process. Feel free to add your own reasons (Environmental concerns, DC needs living wage jobs or you don't think you'll look good in a moo moo)

It shouldn't take long. But just in case there's a hold period, here's a video to help you through it. David v. Goliath, final round boxing match (quick and well aimed hits- can beat the mammoth):
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=326_1276910749

Or listen to this instead, Justice- D.AN.C.E.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daMuNH1lcQE

Call Script:
Mayor Gray's Office- (202) 727-6300

Ward 4 Council Member Muriel Bowser- (202) 724-8052

Hi, my name is _______ and I am a resident of Ward 4. I was very upset to hear of the approval of the Large Tract Review for the proposed Ward 4 Walmart. I am strongly opposed to a Walmart being built at Georgia and Missouri and there are still major concerns that have not been addressed:

1) With 6 schools surrounding the proposed Walmart site, the increased traffic will make it more dangerous for children in the area.

2) Small businesses in the immediate area will lose business and likely close down, causing increased unemployment and less competition.

3) The Office of Planning disregarded the community's input and concerns which were voiced consistently at public meetings and written comments. The City also did not fully address the explicit objections of ANC 4B.

I demand that Mayor Gray deny a building permit for a Walmart at Georgia and Missouri and instead consider alternatives developed through a community led process.

Food Stamps

Friday, August 26, 2011

Ward 4 Thrives Meeting: Response to LTR passage

All,

Please join us for a planning meeting to discuss Ward 4 Thrives response to the recent passing of the Large Tract Review for the proposed Walmart. We're meeting this coming Monday, August 29, at 6:30pm at the Petworth Library until 8:30pm.

Petworth Library
Meeting Room

4200 Kansas Ave. N.W.
(corner of Upshur ST and Georgia Ave)




Show the City that Walmart's not welcomed in Ward 4- the fight's not over.


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Report Back on the August 13th Flyering Event

Congratulations Ward 4 Thrives.

You rocked the Georgia and Missouri corners this past Saturday, August 13th. We were there from 10 to 1 :00 pm, when we got rained out.

For those who were not in attendance, you missed a wonderful event. We had enough people to cover all 4 corners and more. Channel 4 came and interviewed a few people about our event and also interviewed folks about where were they during 9/11. It should be on both news shows this evening or tomorrow depending upon what is happening during this news cycle.

Thanks to everyone for the shirts, signs, literature, food, water, your enthusiasm, etc. I was so proud of us. If anyone has other ideas about organizing an event, please let us know.

Gerri
Ward 4 Thrives

And special thank to all the small businesses that donated to make the "No Walmart" T-shirts possible.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

We're asking residents to call Mayor Gray, (202) 727-6300, and tell him we don't want Walmart in Ward 4 -- Instead we want residential friendly development!

THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES TO WAL-MART. These are examples of what might work with the existing infrastructure.

1) Using the historic car barn -- an Eastern Market style complex that can house produce vendors, incubator space for small and local businesses, pedestrian plaza, and arts use.

The car barn (former Curtis Chevrolet) is the largest surviving commercial building in the area – and one of the oldest buildings on Georgia Avenue. It could be the centerpiece of our community!

2) Hyattsville-style pedestrian shopping plaza with local businesses such as market shops and clothing retailers.

Reconfigure the Georgia-Missouri intersection to allow development of the site without overburdening traffic and without displacing existing buildings. This will also increase the street frontage of the property, creating a “town center” facing Missouri Avenue and Emery Park instead of a loading dock for a big box store.

Option 2 can be done with or without saving the historic Car Barn (former Curtis Chevrolet).

Friday, August 12, 2011

Reminder: Tomorrow Flyering in Ward 4 at the Proposed Walmart Site

We're gathering from 10am-2pm this Saturday, August 13th, at the proposed site for Walmart (5929 Georgia Ave b/w Peabody and Missouri). Please join us as we flyer about the traffic condition if Walmart came and propose alternatives for the site. We'll have posters- but feel free to make your own colorful creative one!

One proposal for the location: An Eastern Market/Essex ST Market model to solve the "food desert" problem claimed by Walmart: http://www.essexstreetmarket.com/

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

August 13th- Flyering and Rally at Proposed Walmart Site, Come on Out!

