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Mayor Gray Dedicates $490,000 for Parks in NoMa

Photo by PoPville flickr user Barflydc

From the NoMa BID:

Mayor Vincent Gray has dedicated $490,000 for the design and development of NoMa parks, to be handled through the DC Office of Planning. The NoMa Business Improvement District announced the exciting news at Wednesday’s community meeting, where neighborhood stakeholders and residents were gathered to provide input on the NoMa Parks Plan.

The NoMa BID has been working since last winter on a strategic parks plan with design firm AECOM, and the planning effort has involved continuous coordination with District public agencies, including Office of Planning and the Department of Transportation.

“The NoMa BID has used a lot of its own funds and spent a considerable amount on creating strategies and plans for NoMa parks,” said NoMa BID Chairman Bruce Baschuk. Wednesday’s meeting was an important milestone in the parks planning process, and enabled neighborhood residents to give their input into the proposed uses, design and programming of potential park spaces and green spaces in NoMa. The greater NoMa neighborhood is in dire need of such public spaces; with 45,000 office workers and 3,500 residential units completed or under construction, that need grows more imperative eachyear.

The BID will use these funds for design, and eventually hopes to purchase land and then build a network of parks in NoMa. Reprogramming these funds through the Office of Planning will enable the parks planning team to further assess neighborhood sites that have been identified for future parks, according to the Mayor’s letter.

Category: NoMa, parks

By: Prince Of Petworth | 17 September 2012 1:30 PM | 10 Comments

JM

I assume this money will eventually translate into about 10 new SUV’s parked in the driveways of consultants and contractors in PG County.

September 17, 2012 at 1:46 pm
Sinik

No, it means that there will be several extremely small strips of grass with a lonely bench and a garbage can peppered around NOMA. Sadly, Crystal City is probably going to seem green and inviting after our own concrete jungle is completed.

September 17, 2012 at 1:55 pm
- 15thstnw
  
  As someone who has worked in CC and now ocassionally is in NOMA for work, I’d say Crystal City already seems green in comparision. Hope this plan helps reverse that.
  
  September 17, 2012 at 2:10 pm
  - Anonymous
    
    true enough, but wasn’t CC built at least 50 years ago? noma is still an infant.
    
    September 17, 2012 at 2:13 pm
    - 15thstnw
      
      The current version of CC I believe was done in the 70s or early 80s. Prior to that it was an industrial area. Regardless, you make a valid point.
      
      September 17, 2012 at 3:04 pm
purplepalace

As a resident of the NOMA-adjacent Truxton Circle neighborhood, who bikes through NOMA almost daily, I was excited when I read a headline in the WaPo about this last week. Then it registered . . . $490,000 isn’t much money . . . in fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a 14′-wide rowhouse in my neighborhood for less than $500,000. What’s likely to come of this $490,000 in park “planning”? Not much. Excitement gone.

September 17, 2012 at 2:48 pm
- Anonymous
  
  What about surplus $ promised for affordable housing?
  
  September 17, 2012 at 2:50 pm
- Anonymous
  
  you should only be sad that it’s not immediate. the money is for planning – and they already have good plans for parks – some cool ones, and one big one by the Fed Ex facility. This money isn’t to buy property. In the mayor’s FY13 budget, NoMa parks is on a list to be funded if there is surplus revenue. If that doesn’t happen they would have to find money in FY14. So don’t worry that $500K isn’t enough to build parks. you’re right, but that’s not what it’s forl.
  
  September 18, 2012 at 10:26 am
Eckington

This is designed to fail, I was excited too, until I realized they didn’t have property in hand. They may as well give the money to Michael Brown, he needs it.

September 17, 2012 at 4:55 pm
v_verweij

In Arlington, this buys about half a dog park, so that’s not super impressive.

September 17, 2012 at 8:15 pm