A New Day for the anacostia a national model for urban river revitalization dc Appleseed 2011 A national Model for urban river revitalization 1 Cover art from D.C. Office of Planning 2 a new day for the anacostia preface The Anacostia River has long been considered Washington’s “other” river—one that divides our city, our region, and our Nation’s Capital economically, geographically, racially, and socially. For more than 20 years, many individuals, organizations, and agencies have worked passionately and tirelessly in the face of huge challenges and much resignation to address these injustices and improve the condition of this River and its tributaries. Today, the once-forgotten Anacostia has been rediscovered and embraced as a precious resource by our community’s residents and by local and regional government leaders. During these years much has been achieved. The discharge of raw sewage is being addressed, wetlands are being restored, and trash has been reduced. For the first time, a comprehensive restoration plan now exists. The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative has helped catalyze $3 billion of investments along the Capitol Riverfront. New and improved riverside parks are providing new civic spaces for rest, relaxation, and recreation in the midst of a congested urban environment. Through it all, DC Appleseed, its dedicated staff and extraordinary Board, have played a critical leadership role. Their 1999 report called for the District government to improve its stormwater management and administration and adopt an impervious surface fee. In 2003, they led the way in calling for the development of a compre- hensive Anacostia restoration plan. And they have been—and continue to be—instrumental in bringing about improved regulations, policies, and environmental standards for waterfront development. Yet DC Appleseed would be the first to acknowledge that much work remains to be done. Despite solid prog- ress, the Anacostia remains one of the most degraded urban rivers in the nation. This report, then, is designed to assess the current state of the restoration effort, and to offer substantive recommendations that can accelerate the restoration process. Over these past two decades, nearly every step forward has occurred despite claims that “it can’t be done,” “no one really cares,” and “it will always be the way it is.” While fully aware of the challenges ahead, DC Apple- seed proudly stands for a new future: a clean and active Anacostia, with healthy recreational opportunities, a pristine shoreline uncluttered by trash, green jobs and economic development, revitalized neighborhoods, and a valuable resource for those who come from near and far to enjoy its contribution to a vital, improved, sustainable quality of life for the city and region. Imagine the day, 15 or 20 years from now, when our children swim in this beautiful River, fishermen pull their fresh, healthy catch from its waters, and we all reflect on the transformation that has occurred in the Anacostia and its watershed. This report will help bring that new day closer. Linda Howard, Executive Director Summit Fund of Washington i acknowledgements DC Appleseed would like to thank the wonderful pro bono professionals from Cornerstone Research, Covington & Burling, ERM, Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Patton Boggs, the Summit Fund, and Weil, Gotshal, & Manges for their assistance in researching, drafting, and editing this report. Specifically, we would like to thank Russ Randle from Patton Boggs for his outstanding leadership on this project, and for his generosity with his time and expertise. We would also like to thank project team members Shankar Iyer and Adel Turki from Cornerstone Research, Nick Fels, Amalia Fenton, and Anne Proctor from Covington & Burling, Larry Hosmer from ERM, Allison Carle, Michelle Mitchell, and Bill Stein from Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Ben Ellison, Elizabeth Gill, David Hain, Anne Spiggle, and Scott Stewart from Patton Boggs, Linda Howard from the Summit Fund, Annemargaret Connolly, Thomas Goslin, and Erin Yates from Weil Gotshal & Manges, as well as Uwe Brandes and Gary Ratner. Each has put invaluable time and effort into this project. We would also like to thank George Frampton and Jack Schenendorf of Covington & Burling and Curtis Etherly, DC Appleseed Advisory Board member, for providing the project team with much appreciated input on policy ideas, as well as Atherine Jackson, Crystal Martinez and Lesley Bowling Sachs from Patton Boggs for their generous support. Stephanie Sobchak designed the report, and we greatly appreciate her excellent work. We would also like to thank the Anacostia Watershed Society, the Town of Edmonston, the D.C. Office of Planning, Hickok Cole, Nancy Arazan and Abby Hall of the U.S. E.P.A., and Joe Mauro for their generous donation of the photographs and renderings used in this report. Our