NoMa GATEWAY TRANSPORTATION STUDY

Transcription

1 NoMa GATEWAY TRANSPORTATION STUDY CREATING A GATEWAY INTO Washington, DC s Center City OCTOBER 2009

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3 NoMa GATEWAY CREATING A GATEWAY INTO Washington, Dc s Center city 3

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 5 STUDY AREA 9 EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS 13 ALTERNATIVE A RECOMMENDATIONS 22 ALTERNATIVE B RECOMMENDATIONS 27 VISUALIZATIONS 30 DESIGN GUIDELINES 36 PRECEDENTS 40 COST ESTIMATES 49 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 56 APPENDIX 59 4

5 INTRODUCTION The three-way intersection of New York Avenue, Florida Avenue and First Street NE represents one of the most significant gateways into the nation s capital. It is also the major entry for the 35-block area known as NoMa, a former industrial area that is rapidly redeveloping into one of the more exciting new mixed-use communities in Washington, DC. Yet, the current gateway experience is more confusing than welcoming. Driving over the New York Avenue Bridge, visitors confront a scene of visual chaos that includes a web of major high-speed street intersections; fast food signs; narrow, barren sidewalks with multiple curb cuts; poor lighting and traffic sign clutter. Rather than providing a welcoming opportunity, the NoMa Gateway now offers travelers an unsafe, unattractive, and extremely confusing image of NoMa and Washington, DC s Center City. Seven recent studies provide a vision for the New York/Florida Intersection within the larger downtown planning context of Washington, DC. All offer action items that will improve the overall experience, safety, and future development of this intersection as a gateway to the surrounding neighborhoods. They are briefly described below, with emphasis on the relevance of each to the current study. DC Commission on the Arts and the Humanities Public Arts Master Plan As stated in the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities Public Art Master Plan, the development of the Florida and New York Avenues Intersection as a major gateway is an important part of the city s comprehensive plan. Pertaining to this key intersection, the Plan states: This is a major entry into the Monumental Core, identified as a gateway opportunity in the city s comprehensive plan. Currently, the intersection is being redesigned and rebuilt with Economic Stimulus funding. The project offers an opportunity for creating a location for, and eventually commissioning, a gateway artwork. It also offers an opportunity for collaborating with the NoMa BID, which is preparing a pedestrian realm and landscape design plan for the area. (IPMA, NoMa BID) Center City Action Agenda The Center City Action Agenda distinguishes seven locations, including the New York/Florida Avenue Gateway, as Priority Places for focused investment. This major northeast gateway to Center City, as an important transition point between the emerging NoMa neighborhood and the traditional neighborhoods of Eckington, Truxton Circle, and Florida Avenue Market, can be transformed to create safe connections across its width, to improve the access to both the New York Avenue Metrorail Station and the Washington Metropolitan Branch Trail, in order to create a dramatic entry point into NoMa and its surrounding neighborhoods. A dramatic gateway intersection design at this location is necessary to address pedestrian safety, traffic function, curbside management, and transit service function. 5

