district of columbia office of planning may 2011 · new york avenue green infrastructure...

District of Columbia Office of PlanningMay 2011

2 | New York Avenue Green Infrastructure Assessment

Acknowledgements

Prepared by:

District of Columbia Office of Planning HarrietTregoning,DirectorOfficeofPlanning KimberlyDriggins,AssociateDirectorofCitywidePlanning DeborahCrain-Kemp,OfficeofPlanning LaineCidlowski,LEEDAP,AICP,UrbanSustainabilityPlanner

District Department of the Environment SteveSaari,DistrictDepartmentoftheEnvironment

District Department of Transportation AllanFye,formerlyofDistrictDepartmentofTransportation HeatherDeutsch,DistrictDepartmentofTransportation

ConsultantTeam:

Low Impact Development Center, Inc. DougDavies,EnvironmentalPlanner NeilWeinstein,P.E.,R.L.A.,AICP,Executive Director

Toole Design Group, LLC CarrieRainey,LandscapeDesigner RJEldridge,DirectorofPlanning

Gorove/Slade Associates, Inc. ErwinN.Andres,P.E.,Principal

Lee and Associates, Inc. Bret Betnar, Landscape Architect JeffLee,FASLA,Principal

Stratus Consulting JanetClements,SeniorEconomist JohnCromwell,ManagingEconomist JoannaPratt,ManagingPolicyAnalyst

ContentsAcknowledgements 2

Executive Summary 4Project Overview 4Project Goals 4Key Project Recommendations 5Existing Conditions 6

Phase One: Existing Conditions and Criteria 6

Existing Conditions 6Location and Context 7Local Residential Neighborhoods and Residential Land Uses 7Relevant Capital Projects 9Focus Areas 11Existing Conditions for Bus Routes and Stops 12Existing Bicycle and Trail Opportunities 18Green Infrastructure Site Opportunities 21Relevant Studies and Reports 26

Green Infrastructure Site Selection Criteria 29Project Parameters 29Social Benefits Criteria 30Human Health Criteria 30Environmental Function Criteria 32Economic Function Criteria 37

Phase Two: Recommendations 40Introduction 40

General Recommendations 41Public Road and Right-of-Way Options 41Limit Curb Cuts 41

Curb Bump-outs 42Green Alleys 43Green Alleys 44Private Property LID Options 45Pavement and Parking 46Landscape Amenities 47Landscape Identity 48Signage and Branding 49Green Roof Implementation on large roof areas/Big Box Retail 50

Transportation Recommendations 51Bus Stop Recommendations Synopsis 51Bus Stop A 52Bus Stop B 53Bus Stop C 54Bus Stop D 55Bus Stop E 56Bus Stop F 57Bus Stop G 58Multi-Use Trail Recommendations 60

Area Specific Recommendations 76Entrance to Florida Ave Market off New York Avenue NE 76Commercial Gateway Corridor: 78Montana Avenue NE to Bladensburg Road NE 78Montana Circle 79DC Property Yard at Montana Avenue NE 82Mt. Olivet Road and Capitol Avenue NE 84

Potential Funding Sources 86

Project Timeframe 90

Summary of Findings 91

References 92


Executive Summary

Project Overview

Thefollowingisanassessmentofgreeninfrastructureopportunitiesandmethodsforimprovingmulti-modaltransportation(e.g.trails,sidewalks,busses,trolleys,etc.)alongtheNewYorkAvenueCorridorfromNorthCapitolStreetNEtoBladensburgRoadNE.Thefocusoftheassessmentistodeterminepotentialopportunitiesforimplementationinandalongthepublicright-of-wayofNewYorkAvenue,aswellaskeytransportationandpublicpropertiesinthesurroundingplanningarea.ThisincludestheneighborhoodsoftheIvyCity,Trinidad,GallaudetUniversity,Brentwood,andNorthofMassachusettsAvenue(NoMa).Theassessmentwasperformedintwophases.Phase One provides the basis and criteria fortheselectionofappropriatestrategiesandtechniquesandtheselectionofsitesfortheassessment.PhaseTwooffersspecificrecommendationsandimplementationstrategiesfortheassessment.

GreeninfrastructurecanbedefinedasnaturalandconstructedstormwaterBestManagementPractices(BMPs)thatmimicthenaturalhydrologiccycletocapture,treat,andpotentiallyusestormwaterrunofffrompublicandprivateproperties.Thesepracticesareincorporatedintothe

designandconstructionofstreets,trails,schools,andpublicandprivatepropertiesasnewand/orretrofitprojectsinordertocreateanetworkofgreenpracticesthatcanhelpprotectandrestorewatershedfunctionsandhealth.TheapplicationofthesetechniquesatthesitedevelopmentorprojectleveliscalledLowImpactDevelopment(LID).Practicesinclude,butarenotlimitedto,raingardens,permeablepavements,andgreenroofs.

Greeninfrastructurepracticeshavemultiplebenefitsbesidesstormwatermanagementfunctions.Designelementssuchasgreenroofsonbuildingscanbeusedtoenhancepropertyvalues,(IchiharaandCohen,2010).Treescanprovideshadeandcooling,improveairqualityatthelocallevel,andcreateanimprovedperceptionof a street or neighborhood (Pataki Diane E.,2011).TheeffectandoverallvalueofthemultiplebenefitscanbedeterminedbyusingtheTripleBottomLine(TBL)approach(Elkington,1994).Thisapproachaidesdecisionmakersandstakeholdersbyconsideringthesocial,economic,andenvironmentalbenefitsofprojectsratherthanjusttheconstructionlife-cyclecosts.TheapplicationoftheTBLapproachisimportantintheNewYorkAvenueCorridorbecauseofthepotentialopportunitiesthatexistforintegrationofgreentechnologiesintoplannedandon-goingimprovementstothetransportationinfrastructureaswellas

publicandprivateredevelopmentprojects.ThesegreentechniqueswillhelpprotectandrestoretheAnacostiaandPotomacRiversandtributaries,enhanceandfacilitatetheexperienceofwalking,biking,andusingpublictransportation,andhelpcreateasustainableandattractivegatewaytotheDistrictofColumbia.

ProjectGoals

ThegoalofthisassessmentistodevelopanenvironmentallyprogressiveandsustainablefoundationforinfrastructureanddevelopmenttooccuralongtheNewYorkAvenueCorridorbyprovidingplanners,stakeholders,anddecisionmakerswithrecommendationsonstrategiesfortheintegrationofgreeninfrastructureintoproposedandpotentialprojects.Themainbuildingblocksofthefoundationarestrategiesandtechniquesthatareeffectiveatimprovingwaterqualityfromstormwaterpollution,havehighancillaryeconomic,social,andotherenvironmentalbenefits,andcanhelpcreate,accommodate,orfacilitatemulti-modaltransportationandgreentransportationopportunities.

The green infrastructure assessment evaluatesthepotentialtointegrategreeninfrastructureintotherecommendationsofexistingplanningdocumentsandsignificantpublicandprivateprojectsinthecorridor;developsgreeninfrastructurecriteriathat

New York Avenue Green Infrastructure Assessment | 5

areapplicabletothecorridorandthenranksandprioritizespotentialprojects;providesrecommendationsonhowtoimprovemulti-modalaccessandconnectivitywithinthecorridor;providesconceptualdesigndrawingsthat can demonstrate and showcase the potentialstrategiesandtechniques;providesinformationthatcanbeusedtoimprovepublicperceptionsofthecorridorandmakeitmoreeconomicallyviablefor investment through the use of green strategiesandtechniques;anddevelopsimplementationrecommendationsand scenarios that can be used by the developmentcommunity,residents,propertyowners,stakeholders,anddecisionmakers.

Key Project Recommendations

Thekeyprojectrecommendationsfocusonimplementationstrategiesandtechniquesthatrangefromapplicationthroughoutthecorridortosite-specificprojects.Eachrecommendationprovidedwaschosenbasedonthesiteorarea’sexistingconditionandhowitrankedagainstthegreen infrastructure criteria that were developedthroughthiseffort.Theyhavebeencategorizedintothefollowingfourareas:

• General-Thesearerecommendationsthatcanbeappliedthroughoutthecorridor, such as reducing the number of curbcutsforsiteaccess,reconstructingalleyswithpermeablepavements,andusingraingardencurbbump-outsatresidentialstreetintersectionstotreatstormwaterandhelpcalmtraffic.

• Transportation-Theseareimprovementstobusstoplocationsanddesignthatimproveaccessibility,safety,and incorporate green techniques for cooling,lighting,andappearance.

• Multi-UseTrail-Thesearethepotentialrealignments,connections,andphysicalimprovementsthatfacilitateuse,communityconnectivity,safety,and the appearance of the street or neighborhood.

• Area-SpecificRecommendations-These are strategies and techniques forindividualstreets,landuses,orneighborhoods that have a high potentialtoachieveoneormoreofthekeyassessmentcriteriaandobjectivesandwillhelpestablishtheareaasarecognizablegreeninfrastructureareaorgatewayreducingthevolumeofstormwaterrunoffandredesigningsomeofthetrafficcirclesinthecorridorareexamples.

The purpose of Phase One: Existing Conditions and Criteriaistodevelopthebaselineeconomic,social,and

environmentalcriteriathatwillbeusedtoidentifyandselectgreeninfrastructureandtransportationprojectsforPhase Two: Recommendations.PhaseOneincludesanevaluationoftheexistingconditions,anevaluationofexistingrelevantstudies,andthedevelopmentofprojectandsiteselectioncriteriathatcanbeusedtoachievetheassessmentgoalsandobjectives.


Phase One: Existing Conditions and Criteria

ExistingConditions

Theexistingconditionsinventoryandevaluationwasusedtodeterminethephysical,landuse,andtransportationfactorsthatinfluencethepotentialforimplementationofgreeninfrastructureandmulti-modaltransportationimprovementsintheassessmentarea.Theinformationwasgatheredthroughreviewsofexistingstudiesandreports,inputfromDCagencystaff,andsiteandfieldinvestigations.Thiseffortincludesinvestigationsinsixareas:

• LocationandContext-Thesearedescriptionsoftheexistinglandsuses,neighborhoods,andplanningareasusedintheassessment.

• RelevantCapitalImprovementProjects-Thesearerecentlyconstructedorplannedimprovementstothetransportationnetwork.

• FocusAreas-Thisistheidentificationofgenerallocationswheretheprojectteamconductedfurtherinvestigationsto determine candidate sites for potentialprojects.

• ExistingBusRoutesandStops-Thisisan

examinationoftheexistingaccessandfunctionofthenetworksandstopsandanidentificationofopportunitiesforpotentialimprovement.

• ExistingTrailandPedestrianCirculation-Thisisanexaminationofpotentialrealignments,geometricimprovements,andconnectivitythroughoutthecorridor.

• GreenInfrastructureSiteOpportunitiesandConstraints-Thisisanevaluationof the stormwater management system, physicalfeatures,andregulatoryconditionsthatareusedtodetermine


thepotentialofasitetomanagestormwater.

Location and Context

The New York Avenue Green Infrastructure AssessmentisborderedbyNorthCapitolStreetNEtothewest,BladensburgRoadNEtotheeast,IvyCity,Trinidad,andGallaudetUniversitytothesouth,andtheCSXrailyardandLangdontothenorth.Figure1is a map of the assessment area, which is approximately500acresinsize,andthezoningoverlay.

TheareasthatareparalleloradjacenttoNewYorkAvenueareprimarilyzonedforeithercommercialorindustrialuses.Specifically,54percentofthestudyarea(270acres)iszonedforcommerciallanduses,23percent(115acres)iszonedforindustriallanduses,andtheremaining23percent(115acres)isdividedamonggovernment,residential,anduniversitylandusezones.Table1isasummaryofthezoningcategorieslistedinFigure1.

FollowingFigure1arebriefdescriptionsofthelocalneighborhoodsandotherareasthatarethefocusforthestudy.Thesearethelocationswithinthecorridorthatwere considered as candidate areas for furtherinvestigationandrecommendations.The focus areas and their boundaries weredeterminedbyanevaluationofthe

physicalconditionsofthearea,includingphysicalboundaries(e.g.railyards,bridges,slopes,etc.),landuses,andzoningcategories.Thedescriptionsincludekeygreeninfrastructureandtransportationopportunities,majorzoningcategories,andconstraintsfromtheinitialfieldinvestigationsconductedbytheprojectteam.

Local Residential Neighborhoods and Residential Land Uses

Ivy CityIvyCityislocatedtothesouthoftheproject

areaandzonedR-4duetobeingprimarilyresidential.TherearecurrentlynobikelanesalongWestVirginiaAvenueNEorMountOlivetRoadNE.SidewalksinIvyCityaregenerallyingoodcondition,however,busstopsheltersarelocatedwithinthesidewalkareasandlimitpedestrianflow,whileinotherlocationssheltersareabsent.

TrinidadTrinidad is to the south of New York Avenue NEandzonedR-4.Trinidadisoneoftheprimaryresidentialneighborhoodsthatwouldbenefitfromtheimplementationof green infrastructure strategies and techniquesthatfacilitatepedestrian

ZoneC‐2‐A Low density mixed use development (office, retail, and housing)C‐2‐B Medium density mixed use developmentC‐3‐C Medium density mixed use development that is mostly non‐residentialC‐M‐1 Low bulk commercial and light manufacturingC‐M‐2 Medium bulk commercial and light manufacturingC‐M‐3 High bulk commercial and light manufacturing

D/R‐4LO/C‐M‐1 Langdon overlay on low bulk commercial and light manufacturing

M General industrialR‐1‐B Detached single family residential

R‐3R‐4 Single family residential, churches, and public schoolsR‐5‐A Single family residential, detached and semi‐detached dwellings

R‐5‐D

Diplomatic Overlay District on Single family residential, churches, and public schools

Single family residential (including detached, semi‐detached and row dwellings)

Medium to high density general residential uses, single family, flats and apartment buildings

SummaryTable 1: Summary of Zoning Categories in Project Area (District of Columbia Office of Zoning)


Figure 1: Neighborhood Location Map with Zoning. (Source: LID Center & DCRA)

New York Avenue Green Infrastructure Assessment |9

accessandcirculation.Sidewalksinthisneighborhoodarenarrowornotconnected.Thisresultsinpedestrianshavingtostepintothetravellanes.Figure2showsasidewalkalongWestVirginiaAvenueNEthatisblockedbyutilitiesandatree.Curbbump-outscouldpreserveexistingvegetationwhileallowingadequateaccessibility.

