Don't Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth

Three years ago, a local philanthropist had bought 16.5 acres of land in a posh neighborhood of the District, and had offered to build a mansion there as the official residence for the Mayor of Washington, D.C., similar to the Gracie Mansion for New York City, and to be known as "the Casey Mansion." This was a proposed gift worth $50 million. There were some neighborhood organizations who disagreed with some of the details of the proposal, and three years of contentious debate followed. Finally, the philanthropist had enough, and has decided to give the land to the Salvation Army, which is going to sell it and use the proceeds to build a community center in Anacostia, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the District. A much better idea in my opinion. As for the neighbors of the proposed mansion site, now they are sweating over who will buy the land and how it will be developed.

This decision makes a lot of sense. The 16.5 acre mansion site will, with any luck, be developed and become part of the District's tax base. The Salvation Army's community center in Anacostia will make a difference in the lives of thousands.