Debate over Eisenhower Memorial Continues at House Hearing

There are few things on which proposed Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial stakeholders agree, but two clearly emerged Tuesday: They want to honor the distinguished president, and more time is needed to make it right for everyone.

The House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands was the latest forum for the ongoing controversy surrounding plans for an Eisenhower Memorial designed by well-known architect Frank Gehry whose portfolio includes designing the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Discussion boiled down to whether the current proposal can be altered to reach a compromise or whether it is necessary to go back to the drawing board altogether.

"Clearly we do not have consensus today," said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Carl Reddel, Executive Director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission, when asked about his perceptions at the end of the Congressional hearing. He told the subcommittee that the commission believed it had consensus from its members, the Eisenhower family and the public until last July when conflicting views surfaced. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission worked with the U.S. General Services Administration to select a design through the GSA's Design Excellence Program and was reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). The selection immediately drew an alternative competition from arts groups opposed to the Gehry plan.

The proposed design includes reliefs of two famous images of Eisenhower in his roles as president and general, large steel "tapestries," a statue of Eisenhower, interactive educational technology, and column-like structures placed throughout the 4-acre park.
During the hearing, critics of the project voiced concerns about the size, materials and message included in the current plan. Susan Eisenhower said her grandfather would neither like nor understand the memorial intended to honor his life.

"He would have wanted something on a smaller scale, I believe," she said. "This is an enormous thing."

Supporters of the proposed design defended its merits, pointing out the range of elements representing Eisenhower's myriad accomplishments throughout his life. And they pointed to ways the Eisenhower Family's opinions and the public's concerns were considered. A letter submitted into the record seemed to indicate that Gehry was willing to work with the family to alleviate their concerns.

A final version of the design still must be approved by the NCPC before construction can begin. While originally scheduled for review by NCPC at its April 5 hearing, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission asked the National Park Service to remove it from the agenda.

The decision was announced in a March 14 press release without an explanation for the delay. It does, however, state that the additional time will allow the group "to inform and fully brief other interested parties - including other Members of Congress and the Eisenhower family about all aspects of the Commission's preferred design concept."

On February 29, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., sent a letter to the NCPC asking that any decision to approval final plans for the monument be postponed at least 120 days to allow more time for understanding the complex issues surrounding the decision.

Another point of contention is the process used to select Gehry. Susan Eisenhower said the process was neither democratic nor transparent. The National Civic Art Society (NCAS), represented by chair emeritus and Director Howard Segermark, testified to the process that he said excluded new or unknown designers from applying because they were asked to submit a portfolio instead of a design proposal.

William Guerin, assistant commissioner for the office of construction programs in the public buildings service of the GSA, explained the program as a three-phase process that requires the evaluation of past work, a shortlist of proposals for interviews, and then the review of proposals for design. In this case, a review board considered the recommendations and selected Gehry for the project.

NCAS has been among those questioning the actions of the committee during that time frame, including the lack of meeting minutes. "I think the main thing we want to hammer out is what happened between July 2007 and March 2009," said Eric Wind, chairman emeritus and secretary of NCAS. "That's almost a two-year gap." And he said the minutes from the 2009 meeting reference votes and decisions from the missing time period.

Some of those questions might be answered in a House Oversight Committee review initiated by another Feb. 29 letter from Issa asking the Memorial Commission to submit copies of all designs submitted for the project and "a detailed description of the process leading to acceptance of the Frank Gehry submission, including a breakdown of any and all votes taken pertaining to any submission." Those documents now are under review by the committee.

The Memorial Commission did not return a call for comments about the Tuesday hearing.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Maryland Avenue SW Corridor Redevelopment Plan Unveiled

During that netherweek between Christmas and New Year's, when most of us were still in an eggnog-induced haze, the DC Office of Planning released a draft report on the Maryland Avenue SW Plan, which is part of NCPC's Southwest Ecodistrict Initiative, a concept introduced last May. If the suggestions in this report are adopted – and there's little reason to believe they won't - the consequences for Southwest would be drastic and far-reaching.

Development-wise, the General Services Administration (GSA) is considering conveying (selling off) four federally-owned parcels along a proposed rebuilt Maryland Avenue, with an eye towards private redevelopment as mixed-use projects. This is pricey territory, with proximity to the Mall, the Capitol, monuments, the forthcoming Southwest waterfront redevelopment. Currently these parcels are all monolithic office buildings, like much of the area - a reality this report aims to dramatically alter. The report raises the possibility of rezoning the area to accommodate high-density residential structures - though there are obstacles to the plan. For starters, one of the four parcels (Parcel 1) is crowded by the USDA Cotton Annex, which for right now at least is not being considered for conveyance. According to the report, it's going to be hard to reach the desired density (the study suggested a minimum of a thousand residential units) on these parcels without them “being aggregated with adjacent land.” - perhaps this is a hint at future conveyances.

The main problem with the Maryland Avenue corridor, other than the aforementioned homogeneity and its lunar-like desolation post 6pm, is that Maryland Avenue doesn't actually exist for a good five blocks between 7th and 12th Streets. Clearly, any revitalization of the area will require the rebuilding of Maryland Avenue as priority one. The report presents three possible avenues towards reestablishing the avenue: option one is to just rebuild it with a median, and rebuild 9th Street to connect Independence, Maryland, and D Street. Option two would rebuild it only between 10th and 12th, and convert the rest to a park. The third proposes a smaller, pedestrian- and bike-friendly center roadway with an adjacent public square, shifting the existing railyard south.