6 NoMa Vision Plan and Development Strategy 2006 This Office of Planning strategy, developed in collaboration with DDOT, provides a vision of a vibrant neighborhood, as well as a clear and targeted implementation plan for public and private actions to achieve it. It illustrates individual developments that form a coherent neighborhood, connected by a public system of adequate, pedestrian friendly streets with retail services and open spaces for residents and workers, as well as infrastructure that supports the dramatic growth expected in the area. It recommends well-coordinated investments and public realm improvements, undertaken as new development incrementally transforms the area. The following three recommendations are applicable to the redevelopment of the New York/Florida Avenues Gateway: (a) establish a symbolic entrance to both NoMa and the entire downtown historic area (as defined by the L Enfant Plan) through the redesign of this intersection; (2) shape the virtual circle of the intersection with surrounding architecture and landscape design features in order to create a major entry space and visual landmark; and (3) improve safety, connections, and accessibility to the New York Avenue Metrorail Station New York Avenue/ Florida Avenue Charrette The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), in partnership with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), initiated a charrette to study three potential long-term design alternatives for the intersection of New York and Florida Avenues. The District Department of Transportation developed the designs as part of its New York Avenue Corridor Study. Based on a review of the individual concepts, observations, and ideas expressed by the consultants during the charrette, NCPC and its partner agencies offer the following three recommendations for the New York /Florida Avenue intersection and the New York Avenue corridor: (1) discourage regional throughtraffic from using New York Avenue and encourage the use of alternative routes; (2) t plan New York Avenue for District residents and workers instead of for suburban commuters and cut-through traffic; transform the New York /Florida Avenue intersection into an attractive local destination and a gateway into the core city. New York Avenue Corridor Study This study documents DDOT and OP s recommendations for addressing the Corridor s current and future transportation needs. The study defines a vision for the corridor that can accommodate multimodal transportation, including automobiles, public transit, railroad, bicycles and pedestrians, and create capacity for major commercial and residential development. The District s Pedestrian Master Plan The Plan provides an overview of existing conditions, recommends new pedestrian projects and programs, establishes performance measures and sets forth a vision in which Washington, DC, can become a city where any trip can be taken on foot safely and comfortably, and where roadways equally serve pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and motorists. The Plan also includes detailed recommendations for eight priority corridors, (including New York Avenue from 7th Street NW to Penn Street NE), containing the greatest number of pedestrians and/ or the worst conditions for walking. 6

7 The Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital The DC Comprehensive Plan identifies eight areas in Central Washington as policy focus areas, including NoMa/Northwest One. For the NoMa District, the plan recommends that the area be able to: Accommodate a wide array of transportation options, with a particular emphasis on walking, bicycling, and improved transit connections. Improve the accessibility, functionality, and safety of the area s street grid, introducing new streets as needed to improve circulation through the area. This should include the redesign of the New York/Florida Avenue intersection to improve pedestrian safety, enhance access to the New York Avenue metro station, and create a landscaped neighborhood gateway, possibly including a new national memorial. In partial response to these issues, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has developed plans for the reconstruction of this intersection. It has been DDOT s intent, through this redesign, to significantly improve both vehicular and pedestrian safety conditions in the NoMa Gateway area. The measures undertaken have included the establishment of a new traffic pattern around the gateway triangle, the addition of new trees in several areas, the upgrading of sidewalks to better comply with ADA requirements and NoMa streetscape standards, the installation of new lights and traffic/directional signs, new pedestrian crosswalks, and special paving in select locations. However, DDOT s redesign for the area focuses primarily on traffic circulation. It was not intended to address a range of other issues in the area that detract from its role as a primary gateway to the Center City and to a significant and exciting mixed use neighborhood. The DDOT program does not, for example, address the experience of visitors driving into the NoMa area and confronting the visual chaos of fast food restaurants and other strip commercial uses, scattered and confusing signage, and a landscape almost totally bereft of positive features such as trees, plantings, coordinated signage and public art. To address such issues, and to ensure that DDOT s road reconstruction initiative met the streetscape standards established by the District of Columbia s Office of Planning, the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) applied for, and received, a Transportation/Land Use Connections (TLC) Grant from the Washington Council of Government s Technical Assistance project. Funded by this grant, the firm of Rhodeside & Harwell was retained to work with the NoMa BID on the development of a Gateway Plan for the area. This project was completed with extensive stakeholder input, including input from public and private property owners and developers in the area, as well as representatives from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, DDOT, DCOP, NCPC, Councilman Well s office, and others. 7

