General Services Administration



History

• Plans and ceremonial uses that have heavily influenced the Avenue over time

o Early beginnings, 179000’s – 1850’s:

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▪ The L’Enfant Plan (1790) establishes Washington as the nation’s capital and lays out the configuration still here today.

▪ L’Enfant’s “basic triangle” was Pennsylvania Avenue, the Mall and the White House axes.

▪ Jefferson’s vision: 35’ wide Avenue carved out of swamp, forest and farm land. Planted with Lombardy poplars.

▪ Plan structure is still visible today + defines the city. It comprises of low-scale buildings leading the eye to the great monuments at both ends- the President’s House and the Congress House ( a linkage between the Executive and the Legislative branches with the people in-between).

• Ellicott Plan 1792-Andrew Ellicott a chief surveyer replaced L’Enfant and was tasked to redraw the plan accurately as the basis for the sale of lots. Basically same version as L’Enfant’s but lack the attention to urban design and topography. Major change was shitting the ‘western plaza’ one block west thus taking away the plaza’s view to the Potomac River to the south.

▪ Major uses and general condition:

• First used for an Inaugural parade by Jefferson in 1805. Avenue was used as a promenade for a cross-section of Washingtonians: diplomats, Congressmen and even the President would mingle with shopkeepers, farmers and their families.

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• Area quickly transitioned from rural to urban by the 1850’s.

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• The Civil War Era, 1860’s – 1880’sNational symbolic buildings- Executive Mansion, Capitol, Canadian Embassy, Old Post Office

o The War of 1812- British set the Executive Mansion and the Capitol on fire. To the British it was a symbol of British wrath but to the Americans their rebuilding was a symbol of American resolve to remain independent and democratic.

• The street connecting these two symbols, Pennsylvania Avenue, became another great symbol

o The Civil War Era, 1850’s – 1880’s

▪ Major uses and general condition:

• Thoroughfare for military traffic

• Lincoln funerary procession (only the second along the Avenue, and the first one captured in photos)

• Avenue falls into disrepair during this time period

o City Centennial, 18890’s – 1930’s

▪ Begin to see infrastructure, park improvements post-war across the city

▪ McMillan Plan (1902) reinforces much of L’Enfant Plan, with Pennsylvania Avenue serving as the nation’s key ceremonial boulevard

▪ Major uses and general condition:

• South side of Avenue fills in with the Federal Triangle which separated the government on the south from the City on the north. The commercial core shifted away from the avenue to the northwest of the city. By 1950 the avenue has lost its prominence in economic and social life.

• Street is paved and is a mix of transportation uses from horse and carriage, to streetcar, to cyclists, to pedestrians

• Continues to host inaugurals and major marches from the suffrage movement to Ku Klux Klan

o WWII + Urban Renewal, 19340’s – 1980’s

▪ Kennedy’s concerns after his inaugural parade prompts creation of a commission to study redevelopment/revitalization opportunities.

▪ Growing out of Penn Ave commission’s work, the Pennsylvania Avenue Redevelopment Corporation is created. They go on to develop the PADC Plan (1974), which identifies redevelopment opportunities along the north side of the street as well as a public realm plan that reflects the avenue’s ceremonial importance to the nation.

▪ Major uses and general condition:

• Avenue continues to host inaugurals and some marches/parades, but area is not seen as a safe destination

• Land uses along north side of street shift from red light district into modern office buildings

o Return to the City, 19890’s – 2000’s

▪ PADC redevelops many of the sites north of the Avenue, adds a significant amount (need GSF) of Class A office to the city at a time when there were few areas for competition (mainly K Street)

▪ City experiences additional redevelopment projects around Chinatown/Gallery Place/Penn Quarter area, including the introduction of a major entertainment destination (now the Verizon Center) and residences

▪ Legacy Plan (1997) updates McMillan Plan’s vision, encouraging ceremonial + commemorative uses throughout the city

▪ Museums and Memorials (2M) Plan (2001) identifies key locations for primary and secondary commemorative elements

▪ Center City Action Agenda (2008) encourages private development beyond the traditional city core to new downtown destinations like Mt. Vernon Triangle, NoMa, and Mt. Vernon Square

