February 24, 2006 News Clips
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Hospital Plans Hit
Obstacle On Council
By
Eric M. Weiss and Susan Levine The District's proposed $400 million National Capital Medical Center encountered a serious setback yesterday when DC Council member Sharon Ambrose vowed not to take action on key legislation unless the project goes through a lengthy certificate of need process. Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) has recommended building the 250 - bed hospital in partnership with Howard University, which has suggested that it would pull out unless the city waives the certificate process, designed to encourage accountability within health care and to discourage unnecessary duplication of services. Ambrose (D-Ward 6), chairman of one of the four council committees that have been asked to approve legislation for the project, said she will not take action on a lease for the hospital without the certificate. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR2006022202448.html
Graham Gets Cold Feet . . . Again
By
Eric M. Weiss and Lori
Montgomery Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) has decided not to run for council chairman. Graham said he enjoys his job far too much to risk it all on a citywide campaign. "I like what I'm doing,'' Graham told the Notebook, "and there are unfinished tasks to be done in Ward 1.'' One big unfinished task is the fight over rent control, which is moving to the council's front burner. "By running in Ward 1, I remove any question about what's motivating me to work so hard for tenants,'' Graham said, referring to the possibility that some might accuse him of using that issue as a springboard to a higher office. "Now I can really concentrate on tenant advocacy.'' http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR2006022201007.html
Growth Fight Invades
Soldiers' Refuge
By
Petula Dvorak The rolling hills of one of Washington's largest spans of undeveloped land are dotted with pines and oaks, two fishing ponds, a fighter plane and a tank. At the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Northwest Washington, those acres have been the place of quiet contemplation for legions of veterans who fought with swords in the U.S.-Mexican War, lost limbs in the Civil War, threw grenades in World War I and manned battleships in World War II. It is where President Abraham Lincoln escaped to a summer cottage and where he penned the last draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. But the battle that is the talk of the home's hallways is raging around the historic site itself. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/20/AR2006022001365.html
Council Panel Pursues Deal on Rent Control
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Eric M. Weiss A DC Council committee's vote on strengthening the city's rent control law was postponed yesterday to allow committee members to work out a possible compromise, which could include setting aside some apartments for lower-income tenants. The compromise would replace a measure proposed by council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), chairman of the council's Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Committee. The bill he introduced would greatly tighten limits on the rent increases that landlords can charge when rent-controlled apartments become vacant. Graham said the increases allowed now are so great that many of the city's 100,000 rent-controlled apartments have been priced out of the reach of moderate-income residents. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/17/AR2006021702102.html
Dedicated Tax Funds
Pursued For Metro
By
Chris L. Jenkins RICHMOND -- The District, Virginia and Maryland are actively considering legislation that would for the first time guarantee a steady source of tax revenue for Metro. If the rare collective effort succeeds, it will meet a challenge thrown down last year by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), who submitted a bill to give Metro $1.5 billion in federal aid if the region's jurisdictions pledge to support public transit by dedicating a rock-solid source of revenue to it. Supporters of the effort say they hope to ensure the future of the vast rail and bus network on which the region's economy depends. The task is a daunting one, because it requires jurisdictions with sometimes conflicting political outlooks to do something in unison for the sake of the region's future. Among the most obvious ways to create a source of revenue is to approve a new tax or raise an old one, but that is a course legislators are reluctant to take. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/17/AR2006021702349.html
Reserves, Deed Tax May Plug DC Gap
By
Eric M. Weiss The District's chief financial officer yesterday estimated that revenue will be $45.3 million more than initially projected for the next budget year. But DC Council members were hoping that revenue growth alone would be enough to replace the $100 million in sales tax revenue they plan to commit to rebuilding schools in fiscal 2007, the first year of a council measure calling for the District to spend $1 billion in the next decade to modernize schools. In response to estimates released yesterday by Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi, council leaders said they would amend their legislation -- scheduled for a second, and final, vote March 7 -- to tap District reserves for the first year and to increase the deed recordation tax in later years if necessary. The council gave the bill preliminary approval this month. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/16/AR2006021602188.html
Leasing Team at Bat
for Mount Vernon Place WASHINGTON, DC-Commercial leasing activity is ready to move forward at Mount Vernon Place, and Meany & Oliver Cos. has been selected to shoulder the job. Mount Vernon Place is the 2.2-million-sf mixed-use project currently being developed by Quadrangle Development Corp. and the Wilkes Co. The JV will rely on the Arlington, VA-based real estate services firm to oversee the lease-up of the site's 1.2 million-sf class A office and retail segment. Meany has the exclusive on the job. Upon completion, Mount Vernon Place will feature five office buildings and six residential structures, all designed by the architectural firm of Hartman Cox Associates. The office space, a Mount Vernon Place spokesperson tells GlobeSt.com, is being marketed in the high-$30s-to-low-$40s range. While there have been no solid commitments yet--the first office building will not deliver for another two years--there has been a great deal of activity regarding potential leases, he says. http://www.globest.com/news/481_481/washington/143242-1.html
