1 NATIONAL CAPITAL PLANNING COMMISSION + + + + + COMMISSION MEETING + + + + + OPEN SESSION + + + + + THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017 + + + + + The meeting convened in Room 5115, Suite 500, 401 9th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004, at 1:00 p.m., Preston Bryant, Jr., Chairman, presiding. NATIONAL CAPITAL PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: L. PRESTON BRYANT, JR., Chairman Presidential Appointee EVAN CASH, Office of the Chairman of the City Council of the District of Columbia ARRINGTON DIXON, Mayoral Appointee THOMAS GALLAS, Presidential Appointee GEOFFREY GRIFFIS, Mayoral Appointee PETER MAY, Department of the Interior REBECCA NUZZI, U.S. Senate MICHAEL L. RHODES, Department of Defense JENNIFER STEINGASSER, Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia BETH WHITE, Presidential Appointee MINA WRIGHT, General Services Administration Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 2 NCPC STAFF PRESENT: MARCEL C. ACOSTA, Executive Director MATTHEW FLIS, AICP, Senior Urban Designer CARLTON HART, AICP, Urban Planner JULIA KOSTER, Secretary to the Commission VIVIAN LEE, Community Planner ANNE SCHUYLER, General Counsel ALSO PRESENT: TOM DOUGHERTY, United States Secret Service BRIGADIER GENERAL CARL RIDDELL, Eisenhower Memorial Commission JUSTON SHUBOW, The National Civic Art Society CRAIG WEBB, Gehry Partners Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 3 AGENDA Report of the Chairman . 5 Report of the Executive Director . 5 Legislative Update . 7 Consent Calendar Items . 8 4a Parcel L1 4b DC United Stadium Action Items Approval of final site development plans for phase one of the White House fence replacement. .11 Approval of comments on revised concept design . .25 Approval of final site and building plans. .73 Adjourn . .83 Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 4 1 P-R-O-C-E-E-D-I-N-G-S 2 1:02 p.m. 3 MR. BRYANT: Welcome, everyone, to the 4 National Capital Planning Commission. This is 5 our February 2, 2017 meeting. And if you would 6 please, stand with me and join me in the pledge 7 of allegiance. 8 (Pledge of Allegiance) 9 MR. BRYANT: For all in attendance, 10 please note that today's meeting is being live- 11 streamed on the NCPC.gov website. We do have a 12 quorum, so we will call the meeting to order, and 13 we will proceed by the agenda that has been 14 properly publicly advertised. 15 [INSERT - AGENDA] Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 5 1 REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN 2 MR. BRYANT: Agenda item number one is 3 the Report of the Chairman, and I don't have 4 anything of significance to report. 5 REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 6 MR. BRYANT: So agenda item number two 7 is the Report of the Executive Director who 8 always has something. 9 MR. ACOSTA: I have two things to 10 report today. First of all, I'd like to welcome 11 our guests. We have a group of undergraduate 12 students from the University of Michigan 13 architecture program who are here to do a design 14 study on memorials, so they are here to listen to 15 the Eisenhower Memorial Presentation, so we 16 welcome you to NCPC. 17 Secondly, Lee Webb recently joined our 18 organization as our historic preservation 19 specialist. He brings over 20 years of 20 experience to his work at the Advisory Council of 21 Historic Preservation, the Georgia State Historic 22 Preservation Division. He also served as a Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 6 1 preservation planner for the City of Alexandria 2 and Savannah, Georgia. 3 Lee most recently served as the 4 executive director of Thomasville Landmarks, a 5 50-year historic preservation organization in 6 Georgia, so welcome to you, Lee. So that 7 concludes my presentation. You do have a 8 written report before you. 9 [INSERT - REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR] Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 7 1 MR. BRYANT: Yes, thank you, Mr. 2 Acosta. 3 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 4 MR. BRYANT: Agenda item number three 5 is the legislative update, General Counsel, Ms. 6 Schuyler. 7 MS. SCHUYLER: Thank you, Mr. 8 Chairman. I do have one item on which I'd like 9 to report. It is a bill, HR216, called the 10 Second Division Memorial Modification Act, which 11 was introduced in the House on January 3 of this 12 year. It's been referred to the House Committee 13 on Natural Resources. 