Chapter of Ancient Irish Order to Form for Univ. Community and Brookland

The Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish-American fraternal organization is hoping to set up a Catholic University and Brookland chapter in the near future.

The organization would be open to all Catholic men of Irish birth or descent who are 16 years of age or older.

“I‘m waiting to hear back right now from the Center for Irish Studies to see if they‘ll sponsor the chapter,” said senior John Doyle, who is leading the efforts to start the chapter on campus.

“The AOH… advocates Irish-American causes and promotes the bond between the Irish Diaspora and the homeland,” said Doyle.

There are more than 80,000 members in 46 states, Canada and Ireland. Currently, there is an AOH serving the District and Maryland counties

AOH also has a connection with the University. “AOH was the organization that started CUA’s Irish Studies program in 1896 by creating the first Gaelic teaching chair in the country,” said Doyle. The University is the only school in America to offer an interdisciplinary master‘s degree in Irish Studies.

Doyle decided to start the AOH on campus because he feels it is a good fit. “We have a large and proud Irish population, maybe even a few Catholics.” Doyle said. “I saw this as an opportunity to contribute something meaningful to student life here at CUA before I graduate.”

The AOH will be promoted with posters and once established, they plan to have events such as Irish Poetry readings.

“This is for anyone for whom being Irish doesn‘t just mean getting drunk and wearing green on St. Patrick‘s Day,” said Doyle. “AOH is doing things in the D.C. area, such as the construction of a memorial to the Great Famine in that triangle-shaped plot of grass across from the Irish Times.”

City Office, Residents Clash on Future of Brookland

CUA Neighbors Want More Green Space, Less Density in Plans Guiding Future Development of Residences, Businesses.

Marion Culler and his wife have lived in their home on Monroe Street for 40 years. Drunken Catholic University students have banged on their door, passed out on their porch and in their unlocked car, vomited on their lawn and vandalized their property, located three blocks from campus. But all of those disruptions, says daughter-in-law Carolyn Steptoe, will pail in comparison to the effect development will have on the Cullers and the rest of the Brookland community.

Steptoe was one of about 75 Brookland residents who weathered the rain Tuesday night to attend a Mayor’s Hearing, minus the mayor, in Gowan auditorium. The hearing was on the plan, written by the D.C. Office of Planning, to develop the area around the Metro station which divides the University from the Brookland community. The proposal is the product of a two year study. It is separate from the plan for the redevelopment of south campus which was developed by Abdo Development in association with the University.

The Brookland/CUA Metro Station Small Area Plan aims “to guide future development in the station vicinity in a manner that respects the low density scale of the nearby residential area, migrates parking and traffic impacts, and improves connections to nearby institutions and shopping areas.” After the review period, the 150 page document will be brought before city council and could affect the way the land is used and the types of construction that is approved by the District’s zoning board.

In the three minutes each speaker was allotted, most speakers expressed their opposition to the plan. Some said it does not adequately address their concerns about parking and preserving green space. Others were opposed to development altogether because they worry adding condos and apartments to Brookland will make their neighborhood too dense.

Brookland is a rarity in the District – suburban style homes just a few minutes from downtown. Residents, many who have lived in the neighborhood for decades, are worried that the Brookland they know will be changed if developers have their way.

Residents are able to submit their comments on the proposal to the Office of Planning until October 10. The small area plan has some conflicts with the working design proposed by the University and Abdo Development, which focuses only on University owned property on the west side of the Metro tracks. Abdo has been making adjustments to his plans based on input gathered at over 20 neighborhood meetings, and Brookland residents have been more receptive to his plan. Rev. David M. O’Connell, University president, said he chose Abdo in part because of how well he works with neighborhoods.

Brookland is known for its active community which knows how to get its voice heard. It successfully opposed development in 1999 and 2001. In the 1970s, neighbors worked to revitalize the business community and successfully blocked plans to build an expressway through the neighborhood. They also advocated for the addition of the Brookland-CUA Metro station. Residents have historically fought against high-density development and for preserving the quaint small-town characteristics of Brookland.