Gallaudet UniversityTheportionofGallaudetUniversitywithintheassessmentareaiszonedD/R-4.Itincludeson-sitehousingandhassignificantareasofgreenspacethatcanberetrofittedfor green infrastructure techniques such assoilamendments,rainbarrels,andreforestation.

BrentwoodThisareaisborderedbyRhodeIslandAvenueNEtothenorth,NewYorkAvenueNEtothesouth,BrentwoodRoadNEandtherailyardtothewest,andMontanaAvenueNEtotheeast.ItiszonedM,R-3,andC-M-1.

TheRhodeIslandAvenue-BrentwoodMetroStationisthecloseststationtothearea.ResidentsfromthePostalCorridor,Warehousearea,andMontanaAvenueareaalsousethisstation,andmusttravelthroughtheBrentwoodareatoaccessit.ThepredominantlandusesinBrentwoodalongNewYorkAvenueNEaredominated

bytheCSXrailnetwork.Thereareonlytwo crossings to the main New York AvenueCorridor:the9thStreetBridgeNEandMontanaAvenueNE.Arevitalizationprojectonthe9thStreetBridgeiscurrentlyunderwayandwillimprovepedestrianconnectionstoBrentwood.

NoMaLocated at the west end of the assessment area,NoMaisatthecornerofNorthCapitolStreetNEandNewYorkAvenueNE.TheNoManeighborhood,whichconsistsofoffice,retail,andresidentialdevelopment,includesadiversemixofzoningcategoriesbutispredominatelyzonedC-3-C.Therearemanyvacantlotsandareaswithpoorpedestrianaccessandcirculation.NoMaiscurrentlyundergoingatransitionfromwarehousetomixed-uselandusesthatwillpresentopportunitiesforthe

implementationofgreeninfrastructure.

Relevant Capital Projects

New York Bridge NE RevitalizationTheNewYorkAvenueNEBridgerevitalizationprojectbegandesignin2009.TheprojectisforthebridgeovertheCSXRailroadatFloridaAvenueNE.TherevitalizationprojectisthelargestAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(ARRA)stimulusprojectwithintheDistrict.The$36.5millionprojectincludesextensiverepair work to preserve the bridge’s underside, deck, and roadway from North CapitolStreetNEtoBladensburgRoadNE.TheprojectbeganconstructioninAprilof2011.

Figure 2: Sidewalk Impediment on West Virginia Avenue NE. (Source: Google Maps Street View)

Figure 3: Focus Area and Project Boundary Map. (Source: LID Center & DC GIS)



Safety Improvements of 1st Street NE and Florida Avenue NEDDOT has approved a roadway improvementprojectattheintersectionof1stStreetNE,NewYorkAvenueNE,andEckingtonPlaceNE.Theprojectincludesnewcirculationpatterns,trafficsignalizationimprovements,crosswalks,andsidewalks.Theprojectisnearingcompletionatthetimeofthiswriting.

9th Street Bridge NE Over New York Avenue NEThisprojectconsistsofthereplacementofthe9thStreetBridgeNEoverNewYorkAvenueNEandCSXRailroads.Theprojectiscurrentlyunderconstructionandincludesenhancedpedestrianaccessibilityandlightingacrossthebridge.TheprojectisscheduledtobecompletedinDecember2012.

Metropolitan Branch TrailTheMetropolitanBranchTrail(MBT)isaproposed8milemulti-usetrailthatrunsfromtheSilverSpringMetroStationinMarylandtoUnionStationintheDistrictofColumbia.ThetrailgenerallyfollowsthepaththeMetroRedLine.TheMBTwillhelptocompletearegionalnetworkoftrailsbyconnectingtheCapitalCrescentTrailinSilverSpring,theNationalMallnearUnionStation,andtheproposedFortCircleParkstrail.Aportionofthetrailbetween1stStreetNEand3rdStreetNEinthe

assessmentareaisalreadycompleted.

DDOT Green AlleysDDOTiscurrentlydesigningandconstructingaseriesofgreenalleypermeablepavementdemonstrationprojects.TheplanninganddesignoftheseprojectsisbeingfundedbytheMS4StormwaterPermitEnterpriseFund.TheconstructionofthealleysisbeingfundedundertheAmericanResourceRecoveryActthroughtheCleanWaterStateRevolvingFundthatismanagedbyUSEPA.

Focus Areas

Florida Avenue Market AreaTheFloridaAvenueMarketAreaislocatedatthewestendofthecorridor.ItisboundedbyFloridaAvenueNE,NewYorkAvenueNE,6thStreetNE,andPennStreetNE.ItiszonedC-M-1andismostlycomprised of warehouses and food distributioncenters.TheFloridaAvenueMarketAreaplanproposesalandscapedmedian,linearpark,andpromenadeonthenorthsideofNewYorkAvenueNE.ThiswillincludebikelanethathasaconnectiontotheMetropolitanBranchTrail(MBT).TheconnectiontotheMBTwouldbeacriticalelementofprovidingconnectivityforthearea.

Postal CorridorThePostalCorridorrunsalong9thStreet

NEandiszonedM,C-2-B,C-M-1,andR-5-A.The9thStreetNEoverpassisoneofonlythree major crossings at New York Avenue NEthatcanprovideaccessandconnectivityfortheneighborhoodsandlandusesintheassessmentarea.TheexistingpostalfacilitiesandparkinglotshavethepotentialforLIDretrofitssuchaspermeablepavementsandbioretentioncells.

6th Street Parkway NEThis street runs between the northeastern boundaryoftheFloridaAvenueMarketAreaandGallaudetUniversityatPennStreetNEtoFloridaAvenueNE.ThereisaNationalParkServicemaintenancefacilitytothenortheastthatiszonedastheR-4residentialzone.ThestreetcanbeanimportantpedestriancorridorthatlinksFloridaAvenueNEtothe9thStreetNEoverpassandareastotheeast.

Warehouse AreaThisarearunsalongNewYorkAvenueNEbetweenthe9thStreetNEoverpassandMontanaAvenueNE.ItiszonedM,C-M-1,andC-M-2andprimarilyconsistsoflargewarehouseorindustrialuses.Theareaismostlyimperviouswithlittlegreenspacebecause of the high density of roads and largeroofedareas.Theexistingsidewalksare narrow and the high number of trucks andvehiclesblockorimpedewalkingalongthenarrowsidewalks.


Ivy City GatewayIvyCityisasmallbutcentrallylocatedresidentialneighborhoodthatiszonedR-4,C-M-1,andC-2-A.ItisboundedbyWestVirginiaAvenueNE,MountOlivetRoadNE,andNewYorkAvenueNE.Therearenumerousopportunitiestousegreeninfrastructureelementsfortrafficcalmingandtoestablishtheareaasagreencommunity.AstrongpedestrianlinkageortrailshouldbemadetotheparkattheintersectionofWestVirginiaAvenueNE,MountOlivetRoadNE,andCapitolAvenueNE.

Montana AvenueTheintersectionofMontanaAvenueNE,WestVirginiaAveNE,andNewYorkAvenueNEisamajortransportationfeaturealongthecorridor.ThezoningaroundthecircleattheintersectionisR-1-B,R-3,C-M-1,LO/C-M-1,andC-M-2.Thecircleandthesurroundinglanduseshavesignificantpotentialtoestablishtheareaasagreenfocalpoint,orgreengatewaytothecity.

Commercial TriangleThisareaislocatedonthesouthsideofNewYorkAvenueNEandisborderedbytheMountOlivetCemetery,WestVirginiaAvenue,andBladensburgRoadNE.TheareaiszonedC-M-1.Themajorityofthelanduses have high percentages of impervious surfaces.Thereiscurrentlyaproposaltobuildamajorshoppingcenterwithinthe

area.

CemeteryTheMountOlivetCemeteryareaisborderedbyMontanaAvenueNEtothenorth,BladensburgRoadNEtotheeast,MountOlivetRoadNEtothesouth,andWestVirginiaAvenueNEtothewest.TheareaiszonedR-4.ThereisapolicevehiclestorageandmaintenancelotandsomecommercialorindustrialbusinessesthatarelocatedatthenorthwestcorneroftheareathatarezonedC-M-1.

Bladensburg Industrial TheBladensburgIndustrialarearunsalongBladensburgRoadNEfromNewYorkAvenueNEto28thStreetNE.ItiszonedC-M-1,C-M-2,andR-1-B.Theareasto the west and east of the corridor that arenearNewYorkAvenueNEarehighlyindustrialinnature.Theareatransitionstoresidentiallandusestowardsthenortheast.BladensburgRoadNEisamajorconnectionfromthecitytothesuburbsofMaryland.Thepedestrianconnectionthatcrossesundertherailroadtracksisinpoorcondition,buthassignificantpotentialforenhancement.

Arboretum CorridorThisportionoftheassessmentarearunsalongtheboundaryofNewYorkAvenueNEandtheNationalArboretum.Thearboretumisafederallanduse

andunzoned.Thereareindustrialandwarehouselandusesattheendofthecorridor.Thesidewalkalongthearboretumispoorlymaintained.ThenorthandsouthsidesofNewYorkAvenueNEareconnectedbyanunderpassat36thPlace,whichcanbedevelopedasanimportantconnectionbetweentheNationalArboretumandareastothenorth.

Arboretum NeighborhoodThisisanestablishedsinglefamilyresidentialneighborhoodthatislocateddirectlywestoftheNationalArboretum.ItiszonedR-1-A.Theneighborhoodincludesasmallrecreationcenter.Therearenewlyinstalledsidewalksalongseveralofthestreets.Therearenumerousopportunitiesforcurbbump-outsandperviousalleys.

Existing Conditions for Bus Routes and Stops

Thissectionprovidesanevaluationofbusroutes and stops that serve the New York AvenueCorridorbetweenNorthCapitolStreetNEandtheDistrict-Marylandborder.Thefirstpartofthissectionfocusesontheoverallroutes.Thesecondpartprovidesgeneralrecommendationsonthedesignofthestopsandpotentialrelocationsandimprovementsatspecificlocations.

Bus Routes Theevaluationofthebusroutesfocuseson


Figure 4: New York Avenue NE Corridor Bus Route Map. (Source: WMATA)


Figure 5: New York Avenue NE Corridor Bus Stop Map. (Source: DDOT, WMATA)


serviceandridershipinformationonbusroutesthatoperatealongNewYorkAvenueNE,busroutesthatcrossNewYorkAvenueNE,busstopsonNewYorkAvenueNE,andbusstopsthatareoneblockoffofNewYorkAvenueNE.Figure4isamapofthebusroutes.Figure5isamapofthelocationofthebusstops.TheareaofbusservicethatrunsalongNewYorkAvenuetotheeastofNorthCapitolStreetNEtotheDistrictborderatNewYorkAvenueNEhaslimitedbusservice.ThereiscurrentlyonlyonebusstopthatisdirectlyonNewYorkAvenueNEintheassessmentarea.Thisstopactsasahubthatservicesseveralcrossingroutes.TheonlyareawherethebusesrunalongNewYorkAveNEisfromFenwickStreetNEto16thStreetNE.SeveralbusroutescrossNewYorkAvenueNEandhavestopsonornearwheretheycross.Theseroutes provide weekday and weekend service with headways between ten and 30 minutes.Table2isasummaryoftheroutes,servicehours,headwaytime,andridershipinformationforbusroutesthatstoponNewYorkAvenueNE.Table3isasummaryoftheroutes,servicehours,headwaytime,andridershipinformationforbusroutesthatcrossNewYorkAvenueNE.

Therearecurrentlylimitedpatrondestinations,populationdensities,andemploymentandretailcentersalongNewYorkAvenueNEwithintheassessmentarea.Therefore,additionaltransitroutes

Table 2: Bus Route Information for Routes that Stop on New York AvenueRoute Number Route Name Service Hours Headway Average Weekday Ridership*

E2 & E3 Military Road‐Crosstown LineWeekdays & Weekends

6AM‐1AM15‐30 Minutes 6,354

D1 & D3 Sibley‐Stadium ArmoryWeekdays & Weekends


D4 Ivy City‐Union StationWeekdays & Weekends


*Average daily ridership for entire route for March 2010 (Source: WMATA)

Table 3: Bus Route Information for Routes that Corss New York Avenue NE.Route Number Route Name Service Hours Headway Average Weekday Ridership*

80 North Capitol Street LineWeekdays 4AM‐2AM / Weekends 5AM‐1AM 10‐20 Minutes 8,303

P6 Anacostia‐Eckington LineWeekdays & Weekends

24‐Hour Service 15‐30 Minutes 3,622

B2Bladensburg Road‐Anacostia

LineWeekdays at 3:50PM, 3:55PM &, 4:00PM 5 Mintures 7,245

*Average daily ridership for entire route for March 2010 (Source: WMATA)

Table 2: Bus Route Information for Routes that Stop on New York Avenue NE

Figure 6: New York Avenue NE Corridor Bus Stop Photo A – Southern side of New York Av-enue NE between 16th Street NE and Fenwick Street NE. (Source: Google Maps Street View)

Table 3: Bus Route Information for Routes that Cross New York Avenue NE


Figure 7: New York Avenue NE Corridor Bus Stop Photos B-E. (Source: Google Maps Street View)

BusStopImageB:NorthCapitolStreetbus stop for routes 80 & P6 on east side ofNorthCapitolStreetsouthofNewYorkAvenueNE(lookingnorth)

BusStopImageD:FenwickStreetbusstopforroutesE2,E3,D1,D3&,D4oneastsideofFenwickStreetsouthofNewYorkAvenueNE(lookingnorth)

BusStopImageC:NorthCapitolStreetbusstop for route 80 on west side of North CapitolStreetnorthofNewYorkAvenueNE(lookingsouth)

BusStopImageE:BladensburgRoadbusstopforroutesB2&S41oneastsideofBladensburgRoadsouthofNewYorkAvenueNE(lookingnorth)


Figure 8: New York Avenue NE Corridor Bus Stop Photos F-G. (Source: Google Maps Street View)

Bus Stop Image F: West Virginia Avenue Bus Stop for Routes E3, E3 & S41 on west side of West Virginia Avenue south of New York Avenue (looking south)

Bus Stop Image G: West Virginia Avenue Bus Stop for Routes E2, E3 & S41 on east side of West Virginia Avenue south of New York Avenue (looking north)


arenotcurrentlywarranted.However,theNewYorkAvenueCorridorwilleventuallyberedevelopedwithanadditionalmixofusesanddensitiesalongthecorridor.Thesefuturedevelopmentswoulddrivethepotentialforregularbusservice,aswellaslimitedstopservices,connectingdowntown,theFortLincolnneighborhood,andMaryland.

