Land Use Issues in Kingman Park September 2006

This pdf is an abbreviated version of a presentation on the land use struggle in which our community is currently engaged. It is an attempt to broaden the scope of public understanding of the issues involved from the view point of many residents of the neighborhood. The story begins long before this presenta- tion, but the earliest stages excluded the residents. Once the SEED School had a very well developed land acquisition strategy, the public began to get word of the impending Congressional legislation, but not until then.

On July 15, 2005 the first official document relevant to this land dispute (pg.1) was issued by Joshua Bolton (then the Director of the Office of Management and Budget). The proposed land transfer package was a group of land parcels (largely National Park Service land) that would be exchanged between the District and the federal government. Some parcels would move from District control to federal control while others would do the reverse. This was originally referred to as the Federal and District of Columbia Government Real Property Act of 2005 (pg.3). One of the many parcels (pg.2) was a portion of the overall Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium land parcel which had been leased to the District for the purpose of housing a baseball stadium (football back to baseball). The parcel in question runs between on the north end, the Orange/Blue Metro line on the east side, C Street NE on the south, and Oklahoma Avenue on the west (pg. 4). While all of the other parcels of land have contin- ued on in Congress as a package (S.1838 and HR3699), this one parcel was separated out and attached to the DC Appropriations Bill (S.1446) which was passed by Congress November 2005.

It is our contention that in arranging for the transfer of National Park Service land to D.C. with the specif- ic designation of the land to be used for a public charter school, or even more specifically the SEED School campus, the Mayor is ignoring his obligation to abide by the procedures set forth in the District Charter (pg. 5-7).

This same parcel of land has been hotly contested over the years. Many other projects were attempted. Among these attempts were an amusement park, a surface level subway stop, construction on the west bank of the and a football stadium. The National Cadillac Grand Prix auto racetrack was built in 2002 (pg.8). The current project under consideration is a new branch of the SEED School currently in operation in Ward 7 (pg. 9). The land is currently used as both a parking lot for RFK stadium and as a park for the residents. Many activities important to the daily lives of the residents take place there (pg. 10-13).

The property has a long history which contributes to its unsuitability as a construction site. It is landfill, in a flood plain with high levels of materials such as lead and benzene (pg. 14-25). In 1993 an Environmental Impact Study was done because of the proposed construction of the Jack Cooke football stadium and the District had this information when it chose to construct the Grand Prix race- track, regardless of the potential negative health effects to the residents (pg. 20-25). The District’s own Department of Health guidelines for the control of fugitive dust which are linked to the federal Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Act D.C. Law 2-23 were not properly followed (pg. 26-27).

During the recent debate over the location of the new stadium for the Nationals many different figures were mentioned for remediation of the soil north of RFK (pg.28) with figures as high as $150,000,000 being mentioned. This cost would be the responsibility of the District since the language concerning fed- eral liability for hazardous materials cleanup is not included in the version passed in the DC Appropriations bill (S.1446).

Given that there are more than two dozen schools currently in operation within approximately a one mile radius from the land parcel in question, one must wonder about the cost-benefit basis for this project (pg 29-31). Immediately north of the parcel is a complex of four schools, with another complex of three schools directly to the west.

Proposed construction would block the river and greenery for the residents in the area (pg.32). One rea- son that the subway is elevated at this point is that the residents already fought hard to have it built above ground for that very reason...to have access to the . This is not just some vacant lot, it is a National Park. Access to the Metro line for repairs is also critical. The recent repair work done on the Orange/Blue lines entailed many vehicles and people and required a great deal of space around the Metro line (pg. 33). These preliminary sketches for the SEED campus do not follow either the limit to 15 acres, nor take into account the space required around the Metro line (pg. 34-35).

