Wednesday, October 1, 2008

fillmore plan lets cops moonlight as planners

Not only does the County Executive's office want to give the Lee Development Group "unrivaled" leeway for anything they'd like to build behind the Fillmore, they'd like to give planning control over to the police department in exchange for the Lees' donation of the proposed music hall on Colesville Road. This is from the Examiner:
[County Executive] Leggett wants to allow police to cancel pedestrian pathways recommended in certain area development master plans if police deem the path unsafe. Some council members are concerned that Leggett’s changes would allow developers to avoid building walkways, by submitting obviously unsafe proposals and requiring police to approve or reject them outright . . .
I was never extremely comfortable with giving a developer so much leeway with a property that, for various reasons, they haven't done anything with for nearly twenty years. But giving cops the ability to do design review? That's a disservice to County planners, who unlike police are actually trained to design "safe" spaces, and it sets a dangerous precedent for future development deals.

Now, I want the Fillmore, but the costs of getting it keep increasing.

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