The report seems to lean in favor of the second and third options – surveys taken of area residents and workers showed an overwhelming majority specified “parks and open spaces” as their number one preference in regards to improving the area. The report also lays out a strategy of using public spaces to draw pedestrian traffic and “establish an identity” for the area, which will (theoretically) lead to “demand for residential,” which will in turn “create population that attracts retail.” And reading the report – which is detailed, well-written, and ambitious – you get the impression it just might be that easy.

The plan also calls for a long-overdue expansion of the L'Enfant metro and commuter rail stations, and wholesale improvements of Reservation 113, the greenspace where Maryland and Virginia Avenues intersect, into a “dynamic urban park” as neighborhood centerpiece. The report estimates this project would cost around $430 million, a cost defrayed by the sale of the aforementioned federally-held parcels. Other funding sources, according to the report, could include TIF or PILOT funds, developer/railroad contributions, and various federal grants.

The western side of the Maryland Avenue corridor roughly abuts the soon-to-be-revitalized Southwest Waterfront, which is now revving into high gear and the Eisenhower Memorial is slated for 2015 right next door, all of which could very well create a domino effect, perhaps spurring the much-discussed creation of a "second downtown."

Check out the full report . The public can also offer feedback on the full report, and comment until February 3.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Ukrainian Famine Memorial Clears Hurdles

Though no firm groundbreaking date has been set, the site for the Ukrainian Man-made Famine (Holodomor) memorial was consecrated last month by the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, just days after the project received concept approval from the Commission of Fine Arts.

Located on a 3100-s.f. triangular wedge at the intersection of North Capitol Street, Massachusetts Avenue, and F Street, the memorial is dedicated to victims of the 1932 Ukrainian catastrophe, created when Stalin exported the bulk of Ukraine's grain stores, deliberately inducing a famine that he hoped would lead to a repopulation of the country by ethnic Russians. Presently the site is a popular lunchtime gathering place for the throngs of neighborhood workers who patronize the nearby food trucks, perhaps foreshadowing the future irony of young urban professionals shoveling back kimchi tacos and twelve dollar hula burgers in the shadow of a famine memorial.

Since securing authorization from Congress in 2006, the Holodomor project has made slow but steady progress. The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) awarded the site in October 2008, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Ukraine began soliciting designs the very next year. From 52 submitted proposals, they narrowed it down to five, which were then vetted down to two that met NCPC standards. The project team, led by architects-of-record Hartman-Cox Architects (who were brought in to shepherd the project through the labyrinthine approvals process), presented these two designs at an NCPC meeting on December 1. The “preferred” scheme, dubbed “Field of Wheat,” is comprised of a small paved area and bench in front of a wall-like bas-relief sculpture of wheat. The “alternate” scheme (which seemed to be much preferred at the last NCPC meeting, due to the one-sided design of “Field of Wheat”) is a small sculpture in-the-round of a ten-foot-tall pair of open hands, surrounded by trees. The designs received concept approval from the Commission of Fine Arts in mid-November, and now go to the National Capital Advisory committee.

According to NCPC Acting Director of Urban Design and Plan Review Shane Dettman, the monument is being funded directly by the Ukranian government, which will also take on an unusual level of responsibility for the finished site. “Unlike most monuments that are given over to the National Park Service for maintenance, this particular memorial will be on a Park Service reservation that's owned by the federal government, but the Ukrainian government will take care of upkeep and maintenance,” Dettman said.

Still, the memorial does seem puzzling to some, in the same way that the U.S. erecting a “Trail of Tears” memorial in downtown Kiev might raise eyebrows. The boilerplate justification for the project, taken from the proposal/environmental impact study, is that America's long-standing role as the foremost champion of human rights in the world makes Washington, DC the best location for a memorial to this tragedy. Which is undoubtedly true, as far as that goes. (Which isn’t very far.)

The Ukrainian embassy wasn't forthcoming with any context, but recent history might lend some. George W. Bush signed the legislation authorizing the Holodomor memorial into law in 2006, coincidentally a few years after Ukraine was one of the only countries to make a significant contribution to the multinational Iraq invasion force, inviting the suspicion that the monument was a chip in a much bigger picture of backroom diplomatic horse-trading. Additionally, it's well-known that the U.S. needs a regional ally to keep Russian’s empire-ish ambitions contained (a Taiwan to Russia’s China, if you will), so it makes sense that we would want to keep the Ukrainians happy. They get a sculpture in the capital city of the world's leading superpower, we get a missile installation, that sort of thing. If it saves us from a 21st century “Red Dawn,” it's a small price to pay.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Southwest Waterfront's Wharf Waved Forward by NCPC

Yesterday, the National Capital Planning Commission waved forward the First Stage PUD of PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette's $2-billion development of the Southwest waterfront known as "The Wharf". The vote to "comment favorably" was raised before Matthew Steenhoek, development manager for PN Hoffman, even had the chance to make a final remark. NCPC commission members noted that the PUD honors NCPC's request from November 2010 to "strengthen the physical and visual connections to the Banneker Overlook." Subsequently, Market Square (below Banneker) was expanded, and the opening between two residential towers at the end of 10th Street was widened. 