The residents have seen many years of plans that have been presented with lovely green parks and recreation space depicted. The Anacostia RiverWalk, the Environmental Education Center, and the plans by the National Capital Planning Commission have all indicated that this land would eventually be open, green and beautiful. (p.36-47). The existing Comprehensive Plan shows it as green park land (p.42). The current proposal by Eleanor Holmes Norton to include it in the National Mall expansion is another exciting plan (p. 43). Several publications by the National Capital Planning Commission (Monuments and Memorials, Extending the Legacy, Washington’s Waterfronts) have all represented the land as green space (p.44-47). It is no wonder that the residents were shocked and sur- prised by the sudden, dramatic shift in priorities. Many didn’t believe it was true. Many still don’t.

In addition, there is a positive educational direction that isn’t being discussed which is similar to the position of Storm Cunningham in the book The Restoration Economy (p.48). The land is in need of remediation and the site could be used as a nexus for all kinds of environmental groups, research, cleanup and education. This is a growth economy since we have made such a mess of our environ- ment.

The District has already had the property assessed and it is listed on the District Real Property web site at $34,000,000 including “improvements” (pg. 49-50).

The chaos of land use issues is detrimental to the well being of all who choose to reside in the District (p. 51). It is up to the citizenry to pull together and help sort this out or we will all suffer, not just the resi- dents of Kingman Park. In July of 2005, Joshua Bolton, then director of the Office of Management and Budget now the President’s Chief of Staff, sent a proposal to Congress in which parcels of land would be transferred from the National Park Service to the District of Columbia in exchange for certain strategically placed parcels of District land.

1 This land is actually North Anacostia Park.

2 This is the overall map published by the National Park Service which illustrates the various land parcels in question. The orange circles and green triangles denote the land parcels which the District would transfer to the federal government in either jurisdiction or conveyance. The yellow indicates the land parcels which the National Park Service would convey to the District of Columbia while the pink indicate parcels that would transfer jurisdiction to the District. The parcel we are focusing on is parcel number 7 indicated here with a pink ring.

3 Kingman Park

The area delineated in red is a park area commonly known to the residents as Kingman Park. It is bounded by Benning Road on the north, the Orange/Blue line metro on the east, C Street NE on the south, and Oklahoma Avenue on the west. The transfer language concerning just this parcel was eventually spun off and attached to the DC Appropriations Bill (S. 1466) and passed into law in November of 2005. The transfer language is as follows: SEC. 131. CONVEYANCE OF TITLE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.—Section 7 of the District of Columbia Stadium Act of 1957 (Public Law 85–300, 71 Stat. 619), as amended, is further amended by inserting after paragraph (d)(4) the following: ‘‘(e)(1) Upon receipt of a written description from the District of Columbia of not more than 15 contiguous acres (hereinafter referred to as ‘the 15 acres’), with the longest side of the 15 acres abutting one of the roads bounding the property, within the area designated ‘D’ on the revised map entitled ‘Map to Designate Transfer of Stadium and Lease of Parking Lots to the District’ and bound by Oklahoma Avenue, NE, Benning Road, NE, the Metro line, and C Street, NE, and execution of a long-term lease that is contingent up the Secretary’s conveyance of the 15 acres and for the purpose consistent with this paragraph, the Secretary shall convey the 15 acres described land to the District of Columbia for the purpose of siting, developing, and operating an educational institution for the public welfare, with first preference given to a pre-collegiate public boarding school. ‘‘(2) Upon conveyance, the portion of the stadium lease that affects the15 acres on the property and all the conditions associated therewith shall terminate, and the 15 acres property shall be removed from the ‘Map to Designate Transfer of Stadium and Lease of Parking Lots to the District’, and the long-term lease described in paragraph (1) shall take effect immediately.’’.

4 D.C. residents finally gained the right to vote in national elections in 1964. A presidentially-appointed mayor and city council replaced the Commissioners in 1967; a popularly elected school board followed a year later. In 1971 D.C. won representation in Congress, albeit nonvoting. "Full" home rule, however, took until 1975, and was won only after bitter clashes with members of Congress. Five times between 1955 and 1965, Representative John McMillan (D-South Carolina and head of the House District Committee) killed bills granting voting rights to D.C. residents. McMillan asserted, "No one seems to object to the work performed by this committee, except the public." (2) To gain home rule, activists had to go to South Carolina and campaign for the defeat of McMillan in the race for his Congressional seat in 1972. Congress restricted home rule in a number of ways. It retains full authority over the city's budget, even though its subsidies account for only one-seventh of the District's revenue. Federal law bars the city government from taxing commuters, which forces its residents to shoulder one of the highest tax rates in the U.S. Other federal territories which have similarly restricted representation in Congress like Guam, American Samoa and Puerto Rico don't pay federal income tax, but not so in D.C. D.C. residents still lack a vote in Congress. In addition, D.C. has many of the responsibilities normally provided for by state governments, among them prisons, Medicare, courts, welfare, roads, and tax collection.

