Ultimately, for a project of this importance, it should come down to what's best for all in the city since Eastern Market is a city treasure rather than merely a neighborhood one. Hopefully they'll build some mid-rise condos/apts that fit right in with the historic character of the neighborhood (much like Old Town Alex requires), a parking garage, and some ground floor retail and call it a day.

Eastern Market Metro Community Association (EMMCA) is an organization of residents who live close to this metro station. Everyone has their own scorecard: we have 5 criteria for judging the proposals:

1. How each proposal improves and promotes what is special about this neighborhood. What makes our neighborhood unique cannot be measured by density and public space. We live here because of the historic character, the strong sense of community, and the livable, walkable scale. We will judge proposals according to how they augment or diminish these characteristics.

2. The accommodation each plan makes for the flea market on the north end of the site and for a weekend town square-style gathering place at the northwest corner of the site. We recognize that providing this might cost a developer points in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) or TOD (Transportation-Oriented Development) schemes that reward massing of buildings at subway stops, but we recommend a one-time refinement to the LEED/TOD scoring systems to strongly favor a flea market and a weekend gathering place/town square on the site. We reject the idea of putting such a gathering place in the middle of Pennsylvania Ave SE.

3. How each plan protects the residential character of the neighborhood. This is commercial development, but having a school at that this site has always served to tone down commercial activity just enough to keep this neighborhood from tipping over into a commercial hub. What we like and what we want is: A residential neighborhood with commercial offerings that complement the residential nature of Capitol Hill.

4. How each plan attracts bicycle and foot traffic but not a lot of cars. We favor a plan that has not one more parking slot than is necessary for the condominium residents and retail on the site. We would like to see a comprehensive traffic management and parking plan that takes a holistic approach to promoting the use of public transit, while managing automobile access and parking where it must occur in ways that protect the residential areas that are nearby. As commerce on the site thrives and increases pressure on parking, we envision matching increases in parking protections for neighbors.

5. How the developer accommodates community ideas about
community programming such as: (1.) Consolidating Shakespeare Theater’s props, costumes, rehearsal space and housing for visiting actors; (2.) Tiger Woods Foundation Learning Center; (3.) Pre-school space with a playground during the week that can be used as a town-square gathering space on weekends, located at the northwest corner of the site; or (4.) Programming partners of the developer.

See you all tomorrow night!