Memorandum of Actions for the June 4, 2020 Commission Meeting
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MEMORANDUM OF ACTIONS TAKEN AT COMMISSION MEETING ON June 4, 2020 Open Session: Meeting Conducted Online Present: Thomas M. Gallas (Vice-Chairman) Beth White Arrington Dixon Linda Argo Paul McMahon Jr. (Department of Defense) Peter May (Department of the Interior) Mina Wright (General Services Administration) Daniel Spino (Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs) Wendy Ginsberg (House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform) Andrew Trueblood (District of Columbia Office of the Mayor) Evan Cash (Council of the District of Columbia) * * * Vice-Chairman Gallas called the meeting to order. He requested a moment of silence for those affected by COVID19, and for the recent events in Washington, DC and across the nation. 1. Commission Roll Call Secretary Koster conducted a voice roll call with Commissioners Trueblood, McMahon, May, Argo, White, Gallas, Wright, Dixon, Cash, Spino, and Ginsberg present. Marcel Acosta, Executive Director, Anne Schuyler, General Counsel and Diane Sullivan, Director of Urban Design and Plan Review were also in the meeting. The agenda was adopted as the order of business. Vice-Chairman Gallas explained the procedures the Commission would use for online meetings. 2. Elect Commissioner to Run the Open Session O-1 UPON MOTION by Commissioner Wright, seconded by Commissioner White, and carried, Commissioner Spino abstaining, the Commission elected Commissioner Gallas to run the June Meeting. 3. Report of the Chairman Chair Gallas noted that this was the second online Commission meeting, and thanked staff. 4. Report of the Executive Director During the past month, the Executive Director took the following actions under the Commission’s delegation authority. Unless otherwise noted, all projects are in Washington, DC. 1. Preliminary and final site development plans for the U.S. Department of Justice Robert F. Kennedy Federal Building Flood Barrier, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. (8171) 2. Preliminary site development plans for the Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Avenue Pedestrian Crosswalk Relocation, 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, Virginia. (8174) 3. Preliminary and final site development plans for the Chevy Chase Circle Fountain Lighting, Chevy Chase Circle, NW. (8162) 4. Comments to the Council of the District of Columbia for the Closing of a Public Alley in Square 5860 - S.O. 16 - 27269, 740-744 Howard Road, SE. (7841) 5. A report to the Zoning Commission of the District of Columbia for a Text Amendment to the Preferred Uses for the Capitol Gateway Zone. (ZC 20-04) 6. A report to the Zoning Commission of the District of Columbia for a Text Amendment Regarding Eating and Drinking Establishments in Arts Zones. (ZC 20-05) 7. A report to the Zoning Commission of the District of Columbia for a Text Amendment for a Six-Month Extension of Board of Zoning Adjustment and Zoning Commission Orders. (ZC 20-07) Planning Updates Comprehensive Plan: Transportation and Federal Workplace Elements Staff continues to work with federal and District agencies to refine polices in the draft Transportation and Federal Workplace Elements. Over the past 60 days, staff conducted outreach to key agencies and stakeholders to discuss Transportation Monitoring Plans and revised parking ratios proposed in the Transportation Element. Staff anticipates submitting the Transportation Element to the Commission for adoption in July and the Federal Workplace Element in the fall. Pennsylvania Avenue Initiative Initiative partners are working to identify potential Avenue improvements and are considering recommendations for how the Avenue could serve as a future location for periodic nationally O-2 significant cultural celebrations. An advisor to the Executive Committee is engaging with potential partners to develop long-range programming recommendations for an operational framework and planning approach to further this effort. Post COVID, the Executive Committee looks forward to discussing these recommendations and opportunities with stakeholders. Monumental Core Streetscape Guide and Manual On Friday, May 29 the Interagency Working Group met to review draft street tree guidelines that address tree canopy, form, planting patterns, and sensory attributes. These features contribute to community identity, add beauty and shade, strengthen important views, and add economic value. The health and function of trees contributes to the city’s 40 percent tree canopy coverage goal; provide habitat for typical wildlife, reduce water, air, and noise pollution; produce oxygen; and absorb greenhouse gases. Over the summer, the working group will begin considering streetscape stormwater management guidelines. Draft Prince William County Innovation