June 1, 2006

Washington Nationals Baseball Stadium
(File Number 6614)

The Commission approved preliminary and final site and building plans for the Washington Nationals Baseball Stadium located at the intersection of South Capitol Street and Potomac Avenues, SE, in Washington, DC, with the exception of a few elements that require additional design information.

The Commission requested that the applicant resubmit the following elements for approval when the design is finalized:
• Exterior illumination of the ball park
• Sports lighting
• Monumental naming rights sign and other exterior entrance signage
• Scoreboard
• Ground floor building uses and façade articulation along South Capitol Street
• Perimeter security
• Second Phase building site and building design.

The submission included the Base Plan, Option 1 and Option 2 of the Base Plan, and the building envelope of a Second Phase Plan. The plan options will give the applicant the flexibility to adapt designs to upcoming adjacent development. The Commission noted that the design and monumental massing respond to the L’Enfant plan and promote South Capitol Street as a gateway into the city. Entrances, ramps, and stairs will provide views of the monumental core and the Anacostia River. No structural element exceeds the 130 feet height limit permitted by zoning.

See the Commission Action and Staff Recommendation

United States Institute of Peace and Public Education Center
(File Number 6669)

The Commission comments favorably on most aspects of the concept site and building plans for the new U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) Headquarters and Public Education Center, located at the corner of 23rd Street and Constitution Avenues, NW, Washington, DC. The new six-story, 279,000 gross square-foot structure (including parking lot) will replace a sloping vehicle parking area on the 3.0 acre site.

The building is organized as two wings fanning out from a corner entrance at 23rd Street, N.W. The main public entrance from Constitution Avenue, NW, opens directly into the Public Education Center at the south façade of the structure. Underground parking will accommodate 220 vehicles. The building will be faced with acid-etched precast concrete and roofed with a series of undulating spherical steel and translucent glass segments suggesting a dove in flight. An arrival plaza fronting on Constitution Avenue, NW, serves as an outdoor foyer to the Public Education Center, and a garden path links the two main building wings.

The Commission observed that the building’s exterior finish and assemblies will enhance its symbolic presence in the nation’s capital and that its placement maintains the urban grid and emphasizes Constitution Avenue’s gateway function. The design balances the lighting to avoid overwhelming Constitution Avenue or the important memorials in the vicinity, and the topography of the site minimizes the need for structural security features at the public space perimeter.

The Commission requested that the USIP address the following issues in further plan submissions:
• The planned work limits and garden site are unclearly delineated and the garden appears severely constrained at the west side of the structure.
• The applicant should provide for future connections along the western extending ramp from Constitution Avenue to the Theodore Roosevelt (TR) Memorial Bridge, and clearly establish space for a bikeway and walk to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
• The Commission requests additional analysis of the impact of internal and external lighting on the Constitution Avenue and 23rd Street area and the significant sight lines from Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge, the National Mall, and the Lincoln Memorial.

See the Commission Action and Staff Recommendation

Proposed Federal Capital Improvements Program for the National Capital Region
(File Number 1485)

The National Capital Planning Commission authorized circulation of the draft Federal Capital Improvements Program for the National Capital Region, Fiscal Years 2007-2012 (FCIP, 2007-12) for review and comment by federal, state, and local government agencies and departments. The draft FCIP contains the Commission’s recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget on proposed federal building projects for the next six years. Affected agencies, organizations, and citizens have 45 days to submit comments on the recommendations.

Of 230 proposed projects, the FCIP recommends 189 for funding at a combined cost of approximately $7.463 billion. The Commission recommends an additional 41 projects for future programming.

The allocation of projects, approximate costs, and percentage of total costs for the jurisdictions of the National Capital Region are as shown in Table 1.

Of the 189 projects recommended for funding, the NCPC strongly endorses funding for 32 as critical to advancing key planning policies and initiatives. The NCPC recommends funding for 139 projects that are in conformance with Commission and local plans and policies.

Of the 41 projects recommended for future programming, NCPC strongly endorses 17 as critical to advancing significant Commission and local planning policies and initiatives. NCPC recommends that the appropriate agencies program the remaining 24 projects into their budgets as soon as fiscal and budgetary conditions permit.

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.