A pedestrian connection from Banneker Overlook to Maine Avenue was also added into the plan, which will be included in phase two of development. The Zoning Commission reviewed the First Stage PUD and related map amendment in mid-September, and may take final action this month, after which the development team can submit the Second Stage PUD, which will detail design and architecture specifics, whereas the First Stage deals with building massing, land uses, open space development, waterfront development/improvement and related map amendment. Hoffman-Madison hopes to submit the Second Stage early next year, in order to begin construction on the first phase (of three) in the first quarter of 2013. Of the 3.2 million s.f. to be developed on land abutting the northeastern shore of the Washington Channel, the first phase of construction will be on the middle four parcels ( 2 through 5) which constitutes 40 percent of the entire development. Parcel 3 will be the location of Carr Hospitality and InterContinental Hotels Group's four-star, 268-room hotel. And, according to Steenhoek, the JBG Companies will operate two hotels - a limited service and an extended stay - at parcel 5. Parcel 2 will be two residential towers above a 4,000-seat multi-purpose theater. 

All of the buildings include ground floor retail. A significant aspect of the entire development is the creation of Wharf street, a main avenue along the waterfront for cafes, cars, pedestrians, pier access, bikes and even streetcars. The Wharf will be a privately owned street and will overtake the existing Water Street, the closure of which was approved by the Council in April, and currently awaits approval by Congress. 

Washington D.C. retail and commercial real estate news

Eisenhower Memorial Metal Tapestries on Display

In order to clearly demonstrate the artistry of the forthcoming Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial designed by Frank Gehry, the commission responsible for the memorial displayed two good-sized samples, showcasing two different production methods for bringing heavy metal tapestries to life.

The samples were on display at the site last week, and will return at the site - on Independence Avenue between 4th and 6th Streets, SW - next week, remaining up from the 12th to the 16th, during which time the Commission of Fine Arts will scrutinize the materials in question.

The Eisenhower Memorial Commission will meet with the National Capital Planning Commission for an informal design review on October 6th in advance of seeking preliminary design approval - from the NCPC - on December 1st.

Target date for delivery of the Eisenhower memorial is Memorial Day 2015.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

NCPC Unveils Map of DC Memorials

Ever find yourself sitting home on a Friday, wishing you could remember where the memorial to Dante Alighieri was? Wonder no more. The National Capitol Planning Commission has the map for you. The NCPC production is an interactive map of each plot of land in Washington D.C. dedicated to a remembrance of events great, and well, not so great. Lincoln is on the map, to be sure, but so are 129 other lesser known memorials whose importance is often overlooked by tourists and teens looking for a site not often patrolled by the Park Service.

The map highlights such lesser known locations as the memorial to James Buchanan, for those wanting to pay tribute to the man that did little to stop the Civil War. Or, stop by the memorial to Discobolus, the "Gift of appreciation from Italy to U.S. honoring American efforts to return Italian sculpture (including the original Myron "Discobolus" statue) to Italy after it was seized by the Nazis." Possibly not as momentus as Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, but obviously worth a permanent commemoration.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Winner of President's Park South Design Competition

Rogers Marvel Architects, a New York-based firm, was announced as the winner of the President's Park South design competition at the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) meeting held today.  Rogers Marvel was selected amongst five semi-finalists out of a field of 25 entrants. In a statement, NCPC described the Rogers Marvel design as "adding a seating wall with integrated pedestrian lighting, while subtly raising the grade of the Ellipse. This establishes a security feature, reinforces the Ellipse as an event space, and minimizes the visual appearance of adjacent parking." The design adds a new E Street terrace that joins the modified Ellipse with the White House South Lawn, a design that "could also accommodate re-opening E Street, NW without requiring significant changes," according to NCPC. The next, and more formidable, portion of the project will be to wrangle the money necessary to build out the winning design.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

President's Park South, Designs Unveiled

President’s Park South takes up a substantial 52 acres between the White House grounds and Constitution Avenue NW. Considering the importance of the site’s location and history, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) hosted a design competition, and invited five design firms to submit design concepts for the area which will assist the National Park Service and the Secret Service in forming a plan for the site, as these two government bodies will ultimately be in control of the park’s redevelopment. Today through June 27th, the designs will be on display at the White House Visitor Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Ave NW, open from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, and available online. Design reps will present their ideas on Tuesday, June 28th, at 12:30pm at NCPC, 401 9th Street, NW (Suite 500N). The lunchtime event is open to the public, and feedback is welcomed. The design winner will be selected by the NCPC’s Interagency Security Task Force and will be announced on June 30th. Image from Rogers Marvel Architects Presentation The designs center on the key element of President’s Park South, the Ellipse, a defining aspect of Andrew Jackson Downing’s 1851 design for the area, “Public Grounds at Washington.” The Ellipse is surrounded by side panels, which contain other significant aspects of the site, including Sherman Park and the First Division Monument. Roadways also cut through the area, most notably E St NW, laid out in 1967 to ease traffic downtown, now impassable to unauthorized vehicles, since 9/11. Participating firms:

