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

###

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.

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 27^th 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

###

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

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.

Pictures from Ward Four picketing action