WHAT DOES NoMa LACK? Parks! No publicly accessible park space On average, the District has 12.4 acres of open space for every 1,000 residents NoMa had less than 5 acres of open space at start of Parks Initiative NoMa TODAY: 36,000 people in market area; 6,300+ living in the BID 54,000 employees 111,000 average weekday pedestrian count Over 4,000 apartment units delivering over next 3 years 3 million square feet currently under construction
HOW DO WE PARTNER? The NoMa Parks Foundation is a related entity of the NoMa Business Improvement District. $50 million grant to Foundation from DC Government NoMa Parks Grant Authorization Act of 2013; allows for grants to the NoMa Parks Foundation for the purpose of acquiring land and building parks and public spaces in accordance with the NoMa Public Realm Design Plan Grant Agreement signed October 2014 and concludes September 2020 Private sector has already committed $15MM value in foregone development
Planning for parks has occurred over many years: 2006 NoMa Vision Plan & Development Strategy 2011 American Planning Association Workshop 2012 Public Realm Design Plan And with many stakeholders: NoMa residents and employees Local ANCs and community associations Development community DC Government agencies And continues today: Project-specific community meetings for each project Large Community Conversations three times a year, covering breadth of parks projects Representation at local Advisory Neighborhood Commission and community association meetings Regularly updated website: NoMaParks.org Interactive outreach website: ImagineNoMaParks.org
The NoMa Public Realm Design Plan serves as the framework for park development and was the basis for the grant agreement between the NoMa Parks Foundation and the District of Columbia Government. It envisions acquisitions, improvements to public space, and partnerships with property owners to create privately-owned, publicly accessible spaces.
NoMa PARKS PLAN Parks and public spaces connect the neighborhood, complement existing parks in the surrounding neighborhoods, and serve varied recreation and relaxation needs. The parks system includes: green spaces play spaces public plazas and gathering spaces pocket parks dog park, and underpass/connectivity improvements To date, the Parks Foundation has added almost 3 acres of space for parks.
NoMa GREEN Envisioned as the neighborhood s backyard, this future park will connect to the commercial core via the popular Metropolitan Branch Trail. The overall site will include retail, flexible green space for recreation and gatherings, and an area for dogs. The site was formerly used for transportation and rail infrastructure.
THIRD AND L PARK A small pocket park, the 3 rd and L site was an opportunity for the NPF to be opportunistic and move quickly to purchase a site that would otherwise be developed as a condo building. Resident input on the park program thus far has favored a small dog park, play activities for children, and plantings. The park will be built in 2017.
NoMa MEANDER A mid-block pedestrian promenade spanning four blocks north-south, the Meander is a common vision being developed on a combination of public and private property; the entirety will be publicly accessible.
4 underpasses divide the neighborhood east-west An international competition to improve the underpasses netted 248 submissions from 14 countries 2 underpass art parks will be installed in 2016 UNDERPASS ART PARKS
WHAT S NEXT FOR PARKS IN NoMa? The NoMa Parks Foundation and NoMa BID will continue to work with residents and other key stakeholders to design parks; the first park will open in 2017. The NPF and BID will continue to be opportunistic, seeking an additional acquisition and moments for public art.