Library News

Sold Out in the West End


Thursday, July 19, 2007; A18

I am a 15-year resident of the Tiverton apartments in the West End, and I and my neighbors have fought long and hard to maintain our building as affordable housing. We've organized campaigns, written letters and attended meetings of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, the D.C. Council and the Zoning Commission.

Meanwhile, nonstop development has gone on around us for eight years. We've endured construction noise, dust, demolition, increased traffic, loss of parking, light and clean air, and developer promises of neighborhood-serving retail outlets that never materialized.

It is disheartening that after all our efforts, the D.C. Council signed our death warrant. The sale of the West End Neighborhood Library and the adjacent fire station, which are on our block, by "emergency" legislation on July 10 was engineered to circumvent public comment and to reward a favored developer.

Although the council calls this a win-win deal, it is a loss for the community. We residents of Square 37 will lose our homes. The West End will lose its last bastion of affordable housing. The District will lose yet another free-standing library. And anyone who believes in fairness and due process in D.C. government will lose faith.

DEBORAH AKEL
Washington