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Northwest Real Estate HEALTH: Upcoming town hall meetings will focus on ‘DC Health Link’ offerings From Page 5

chasers with incomes between $22,000 and $45,000; those earning less are eligible for D.C.’s Medicaid program. Small businesses and nonprofits can also find tax breaks.

Denice Cora-Bramble, the chief medical officer at Children’s National Medical Center, noted that even though the insurance will be required and readily available, that doesn’t mean getting everyone to enroll will be easy. City officials will hold community meet-

ings in each ward to discuss the health insurance exchange, recently dubbed “DC Health Link.� Meetings in Northwest, which run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., will be held July 23 at the Columbia Heights Community Center, 1480 Girard St.; July 25 at the Tenley-Friendship

Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave.; July 29 at the Takoma Education Center, 7010 Piney Branch Road; and Aug. 7 at the Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th St. People who enroll this year will have benefits effective Jan. 1, 2014.

ALLEY: Mendelson, Evans say they don’t expect council to delay vote on GWU request From Page 1

for students several times over the years, and all parties — including “We have just arrived at the sen- the neighborhood commissioners — sibility that we want fair market enthusiastically support the supervalue or some kind of community dorm project. Concentrating student amenity for the land,� said commis- housing on the campus core was a key point in the school’s campus sioner Patrick Kennedy. plan, approved Still, the city in 2007. That does not usually plan also includrequire compened a package of sation from community benproperty owners efits to offset the who request school’s develalley closures, opment projects. according to “GW’s posiMendelson and tion is that we Ward 2 Council Bill Petros/Current File Photo negotiated and member Jack agreed to ameniThe university’s project would Evans. ties in the 2007 “This has link the West End, shown, to two campus plan. gone through other buildings. This has already the normal process,� Evans said in an interview. “It been done, discussed and agreed to,� has not been our usual custom to said Susi Cora, the university’s require compensation for that sort of director of campus planning. “The idea for additional amenities is, from thing.� The university is pursuing the our perspective, paying twice.� Mendelson agreed with Cora, alley closure so that it can connect three of its own buildings that border saying the alley closure had been H, I, 21st and 22nd streets in order to included in the university’s campus plan. Furthermore, George Washingbuild an 898-bed “superdorm.� The Foggy Bottom community ton was trying to building this dorm has asked George Washington to in part because the community is provide more on-campus housing upset about the number of students

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living in off-campus housing. “What they are doing is already in response to community demands,â€? Mendelson said in an interview. Commission chair Florence Harmon said she hopes the request for a delay doesn’t hold up the dorm project, but she feels that on principle, the commission should ask for some form of community compensation. City surveyor Roland Dreist estimated that the alley space is worth about $2.8 million. A dollar-for-dollar exchange isn’t necessary, but some sort of return on the property should be required, commissioners said. “This is public land that is worth a great deal that a private entity is receiving,â€? Harmon said. About a dozen residents came to the meeting to say compensation for the alley is unnecessary, though many were either students or employees of the university. “I’ve spoken to several people I know. ‌ There is overwhelming support for this alley closure and moving forward with this project,â€? said Jason Lifton, a local resident who attended the university and now works for the school. Neighborhood commissioners aren’t particularly optimistic about

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their chances with the council, especially without Evans’ and Mendelson’s support. “On Wednesday, we are going to get rolled by the council,� said commissioner Asher Corson. “In the short term, the council is going to make a mistake and they are going to pay for it.� Commissioners disagreed among themselves about whether Mendelson and Evans should be called out specifically for standing with the university over a community group. A few wanted more pointed language included in the motion that

would have been critical of the representatives. Two commissioners and one member of the public brought up the council’s recent ethical issues. “We have problems in the District of Columbia with our elected officials acting ethically and not caving to special interests,� said Corson. “Anything short of compensating the District for the value of this land is supremely inappropriate.� Evans dismissed those concerns. “When people run out of merits in their arguments, then they start personally attacking people.�

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