In arranging for the transfer of National Park Service land to D.C. with the specific designation of the land to be used for a public charter school, or even more specifically the SEED School campus, the Mayor is ignoring his obligation to abide by the Comprehensive Plan in the development of District land. The Mayor must consider the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan, as it was specifically mandated in the Home Rule Act of 1973, and codified in the D.C. Code. Under the D.C. Code, the Comprehensive Plan is the one plan that guides the District's development. It provides overall direction and shapes all physical plans the D.C. government adopts. All plans relating to the city's physical development should be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and coordinate with other agencies to ensure overall allegiance to the Plan's policies.

5 In carrying out his responsibilities under this section, the Mayor shall establish procedures for citizen involvement in the planning process and for appropriate meaningful consultation with any state or local government or planning agency in the National Capital region affected by any aspect of a proposed District element of the comprehensive plan (including amendments thereto) affecting or relating to the District.

This portion of the DC Home Rule Act specifically defines the Mayor’s responsibilities and the process for municipal planning.

SEC. 423. [D.C. Code 1-244]. (a) The Mayor shall be the central planning agency for the District. He shall be responsible for the coordination of planning activities of the municipal government and the preparation and implementation of the District's elements of the comprehensive plan for the National Capital which may include land use elements, urban renewal and redevelopment elements, a multi-year program of municipal public works for the District, and physical, social, economic, transportation, and population elements. The Mayor's planning responsibility shall not extend to federal and international projects and developments in the District, as determined by the National Capital Planning Commission, or to the Capitol buildings and grounds as defined in sections 1 and 16 of the Act of July 31, 1946 [An Act To define the area of the United States Capitol Grounds, to regulate the use thereof, and for other purposes (60 Stat. 718, 721), D.C. Code 9- 106 and 9-128], or to any extension thereof or addition thereto, or to buildings and grounds under the care of the Architect of the Capitol. In carrying out his responsibilities under this section, the Mayor shall establish procedures for citizen involvement in the planning process and for appropriate meaningful consultation with any state or local government or planning agency in the National Capital region affected by any aspect of a proposed District element of the comprehensive plan (including amendments thereto) affecting or relating to the District.

The Mayor must determine the community's needs and wants before arranging the development of the land the community currently uses for recreational purposes. The Comprehensive Plan calls for the community's needs to be assessed and for the community to have an active voice before land is developed. Achieving community goals and defining the requirements of District residents are major purposes of the Plan. Also, the Plan specifically calls for participatory planning processes in the reuse of large federal sites, as seen in this situation. It calls for redevelopment of public sites to provide benefits to surrounding neighborhoods. The impact of new development of federal land on adjacent neighborhoods must be addressed. Yet, the Mayor has ignored this process which he is obligated to abide by. The Kingman Park community's current and desired use of the land should guide the development of the land.

6 The Mayor shall submit the District's elements and amendments thereto to the Council for revision or modification, and adoption by act, following public hearings. Following adoption and prior to implementation, the Council shall submit such elements and amendments thereto to the National Capital Planning Commission for review and comment with regard to the impact of such elements or amendments on the interests and functions of the federal establishment, as determined by the Commission.

(b) The Mayor shall submit the District's elements and amendments thereto to the Council for revision or modification, and adoption by act, following public hearings. Following adoption and prior to implementation, the Council shall submit such elements and amendments thereto to the National Capital Planning Commission for review and comment with regard to the impact of such elements or amendments on the interests and functions of the federal establishment, as determined by the Commission. (c) Such elements and amendments thereto shall be subject to and limited by determinations with respect to the interests and functions of the federal establishment as determined in the manner provided by act of Congress.