We're gathering from 10am-2pm this Saturday, August 13th, at the proposed site for the Walmart (old Curtis Chevrolet lot, 5929 Georgia Ave b/w Peabody and Missouri). Please join us as we flyer about the traffic condition if Walmart came and propose alternatives for the site. We'll have posters- but feel free to make your own colorful creative one!

And a quote from the below article, "Walmart needs New York City more then New York City needs Walmart." And the same can be said about DC:
http://www.brooklynrail.org/2011/07/local/no-place-for-walmart

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Reminder: August 3rd- Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting

Please join us for our monthly Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting- August 3 at 6:30pm at the Fort Stevens Rec Center (1327 Van Buren ST, NW b/w 13th and 14th ST). We're planning a flyering and action at the proposed site for the Walmart. Please join us to discuss how you can get involved in this event and other ways to help keep Walmart out of Ward 4. The fight's still on!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Mark Your Calendar for August 3 Ward 4 Thrives Meeting

Please join us for our monthly Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting- August 3 at 6:30pm, location to be announced. We're planning a flyering and action at the proposed site for the Walmart. Please join us to discuss how you can get involved in this event!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Walmart is conducting another telephone poll of DC residents...

...and they made the mistake of calling the 14th & You blogger. Read his deconstruction of the call:

I usually participate in telephone polls unless I truly do not have the time to do so. A research geek, I think valid surveys are important. I see little harm in answering a few questions when I’m otherwise free, and I always have the option of ending the call if the questions seem inappropriate or drag on too long. That said, I was infuriated by a telephone survey call I received two days ago. Despite my misgivings, my curiosity motivated me to stay on the line. “Who is behind this survey and what do they want?” I thought. Then, as the answers to those questions became clear, I continued to respond to survey items so as to learn what data being collected.

The survey began with questions about my opinions of politicians. Do I view Barack Obama very unfavorably, unfavorably, favorably, or very favorably? What about Vincent Gray, Kwame Brown, Marion Barry, Yvette Alexander, Harry Thomas Jr., Michael Brown, Vincent Orange, and Tommy Wells? Oddly, the titles mayor and council member were not included as the names were read. Also strange was the list of politicians itself; why were some CMs omitted? I was asked only one more question about DC politics. What single DC political issue, from a list of more than ten items, was most important to me? As the long list was read and my working memory struggled to keep up, I was initially frustrated that I could choose only issue. Then I was struck by the omission of important issues and inclusion of other issues. Where was transportation? Why was illegal immigration on the list, particularly since it so rarely features in city politics? My discomfort rose: Either this poll was incompetently written or the organization behind it designed the questions to support an agenda. After a brief shift into questions about my shopping habits and opinions of locally operating retail chains all of the remaining questions were about …Walmart. Ah, this call was related to Walmart’s plans to open four stores in DC.

This was not a simple survey of public opinion; it was a push poll. After establishing that I knew Walmart planned to open stores in DC and my level of support for these developments, it became immediately clear why I had been asked earlier in the survey to pick the one DC political issue that was most important. (Education is what I selected.) I was asked if I knew that Walmart had given hundreds of thousands of dollars to education efforts in DC and over $100,000 to a local non profit that provides jobs and training for city youths (an organization located in Logan Circle). Following this statement disguised as a question, I was asked If I was “strongly opposed to, opposed to, supportive, or strongly supportive of Walmart?” “Um, based on the information I just received?” I asked. “I can’t elaborate on the question,” the surveyor responded.

All of the remaining survey items began with preambles about the positive virtues of Walmart. Did I know that they employed many people? That they made fresh meat and produce available to areas lacking grocery stores? That DC residents spent millions last year at Maryland and Virginia Walmarts? This “survey” was a read-aloud of press releases and talking points. The only thing not qualifying this call as a one-on-one press conference is that I was asked after each glowing report of Walmart’s saintliness how I felt about the chain coming to my city. Of course, the survey designers did not provide for a “neutral” or “no opinion” response option for these questions.

This survey would be laughably bad if the results were not important. Though I cannot prove that Walmart is behind the call, I think it unlikely that a pro-Walmart citizen group would have the money to engage in such shenanigans or that any DC political group with such cash reserves would risk its credibility by push polling. I have a problem with any corporation calling from home to home to share slanted information about their business operations, but Walmart’s efforts cause me particular concern.