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9 STUDY AREA Located just north of Capitol Hill and Union Station, NoMa is named for its location North of Massachusetts Avenue. For over 150 years, most of the 35-block area served as an industrial warehouse and distribution area for freight trains coming in and out of the District. But as trucking displaced rail service as the main means of delivering goods to cities, the area declined and many warehouse structures were abandoned. In the last decade, however, a renaissance has begun in NoMa. In 2000, the newly created XM Satellite Radio established its studio and headquarters in a renovated century-old printing warehouse near the intersection of New York and Florida Avenues. At the same time, other public and private organizations began leasing large blocks of office space close to Union Station, including CNN, CareFirst, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Department of Education and various agencies of the District of Columbia government. With privatesector developers facing burgeoning demand for closein office and residential space within the District, NoMa s potential as an exciting mixed-use district became even more apparent. Moreover, through the leadership of Washington s Congressional delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, a unique public/private partnership was formed to fund a new Metrorail station at New York Avenue, which opened in The NoMa BID was formed in March 2007 to support the revitalization of the neighborhood. The area of focus for the Technical Assistance Study is contained within the following boundaries (figure 1 and 2): Florida Avenue NE, from North Capitol Street NE to the Florida Avenue Underpass Eckington Place, up to one block north of Florida Avenue New York Avenue from North Capitol Street to the New York Avenue Bridge 1st Street NE, between Florida Avenue and N Street NE 2nd Street NE, between Florida Avenue and N Street NE 9

10 NOMA GATEWAY STUDY AREA (figure 1) 10 study area

11 NOMA GATEWAY STUDY AREA BOUNDARY (figure 2) study area 11

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13 EXISTING CONDITIONS & ANALYSIS As NoMa redevelops, and as pedestrian and bicycle activities increase on NoMa s streets, it will be critical to ensure that significant improvements to safety, access and comfort are made at the New York/Florida Avenues and First Street intersections. Interviews with current stakeholders working in the area indicate that it is currently both unsafe and unpleasant to walk the streets in this area given issues of high traffic volume and congestion, an inadequate number of pedestrian crosswalks, narrow and uncomfortable sidewalks, and inadequate pedestrian-scale lighting and landscaping. An analysis of existing conditions (figure 3) highlighted the following problems with the public realm in the NoMa Gateway district: The visual dominance of suburban strip commercial buildings and signs, resulting in extreme visually clutter and a singular lack of positive, urban identity The overall lack of trees and landscaping to visually unify the area, and provide shade and a traffic buffer for pedestrians The presence of small grass areas in inappropriate locations that are difficult to maintain and hard to appreciate (e.g., as small grass triangles that serve no aesthetic or functional purpose) The dominance of surface parking areas and vacant lots An imbalance of insufficiently wide sidewalks and roadways that are extremely wide allowing fastmoving traffic to visually dominate the area, and creating a place that lacks human scale More than 100,000 cars pass through the study area daily and, according to the New York Avenue Corridor Study (2006), the intersection of New York/Florida Avenues and First Street NE has been ranked as the 7th most dangerous intersection in the City (2001 Crash Data). Between 2002 and 2004, there were 144 accidents at the New York/Florida Avenues Intersection, and another 80 accidents at 1st Street NE and New York Avenue (DDOT/ PSI Traffic Safety Improvement Study). Hence, a major focus of the study must address safety issues particularly those involving pedestrian and bicycle safety concerns. 13