• Hood Design Studio, Oakland, CA, design features natural Ha-Ha barriers

• Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Brooklyn, NY, design features avenue of Elm

• Reed Hilderbrand Associates, Watertown, MA, design features diverse tree canopy

• Rogers Marvel Architects, New York, NY, design features raised Ellipse

• SASAKI, Watertown, Watertown, MA, design features plaza

 

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Opposing Designs to Gehry's Eisenhower Memorial Unveiled Tonight

Design alternatives for a memorial to President Eisenhower, solicited by the National Civic Art Society (NCAS), a DC-based nonprofit that "advocates the humanist tradition," together with the Institute for Classical Architecture & Art (ICA&A) Mid-Atlantic Chapter, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing the classical form, will be judged tonight at the Rayburn House Office Building. A panel will select a $1000 first prize winner, and award $500 to a runner-up, prior to a reception that will serve to ignite dialogue amongst attendees regarding the three highly disputed, yet fairly secure, Frank Gehry designs for the site in question.

Just south of the Mall, the site was approved by the National Capital Planning Commission in 2006, and Gehry was selected as the architect shortly thereafter; Gehry has submitted three designs to the NCPC for review and approval, which is currently underway.

The counter-designs that will be unveiled tonight are an attempt by co-hosts NCAS and ICA&A to generate a thoughtful discussion "about the meaning, inspiration and dignity of designs that are suitable to commemorate a distinguished president." Special guest, and Ike's granddaughter, Susan Eisenhower will be speaking at the event.

The competition sought alternatives from "classical architects and artists" and the judges are expected to "choose the design that best exemplifies the ideals of a meaningful, timeless memorial that is appropriate classical vision of Washington, DC."

In contrast to the Gehry design, the competition called for a design that would be "in harmony with the vision of the L'Enfant Plan and the McMillan Plan" and a sculptural representation recognizable as Dwight D. Eisenhower and "appropriately calibrated to the gravity of the memorial."

Right now the gravity of the memorial as designed by Gehry is public contention, yet, designs generated by the competition will be done in classical tastes - not everybody's cup of tea. The designs, and the direction of the District, are all up for debate.

D.C. Real Estate development news

Live Chat with NCPC on the Federal Imprint in DC

New development, modern architecture, and Washington DC's unique historic heritage. Can they all get along?

Today at 12:30pm, DCMud will host a live chat with NCPC’'s Christine Saum (Chief Urban Designer) and David Levy (Director of Urban Design and Plan Review) to discuss the agency'’s role in the design review process, and its efforts to define the federal interest in the urban design of the nation’s capital as an expanding, dynamic city. The live webchat will give our web audience a chance to ask questions and stump the urban planning experts. The chat will be in advance of NCPC's presentation "Contemporary Design, Historic City," to be given the evening of June 7th.

The chat will take place on DCMud on Monday at 12:30pm.

Southwest Ecodistrict to Replace Concrete Jungle?

What do Northern Europe and Portland, Oregon, have in common? EcoDistricts.

DC might join these two in commonality – along with a handful of leading cities worldwide that are engaged in creating large-scale sustainable urban areas, sometimes referred to as EcoDistricts – if it moves forward with a 110-acre redevelopment plan for a “21st century sustainable community” in Southwest D.C. known as the Southwest Ecodistrict Initiative.

Tonight, the National Capital Planning Commission, the driving force behind the initiative, will hold its third public meeting on the SW Ecodistrict from 6:30 to 8:30 at Waterfront Station in Southwest: 1100 4th Street SW (2nd Floor Conference Room, Complete details).

The initiative came onto the scene early last year under the name “10th Street Corridor Task Force” and the first public meeting was held in February of 2010.

NCPC’s initiative was in response to a federal mandate – Executive Order 13514: Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance – calling for the reduction of the fed’s greenhouse gas emissions, but also stemming from a desire to reinvigorate the concrete desert around L’Enfant Plaza, and turn 10th Street into a true corridor – connecting the National Mall (to the north) with Banneker Park (to the south) and creating pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, outdoor cafes, and tree coverings.

(Below: 10th Street now, versus what it hopes to become)

10th Street's possibilities as an attractive thoroughfare was clearly the inspiration behind the initiative’s original name; however, public feedback and market studies led NCPC to expand its vision, and notably to include the Maryland Avenue SW corridor. Potential SW Ecodistrict boundaries are now Independence Avenue SW and Maine Avenue SW (north to south) and 12th & 4th Streets SW (west to east).

The boundary for the SW Ecodistrict (shown in red, below) encircles a 15-block area south of the National Mall, and loops within it several monolith government agencies – GSA, FAA, Dept. of Energy and the Postal Service to name half –as well as several important sites: 12th Street Tunnel, Southwest Freeway, 10th Street Overlook/Banneker Park and L’Enfant Plaza.

The Office of Planning (OP) is currently in charge of a Maryland Avenue Plan and will finish a study of that corridor at the end of the summer. Along with NCPC and OP, the Ecodistrict is being mentally sculpted by a task force of 15 federal and local agencies, among them: the Architect of the Capitol, DDOT, GSA, the National Park Service and the Smithsonian Institution.