At best, I think that this call was being used to test which of Walmart’s talking points will be well received by DC consumers. At worst, the completely statistically invalid data gathered from these calls will be used to influence politician’s feelings about the proposed Walmart stores. I am vividly imagining a Walmart representative saying to a CM, “the vast majority of District residents support Walmart’s development plans. I have the survey data to prove it.” In fact, in response to Living Wages, Healthy Communities' request that Walmart sign a community benefit agreement, Steve Restivo, a Walmart spokesman said, “Unfortunately, some of the louder voices in this discussion just don't represent the majority opinion of D.C. residents" (The Washington Business Journal). I previously wondered how he could trot out the word “majority” with any confidence.

Commentariat: Have any of you received such calls? If so, how do you feel about it?

I believe that Walmart opening in DC is inevitable, and the point of this post is not to discuss the litany of issues at play there. What is within my control, though, is to draw attention to Walmart's unethical PR efforts. I can also ask the council members who represent me to negotiate with Walmart in a way that preserves the interests of the citizens of the District.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Mark your calendar for the next Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting- scheduled for:

Date: July 6th, Wednesday
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Fort Stevens Rec Center
1327 Van Buren St, NW
Washington, DC 20011
(b/w 13th and 14th ST, NW)

We'll discuss how we can respond to the recent DDOT approval of Foulger-Pratt's Large Tract Review and ways we can continue to put pressure on city officials to consider alternatives for the site!

ANC4B unanimously votes to oppose Square 2986 Large Tract Review unless Commission recommendations are adopted

After much deliberation at last night's meeting, ANC4B finally voted to not support the Large Tract Review for Square 298 (aka "the Curtis Chevrolet Site" or "the site of the potential Walmart") unless a long series of recommendations are adopted. The recommendations are in the areas of transportation demand management and traffic circulation, building design, safety, neighborhood impact, and community benefits. I only have access to the draft resolution at this point; I'll link to the final resolution once I get a hold of it.

4B's resolution is similar to the resolution that ANC4A adopted, which also opposed Walmart's LTR.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Come out to the ANC4B meeting tonight!

Please come on out to the ANC4B meeting tonight. DDOT recently approved of Foulger-Pratt's Large Tract Review for the proposed Walmart in Ward 4. Come to the ANC4B meeting tonight at the Police Station4B's Head Quarters to hear discussions on:

Vote: Resolution regarding designation of car barn at 5929 Georgia Avenue N.W. as an historic landmark

Vote: Recommendation to District of Columbia Office of Planning Large Tract Review - Foulger Pratt/Walmart Proposal for Square 2986, Georgia & Missouri Avenues, NW

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 4B
Monday, June 27, 2011, 7 p.m.
Metropolitan Police Department, 4th District Station
6001 Georgia Ave., NW

Also, mark your calendar for the next Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting- tentatively scheduled for July 6th, location to be announced. We'll discuss how we can respond to this recent development!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Tonight- Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting at 6:30pm

Tonight, Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting, June 1st at 6:30pm, at the Fort Stevens Rec Center. We've been busy since the Office of Planning put developer Foulger-Pratt's Large Tract Review on hold. Please join us for updates and ways you can get involved to continue putting pressure on our city officials and the developer!

What: Ward 4 Thrives Community Mtg
When: June 1st, Wednesday at 6:30pm
Where: Fort Stevens Rec Center
1327 Van Buren ST, NW
(b/w 13th and 14th St)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Mayor Gray to Walmart: It's Skyland or nothing

Mayor Gray had a face-to-face meeting with Walmart execs yesterday at the RECon commercial real estate conference in Las Vegas. Jonathan O'Connell reports that Gray issued Walmart an ultimatum: include a Walmart store in the upcoming development at the Skyland shopping center in Ward 7, or else forget about the plans to open at any other District locations...including Ward 4.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Next Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting

Mark your calendars for our next Ward 4 Thrives Community Meeting on June 1st, 6:30pm, at the Fort Stevens Rec Center. We've been busy since the Office of Planning put developer Foulger-Pratt's Large Tract Review on hold. Please join us for updates and ways you can get involved to continue putting pressure on our city officials and the developer!

