“Our McMillan,” a group of local Bloomingdale activists pushing for more green space in the McMillan development, is hosting a panel discussion on the site’s history tonight.

The event will be held at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 160 U Street, from 7 to 9 PM. The announcement says a “panel of architects and historic preservation experts will explain the McMillan Sand Filtration Site’s historic and technological significance and present exciting alternatives for its revival. Bring questions!”

According to event organizer Robin Buck, those speakers include:

Read More “Panel on McMillan’s History Tonight” »

I try to keep up with my McMillan site news. But if I blogged about every twist regarding D.C.’s most famous, non-functioning water filtration system, the topic would be all-consuming.

If you’re new to the McMillan controversy, here’s a quickie review: The McMillan site is a 25-acre parcel of land located just west of North Capitol Street near Bloomingdale and Brookland. (See map below.)

Read More “McMillan Site: Has Anything Happened in the Last Seven Months?” »

I’ve written a ton about the development of the McMillan Sand Filtration site: The plan for the 25-acre Bloomingdale parcel, the opposition to the project, the various conspiracy theories surrounding McMillan:

• The people that think cheap chicken joints will dominate the supposedly classy retail
• The people that think the developers are planting supporters in community meetings
• The people that think the local ANC commissioner is being paid off
• The people that think the developers generally are full of shit

Alas, I’ve never actually been in McMillan though! The place is fenced off.

Read More “Tour the McMillan Sand Filtration Site” »

An artistic rendering of development plans by Vision McMillan Partners

The McMillan Sand Filtration Plant site is a 25-acre parcel of land by the intersection of North Capitol Street and Michigan Avenue, Northwest. Recently, a development team unveiled plans re-imagining the land as a mixed-use community with up to 1,200 housing units, a grocery store, retail—the works. 

One guy, who seemingly lives in the area, is not pleased about this vision. On Dec. 25, he launched a “No Drilling at McMillan” website tearing down the developers plans. Thus far, he’s updated two other times. He’s also left up an inquiry for site visitors:

What makes the most sense with regard to developing the McMillan site? 

• Do nothing. Keep the fence and allow migratory birds and other wildlife sanctuary in the city. (This option also preserves 25 acres of green space to absorb stormwater that would otherwise flood Bloomingdale.) Read More ““No Drilling at McMillan” Blog Launched” »

An artistic rendering of the amphitheater at the McMillan site.

I wanted to post a few more details about the McMillan site plans presented on Saturday.

(For those that don’t know, the McMillan Sand Filtration site is 25-acre parcel of land at the corner of North Capitol Street and Michigan Avenue, Northwest. A water filtration plant operated there until the late 1980s. Now, a development team is looking to turn the area into a mixed-use community including up to 1,200 units of “mixed-income and multi-generational” housing.) So here are some more elements of the design scheme:

• The land use plan shows several residential buildings with three to four floors up to buildings with five to eight floors.
• There’s plans for a public amphitheater close to the corner of First Street and Michigan Avenue. Read More “A Bit More on the McMillan Sand Filtration Site” »