work was informed by interviews and discussions with over 40 professionals from government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector throughout the 2010 calendar year who generously shared their thoughts on key clean-up issues and provided feedback on preliminary policy ideas. We greatly appreciate the time and insight that these individuals provided. We are also grateful to Dana Minerva from the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership, Ted Graham from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and Joshua Wyner, a member of the DC Appleseed Advisory Board for reviewing an earlier draft of this report. We’d like to thank the members of the DC Appleseed Board of Directors who contributed to this project. Board members on the project team include Annemargaret Connolly, Nick Fels, Russ Randle, Gary Ratner, and Bill Stein. We are grateful to Deborah Chollet, Richard Herzog, Robert Levey, and James Rathvon for reviewing the report and helping us to refine it. Many thanks to our current colleagues at DC Appleseed for their feedback and support: Paola Barahona, Judy Berman, Terra Green, Desmond Riley, Walter Smith, and Wayne Turner, as well as to our former colleagues James Jones and Evan Winerman, and our 2011 interns, Kevin Hilgers and Esther Cajuste. Finally, DC Appleseed is extremely grateful to The Bancroft Foundation, The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, The Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation, MARPAT Foundation, The Meyer Foundation, and The Summit Fund of Washington whose generous ongoing support made this work possible. ii a new day for the anacostia Projectj team Uwe S. BrandeS, Vice President, Initiatives, ULI-theUrban Land Institute alliSon Carle, Associate, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP annemargaret Connolly, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Brooke derenziS, Project Director, DC Appleseed Ben elliSon, Associate, Patton Boggs, LLP niCk FelS, Retired Partner, Covington & Burling, LLP amalia Fenton, Associate, Covington & Burling, LLP elizaBeth gill, Associate, Patton Boggs, LLP thomaS goSlin, Associate, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP david hain, Associate, Patton Boggs, LLP larry hoSmer, Professional Engineer, Environmental Resources Management linda howard, Executive Director, Summit Fund Shankar iyer, Principal, Cornerstone Research miChelle mitChell, Associate, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP anne ProCtor, Pro Bono Counsel, Covington & Burling, LLP rUSS randle, Partner, Patton Boggs, LLP gary ratner, Executive Director, Citizens for Effective Schools anne SPiggle, Associate, Patton Boggs, LLP william Stein, Partner, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP SCott Stewart, Partner, Patton Boggs, LLP adel tUrki, Senior Vice President, Cornerstone Research evan winerman, Former Program Associate, DC Appleseed erin yateS, Associate, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP A national Model for urban river revitalization iii Partner Organizations dC aPPleSeed is a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy orga- Covington & BUrling, llP has had a strong commitment nization dedicated to making the District of Columbia and to public service since its founding over 90 years ago. Our pro the Washington Metropolitan area a better place to live and bono program encompasses a wide range of areas, including work. By bringing together pro bono teams of top caliber freedom of expression and religion; civil rights and civil attorneys, corporate executives, and other experts, DC liberties; gay rights; family law; education; landlord/tenant; Appleseed is able to turn the work of a small and highly homelessness; employment; criminal and court-appointed qualified staff into a formidable team of effective advocates cases; police misconduct; environmental law; fairness in for change. Project teams work with DC Appleseed staff to government procurements and grants; intellectual property; identify serious local issues that can be addressed by local veterans benefits claims, and nonprofit incorporation and tax. or federal government action, conduct research, rigorously The firm is involved in systemic reform projects concerning analyze, and develop reasoned recommendations for systemic prisons, public housing, and mental health and juvenile improvement. The project teams typically publish their anal- justice systems. The American Lawyer magazine noting the ysis and engage in advocacy designed to build support for the tens of thousands of hours of pro bono service has ranked adoption and implementation of those recommendations. Covington’s pro bono practice among the top three firms for Since its founding in 1994, DC Appleseed has proven its 15 of the past 19 years. ability to take on thorny public policy problems and identify sensible solutions. environmental reSoUrCeS management