What: Ward 4 Thrives Community Meetting
When: June 1st, Wednesday at 6:30pm
Where: Fort Stevens Rec Center
1327 Van Buren ST, NW
(b/w 13th and 14th St)

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Now Hiring: Walmart seeks Director of Labor Relations to maintain a ‘union-free workplace’

Via Think Progress, we learn that Walmart is seeking a Director of Labor Relations.

Under the Position Description are the following tasks:
  • Advises HR and Operations leadership in positive employee relations practices that support continued union-free workplace and business mission in a complex labor environment.

  • Leads company response to local and market organizing campaigns.

  • Assess vulnerability to union messaging in market.

Fluency in Spanish is an "additional preferred qualification".


Monday, May 9, 2011

Washington Post: In Chicago, Walmart was a wash for workers

The Washington Post ran a piece authored by David Merriman and Joseph J. Persky, professors of public administration and economics, respectively, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, about the effects that Walmart has had on Chicago, and the findings aren't encouraging. The entire article is reprinted here, and I've bolded the passages that are of particular interest.

Wal-Mart is working to expand beyond its traditional rural and suburban locations to urban sites in Chicago, New York and the District, and its efforts have provoked intense and emotional responses. To some people, Wal-Mart symbolizes corporate exploitation, greed and cultural homogenization. To others, it represents value, convenience and efficiency. While the symbolic importance of our retail choices is undeniable, public policy decisions that facilitate or hinder Wal-Mart’s expansion should be based on rational, evidence-based discussions. What would a new Wal-Mart mean for local businesses? Will it create retail jobs? What impact can it be expected to have on retail sales? One Chicago community’s experience may provide insight as Wal-Mart contemplates opening four stores in Washington.

We worked with researchers from a number of academic institutions to study the impact of Wal-Mart’s first store in a major American city. In the fall of 2006, a new Wal-Mart opened on the northwest side of Chicago. We gathered baseline data before Wal-Mart’s opening and tracked retail activities over the following two years.

In our initial survey, we identified 306 businesses within four miles of Wal-Mart that sold competing goods. Two years later, 82 of those businesses had closed.
We found that businesses closer to Wal-Mart were significantly more likely to close than similar businesses farther away. Although we won’t go so far as to blame the closures on Wal-Mart, our evidence suggests that the new store hastened the decline of some of its competitors.

We also asked businesses about the number of employees they had and the wages and benefits they offered, and we collected information such as the residence, gender and race and ethnicity of the owners. We found that many of the retail outlets were small and were owned by women and minorities who lived in Chicago.

Based on the disproportionate number of business closures close to Wal-Mart, we concluded that, after two years, the number of jobs lost by Wal-Mart’s nearby retail competitors essentially offset the number of jobs created at the new Wal-Mart. With this data, we were not able to directly study Wal-Mart’s impact on new businesses, but Wal-Mart may also have influenced new business openings. The affected competitors had offered relatively limited benefits and offered wages only slightly above the minimum wage. Thus, the wages and benefits of the lost jobs were probably quite similar to the wages and benefits at the new Wal-Mart. From the point of view of workers, Wal-Mart’s opening was close to a wash.

We also examined retail sales data assembled by the state of Illinois, which does account for both new and existing businesses. We found that the opening of the Wal-Mart store had no measurable impact on total retail sales in its immediate neighborhood. This suggests that Wal-Mart’s sales simply offset sales from its competitors.

Of course, our study was confined to a single Wal-Mart store in a single Chicago neighborhood at a particular point in time. But the basic results were consistent with economic theory and the findings of many other studies of the retail industry. Retail employment and sales are largely driven by neighborhood population and incomes and are not greatly affected by new retail developments such as Wal-Mart. Of course, a neighborhood’s retail characteristics can influence which competitors lose out when a store opens. The Chicago neighborhood we studied had a dense network of stores before Wal-Mart arrived, and many of these stores appeared to lose sales to Wal-Mart. Job loss might be less concentrated geographically in a place where competition is more sparse, as the proposed D.C. Wal-Mart sites are reported to be.