Public meetings, like the one tonight, continue to provide NCPC, OP, the greater task force, and all invested parties with important public feedback. Tonight’s meeting will focus on the plan’s visibility, connectivity and sustainability and will truly be a hands-on affair; according to Elizabeth Miller, senior urban planner at NCPC and project manager of the SW Ecodistrict Initiative, there will be three stations for attendees to rotate through, with the goal of critically assessing all alternatives to redevelopment in the 15-block area of Southwest.

Another public meeting will likely take place at the end of July, giving another chance to contribute to or critique the initiative’s plan before NCPC and OP take it to the Council, likely at the end of this year.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Planners Select 5 Firms to Redesign President's Park - DC Architects Not Invited

Urban planners at the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) have announced the selection of 5 architectural firms to redesign the parks south of the White House. NCPC selected the firms from 23 that submitted qualifications; no design ideas have been submitted, but the planners for the area's federal lands have set a June 17th deadline for submitting plans and expect to announce a winning idea by July 7th.

The idea is to create "durable and more aesthetic security elements in the President's Park South area and replace the existing temporary and unsightly security elements," no grand plans for new monuments. The area includes the parks bordering the southern fence of the White House, including the Ellipse and E Street, which has been closed to vehicular traffic for the past decade. Possibilities include reopening E Street to traffic (in true Washington fashion pending completion of a transportation study), but final decisionmaking rests with the Secret Service, which is generally inclined to close streets down rather than open them.

Pedestrians can enter the area to get to the fence surrounding the south lawn of the White House, but have to navigate security obstacles. Bill Dowd, Director of Physical Planning for NCPC cites that impediment as a prime directive for a new plan. "One of the biggest things we want to fix...is that pedestrians can get up to the fence but because of security barriers its very confusing how to get there."

The 5 firms selected are:

• Hood Design Studio, San Francisco, CA;
• Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, New York City, NY
• Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects, Watertown, MA;
• Rogers Marvel Architects, New York City, NY; and
• SASAKI, Watertown, MA.

Although several DC area firms competed for the rights, no local teams made the final list. The 5 winning design firms get bragging rights and a $20,000 honorarium, but not necessarily much else, as the design committee reserves the right to appropriate the designs without employing the architects. The process is being overseen by NCPC, National Park Service, and the Secret Service, but Dowd says that once the competition ends NPS and the Secret Service will take over responsibility for execution.

This being DC, the competition does not go hand in hand with funding, so no timeline has been set to make any of the recommended changes. Dowd hopes that creative ideas will spur the necessary funding, eventually to be provided by the Secret Service. "The ideas will allow us to cost out what the project will be." Says Dowd, "we looked for proposals that indicated...a creative approach that relfected an understanding of how important the historical entity was."

Beginning June 20, 2011, the public will be invited to view the designs submitted by the five project teams, both online and in person.

Washington DC real estate development news

NCPC Reviews Draft Plan for Homeland Security AU Park Site

Concerns over GSA’s draft Master Plan for the development of the Department of Homeland Security's Nebraska Avenue Complex (NAC), located at Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenues in AU Park, led the National Capital Planning Commission - at its monthly meeting yesterday - to send GSA off with nine action points to address before returning in a few months.

After final approval from NCPC, GSA will begin acting on a finalized Master Plan, and GSA aims to please - in order to meet a Master Plan planning horizon of 2020 - which will require addressing the concerns raised by four of the 12 members of the NCPC, as well as the local ANC.

The plans call for raising the number of seats (employees on site at any one time) from 2,390 to 4,200, and decreasing onsite parking (from 1,239 to 1,150 spaces) without a site-specific Transportation Management Plan in place to assist with predicting the outcome on the surrounding area. DHS’s goal for expanding its operations at the NAC site - temporary headquarters of the DHS since 2003 - is to streamline the dilapidated and out-dated conditions at the aging NAC and save tax dollars by eliminating tens of facilities scattered across the District. With nearly 50 facilities now, DHS hopes to someday have seven or eight, and the NAC campus would be one of the biggest.

NCPC approved the expansion, but tasked GSA to continue to work with the National Park Service to minimize impact on nearby park lands, submit a phasing plan for the project, look at ways to increase the tree canopy, consider lowering the security level (from level 5, the maximum) to soften the public view of the complex, remove non-historically significant buildings, and to move the entry point for employees who commute (by metro, foot or bike) closer to the Tenleytown Metro stop. NCPC asked GSA to continue coordinating with the Department of Transportation and the Office of Planning on this issue.

The NAC is small compared to DHS’s future headquarters - St. Elizabeths' in Anacostia - a 3.4 million s.f. space that will accommodate 14,000 DHS employees and share land with the Coast Guard. The NAC sits on a more modest 1.7 million s.f. (38 acres), and all new construction will be done within the current complex area, leaving the forested portions of the site pristine.

As it stands now, the NAC area is 55% developed (30 buildings for a total of 653,400 s.f), the draft Master Plan proposes to add six new buildings and a four-level (two above ground, two below) parking structure, for a total 1.2 million s.f.
The plan would reduce onsite impervious surfaces by 17% by featuring a green roof on all new structures - the largest one nearly two acres (70,000 s.f.), which will cloak the top of the onsite parking structure in vegetation (also making the view easy on high-rise eyes).

