We the undersigned residents of the Shaw community demand that the District Office of Property Management and the Fenty Administration hold public hearings before making final decisions on the future use of the vacant lot north of The Bundy School (429 O Street NW) in light of OPM's statement of June 22 indicating that the lot would be used strictly for private parking.

In addition to transferring The Bundy School to a local social service agency (Safe Shores), which the community has supported, the city plans to transfrer the adjacent vacant lot to the social service agency for employee and visitor parking - without offering local residents an opportunity to have input on the plan.

Prior to its announcement, Monday, June 22, 2009, the land transfer has never been brought to the attention of the local Shaw and Mount Vernon Square communities or even the attention of the local Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in whose single member district the property exists.

Local residents will be most affected by the development of the property or lack thereof. The property, which is currently owned by the Federal government and until now managed by the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, should not be converted into a permanent parking lot.

The community has voiced strong concerns about this land transfer, particularly that a large surface parking lot at this location will continue the lack of pedestrian traffic in the area, provide no community benefit, and abet the serious ongoing gang activity in the area. The District's 2006 Comprehensive Plan sets as a goal reducing surface parking lots in Shaw and specifically provides that a recreational area should be considered for the vacant lot adjacent to the Bundy School.

We demand that the transfer process be stopped immediately until public hearings have been completed and the District Government responds to the expressed needs and desires of tax paying citizens.