In considering whether to encourage or oppose Wal-Mart’s entry into the District, our results suggest that job creation should not be an overriding factor. Consumers who shop at Wal-Mart certainly feel they benefit from its availability. However, others may feel that a highly profitable national retailer could adopt more generous labor standards and make a serious effort to preserve neighborhood identity. An open and vigorous debate about these trade-offs is worth having.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Walmart's mailer to DC residents: it's as if they're conducting an ill-fated political campaign

[Cross-posted at The Brightwoodian.]




Walmart is feeling a little wobbly about the chances that the four sites that they've chosen for stores in the District will actually become realities, and here's proof. Yesterday, the mailer you see here was received in mailboxes all across the city. You're looking at the "Ward 4 edition" right now; the version that was sent to parts of the city that don't contain potential Walmart sites received different versions (i.e., the headline on the one I saw that was sent to Ward 3 residents proclaims "Walmart's new DC stores will create 1,200 jobs", rather than the Ward 4-specific language you see above). The piece looks very similar to the kind of literature we're used to receiving from candidates during campaign seasons, complete with a disclaimer notice ("Paid for by Walmart Stores, Inc.").





The "73%" statistic is a reference to a telephone poll that Walmart conducted in the fall of 2010, just before they announced their intentions to move into the District. At community meetings, Walmart representatives have repeatedly referred back to the results of the telephone poll. I was not one of the 800 people surveyed, but I've spoken with a few people who were and I've been told that the questions asked were posed more circuitously than "Do you want a Walmart in your neighborhood, yes or no?" (I have yet to obtain a copy of the actual questions that were asked.)




The mailer's interior again emphasizes that Walmart will create new jobs (though they neglect to mention that they're also likely to take jobs away, as small businesses in the surrounding neighborhoods struggle to survive in Walmart's shadow).

"Access to healthy food" is also emphasized here. But as we've learned from the USDA's recently uploaded online tool, Ward 4 is actually not considered a food desert at all. Richard Layman has also taken note of this. From Layman's post:

WRT Brightwood, considering that there is a below average Safeway at Petworth but the store is going to be upgraded to be roughly comparable to the City Vista store, plus the store at Piney Branch Road, plus the Giant Supermarket at Eastern Ave. and Riggs Road just across the border in Maryland, plus the proposed Safeway at Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue as part of the Cafritz project, plus the Safeway on Connecticut Ave. in Chevy Chase, not to mention the Yes Grocery, I think it would be hard to say that people are underserved...

I found a mapping tool, and started mapping 3 mile retail trade areas from a handful of supermarkets that serve Brightwood: Safeway in Petworth, Safeway at Piney Branch Road, Safeway in SW DC, Safeway in Chevy Chase, the Yes Grocery on Georgia Ave. NW, the PanAm Market at Michigan and Eastern Avenues, the Giant Supermarket on the DC-Maryland border at Eastern Avenue and Riggs Road in Prince George's County. But since so much of the city was covered just with these stores, I decided to start over.

I changed the radius to 1.5 miles from the store location. It doesn't include the proposed Safeway location on Riggs Road NE or the proposed Walmart on Georgia Avenue NW or New York Avenue NE. It doesn't include the PanAm store on 14th Street NW, or independent supermarkets in Mt. Pleasant, nor Florida Market. A lot of stores aren't listed.


I'm not saying that I don't think Ward 4 could use more food options than it currently has, just that Walmart's avowals that they're rescuing us from the bowels of food-desertism are rather baseless.

Of course the mailer mentions nothing about the true folly: that it's becoming more and more apparent that the site, near the intersection of Georgia and Missouri Avenues, can't realistically support the proposed development without having a serious adverse affect on traffic, pedestrian safety, and quality of life in the surrounding residential area.




The best part by far is this tear-off response card (which requires a stamp, as postage will not be paid by the addressee; how...presumptuous). The first item that citizens are asked to check reads: "I would like more information on the efforts to bring Walmart to DC" (emphasis mine). Efforts? I didn't realize Walmart felt that they were fighting such an uphill battle; which I suppose is a good thing, as it means that the groups that have been advocating for smart development at the Curtis Chevrolet site are making a difference. The next item reads: "I would like to sign a petition supporting Walmart coming to DC" (again, emphasis mine). I've no doubt that we'll see Walmart's "community action" reps roving the streets of Ward 4 trying to obtain our signatures in an effort to show our elected officials exactly how much they're wanted/needed. The third item is a call to increase the size of their community action network: "I would like to get involved in the efforts to bring Walmart to DC". Yes, Walmart is attempting to bolster a "grassroots" effort on their own behalf.

