September 7, 2006

Federal Capital Improvements Program
(File Number 1485)

The Commission unanimously adopted the Federal Capital Improvements Program for the National Capital Region, Fiscal Years 2007-2012 (FCIP). In the FCIP, NCPC evaluates the capital improvements projects of all federal agencies in the National Capital Region for their conformance with the plans and policies of the Commission, regional planning bodies, and local and state governments. The FCIP contains 200 capital improvement projects submitted by federal agencies totaling $8.2 billion as well as 38 projects submitted by NCPC for future programming. The FCIP will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to guide budgetary decisions for the President’s annual budget.

See the Commission Action and Staff Recommendation

Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial
(File Number 6694)

The Commission approved the site location and design principles for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, which is bound by Independence Avenue, 4th and 6th Streets, SW, and the U.S. Department of Education. With its approval, the Commission required that the applicant, the National Park Service, design the memorial using the National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 consultation process to meet, to the Commission’s satisfaction, the following design principles.

• Preserve reciprocal views to and from the U.S. Capitol along Maryland Avenue, SW.
• Enhance the nature of the site as one in a sequence of public spaces embellishing the Maryland Avenue vista.
• Create a unified memorial site that integrates the disparate parcels into a meaningful and functional public gathering place that also unifies the surrounding precinct.
• Reflect L’Enfant Plan principles by shaping the Memorial site as a separate and distinct public space that complements the Department of Education Headquarters and other surrounding buildings.
• Respect and complement the architecture of the surrounding precinct.
• Respect the building lines of the surrounding rights-of-way and the alignment of trees along Maryland Avenue.
• Incorporate significant green space into the design of the memorial.

The Commission noted that more detailed design guidelines may be developed and incorporated into a Section 106 Memorandum of Agreement. These design principles replaced draft design guidelines submitted by the applicant.

The Commission further noted that the project’s potential effects to the historic Maryland Avenue right-of-way and associated views and vistas merit special attention. The Commission emphasized the requirement that the applicant obtain, prior to and during design development, the views of the D.C. Historic Preservation Officer and consulting parties through the Section 106 consultation process. The Commission also noted that the Executive Director had issued a “Finding of No Significant Impact” (FONSI) for the site selection that is subject to the development and implementation of appropriate mitigation measures including adhering to the Design Principles and the Section 106 consultation process.

See the Commission Action and Staff Recommendation

Delegated Decisions: Projects for which the Commission delegated decision-making authority to the Chairman, Executive Committee, or Executive Director.