Since Congresswoman Norton is supposedly a proponent of DC receiving the vote, one can only wonder why she is a co-sponsor of a bill that contains language which directly violates the process of home rule. In addition, since the National Capital Planning Commission is the next step in the process of ratification, it is a conflict of interest for the Congresswoman to also be a member of that Commission along with Senator Susan Collins (Co-sponsor of S.1838), the Mayor, and Congressman Tom Davis (Co-sponsor of HR3699 with Norton).

7 National Cadillac Grand Prix 2002

The National Cadillac Grand Prix of Washington took place on the grounds of RFK Stadium July 19th through 21st, 2002 and featured races of four sanctioning bodies: American Le Mans, Trans-Am, World Challenge and Star Mazda. • When: Sunday; gates opened at 8 a.m. • Where: 1.7-mile, seven-turn temporary road course in parking lots surrounding RFK Stadium. During the construction of this racetrack, 133 trees were bulldozed by the construction team. The District promised to replant those trees, but never has. The residents of the area were not protected from hazardous materials during the construction of the racetrack.

8 2005 demonstration by Save Our Schools, Friends of Kingman Park, and the Kingman Park Civic Association in front of the SEED Foundation headquarters on Eye Street in Washington DC to protest the proposed construction in the park (Kingman Park). The park has been contested territory for a very long time.

9 The park is regularly used for recreation by many different kinds of groups. St. Benedict the Moor catholic church and school is located at the 21st Street (south west) corner of the park. The students use the park for their recreation and team sports as the school has no playground area of its own.

10 Great Blue Heron ()

Great Blue Heron (Kingman Lake). The birds shown throughout this presentation are at least seasonal residents of the Kingman Lake, Heritage Island or Kingman Island and the adjacent stretch of the Anacostia River. These photos were taken by local residents Mary and Peter Vankevich.

11 Our Places to Meet.

The Farmers’ Market has been a regular feature in Kingman Park for many years. The fresh produce and camaraderie are very important to the residents.

The area depends on the Farmers’ Market which meets on the north end of the park every Thursday and Saturday. The Market is being canceled on the days that the National’s have home day games. The resultant irregularity of schedule has decimated the ranks of the vendors, causing many to search for more dependable venues. There is a petition drive/letter writing campaign underway to ask that the north end of the parcel be blocked off so that the Market may be held regularly. The parking lot area is never so full that the north end is required by baseball fans.

12 The Park is a priceless resource.

The open, public, fenceless expanse of greensward is unique in the area of the District. Kingman Park is one of the only locations where team play is possible without making a reservation and where parking and public transportation are readily available.

The buffer between the residential and the wild, natural areas is an important transition. Many kinds of animals from opossums to foxes and herons to geese live on Kingman and Heritage Islands. The park allows a buffer to protect both residents and wild animals. It was put in place to serve as a buffer between the residents and the stadium.

13 Original Anacostia Riverbed

The Anacostia River original riverbed is shown here in blue. It was dramatically different from that which exists today. Both Heritage and Kingman Islands were created by the Army Corps of Engineers.

In 1898, the Army Corps of Engineers determined that action was needed to maintain access to the Navy Yard, assure the river as a navigable waterway for commerce, and remove unsanitary conditions caused by the threat of malaria and the dumping of sewage in the tidal flats. These mitigation efforts would continue throughout much of the 20th century, drastically changing the shape of the Anacostia and providing the city with much-needed new parkland. In 1902, Congress approved funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge a portion of the tidal Anacostia up to the Anacostia Navy Yard and a smaller channel upriver to the District line.

