They claim this land in the name of Spain (Winners of the World Cup)

No not really.
Protest sign 2 ONE DC a local wayward child of Manna DC is staging a protest summer camp at the corner of 7th and R/Rhode Island, NW. I will admit I really haven’t paid much attention to what has been going on with that parcel. I am gathering some deal fell through and that primo spot is back in play. Yay! Can you tell I’m not too keen on a mirror for that other example of a human right in action, Lincoln-Westmoreland which sits across the street.

2 thoughts on “They claim this land in the name of Spain (Winners of the World Cup)”

  1. If I recall correctly, the original plan for the site was to exceed the zoning limits with a variance of some sort. In return for the variance, the developer agreed to build a good deal of affordable housing.

    Then came the whole zomg-the-world-is-ending financial market contraction. Now the developer is planning to build a building that is fully within the zoning regulations and doesn’t need a variance and will forgo the extra affordable housing promised.

    There will be some affordable housing there, as any new residential project in DC of more than 10 units must set aside 10% of the units as “affordable”. (I use scare-quotes because they’re still pricey.)

    I take issue with the protest’s rhetoric, though. Few people would agree that affordable housing is a “human right” in the sense that one is entitled to it for merely being human. The freedom to practice one’s religion and to be free of arbitrary imprisonment and to be safe from acts of genocide are human rights. To equate affordable housing, or, in this case, convenient near-downtown affordable housing with protections from state-sponsored crimes against humanity is not only questionable, but might strike some as offensive.

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