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Back to Top ] Site's Alluring Facade Is Built on Shaky Foundation
By
Leslie Walker When I saw a demo of the Zillow.com real estate service last month, it struck me as so obvious I wondered why no one had done it before. Then when Zillow launched on the Web last week, I realized why. Offering automated property valuations via the Internet turns out to be much harder than it seems -- especially if you expect them to be accurate. But after running extensive tests on this ambitious national real estate service, I found it to be so inaccurate that it's not useful. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/15/AR2006021502494.html
Lawmaker: Ehrlich could stop port sale Friday, Feb. 24, 2006 ANNAPOLIS ? Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has the power to cancel a deal that would allow a company owned by the United Arab Emirates to take over the operations of the Port of Baltimore, a state lawmaker said Thursday. ??In our port, it really is a minimum disruption to do it [cancel the contract], if you want to do it,? said Del. Peter V.R. Franchot, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee panel that reviews the port?s budget. The state already owns the Seagirt and Dundalk marine terminals and the heavy equipment used to load and unload freighters, said Franchot (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park. http://www.gazette.net/stories/022406/polia%20s195142_31957.shtml
Dyson would alert homebuyers to noise levels Friday, Feb. 24, 2006 Sen. Roy P. Dyson has introduced for the second consecutive year a bill designed to inform prospective homeowners of increased noise levels at military installations. The legislation would insert a short passage into the Maryland real estate contract requiring a real estate agent to notify potential homebuyers that their property is close to a military base that conducts flight operations, munitions testing or other exercises that could produce high noise levels. Dyson (D-Dist. 29) of Great Mills introduced the measure in response to complaints received by Patuxent River Naval Air Station from Eastern Shore homeowners who were unaware that they are in the base?s flight zone. http://www.gazette.net/stories/022406/polia%20s195144_31963.shtml
GOP cries foul over Dems? budget chats Friday, Feb. 24, 2006 ANNAPOLIS ? In a year when Democrats are complaining that Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.?s $29.6 billion budget is stocked with election-year goodies the state cannot afford, the majority party is on a communications mission. Five Democrats who sit on the House Appropriations Committee are holding weekly informal discussions with reporters on the budget. And Republicans are crying foul. ??We believe talking to the media is good, but these guys are in full spin mode,? said House Minority Whip Anthony J. O?Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby. ??... Their whole intent is to bury the governor.? http://www.gazette.net/stories/022406/polia%20s195143_31959.shtml
Dual Roles of O'Malley's Running Mate Raise Questions
By
John Wagner When Del. Anthony G. Brown stepped to the microphone this week at an event highlighting endorsements of Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley's gubernatorial bid, Brown had little to say about his Democratic running mate. Instead, the Prince George's County delegate unleashed a broadside against Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., declaring that the Republican had "failed all of Maryland's families" and that "his style has been divisive and downright mean-spirited." The event underscored what O'Malley gained when he decided to announce Brown's selection in December, well before any Maryland gubernatorial candidate has ever chosen a running mate. The mayor not only added an attack dog to his ticket early on, but he also expanded his campaign's reach into a community critical to his success in the September primary. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/21/AR2006022101809.html
Protective Land-Use Bill
Decried
By
Daniel de Vise A bill approved this month by the County Council to protect picturesque back roads is likely to block a parochial school's plans to build a new campus on a 57-acre plot in rural Lothian. The Arundel Bay Christian Academy operates on leased property near the site and has been trying for several years to build a campus on land it owns at Pindell and Wrighton roads. Some neighbors have fought the proposal, voicing concerns about increased traffic and other strains on South County infrastructure. No such project would be allowed on either Pindell or Wrighton under a new ordinance, approved Feb. 6 by the County Council. The law bars schools, country clubs, renaissance festivals, heliports and other large-scale operations from about two dozen roads designated as "scenic or historic." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR2006022200881.html
[ Back to Top ] Virginia House Panel Rejects Metro Financing Bill
By
Chris L. Jenkins RICHMOND, Feb. 22 -- A regionwide effort to ensure financial stability for the Metro transit system was dealt a serious setback Wednesday when a legislative subcommittee in Virginia turned down a funding bill that had been approved by the state Senate. To create a new financing system for Metro -- the only major public transit system without a guaranteed stream of government revenue -- Virginia, Maryland and the District would have to act in concert. The Maryland General Assembly and the D.C. Council are considering finance proposals, and the Virginia Senate passed a bill Friday that would have allowed Northern Virginia jurisdictions served by Metro to raise $50 million a year for the transit system through a quarter-cent sales tax increase. But bills passed by the Senate also must win approval in the House, and the measure failed to make it out of a House Finance subcommittee. The 5 to 5 vote on whether to advance the bill to the full committee killed it for this year. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR2006022202363.html
