A New Plan for McMillan, This Time With A Bigger Park

• February 27, 2013
• 8 Comments

by Shilpi Paul

Courtesy of Vision McMillan Partners.

When Mayor Gray and DC Water announced plans to use part of the McMillan Sand Filtration site in their effort to stem the severe flooding in Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park, the team behind the massive redevelopment had to go back to the drawing board. Last Thursday, reported Bloomingdale blog, the team, which includes developers Jair Lynch and EYA, revealed their revised plans for the site.

The new plan, still in a very preliminary stage, changes a number of aspects of the original plan, including:

• A considerably larger park than the 5.5-acre park outlined in the original plan. The new park will be located at the southern end of the site.
• The townhomes, previously located at the southern end of the site, have been moved to the center.
• Presumably, the northern end, closest to the National Rehabilitation Hospital, will still contain office buildings with a significant portion set aside for jobs in the health services industry, as originally planned.

Click to enlarge.

A hand drawn image of the park, above, reveals an informal play lawn, an area highlighting preserved underground cells, an amphitheater and a blue area that looks like it might be a water feature. There is also a community center building on the site.

The team will be making to rounds to ANC meetings this spring, so community members will have a chance to see the plans and offer their opinions. No word on the timeline, but we’ll be keeping our eyes on the project as it moves forward.

Similar Posts:

• DC Council Enters the McMillan Redevelopment Debate
• One on One: The Scoop From Bloomingdale’s Neighborhood Commissioner

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/a_new_plan_for_mcmillan_this_time_with_a_bigger_park/6717

8 Comments

1. JB said at 6:43 pm on Wednesday February 27, 2013:
   I hope this goes through. This is such a wasted space and could add tremendous value to the several neighborhoods around this area.

1. Andy said at 6:49 pm on Wednesday February 27, 2013:
   At first glance the plan looks much improved from the previous version, and the increased public space is a big win. Unfortunately, the buildings to the north will have to be made taller to maintain the floor area taken up by the additional park space, which will destroy the view of to the west from the homes on North Capitol. It might be worth it to have a grocery store and other urban amenities in an area currently lacking them though. The fact that the site has been completely closed off to the public for so long is an embarrassment for the city.

1. N. Capitol St Resident said at 9:49 pm on Wednesday February 27, 2013:
   Well, I live in NE and walk down N. Capitol every day, and I can report that the current view is less than ideal as well. I was also at the MAG meeting last week where the new plan seemed to have been well received. Finally, I will point out that the article currently above this one reports that Jair Lynch pulled out of a project on H street. VMP has been through the ringer in the McMillan project, and I can imagine that they would not hesitate to walk away if the NIMBY's continue to have their way, in which case we will have NOTHING. Oh, besides our current awesome views of a huge mound of dirt. So much better than a premium grocery store, community center, aquatic facility, huge park and new retail and restaurants in a virtual commercial oasis.

1. N. Capitol St Resident said at 10:03 pm on Wednesday February 27, 2013:
   ... meant commercial desert. Also, this is a good example of how a building can be relatively tall but still not seem so massive: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/17853/a-building-can-look-smaller-without-losing-a-floor/

1. Pworth said at 3:02 pm on Thursday February 28, 2013:
   N. Cap Resident: If it weren't for the "NIMBYs" you are complaining about, there would be no large park included in the plan. They only came up with this revision because of neighborhood opposition (and the stormwater issues).

1. N. Capitol St Resident said at 3:19 pm on Thursday February 28, 2013:
   Pworth, that is factually incorrect: the only reason it was changed was because of the floods last Summer and the DC Water plan to use cells in the site. It had the approval of the ANC and was moving forward. Your statement is wrong.

1. B'dale said at 9:52 pm on Thursday February 28, 2013:
   ANC approval means diddly squat. The HPRB's say means a whole lot more than the ANC's.

1. G-Money said at 4:31 pm on Friday March 1, 2013:
   Looks nice, like others I wish they would attempt to preserve some historical aspects. It is definitely not central and given the borders of the cemetery and hospital with no nearby metro it will most likely just serve the immediate residents which is fine