14 Landfill

The yellow area represents the western shoreline area that is landfill shaped by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The description of the land from the District’s own Web site for the Office of Planning:

RFK/NPS Buffer and Recreation Area The land in the RFK/NPS Buffer and Recreation Area is made up of Udorthents (U1), Udorthents-Sandy (U3), Udorthents-smoothed (U6), and Urban land (Ub). In general, these mapping units have poor potential for building, except for Urban land which is comprised mainly of areas covered with roads, buildings or other structures. Areas with U6 soils have good to fair potential as recreational areas, lawns, landscaping, and vegetable gardens. These three mapping units are characterized by high levels of disturbance and have been subject to cutting, filling, and development. Approximately 74 percent of the area in the RFK/NPS Buffer and Recreation area is made up of fill material. Due to the disturbed nature of soils in the RFK/NPS Buffer and Recreation area and the presence of uncontrolled fill, determination of uses and limitations of the soils and potential geotechnical constraints associated with development on the soils is not possible based on available information. The presence of uncontrolled fill in the RFK/NPS Buffer and Recreation area could result in differential settling, variability in bearing capacities, and unstable conditions for the placement of foundations and other structures. Onsite characterization of soil/fill conditions will be necessary to determine potential development constraints and geotechnical engineering requirements necessary to overcome the constraints. 15 Site Proposed on New Draft Comprehensive Plan Map

At the Ward 7 meeting held at Kelly Miller Middle School the new draft Comprehensive Plan for District land use showed the proposed 15 acre parcel for the construction of a walled, 3 to four story, 600+ student, 24-hour residential school as the northern portion of the land parcel. The southern most area is currently the soccer practice fields for the DC United soccer team. The United are planning to continue to use these fields. The neighborhood has been informed by representatives of the SEED School that they plan to “enhance” the remaining small area of grass and share it with the community for recreational purposes, meaning that their students will emerge from behind their fence to use the area for their team play and recreation. This will leave no area for the exclusive use of the residents in the neighborhood.

16 The land parcel falls within a recently drawn addition to Ward 7. The majority of the land in the SMD is open park land, parking, Kingman Lake, the islands and the Anacostia River. The SEED School already runs a 300 student school in Ward 7 at another location east of the Anacostia next to Fort Chapin Park.

17 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Land Parcel

The area delineated in green illustrates the entire Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Memorial land parcel. The only exclusion is the National Guard Armory.

18 The area in light blue indicates the relevant flood plain area. Clearly, a substantial portion of the area proposed for construction of the school is situated in a flood plain.

19 1993 Environmental Impact Study

In 1993, an Environmental Impact Study was done as Jack Kent Cooke wished to build a second stadium on the RFK site immediately north of the current stadium in the parking lot area just east of the Metro line. There were two sets of borings, one set of test pits, and one set of water monitoring wells dug. The information displayed above is primarily from the second set of borings and the monitoring wells. Since many of the tests were taken in locations which overlap, the data was edited for the sake of clarity.

20 1993 Environmental Impact Study

The borings colored yellow represent locations with levels of lead concentrations higher than the acceptable limit of 500 mg/kg. The normal background level used for the 1993 EIS was 300 mg/kg with 500 mg/kg being acceptable level for land which has been remediated.

The borings colored pink represent locations with levels of carcinogenic polynuclear (or polycyclic) aromatic hydrocarbons (a long list of substances one example of which is benzene) with levels of PAHs higher than the acceptable level of 12 mg/kg.

The orange dots are those which contain deposits of heavy hydrocarbons, and the blue are sites with quantities adjudged to acceptable on all counts.

The most relevant sites for the proposed construction area are E-9 and E-8. The level of lead at E-9 was measured at 1,300 mg/kg (or 2.6 times acceptable levels) and the level of PAHs at E-8 was found to be 31 mg/kg (or 2.6 times acceptable levels). A test pit dug near the E-8 site was found to be 58.6 mg/kg (or 4.8 times acceptable levels).

21 In this illustration, the route of the Cadillac Grand Prix was superimposed over the central set of test borings and the water monitoring wells done for the 1993 Environmental Impact Study.

22 One of the first set of test borings made came in very high in lead content at 43,300 mg/kg. When the Grand Prix racetrack was built the track went directly over this area.

