Greater Greater Washington: NoMa’s M street Underpass Transformation

The M Street underpass, outside the NoMa Metro station, is going to be an outdoor art project. LED lights will illuminate the sidewalk, hopefully turning a dreary scene into a park-like gathering spot. Read more. 

WASHINGTON, DC, April 16, 2015 — Plans are moving forward for the dramatic transformation of the M Street underpass in NoMa into a light-filled passageway awash with countless points of light raining down from its ceiling. The NoMa Parks Foundation is pleased to announce that Thurlow Small Architecture + NIO architects have been selected to design the installation for the “M Street Underpass Art Park.” M.C. Dean will serve as contractor, and construction is expected to begin in fall of 2015.

 A community meeting to introduce the design team and contractor, and to garner additional feedback on the concept and design, will be held April 27 (details below).

 “This is the first of four exciting transformations planned for NoMa’s underpasses,” said Charles “Sandy” Wilkes, Chairman of the NoMa Parks Foundation. “The goal is to turn what is now dark and somewhat foreboding into beautiful and inviting spaces.”

NIO architects hails from the Netherlands and Thurlow Small Architecture is based in Rhode Island. NIO architects has completed more than 10 underpasses in the last 14 years and is well versed in their unique technical challenges, as well as their remarkable aesthetic possibilities. Thurlow Small Architecture is an architecture and urban design services firm that has worked locally and internationally on the planning and development of parks, downtown placemaking, and public infrastructure. The two firms have worked together over the past 15 years on infrastructure and public realm projects. Their construction partner, M.C. Dean, is the nation’s premiere electrical design-build and systems integration firm for complex, mission-critical organizations and a Certified Business Enterprise (CBE).

“Rain,” the M Street installation, is still in the conceptual design phase. The cascading drops of rain will be LED lights hung inside hundreds of polycarbonate tubes. “Our tunnel proposal for NoMa does what all good urban parks do: it offers a moment of openness, a space to breathe, and a place where thoughts can drift away,” according to a statement by the design team. The interior of the M Street underpass will look like a gentle rain with subtle moving lights — and its dark ceiling will turn into a glowing field of light that moves and flows as people move through the space.

Community members are invited to meet the designers and construction team, learn more about the conceptual design and share their thoughts at a community meeting on Monday, April 27, from 6:30 to 8 PM in the Lobby Project, 1200 First Street, NE. This event is free and open to the public; RSVP here.

About the Underpass Competition

The NoMa Parks Foundation launched an international design competition in April 2014 to find artists to reimagine the four underpasses at Florida Avenue, L, M and K Streets, NE, and fill them with light and art. A distinguished jury narrowed 248 submissions from around the world into 10 finalist teams.  A community outreach process gathered important feedback, including more than 370 survey responses from community meetings and through an online survey. The M Street Underpass Art Park will be the first project to start construction.

The NoMa Underpass Art Parks are funded by a grant from the District of Columbia government to create parks and improve public spaces in NoMa. The NoMa Parks Foundation has been working in conjunction with the D.C. Department of General Services, the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, the District Department of the Environment, the District Department of Transportation, the Commission on Arts and Humanities, Amtrak, and WMATA on the NoMa Underpass Art Parks initiative. Construction is expected to start in fall 2015. Please stay tuned for future announcements in connection with the L, K and Florida Avenue underpasses, which were also included in the 2014 underpass design competition.

 About The NoMa Parks Foundation

The NoMa Parks Foundation was formed in 2012 to establish welcoming, sustainable, beautiful spaces where people can play, refresh and connect in NoMa, now and for generations to come.

The rapid transformation of NoMa into a true mixed-use, urban neighborhood has highlighted the importance of creating great parks and public spaces. More than 36,000 people live within 4/5 of a mile of First and M Streets, NE, and the population is projected to double in the next 10 years. However, publicly accessible parks, playgrounds, and plazas in the area are severely limited. Parks are urgently needed to serve the neighborhood’s residents, office workers, and visitors, while undeveloped land is becoming scarcer each year as development occurs on the remaining empty lots. The creation of refreshing, inviting parks and public spaces — before it is too late — will improve the lives of people in NoMa today and in the future. More about the NoMa Parks Foundation and its current activities and initiatives can be found at nomaparks.org.  You can sign up for the NoMa Parks Foundation newsletter as well. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaParksDC and like us on Facebook.  