“How does this development take into account and plan to accommodate the massive, massive disruption and quality of life upheaval to these seniors’ lives and their neighbors on Monroe and 10th?” Steptoe asked.

The current plan will increase pedestrian and vehicular traffic and leave residents of Brookland without places to park, said Steptoe, who ran an unsuccessful campaign as the Statehood Green candidate for D.C. Council in 2006. She anticipates the traffic will lead to increased problems for residents on Monroe.
Other residents said while the plan has some problems, they support the general aims to improve the community.

“I’m here to support the general thrust of this plan because I think after 30 years, that there is a heart of this community, but there is no physical place to land that heart,” said Jim Steigman. “The idea behind this plan will get people out of their cars because without new neighbors, we wouldn’t get any new services and we’ll all be forced to get into our cars to find things in other neighborhoods around the city.”

Caroline Petti and her husband have lived on the 1500 block of Otis Street for 17 years, and said there is much to commend about the plan, including making it more pedestrian friendly, improving the streetscape, the use of green building techniques and the revitalization of the 12th Street business district. The document, said Petti, also has some significant shortcomings, including the near absence of green space and the destruction of the only quality green space that currently exists.

“I believe that revitalization depends on green space and parks and the availability of present places for people to congregate,” said Petti.

“We as a community need to realize that we do need to have revenue generated in our community,” said Deborah Smith. “The small area plan has a lot of issues as it relates to traffic, as it relates to density.”

“The Office of Planning and its consultants have only paid lip service to the community since this small area process began,” said John Feeley, another Brookland resdient.

“We don’t want another Georgetown,” said Leroy Hall, a Brookland resident of almost 50 years. Hall is opposed to any development that is not under total community control. “Brookland has its own special Brookland flavor.”

“The plan contains few neighborhood benefits relative to the vast redevelopment envisioned and many detriments such as loss of actual green space and increased traffic,” said resident Dino Drudi in a letter submitted to the Office of Planning.

Harriet Tregoning, director of the Office of Planning, said the small area plan is a chance for residents to offer the zoning commission much more specificity and guidance. She pointed out that there are actually 4,700 fewer residents of Brookland than there were in 1950, and that the document calls to bring the population back to that level.

“If this planning process never happened that wouldn’t necessarily stop development from happening,” said Harriet Tregoning, the director of the Office of Planning. “I will be first to acknowledge that it’s not a perfect document and I don’t expect to get unanimity in terms of agreement on it. I don’t think you’ll get that in any community, particularly in this community.”

One speaker said the opposition of Brookland residents is holding the neighborhood back.
“The inability for people of Brookland to come to consensus makes it difficult for you to move forward,” said Richard Layman.

Outside the meeting, a coalition of neighbors, decked out in lime green t-shirts, handed out bumper stickers supporting the burying of power lines along 12th Street. The lines are currently above ground and prevent trees from growing to their full height.

Conor Crimmins, who lives at 14th Street and Newton, is a member of the Leave the Trees Coalition, which organized a march along 12th Street in late August. He wants the government to bury the power lines as a part of Brookland’s $10.5 million streetscape improvement project.

“Now is the time to do it,” said Crimmins. “It will make 12th Street safer for pedestrians and better for businesses.”

Electrified by the issue of the power lines, Don Padou, and ANC commissioner, got into a heated exchange with Councilmember Harry Thomas, who declined to take questions after an opening statement about progress on the issue. He is holding a meeting on the issue at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Brookland on October 16.

“Three weeks is too far,” said Padou. Thomas responded that the power line issue needs to be handled carefully because funding for the 12th Street Project was almost lost due to actions taken by Padou and his supporters.

Related:

Abdo Details Plans for South Campus

University Taps Abdo to Transform Southside into Condos, Townhouses and Retail