NCPCA - It's Your Neighborhood Association

Today is the second Thursday of the month and hence the day of the monthly NCPCA meeting.

The main agenda of the meeting will be about the north core development at Greenbelt Metro station. North College Park residents and former council member John Krouse will be leading the discussion. Flyers were distributed in East Hollywood in the area closest to the station.

I wrote about the move a few weeks ago, but here is a quick summary John sent to us about the project.

The developer who owns the air rights to build on the parking lot and station property of Greenbelt Metro is working on a new plan to build private buildings in a lease agreement with the FBI. This would move the FBI from downtown D.C. to Greenbelt into leased buildings. Although nothing is certain yet, the developer and Park & Planning both seem to envision the possibility of tall buildings near the station, with most of the remainder of the site devoted to the FBI compound.

It is also not clear whether requirements of the Sector Plan and previous design approvals will remain in force. As a result, the proposal could dramatically change the architectural standards of the buildings, alter the mix of uses, and possibly change the alignment of a major highway connector road from the Beltway to Greenbelt Road.

All of this could have significant impact on our community and deserves close review.

Personally I have mixed feelings about the project. On one hand the FBI move may potentially improve safety and security in the area, or at least the perception of it. The move of some 12000 federal employees can also potentially improve the quality of north College Park neighborhood and hence potentially the property values of our area in long run. On the other hand,  a high security building near a residential neighborhood does not mesh very well with the surrounding community. A resident would be more interested to see a mixed use development near his / her neighborhood than a tall fortress like concrete structure.
Regardless who moves or not, we’ll have to stay engaged in this process. NCPCA will most likely take a position on the move, on which the Council may consider further actions. Your presence is thus very important.
As usual, the NCPCA meeting will start at 7:30 pm at Davis Hall. More at http://myncpca.org

See you all tonight.