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North Columbia Heights Green
Washington Parks & People and its community partners have been continuously improving the design and advancement of the North Columbia Heights Green, a model new park being carved out of a long-blighted vacant lot. The transformation of this site has already produced massive improvements, including blockage and removal of extensive dumping, abandoned vehicles, and illegal activity, and excavation of embedded debris and concrete throughout the site. Following months of complex legal work, all but one of the liens on the property were removed and the community acquisition of the site was completed. Last spring and summer, a range of community partners created a test model youth garden on the site, which helped guide the long-term planning for the site.
The plans for the Green have been revised based on continual community input and assessment of the surrounding green space needs. Site planning and management is led by a working group of neighbors and partners of the site who are committed to the site's ongoing improvements. Key planned features of the Green include community garden plots, butterfly garden, native plantings, fencing, greenhouse, storage shed, learning space with covered pavilion, and eight parking spaces. The team is now completing site layout revisions, grading plan, site details, topographic site survey and rough grading of the site, and related geotechnical engineering in preparation for construction.
WPP Acquires North Columbia Heights Green
Parks & People acquired four vacant lots in North Columbia Heights, where Trustee John Henderson and Architect Ian Tyndall are leading the planning to transform the site into a lasting community green, commons, and gardens. The project received grant and tax forgiveness support from the DC Council, led by Jim Graham, and is designed to be a model for green transformation of similar alley-bound blighted sites across the city.