3385220 Planning, Office of - Walter Reed Army Medical Center Small Area Plan Public Comment Period and Mayoral Hearing

District of Columbia office of planning

 

Notice of Availability of the draft Walter REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER SMALL AREA PLAN for public Comment and Convening of Public Hearing

 

Action: Notice of Availability of the Draft Walter Reed Army Medical Center Small Area Plan (“the Draft Plan”) for Public Comment and Convening of Public Hearing.

 

Summary: The Office of Planning (“OP”) has published for public review and comment on the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Small Area Plan. The Draft Plan presents an analysis and corresponding recommendations on redevelopment opportunities, land use and transportation recommendations, and urban design guidelines within the Draft Plan. The Walter Reed Army Medical Center, (WRAMC) is situated on a 110.1-acre enclosed campus located in Northwest, Washington, DC, and between Fern Street and Alaska Avenue to the north, 16th Street to the west, Aspen Street to the south, and Georgia Avenue to the east. OP emphasizes that the findings, conclusions and development scenarios in the Draft Plan are preliminary. OP is providing a 30-day public comment period on the Draft Plan. Comments must be postmarked by the close of the comment period, which is October 31, 2012. Information on how to submit comments is set forth below.

 

The Office of Planning, working with the Deputy Mayor’s Office on Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), and in collaboration with other cooperating agencies, will consider all public comments on the Draft Plan and make its final recommendations on the project to the Mayor of the District of Columbia. Subsequently, the Mayor will submit a final Draft Plan and approval resolution to the District of Columbia City Council for consideration.  The Council will consider the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Small Area Plan and resolution for approval.  The Mayor, through the cooperating agencies will implement the plan.

 

PLAN SUMMARY:  In conjunction with neighborhood residents, other community stakeholders, and the Walter Reed Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA), the District of Columbia’s Office of Plan­ning (OP) prepared the Draft Plan for 66.57 acres 1 of the Sites formerly known as the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). The Draft Plan (SAP) is part of an extensive, coordinated planning process designed to be compatible with and respond to the Reuse Plan, a key component of the District’s Homeless Assistance Submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). On July 10, 2012, the Council of the District of Columbia unanimously approved the “Walter Reed Army Medical Center Base Realignment and Closure Homeless Assis­tance Submission Approval Act of 2012” (the Reuse Plan, B19-729). Subsequently, on July 23, 2012, the Reuse Plan was transmitted to HUD for its determination.  The following goals were established during the base reuse and small area planning process: 1) Integrate the Site with the Community, 2) Provide a Mix of Uses on the Site, 3) Create Jobs and Revenue for DC, and 4) Reactivate the Site.   The Draft Plan (SAP) is required to establish land use designations, pursuant to The Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital: District Elements (Comp Plan), so that zoning can be established for the Site for future develop­ment. The Draft Plan responds to the Reuse Plan by providing: 1) Comp Plan Future Land Use Map designation changes, 2) transportation recommendations, and 3) urban design guidelines. 

 

The Project Team held an extensive and vigorous public engagement process that revolved around a series of public meetings that were widely advertised and pro­moted in the communities surrounding WRAMC during 2010, 2011 and 2012. There were a total of eleven work­shops which were designed to be highly interactive and to engage participants directly so that they could understand the plan­ning process and provide important feedback to the various development stages of the plan. OP, in coordination with its partner agencies and its consultant team, developed the Draft Plan using input from the planning process.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Malaika Abernathy, Ward 4 Neighborhood Planner, Office of Planning, by mail at 1100 4^th St. SW, Suite E650,Washington, DC 20024; by telephone at [phone]; fax at [phone]; or email at [e-mail]

 

 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 10, 2012, the Council of the District of Columbia unanimously approved the “Walter Reed Army Medical Center Base Realignment and Closure Homeless Assistance Submission Approval Act of 2012” (the Reuse Plan, B19-729). Subsequently, the Reuse Plan was transmitted to HUD for its determination on July 20, 2012. For more information on the Reuse Plan, visit www.dmped.dc.gov.

 

PUBLIC AVAILABILITY: The Office of Planning has distributed the Draft Walter Reed Army Medical Center Small Area Plan to several public entities, including Advisory Neighborhood Commissions 4A and 4B.  The Draft Plan is available for review at the following public and private locations:

 

 

Office of Planning 1100 4th St. SW, Suite E650 Washington, DC 20024 *ID required to enter this building	Martin Luther King Jr. Library 901 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
Tifereth Israel Synagogue 7701 16th Street Northwest  Washington, DC 20012	ANC 4B Office 6856 Eastern Avenue, NW #316 Washington DC 20011
ANC 4A Office 7600 Georgia Avenue, NW, Suite 205 Washington, DC 20012	Shepard Park Elementary School 7800 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20012

 

The Draft Plan is also available online at the Office Planning website: www.planning.dc.gov  

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Written comments on the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Small Area Plan must be submitted by 5:00pm on October 31, 2012, to be considered.  OP prefers to receive comments on the official Small Area Plan Public Comment Form, which is available online, at public plan viewing locations, and by request from the project manager.  OP will consider comments not submitted on the official Small Area Plan Public Comment Form so long as they include the name, contact information, and affiliation of the commenter and are organized by the chapters of the Plan.  Comment Forms can be submitted via the OP website, US mail (post marked prior to the closing comment date), email, or fax.  All comments should be directed to:

 

Malaika Abernathy,

Ward 4 Neighborhood Planner,

Office of Planning, by mail at 1100 4th St. SW,

Suite E650

Washington, DC 20024

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

 

MAYORAL HEARING: In addition to receiving written comments on the Draft Plan, OP will host a Mayoral Hearing to receive oral testimony on the Draft Plan.  The Mayoral Hearing will take place on October 16, 2012, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, 7701 16th Street Northwest, Washington DC 20012.

 

Parties interested in providing testimony at the Mayoral Hearing are encouraged to register in advance with Malaika Abernathy at OP. At the hearing, persons and organizations will be allowed to provide 3-5 minutes of testimony for the record.  Those persons who registered in advance will be asked to testify first followed by those who sign up to testify at the time of the hearing.  

 

Written comments submitted during the comment period and oral testimonies presented at the Mayoral Public Hearing are given equal weight in reviewing public comments.

 

Submitted by: Malaika Abernathy, Ward 4 Planner, Office of Planning, 1100 4th St. SW, Suite E650, Washington, DC 20024; by telephone at [phone]; fax at [phone]; or email at [e-mail]