The ANC6B Livable Communities Task Force invites you to a forum to discuss plans for redevelopment of the Eastern Market Metro Plaza (EMMP). The meeting takes place from 7 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. Monday, May 13 at Corner Store Arts (900 South Carolina Ave. SE).
The meeting agenda includes time to discuss both the general impressions of the plaza design as well as the connectivity of the plans with Barracks Row, Eastern Market and the Southeast Library. The merits of the design’s ability to make the plaza a destination will also be discussed, together with hopes for maintenance plans and the construction phase.
Chair of the Task Force Steve Holzman (6B05) said that the goal of the forum is to provide an opportunity for community members to meet to exchange views on the future of the Metro Plaza space and share their perspectives on the current design presented by the DGS project team. DGS team leader Cassidy Mullen has agreed to participate. There will be no formal presentations. Instead, the meeting will be loosely structured to maximize the participation of community members.
The latest design was presented by the DGS team to the community on April 3rd,, as presented last week to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). There are also links to the review of the project undertaken in late March by the Fine Arts Commission as well as a detailed staff report from the NCPC.
The Eastern Market Metro Park Project, managed by the DC Department of General Services (DGS), began the design of the project last Fall. The current project loosely draws on much of the earlier work prepared by a team under the auspices of Barrack Row Mainstreet in 2013-2015. The project’s design includes not only the Metro Plaza but also the local public park to the north of Pennsylvania, the medians in Pennsylvania Avenue and the two access lanes from Eighth Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.
In addition, the project envisions a number of initiatives which, DGS argues, will improve traffic circulation and pedestrian safety in the area including the closure of the two access lanes from Eighth Street to Pennsylvania and their conversion into small parks and the reversal of direction of the residential 800 block of D Street north of Pennsylvania Avenue. It is currently one way east to west, and the proposal is that it be changed to one way west to east.
DGS undertook a traffic study in March the results of which have not yet been made public. Once this study is available, Holtzman said that ANC6B will hold a third community consultation, focused on DGS proposals regarding parcels the project’s proposal to reverse direction of traffic on the 800 block of D Street SE.
This is the second meeting organized by ANC6B to engage the community on specific components of the EMMPP design. On March 11th, an initial meeting was held which focused specifically on the DGS project’s proposed design for the local public park to the north of Pennsylvania (parcel one). A detailed report of that meeting was shared with the DGS project team and is available online at the ANC 6B website.