▪ Monumental Core Framework Plan (2009) showcases federal opportunities to extend the spirit of the National Mall beyond its borders

▪ Major uses and general condition:

• Avenue continues to host inaugurals and major marches/parades

o First Amendment demonstrations are regularly hosted here

• Major events, such as Race for the Cure, Taste of DC and the National BBQ festival are hosted along the Avenue

• Avenue transitions from having a full-time caretaker (PADC) to a number of agencies tasked with planning, operations and maintenance roles (NPS, GSA, NCPC, DDOT, BID)

Existing Conditions

• Existing land use mix

o Predominantly commercial on the north side, federal office on the south side

o Limited residential uses along the Avenue at Market Square and the Newseum, but a significant growth in residences just to the north of the Avenue in Penn Quarter/Chinatown/Downtown

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• Current and planned changes to the Avenue and beyond

o Old Post Office conversion from office/food court to luxury hotel and conference center

o FBI

o Private development: mainly smaller renovations, but larger changes (including land use conversion) may be under consideration in the near future

• Lease rates, vacancy sale rates, and trends – what changes have occurred over the past 10 – 15 years?

o BID will share preliminary information

• Zoning

o Currently:

[pic]

▪ Downtown Development Overlay District

▪ C-4 on the north between 4th and 10th Streets, NW;

▪ C-5 on the north between 10th and 15th Streets, NW;

▪ C-3-C on the north between 4th and 1st Streets, NW;

▪ Unzoned (federal) to the south between 1st and 15th Streets w/the exception of the Old Post Office (C-4)

o Proposed:

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▪ D-7-B-1 from 15th to 10th Streets, NW

▪ D-6-B-1 for FBI site (10th to 9th Streets, NW)

▪ D-6-B-2 from 9th to 4th Streets, NW

• Circulation (vehicular, transit, pedestrian, bike)

o Four Metro bus lines (32, 34, 36, P6)

o Federal Triangle Metro Station (Blue, Silver + Orange)

o Archives/Navy Memorial Metro Station (Yellow + Green)

o Commuter buses to suburbs/exurbs in MD and VA

o Major east-west bicycle corridor between 3rd and 15th Streets, which are both big north-south routes for the system

o Lots of room for pedestrian use, but space isn’t activated and is not heavily used.

o Well-connected routes through the Federal Triangle to the National Mall, and up to Penn Quarter/Downtown, but many are unaware of these routes (lack of wayfinding signage, visual barriers / lack of visual cues, etc.)

• Currently experiencing changing land uses

o Federal to private (OPO, FBI)

o Office to hotel + perhaps mixed use/residential

• Pennsylvania Avenue EA + CLI (2014)

Issues

• Public realm is 40 years old + doesn’t accommodate today’s needs (transportation, security, streetscape expression, land use mix, etc.)

o Can/should the design meet multi-purpose functions?

o To achieve any changes, do we update the PADC plan or do we develop a new plan?

• Historic preservation: are the streetscape elements along the Avenue historic?

o CLI will help resolve this – draft in May 2014, final in July

• Challenge balancing activities (especially large events) along the Avenue with the needs of residents

o Access is often blocked across Pennsylvania Avenue, and detours aren’t always marked and coordinated with residents

• High cost to redesign the Avenue

o Do we repair what’s there, or create something new? (Ties into what to do with PADC plan)

o Historic preservation implications – CLI draft in May, final in summer/fall

o Congressional climate not conducive to streetscape/park appropriations

o Is there an opportunity to tie any improvements to transportation funding?

• Streetscape materials are difficult to spec

o How do we balance the need to make this a unique place with easy-to-maintain, replace-able streetscape furnishings?

o NGA found furnishings/materials that were close, but not quite the same. They don’t have any specs to follow.

• Lack of eyes on the park/street in certain locations

o Some areas, like Navy Memorial/Market Square/7th Street corridor have a very high activity rate. Others, like John Marshall Park, have very low rates.

• PADC Objectives Analysis

1. Reinforcing the Avenue's unique role as the physical and symbolic link between the White House and the Capitol. The Avenue must serve not just as a backdrop for parades, but should become the "main street of the nation".

