October 6, 2000

Re: Georgetown University Campus Plan BZA Application No. 16566

Dear Ms. Reid and Members of the Board:

At its September 5, 2000 public meeting, the Board postponed a decision on the above-referenced case pending receipt of additional information from the Applicant. The specific information requested by the Board is described in detail in the Applicant's point by point response chart with attached exhibits. With this filing, the Applicant trusts that it has fully responded to the Board's request for additional information and that the application can be approved by the Board at its November 8, 2000 public meeting. Both the University and MedStar have critical projects that are awaiting the decision of the Board before moving forward.

With the filing of these additional materials, the University believes that it has fully addressed the issue of impacts from its students off campus so as to enable the Board to approve the increase in enrollment. Specifically, the attached materials demonstrate that even prior to the Board's decision meeting of September 5tb, the University had begun implementation of its new off campus housing program. The message had been sent to all students by President O'Donovan and University staff were already taking the proactive measures proposed in the new program, including student orientation, dissemination of information on the changes to its Code of Conduct, as well as the University absorbing the cost of private trash collection to ensure that the moving in of students at the start of the fall semester would not adversely impact the community.

One of the primary goals of this campus plan and, indeed, the focus of the University's efforts, is to re-center student life on campus. For that reason, the plan proposes the creation of new on campus spaces for student activities including the new Performing Arts Center, the McDonough Arena and the Harbin Field redesign, as well as other recreation areas for informal student use. Each of these projects will soon be brought before the Board for further processing and each is dependent on approval of this campus plan. The University is also moving forward with construction of its new 780 bed residence hall. Further, even events which have traditionally been held in the community - such as the Student Charity Block Party - have been encouraged by the University to be brought back on campus so that the sense of campus community and school spirit can be strengthened and neighborhood impacts can be reduced. (See the attached letter from the Burleith Citizens Association thanking the University for its position on this issue.)

Central to the University's plans to re-center student life on campus is the proposed enrollment increase. Without the tuition monies to support and fund these programs, the University simply cannot go forward with its plans. Although capital campaign funds may cover the construction costs of these new projects, it is the tuition revenues which fund the operating costs. Thus, the enrollment increase is an essential ingredient of the plan. Still the proposed enrollment increase is modest, representing only 39 students per year over a ten year period with agreement by the University to delay the phasing in of those students until after the Southwest Quad is in place. This was requested by the ANC and agreed to by the University as a condition of the ANC's support for the campus plan. Further, with the Southwest Quad project, the University will be providing 780 beds on campus over the next ten years or more than double the amount of students it will be adding to its undergraduate population. Accordingly, the University requests that the Board approve the increase of 389 for a new cap of 6,016 traditional undergraduate students.

The University has also addressed the Board's and the community's concern regarding the ten year time period for the life of the campus plan. Specifically, the University has proposed mechanisms for monthly and quarterly reports to the community on its off campus housing program as well as an annual reporting requirement to the community, the Office of Planning and the Office of Zoning. In addition, the University has agreed to a condition that would require it to report back to the Board at the five year mark, midway through the campus plan approval, on the status of its off campus housing program. This review would be in addition to the updates the University would provide the Board as part of each further processing case. (As set forth in the campus plan, there will be several further processing cases during the first three years of the plan, including the Performing Arts Center, the redesign of Harbin Field, a new academic building and a new physician's office building.) With these conditions the Board can approve a 10 year plan knowing that it will have the opportunity to evaluate the off campus housing program during that 10 year period.

For all of the above reasons, and with the additional information filed this date, the University believes that it has fully met the zoning requirements and respectfully requests that the Board approve its campus plan at the November 8 public meeting. A prompt decision by the Board is essential so that the University and MedStar can go forward with critically needed projects for the campus and implement the goals of this plan.

Respectfully submitted,

Maureen E. Dwyer
Paul A. Tummonds, Jr.

Land Use Counsel for Georgetown University

cc: All parties (see attached certificate of service)