Bus Stop Locations ThebusstoponNewYorkAvenueNEnearFenwickStreetNEisshownasStopAonFigure5.ApictureofthestopisshownonFigure6.Thestophasashelter,bench,androuteinformation.Thisstopalsoprovidesalay-byareaadjacenttoNewYorkAvenueNEthatallowsbusestopulloverfromtheeastboundNewYorkAvenueNEtrafficstreamtodropoffandpickuppassengers.TheremainingstopslocatedadjacenttoNewYorkAvenueNEareshowninFigures7and8anddepictarangeofamenitiesfromsignstoshelterswithrouteinformationandbenches.

Existing Bicycle and Trail Opportunities

Thefollowingsectionisanevaluationoftheopportunitiestodevelopmulti-usetrailsandimproveexistingpedestrianandbicycleaccess,connectivity,andconditions.Theevaluationincludesareviewoftheexistingstandards,coordinationwithmasstransit

operations,andpotentialusagefromthedifferentlanduseswithintheassessmentarea.

Multi-Use Trail StandardsTheDDOTDesignandEngineeringManual(2009)specifiesthatsharedusepaths,orthose that are designated as a path shared bycyclists,pedestrians,andothernon-motorizedusersbephysicallyseparated,orbuffered,fromtheroadway.Thesesharedpathsaredesignatedasmulti-usetrailsinthisassessment.Thestandardsarethattheyshouldhaveaminimumwidthoftenfeet,withabufferoffivefeetwherepossible.Ifahorizontalbufferisnotpossible,themanualsuggeststheconsiderationofaverticalbarriertoprovideprotectionfortrailusersfromtheroadway.Aminimumbufferoftwofeetisrequiredfromtheedgeofthepathtoverticalobstructionssuchastrees,utilitypoles,andfences.

TheGuidefortheDevelopmentofBicycleFacilitiesalsorecommendsaminimumwidthoftenfeet.Itshouldbenotedthatawidthofeightfeetisacceptableforshortdistanceswhereawiderpathisnotpossible(AASHTO,1999).Theguidealsosuggestsaminimumoftwofeetofbufferspaceoneachsideofthetrail.

Multi-Usetrailrecommendationsdiscussedinthisassessmentshouldbeassumedto

meettheDDOTandAASHTOstandardsandguidelines,exceptwherenotedotherwise.

Overall Corridor EvaluationRoadway, Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommo-dationsNewYorkAvenueNEisentirelycontainedwithintheDistrictofColumbia,fromNorthCapitolStreetNEtotheeasternedgeofthe District, where the roadway becomes JohnHansonHighwaythroughthestateofMaryland.NewYorkAvenueNEisasix-lanehighway that is a signed and numbered route(Route50)ontheUSHighwaysystem.Portionsofthehighwayaredividedbyraisedmedians(concreteandbrick)ortwinyellowstripes.

Generally,thereisacontinuousconcretesidewalkalongthesouthsideofNewYorkAvenueNE,whilethenorthsidehassomesectionsofsidewalk,locatedmostlywithintheeasternportionofthestudyarea.Sidewalksaregenerallynarrow(lessthansixfeetwide)butingoodrepair,however,therearelocationswheresidewalkshavebeendisplacedbytreerootsorothercauses.Thiscreatesachallengingsituationforpersonswithdisabilities,parentspushingstrollers,orotherswithmobilitylimitations.Inaddition,someportionsofNewYorkAvenueNEhaveextensivecommercialandindustrialuse,resultingin many driveways that pedestrians must cross.


Therearecurrentlynodedicatedbicyclefacilitiesalongthecorridor,althoughbicyclistshavebeenobservedridingonthesidewalkandoccasionallyinoneofthetravellanes.TheMetropolitanBranchTrailintersectsthecorridoratitswesternedge,andthereareplannedon-roadbicyclefacilitiesintheNoManeighborhood,alsoonthewesternedgeofthestudyarea.Inaddition,manybicyclistsusetheinternalroadnetworkattheNationalArboretumforrecreationandexercise,butthemajorityofthosepeoplecurrentlydrivetotheArboretumwiththeirbikesloadedonracks.TheplannedAnacostiaRiverfrontTrailwillrun to the east of the study area and is currentlyunderconstruction.

TransitCurrently,transitserviceisprovidedbyWashingtonMetropolitanAreaTransitAgency(WMATA)Metro.TheNewYorkAvenue/FloridaAvenue/GallaudetUMetroStationislocatedclosetothewesternprojectlimitofFloridaAvenueNE.ThereareseveralMetrobusstopsalongthecorridorthataredescribedinmoredetailintheTransitExistingConditionssection.

Land UseMuchofthecorridorisboundedonthenorthbyraillinesandtheUnionStationrailyard.ThisrailactivityessentiallyimpedesaccesstoandfromdestinationstothenorthofNewYorkAvenueNEalongthecorridor,

withtheexceptionofafewconnectionsatBrentwoodParkwayNE,MichiganAvenueNE,andSouthDakotaAvenueNE.MostofthedirectconnectionstoNewYorkAvenueNEarefromtheneighborhoodsandbusinessesonthesouthsideofthecorridor.

Florida Avenue NE to New York Avenue Bridge NERoadway and Pedestrian AccommodationsInthissectionofthecorridor,NewYorkAvenueNEisasix-lanedividedroadwaywithabrickorconcretemedian.TherearecontinuoussidewalksalongbothsidesofNewYorkAvenueNEfromFloridaAvenueNEtotheeasternterminusofthebridge.Bothsidewalksarerelativelynarrow(sixfeetmaximum)andarenotbufferedfromtheroadway,exceptonthebridge,whereaconcretemedianwithrailingprovidesabufferfromtraffic.Inaddition,thesidewalksectionsonthebridgeareprotected on the outmost side with a curving fence to prevent pedestrians from fallingoverthesideofthebridge.Itshouldbe noted that this bridge over the Amtrak raillinesiscurrentlybeingreplacedusingAmericanReinvestmentandRecoveryAct(ARRA)funding,andtheproposeddesignessentiallyreplicatestheexistinglaneandsidewalkconfiguration.Becauseconstructionisunderwaynow,thereisnoopportunitytoalterthecurrentdesignsforthebridge.

Land UseThelanduseinthisareaisprimarilytheAmtrakandWMATArailyardsandtracks.Mostofthesurroundinglandinthissectionisundeveloped.TheMetropolitanBranchTrailrunsparalleltotheWMATAtracksonthewestsideandthenrunsbelowNewYorkAvenueNEandcontinuessouthtowardsdowntown.

New York Avenue Bridge NE to Penn Street NE Roadway and Pedestrian AccommodationsNewYorkAvenueNEisasix-laneroadwayinthissectionofthecorridor.Itisdividedonlybyadoubleyellowline.Thereisaseventhlane(eastbound)totheeastofthebridge,butitonlyexistsforafewhundredyards,endingatPennStreetNE.ThesidewalksonbothsidesofNewYorkAvenueNEterminateattheedgeofthebridge.Thereare worn paths that begin on both sides at theendofthesidewalk,whichindicatespedestrianusagealongthecorridor.

Land UseTheAmtraktracksturneastandrunparalleltoNewYorkAvenueNEnorthofthebridge.MuchofthelandnorthofNewYorkAvenueNEislargelyundeveloped.Apersonalstoragewarehouseislocatedjusteastofthe bridge on the south side of New York AvenueNE.


Penn Street NE to Brentwood Parkway Roadway and Pedestrian AccommodationsNewYorkAvenueNEisasix-laneroadwaydividedbyadoubleyellowlineinthissectionoftheassessmentarea.ThesidewalkonthesouthsideofNewYorkAvenueNEbeginsagaininthissectionnearthewestsideofPennStreetNE.Thereisasmalllandscapestripwithstreettreesthatprovidesabufferfromtheroadway.Thereislimitedspacebetweenthestreetandtheedgesofadjacentbuildings.Thewornpathobservedintheprevioussectionofthis corridor on the north side of New York AvenueNEendsinthisarea.

Land UseThissectionofNewYorkAvenueNEincludesseveralhotelpropertiesandcommercialbusinesses.Mostarelocatedonthesouthsideofthecorridor.DevelopmentopportunitiesonthenorthsidecontinuetobelimitedduetotheAmtraktrackswhichparallelNewYorkAvenueNE.

Brentwood Parkway NE to West Virginia Avenue NE/Montana Avenue NE Roadway and Pedestrian AccommodationsNewYorkAvenueNEisasix-laneroadwaydividedbyabrickmedianinthissectionofthecorridor.ThesidewalkonthesouthsideofNewYorkAvenueNEcontinuesthroughthissection.Thereisalandscapebufferwithstreettreesandlimitedclearancefrombuildingedges.Astreettreebufferstrip

alsoexistsonthenorthsideofNewYorkAvenueNE,butthereisnoaccompanyingsidewalkuntileastof16thStreetNE.ThesidewalkinthatareacontinuestothetrafficcircleattheintersectionofWestVirginiaAveNEandMontanaAveNE.Thesidewalkisnarrowandisoftenpartiallyblockedwithutilitypoles.

AninactiverailroadbridgecrossesthecorridorjustwestoftheWestVirginiaAvenueNE/MontanaAvenueNEtrafficcirclebutdoesnotconstraintheexistingsidewalksonNewYorkAvenueNE.WhilethereisthepotentialtoutilizethebridgeasatrailconnectiontoneighborhoodsnorthandsouthoftheNewYorkAvenueCorridor,thebridgedoesnotcurrentlyconnectwithanyexistingbicycleorpedestrianfacilitiesthatwouldprovideaccessbeyondthebridge.Thispotentialconnectionshouldbere-evaluatedasnewdevelopmentoccursalongthecorridor.

Land UseThissectionofNewYorkAvenueNEincludesmostlycommercialbusinessesalongthesouthside.Thereareaminimalnumber of driveways for pedestrians tocross,withtheexceptionofalargegasstationatthewesterncornerofthetrafficcirclethathasfourlargedrivewayentrances.Aseriesofparkinglotsrunalongmostofthenorthsideofthissection.Onelotisusedasoverflowparkingfora

nightclub.Theothersappeartobeusedforstorageofequipment,trailers,andsuppliesrelatedtotherailroadtracks.Thesidewalkbegins on the north side of New York AvenueNE,alongsideahotelat16thStreetNE.

West Virginia Avenue NE/Montana Avenue NE to the National Arboretum Property Roadway and Pedestrian AccommodationsNewYorkAvenueNEisasix-laneroadwaydividedbyabrickmedianinthissectionofthecorridor.SidewalksarepresentonbothsidesofthecorridorfromWestVirginiaAvenueNEtoBladensburgRoadNE.Thereareintermittentstreettreeplantingstripsandbuffersfromtheroadway.SidewalkscontinuealonguntileastoftheintersectionwithBladensburgRoadNE,endingatthefirstfewproperties.

EastofBladensburgRoadNE,NewYorkAvenueNEbecomesalimitedaccessfreeway.Thespeedlimitsincreaseto45MPH.Afrontageroadonthesouthsideofthe corridor provides access to the New YorkAvenueNEentrancetotheNationalArboretum.EastoftheArboretum,asliplaneprovidesaccesstotheWashingtonTimesproperty.

Land UseThissectionofNewYorkAvenueNEincludesmostlycommercialbusinessesalongbothsidesofthecorridor.Several


businesseshavemultipleaccessdriveways.TotheeastofBladensburgRoadNE,alargeportionofthesouthfrontageisoccupiedsolelybytheNationalArboretum.ThereisasmallresidentialneighborhoodonthewesternborderoftheArboretum.ThenorthsideofNewYorkAvenueNEinthisareaisoccupiedbyalargehotelandseveralwarehouses.

Green Infrastructure Site Opportunities

Thelocationofgreeninfrastructureelementsisdependentonmanyfactors,includingthebuiltandthenaturalenvironment.Builtenvironmentconstraintsinclude,butarenotlimitedto,physicalelementssuchasbuildings,structures,parking,utilities,roads,zoning,buildingcodes,politicalandneighborhoodconcerns,constructionandroadstandards,propertyboundaries,andlanduserestrictions(easements).Urbansoilareasaretypicallyhighlydisturbedbecauseofpastandpresentdevelopment.Naturalareasthatare not disturbed in urban areas were oftennotabletobedevelopedbecauseofphysicallimitations,(e.g.groundwater,poorsoils,slopes,etc.)ortheywereprescribedasparklandorotherrestricteduses.Themostconstrainingphysicalfeatures for green infrastructure strategies andtechniquesaretypicallysoilsconditionsandhydrology,ordrainage.Thisisbecause

greeninfrastructureisbasedonreplicatingnaturalhydrologyfunctions,whichisdependentontheabilityofsoilstoabsorbwaterandthedrainagepatternstothefacilities.

SoilsThefollowingisadescriptionofthesoilscharacteristicsandtheirimplicationsfortheimplementationofgreeninfrastructureintheassessmentarea.LIDlandscapepracticescanbeclassifiedasthosethatfilterorinfiltrate,orashybriddevicesthathavebothfunctions.Forasystemsuchasabioretentioncellorpermeablepavementtofunctionasaninfiltrationdevice,thesoilsmusthavethecapabilitytoabsorbtheexcesswaterthatisnotabsorbedbythemediaortheplants.Soilswithhighsandcontentgenerallyhavethecapacitytoabsorbexcessrunoff.Soilswithahighclayorsiltcontent,urbancompactedsoils,highgroundwater,andshallowdepthtobedrockareconditionsthatlimittheabilityforanLIDpracticetobeusedasaninfiltration

device.Someinfiltrationmayoccurintheseareas,especiallyinsmallerandmorefrequentlyoccurringstormevents,butitis important to have underdrains in the LIDfacilitiessothattheydonotbecomeinundatedforlongperiodsoftimeafterstormeventsthathavehighvolumesofrunoff.Long-terminundationwillaffectthehealthoftheplantmaterialsforvegetatedpracticesandwillnotallowotherpracticestomanageorfiltersubsequentrainfallevents.

ThesoilsalongtheNewYorkAvenueCorridorarerepresentativeofmostofthehighlydevelopedareasofthecity.ThesoiltypesinthestudyareaareshowninFigure9.Duetothehighlydisturbednatureofthearea,thesoilsmapshouldbeusedasageneralguideforplanningpurposes.Fieldinvestigationsarerequiredtodeterminethepotentialforinfiltrationpracticesbecauseoftheextremelevelofvariabilityofdisturbanceoneachsite.

