This is the question the parents and community around St. James Catholic School in Falls Church are presently dealing with. There is a petition among local residents who want to stop the Hilton from developing this project.
Someone with an interest in the issue e-mailed me with the following:
The parents are concerned that with the development being built so close, during the initial construction phase, it’s going to be very loud and disruptive for the kids in class, and potentially there’s going to be a lot of dust and other stuff that could affect air quality in the immediate area.
On a long-term basis, they’re concerned about increased traffic around the school (with all the attendant risks to pedestrians), and the possibility of the hotel attracting prostitution and drugs.
Here are some recent news stories on the controversy:
Video 1 on St James Catholic School
Video 2 on St James Catholic School
Video 3 on St James Catholic School
More news stories and the petition at Too Conservative.
Tags: Hilton, St James Catholic School
ACT,
Annandale, action city ? You must have been a regular at the Jack In The Box… Nothing else there but that and Duck’s.
ACT – Yes, National Bohemian, it too used to be 5$ a case.
The Natty Boh song is:
National Beer
National Beer
You’ll love the taste of National Beer
And while I’m singing
I’m proud to say
It’s brewed on the shores
of Chesapeake Bay!
Cathymac,
I never knew you could hold a tune. And it was brewed on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay why? Because they used oyster juice from shucking to give it that “special” flavor! HA!
Dan, Dan, Dan! Behind the 3 Pigs was the Annandale Bar and Grill. Two words-Yee Hah! Enough said. If you snoozed, you loosed.
Annandale Bar and Grill ?
What, did you go straight from Boy Scouts into AARP ?
Big article in WashPo’s Metro today re this subject.
NoVisa,
Which subject? The hotel or the bar and grill?
Just one of those best kept secrets. Also went to the clubs around Culmore/7 Corners. Hey, I was never a duck. What can I say?
I was at the place in Culmore a couple of times, what was the name of that ?
Say what you want about ducks, the disco hens were mighty fine, 9 o’clock 10s..
I had forgotten about the Fish Market… wow.
…seriously, this is a Hilton Garden Inn. This is a mid-rise, not a high rise. This is not a cheap-o flophouse where people pay for rooms by the hour (yuk).
What are the other possible uses for the site? Some could be far, far worse.
On the surface your Hilton argument is ok – although as a Hilton franchise the owner only buys the name for the shingle. Incidents don’t restrict themselves to the nearby motor lodge. Remember the issue here is risk to children for potential revenue.
Other uses that are far worse wouldn’t be considered because they don’t promise enough revenue. There are other comparable uses that would be a great draw for the city. However, they’re stuck on this hotel because the City Center anchor, the Marriot and Harris Teeter have backed out. Why you ask? The existing City Center plan doesn’t fit their model.
So putting a hotel next to a school would never be acceptable to the City Council if they weren’t staring down a double-barrel of missteps and misfortunes. Don’t exacerbate that problem by putting the kids in the cross hairs. It will only take one incident to one child to split this city at it core.
As everyone knows who lives here there are vicious and determined elements “in-the-house” that will say and do anything to advance their agenda. It’s becoming most alarming that the level of tolerance, not acceptance – tolerance, has risen on this by turning a deaf ear and blind eye on the culprits. I believe that tide is about to change.