The DowntownDC BID was one of several entities at a Section 106 public hearing Wednesday to express enthusiasm for Events DC‘s plans to rehabilitate the Carnegie Library (801 K Street NW) and the area on which it’s located, Mt. Vernon Square.
Events DC, the city’s convention and sports authority, assumed administrative control of the library in 2011 following several years of control by the Historical Society of Washington (HSW). Last fall, Events DC President and Chief Executive Officer Gregory A. O’Dell (a BID board member) revealed plans to relocate the International Spy Museum, currently located at 800 F Street NW, to the Carnegie Library, add 58,000 SF of space and a visitors center, renovate the HSW galleries and offices located at the Carnegie and add community amenities to Mt. Vernon Square.
The DowntownDC BID’s Deputy Executive Director Rick Reinhard at Wednesday’s public hearing addressed the 60-70 attendees to communicate the BID’s enthusiasm for the project and gratitude to Events DC, HSW and the National Park Service for their roles in facilitating this rehabilitation. Reinhard also highlighted the need for transportation to play a large role in the planning process, given Mt. Vernon Square’s existing transportation demands and in advance of the transportation impacts to be created by the growing redevelopment at nearby CityCenterDC and the new Marriott Marquis Convention Center Headquarters Hotel.
Reinhard says that the project will benefit from first studying the demands and challenges posed by existing cars, buses, taxicabs, trucks, bikes and pedestrians in Mt. Vernon Square.
“The DowntownDC BID is joining with Events DC to help fund a transportation study outlining potential solutions,” Reinhard submitted in his written testimony. “But we need everyone,” his testimony continued, listing the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) “focusing not only planning resources but also capital and operating resources on Mount Vernon Square transportation needs.”
Rehabilitation plans for the Carnegie Library and Mt. Vernon Square are currently in the review process. The goal for the library’s groundbreaking is 2015 with a grand opening in Jan. 2017, according to Events DC.