Table 2: Soils Group Classifications. (USDA, 1986)HSG Soils Group Soil Texture Infiltration Rate (inches per hour)

A Sand, loamy sand or sandy loam Greater than 0.30

B Silt loam or loam 0.15 to 0.30C Sandy clay loam 0.05 to 0.15

DClay loam, silt clay loam, sandy

clay, silty clay or clayLess than 0.05

Table 4: Soils Group Classifications (USDA, 1986)


Figure 9: Soils Map. (Source: LID Center, USDA)


TheabilityofasoiltoinfiltratestormwaterisbasedontheHydraulicSoilsGroup(HSG)classification(USDA,1986).EachsoiltypeintheDistrictiscategorizedasHSGA,B,C,orD.HSGAhasthehighestinfiltrationandrateofwatertransmissionpotentialandHSGDhasthelowest.Factorssuchashighwatertablesalsocontribute.Table4isaclassificationsummaryofthedrainagecharacteristicsofdifferentsoilgroups.ThepredominantsoilstypeisUrbanLand(Ub)orUrbanLandComplex(eg.Uc,Ue,Uf,etc.),whichstillhasrecognizablecharacteristicsofthenaturalsoils.Thissoilstypecomprisesapproximately45percentofthestudyarea.Urbanlandsare areas where there is over 80 percent coverage by impervious areas, such as parking,buildings,androads.Thoroughinvestigationsofthesoilspropertiesarerequired in these areas because of the disturbednatureofthesoils,whichmayincludesignificantcompactionandfill.Generally,theseareashavepoorpotentialforinfiltration.

Approximately20percentofthestudyareaiscomprisedofurbandisturbedsoils.Thesesoilsmayhavesomeofthenaturaldrainageandengineeringpropertiesintact,butduetotheareasbeingdevelopedandgraded,furtherinvestigationisrequired.Approximately10percentofthesoilsinthestudyareaareclassifiedasHSGB.Thesesoilsdohavepotentialforinfiltration,but

moredetailedstudiesarerequiredduethevariabilityinsiteconditions.Approximately10 percent of the area is composed of Udorthents,orurbanfillsoils.Thesesoilscancontainsignificantpercentagesoftrashanddebrisandareoftenhighlycompacted.Detailedstudiesoftheseareasarerequiredtodeterminetheinfiltrationcapacity,buttheyaretypicallyveryrestrictive.

Theremainderofthesoilsintheareaareurbanlandcomplexesthatcontainasignificantpercentage,generallyover15percent,ofundisturbedsoils.Theseareashavebeenhighlydevelopedwithhousing,commercial,office,andwarehouse/industrialuses.Theundisturbedareasaretypicallyopenorgreenspacesthatwerenotdevelopedduetophysicalorlanduserestrictions.Physicalrestrictionsinclude,butarenotlimitedto,steepslopesandhighgroundwater.Landuserestrictionsinclude,butarenotlimitedto,setbacksandgreenspacerequirements.MostofthesesoilsareclassifiedasHSGC.Thesesoilshavemarginalinfiltrationpotentialandwillrequireadetailedsoilsinvestigationduetotheamountofdisturbance.Lessthan10percentofthesoilsareurbanlandcomplexesthatareclassifiedasHSGB.

Thesoilsreportshowsthatthereisonlylimitedpotentialforinfiltrationorreductionofstormwaterrunoffvolumeandrateinthecorridorfromlargerstormeventsthrough

theuseoflandscapepractices.Thereisthepotentialtoinfiltraterunofffromsmallermorefrequentlyoccurringstormevents,butvolumereductionwouldhavetobeachieved through the use of cisterns or otherbuildingtechniques.Thelandscapepracticeswouldprimarilyfunctionaspeakflowreductiondevicesduringlargestormevents.Thereductioninrunoffvolumeandratewouldbeafunctionoftheamountofstorage,orsize,ofthefacilityandtheoutletstructureinthefacility.Therearesomelimitedareasofsoilsthathavethepotentialforinfiltration,butfurtherfieldinvestigationsarerequired.

Drainage and StormwaterThestudyareadrainstoboththeCombinedSewerSystem(CSS)andtheMunicipalSeparateStormSewerSystem(MS4).TheCSSreceivesstormwaterrunoffandsewagefrom streets and private property and conveysthemtotheBluePlainswastewatertreatmentplant.Duringlargerainfalleventstheplantanddrainagesystemmaynotbeabletohandletheamountofrunoffandthesystemoverflowsintothestreets,properties,andtheAnacostiaRiver.Theuntreatedsewageintherunoffcancauseserioushealthandenvironmentalproblemsandeconomicdamage.TheCSSsystemismanagedbyDCWater.TheapproachtoreducethevolumeofrunoffiscontainedintheLongTermControlPlan(LTCP)throughtheuseofundergroundstoragetunnelsand


Figure 10: Overall Map Showing Combined Sewer Overflows and Separate Sewer Overflow Areas for Stormwater Analysis. (Source: LID Center & DC GIS)

Boundary Line


LIDandgreeninfrastructuretechniques.

TheMS4systemismanagedbytheDistrictDepartmentoftheEnvironment(DDOE).This system discharges stormwater to theAnacostiaRiverandisregulatedbyaNationalPollutionDischargeEliminationSystem(NPDES)permit.ThepermitrequiresthatnewconstructionforroadsandsitedevelopmentincorporateBestManagementPractices(BMPs)tofilterandreducepollutionfromrunofffromimpervioussurfaces,suchasroads,roofs,sidewalks,andparkinglots.Thisincludestrash,metalsandoilsfromautomobiles,sediment,nitrogenfromairbornedepositionandlawns,andotherpollutantsthataretypicallyfoundinstormwaterrunoff.

ThedivisionbetweentheCSSandtheMS4crossesNewYorkAvenueNEbetweenthe9thStreetNEoverpassandMontanaAvenueNE.Itrunsatapproximatelya30degreeangletothesouthroughlyalongFenwickStreetNEandthenparalleltoMountOlivetRoadNEthroughthemiddleoftheMountOlivetCemetery.Thelinetothenorthrunsthroughtherailyardtoneartheintersectionof17thStreetNEandMontanaAvenueNE.Theareatothesouthoftheline,towardsdowntown,isintheCSSarea.ItincludestheBrentwoodRoadNEportionofthestudyarea.TheareatotheeastandnorthisintheMS4.Figure10isacomposite of maps showing the combined

sewer(CSS)andseparatesewer(MS4)systems.

ThehydrologyandhydraulicsoftheCSShavebeenwell-studiedbyDCWaterandthereissignificantinformationontheperformance and capacity of the system toconveystormwaterflowstoBluePlains.ThereisalargetrunklinethatrunsdownFloridaAvenueNE.Thetrunklineisservedbyseveralsmallerbranches.Thelargestones within the study area come from the railyardtothenorthofNewYorkAvenueNE,fromWestVirginiaAvenueNEnorthofFloridaAvenueNEanduptoBrentwoodRoadNE,andfromBladensburgRoadNEnorthofFloridaAvenueNE.

Thesystemhasbeenpreviouslymodeledandcalibratedthroughmonitoringatkeyintersectionsforthe100-yearandthe15-yearsix-hourstormevents.Thedrainageareasstudiedinthemodelarefairlylargeandthestudypointsaregenerallylocatedatthelargerstreetintersectionsoratthebottomofdrainagesub-shedsforlargerlandusesorclustersofdevelopment.Detailedhydrologyandhydraulicstudieswillberequiredtolookatindividualsitesorblocks.Themodelinginformationcanbeusedtomakegeneralorplanningleveldeterminationsontheeffectivenessofpracticestoreduceflowswiththosesub-sheds(USDA,1986).The100-yearismodeledtopredicttheflowsandoverflows

duringlargeinfrequentstormevents.The15-yearstormwasmodeledfornormalsystemcapacity.ThisareawasevaluatedinTheGreenBuild-outModel(Limnotech,Inc.,2007).Theresultsgenerallyshowedareductionofflowsofapproximately10to15percentwithfullimplementationofgreeninfrastructuretechniques.Theassumptionsincludedifferentlevelsofimplementationforpublicandprivatelands.Theseassumptionswereusedinthefinalanalysisandplanningphasesoftheproject.DCWaterprovidedadditionalmodelingoftheone-yearandthetwo-yearsix-hourstormeventsforthisstudy.Theone-yearandtwo-yearstormvolumesarefrequentlyoccurringstormevents.

ThecurrentMS4regulationsrequirethemanagementofthefirstone-halfinchofrunoffforwaterqualityand,ifthesystemcapacityisadequate,detentionofthe15-year24-hourstormevent.ThecurrentMS4permitletterofagreement,datedAugust1,2008,specifiesthattheDistrictwillincorporategreeninfrastructureandLID into their stormwater programs for retrofitsandnewconstructiononprivateandpubliclands.Forpublicroads,orDDOTconstructionprojects,thewaterqualitystandardofthemanagementofthefirstone-halfinchofrunoffisrequired.Thiscanbeprovidedintheright-of-waythroughtheuseoftheAnacostiaWaterfrontTransportationStandards.Theuseofthese


techniqueswillbeincorporatedintothefinalplanningdesign.Therearecurrentlynew stormwater standards for the District thatareintheevaluationphase.Thenewlyproposedstandardswillrequiretheretentionofapproximately1.2to1.4inchesofrunoff.Sincetheadoptionoftheseproposedregulationsisunknownatthetimeofthestudy,theywillnotbeexplicitlyincludedinthefinalanalysis.

Relevant Studies and Reports

Relevantreports,plans,andstudieswereidentifiedbyDCagencystaffandtheprojectteam.Thestudieswerereviewedtoevaluateifgreeninfrastructure had been considered or applied.Ifthedocumentdidnotincludespecificgreeninfrastructureormulti-modaltransportationrecommendationstheprojectteamreviewedtheexistinglanguageforopportunitiestoincludegreeninfrastructureandmulti-modaltransportationbenefits.

Florida Avenue Market StudyTheFloridaAvenueMarketSmallAreaPlan(FAM)wascompletedbytheDistrictOfficeofPlanningin2007(OfficeofPlanning,2007).Thepurposeoftheplanwastoexaminetheexistinginfrastructure,economicvitality,andhistoricsignificanceoftheareainordertodeveloppotentialrecommendationsforredevelopment.The

generalguidelinesintheplanincludemanyLIDtechniques.Thereareopportunitieswithinthegeneralrecommendationsto enhance or reinforce the green infrastructurecomponents.Listedbelowaresomeofthespecificareasofthestudythat support green infrastructure and some potentialinterpretationsoftheplanthatwouldreinforcetheimplementationofgreen infrastructure:

The “Sustainability-How environmentally sustainable is the site?”sectionincludesstatementsontheDistrictofColumbia’scommitmenttogreentechnology.Duetothearea’sdensecoverageofbuildingand impervious surfaces, the study suggeststhatattentionbepaidto“highperformancebuildingdesign,energyefficiency,stormwatermanagement,airqualitymanagement,environmentalnoisereductionandthecarefulplacementofsustainable,usableandattractiveopenspace.”

ThestudyrecommendsconnectionsbemadetotheMetropolitanBranchTrailandthedevelopmentofmulti-usetrailsinthecorridor.ThisisconsistentwiththeDistrictofColumbiaBicycleMasterPlan(DistrictDepartmentofTransportation,2005).IntheDevelopmentFrameworksection,underLandUseandDevelopmentRecommendations,thestudyrecommendsthatlargeshadetreesandlargetreeboxes

be used in the area to create a green canopy.ThestudyalsorecommendsthatallstreetscapedesignsrequireLIDbestmanagementpractices.

NoMa Vision Plan and Development StrategyTheNoMaPlanfocusesoninnovativeplanning,highperformancebuildingdesign,andbuildingasustainableneighborhoodasintegralpartsofthevisionforthissmallareaplan(OfficeofPlanning,2006).TheNoMaplanrecommendsusingLIDtechniques to addresses stormwater management,energyefficiency,andtohelpimproveairquality.Thestudyalsorecommends the use of Leadership in EnergyandEnvironmentalDesign(LEED™)asaguidefornewconstructionprojectstohelpdeveloptheareaasa“GreenZone.”ManyLIDtechniques,suchasrainwatercapture and reuse, green roofs, and bioretentioncanbeusedtosatisfyLEED™ratingrequirements.

NoMaStreetscapeMatrixGuidelinesTheNoMaStreetscapeGuidelinesproviderecommendationsonstreetwidths,trees,furniture,andconstructionmethodsforthestreetscapeswithintheNoMaarea(OfficeofPlanning,2009).TheserecommendationsareusedbyDDOT,theOfficeofPlanning,andthedevelopmentcommunitytoinsure consistency in the design and constructionofvehicular,pedestrian,and


bicyclecirculation.NospecificLIDfeaturesorlocationsarehighlightedwithinthisdocument.Areasfortreeboxes,streetparking,andwalkwayscouldincorporateLIDtechniques.

NoMa Public Space and Water Management Study ThisstudyprovidesgeneralrecommendationsfortheimplementationofBMPs(OfficeofPlanning,2011).TheBMPsarecategorizedbyapplicabilityforspecificlanduses,potentialeffectiveness,potentialareasforincorporation,potentialcosts,communityandenvironmentalbenefits,andtherecommendedscaleofimplementation.

New York Avenue Corridor StudyTheNewYorkAvenueStudy(NYAS)wascompletedin2006(DistrictDepartmentofTransportation,2006).ThestudyproposessixdifferentzoningchangesalongNewYorkAvenueNEfromBladensburgRoadNEtoNorthCapitolStreetNE.Theenvironmentalsectionsofthereportstatethatthetransportationimprovementsandlandusechangeswillpotentiallyincreasethe amount of impervious surfaces in the corridorthroughtheconstructionoflanewidening.Thestudyalsostatesthattreesmay have to be removed to accommodate construction.Thestudydoesnotaddressspecificapproachestomitigatethestormwatereffectsofthesechanges.

DC Green Jobs Final ReportThisreportidentifiesthepotentialforthecreationofgreencollarjobsforconstructionandmaintenanceactivitiesthroughouttheDistrictofColumbia(OfficeofPlanning,2008).Thecriteriainthereportcanbeusedtohelpdeterminetheeconomicimpactoftheconstructionand

maintenanceofLIDtechniques.