The green roofs, coupled with a yet-to-be-determined combination of porous pavement installations, ponds, gravel beds and underground water detention systems, will not only help the NAC site to achieve an environmentally friendly LEED gold certification, but will help manage and reuse stormwater, reducing runoff. A stormwater management system is currently lacking onsite, something Jim Clark, principal at MTFA Architecture, the consulting firm for the NAC, called out at the meeting as a "grave issue."

The new, greener parking structure will replace the existing one, relocated to the back of the complex from its current location at Ward Circle. Taking the old structure's spot in the highly visible area will be a "signature building" which GSA deems the NAC's "flagship building" - something it hopes will give "the campus a public presence and face on the circle."

The development of the NAC also takes into account the preservation of existing historical structures left over from earlier manifestations of the site as both the Mount Vernon Seminary for Girls (in the early 1900s), until the Roosevelt administration took the property by eminent domain in 1942 to use in the war effort, staffed mostly by women for cryptanalysis. In 2005 the property was transferred from the Department of Navy to the GSA for exclusive use by Homeland Security. GSA is currently readying a nomination of the site to the National Register of Historic Places.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Eisenhower Commanding the Mall

Three design alternatives for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial will be presented this Thursday at a public meeting before the The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). One of the three concepts selected by the Eisenhower Memorial Commission will be chosen for the 400 block of Independence Avenue, SW, in a plan that could get final review as early as this year.

The Eisenhower Commission selected architect Frank Gehry early last year to design the memorial, and several subsequent rounds of revisions have honed the site plan into three designs, one that creates a circular pattern of smooth, non-supporting and seemingly unfinished columns surrounding the park and tribute (top rendering), a second that follows the colonnade and deference to L'Enfant but allows Maryland Avenue vehicular traffic to continue through the site (middle rendering), and a third that leaves the original concept of a road closure and block-filling park intact, along with the original concept of a screen - "tapestries of woven stainless steel mesh supported on the colonnade of limestone" (bottom rendering).
The $90-120 million project (Washingtonspeak for $180m) mandated by Congress for the 34th President is behind schedule on its projected 2015 opening, but whenever it wraps up, it will provide "a cohesive and contemplative space for learning about President Eisenhower and his vast accomplishments." Each version will have a central tree grove strategically placed to frame local vistas, underneath which visitors relax, sit and learn amid a new orthogonal grid of urban canopy.

The Eisenhower Commission, a 12 member, bipartisan group that includes senators, representatives, former presidential appointees, and Ike's grandson, has expressed its preference for the Scheme 3 that eliminates Maryland Avenue and breaks up the L'Enfant plan, creating a more cohesive tribute to the General and President. "It would be extraordinary if we can build this memorial designed by the foremost architect in America in today" said Daniel Feil, Executive Architect for the Eisenhower Commission. "This will be the 7th monument for a President [in DC] and the first in a century."

The presentation by NCPC is the first of three phases before the Commission, in this case to render design guidance on each of the three plans. The second of three required NCPC hearings will review the ultimate plan once it is selected, with a third hearing for final plan review; NCPC reviewed and approved site selection in 2006, and Gehry made an informational presentation before NCPC a year ago. NCPC Public Affairs Director Lisa McSpadden notes that the Commission "did give very specific design principals" to the National Park Service, incorporating 7 guidelines such as maintaining views of U.S. Capitol. The U.S. Commission on Fine Arts CFA reviewed and approved it on January 20th, the next step will entail a public review and comment period. Gehry and his team will be on hand at Thursday's meeting to hear out the Commission's presentation.

Washington DC real estate development news

NCPC Takes Action on District Development Plans

The National Capital Planning Commission met yesterday and approved a series of amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, a roadmap for the District's urban planning and economic development. The Commission also deferred action on design of the last section of Georgetown Waterfront Park and approved a series of changes to the District's zoning laws governing building heights.

NCPC, which has the authority to block land development by the District that impinges on the federal land, agreed to allow more than 100 amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, last modified in 2006. The changes were submitted by the District's Office of Planning and set Washington DC's development priorities. Approved amendments include:

-Prioritizing development of the Center Leg Freeway (pictured) and Burnham Place behind Union Station,

-A resolution to encourage more transit-oriented development within the District, as well as a generalized support of public transportation options such as increased bus, bike, and pedestrian accessibility.

-Various modifications to the environmental impact of development, including support of the Kyoto Protocol,

-Proposals under the Capital Space plan to better link District and Federal parks and develop a shared database to report issues, inform the public, and manage the parks,

-Concept approval for development of a Marriott hotel and retail center (pictured, at right) at the corner of Michigan and Irving Streets. Developers have long sought to build out the 5-acre federally owned parcel next to Catholic University, and

-Increase density along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE.

The Commission put off until its February meeting review of the National Park Service plan for the last section of the Georgetown Waterfront Park, stretching from Thompson Boat Center to the Kennedy Center. The final phase of the project includes a resurfaced asphalt bikeway, a new asphalt-tile pedestrian promenade, and replacing the Sycamores now on the site.The Commission also approved a report to the Zoning Commission regarding proposed text changes to the city’s zoning regulations on permitted uses and building heights. In 2007 the District undertook a comprehensive review of its zoning regulations, last updated in 1958. The approval does not change overall height limits in DC, which are governed by federal law, but bring the code up to date to better reflect current ideas and technology.

