St. Elizabeth's East Update

One of the most exciting opportunities for new construction in D.C. is the site of the former pyschiatric hospital St. Elizabeth's.  Located in the Southeast Quadrant near the Congress Heights metro stop, city officials have been in some stage of planning to develop the parcel to provide additional amenities and retail for the underserved Ward 8 community for years.

Today the planning team had an advisory meeting with the Historic Preservation Review Board to discuss the progress on a new temporary* Gateway restaurant pavilion concept they are developing on the East Campus, along Martin Luther King Boulevard.  They referred to the area as the "front yard" of the St. Elizabeth's campus:

 (courtesy of the DMPED Request For Proposal)                           

The planning team was led by Ethan Warsh, the Pavilion Project Manager, Peter Cook, lead architect from Davis Brody, and Catherine Buell, the former chair of the HPRB who is now leading the development of St. Elizabeth's. 
    
Here is a rundown of the presentation:
      
Ethan Warsh:

• There is no zoning or infrastructure on the site currently.  Infrastructure will take about 2 years to build out.  The RFEI has been issued.
• The goal is to "brand" the project and create an innovative hub.
• Seeks to leverage the arrival of over 4,000 Coast Guard employees in the summer of 2013 to bring amenities and substantial economic opportunity to Ward 8.
• They are attempting to bring an urban form and urban style of living to the site.
• Site will include a culinary food incubator - opportunity for local aspiring business people to become vendors with the hope of eventually moving into permanent space.
• At least 50% of the ground floor space on the project is committed to retail.
• Feedback for the project, including its design, has been overwhelmingly positive. Mary Cuthbert, the ANC representing the St. Elizabeth's space, was initially resistant to the project but is now excited about the chance to make St. Elizabeth's a destination.  She has bemoaned the difficulty of buying pantyhose nearby and wants more retail options.

 Peter Cook:

• The Gateway Pavilion space will not be fixed but is available for multi-purpose uses.  At the first phase it will support food trucks. They plan to allow local artists to periodically re-configure the space, such as the height and orientation of the structures.
• The team looked to Eastern Market for design ideas.
• The location was selected to serve three main entry points: Congress Heights community members, the Congress Heights Metro stop, and Coast Guard employees.
• The initial competition plan had a community garden but it was nixed because it got in the way of the Gateway Pavilion Project.  There are plans for an urban garden on the northernmost parcel.

Environmental/transportation goals: 

• The project will be "net zero" in regards to energy usage and storm water discharge.  They seek to take the project "off the grid."
• They plan to use waste oil from food trucks to power the site.  The waste oil output from one McDonald's restaurant is sufficient to power the site (note: they were not discussing actually bringing a McDonald's here).
• The toilets will be self-composting.
• Bike storage is incorporated and they hope to attract Capital Bikeshare docks in the future. 
• There is already one bus stop servicing the area but there will be space to add another as the project progresses.

Rebecca Miller of the Historic Preservation League voiced concerns with the project including:

• It should be the last site used for development - there are much better choices available.
• Coast Guard employees won't make the 15 minute walk to eat lunch (she timed it herself).
• She implied the project hasn't been planned with enough intelligence or sensitivity.  She also thinks there has not been enough community input.
• Sight lines are not adequately preserved.

The Board ended the meeting with a few comments from its members.  Maria Casarella voiced displeasure with the site selection and wants a "do-over."  Nancy Metzger expressed doubts that Coast Guard employees will make the trek to the Pavilion for lunch, and did not see the point in aligning the Gateway Pavilion Project's timeline with their arrival.  She made the analogy that Naval Yard employees were not drawn to Barrack's Row in substantial numbers until the Circulator arrived.  Warsh responded by acknowledged the challenges and uncertainty of attracting the Coast Guard.  He is working with the Coast Guard on establishing an internal shuttle system.  The rest of the Board provided generally positive commentary on the project.
      
The viability of the project, at least initially, centers around the Coast Guard employees visiting the Pavilion for lunch.  I worked briefly at the current headquarters of the Coast Guard, and it seemed like everyone thought the food at the onsite dining hall was overpriced and bland (an opinion I shared).  I predict the new Pavilion concept will attract enough employees to be commercially viable, especially if a shuttle service is established.  Its odds of success will be increased further if they add bicycle infrastructure like storage, bike lanes, and Bikeshare stations.

It will be exciting to see how this all plays out.  I'm hopeful that the first phase of a series of massive projects is successful and provides momentum for further development of the space and additional amenities for local residents. 

*Board Member Rauzia Ally warned that the temporary nature of the project would not help it get future approval, pointing out that the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be temporary.  At last check the Eiffel Tower is still standing.