5513303 Public Hearing (Revised/Abbreviated) on Executive's Commitment to the Union Station Redevelopment Project

CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING

on

Executive's Commitment to the Union Station Redevelopment Project

on

­­Wednesday, June 17, 2015

9:00 a.m., Council Chamber, John A. Wilson Building

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20004

 

            Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces a public hearing before the Committee of the Whole on the Executive’s commitment to the Union Station Redevelopment Project. The hearing will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 in the Council Chamber, Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building.  This notice has been revised pursuant to Council Rule 421(c) to reflect a change in the location of the hearing to the Council Chamber.

 

            The Union Station redevelopment project will dramatically expand all modes at the station including a tripling of Amtrak and commuter rail passenger capacity. A partnership between the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, Amtrak, and Akridge, the project will also include a 3-million square-foot mixed use development built atop reconstructed rail yards and new concourses north of the existing historic Station.  In addition to its significant economic impact potential, the project is expected to substantially benefit the District as a transportation hub enhancing mobility within the District and throughout the region.  The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony from Executive Branch agencies, in particular the District Department of Transportation and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, regarding the Executive's commitment to this project.  Key to the station’s expansion is replacement of the H Street bridge over the railroad tracks.  Originally expected to be completed in 2017, the Executive did not propose adequate capital funding either last year or this, and is suggesting a 2020 completion date.   This, in turn, would delay the entire project by three years.  The Committee is also interested in hearing testimony regarding the project from stakeholders and interested members of the public.

 

Those who wish to testify are asked to telephone the Committee of the Whole, at
[phone], or email Cynthia LeFevre, Legislative Counsel, at [e-mail], and to provide your name, address, telephone number, organizational affiliation and title (if any) by close of business Monday, June 15, 2015.  Persons wishing to testify are encouraged, but not required, to submit 15 copies of written testimony.  If submitted by the close of business on June 15, 2015 the testimony will be distributed to Councilmembers before the hearing.  Witnesses should limit their testimony to five minutes; less time will be allowed if there are a large number of witnesses. 

 

If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record.  Written statements should be submitted to the Committee of the Whole, Council of the District of Columbia, Suite 410 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004.  The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, 2015.