Awakening DowntownDC’s Sleeping Beauty

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On Thursday, November 7, nearly 60 neighbors, downtown workers, park-lovers, and property managers gathered to envision a better Franklin Park. Hosted by the National Park Service, the DC Office of Planning, and the DowntownDC BID, the event at the Four Points by Sheraton launched the collaborative planning process for the revitalization of the BID’s largest park.

The program included a presentation from OLIN Studio, the agency hired to conduct a conceptual design for transforming the historic park. Past projects by OLIN include urban oases such as New York City’s Bryant Park, and locally the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art and the new Canal Park. The agency shared highlights of Franklin Park’s current conditions and maintenance challenges, along with information about the growing residential population in the area. The thorough study with emphasis on public input is part of the project’s compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 process and can be viewed here.

With an initial site analysis and assessment completed, the park’s design phase began with collecting input from the public at the event. Lively small groups discussed three questions: What do you like about the park? What problems do you see with the park? What ideas do you have to improve the park? Park visitors mentioned that they like its location, size, the big trees, food trucks, and the park’s history. The list of problems was longer, with folks citing everything from rats to erosion and litter. Thankfully, the list of potential improvements was longest: a new play area for children, programmed events to “activate” the park on evenings and weekends, a working fountain, better seating, art, more historical information, restrooms, and much more!

Hoping to awaken the “sleeping beauty” downtown, the project team encourages continued public input on the Franklin Park Vision and Transformation Plan. Submit comments by November 22, 2013 to www.parkplanning.nps.gov/FranklinPark.  More information about the project can be found at the park’s website, www.franklinparkdc.org.