Smithsonian's New Museum of African American History and Culture Unveils Latest Design Changes

Awarded the rights to design the Museum of African American History and Culture by the Smithsonian back in April of 2009, a Smithsonian presenter and team of architects from Freelon, Adjaye Associates, and Davis Brody Bond unveiled the newest plans for the National Mall's next museum yesterday. Responding to initial concerns about the large size of the building and it's impact on the views of the Washington Monument and surrounding Mall, the team presented their augmented designs - lowered, and shifted back - to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). This is the first of many give and take meetings that will play out before the building is finally built and opened in November of 2015. Next stop: the Commission of Fine Arts will review the newest concept design, final approval on the design will not come until 2012.

The three tiers (the "Corona") of bronze, porous, pumice-stone-like material still form the bulk of the structure. What was originally a large base of the building, the "Porch," has been mostly pushed below grade so only the top pierces ground level, a concession to the prominence of Washington's Monument. The raised platform will retain its mezzanine functionality as a place to install skylights to illuminate below grade programming. Planners are proposing to mound the earth around the structure to replicate the sloping dimensions of the neighboring Monument grounds.

Overall, the building's footprint and profile have been reduced, and adjusted slightly to the south, to diminish the perceived brutish visual intrusion of the building as initially rendered. Although the designers admit that this new position shifts the building a bit offline from the center alignment of existing museums, the changes were made to create a less obtrusive structure, and allow more open sight lines to and pleasantly framed views of the Washington Monument from Constitution Avenue.

Initial renderings showed the Porch rising high above ground

Revisions on technical matters - security, landscaping, loading and docks - will continue, but the Commission had approved previous conceptual designs, and no comments from the NCPC panel appeared likely to derail the overall concept. But persisting complaints highlighted the difficulties that lay ahead for this design team. A long road to appease a plethora of the different guard dog and policy making entities awaits: DDOT, National Park Service, NCPC, the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts, Office of Planning, and more. One panelist commended the design team for both their efforts at middle ground and their endeavor to blend a modern design into the setting of the Mall. "I sympathize greatly with the design team...With all of their demands, it seems a lot of my colleagues seem to want to you build a building that is invisible." With that being unlikely, the design may well retain the form presented at yesterday's unveiling. Another interesting reaction was that of Commission member Herbert F. Ames, who after applauding the design team, slammed down his fist and implored Congress (who I'm pretty sure wasn't in the room) to put a stop to any new projects set for the National Mall. "We're going to ruin a national treasure," he said, "the Mall was full years ago, and the Mall is full now."

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Live Webchat: NCPC's Comprehensive Plan

Ever wondered how DC's monuments are planned, and how the federal buildings are located and designed? Join Senior Urban Planner David Zaidain from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) today (Thursday) at noon as he discusses federal elements of the National Capital’s Comprehensive Plan, the federal government's long term urban planning vision for the city. NCPC is in the process of updating the plan, including everything from the look of the Mall and urban waterfronts to security and foreign missions. This is your chance to become involved. The discussion will focus on the following topics:

• How the Comp Plan serves the region
• The elements of the Plan
• The Plan's role in guiding federal facility location, transportation, etc.
• The Plan's policy impact on local/regional development
• Why the Plan is being updated
• The addition of an Urban Design Element
• Opportunities for public involvement

New Visions for Washington Monument Grounds

What do you do with 50 acres of under-utilized, poorly maintained land in downtown Washington DC? When the site is the grounds of the Washington Monument, planning ignites a nearly existential debate. Yet one organization has set out to envision a fresh design for the grounds and the monument with an unofficial "ideas competition" that will kick off later this summer.

Despite more than 200 years of unfulfilled designs that include creating museums, lakes, universities, a paved plaza, and World's Fair space, the land surrounding the monument - the focal point of the Mall and most important tribute thereon - remains largely unimproved, unplanned, and dilapidated. The National Ideas Competition for the Washington Monument Grounds hopes to bring attention to that and "develop innovative and creative ideas for making the Washington Monument grounds more welcoming, educational, and effectively used by the public." The competition will launch this summer, accepting any and all ideas about how to better use the space and (maybe) pay tribute to the first president, with submissions due October 31, 2010. Organizers hope to narrow submissions to five finalists by next summer and submit those contenders to a public vote.

Obstacles to adoption of the winning ideas are daunting. The land is administered by the National Park Service (NPS), which would have to support the plan, which would then have to be signed off by Congress, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts, none of which have even endorsed the competition. NPS has already devised plans to renovate century old Sylvan Theater, and the Army Corps of Engineers plans to work on a levee system for the northwest corner of the grounds.

Leaders of the competition, however, are more animated by the debate and thought provocation than by a redesign that would actually stick. Jim Clark, President-elect of the Virginia Society of the AIA and Chair of the steering committee, says the project is "mostly an educational forum, that's why we've opened it to younger students as well." Clark has been leading design competitions for 15 years and sees a larger purpose. "This will generate interesting dialogue about the center of our capital city, and will help educate people about history, about planning, and about the status of the National Mall."

