Neighbors Pen Letter Enumerating Concerns For AU Park's Superfresh Redevelopment

• August 24th 2016

by Nena Perry-Brown

The impending redevelopment of the former site of the Superfresh grocery store in AU Park has been the source of much hand-wringing for a group of long-time neighborhood residents. Virtually all interested parties agree that they want a grocer to return to the site; however, there is little consensus on anything else.

This week, a group of “concerned citizens”, ostensibly led by Citizens for Responsible Development (CRD), released an open letter enumerating their opposition to Valor Development’s proposed Lady Bird development at 4330 48th Street NW (map).

“The project would strain local schools and infrastructure and compromise the landmarked Spring Valley Shopping Center,” the letter asserts. “It also violates DC’s Comprehensive Plan, which designates the SuperFresh site as low density, not the density Valor needs.”

Valor has presented a series of design iterations for the site over the last year, all which include a 50,000 square-foot grocery store. Aesthetic considerations aside, the team has gained sympathizers through attempts at extensive community outreach, explaining that only a grocer of that size would make financial sense and that, by-right, something far more monolithic and massive could be built.

The coalition of neighbors led by CRD is adamantly opposed to the massing and density of the latest Ladybird proposal and have collected over 400 signatures on a petition against its construction. There have also been efforts behind the scenes to secure legal and governmental advisement on what specifically would constitute a matter-of-right development and whether the Ladybird conforms to DC’s Comprehensive Plan.

At previous community and ANC 3E meetings, Valor has requested that those in opposition coalesce around preferred design elements in hopes that compromise is possible. Although it may seem as though the development has reached an impasse, Valor has informed UrbanTurf that they are confident that the development is in accordance with city laws and will move forward as planned.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/impasse_on_superfresh_redevelopment/11594.