For Immediate Release:
December 13, 2012
McDuffie Asks Mayor Gray: Where is the Plan for Ivy City?
Today, Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D – Ward 5) sent a letter to Mayor Vincent Gray (D) urging him not to expend additional government resources on the lawsuit to operate a charter bus lot at the Alexander Crummell School in Ivy City or in further pursuit of the project.
On December 10, the D.C. Superior Court issued a preliminary injunction halting the District from operating a charter bus lot at the Crummell School until the city consults with Ivy City’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) and conducts an environmental screening of the project.
“The Alexander Crummell School is a nationally-designated historic landmark that has fallen into disrepair – largely due to the city’s neglect,” said McDuffie. “The school is in the heart of the blossoming Ivy City community that has been clamoring for resources to enhance the quality of life for residents.”
Yesterday, Mayor Gray was quoted as saying, “’I didn’t talk to anybody about preserving Crummell … That school has been used as a homeless shelter, it’s been vacant. I have been a part of no discussions like that.’”[i]
While Councilmember McDuffie agrees that there is no plan to displace the residents of Ivy City, “It is unsettling that there really is no plan to invest positive resources in the community,” said McDuffie. “The community wants and deserves workforce development initiatives, recreation for youth, and educational opportunities. I urge the Mayor to divert the resources being expended on this lawsuit to develop and execute a plan for the benefit of Ivy City’s residents.”
The full text of McDuffie’s letter follows.
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December 13, 2012
The Honorable Vincent C. Gray
Mayor of the District of Columbia
Executive Office of the Mayor
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Mayor Gray,
On December 10th, Judge Judith N. Macaluso issued an injunction that temporarily halts the operation of the planned charter bus lot at the Alexander Crummell School until the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) has been consulted and an environmental screening process has occurred. I support the court’s decision. I write to encourage you and the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation to defer to the court by declining to appeal this decision.
The Alexander Crummell School is a nationally-designated historic landmark that has fallen into disrepair – largely due to the city’s neglect. The school is in the heart of the blossoming Ivy City community that has been clamoring for resources to enhance the quality of life for residents.
Community input in the future use of the Crummell School is of the utmost importance. When the ANC is consulted pursuant to the terms of the injunction, I expect the community to present an alternative proposal for the use of the Crummell School – a proposal that invests in the wellbeing of Ivy City residents and requires a different location for the bus lot. The community organizations involved in this battle report that they have secured support for their alternative proposal from notable entities such as City First Enterprises, Stoiber and Associates Architects, and the member organizations of the Work Place DC. It is my expectation that the city will consider this plan and afford it the great weight it deserves.
The community and the court have spoken. The Crummell School is an inappropriate location for a charter bus lot, and I stand with the community in urging you to select an alternative location. Ivy City deserves a thoughtful plan and positive investment from the city. I look forward to working with you and the community to develop that plan.
Sincerely,
Kenyan R. McDuffie
Councilmember, Ward 5
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Suite 506
Washington, DC 20004
[i] Mike DeBonis, No ‘Plan’ for Ivy City, says Vincent Gray, The Washington Post, December 12, 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/mike-debonis/wp/2012/12/12/no-plan-for-ivy-city-says-vincent-gray/