Anacostia River Watershed Restoration Plan-Hickey Run Restoration InventoryThisreportisonpotentialstormwatermanagementretrofitsitesintheHickeyRunwatershed(U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers,2009).Alistofpotentialstormwatersites

Map ID Site Location Name Ownership General Description of Proposed Actions

4Maintenance yard in National Arboretum off of Azalea Lane NE, Washington, DC

Public LID Bioretention

13 1716 17th Street NE, Washington, DC Private Sand Filter, Underground Pipe Storage17 1940 Montana Avenue NE, Washington, DC Private Sand Filter, Underground Pipe Storage40 Tomkins Builders, 2220 25th Place NE, Washington, DC Private LID Bioretention, LID Tree Box Filter

41 Christ Apostolic Church, 2130 24th Place NE, Washington, DC

Private LID Bioretention, LID Tree Box Filter

42 Transit Employees Federal Credit Union, 2000 Bladensburg Road NE, Washington, DC

Public LID Bioretention, LID Rain Garden

44 1816 Adams Street NE, Washington, DC Private Sand Filter, Underground Pipe Storage45 Edwin Street NE / Lawrence Avenue NE, Washington, DC Private Sand Filter, Underground Pipe Storage

56 U‐Haul Moving Supplies, 1750 Bladensburg Road NE, Washington, DC

Private LID Bioretention

57 Yellow Cab Company, 1636 Bladensburg Road NE, Washington, DC


58 Parkway Plaza Apartments, 1835‐1855 22nd Street NE, Washington, DC

Private LID Bioretention, LID Tree Box Filter, LID Rain Garden

59 Budget Motor Inn, 1615 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC


60 Hess Gas Station, 1891 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC

Public LID Bioretention

61 1844 Bladensburg Road NE, Washington, DC Public LID Bioretention

63 Exxon Gas Station, 2230 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC


64 McDonald's Restaurant, 2228 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC


66 Checkers, 2300 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC Private LID Bioretention69 Days Inn, 2600 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC Private LID Bioretention, LID Tree Box Filter

70 CITGO Service Station, 2500 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC


73 2382 Bladensburg Road NE, Washington, DC Private Sand Filter, Underground Pipe Storage74 2122 Queens Chapel Road NE, Washington, DC Private Sand Filter, Underground Pipe Storage77 2850 V Street NE, Washington, DC Private Sand Filter, Underground Pipe Storage

Table 5: Hickey Run Restoration Inventory (Anacostia River Watershed Restoration Plan)


Figure 11: Relevant Capital Projects and Hickey Run Restoration Sites That Lie Within the Project Boundary. (Source: LID Center, DC GIS, and Anacostia River Watershed Restoration Plan-Hickey Run Restoration Inventory)


thatliewithintheprojectboundaryareshowninFigure11andoutlinedinTable5.TheHickeyRunwatershedisattheeasternboundaryofthestudyarea.Thestudyincludesandevaluationoftheexistingconditionsandthepotentialstormwaterbenefitsandcostsoftheretrofits.

District of Columbia Bicycle Master PlanThisplanincludesoverallrecommendationsonthelocationandconstructionofbicycleroutesintheDistrictofColumbia(DistrictDepartmentofTransportation,2005).TheplanidentifiestheNewYorkAvenueCorridorasapotentialbicycletrailconnectionroutethatcanconnectMt.VernonSquare,whichistothewestoftheassessmentarea,withtheNationalArboretumandtheAnacostiaRiverTrailSystem,whicharetotheeastofthestudyarea.TheplanalsorecommendsbridgeorferryconnectionsbetweentheNationalArboretumandKenilworthPark.ThiswouldcreateadditionalconnectionstoparksandotherfacilitiesintheDeanwoodandKingmanParkneighborhoods,aswellasthestateofMaryland.

District of Columbia Pedestrian Master PlanThisplanidentifiespotentiallocationsforwalkingtrailswithinthecorridor(DistrictDepartmentofTransportation,2009).TheplanidentifiesthesectionofNewYorkAvenuefromPennsylvaniaAvenue

NWindowntowntoPennStreetNEasamajorpedestrianthoroughfare.Theplanrecommends priority improvements, such assidewalkrepairsandwidening,streetcrossingimprovements,andsignalizationimprovements.TheplanproposesfocusingimprovementsonthesouthsidewalkonNewYorkAvenueNEinthesectionofplanoverlap(fromFloridaAvenueNEtoPennStreetNE).

GreenInfrastructureSiteSelectionCriteria

SustainableinfrastructuredevelopmentthatisbasedontheTBLapproachincludestheconsiderationofsocial,aesthetic,economic,humanhealth,andotherenvironmentalbenefits.Theprojectteamdevelopedcriteriaforrankingandprioritizationofprojectsbasedontheseprinciples.Thecriteriaarequantitative,qualitative,oracombinationofboth.Thecriteriaweredevelopedas19metricsthatwerethengrouped into 5 categories:

• ProjectParameters-Thesefactorsevaluatetheimplementationaspublicsector projects and those that can have immediateimpacttoreduceCSOs.

• SocialFunction-Thesefactorspromoteoverallcommunityandsustainableplanninggoals.

• HumanHealth-Thesefactorsfocuson

localizedairqualitybenefitsandthereductionofheatislandeffects.

• EnvironmentalFunction-Thesearefocusedonhydrologicfunctionandotherbenefits,suchascarbonfootprintreduction.

• EconomicFunction-Thesefactorsareconsiderationsforgreenjobs,avoidanceofpotentialstormwatercleanupcosts,andthepotentialimpactonpropertyvalues.

Thefollowingaredetaileddescriptionsofeach category and metric that is used to rankandprioritizepotentialprojects.

Project Parameters

Thiscategoryincludescriteriaontheeaseandtimerequiredforimplementation.TheGISsystemandinformationfromDCWaterwasusedtodevelopthebaselineconditionsfortheevaluation.

CSS Boundary Proposed projects are reviewed to determine whether or not they are based withinoroutsidetheCSSsystem.LocationisimportantnotonlyforthepotentialoffundingthroughtheLongTermControlPlan,butalsoduetotheserioushealthandpropertyimpactsofCSOs.

DC Government OwnershipProjectlocationsonDCgovernment


property,suchasroadright-of-ways,maintenancefacilities,schools,andparksareimportantbecauseofthelongtimeframesandcoordinationissueswithconstructingprojectsonprivateproperties.

Project TimelineTheprojecttimelineisdeterminedbytheconsiderationofthetypicaltimeframerequiredtoimplementaprojectbasedonthetypeofconstructionactivity,location,andlanduse.

Social Benefits Criteria

Thesecriteriahelpdeterminehowtheprojectcanmeettheobjectivesoftheoverallmasterplan,anylocalareaplansorstudies,orsustainabilitygoals.Thesecriteriaweredevelopedfromthereviewoftheexistingplanningdocumentsandstudies,aswellassitevisits.

Green Reference PointThiscriterionisqualitativeinnatureandrefers to areas that create a reference pointorsignaturethatisidentifiabletothecommunity or the visitor, or areas that act aseitherafoundationordemonstration,thatcanbeamodelforthearea.

Neighborhood ConnectivityNeighborhoodconnectivityisaqualitativebenefitandreferstoaproject’sabilitytopromotewalking,biking,anduseoftransit

andtocreateorlinkspaces.Projectsarerankedintermsoftheirabilitytoprovideconnectivityandtosupportpedestriansandmulti-modaltransportationoptions.Parametersincludethepresence/absenceofbikefacilities,lanes,locationofnearbytrails,thewalkingdistancetobusstops,thepresence/absenceofsheltersatbusstops,andheadway.Projectsarerankedaseitherhavingalow,medium,orhighabilitytoprovideneighborhoodconnectivity.

Plan ConformanceThefinalmetricevaluatedundersocialbenefitsinvolveswhetherornotaprojectconformstoexistingmasterplan/arearecommendationsorhelpswithneighborhoodorareaimprovements.

Human Health Criteria

Greeninfrastructureresultsinpositiveeffectsonhumanhealththroughimprovingairqualityandreducingtheurbanheatisland(UHI)effectatthelocallevel.Thesecriteriaweredevelopedfromliteratureongreeninfrastructurehealthbenefits.

Improved Air QualityTreesandvegetationimproveairqualitybyfilteringairbornepollutantssuchasparticulatematterandozone.Likewise,reducedenergyconsumptionresultsin decreased emissions from power generationfacilities.Theseairquality

improvements can reduce the incidence andseverityofrespiratoryillness.Changesinambientairqualityduetogreen infrastructure techniques that increasethenumberoftreesandsimilarvegetationcanbeevaluatedusingstandardmodels(USForestService’sUFOREmodel)thattakeintoaccountlocalconditions.Basedoninformationfromthesemodels,correspondingavoidedhealtheffectsduetoincreasedvegetationandtheeconomicvalueoftheavoidedhealtheffectscanbedetermined.

Avoidableairpollution-relatedhealtheffectsthatcanbequantifiedinclude

• prematuremortality;• onsetofirreversiblechronicbronchitis;• heartattacks;• hospitaladmissions(non-fatal)

forrespiratoryandcardiovascularconditions;

• emergencyroomvisitsforasthma;• respiratorysymptoms(daysofillness);

and• worklossdaysandschoolabsence.

InPhiladelphia,onaverage,everytreeplantedaspartofPhiladelphia’sgreeninfrastructurestrategywouldresultinavoidedhealtheffectsof$32.32peryear,atfulltreematuration[i.e.,benefitsincreaseto$32.32peryear,onaverage,asthetreematuresovertime](Stratus


Table 6: Selection Criteria for Assessing Identified New York Avenue Green Infrastructure Projects

Multi-use trail,Florida Avenue NE to New York Avenue Bridge NE Multi-use trail,New York Avenue Bridge NE to Penn Street NE

-low/short-medium-high/long-yes-no

P

V

V V

V

V V

V

V V

V

V V

V

V V

V

V

V

V

V

V

P

PP

P

PP P P PP

P P PPP P PPP P PPP P PP

P P PPP P PP

P P P P

P P P

P P P P

P P P P

P P P P

P P P P

P P P PP

P P

P P P P

P PP

P

P

P

P P P P

P PP

-notapplicableNA

NA

NA

NA NA NA

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Consulting,2009).ThisestimateisbasedonamodelspecifictothemixoftreespeciesinPhiladelphia;however,benefitsareexpectedtoberelativelysimilarfortheDCarea.

Increasedgreenspacehelpslowerambienttemperatures.Greentechniquesthatareincorporatedonandaroundbuildingshelpsshadeandinsulatebuildingsfromwidetemperatureswings.Thismoderatingeffectdecreasestheenergyneededforheatingandcooling.Divertingstormwaterfromwastewatercollection,conveyanceandtreatmentsystemsalsoreducetheamount of energy needed to pump and treatthewater.Thisresultsinreductionofemissions of greenhouse gases and other airpollutants(StratusConsulting,2009).

Heat Stress ReductionTrees,greenroofs,andbioretentionareascreateshade.Thisreducestheamountofheat-absorbingmaterials,suchaspavementsandroofs.Thevegetatedareasalsoemitwatervaporwhichcoolshotairandreducestheurbanheatislandeffect.Thishelpstoreduceheatstress-relatedfatalitiesandmorbidityeventsduringextremeheatwaves.Reductioninheatstress-relatedfatalitiesduetoincreasedurbanvegetationhasbeenmodeledatthecitywidelevelinPhiladelphiabyusingstandardmethodsdevelopedandappliedforrelevantfederalagencies(Stratus

Consulting,2009).InPhiladelphia,itwasfoundthat,overa40-yearanalysisperiod,implementationofgreeninfrastructuretotreatrunofffrom50percentofimperviousareawouldresultinareductionin196heat-relatedfatalities.BasedonEPAestimates,thiswouldresultin$1.1billioninpresentvaluebenefits.Duetomodeluncertainties,therelativelysmallscaleoftheindividualprojects,andinsufficientdata,itisnotfeasibletodirectlyquantifythebenefitsofimprovedairqualityandreduced urban heat stress associated withimplementationoftheNewYorkAvenueGreenInfrastructureAssessment.However, it is evident that, together, these projectswillresultinimprovedhumanhealthconditions.Individualprojectscanberankedintermsofthehumanhealthbenefitstheywillprovidebasedonnumberoftreesplanted,ortotalgreenarea.

Environmental Function Criteria

Sevencriteriaareusedtoevaluateaproject’senvironmentalbenefit.Thefirstsix

evaluateprojectsbasedontheirpotentialstormwaterfunction,whilethelatteronefocusesoncarbonreductions.Thesecriteriaweredevelopedfromtheexistinglocalstudiesandreportsandnationaldataonecosystemfunctionandvalues.

Links ROW to Private Property for Public Road Construction ProjectsMostoftherunofffromprivatepropertiesin the study area drains to the combined or the separate sewer system that runs withinthepublicright-of-way.Theright-of-waytypicallyconsistsofthetravellanes,includingadjacentsidewalkandtreeboxareas,uptothebuildingfrontage.Stormwatermanagementforprivateprojectsistypicallymanagedwithinthepropertyboundaries.FacilitiesmaybelocatedwithintheDDOTright-of-waybehind the curb, if there is a maintenance agreementinplace.Thismustbeevaluatedonanindividualprojectbasis,asthispolicyiscurrentlyunderreview.

Thewidthoftheright-of-wayvaries

TrailApproximate Annual Ridership

Capital Cresent 2,163,000Metropolitan Branch Trail 365,000Arlington Memorial Bridge (near Mt. Vernon Trail) 1,081,000Custis Trail 2,543,000

Table 7: Regional Trail Ridership (DDOT, Arlington County)


according to the neighborhood or classificationoftheroadway.Inolderneighborhoodsorareas,sidewalksmayor may not be present and there may be maturetreesthatwouldprecludeanysignificantphysicalalterationoftheareabehindthecurbline.Existingundergroundutilitiesalsomayrestricttheabilitytolocatefacilitiesintheseareas.

Site SuitabilitySitesuitabilityreferstothephysicalconditionsthataffectthepotentialofthe site to accommodate the green infrastructurepractices.Thenumerousfactorsthatinfluenceoraffecttheabilityofaprojecttoincludegreeninfrastructureinurbanredevelopmentareasarehighlyvariable.Anextensivechecklistwasdevelopedforeachsiteorproject.Thechecklistwasdevelopedconcurrentlywiththesiteselectionandrankingsothatitreflectsthespecificconditionsinthewatershed.Listedbelowaresomeoftherepresentativekeyfactorsthatinfluencesitesuitability:

• Soilsconditions-Soilswithhighclaycontentgenerallyhavepoorinfiltrationandstructuralcapacity.