About NoMa

NoMa is a vibrant, growing mixed-use neighborhood nestled among Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C. Already, NoMa contains more than 17.6 million SF of office, hotel, retail and residential space. With 22 LEED certified buildings, including 17 platinum and gold, NoMa offers the best work environments in the city. Each day, more than 92,000 people are out and about in the commercial core of NoMa. NoMa is home to 4,803 new apartments, and 44,000 people work here each day. NoMa is the most connected neighborhood in Washington, D.C., with unparalleled transportation access on Amtrak, VRE, MARC, two Red Line Metro stops, and easy vehicular access to Interstate 395 and Route 50. NoMa has a WalkScore of 92 and offers stellar biking opportunities, including the 8-mile Metropolitan Branch Trail. The NoMa BID organizes more than 50 free, award-winning community events each year, connecting more than 20,000 friends and neighbors. For more information about NoMa, visit www.nomabid.org and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaBID and like us on Facebook.

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For immediate release
News media contact:
Rachel Davis
202-997-3846
[email protected]

Washington, D.C., April 3, 2015 – Stacie West has joined the team at the NoMa BID to oversee NoMa Parks Foundation initiatives. As Director of Parks Projects, Stacie will engage the neighborhood and lead the Foundation’s efforts to acquire sites, design parks, and build a network of public spaces for this rapidly growing neighborhood.

“Stacie’s passion is creating great parks and beautiful spaces,” said Robin-Eve Jasper, President of the NoMa BID. “Her experience with public agencies, community engagement, and shepherding large projects to completion makes her a great fit for the NoMa Parks Foundation efforts.”

Stacie was formerly a community planner and a Capital City Fellow with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, where she led development of the comprehensive Play DC Parks and Recreation Master Plan and orchestrated an improvement initiative to renovate all city-owned playgrounds. She managed over a dozen capital projects and was involved in all aspects of the projects, including design charrettes and construction management. She also previously worked for the District Department of the Environment creating a public outreach strategy for the 20-year Sustainable DC plan. At the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, she focused on community impacts related to cycling, pedestrian and transportation projects. Stacie has a Masters of Community Planning from the University of Maryland, College Park. 

With the recent investment of $50 million from the District government, NoMa is moving ahead with the development of parks and community open spaces. To learn more about NoMa’s proposed parks, click here to view the NoMa Public Realm Design Plan, the framework for parks and public space improvements in NoMa. The plan was created after months of thoughtful analysis and with input from a cross-section of community stakeholders. Private developers have partnered with the District and the NoMa Parks Foundation by providing space and foregoing construction in certain areas to make sure that NoMa parks projects are successful. More information about this public-private partnership and descriptions of specific parks projects can be found at nomaparks.org. You can stay up to date on NoMa Parks projects by visiting nomaparks.org, signing up for the NoMa Parks Foundation newsletter, or contacting Stacie West at [email protected] or 202-810-0091.

About The NoMa Parks Foundation

The NoMa Parks Foundation was formed in 2012 to establish welcoming, sustainable, beautiful spaces where people can play, refresh and connect in NoMa, now and in the future.

The rapid transformation of NoMa into a true mixed-use, urban neighborhood has highlighted the importance of creating great parks and public spaces. More than 36,000 people live within 4/5 of a mile of First and M Streets, NE, and the population is projected to double in the next 10 years. However, the publicly accessible parks, playgrounds, and plazas in the area are few and far between. Parks are urgently needed to serve the residents, office workers, and visitors to NoMa. Undeveloped land is becoming scarcer each year as development occurs on the remaining empty lots. The creation of refreshing, inviting parks and public spaces – before it is too late – will improve the lives of people in NoMa today and for generations to come. More about the NoMa Parks Foundation and current parks efforts can be found at nomaparks.org.  You can sign up for the NoMa Parks Foundation newsletter as well. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaParksDC and like us on Facebook. 