23 E-8 and E-9 are close to human habitation and to the construction path of the Grand Prix Race. The site at E-8 is from zero to 2 feet in depth and showed 31 mg/kg PAHs or 2.6 times the acceptable limit for construction workers. At this depth it is very likely that this soil was disturbed in the process of building the Grand Prix racetrack. Two more sites, E-1 and E-4 also show very high levels for lead, and also Chromium at E-4. These were also high at shallow depths, zero to 2 feet for E-1 and 1 to 3 feet for E-4. To say that the District was responsible for the release of materials at this shallow depth during the construction of the Grand Prix racetrack begs credulity.

24 The third set of tests were test pits that were dug again at differing depths. There were between 2-4 test pits dug at each location at differing depths. At TP-9 concentrations of carcinogenic PAHs higher than the 12 mg/kg acceptable limit were found at a depth of .5 to 2 feet. At the same site both PAHs and Lead at high levels were found at a depth of 6.5 to 7.5 feet. At TP-8 high lead levels were found at 4-14 inches, quite shallow. TP-7 has lead levels of 1,100 mg/kg at 2 to 4 feet. TP- 2 along the racetrack course has lead at 4,500 mg/kg or 9 times the level acceptable in remediated soil at a depth of 5.5-6.5 feet. TP-3 has 930 mg/kg at a depth of 6-7 feet.

Residents of the immediate area tell of increased breathing and health problems along with dust coating kitchen counters, interior window sills and home furnishings. More proposed construction, on the very same parcel of land, indicates that the health of the residents is not a priority. Now the District wishes to imperil our health again by releasing even more of these toxic substances into the air. Given this precedent, it is reasonable that residents reject being put at risk again.

25 DOH standards for the Control of Fugitive Dust:

Reasonable precautions shall be taken to minimize the emission of any fugitive dust into the outdoor atmosphere.

These precautions were not followed during the construction of the Grand Prix racetrack in 2002. Residents along Oklahoma Avenue and in the immediate area experienced a steady accumulation of dirt on interior window sills, kitchen counters, and interior furnishings during the construction process.

26 Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Act D.C. Law 2-23

This Control Act was in effect during the construction of the Grand Prix racetrack in 2002.

27 In this Washington Post article from November 6, 2004, Council Chair Linda Cropp estimated the clean up costs for the land just north of RFK at $20,000,000. She stated that one of the advantages of using the RFK site was that an environmental assessment had already been done “and we know what is there.” In the 1993 Environmental Impact Study, one of the conclusions drawn by the authors was that because the site is landfill without natural geologic strata, there was actually no way to draw conclusions about the distribution or concentrations of the toxic materials overall. There could be pockets of very high concentrations immediately next to areas with little. Repeatedly, the authors state that because certain areas will not be excavated, but rather serve as buffer or parking lot areas, the lack of certainty is acceptable. Clearly, if those areas (E-8 and E-9 would be examples) were to be used differently another Environmental Impact Study would be required. The original EIS focused most heavily on the portions of the site relevant to the potential construction of the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium on the south east portion of the north lot area. Less testing was done north west and in the south lot.

28 Existing Schools

There are already more than two dozen schools operating within a radius of approximately one mile from the proposed construction site in the park.

29 This zoomed out view allows 27 school locations to be seen (white numbers). There were 28 but as of July 26 Sasha Bruce Public Charter School has closed. The pink number on the lower right is the current location of the SEED School. This campus is proposed to continue operations in addition to the proposed Kingman Park expansion. These combined operations would bring the student total up to over 900 and put two SEED School campuses into Ward 7.

30 This is the list of school names illustrated here. Notable among them are the two large school campus areas just north and west of the park. The north group is composed of Spingarn, Browne, Young and Phelps. The west group is composed of Eastern High School, Two Rivers Public Charter school and Elliot Junior High. If one stands at the center of the park parcel, one can see both school complexes simultaneously. Superintendent Janey has proposed opening a vocational boarding school on the north campus complex for the construction trades. (March 5, 2006 Washington Post) This idea appears to have wider acceptance by the residents. If both boarding schools are opened there would be two large boarding schools in the immediate area. The massive increase in traffic and population would be hard on the home owners and residents.