• Subsurfaceconditions-Sitesmaybebrownfields,whichwouldrestrictinfiltrationbecauseofcontaminationissues.Infiltrationareasmayneedliningsorbarrierswhentheyarelocated

nearbuildingfoundations.• Surfacedrainage-Drainagepatterns

andthedrainageareawillinfluencethelocationofthepractices.LIDpracticesaredistributedcontrolsthatmanagesmalldrainageareas.Theyshouldnotbelocatedinareaswheretheycanbeoverwhelmedbythevolumeofrunoff.

• Vegetation-Maturestreettreesmayphysicallyrestrictconstructionnearthestreetedgefortreeboxesorbump-outs.Propertyownersmay“claim”ownershipofthem.

• Maintenanceoftraffic-Constructionthat occurs in or adjacent to the right-of-waymaybedisruptivetotheneighborhoodforextensiveperiodsoftime.

• Utilities-Undergroundutilitiesmayrestrictsubsurfaceconstructionorbetooexpensivetorelocate.

• Parkingandaccess-Featuressuchascurbbump-outsmayreduceparkingareas.

StormwaterThesiteselectioncriteriaforstormwatereffectivenessisbasedoncriteriaforvolumereduction,peakflowreduction,andwaterqualityandecologicalbenefits.Pollutionfrom stormwater can be generated from runofffromimperviousareas(e.g.roads,roofs,parkinglots,etc.)andpervioussurfaces(e.g.lawns,landscaping,ballfields).Thepollutioncanbetreatedthrough

theuseoffilteringdevicescalledBestManagementPractices(BMPs)orthroughthereductionofrunoffvolumethroughinfiltrationintothesoilorbythecaptureanduseofrainwater.

Currentregulationsrequirethefilteringofthefirstone-halfinchofrunofffromimperviousareas.Thattranslatestoapproximately1,800cubicfeet(c.f.)peracre,oranarearoughlyonefootdeepandabout42feetsquare.Thisfirstone-halfinchwashesoffasignificantamountofthepollutantload.ThisisrequiredforDDOTprojectsandallotherprivateandpublicsectorconstruction.Inmostcasesdetentionofrunofftoreducethepeakflowsfromstormeventsisalsorequiredonprivateandpublicprojectsoutsideofthestreetright-of-way.Thisisdonetopreserveorrestorethecapacityofthedrainagesystem.The proposed new stormwater standards wouldrequirestorageandinfiltrationofapproximatelythefirst1.2inchesofrunoff,orslightlylessthanthetreatmentof2.2timesthewaterqualityvolume.Ananalysisofdifferentdevelopmentscenarioswithnewregulationsappliedtotheprojectsshowedminimalincreasesincostsforthenewrequirements.Thisispartiallybecausethecurrentregulationsalreadyrequireanextensiveamountofstoragefortheexistingdetentionrequirements(IndustrialEconomics,2010).


Thisanalysisusedthecurrentstormwatermanagement standard for DDOT projects thatrequiresthetreatmentofone-halfinchofrunofffromimperviousareasasthebasisforsiteselection.Thisisbecausethemajorityoftheprojectsarerelatedtostreetretrofitconstructionorimprovementsthatareassociatedwithredevelopment.Amoredetailedanalysis,onethatwouldincludetheroutingoftheflows,wouldberequiredtosizethefacilitiesbeyondaplanninglevelanalysis.Privateprojects,suchasthepolicevehiclemaintenanceyard,wouldrequireamoreextensivehydrologicanalysisandlargerstoragevolumerequirementsifitwastobebuiltasanewsite.

Prioritywasgiventoareasthatcouldtreatlargeamountsofimpervioussurfacesorwheretechniquescouldbeusedtoreducesomeofthevolumeofrunoff.Someofthemanagementtechniques,suchasbioretention,dohavesomebenefitinreducingpeakstormwaterflowsandstormwaterrunoffvolume,particularlyinsmallfrequentlyoccurringstormevents.Thisisbecausethesoilmediainthebioretentionareascanabsorbwaterandmakeitavailableforplantuptake,slowinfiltrationintothepoorsoilsintheprojectarea,orevaporationcanoccur.

Volume Reduction BenefitTheabilityofspecifictechniquestoreducerunoffwatervolumeisakeyindicationof

theireffectivenessinprotectingstreamhealth.Thismetricevaluateseachproject’sabilitytorespondtorainfallandreturnrainto the ground and to the atmosphere under alowintensitystormevent.

Peak Flow ReductionReducingpeakflows,alongwiththetotalvolumeofrunoff,reducesdownstreamimpactsaswellasinitialcapitalcosts,andtheoperationandmaintenancecostsoffloodcontrolinfrastructure.

Water Quality and Ecological BenefitAcoreobjectiveofgreeninfrastructureprojectsistoimprovewaterqualityandaquaticecosystemsinthelocalarea.Greeninfrastructuretechniquesinfiltraterunoffclosetoitssourceandhelppreventpollutantsfrombeingtransportedtonearbysurfacewaters.Oncerunoffisinfiltratedintosoils,plantsandmicrobescannaturallyfilterandbreakdownmanycommonpollutantsfoundinstormwater.Inaddition,greeninfrastructurelimitsthefrequencyofseweroverfloweventsbyreducingrunoffvolumesandbydelayingstormwaterdischarges.

Studieshaveshownthatpeoplearewillingtopaytoimprovewaterqualityandaquaticecosystems.Theseimprovementsresultinsomelevelof“nonuse”benefitwhich,inthiscase,stemsfromtheinherentvaluethatindividualsplaceonwaterquality

andhabitatimprovements.Afrequentlydiscussedbasisfornonusevalueisthedesiretomaintainthefunctioningofspecificecosystems.ExamplesofthisincludeKingandMazzotta’s2005publication,“EcosystemValuation,”availableatwww.ecosystemvaluation.org, andtheHarpmanetal.1994publicationentitled,“NonuseEconomicValue:EmergingPolicyAnalysisTool.”

Willingnesstopayforgreeninfrastructureand LID programs that improve water qualityandenhanceaquaticecosystemscanbesignificant.Forexample,astudyconductedbyStratusConsultingfortheCityofPhiladelphia,entitled“ATripleBottomLineAssessmentofTraditionalandGreenInfrastructureOptionsforControllingCSOEventsinPhiladelphia’sWatersheds,”estimatedthatPhiladelphiaresidentswouldbewillingtopayabout$10to$16perhouseholdperyearforimprovementsinwaterqualityandaquaticecosystemsthatwouldbeachievedbyusinggreeninfrastructuretechniquestotreatingrunofffrom 50 percent of impervious area in the city.Overthe40-yearanalysisperiodforthisstudy,thetotalestimatedcitywidevalueofthisbenefitamountedto$330million(StratusConsulting,2009).

Duetoinsufficientdataandtherelativelysmallimprovementinoverallwaterqualitythatwillresultfromeachgreen

www.ecosystemvaluation.org


infrastructure project in the New York AvenueCorridor,thisbenefitwillnotbequantifiedinmonetaryterms.However,individualprojectscanberankedbasedontheirpotentialforimprovingwaterqualityandaquaticecosystems(e.g.,basedonamountofstormwatertreated,proximitytosensitivewaterbodies,etc.).

Energy Savings and Carbon Footprint ReductionAs noted in the discussion on human health,greenspacehelpslowerambienttemperatures and, when incorporated on andaroundbuildings,helpsshadeandinsulatebuildingsfromwidetemperatureswings, decreasing the energy needed for heatingandcooling.Divertingstormwaterfromwastewatercollection,conveyance,andtreatmentsystemsalsoreducestheamount of energy needed to pump and treatthewater.

Reducedenergyuse,inturn,reducesemissionsofgreenhousegases,includingcarbondioxide(CO2),frompowerplants.Increasedcarbonsequestrationduetoaddedvegetationalsoresultsinalowercarbonfootprint.Inaddition,projectsthatencouragetheuseofalternativetransportation(e.g.,bicycles)orpublictransportationreduceCO2emissionsfromvehiclestotheextentthatindividualsusethetrailsinlieuofusingtheircarstocommutetoplaceswithinthecity.

Variousstudieshaveestimatedtheenergysavingsassociatedwithreducedheatingandcoolingduetoshadingfromtreesandinsulationfromgreenroofs,includingUSDA2007’spublication,“AssessingUrbanForestEffectsandValues”(http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rb/rb_nrs007.pdf)andDoshi’s2005reportfortheCityofTorontoentitled“EnvironmentalBenefitsandCostsofGreenRoofTechnology”.Findingsfromthesestudiescanbeadaptedtoindividualgreeninfrastructureprojects.Inaddition,engineeringestimatesorwatertreatmentplantdatacanprovideinformationonavoided energy costs associated with reducedstormwatertreatment.Thevalueof these savings can be determined based oncurrentenergyprices.

ChangesinCO2emissionsassociatedwithreduced energy use can be determined basedonaverageCO2emissionfactorsforacity,state,orregion’selectricitysector.Theamount of carbon sequestered by trees, vegetatedbioretentionareas,andothergreeninfrastructuretechniquescanalsobeestimatedbasedonexistingresearch.Forexample,theUSDA’sUFOREmodelestimatestheCO2storagecapacityformanyspeciesoftrees.In2007,theUnitedKingdom’sDepartmentofEnvironment,FoodandRuralAffairs(DEFRA)providedanestimateof4.9metrictons(MT)ofCO2sequestered per 1,000 square meters of greenarea,peryear.

SavingsinCO2emissionscanbevaluedusinga“socialcostofcarbon”calculation.Thesocialcostofcarbonisestimatedastheaggregateneteconomicvalueofdamagesfromclimatechangeacrosstheglobe,andisexpressedintermsoffuturenetbenefitsandcoststhatarediscountedtothepresent.Estimatesonthesocialcostofcarbonrangefrom$3to$95perMTCO2.Theoften-citedSternReviewontheEconomicsofClimateChangeestimatesasocialcostofcarbonat$85perMTCO2(Stern,2006).

AccordingtodatafromtheUSEPA,theDistrictofColumbiaiscurrentlyinnonattainmentforozonepollutionaswellasfineparticlesintheair(http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/greenbk/ancl.html).Trailsprovideopportunitiesforresidentsandvisitorstotravelbybicycleorfoot,reducingthenumberofmotorvehicletrips.Sinceamotorvehicleusesapproximately500gallonsofgasperyearandproducesanaverageof5.5metrictonsofgreenhousegasemissionsperyear,shiftingevenamodest number of trips from cars to foot orbicyclewouldbebeneficialinreducingbothenergyconsumptionaswellastheDistrict’scarbonfootprint.Inaddition,atrailalongNewYorkAvenueNEmayallowmany community residents to reach their destinationsmorequicklybybicycleduetothechronictrafficcongestionalongtheroadway in the morning and evening rush

http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rb/rb_nrs007.pdf

http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rb/rb_nrs007.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/greenbk/ancl.html

http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/greenbk/ancl.html


hours.

Projectsthatencouragebikingorwalking,suchasmulti-usetrailprojects,canalsoimproveairqualitytotheextentthatindividualsusethetrailsinlieuofusingtheircarstocommutetoplaceswithinthecity.Manyoftheproposedmulti-usetrailprojectsinvolveimprovinguponexistingtrails,orentailalternatingbetweentheexistingsidewalkandaportionofthecurrentroadway.Thusthenumberofnewcommutertripsonthetrailsisdifficulttodetermine.However,improvedaestheticswilllikelyencouragesomeadditionaluseofthetrailforcommutingandrecreation,resultinginadditionalhumanhealthbenefits.Becausethetrailsarelocatedmostlybesideoralongtheroadway,thenumberofpeopleusingthetrailforpleasurewillnotlikelybesignificant.

Accordingtoa2008trafficstudybytheDistrictofColumbiaDepartmentofTransportation,thissectionoftheNewYorkAvenueCorridorcarriesbetween52and86thousandmotorvehiclesperday.Extrapolatedoverayear,thisequatestobetween19millionand31.4millionvehicletripsperyear.

Buildingatrailalongthecorridorhasthepotentialtoshiftsomeofthosetripsfrommotorvehiclestobicycles.Citywide,theaveragebicyclemodeshareforall

tripsis1.5percent,andtheshareofcommutetrips(tripsto/fromwork)is3.3percent.Therefore,anassumptioncanbemadethatatleast1percentofalltripsalongthecorridorcouldshifttobiking,resultingintrailridershipratesofbetween190,000and314,000peryear.Thistranslatestoapotentialgreenhousegasemissionreductionofbetween87and114metrictonsperyear,assumingatrailofapproximatelyonemile.

TheseridershipfiguresarewellwithintherangeofridershipratesforothertrailsintheDCmetropolitanarea.AsTable7reflects,theMetropolitanBranchTrail,whichisarelativelynewtrail,carriesapproximately365,000bicyclistsperyear.TheCustisTrailinArlingtonCounty,whichparallelsInterstate66,carriesapproximately2.5millionbicyclistsperyear.IfatrailalongNewYorkAvenueNEandUS50wereavailabletoMarylandcommuters,the

Lindsey, Man, Payton, and Dickson (2004)

Estimates the effect that trail vicinity has on home sales. 11%

Table 8. Studies Estimating Property Value Increases Associated with LID/GI


ridershippotentialissignificant.

Economic Function Criteria

Economic BenefitThreecriteriahavebeenidentifiedtoevaluateeconomicbenefit:theabilityto create green jobs, the impact on stormwater treatment costs, and the impactonpropertyvalues.Thesecriteriaweredevelopedfromtheevaluationoftheexistingstudiesandreportsandnationaldatathatisapplicabletotheproject.

Local Green JobsSpecializedlaborisrequiredforconstructionofconventionalstormwatermanagementsolutions(e.g.,boring,tunneling).Suchskilledlaborersmighttypicallybealreadyemployedintheconstructionfield.Greeninfrastructure creates the opportunity to hirelocallaborers,whomightotherwisebeunemployed,forlandscapingandrestorationactivities.ThisbenefitwillapplytoportionsoftheNewYorkAvenueGreenInfrastructureAssessmentthatwillmakeuseoflocalgreeninfrastructuretrainedworkerswithminimalexperience.Toquantifythisbenefitand/orrankprojectsaccordingly,itisnecessarytoevaluatethenumberofworkers,lengthofemployment,andprojectoperationandmaintenancerequirements.

