Boathouse Secures Final Zoning Approval
December 12, 2003
December 11th, 2003 was a wonderful day in the history of Georgetown Crew! On that day, the D.C. Zoning Commission voted 3-0 to approve our plan for a new Boathouse. This decision represents the biggest hurdle cleared to-date in our dream to build a new home for Georgetown Rowing.
The zoning process, which has taken over a year, culminated in the late December vote. Over the course of that year, a variety of groups voiced opposition to the project's size, scope and location, while other community groups testified on Georgetown's behalf. In the end, the Commission fully approved the size of the building and its planned use. Though the Commission placed some conditions on its approval, none of them should be difficult for the University to abide by and many were solutions that we suggested ourselves to questions raised during the process.
Among the conditions, for instance, was a requirement for GU rowers to yield to canoeists and kayakers when moving toward their rowing lane in order to deal with a potential traffic-management issue on the Potomac. Another condition restricted parking and use of an access road to only service vehicles or trailers with shells in order to mitigate the lack of parking at the site.
Following the Commission's vote, we must now wait for them to release a written order, which could occur any day now. Following receipt of that order, we can apply for a building permit-a process that can take several months-and the project is still subject to final architectural review by the Old Georgetown Board and the Fine Arts Commission, who have already given the plan their enthusiastic preliminary approval. The Zoning Commission's approval, though, far and away represented the largest regulatory ruling that remained in the project's way. Importantly, what still remains is a significant amount of fundraising.
Through March 5th, $10.4 million in cash and pledges has been raised for the construction of the building. In order to break ground by next winter (which is the current timeline, consistent with the expected resolution of the regulatory issues), another $3.6 million in cash and pledges must be raised. The $10.4 million has been raised through the generosity of less than 225 donors-including a $3 million dollar lead-gift from Terry Adams.
This year, we expect to ask all of you in the Georgetown Rowing family to support this project in addition to your ongoing, critical support for GRA. Be on the lookout for mailings and expect to receive phone calls from classmates or University staff. Now is the time to turn this dream into reality! Let's all pull together now to provide a great home for our Hoya rowers! With any questions, please contact Dave Sears at searsd@georgetown.edu or (202) 687-2394 or Jennifer Shaheen Montgomery at jms36@georgetown.edu or (202) 687-6308.