As to the choice of this quadrant of the Mall, Clark answers that "this is really the heart of the National Mall. Symbolically it should be the richest area of the Mall from an interpretive standpoint. The mall has many many needs and will continue to evolve. We're really looking at this competition broadly to assess what role the monument grounds should play in the future." Ellen Goldstein, Executive Director of the steering committee, notes that the intent is not to actually transform the Mall. "We don't have any intent to advocate or lobby for the ideas to be implemented" she says of the winning design, though adding that it "could lead to be a transformational process ultimately, even though it is not a stated objective."

The grounds surrounding the monument have changed little over the years, despite the numerous grandiose ideas by accomplished architects. In the early 20th century a public pool graced the northwest corner of the site, and mid-century government office buildings packed the foot of the monument until they were torn down in 1960. Following the terrorist attacks of September 2001, a circular security perimeter was added to the landscaping, which otherwise looks much like it did when the land was originally reclaimed from the Potomac in the late 1800s.

The steering committee has already selected five of the judges and expects to announce the full panel of judges shortly, whose job it will be to determine what good design will never be built.

Washington DC real estate development news

Museums on the Mall: Latinos Throw Their Hat in the Ring

Feeling ethnically unrepresented by the nation's newfound homage to ethnicity? One group may have the answer for you: The Latino American Museum Commission (LAMC) hopes to build the National Museum of the American Latino on or near the National Mall, and is in the final stage of figuring out just where it should go.

The new museum is intended to "create a home for the historical artifacts, images, and personal stories documenting over 500 years of American Latino contributions to the United States" and will "serve as an educational tool for the thousands who visit the museum each year, as well as instilling [sic] a sense of pride in the Latino community..." The LAMC was formed by an act of Congress in 2008.

The Museum Commission initially considered and "fully vetted" over 30 sites throughout the Capitol area, narrowing it down to 9 in November 2009, before finally paring it down to 4 sites, all on or near the Mall, as it happens. At yesterday's National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) meeting, the LAMC presented the four finalists. Henry R. Muñoz, the Chair of the LAMC, told the NCPC review team that after canvassing Latinos nationwide "there is a clear preference for a site on the Mall." The NCPC expects to issue its opinion in August, at which point the plans will be sent to Congress. The Commission hopes to find 359,000 s.f. - 310,000 s.f. close to the monumental core for exhibits and 49,000 s.f. located remotely for storage and office space. Though the LAMC recently signed four contracts to kickstart development and planning, Muñoz acknowledged the long process ahead, saying "we'll feel fortunate if that timeline can be shortened to ten years."

In no particular order, the Commission is considering:

1. The Yates Building at 1400 Independence Avenue, SW (pictured right): The administrative portion would fit into the historic Yates building, and a 165,000-s.f. building would be built on the Mall to the north, bisected by Independence Avenue. The museum would offer an entrance on the Mall and would potentially connect underground to the Yates building. The rough designs show the new structure mirroring the height and footprint of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

2. The Whitten Building at 14th & Independence: The LAMC offered up the adjacent parking lot for a new building. This plan also includes building two stories on top of the Whitten building, which the design team likened to the Tate in London. This design would deliver 310,000 s.f., 49,000 s.f. less than the desired amount of space.

3. The Arts and Industries Building (pictured left): The oldest of the Smithsonian buildings offers 99,000 s.f. that would be incorporated as a "public reception area" because it is too narrow for galleries and lacks climate control or proper acoustics for performances. This plan has two options, one in which the Arts and Industries building remains intact with a two-story museum below-grade, the other would use the main building for administrative purposes and as an entrance from the mall, but create a connection to a new annex building.

4. Capitol Site: This proposed site, across from the Botanical Gardens, was envisioned by the McMillan Commission to hold a museum but remains empty. Currently under the control of the Architect of the Capitol, the site would utilize the same footprint as proposed in the McMillan Plan, with an entrance off Pennsylvania Avenue, offering three stories above grade and one below. At 252,000 s.f. it would be the smallest of the proposed buildings.

Fear not, Lithuanians and Somoans, you too may someday have your chance.

Washington DC real estate and development news

Webchat: Make no Little Plans - the Daniel Burnham Legacy

Make no Little Plans - Live Webchat with film Producer Judith McBrien, Director of Make No Little Plans, a documentary being screened on the Mall on June 9th, and Nancy Witherell, Historic Preservation Officer with the National Capital Planning Commission. The webchat will began at noon. Join us today to discuss Daniel Burnham, his legacy, his effects on DC, and the urban planning process in the District of Columbia.



Judith Paine McBrien: Director/Producer of The Archimedia Workshop NFP, is the Director of the Daniel Burnham Film Project. For over 15 years she has written, directed and produced programs about architecture, history and urban design for public television broadcast as well as for organizations concerned with the arts and the environment including the Art Institute of Chicago, the American Institute of Architects, the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust and the Urban Land Institute. At Perspectives Media, she produced the award-winning 5-part series Skyline: Chicago for public television broadcast about Chicago’s history, development, and urban design. In 2000 she wrote and produced a Centerpiece Chicago Story, Daniel Burnham: The Power of Dreams, for Chicago public television station WTTW. McBrien holds a master's degree in architectural history from Columbia University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Gene Siskel Film Center of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Nancy Witherell is the Historic Preservation Officer with the National Capital Planning Commission.