Preservationists vs. The Feds at St. Elizabeth's

The Story:
--- It will cost $3 billion to properly restore the St. Elizabeth's site. Some say the Dept. of Homeland Security, which is looking at moving its headquarters to the site, will not create enough spin-off development because DHS will be so isolated due to security at the campus.
--- "The area is sorely in need of economic development," said Rebecca A. Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League. "A walled-off citadel on the site is not going to help."

Bubble View:
--- Wishing for better development won't make it so. Only the federal government has the money to restore the property -- either it does the work for its own tenant or someone convinces the feds to pony up the dough.
--- The impact of DHS is being undersold. The Pentagon sure transformed Arlington and it has tight security too. DHS workers will have to live somewhere.

Link: WaPo

Who's The Boss

Now that its become a "how" not an "if" question about whether the National Capital Revitalization Corp. and the Anacostia Waterfront Corp. should be folded into a single new agency, DC Bubble points to a recent collumn by Steve Pearlstein in the WaPo for an answer.

The jist of what he recommends and we believe he is correct is that:

• A legally independent authority is the politically the best solution,
• The director of the authority should serve at the mayor's pleasure,
• The authority should be self-funded through rents etc.

What's at stake here is the Anacostia waterfront redevelopment, the future of the old D.C. General Hospital site, St. Elizabeths Hospital and the McMillan Reservoir etc.

Things may have progress more slowly that some would have liked with these two entities, but this is DC the city with northern charm and southern efficiency. Things always seem to move as slow as molasses here, not that we object to things being pushed along.