14 In addition, as the area continues to develop, it will be necessary to improve pedestrian safety so that residents and workers can securely walk to the New York Avenue Metro Station on the southeast corner of this intersection. The area would also benefit from other enhancements, including wayfinding signs, street trees and other landscape and public art elements that would transform a highway-like environment into a true urban boulevard with civic significance. The Office of Planning s (DCOP) NoMa Vision Plan and Development Strategy (2006) and the Center City Action Agenda, issued by the Mayor in March 2008, both recommended such pedestrian and placemaking improvements for this important civic gateway. Not only would these actions improve the area for those living and working in the NoMa district, but it would also significantly enhance the image of the nation s capital for those entering Washington along Route 50 from Maryland (figure 4). A visual analysis of the area also identified opportunities for improvements (figure 5) that will enhance the overall function and appearance of the area. These included: Locations for landscape treatments that can pull together the streetscape through a well-designed and coherent use of colorful plant materials (including both trees and other plantings): Opportunities for streetscape improvements, including sidewalk widening and repaving, the addition of street furniture and lighting, and areas where curb cuts should be eliminated (figure 6) The identification of new pedestrian crosswalks The locations for public art opportunities that can be highly visible from all key viewpoints Finally, a 3-D model was developed (figure 7) to understand the impact of multiple vertical elements (e.g., light poles, traffic poles and signs) in the area. The model was built from the DDOT roadway redevelopment plan, and indicated that DDOT was, in fact, maximizing the use of existing poles for signs and lights rather than adding new poles to the already visually-cluttered scene. The results of this analysis are shown in this chapter. In spite of the fact that few, if any, new poles are being added, it is clear from the analysis that there are still too many poles and signs in the area. DDOT should be encouraged to reassess the need for all of the signs planned for the area in order to reduce the numbers of poles and signs throughout the area. 14

15 EXISTING CONDITIONS (figure 3) existing conditions & analysis 15

16 Building facade fronting the street Parking lot fronting the street Insufficient sidewalk space Vacant lots and sign clutter Suburban scale and character Inadequate tree space 16 existing conditions & analysis

17 Florida Ave. and New York Ave. looking Southwest New York Ave. Bridge looking Southwest Florida Ave. looking down First Street First Street and New York Ave. looking North existing conditions & analysis 17

18 VISUAL CHARACTER (figure 4) 18 existing conditions & analysis

19 OPPORTUNITIES (figure 5) existing conditions & analysis 19

20 PROPOSED DDOT LIGHTING, TRAFFIC & SIGNAGE PLAN (figure 6) 3-D INTERPRETATIONS OF DDOT PLAN (ABOVE) (figure 7) 1. Overview- Florida Ave. looking Northwest 20 existing conditions & analysis

21 2. First Street looking North 3. Florida Ave. looking Southwest 4. New York Ave. looking Northwest existing conditions & analysis 21

22 A L T E R N A T I V E A RECOMMENDATIONS 22 The BID s consultants reviewed DDOT s current designs to ensure that the streetscape standards for the NoMa area, earlier adopted by DDOT and DCOP, were included in the DDOT plans including sidewalk paving, trees, lighting, pedestrian amenities and other specifications (figure 8). Based on this review, the primary recommendations made, and reviewed with DDOT staff, included: Per NoMa Streetscape Standards: The replacement of granite curbs and granite gutters with granite curbs and brick gutters along both Florida and New York Avenues The replacement of granite curbs and granite gutters with granite curbs and brick gutters along both Florida and New York Avenue Consistency in the scoring patterns for ADAaccessible corner curb-cuts at all corners and intersections (as shown in the Alternative A plan) to provide a coherent design pattern for these elements throughout the area. Retention of existing brick paving on Florida Avenue between North Capitol Street and Porter Street For both Florida and New York Avenues, the replacement of poured-in-place concrete medians and islands with brick paving (not sod) The use of planters to add color to areas not suitable for in-ground planting The removal of unused curb cuts in the following locations in order to maximize the pedestrian environment: The north side of the Wendy s triangle on Florida Avenue The north side of New York Avenue The addition of a substantial number of street trees throughout the project area in order to conform to NoMa guidelines, create a streetscape that can more comfortably accommodate pedestrians, and enhance the overall appearance of the area through the consistent use of tree-lined sidewalks.

