Hearing on African American Museum on National Mall
August/31/2010 01:54 PM Filed in: National Museum of African American History and Culture | East Potomac Park
Dear Coalition Friends,
At its public meeting this Thursday, September 2nd, the National Capital Planning Commission will review two projects planned for the National Mall and nearby parkland:
If you wish to provide written or oral testimony, contact the NCPC by noon Wednesday at 202-482-7200.
During the past year of consultation meetings for the African American Museum project, Smithsonian designers have been working to respond to government review agency and public concerns over this structure's impact on the Mall setting, views and vistas, and public movement around and through this prominent parcel of land near the Washington Monument. This project is still in the design concept phase.
Our August 27th UPDATE about the temporary office building stated our well-founded fear that this NPS annex will become a permanent blight like so many other "temporary" structures on and near the National Mall. The newly completed National Mall Plan, in the works for the past 4 years, made no study of NPS administrative needs and offered no solution for ridding the Mall and surrounding parkland of the "tempos" and finding permanent administrative space.
So it is of interest to see in the NCPC Staff Report for the temporary office structure what appears to be new attention to this problem:
On the basis of NPS's beginning this study, NCPC staff recommends that the NCPC agree to the temporary annex. Staff suggests that NCPC could give approval not to exceed four years. The Commission of Fine Arts already approved this project with a request that NPS remove the building within 4 years.
We find it difficult to understand the federal review agencies' reasoning or share their optimism. While it is a hopeful sign that NPS may be starting work on an administrative needs master plan, this does not change the fact that the proposed temporary structure will almost certainly be in place for a long, long time. Any consolidation of NPS offices and facilities will require major new construction and relocation of buildings and staff. Where will the funding come from? When will that happen? Once the new temporary building is in place, will NPS feel any urgency?
That is why we continue to ask NCPC and NPS to recognize that whatever structures are added must be fully vetted for their environmental impact through the public consultation process: NEPA and Historic Preservation Act Section 106 review. To put off that review for four years, as NCPC Staff proposes, is meaningless. Once the building is in place, NCPC has no authority to do anything about it.
At its public meeting this Thursday, September 2nd, the National Capital Planning Commission will review two projects planned for the National Mall and nearby parkland:
- concept design for the Smithsonian's African American Museum to be located on the Mall next to the American History Museum;
- a temporary office structure the National Park Service plans to locate in East Potomac Park near the Jefferson Memorial and across the Washington Channel from the District's Southwest Waterfront neighborhood.
If you wish to provide written or oral testimony, contact the NCPC by noon Wednesday at 202-482-7200.
During the past year of consultation meetings for the African American Museum project, Smithsonian designers have been working to respond to government review agency and public concerns over this structure's impact on the Mall setting, views and vistas, and public movement around and through this prominent parcel of land near the Washington Monument. This project is still in the design concept phase.
Our August 27th UPDATE about the temporary office building stated our well-founded fear that this NPS annex will become a permanent blight like so many other "temporary" structures on and near the National Mall. The newly completed National Mall Plan, in the works for the past 4 years, made no study of NPS administrative needs and offered no solution for ridding the Mall and surrounding parkland of the "tempos" and finding permanent administrative space.
So it is of interest to see in the NCPC Staff Report for the temporary office structure what appears to be new attention to this problem:
"NPS recognizes the need to begin planning for a permanent solution to address their office space/facilities needs and to coordinate these needs with the goals and recommendations of [NCPC's] Monumental Core Framework Plan. As such, the NPS has begun an existing conditions study....to evaluate the existing conditions of their current facilities, including the [temporary] NAMA Park Headquarters; the NPS National Capital Region headquarters, the U.S. Park Police headquarters, and the Park Police substation located near the clubhouse of the East Potomac Park Gold Course."
On the basis of NPS's beginning this study, NCPC staff recommends that the NCPC agree to the temporary annex. Staff suggests that NCPC could give approval not to exceed four years. The Commission of Fine Arts already approved this project with a request that NPS remove the building within 4 years.
We find it difficult to understand the federal review agencies' reasoning or share their optimism. While it is a hopeful sign that NPS may be starting work on an administrative needs master plan, this does not change the fact that the proposed temporary structure will almost certainly be in place for a long, long time. Any consolidation of NPS offices and facilities will require major new construction and relocation of buildings and staff. Where will the funding come from? When will that happen? Once the new temporary building is in place, will NPS feel any urgency?
That is why we continue to ask NCPC and NPS to recognize that whatever structures are added must be fully vetted for their environmental impact through the public consultation process: NEPA and Historic Preservation Act Section 106 review. To put off that review for four years, as NCPC Staff proposes, is meaningless. Once the building is in place, NCPC has no authority to do anything about it.