The first piece of the Old Convention Center redevelopment in downtown Washington to win design approval isn’t an office building or a condominium complex, but a critical cornerstone park.
The park’s preliminary design won praise last week from the National Capital Planning Commission who commended the “a high-quality, durable, and environmentally sustainable design that respects historic L’Enfant streets and reservations of the District of Columbia,” according to the NCPC action report.
“We think it’ll be a very good gathering place, something that’s very needed downtown,” said Konrad Schlater, project manager in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. “This basically gives us the green light to move forward with the basic concept.”
The half-acre park occupies a portion of what many consider as one of the most valuable parcels of vacant property on the East Coast.
Early designs for the estimated $5 million park, in a triangular “bow-tie” section bounded by New York Avenue, I Street, and 10th and 11th streets, called for two fountains, fixed and moveable benches, a reading grove, and a variety of trees. It will be set up for lunchtime concerts and other events, and fit up to 1,000 people.
“That’s always been a park, so I think it’s important to keep it that way,” said Michael Benardo, the advisory neighborhood commissioner with oversight of the area. “I think it’ll also be a nice gateway to the new property.”
The park will feed into the redeveloped convention center site, which the District hopes will become a vibrant, 24-hour city center featuring 690 housing units, 280,000 square feet of retail, 450,000 square feet of office and roughly 1,700 parking spaces.
Developer Hines-Archstone Smith anticipates starting construction next November , withoccupancy scheduled for September 2011. The project is expected to generate $30 million in annual tax revenue, 7,500 construction jobs and 5,217 full-time permanent positions.
The city has not yet decided what to do with a 50,000-square-foot parcel it retained under the deal with Hines-Archstone Smith.