Inadditiontoprovidingenvironmental

benefits,investmentsinbicycleandpedestrian infrastructure have been shown tohavesignificantemploymentbenefitsaswell.Arecentstudy(http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/reports/pdfs/baltimore_Dec20.pdf)ofinfrastructureinvestmentsinBaltimore,Marylandfoundthat$1millioninvestedinbicycleand pedestrian infrastructure creates approximately11-14jobs,while$1millioninvestedinconventionalroadinfrastructurecreatesjustsevenjobs(Garrett-Peltier,Heidi,2010).

Avoided Stormwater Treatment CostsStormwaterthatwillbeinfiltratedasaresultoftheprojectiscurrentlycollectedand conveyed into the city’s sewer system fortreatment.Projectsassociatedwiththe New York Avenue Green Infrastructure Assessmentwillthereforeprovidebenefitsin terms of avoided stormwater treatment costs.Thisbenefitcanbequantifiedusinginformationontheamountofstormwaterthatwillbeinfiltrated,aswellasthecurrentcostoftreatment.Alternatively,projectswillberankedinthiscategorybasedontheamountofstormwatertreated.

Increased Community Aesthetics, Reflected in Higher Property ValuesTrails,trees,andothervegetationimproveurbanaestheticsandcommunitylivability(e.g.,byprovidingrecreationopportunities,improvedairquality,andotherbenefits),

andstudiesshowthatresidentialpropertyvaluesarehigherwhentheseamenitiesarepresent.Forexample,manystudieshaveindicated that the presence of a bike path ortrailincreasespropertyvalues(RaccaandDhanju2006).

MoreresearchisneededinquantifyingthebenefitsofLIDandtrails;therefore,thepoolofstudiesfromwhichtochooseissomewhatsmall.However,existingrelevantliteraturesuggestsarangeofbenefitsfrom green stormwater infrastructure, or LID,fromzeropercenttosevenpercent.Thisimpliestheaveragepropertyvaluewillalsoincreaseanywherefromzeropercent to seven percent due to LID/green infrastructureadditionstothesurroundinglandscape.Table8providesasummaryofsixstudiesontheeffectofLIDthatwouldbeapplicabletoprojectsimplementedintheDCarea,giventheirsimilarcontexts.Allsixstudiesestimateabundleofbenefitsassociated with trees/LID/green stormwater managementingeneral.AsshowninTable8,thesestudiesgenerallyestimatepropertyvalueincreasesmostlyrangefromtwotofivepercent,withamidpointof3.5percent.

Table8alsoprovidesexamplesofstudiesthatshowtheimpactoftrailsonnearbyresidentialproperties.Researchhasshownthattrailscanprovideeconomicbenefitsinavarietyofways.Forexample,asshowninTable8,a2004paperintheJournalof

http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/reports/pdfs/baltimore_Dec20.pdf




ParkandRecreationAdministration(http://journals.sagamorepub.com/ebooks/jprabackissues/jpra223555/Article5.pdf)foundthathomeswithin½mileofatrailsoldforanaverageof11percentmorethansimilarhomeslocatedmorethan½milefromatrail.A2006studyconductedbyRaccaandDhanjufoundthatthepresenceof a bike path within 50 meters of a propertytendedtoincreasevaluesbyabout4percent.

Inadditiontoincreasesinpropertyvalues,trailscanbenefitlocalbusinesses.AstudyinLodi,Californiafoundthatinvestmentsintrailandstreetscapeimprovementsgeneratedpositivesalesbenefitsfornearbyretailers,aspeopletendtoshopatmorestores,spendmoretimepertrip,andreturntotheareamoreoften.Locally,manyrealtorsarecapitalizingontheproximitytotheMetropolitanBranchTrailanditisfeaturedprominentlyinthesalesliteratureforcommercialandresidentialpropertiesnearthetrail.

WhileitispossibletoassessincreasesinthevalueofresidentialpropertiesaffectedbytheproposedNewYorkAvenueCorridorAssessmentprojectsusingthenumberofresidentialpropertiesaffectedby each project and the average property valuewithintheprojectarea,thistypeofinformationisdifficulttoobtainwithoutextensivespatialanalysisandaccessto

DCAssessor’sdata.Thus,thisbenefitwillnotbequantifiedgiventhescaleofthisresearch.However,qualitativeinformationonthedifferencesinpropertyvaluesbyneighborhoodorplannedprojectcanbeusedtocompareprojects.Projectscanbecomparednotonlybasedonwhichoneswillprovidethelargestbenefit(i.e.,areasthatcurrentlyhavehigherpropertyvalues,andwherea3.5percentincreasewouldyieldthehighestbenefit),butalsobasedonwherepropertyvalueincreasesmightbeneededmost(e.g.,low-incomeneighborhoods).

http://journals.sagamorepub.com/ebooks/jprabackissues/jpra223555/Article5.pdf




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Phase Two: Recommendations

IntroductionPhaseTwoprovidesrecommendationsforimplementation.Theimplementationstrategyisbasedonthesiteselectioncriteria,potentialfunding,andimplementationtimeframesthataredescribedattheendofthissection.Nineteenspecificprojectswereselectedforrankingandprioritization.Generalrecommendationswerenotrankedaccording to the site criteria because these improvements may be more widespread

ordifficulttoquantify.Table6isalistsummaryoftherankingandprioritizationoftheprojects.Table9attheendofthissectionisasummaryofthepotentialtimeframesforimplementationofalloftherecommendations.Eachsectionprovidesabriefdescriptionofthecategoryandthecriteriathatwasappliedtotheselectionoftheprojectorstrategy.Therearefourcategories:

• General Recommendations - Suggestionsthatcanbeappliedthroughoutthecorridor.

• Public Transportation - Improvements to busstoplocationsanddesign.

• Multi-Use Trail - Potentialrelocations,connections,andimprovementstoenhancesafetyandaccess.

• Area-Specific Recommendations - Recommendedgreeninfrastructurestrategies and techniques for recognizablelandmarks(e.g.,intersections,communityentrances,vistas,etc.),largelanduseareas,busstops,trails,andspecificpropertiesandstreets.


General RecommendationsGeneralrecommendationsarethosethatcanbeappliedalmost“universally”throughouttheassessmentareas.Theseare green infrastructure strategies and techniques that enhance or promote busandmulti-usetrailuse.Thesecanbeappliedasnewconstructionprojects,retrofits,ormaintenanceactivitiesforpublicand/orprivatesectorprojects.

PublicRoadandRight-of-WayOptions

Thefollowingarerecommendationsforthe pavement areas or access driveways to publicstreetsandalleys.Thesecanbedoneasretrofitprojectsortheycanbeassociatedwithnewconstructionanddevelopmentprojects.

LimitCurbCuts

NewYorkAvenueNEhasasignificantnumber of curb cuts and accesses that canbeconsolidatedoreliminated.Whileadequate curb cuts are important for commercialactivity,theappropriatereductionofcurbcutsandvehicularaccesscanalsoenhancetheimageofthecorridor

withoutadetrimentaleffectoneithercommercialactivityortrafficflow.Thiswillalsoincreasepedestrianandcyclistsafetybydecreasingvehicularconflicts.Thereductioninpavementareaforthedriveway access to a site can be used to installbioretentionareastotreatrun-offfromparkingareasandcommercialsites,suchasgasstations.Thisnewopen space can be used to enhance the visualexperienceofdrivingthroughthecorridor and can be used to provide street treesandothergreenelements.Future

developmentsthatconsolidatemultiplepropertiesshouldreducecurbcutsalongthesepropertieswithoutadverselyeffectingtrafficflowsonNewYorkAvenueNE.

Montana CircleNew York Ave NE

West Virg

inia Ave NE

Montana Ave NE

Figure 12: Curb Cuts at Montana Circle. (Source: Google Maps)

BioretentionAreasLegend

ExistingCurbCutsCurbCutstobeRemoved


CurbBump-outs

Curbbump-outswithbioretentioncellscanbeusedtointerceptwaterthatflowstotheinletsattheintersectionsofthestreet.Theyalsoactastrafficcalmingdevicesandcanbeusedtohelpprovidegreenelementsinthemiddleofblocksorlongstreets.

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DirectionofWaterFlowStormDrainInlets

Legend

Fig.17

Figure 13: Location Plan for Typical Curb Bump-outs near Low Point of Roadway in Neighborhood. (Source: Google Maps)

Figure 14: Typical Street Section: Curb Bump-out. Figure 15: Bioretention Bump-outs. (Source: Portland Bureau of Environmental Services)


GreenAlleys

Alleywaysexistbetweenmostoftheresidentialblocksandinbetweenblocksofcommercialproperties.Theseareascanberetrofittedwithpermeablepavementsurfacestocreategreenalleys.Agreenalleycancollectstormwaterrunoffinthealleyforinfiltration,filtration,anddetention.Itcanalsobeusedtotreatrunofffromadjacentproperties,ifthestoragecapacityinthepermeableareaandthesoilsaresufficienttohandletheadditionalflows.Iftherelativetopographicgradeofthestreetandalleyallows,agreenalleycanevenaccommodateaportionofstreetrunoffwhileremovingpollutantsassociatedwithroadways.

NoFlushingintoRoadwayDirectionofWaterFlowGreenAlleyPermeabilityZoneLegend

Figure 16: Typical Green Alley Hydrological Configuration.

Figure 17: Green Alley. (Source: City of Van-couver, Canada)

Figure 18: Pervious Pavers. (Source: DDOE RiverSmart Homes)


GreenAlleys

DDOTiscurrentlydesigningandconstructingaseriesofgreenalleypermeablepavementdemonstrationprojects.TheplanninganddesignoftheprojectsisbeingfundedbytheMS4StormwaterPermitEnterpriseFund.TheconstructionofthealleysisbeingfundedundertheAmericanResourceRecoveryActthroughtheCleanWaterStateRevolvingFundthatismanagedbyUSEPA.Theseprojectscouldbeappliedintheresidentialareasadjacenttothecorridor.

Figure 19: Concrete with Porous Asphalt Median. (Source: City of Chicago)

DirectionofVehicularTrafficDirectionofWaterFlowInfiltrationZone

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Figure 20: Foreground: Impervious Concrete Alley Background: Green Al-ley at left. (Source: City of Chicago)

Figure 21: Typical Green Alley Section. Figure 22: Structural Grass Paving.

(Source: Heartstone, Inc.)


Alley Entry Visual Enhancement

Typical alleys drain runoff from interior of the block, collect it in the alley and then flush it out to the street where it enters

the storm sewer system.A Green Alley will collect stormwater in

the alley itself to allow it to percolate

PrivatePropertyLIDOptions

Therearenumerousopportunitiestoimplementgreeninfrastructureonprivateproperty.Itcanbedoneasmaintenanceandrepairactivities,grantsfromtheDistrictand other funding sources, and through redevelopmentactivities.Forexample,theDistrictDepartmentoftheEnvironment’sDistrict-wideRiverSmartHomesProgramoffersincentivestohomeownersandbusinesses that are interested in reducing stormwaterrunofffromtheirpropertiesthroughtheuseofgreentechnologies.Currentandpreviousfundinghasbeenprovidedfortheplantingorconstructionoffourtypesofgreentechnologies:

• ShadeTrees• RainBarrels• Pervious Pavers• RainGardens

Figure 24: Pervious Pavers/Rain Garden. (Source: DDOE RiverSmart Homes)

Figure 23: Potential Areas Outside the Alley Right-of-Way for Rain Harvesting and Infiltra-tion.

Figure 25: Rain Barrels. (Source: Central Minnesota Water Education Alliance)

PotentialRainBarrelLocationsPotentialPermeablePavingPotentialRainGardenLegend


Pavement and Parking

Parkinglots,medians,andprivatepropertyadjacenttotheright-of-waysofferexcellentpotentialfortheinstallationofbioretentionfacilitiesaroundtheperimeteroftheparkingarea.Atthistime,privatepropertiesshouldmanagetheirownstormwaterwithouttheuseofthepublicright-of-way.Thispolicy,however,isunderreview.Retrofittingexistingparkinglotsandimpervioussurfacesmayprovechallenginginsomecasesintermsofcompleteredesign.

Newdevelopmentshavemoreflexibilityin terms of integrated stormwater management.StormwaterBMPsshouldberequiredfornewdevelopmentsincludingperimeterbioswales,toprovidecontinuitywithintheNewYorkAvenuefocusarea.

Filtered Run-off enters Groundwater

Pav

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Figure 26: Right-of-way Adjacent Bioreten-tion Area.

Figure 27: Bioretention Section.

DirectionofWaterFlow

Right-of-WayAdjacentBioretentionAreas

ParkingLotBioretentionCollectionAreas

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Figure 28: Parking Lot with Bioretention in Prince George’s County, MD. (Source: LID Center)


LandscapeAmenities

The character of the New York Avenue NEfocusareacanbeimprovedinmanylocationswiththeinstallationoflandscapeamenities.Bioretentionareashavetheirownlandscapecharacterduetoitslocationinthelandscape,andthetypeanddensityofplantmaterialsused.Thevisualimpactofroadwaysandparkinglotscanbeimprovedbyupdatingorincreasingstreettreeandtreeboxplantingareas.Barrenanderodedslopesthatarenexttoroadwayscanbelandscapedwithnativeshrubs,grasses,andgroundcoverstoreduceerosion.Evasiveandnon-nativeplantingscanbereplacedwithreforestationprojects.Unusedparkinglotsorvacantlotscanlikewisebeplantedwithnativeplantsandtreesasinterimusesthatcanreducerunoffandheatislandeffects.

Figure 29: Capitol Hill Rain Garden. (Source: LID Center)

Figure 31: U.S. EPA Rain Garden. (Source: DDOE)

Figure 30: Constitution Square, Washing-ton, DC (Source: www.sitefocus.com)


LandscapeIdentity

AsignificantportionoftheNewYorkAvenueNECorridorisboundedbytherollingpastoralandwoodedlandscapesoftheMountOlivetCemeteryandtheNationalArboretumthatarebothlocatedonthenortheastsidesofthecorridor.DriversthatenterfromMarylandandthenorthwestarefunneledintotheNewYorkAvenueNECorridorunderbridgesandthroughtheadjacentwoodedhillsides.Treescanbeplantedinpackedclustersorclumpswithinthebioretentionareasofthecorridor.TheconcentrateddistributionoftreesthroughoutthesitewillserveasalandscapeidentityuniqueforcommercialareasinDC,andwillservetheDistrictinmeetingitstreecanopygoals.

