In the continuing battle between Hoya and Townie, the University has recently pulled ahead with several victories. On Dec. 4, the D.C. Court of Appeals struck down several D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment provisions instituted against the University’s most recent 10-year plan. Later that month the D.C. zoning commission approved preliminary designs for a new Georgetown boathouse, in spite of complaints from neighborhood groups.
The recent actions are major victories for Georgetown students and indications that the courts are willing to respect Georgetown’s right to regulate its own student body.
In the past, community organizations such as the Citizens Association of Georgetown have worked to limit student presence within the Georgetown area. Their influence was felt in the BZA, who threatened to block new building projects on campus if the University failed to comply with certain conditions, including a 5,617 student enrollment cap for the next 10 years and a hotline for residents’ complaints, fully staffed 24 hour a day, 7 days a week.
On Dec. 4, however, the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the University and invalidated several of the BZA’s more controversial conditions. “The [BZA] has involved itself in matters outside its expertise and has intruded to an impermissible degree into the management prerogatives of the University,” the court’s opinion read. Most importantly, the court nullified the cap placed on student enrollment, allowing the University to admit more students and generate more income.
Compounding this victory was the D.C. zoning commission’s unanimous decision to approve plans for a new Georgetown boathouse. Residential organizations delayed the plan protesting that the proposed structure was too large given its close proximity to the Capital Crescent Trail and C&O Canal National Historic Park.
The two events will ultimately force the residential community to work with the University on plans for future development rather than against it, as has been the case. The opportunity exists for real cooperation between Georgetown as an institution and the surrounding neighborhood, which could help reduce some of the tension that has become one of Georgetown’s less fortunate traditions.