I would prefer it if the company would directly address the issues that it knows it's dealing with at its proposed Ward 4 site. In February, we (myself and a small group of neighbors) met with Victor Hoskins, the deputy mayor for economic development. We drew him a map of the proposed site, the surrounding streets and current traffic patterns, the six schools that are within a three-block radius of the site (yes, you read that right, six schools within a three-block radius...and five of them are elementary schools), the proximity of the Fourth District Police Headquarters building, and the proposed location of the loading dock off of Missouri Avenue (and how the 18-wheelers will turn from narrow, two-lanes-in-each-direction Missouri Avenue into the loading dock area). Hoskins sat back, looked at the drawing, and said that it looked like a total mess to him, and that if it's really as bad as the drawing made it look, there was a good chance that the project wouldn't pass a traffic study.

We're seeing now that Hoskins was onto something. Yet Walmart still refuses to acknowledge that. They want this deal to go through that badly.


View Larger Map
The section of Missouri Avenue that will soon be the site of a loading dock entry, if Walmart gets its way.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Ward 4 Thrives meeting: Friday, May 6, 6:30 pm, 4D HQ (6001 GA Ave. NW)

Given the recent news that DDOT has recommended that the Large Tract Review for the proposed Walmart in Ward 4 be put on hold, there's much plotting and planning to do! Please join us tomorrow, May 6th, to discuss ways to pressure the developer into altering the proposal, and how to make sure our city representatives don't capitulate!

When: May 6th, Friday at 6:30pm
Where: Fourth District Police HQ Community Room, 6001 Georgia Ave
(b/w Peabody and Quackenbos)

ANC 4A unanimously opposes LTR as currently submitted

A report from Tuesday night's ANC4A meeting, from Michele Baskin:

I made it out to the ANC4A mtg at Fort Stevens Rec Center on Tuesday night where Wal-Mart's LTR submission was on the agenda. It was really unclear what the commissioners would choose to do since DDOT released their letter earlier in the day noting problems with the LTR and requesting a hold on approval.

All commissioners were present but very few community members. About 3/4 the way through the meeting, Muriel Bowser made an appearance.

The commissioners were originally going to vote on the comments from the ANC either in support of or opposition to the LTR plan. It was suggested that they postpone the vote in light of DDOT's letter. Dave Wilson, the commissioner tasked with creating the ANC's comments, suggested that they go ahead and vote on the LTR as is, in case the window for submitting comments did close as scheduled on May 30th. He also stated that the concerns brought up by DDOT were the same concerns he was bringing up in comments, making the DDOT letter in support of the ANC's proposed comments. After much wrangling around process, a very lengthy motion was crafted (I am still trying to get the exact working from Wilson or Whatley) that stated that ANC4A was in opposition to Wal-Mart's LTR as written but that this would be suspended if Wal-Mart submitted a new LTR in response to DDOT's letter or if the comment period was extended to June 30th at the earliest, at which point any new submissions by Wal-Mart would be reviewed and a new motion submitted. There was a lot more legalese, but basically this was a vote to oppose the LTR as currently submitted. The vote was 8-0 to oppose the LTR by Wal-Mart.

So let me repeat, ANC4A is on the record as opposing the current Wal-Mart LTR in a unanimous fashion.

The commissioners also took up a separate motion concerning a community benefits agreement. There was much discussion about the reality of enforceability and the fact that Wal-Mart has never signed one of these. There was also concern that it would be problematic to have each ANC in the city craft their own CBA or list of demands. I suggested that the ANC take a look at the draft from Respect DC, our fellow coalition members, and it was agreed that they would table any CBA motions until Respect DC's proposal was read.

Bowser suggested that the ANC need not worry about a CBA because she and her fellow councilmembers would take care of it. She seems to think that she can leverage LTR approval and building permit issuance to get favorable terms and a binding agreement on a CBA. So let's be on the look out for that mess.

There was much mention of the upcoming ANC4B meetings and people were directed to next week's meeting to receive more information around the Wal-Mart issue.

