By Elissa Silverman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 26, 2007; B03
The frantic phone messages and e-mails began July 10, two weeks after Mayor Adrian M. Fenty met with members of the Foggy Bottom Association.
Only then, residents got wind of an emergency bill passed by the D.C. Council to negotiate the sale of the neighborhood library and surrounding city-owned land to a private developer.
EastBanc, residents learned, planned to buy the neighborhood fire station as well as the library. In exchange for "fair market value" of the land, the developer would build replacement facilities, as well as retail and high-rise condominiums, including some affordable units. Fenty (D) hadn't mentioned the land deal at the neighborhood meeting.
"This makes me sick," said Deborah Akel, who attended the meeting. "Never, never should public property be disposed of as an emergency."
Although most officials said the project would benefit Foggy Bottom residents, many of the complaints have focused on the lack of competitive bidding to select EastBanc and the community's exclusion from the process.
"Disposition of public property always raises concerns and suspicions," said Ellen McCarthy, a former city planning director now at the law firm Nixon Peabody. "Having a process as transparent as possible allays concerns that the public is not getting full value for its property."
Critics, notably Ralph Nader and his D.C. Library Renaissance Project, have questioned the involvement of Joseph Sternlieb, EastBanc's vice president for acquisitions, in the project. Sternlieb is the husband of Fenty administration Attorney General Linda Singer. Sternlieb said he and his wife have not discussed the project or any city-related development issues.
Fenty, meanwhile, said the decision to negotiate exclusively with EastBanc came about because the company already controls parcels adjacent to the city-owned land, which would allow for better development with more options for retail and other neighborhood amenities.
For years, developers have sought the prime real estate along the 2300 block of L Street NW, easily walkable to downtown and Georgetown. The area has steadily risen in value as Foggy Bottom and the West End have turned into fashionable addresses.
Anthony Lanier, president of EastBanc, said that his company's interest was not a secret and that he attended more than a dozen community meetings in which the development plans were discussed. EastBanc built the Ritz-Carlton across 23rd Street and is negotiating to buy an apartment building near the city land as well.
Many questions remain about EastBanc's proposal, including the location and cost of the new library and fire station and the value of the land. Fenty administration officials and Lanier said those details will emerge from ongoing negotiations and will be subject to council approval.
EastBanc did get help from the council. On July 10, when the council voted 12 to 1 to approve the emergency legislation, Ward 2 council member Jack Evans (D), who represents the area, said he had worked eight years to see such a development come to the site.
"This is a very important project. It's a win-win situation for the city," Evans said. "There's a balance between getting input, having competitive bids, having a process and moving quickly."
But Evans seemed to backtrack as he faced a packed room of angry Foggy Bottom residents last week, holding signs such as "Hey Dude! Who Stole My Library?"
"I am not in any way, shape or form defending this process," Evans said.
He said the mayor, who won all 142 precincts in the city, had a mandate to move quickly.
"Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't," Evans said of Fenty's pace on the project.
Foggy Bottom resident Dorothy Miller, a longtime community activist, asked Evans what the rush was.
"The lands will disappear or evaporate?" she asked.
© 2007 The Washington Post Company
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