14 The bill authorizes - this is a very 15 long name for a sponsor - the Scholarship and 16 Memorials Foundation of the Second Indian Head 17 Division Association to place three benches at 18 the second division memorial located in 19 President's Park bordering Constitution near 17th 20 Street NW. 21 The benches honor members of the 22 Second Infantry Division killed in the Cold War Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 8 1 in Korea, the War in Iraq, and the War in 2 Afghanistan. 3 The bill specifically holds that the 4 design and placement of the benches shall be 5 governed by the requirements of the Commemorative 6 Works Act, so this commission will be called upon 7 to review it if passed and enacted into law. 8 MR. BRYANT: Thank you. Any questions 9 for Ms. Schuyler? 10 CONSENT CALENDAR 11 MR. BRYANT: Agenda Item Number Four 12 is the consent calendar, and we have only two 13 items. Item 4A is for comments on the 35 percent 14 site and building plans for Parcel L1 at the 15 Southeast Federal Center. That's brought to us 16 by the General Services Administration. 17 And Agenda Item 4B is the approval of 18 preliminary and final site building plans with 19 comments for the D.C. United Stadium located in 20 Southwest Washington submitted to us by D.C. 21 United in coordination with the District of 22 Columbia Department of General Services. Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 9 1 If there are no questions, is there a 2 motion on the consent calendar? 3 MR. DIXON: So moved. 4 MR. BRYANT: It's been moved and - 5 MS. WHITE: Second. 6 MR. BRYANT: - seconded. All in favor 7 of the consent calendar, say, "Aye." 8 PARTICIPANTS: Aye. 9 MR. BRYANT: Opposed no? It carries. 10 [INSERT - SOUTHEAST FEDERAL CENTER] Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 10 1 [INSERT - DC UNITED STADIUM] Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 11 1 ACTION ITEM 5A 2 WHITE HOUSE FENCE REPLACEMENT 3 MR. BRYANT: Agenda Item Number 5A is 4 approval of the final site and development plans 5 for phase one of the White House fence 6 replacement. We previously reviewed the concept 7 and preliminary plans in July and December 8 respectively in 2016. 9 Mr. Flis, welcome. 10 MR. FLIS: Yes, good afternoon, Mr. 11 Chairman and members of the Commission. The 12 National Park Service in cooperation with the 13 United States Secret Service has submitted final 14 site development plans for phase one of the new 15 perimeter fence and gates at the White House 16 complex. 17 As you know, the Commission provided 18 preliminary approval of the project back in 19 December, with comments and recommendations which 20 have helped to guide further refinement of the 21 plans. 22 The White House, as you know, is the Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 12 1 Executive Office of the President and also the 2 primary residence of the First Family. It is 3 located in downtown Washington, D.C. between 4 Pennsylvania Avenue, E Street, 15th, and 17th 5 Streets NW. 6 The current location of the White 7 House fence is outlined here in yellow on the 8 screen in front of you, and it encloses 9 approximately 18 acres. 10 The White House complex is just one 11 component of the larger President's Park which is 12 outlined here in white, which also includes 13 Lafayette Park, the Eisenhower Executive Office 14 Building, the Treasury Building, as well as the 15 Ellipse which is located to the south. 16 This is a more detailed site plan of 17 the White House complex and surrounding 18 buildings. The Commission again is today 19 considering a new perimeter fence and gates as 20 the first phase of a comprehensive security plan. 21 A future phase will also look at the Eisenhower 22 Executive Office Building as well as the Treasury Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 13 1 Building. 2 The White House has actually had a low 3 wall or fence since around 1803, and over time, 4 it has continued to evolve, eventually reaching 5 the form which you would recognize on the site 6 today. 7 Of course, the White House is a major 8 visitor destination, and the house itself and the 9 grounds are also viewed and experienced through 10 the fence from a variety of perspectives. As 11 such, staff has evaluated the proposed fence and 12 gates based upon a number of considerations 13 including historic preservation, urban design, as 14 well as visitor experience. 15 As I have mentioned, this project is 16 the first phase of security improvements that 17 will eventually include other portions of 18 President's Park, including the Treasury Building 19 and Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which 20 are shown on the screen.