September 2008

NCPC Monthly E-newsletter
Providing you with current news and other information of interest.

It’s not too late to register for Capitals Alliance 2008: Greening the World’s Capital Cities. A week of sessions exploring how national capitals can lead the way in creating a greener planet begins on Monday,
September 15 with a keynote address by celebrated author and filmmaker Herbert Girardet. His address, Understanding the Complex Relationship Between Cities, People, and the World, will take place at 9:00 a.m.
at the National Press Club.

Other sessions during the week include What it Means to Be Green, Promoting and Sustaining Smart Growth Policies, Capital Cities Leading the Way, and the Impact of Green Design on Architecture & Public Space. The sessions are free and open to the public, but please RSVP to ensure the availability of seating. Registrations may be submitted online. For more information visit www.CapitalsAlliance.org.

A featured event, World Leaders on Sustainability, will take place in the Great Hall of the National Building Museum on Wednesday, September 17, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. in conjunction with the Museum’s green lecture series. Leaders from Sweden, Brazil, and the United States will discuss how they are leading the charge to create a more sustainable planet. Registration is being handled by the National Building Museum. To register for this event only, visit the National Building Museum's website.

On Wednesday, September 24, NCPC Executive Director Marcel Acosta will participate in a panel discussion examining Washington’s 1910 Height of Buildings Act. Joining him will be Thomas Luebke, Secretary
of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; Christopher Leinberger, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution;
and Whayne Quin from Holland & Knight, LLP. The discussion will be moderated by Mary Fitch, executive director of the American Institute of Architects Washington Chapter. The DC Builds: How Tall to Build? program will be held from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the National Building Museum located at 401 F Street, NW (Judiciary Square Metro). Additional information, including how to register, is available on the National Building Museum’s website.

The National Capital Framework Plan, a joint initiative with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, proposes revitalizing the federal precincts surrounding the National Mall and creating exciting new cultural destinations in the nation’s capital. The plan, released on July 10, is currently under a 90-day public review and comment period that will end on October 10. Comments may be submitted to FrameworkPlan@ncpc.gov or mailed to NCPC, 401 9th Street, NW, North Lobby, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20004, Attention: Elizabeth Miller, Project Manager, National Capital Framework Plan. If your organization is interested in having someone talk about the plan contact us at FrameworkPlan@ncpc.gov or 202-482-7301.

You will have another opportunity to share your thoughts at a public meeting on Thursday, September 25. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. and conclude at 7:00 p.m. following a brief presentation and discussion. The meeting will take place at NCPC’s offices at 401 9th Street, NW, Suite 500 North. Please RSVP by Friday, September 19 to FrameworkPlan@ncpc.gov or call 202-482-7301.

At the September 4 meeting the Commission approved final site and building plans for the National Law Enforcement Museum to be located in Judiciary Square. The Commission also approved preliminary and final site and building plans for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial with the exception of proposed security bollards. The memorial will be located on the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. Also approved were preliminary and final site development plans for a temporary vehicle barrier on the east side of the Lincoln Memorial for a period not to exceed two years.

In addition, the Commission approved the Federal Capital Improvements Program (FCIP) for the National Capital Region for Fiscal Years 2009-2014. The FCIP includes 222 projects at an estimated cost of $11.6 billion, an amount similar to last year. Of these, 190 projects were submitted by federal agencies. NCPC submitted 32 projects which are recommended for future programming and do not include estimated budgets. For more detailed information on the FCIP and other Commission Actions please visit the Current Actions page on the NCPC website.

The Commission’s next public meeting will take place on Thursday, October 2, at 12:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and no reservations are necessary to attend. The Tentative Agenda will be available on NCPC’s web site on Monday, September 22.

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