About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood nestled among Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C. Already, NoMa contains more than 17.6 million SF of office, hotel, retail and residential space. Each day, more than 92,000 people are out and about in the commercial core of NoMa. More than 38 percent of NoMa’s office space is home to private sector tenants, including a concentration of media, think tanks, and associations such as NPR, Google, Mathematica, and the American Medical Association. Through a public-private partnership with the District government and a capital investment of $50 million, NoMa will soon have great new parks and public spaces as well. NoMa is home to 3,386 terrific new apartments, and 44,000 people work here each day. NoMa is the most connected neighborhood in Washington, D.C. With unparalleled transportation access on Amtrak, VRE, MARC, two Red Line Metro stops, and vehicular access to Interstate 395, visitors, workers and residents can easily travel throughout the region as well as get to New York or anywhere on the East Coast. NoMa has a WalkScore of 92 and offers stellar biking facilities, including the 8-mile Metropolitan Branch Trail. The NoMa BID organizes more than 50 free award-winning community events each year, connecting more than 20,000 friends and neighbors. For more information about NoMa, visit www.nomabid.org and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaBID and like us on Facebook.

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For immediate release
News media contact:
Rachel Davis
202-997-3846
[email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC, February 11, 2015 – Yesterday, the NoMa Parks Foundation officially unveiled The NoMa Parks Foundation website. The website includes a vast amount of information about the innovative public–private partnership between the District of Columbia and the NoMa Parks Foundation, including grant terms and other governing documents, the Foundation’s continuing commitment to public engagement, the overall planning framework that guides the Foundation’s activities, and specific project updates.

“We want the NoMa Parks Foundation and its initiatives to be as transparent as possible,” said NPF President Robin-Eve Jasper. “We are committed to assuring that we deliver great value to the District government and its citizens while, at the same time, taking advantage of the knowledge and unique relationships of the NoMa BID and its ability to encourage private property owners to commit value to the cause of NoMa parks. NoMa parks are going to be fantastic, and will embody the aspirations of the NoMa community for great spaces to gather, play, and enjoy the great, urban outdoors.”

Charles (Sandy) Wilkes, Chairman of the NoMa Parks Foundation, said “We have recruited a remarkable board of directors that includes outstanding professionals in the areas of landscape architecture, urban planning, and finance to support this effort. The amount of information included on the website and the extraordinary commitment to multiple avenues for ongoing outreach are unique among public-private initiatives.”

The NoMa Parks Foundation website will be continuously updated to highlight park project statuses, ongoing community engagement, park events and more. The NoMa Parks Foundation will also be providing a monthly newsletter and an annual report. Read more about the NoMa Parks Foundation public engagement process. 

About The NoMa Parks Foundation

The NoMa Parks Foundation was formed in 2012 to establish welcoming, sustainable, beautiful spaces where people can play, refresh and connect in NoMa, now and in the future.

The rapid transformation of NoMa into a true mixed-use, urban neighborhood has highlighted the importance of creating great parks and public spaces. More than 20,000 people live in greater NoMa, and the population is projected to double in the next 10 years; but currently NoMa contains no publicly accessible parks, playgrounds, or plazas. While the District of Columbia averages 12.9 acres of open space per 1,000 residents, none of these spaces exist in the NoMa neighborhood. They are urgently needed to serve the residents and more than 44,000 daytime employees and visitors to the neighborhood. Undeveloped land is becoming scarcer each year as development occurs on the remaining empty lots. The creation of refreshing, inviting parks and public spaces – before it is too late – will improve the lives of people in NoMa today and for generations to come. More about the NoMa Parks Foundation can be found at nomaparks.org. You can sign up for the NoMa Parks Foundation newsletter as well.

About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood nestled among Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C. The 35-block area within the NoMa BID boundaries is home to more than 16 million square feet of Class A office, residential, hotel, and retail space. NoMa has more than 3,800 new apartments, and more than 44,000 people work in NoMa each day. With unparalleled transportation access via Amtrak, VRE, MARC, and two Red Line Metro stops, and with vehicular access to Interstate 395, and Route 50, visitors, workers and residents can easily travel throughout the region as well as to New York or anywhere on the East Coast. For more information about NoMa, visit www.nomabid.org and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter.

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For immediate release

News media contact:
Ali Newman
202-810-0088
[email protected]

NEW YORK – Julian Hunt went to see the High Line Park in New York City’s West Side before it was even open.

Hunt, a D.C. architect, made the trip as part of a painstaking labor of love. For the better part of a decade, he has been attempting to convert a series of abandoned concrete tunnels beneath Dupont Circle, where streetcars once rumbled, into a menagerie of art galleries, performance space, cafes and exhibitions.

Read more…