The next ANC 4B meeting regarding Walmart will be held on Thursday, May 12, at Emory Methodist Church, 7100 Georgia Avenue NW, 7-9 pm.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Office of Planning says traffic study for proposed Ward 4 Walmart site is seriously flawed, Large Tract Review process put on hold

Victory!

Summary from ANC Sara Green: "Bottom Line: Walmart did not provide traffic/transportation data for 7 out of 10 categories DDoT asked for (during December 2010 meetings). Therefore the city cannot approve the project at this time."


OP Walmart Document

USDA: There are no food deserts in Ward 4


The parts of the District that are recognized as "food deserts" by the USDA are highlighted in pink in the map above.

This was called to our attention by sagacious Ward 4 resident Michele Baskin. She says:

So you know how Wal-Mart is claiming that they are coming to the rescue of "food deserts" in DC? Well this is a link to a map produced by the USDA of food deserts in the US. Type in your address and it will zoom in on DC. And low and behold, what do you see? No food deserts in Ward 4, that's what you see! There are some pockets in Wards 5, 7, and 8, but nothing near us. We can now confidently say that according to the USDA, there is no food desert crisis here that needs to be fixed by a Wal-Mart.

A screenshot of the whole city is above; if you'd like to look at the map more closely you can do so here.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Upcoming Important Event- May 2 & May 6!

We're gearing up to put some pressure on Mayor Gray. We'd like to know where he stands on Walmart entering DC and will he rep our interests. So please come out to Mayor Gray's Ward 4 Budget hearing this Monday ready to question him on this issue.

Ward 4 2012 Budget Briefing
Date: Monday, May 2, 2011
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Brightwood Elementary School
1300 Nicholson Street, NW
(b/w Missouri and Colorado)

And a reminder for Ward 4 Thrives monthly community meeting on May 6, at 6:30pm, at the Police Station 4D (6001 Georgia Ave NW, corner of Georgia and Peabody). It's the first of a lecture series on the impact Walmart will have on our neighborhood by Ward 4 Thrives member Baruti Jahi. We'll also do report backs on our April 26 outreach effort and strategy discussions before the lecture.

And where we are now after May 1, 1886:
May Day March LA 2006:

And the Oscars getting it almost right (maybe beneath the glitz the words "Unite" come off as a subliminal message) when Dolly Parton sings "9 to 5" (still a great song):

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Please join us this weekend, April 24, at 6:30pm for a planning meeting to discuss our April 26 Special Election Outreach effort. We plan to target polling stations near the site as well as Bowser's polling station to generate awareness and gather signatures. If you would like to be involved and discuss strategies about targeting certain city officials, please join us this weekend.

And Sometimes it takes a fire to wake us up

And Walmart tactics that we might want to stay aware of: New Yorkers Fight Like Mad to Keep Walmart out of the Big Apples and Critics Accuse Developers of Obfuscating Plans to Bring Walmart to NYC.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Washington Post: "Why Wal-Mart doesn't fit my community"

A little late posting this here, but better late than never. From Brightwood resident Kate Ahmann, a letter to the editor:

Robert McCartney believes that Wal-Mart would serve all four of its proposed D.C. locations well. He seems to think that all of the locations are equal in terms of need.

The proposed Georgia Avenue site is four blocks from where I live. Brightwood and Manor Park are stable, middle-class neighborhoods convenient to the Metro and amenities such as Safeway and CVS.

The site is less than two miles from Montgomery County and less than a mile from Prince George's County. It is quite likely that many of the store's employees would hail from those jurisdictions. This we do not need.

The store will draw as well a glut of shoppers from these localities. Increased traffic, including delivery trucks, will flood the neighborhood. This we do not need.

Urban superstores are notoriously difficult to manage - from security to stocking and organization. A large, poorly managed store invites discontent and petty crime. This we do not need.

What my friendly, established neighborhood lacks is places to gather that will attract our regular business and have us engaging in community. We need more restaurants, a coffee shop, a bookstore, boutique stores, doctor's offices and a movie theater. Such small businesses bring life to neighborhoods such as Chevy Chase, Adams Morgan, Woodley Park, and the 14th and U Street corridors. We need the kind of development that will strengthen our community. Wal-Mart will not, and we do not need it.

Kate Ahmann, Washington


Thanks for speaking out, Kate!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Next W4T meeting!

