3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT This page is intentionally left blank 3.1 SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESOURCES This page is intentionally left blank Poplar Point Redevelopment Draft Environmental Impact Statement 3.1.1 Land Use The Poplar Point Project Area is located within Anacostia Park in the southeast quadrant of Washington, DC. Land uses within and around the Project Area were inventoried to characterize the current setting. The inventories were conducted using existing reports, field inspections and surveys, comprehensive plans, aerial photography, and maps. The Land Use study area includes the Poplar Point Project Area and a surrounding context area with a radius of approximately one to two miles. A larger study area is necessary for this analysis because changes to land use or development patterns at the scale contemplated under the Action Alternatives would likely have impacts beyond the immediate location. 3.1.1.1 Project Area Land Uses The current land use classification for the Project Area is parkland/open space. Specific land uses within Poplar Point include the NPS Administrative Complex, former plant nurseries, transportation infrastructure, and parkland/open space. The remainder of the Project Area, including southern Anacostia Park and the North Field, consists of parkland/open space. Specific land uses include the Anacostia Field House, boat launch, riverwalk, playfields, playgrounds, picnic facilities, tennis and basketball courts, meadows, a skate pavilion, and parking. 3.1.1.2 Adjacent Land Uses There are a variety of land uses within the vicinity of the Poplar Point Project Area. While the adjacent areas generally consist of infrastructure or government use, there are a number of existing residential neighborhoods and ongoing redevelopment projects in the nearby area. Figure 3.1.1 shows the existing and proposed uses in the vicinity of the Project Area. The northern portion of Anacostia Park is located north and west of the Project Area. It contains a total of more than 1,200 acres, including the Project Area, and extends north to encompass Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, the Langston Golf Course and Kenilworth Marsh. Anacostia Park is owned by the federal government and managed by NPS. A large parking garage for WMATA’s Anacostia Station occupies approximately 9 acres adjacent to the Poplar Point Project Area. The Metro garage serves riders on Metro’s Green Line. Also adjacent to the Project Area, the Howard Road parcels encompass approximately 11 acres of land located along Howard Road north of I- 295. These parcels are privately owned and have been in negotiations for redevelopment. Other nearby uses include a WASA pump station located amongst the ramps leading to the Anacostia Freeway, and the Anacostia Naval Station. The pump station is a two-story structure that pumps combined wastewater from the Anacostia Main Interceptor to the outfall sewers that lead to the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Anacostia Naval Station is located west of the Project Area and it is home to the Defense Information System Agency’s White House Communications Agency and the Navy Housing Office. Bolling Air Force Base is located south of the Anacostia Naval Station near the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. It hosts the 11th Wing and the primary mission is to provide comprehensive Affected Environment 3.1-1 Socio-Economic Resources Poplar Point Redevelopment base operating support to all assigned Air Force organizations and personnel along with flagship ceremonial and musical ambassadorship worldwide. 3.1-2 Affected Environment Poplar Point Redevelopment Draft Environmental Impact Statement Figure 3.1.1 Site Context Map Source: AECOM, 2010 Affected Environment 3.1-3 Socio-Economic Resources Poplar Point Redevelopment 3.1.1.3 Surrounding Land Uses The larger community surrounding the Poplar Point Project Area includes a variety of neighborhoods located east and west of the Anacostia River (See Figure 3.1.2). The Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Avenue business corridor serves as the main commercial spine of historic Anacostia. The predominant land use along MLK Avenue is mixed-use with retail and commercial businesses occupying most of the buildings’ ground floors, with office and residential uses on the upper floors. Anacostia Heights is a geographically large neighborhood located directly south of MLK Avenue and bounded to the northeast by Good Hope Road, to the southwest by Howard Road, and to the southeast by Fort Stanton Park. The predominant land use in the neighborhood is residential, as it primarily consists of single- family detached and row housing. The Fairlawn neighborhood is located north of Anacostia Heights and east of the MLK Avenue business corridor. Existing uses include single-family detached residential houses and several multi-family residential buildings. The Barry Farm neighborhood is located adjacent to historic Anacostia and consists of multi-family units of public housing. A redevelopment plan for Barry Farm was completed in 2006 and proposes strategies to increase residential capacity and physically improve the neighborhood in conjunction with a financial strategy to accomplish the vision. The goal of the plan is to create a community that provides affordable housing options, civic and cultural engagement, economic opportunity, and increased safety. The plan attempts to reestablish a connection with the greater Anacostia community and integrate itself with concurrent redevelopment efforts. In addition to these existing residential and commercial areas, the St. Elizabeths campus is currently undergoing redevelopment. The District operates a hospital on the east campus and has prepared a plan for its redevelopment. The west campus was acquired by the General Services Administration (GSA) in 2004 and is currently being developed with federal office space to house the Department of Homeland Security. West of the River, the Capitol Riverfront Area is also undergoing redevelopment. The Washington National’s Ballpark was completed in 2008, but the mix of retail, restaurant, conference, and other uses planned for the perimeter of the Ballpark have not yet been fully implemented. In particular, the WMATA bus garage and the Florida Rock batch cement plant are currently slated for redevelopment as mixed-use projects. In addition, nearby Buzzard Point contains a power plant owned and operated by PEPCO that is expected to be retired by 2012 and available for redevelopment. The Southeast Federal Center (SEFC) is located across the Anacostia River from the Project Area, immediately west of the Washington Navy Yard. It is being redeveloped as “The Yards,” a mixed-use, higher-density neighborhood on the waterfront with residential, retail, and commercial space. The 42-acre development will ultimately include 3.2 million square feet of residential and office space and more than 5 acres of open space, including a new waterfront park that recently opened. The development is planned as a multi-phased project, anticipated to take between 10 and 20 years to fully complete. 3.1-4 Affected Environment Poplar Point Redevelopment Draft Environmental Impact Statement The Washington Navy Yard is located directly across the Anacostia River from the Project Area and is a secure, active military center. A waterfront promenade runs along the Navy Yard’s water frontage, ending at the property line between the Navy Yard and the Southeast Federal Center. There is currently no waterfront connection between the Navy Yard and bordering properties. East Potomac Park is a large expanse of open space in the southwest quadrant of Washington, DC. It is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. The park contains public recreational facilities such as East Potomac Golf Course, a mini-golf course, a public pool, and the East Potomac Tennis Center. Affected Environment 3.1-5 Socio-Economic Resources Poplar Point Redevelopment Figure 3.1.2 Anacostia Neighborhoods Map Source: AECOM, 2010 Affected Environment 3.1-6 Poplar Point Redevelopment Draft Environmental Impact Statement 3.1.2 Planning Controls and Policies The federal land transfer and redevelopment of Poplar Point is subject to several plans and policies put forth by a variety of regulatory agencies. The controls that guide land use planning at both the federal and local levels establish the regulatory framework for the sites’ potential development. A review of these plans and policies is provided below. 3.1.2.1 Federal Plans and Policies Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital: Federal Elements The Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital is the principal planning document for the National Capital region. The Comprehensive Plan includes both Federal and District Elements (described below) and contains goals, objectives, and planning policies to guide growth and development in the District of Columbia and the greater metropolitan area. Federal Environment: The Federal Environment Element of the Comprehensive Plan states: “it is the goal of the federal government to conduct its activities and manage its property in a manner that promotes the National Capital Region as a leader in environmental stewardship and preserves, protects, and enhances the quality of the region’s natural resources, providing a setting that benefits the local community, provides a model for the country, and is worthy of a national Capital.” The policies relevant to local water quality include upgrading the sewage treatment system and separating it from the sanitary sewer