Clinton Approves Transfer of Park Land
7/19/96
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Clinton approves transfer of park land
7/19/96
Copyright 1996 by United Press International
WASHINGTON, July 19 (UPI) -- President Clinton signed legislation Friday
allowing development on federal parkland in the nation's capital.
Clinton signed into law legislation approved last year by the House and two
years ago by the Senate that transfers the ownership of 45 1/2 acres of
land on two islands in the Anacostia River to the city of Washington, D.C.,
which in turn has agreed to lease it at no cost to developers who want to
build a family park.
Both Washington Mayor Marion Barry and the city's non-voting delegate in
Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, are among leading Democrats who have
endorsed the developer's proposed construction of a "family-oriented
educational and recreational park" on now-vacant Heritage and Kingman
islands.
But environmental groups have protested the idea, contending the islands
are an important home to marine animals and birds, and that the transfer
could set a bad precedent for similar initiatives elsewhere in the country.
"We're going to fight this every step of the way," said Brent Blackwelder,
president of Friends of the Earth. "It's a tragic giveaway of National Park
Service land under his (Clinton's) watch, and it's exactly what the
Republicans have put on their agenda to do."
Environmentalists cited such examples as legislation pending in Congress
that would transfer 30,000 acres of Lake Clark National Park in Alaska to
native American groups planning to develop the property, and another that
would allow construction of a hydroelectric plant at Alaska's Glacier Bay
National Park.
While Republicans have repeatedly accused Clinton of backing conservative
initiatives as a means of broadening his support in an election year,
Blackwelder said, "I can't conceive of any political gain in doing this
other than to benefit some developers."
"I think he's got some pretty poor advice on this," Blackwelder said of
Clinton.
He accused Norton of supporting the measure "as a favor to the Barry
administration," and suggested "some investigation" of Barry's motives in
deliving a no-cost lease to a developer.
The developer, Carroll Harvey of the Island Development Corp., predicted
his $200 million development project would create up to 2,400 permanent
jobs and $8.9 million in annual tax revenue.
Harvey said the National Park Service otherwise would have done nothing
with the land, which was created decades ago by the dredging of the
Anacostia River.
In a bid to mollify some of the environmental opposition, Clinton declared
in a statement announcing his signing of the bill that the development
plans must be reviewed and approved by both the city government and the
National Capital Planning Commission.
The president noted that ownership of the islands would return to the
National Park Service if the NCPC or the city government refuse to accept
plans for the development of the property.