The SEED foundation also has a number of corporate partnerships. Also, Vinnakota successfully lobbied Congress to get a line item put into the D.C. public schools budget for boarding school students. (Each D.C. student gets x amount of money, and special needs students might get 1.5x, for example. Because the cost of a boarding school is so high, the SEED school gets 2.7x for each of its students.) This does not include private and corporate donations on top of D.C. funds.

31 3 or 4 Story Tall Buildings Would be Taller than the Metro Line.

The proposed construction of the school complex would be taller than the Metro line. This would block visual as well as physical access to the riverbank and the trees. This would fundamentally change the nature of the neighborhood. It would make the maintenance of the Metro line more difficult. Because the depth of the foundation required for a 4-story building, the stability of the elevated Orange/Blue line could be threatened. The landfill would need to be studied very closely.

32 When the Orange and Blue Metro lines need servicing, a large amount of space is necessary around the elevated line for the vehicles, materials and personnel to carry out the repairs. Plans to build immediately adjacent to the Metro line do not include this necessity.

33 Illustrations of the proposed land use plans drawn up for the SEED School by the architectural firm of Grimm and Parker.

34 These plans clearly show that the SEED School has anticipated using more than 15 acres of the land. Since their campus will be behind a tall fence to strictly limit access, the area residents will lose the use of this land.

35 Our portion of the Anacostia RiverWalk…

New development on this land in particular is not to be done unilaterally. The Plan says that the future of RFK Stadium and other large federal sites, such as the land around RFK, must be resolved through joint planning efforts. All plans should compliment the collaborative work of the federal government, private sector, community and non-profit groups as well as the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation to implement the open space improvement plans of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative. The development of a school on this land is completely inconsistent with the plans that DC has expressly set forth in the Comprehensive Plan for the following reasons. First, it is inconsistent with D.C.'s plan for the Anacostia Waterfront. This land should be a part of D.C.'s planned unified system of first-class "RiverParks" along the waterfront that would be connected to nearby neighborhoods. The Plan calls for the maximization of the scenic and recreational value of the rivers. Large waterfront sites are to be used for water-focused activities, recreation, public access, ecological protection, and scenic beauty. The Mayor is obligated through the Plan to support and promote efforts to improve waterfront spaces in these manners. Since the Plan even specifically calls for new parks around RFK stadium, all of these factors must be weighed into the Mayor's decision regarding the land.

Second, building a walled school with limited public access is directly inconsistent with the need to provide open space and parkland to the area, which is mainly residential in character. The protection of parks is a priority of the Plan. As recognized by the Plan and the D.C. government, a park can be a symbol of a neighborhood's vitality and character, or an emblem of its disorganization and lack of spirit. The Plan calls for the protection of parks and discourages parkland conversion to other uses. Furthermore, the improvement of parks in densely populated neighborhoods with limited space is a priority of the Plan. And the District has planned since 1999 to maintain this land as a park and open space for the community's use. Ward 7 specifically focuses on the retention and enhancement of the ward's parks and open spaces in specific parts of the Comprehensive Plan. The land currently functions as public open space and needs to be maintained as such, and improved upon as park space for the community.

36 The Anacostia RiverWalk system portions relevant to our area are shown here superimposed in different colors relevant to the order in which these would be constructed or enhanced.

37 The light turquoise areas are the first or Project One. The area encircled area is that portion we have been viewing in close-up.

38 …will enhance education in conjunction with the Kingman Island Environmental Education Center.

The community would like to partner with the Kingman Island Environmental Education Center (KIEEC) and see the land parcel enhanced into a beautiful public green space, possibly even an ECO-Center for the District in which practicals for the coursework offered at the KIEEC could take place. The land clearly has a history of misuse and abuse and could greatly benefit from a well-planned program of revitalization.

39 Kingman Island Environmental Education Center

Designed as a Platinum level LEEDS facility, unique in its environmentally sensitive footprint, the KIEEC could serve as a focal point for all environmental groups around the District and the area, including partnering with the DC Public School System to integrate environmental education into the local school curriculum. This illustration of the facility is looking south.