The next Ward Four Thrives meeting will be on May 6th from 6:30-8:30 at Police Station 4D at 6001 Georgia Ave NW.


Thursday, April 7, 2011

Dear Mayor Gray

April 5th, 2011

Ward 4 Thrives corresponded with you in December in order to appeal to you for assistance regarding Walmarts immoral attempt to invade our community. We also sent correspondence to our councilmember, Muriel Bowser, and met with her to no avail since she is an admitted Walmart supporter. Our perception was that her interest was to lobby on Walmarts behalf, rather than on behalf of her constituents. Councilmember Bowser clearly did not want the residents to make a decision about how Walmart would affect our community and whether we felt it was in our best interest.

Subsequently, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Planning, Victor L. Hoskins, met with us on your behalf. He heard our concerns for the safety of our school children and our seniors. We appreciated his sensitivity to our issues; concern for our childrens safety, congested streets and environmental damage to our community.

Walmart is immoral and devours communities across the nation. It is presently attempting to invade South Africa. Interestingly enough, they are fighting to keep Walmart out while our elected officials in DC have welcomed Walmart with open arms, ignoring the harm Walmarts record indicates it would do to Ward 4. This devastating invasion will forever alter this communitys people and their livelihood. Studies have shown that Walmart will cause the closure of mom and pop businesses in the immediate area of the retailer. In addition, Walmart has a case before the Supreme Court, Walmart v. Dukes, one of the largest employment lawsuits based on gender discrimination.

In addition, following the developer Foulger-Pratts submission of its Large Tract Review for the proposed Ward 4 Walmart, the Office of Planning should seriously consider the traffic impact this large retailer will have on our predominately residential area. There are also six schools within a three-block radius of the site of the proposed Walmart, and residents are concerned about the increased traffic endangering the safety of school children trying to cross Georgia Ave.

Our elected officials, for whom we pay taxes so they may always perform their duties in the best interest of the residents, have neglected to do so. They were obligated to send out notices to alert us that Walmart was interested in coming into this city. They did not schedule meetings in order to inform the community, but forced us to hear, through various sources, that Walmart intended to build a store in Ward 4 and thereby forced us to organize our own meetings.

We unfortunately, had to come to the realization that we were on our own and that we could not count on our councilmember, Muriel Bower, to do the job she was elected to do -- represent the interests of those who elected you as well as her.

Ward Four residents organized against this invasion into our community. We stood in the harsh cold of winter to hear our neighbors concerns, collect signatures and to gather assistance in this effort. We have thus far collected 1,200 Ward Four residents' signatures. Though Walmart promises 1,200 jobs to DC residents by 2012, the 1,200 Ward 4 residents who signed the petition understand that Walmart will cause more job loss in the community, in the form of forcing small businesses to shut their doors.

We are presenting these signatures to the Deputy Mayor for him to accept on the mayors behalf.

Respectfully,

Gerri Adams-Simmons Baruti Jahi Ward 4 Thrives Member Ward 4 Thrives Member

Willie Baker Gary Cha Ward 4 Thrives Member Owner of Yes Organic, Food Market

Verna Collins Milfred W. Ellis Ward 4 Thrives Member Ward 4 Thrives Member

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Actions at the Wilson Building, and Community Meeting Tomorrow!

Today a contingent of Ward Four Thrives members took to the Wilson Building. The group organized a string of actions in response to developer Foulger Pratt's submission of the Large Tract Review detailing plans to build a WalMart in Ward Four.

Members staged a press conference outside the building, and then head in to deliver a copy of the 1207 person petition of Ward Four residents against WalMart. This was delivered to the Deputy Mayor Hoskins' office.

W4T representatives then entered the active city council session to deliver 400 yellow, sad face ping pong balls representing the 1200 petition signers to Councilmember Bowser. Security successfully removed the group, but not before two representatives demanded that Muriel Bowser stand up for her constituents against WalMart in Ward Four.

Thanks all W4T members for all the hard work put in before today gathering signatures and attending planning meetings, as well as the effort put out today.


With the Large Tract Review on the books, the need to act is more urgent than ever.

Join us at our biweekly community meeting tomorrow at 6:30 at the Fort Stevens Rec Center at 13th and Tuckerman!