Are D.C. Planners Missing the Forest for the Trees With Redevelopment Efforts?

Seemingly forgotten in D.C.'s rush to revitalize its once run-down neighborhoods is the allocation of new parks and open space, says Aaron Wiener. Are planners repeating the same mistake in the transitioning Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood?

1 minute read

July 14, 2013, 5:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

"When city officials began planning the neighborhood that’s now NoMa in the 1990s, their goal was simple: turn a wasteland into a productive area," says Wiener. "Two decades later, NoMa is mostly a success. Elegant office buildings fill each block, and commercial tenants pay top dollar for a once-unthinkable NoMa address."

"But there’s one thing missing: parks." The city has been forced to rectify the problem by allocating $50 million "to retrofit the neighborhood with parks."

"Bafflingly, just west of NoMa, the same process seems to be repeating itself, this time in Mount Vernon Triangle, the area bounded by New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey avenues NW," Wiener contends. "With precious little undeveloped land left in the neighborhood that’s not already spoken for," he examines the options for ensuring "a much more attractive—and ultimately valuable—neighborhood."

FULL STORY: Parks and Wreck

Tuesday, July 2, 2013 in Washington City Paper

Land Use Urban Development District of Columbia Parks Open Space NoMa Mount Vernon Triangle View More

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