Arlington Planners Call
for Facelift
By
Leef Smith Forget the Crystal City that for decades has been synonymous with federal contractors and faceless office buildings. Some Arlington planners yesterday said that at least a few of those aging structures may need to come down and be replaced with taller, more modern buildings if the area is to attract new businesses and thrive in the face of a massive relocation of defense workers. The would-be transformation and its urgency were the topic of discussion yesterday among the members of a county task force of economic development specialists charged with preparing for the expected impacts of recommendations from the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR2006022202359.html
Candidates Jump Into Races
for Congress
By
Lisa Rein A field of challengers is lining up to take on Northern Virginia's incumbents in Congress in November, with Democrats hoping to capitalize on their party's recent regional success at the polls. The Democrats appear ready to invoke GOP corruption scandals in their races against Reps. Thomas M. Davis III and Frank R. Wolf, two popular, longtime Republican incumbents. Wolf, the senior member of the Virginia delegation, has represented Loudoun, Fairfax and Fauquier counties for 13 terms. Democrat Judy Feder of McLean has announced that she'll run against him. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR2006022200087.html
Kaine Takes Roads Push
Back to Town Hall
By
Steven Ginsberg Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) told Northern Virginians at a town hall meeting last night that paying more in taxes to raise nearly $1 billion a year for transportation improvements is a good bargain, and he continued his criticism of less ambitious alternatives. Before a crowd of about 200 in Woodbridge, where many had just endured another long trek from work, Kaine described a state in which highway congestion and traffic safety problems that have grown dramatically worse. Congestion has increased by 60 percent in Northern Virginia in the past decade, he said. Over the next 25 years, he said, the area's population will increase by 42 percent, employment will increase by more than half and 59 percent of peak-period traffic will be in gridlock. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/21/AR2006022101685.html
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Derwood Steadies on
Cusp of Change
By
Karen Tanner Allen To the extent that a neighborhood just minutes from Interstate 270 and a busy Metrorail station could be considered secret, Derwood has remained relatively undiscovered. "A lot of people really don't know where Derwood is," said Joan Wheeler, an associate broker at the Potomac office of W.C. & A.N. Miller Cos. who has sold houses in Derwood for 30 years and owns property there. "Derwood was just a little tiny post office for a long time." Derwood refers to Zip code 20855, an amorphous stretch between Rockville and Gaithersburg just northeast of Route 355. Tall, dense woods flank both sides of Redland Road, a main corridor. There are rolling meadows, lush woods and winding lanes. Houses aren't that old, but they look old in the style of farmhouses, bungalows, Victorians and Colonials. They sit on largish lots -- from a quarter of an acre to two acres -- occasionally marked off by a picket or split-rail fence. Stand-alone mailboxes at the curbs contribute to a somewhat rural feel. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/17/AR2006021700963.html
Some lenders won?t give mortgages in Montgomery Friday, Feb. 24, 2006 Two national mortgage lenders no longer will do business in Montgomery County, beginning today, citing the county?s recently enacted anti-predatory lending law. The law, which takes effect March 7, is too vague, said a spokeswoman for Lehman Brothers Co., one of the companies. Lehman Brothers and its subsidiaries are being joined by National City Mortgage. Both companies announced their decision through memos to mortgage brokers. http://www.gazette.net/stories/022406/polia%20s194059_31949.shtml
Free Parking Not Part
Of New Library Plan
By
Jennifer Lenhart The new regional Montgomery County library, a flagship building in Rockville's downtown revitalization project, will offer three times more space and thousands more books, CDs and other items than the library that is being replaced does. Free parking, however, is not part of the plan for the new $26.3 million library, scheduled to open later this year, as part of the $352 million development known as Rockville Town Center. The new library will be 71,500 square feet, the county's largest, almost three times the size of the current library. It will have 200,000 items in circulation, compared with the old library's 140,000. There will be more computers, programs and meeting rooms, expanded collections for children, teenagers and people with hearing and vision impairments and other special needs. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR2006022201406.html
In Boyds, an Enduring
Debate Over Infrastructure, Tradition
By
Cameron W. Barr Living in Montgomery County's 93,000-acre agricultural reserve offers vistas of wide-open fields, a big sky, room to breathe -- all about an hour from downtown Washington. It also demands the acceptance of tight restrictions against high-density development and the absence of services that most county residents take for granted: water and sewer. Now, a church congregation in Boyds, an unincorporated town of 3,080 acres and a few hundred people at the reserve's edge, is rethinking that equation. It is preparing a campaign to seek public water and sewer service for the church and some homes, a movement that is likely to be seen as a challenge to the sanctity of the reserve, regarded by many in Montgomery as one of the county's defining features. "We will fight it tooth and nail," said Melissa Foster, president of the Boyds Civic Association, referring to any effort to bring in water and sewer lines. In recent decades, the association has succeeded in ensuring that Boyds remains an outpost of rural charm that lives up to its motto: "Home in the country." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR2006022201358.html
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