40 Kingman Island Environmental Education Center

The location is clearly most readily accessible from the west riverbank and an extension of projects and coursework into the parkland immediately west of the Center would be logical and beneficial to the entire District.

41 Comprehensive Plan

It is reasonable, given all of the many publications concerning future land use plans for this area, that the residents have come to expect that the land would continue to be used as a park.

On the current Comprehensive Plan map the area is designated as park, recreation and open green space.

42 Proposed National Mall Extension

Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton has announced her intention to put forward a bill in Congress to extend the National Mall to other areas around the District. One of these areas is the RFK Stadium site. Since the Reserve (area delineated by red) is now closed to further development (Martin Luther King Memorial and the African American Museum are the last to go in) new locations will be required for memorials, monuments, green space and civic art.

43 NCPC Monumental Core

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) has published their reports Extending the Legacy to the 21st Century and Washington’s Waterfronts which extend the work of L’Enfant and McMillan into the future. The Monumental core Framework extends out along the four major axis of the city from the central core of Capitol Hill. The land parcel is clearly marked on the map as green space.

44 NCPC Framework Diagram

An expansion of this overarching structural plan, the Framework Diagram illustrates in gold the monumental core and second tier radii along with the Waterfront Crescent in light blue. Again, the parcel is clearly marked as green space.

45 Washington’s Waterfronts

In the NCPC Washington’s Waterfronts publication, prior to the arrival of the Nationals baseball team and the determination to move the stadium to South Capital Street, the surrounding land is clearly intended to be green public space.

46 This artist’s rendering from the National Capital Planning Commission illustrates a plan for the land post-RFK Stadium in which a large public fountain with civic art and extensive green space graces the site.

The neighborhood of Kingman Park needs to have this land preserved and utilized as parkland and open, recreational space. D.C. and the National Capital Planning Commission have determined that Northeast D.C. in particular needs new parks. The Comprehensive Plan identifies physical qualities that are essential for all neighborhoods to have, and that includes "safe, clean public gathering places, such as parks and plazas" - which Kingman Park lacks. The Plan has even identified large underutilized government-owned properties as sources for needed community services, the creation of public open space, and waterfront access. Friends of Kingman Park urges the Mayor and the District government to reassess the land and avoid categorizing the land as an unused parking lot. The reality is that the National Park Service land is a perfect source for open space, new parks, and waterfront access to the benefit of the Kingman Park community and all of the District of Columbia.

47 The author is Storm Cunningham, Executive Director of Revitalization Institute, the non-profit international alliance for community renewal & natural resource restoration. Their member organizations offer tools and training that help communities and regions renew themselves via integrated revitalization. Storm is also the leading public speaker and consultant on integrated revitalization strategies for communities, regions, and nations.

The DC Public School system could profitably integrate environmental education into its curriculum. This could be a creative curriculum which integrates science, biology, economics, engineering, and the physical activity of assisting in the remediation and revitalization of the lands around RFK stadium into safe, beautiful parks and recreation space for the District. This is a growth industry, since very little virgin land remains, and there will be a need for people with these skills for a long time to come. It could be an innovative, synergistic educational process.

48 Please don’t give away our park.

$34 Million isn’t enough.

On June 13, 2006 the DC Real Property Tax Assessment Web site listed the land parcel as having been assessed at a value of $34 million. The site owner was listed as the United States of America. The parcel was given an address of 401 Oklahoma Avenue, clearly in preparation for a plan to develop the property. We oppose this process of quiet deception and unilateral distribution of public assets.

49 Tax assessment listing from the DC Web site showing taxable assessment listing for 401 Oklahoma Avenue. The assessment occurred on June 13, 2006.

50 Congress National Capital Mayor Planning Commission

National Park Anacostia Zoning Board Service Waterfront Corporation

Council Chair Office of Property Commission of and Land Fine Arts Management DDOT

Office of Environmental Planning Protection Community Agency Input

The chaos of land use policy development and implementation is increased because of a lack of clear hierarchy among relevant bodies.

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