Park Small Area Plan Staff reviewed and provided comments on the draft Prince William Innovation Park Small Area Plan. The plan proposes a mobility strategy which anticipates improved access to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Office which is located within the Innovation Park area. The small area plan also encompasses multiple watersheds, including areas designated as Federal Emergency Management Agency 100-year floodplains and Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area zones. Draft Wetland and Floodplain Regulations On Friday, May 15, 2020 Jennifer Dietzen, Environmental Protection Specialist at the District Department of Energy & Environment and Nicholas Bonard, Branch Chief, Water Resources Protection & Mitigation Regulatory Review Division shared the District of Columbia’s draft guidelines for new wetland and floodplain regulations. They reviewed the wetland regulatory review process, restoration, flood maps, and guidelines for the permitting and review process. Over twenty staff from NCPC and the National Park Service attended this online meeting. Tidal Basin Idea Lab The Tidal Basin is increasingly threatened by land instability, daily flooding, and crumbling infrastructure. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Trust for the National Mall, in partnership with the National Park Service, invited five landscape architecture firms to participate in an Ideas Lab. Their charge was to solve the Tidal Basin’s complex problems by reimagining its future with innovative and forward-thinking solutions. On February 13, the firms convened in Washington, DC to present preliminary ideas to an advisory panel (which includes Beth Miller, Director, Physical Planning Division). They reconvened virtually on May 27 to present their bold and innovative solutions that consider the importance of the cultural landscape and draw upon historical and projected environmental conditions to explore a wide range of interventions. A curated virtual exhibit of the Ideas Lab outcomes will be launched this fall. O-3 Public Outreach Executive Director Featured in Leadership Insights Column In May, the Urban Land Institute Washington published a piece by the Executive Director in its Leadership Insights Column. The story focused on how the coronavirus impacted NCPC’s Commission meetings and how the agency used technology and changed some of the Commission’s procedures to adapt. The story can be read on the ULI website. 5. Legislative Update The General Counsel had nothing to report. 6. CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS UPON MOTION by Commissioner May, seconded by Commissioner Argo, and carried, Commissioners Ginsberg and Spino abstaining, the Commission approved the Consent Calendar. 6A. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Independence Avenue, SW, South of the JFK Hockey Fields, Washington, DC - U.S. Park Police Stables Replacement and Site Improvements (NCPC File No. 8170) The Commission, pursuant to 40 U.S.C. § 8722(b)(1) and (d), advised the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, that it: Approves the preliminary and final site and building development plans for the US Park Police Stables Replacement and Site Improvements, located on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Commends the applicant for proposing Low Impact Development (LID) strategies to reduce the amount of impervious surface area, capture stormwater runoff, and generate renewable energy. Building Design Notes the National Park Service considered multiple design alternatives for the redevelopment of the USPP Stables with differences in layout, symmetry, materials, and site composition in the concept review. Notes the Commission expressed support for Alternatives “1” and “2” at concept review, and NPS has selected Alternative “1” which includes a symmetrical building parallel to Ash Road O-4 as the preferred design because it best meets the needs of the USPP and responds to the surrounding context. Finds the orientation, massing, and design of the stables will elevate its prominence as a public attraction, improves overall function, and is sensitively designed to respect the prominence and hierarchy of the monuments and memorials on the National Mall. Notes the proposed building materials are consistent with the Commission’s preference in the concept review. Finds the submitted renderings and perspectives communicate a welcoming approach from Ash Road to the public education area that is appropriate for the building program and in context of the National Mall. Site Design Finds the public paddocks will be a popular attraction on the National Mall that draws visitors to approach the paddocks and public education area. Recommends the applicant consider using reinforced turfgrass between the public paddocks and Ash Road instead of regular turfgrass to endure high volumes of foot