23 Adherence to the tree planting guidelines developed by the Casey Tree Foundation in order to maximize the likelihood that the area s new trees will survive and thrive (See examples on page 36). The upgrade of crosswalks from painted surfacing to special thermoplastic material artistically designed, possibly with a NoMa -themed imprint. issue for those trying to cross First Street at this location. In addition, the maintenance of four, rather than five, lanes of traffic allows for more comfortable/ pedestrian-friendly sidewalk widths in keeping with DDOT s policy to provide adequate sidewalks for pedestrian use. The installation of brick sidewalks in the triangle currently occupied by Wendy s restaurant. Finally, the study recommended that DDOT reconsider its decision to add a 5th lane of traffic on First Street, between New York and Florida Avenues in order to better transition the traffic continuing south on First Street where only 4 lanes of traffic occur. There is some concern that the merger of five lanes of traffic down to four, within a one-block length, will slow traffic at the New York Avenue/First Street intersection, and will create an additional safety 23

24 REDLINES OF DDOT 95% CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS FOR PAVING & PLANTING (figure 8) 24 alternative a recommendations

25 ALTERNATIVE A (figure 9) alternative a recommendations 25

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27 A L T E R N A T I V E B RECOMMENDATIONS With the recommendations defined in Alternative A (figure 9), the NoMa Gateway public realm will be made both safer for drivers and pedestrians, and more coherent as a public place. Nevertheless, given the unavoidable clutter of the intersection itself in terms of traffic activity, existing signage, varied building conditions, fast food restaurants and other strip commercial uses, it was felt that additional steps were needed to create the kind of noteworthy sense of arrival at a special place that was envisioned by stakeholders at the outset of the design process. The challenge in defining these steps has been to create a positive impact both on the ground within the NoMa area and from afar, as one crosses the New York Avenue bridge into Washington, DC and the NoMa District. Thus, in addition to the improvements defined by the DDOT intersection reconstruction project, the following public realm enhancement elements have been identified as Alternative B (figure 10): The use of a consistent color palette in the landscape through the creation of signature planting areas at key locations throughout the area. These would be three-dimensional, sloped planting areas containing a mixture of flowering trees, shrubs, and perennial plants (which could include grasses, bulbs and ground covers). These planting areas would be in highly visible locations, including the areas alongside the ATF building and McDonald s restaurant at New York Avenue and First Street, in front of the FedEx Building along Florida Avenue, and at key locations around the Wendy s triangle. In addition, the latter location would also have flowering trees surrounding the property. The addition of public art elements that could also provide light and color, and would serve as landmark pieces, defining the NoMa and Washington, DC gateway area. Such art elements would be incorporated throughout the area: in the speciallydesigned thermoplastic crosswalks (discussed above) and at key locations such as possible decorative screens buffering the Wendy s parking lot, and a major sculptural piece in the highly visible triangular median located at the juncture of New York and Florida Avenues. 27

28 John Philip Sousa Bridge Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge The entrance to the area, traveling west from the New York Avenue Bridge, would be significantly enhanced through the use of special elements on and leading from the New York Avenue Bridge. These might include decorative railings, LED lights along the railings, public art installations in the median of the bridge from its crest to the New York/ Florida Avenue intersection, as well as continuous rows of trees on both sides of the roadway leading from the bridge to this intersection. The public art installations would need to be vertical elements of significant scale to give them the visibility and prominence that the location demands. They could also incorporate light, and possibly color, which would emphasize the significance of this area both during the day and at night. The addition of such light towers would provide a major positive change for the NoMa area and would represent a significant and beautiful gateway to the Center City. A coordinated wayfinding signage system that would be compatible with the signage system used in other districts of Washington, DC. These signs would help guide visitors to key locations within the NoMa District and beyond. The signs should be easily read by motorists as well as pedestrians. A public art installation at the intersection of New York and Florida Avenues. This triangle of land is highly visible as people drive into the area across the New York Avenue Bridge, as well as from the NoMa area back to the bridge. Moreover, with appropriate lighting, this landmark public art element will achieve a sense of grandeur and arrival whether viewed in the daytime or at night, and will create an immediate, dramatic and highly visible enhancement in the Gateway area that builds on the planting, paving and signage improvements recommended above. Moreover, we believe that the optimal time to install this civic improvement will be during the reconstruction of the New York/Florida Avenue roadway and the New York Avenue Bridge, which are scheduled to begin this fall and continue for two years. 28

29 ALTERNATIVE B (figure 10) alternative b recommendations 29