➢ Objective remains a fundamental goal of prevailing agendas. See NCFP 1, CPF 1, CPD 4

➢ Agency responsibility: NPS + NCPC

2. Making the Avenue function as a bridge, not as a barrier, between the monumental Federal core to the south and the city's downtown to the north. The functional segregation of the north and south sides must be minimized by making it easier for people to cross from one side to the other and by giving them a reason to do so.

➢ Objective is a recurring goal in prevailing agendas. See PPS 4, PPS 7, NCFP 2, NCFP 3, CPF 6, CPF 7, CPD 3

➢ Agency responsibility: NPS, NCPC, GSA

3. Transforming the Avenue into an attractive and pleasant place for residents and visitors alike. The physical setting must accommodate the varied needs of all the people who use it-offering comfortable places to stroll, rest, sit and talk, eat and shop.

➢ Objective is a recurring goal in prevailing agendas. See PPS 5, PPS 7, NCFP 3, NCFP 4, CP 3, CPF 6, CPF 7, CPD 3, CPD 7

➢ Agency responsibility: NPS, NCPC, GSA and others (local businesses, DC)

4. Providing a mixture of commercial and cultural activities along the Avenue that will attract a wide variety of people and stimulate street life. Interesting and diverse social and cultural activities can be every bit as important as the physical environment in attracting people to the area.

➢ Objective is a recurring goal in prevailing agendas. See PPS 5, PPS 7, NCFP 3, NCFP 4, CP 3, CPF 6, CPF 7, CPD 3, CPD 7

➢ Agency responsibility (Cultural): NPS, GSA, NGA, NARA, others

➢ Agency responsibility (Commercial): GSA, DC, NGA, NARA, others

5. Bringing people back to live along the Avenue. Around-the-clock residents will help both to keep the area alive after the workday is over and also to support a greater variety of commercial activities.

➢ Objective is an important goal of prevailing agendas. See NCFP 3, CPD 1

➢ Agency responsibility: GSA, DC, developers

6. Introducing, on currently under-utilized land, new buildings representative of the best contemporary architectural and planning concepts. New buildings, however, must complement and enhance the existing urban fabric.

➢ Objective is an important goal of prevailing agendas See NCFP 2, CPD 3,

➢ Agency responsibility: NCPC, GSA, CFA, and others

7. Maintaining a sense of historic continuity and evolution by preserving buildings representative of different eras and styles. This tangible evidence of the Avenue's development and change in use and scale will provide a link with the past that is too often lacking in large scale, post-war redevelopment plans.

➢ Objective is an important goal of prevailing agendas: CPF 4, CPD 8

➢ Agency responsibility: NPS, GSA, NCPC, and others

8. Bringing new economic life-jobs, shopping and business opportunities-to the Avenue while reinforcing existing activity both on the Avenue and in the adjacent downtown area.

➢ Objective is a recurring goal in prevailing agendas. See: PPS 7, NCFP 3, CPF 7, CPD 1, CPD 3,

➢ Agency responsibility: GSA, DC, businesses, others

9. Reducing hardships to existing businesses by staging development carefully and by providing effective relocation benefits. Although significant redevelopment is accompanied inevitably by some dislocation, every effort must be made to assure the existing businesses have an opportunity to participate in redevelopment along the Avenue.

➢ Objective not a goal of prevailing agendas.

➢ Agency responsibility: GSA and DC

10. Insuring that minority businesses and workers have an opportunity to share in the benefits that will occur as a result of redevelopment. It is essential, in a city with the highest percentage minority population of any major urban center in the United States, that the Corporation assess the impact of the plan on minority interests throughout the development period and take positive measures to assure full minority participation in activities and benefits that result from plan implementation.

➢ Objective not a goal of prevailing agendas.

➢ Agency responsibility: GSA and DC

11. Enhancing the city's tax base through more intensive use of land in this prime location.

➢ Objective is a goal in one prevailing agenda. See: CPD 3

➢ Agency responsibility: DC

12. Structuring an overall development program that can be implemented in a timely fashion consistent with overall market demand in the area.

➢ Objective not a goal of prevailing agendas.

➢ Agency responsibility: DC

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