Figure 32: National Arboretum. (Source: http://good-times.webshots.com)

Figure 33: National Arboretum. (Source: http://outdoors.webshots.com)

Figure 34: Bayscape Planting. (Source: DDOE RiverSmart Homes)


SignageandBranding

Commercialbusinessesrelyheavilyonsignagetocreatedistinctbusinessmessagesandtoattractcustomers.Signsonbuildingsand storefronts are the most common way ofreflectingthecommercialmessagetoconsumers.ThebusinesssignsthatwillbeconstructedalongNewYorkAvenueNEwill,toalargedegree,shapethecharacterofthearea.Proposedsignageshouldutilizesustainableenergysourcesandshouldbeconstructedofsustainablematerials.Forexample,signmakersoffer100percentrecyclablealternativestoPVCbannermaterial,offeringsignsthateliminateadhesives,andusewater-basedUVcurableinks.Theenergyusedtopowersignsshouldbeoffseteitherbybuilt-inoron-siterenewablesources.DigitalReflectiveInktechnologycanalsohaveagreatimpactforlessenergyusedthansomeothermethodsoflightingsigns.

Figure 35: Branding: Fresh Kills Park, NYC.(Source: New York City Dept of Parks and Recreation)

Figure 36: Wind and Solar Powered Bill-board, Times Square. (Source: Ricoh Com-pany, Ltd.)

Figure 37: DC USA, Washington, DC. (Source: http://dccondoloft.com)


GreenRoofImplementationonlargeroofareas/BigBoxRetail

Greenroofsoffermanybenefitsforbuildingsandthelocalenvironment.Inadditiontothestormwaterfunctionsofretainingrainfallfromsmallstormeventsandfilteringairbornepollutantsinlargerevents, there are other energy, economic, social,andenvironmentalbenefits.Thisincludesinsulatingandmoderatingbuildingtemperatures,removingcarbondioxidefromtheatmosphere,andcoolingtheenvironmentthroughevapotranspirtation.Greenroofscanalsoextendthelifecycleoftheroofmembrane.

Reconsiderationsshouldalsobemadeaboutthesprawlingtypologyofbigboxdevelopmentsthemselves.Withtheincreasingcostoflandacquisition,consolidationofmultipleyetautonomousretailstoresintoastackedmega-boxorverticalpowerretailcentercanreducetheamountoflandrequiredbyupto80percent.Withseveraldifferenttypesofthesestoresinthesameplace,greatercross-shoppingcanbeanticipated.Thisincreasesprofitabilityandoffsetstheamountofparkingrequired.Becauseofitssheersizeandpresence,themega-boxhasincreasedadvertisingpotentialbeyondwhatonestorecouldaccomplishalone.

DCUSA—alocalprecedent—isthecity’slargestretailcomplex,andfamedasaprimarycomponentintherevitalizationoftheColumbiaHeightsneighborhood.AdjacenttoColumbiaHeightsMetro,thecomplexismarkedbyverticallystackedconstruction,showingtheretailsiteasanexcellentexampleofwell-consideredbigboxdevelopment.Aonethousandspaceunderground parking garage, paid for by theDistrict,workedasanincentivetothedevelopertomoveapreviouslyplannedabove-groundparkinglotunderground.However,duetotheurbanlocation,andproximitytotransit,the1,000subgrade parking spaces proved to be an unnecessarilylargequantity.

Figure 40: DC USA, Washington, DC. (Source: flickr.com)

Figure 38: Green Roof: Department of Transportation HQ, Washington DC. (Source: DDOT)

Figure 39: Green Roof: ASLA HQ, Washing-ton DC. (Source: ASLA)


Transportation Recommendations

BusStopRecommendationsSynopsis

The bus stops within the New York Avenue Corridorwerestudiedinordertodeterminehowtheymaybemodifiedorrelocatedtohelpfacilitateuseandtoseewhetherthepotentialexistsforimplementinggreenstrategiesatthesebusstops.

ThedesignguidelinesfromWMATA/DDOTdonotpermitintensivelandscapingwithinthebuszonesinordertoallowforcomfortableandsafeaccesstoandfromthebuses.TheallowanceofspacethatisavailableforLIDinstallationswouldprovetobetoosmall(assumingtherearenoalterationsmadetotrafficlanes)tohaveasignificantimpact,giventhevolumeofrunoffandpollutantsfromtheroadwayandsurroundingimperviousareas.Inordertoaccommodatethisvolume,alarger-scale,morecomprehensivesolutionwillbenecessarytobeconsideredeffective.

Therearephysicalimprovementstothebuszonesandbusstopsthatcanimproveandcomplimentthecharacterofthecorridor.Sustainabletechnologiessuchasgreenroofscouldbeinstalledonthe

sheltersinordertointerceptandmanagetherunoff.Photovoltaicsolarcellscouldbeinstalledonsheltersinordertopowerimprovedvisibilityandaccessibilityatthosebusstopswhichhaveshelters.Furtherrecommendationsforthespecificbusstopsareillustratedinpages52-59.

1:

2:

3:

4:

BusStopA

Addphotovoltaicsolarcellsonshelter.

Replaceandre-gradeexistingconcretelay-byandinstallnewstandardgranitecurb.Painted‘busbox’graphicinlay-by.

Plantlargefourinchcaliperhardyshadetreesandunderstoryshrubsinavailableplanters.

ExpandedplantingofunderstoryshrubscanoccuralongNewYorkAvenueNEexceptwherebuslandingzonesarerequired.WMATArequiresafivebyeight foot unobstructed Americans with DisabilitiesAct(ADA)landingpadforthefrontdoorofthebusanda30-40footclearareaforreardooregress.

20’10m

23

41

Bus Shelter

New York Avenue

Lay-by

Figure 41: A: New York Avenue Bus Stop for Routes E2, E3, D1, D3 & D4 - Looking Southwest. (Source: Google Maps Street View)

Figure 42: Bus Stop Location Plan. (Source: Google Maps)

N

Fig.41


PhotovoltaicCells

Vegetation

Bus Lane Improvement

Legend

Expandsidewalktoright-of-way,allowingpedestrianstomovesafelybehindLIDbuffer.

InstallnarrowLIDwithbuslandingzonesatcurbnearNorthCapitolStreetNWtofilterrunofffromsidewalk.WMATArequiresafivebyeightfootunobstructedADAlandingpadforthefrontdoorofthebusanda30-40footclearareaforreardooregress.

Applypainted‘busbox’graphicinrightturnlane.

Plantmedium-sizedtwoinchcaliperhardy trees and understory shrubs in existingandnewplantersalongNorthCapitolStreetNW.

Thesidewalkdimensionisnotwideenoughtoaccommodateashelterinthislocation.

1:

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3:

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BusStopB


20’10m

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LID Strip

New York Avenue

Expanded SidewalkBus Stop

N C

apito

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Bus Stop Box

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*20’10m

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New York Avenue

Expanded SidewalkBus Stop

N C

apito

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et

Bus Stop Box

*

*

Figure 43: B: North Capitol Street NW Bus Stop for Routes 80 & P6 - Looking North. (Source: Google Maps Street View)

N

Fig.43


*

SidewalkImprovement

Vegetation


AdditionalNoteRegardingBusStopsandShelters

Legend

Applypainted‘busbox’graphicinrightlane.

PlantlargefourinchcaliperhardyshadetreesandsmallshrubsinexistingplantersalongNorthCapitolStreetNWadjacenttobuszone.Plantingmustallowspaceforbuslandingzones.WMATArequiresafivebyeightfootunobstructedADAlandingpadforthefrontdoorofthebusanda30-40footclearareaforreardooregress.

Thesidewalkdimensionisnotwideenoughtoaccommodateashelterinthislocation.

1:

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BusStopC

*

20’10m

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Bus Stop/Shelter

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N C

apito

l Stre

etBus Stop Box

*Figure 45: C: North Capitol Street NW Bus Stop for Route 80 - Looking Southwest. (Source: Google Maps Street View)


N

Fig.45


*

Vegetation



Legend


Constructbump-outintoparkinglanetoallowforshelter.

Plantlargefourinchhardyshadetrees and understory shrubs in new plantersalongFenwickStreetNEadjacenttobuszone.Plantingmustallowspaceforbuslandingzones.WMATArequiresafivebyeightfootunobstructedADAlandingpadforthefrontdoorofthebusanda30-40footclearareaforreardooregress.

Installshelteronlyifbump-outisconstructed.

1:

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BusStopD

*

20’10m

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Fenwick Street

Bus Stop/Shelter

New York Avenue

Bump Out

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20’10m

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Bus Stop/Shelter

New York Avenue

Bump Out

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*

Figure 47: D: Fenwick Street NE Bus Stop for Routes E2, E3, D1, D3, & D4 - Looking North. (Source: Google Maps Street View)


N

Fig.47

*

SidewalkImprovement

Vegetation


Legend


Addphotovoltaicsolarcellsonshelterrooftopowershelteramenities(Seepage54forlistofshelteramenities).


PlantlargefourinchhardyshadetreesandsmallshrubsinnewnarrowplantersalongBladensburgRoadadjacenttobuszone.Plantingmustallowspaceforbuslandingzones.WMATArequiresafivebyeightfootunobstructedADAlandingpadforthefrontdoorofthebusanda30-40footclearareaforreardooregress.

1:

2:

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BusStopE

20’10m Bl

aden

sbur

g Ro

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Bus Stop

New York Avenue

Existing Bus Shelter

2

1

3

Figure 49: E: Bladensburg Road NE Bus Stop for Routes B2 & S41 - Looking North. (Source: Google Maps Street View)


N

Fig.49

PhotovoltaicCells

Vegetation


Legend


InstallthreetofourfootsidewalkawayfromWestVirginiaAvenueNE.

InstallLIDwithmedium-sizedtwoinchcaliperhardyornamentaltree(s)atcurbnearWestVirginiaAvenueNEtofilterrunofffromroadway. Relocatebusstoptotheimmediatesouthawayfromservicestationdriveways.

1:

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BusStopF

*

20’10m

Wes

t Virg

inia A

ve

Sidewalk LID Strip

Existing Bus Shelter

Potential Relocation

Site

12

*

*

*

Figure 51: F: West Virginia Avenue NE Bus Stop for Routes E2, E3 & S41 - Looking South. (Source: Google Maps Street View)


N

Fig.51

*

SidewalkImprovement

Vegetation


Legend


20’10m

Wes

t Virg

inia A

ve

Existing Bus Stop

Bus Stop Box

12

*

*


PlantlargefourinchcaliperhardyshadetreesandsmallshrubsinexistingplantersalongWestVirginiaAvenueNEadjacenttobuszone.Plantingmustallowspaceforbuslandingzones.WMATArequiresafivebyeightfootunobstructedADAlandingpadforthefrontdoorofthebusanda30-40footclearareaforreardooregress.

Thesidewalkdimensionisnotwideenoughtoaccommodateshelter.

1:

2:

BusStopG

* Figure 53: G: West Virginia Avenue NE Bus Stop for Routes E2, E3, & S41 - Looking North. (Source: Google Maps Street View)


N

Fig.53

*

Vegetation



Legend


BusStopAmenities

Whilethesurfaceareaofbusstopsaresmall,installingtwoinchthickpregrownextensivegreenroofsonthemhelpsinterceptandtreatrunnoffwhilemakingtheprocessaccessibletopeopleutilizingthespace.

Manyamenitiesorinnovationsforbusstopsrequireapowersourceinordertoperform.Photovoltaicsolarcellslocatedontheroofofbusstopsinothercitieshaveprovidedthenecessarypowerforthefollowingamenities.

1 PowerLEDlightsfornightusersand advertisingpanels.

2 PoweranLEDmessageboardthatgives Metrobusscheduleupdates.

3 OperateaWi-Firouter.

4 Power“Push-to-Talk”featureswhich readstheMetrobusinformationaloud forvisuallyimpairedtravelers

SanFrancisco’suseofacurvilinearshapeontheroofofabusshelterallowedsolarcellstoperformwellregardlessofsunangle.Repeatingcurves(Fig.B)werefoundtobemorestructurallysoundthanaflatsurface(Fig.A).

B

A

Figure 55: Conceptual WMATA Standard Bus Shelter Modified for Extensive Green Roof and Photovoltaic Solar Roof Cells. (Source: Google Maps Street View)

Figure 56: Photovoltaic Cells on Bus Shelter - Example from San Francisco.

Figure 57: GreenRoof on Bus Shelter - Example from San Francisco.


Multi-UseTrailRecommendations

Themulti-usetrailrecommendationsarefortheintegrationandimplementationoftrailsthatcanaccommodatepedestriansandbikeswithintheassessmentarea.Therecommendationsincludespecificgeometricandtrailcrosssectionproposalsforeacharea,strategiesforconnectingtothe surrounding areas, and enhancements andfeaturesalongthetrail.TherecommendationsareprovidedfortheoverallassessmentareaalongNewYorkAvenueandsixsub,orfocusareas.Thesubareasareasfollows:

• FloridaAvenueNEtotheNewYorkAvenueBridgeNEoverAmtraktracks

• NewYorkAvenueBridgeNEtoPennStreetNE

• PennStreetNEtoBrentwoodParkwayNE

• BrentwoodParkwayNEtoWestVirginiaAvenueNE/MontanaAvenueNE

• WestVirginiaAvenueNE/MontanaAvenueNEtoNationalArboretum

Overall Assessment Area Recommendations

Multi-Use Trail DesignThetrailshouldbelocatedonthesouthsideofNewYorkAvenueNE.Locatinga

trailonthesouthsidewillaccommodateshorter trips between neighborhoods anddestinationsalongNewYorkAvenueNE.ThiswillalsominimizetheneedforresidentslivingsouthofthecorridortocrossNewYorkAvenueNEtoreachthetrail.Generally,thetrailwillbedevelopedthroughthewideningofexistingsidewalks.Therearetwolocations(discussedinmoredetaillaterinthischapter)wheretraildevelopmentwillinvolveconvertinglowusedecelerationlanestotrailpurposes.Itshouldbenotedthattherearenorecommendationsforremovingtravellanesthatcarryvehicularthrough-traffic.Generally,theexistingvegetatedbufferalongthecorridorwillbemaintained.Somebufferareaswillbewidenedfurtherorabufferwillbeaddedwherethereisnone.

Itisalsorecommendedthatthetrailbeconstructedwithpermeablematerials,suchasperviousconcreteorperviousasphalt,toimproverunoffinfiltrationandtoshowcasetheuseofthesematerials.

Futurestudiesshouldexplorethefeasibilityofinstallingamulti-usetrailonthenorthsideoftheNewYorkAvenueCorridor.Atraillocatedonthissidecouldreducetraveltimealongthecorridorasitwouldrequirefewerroadanddrivewaycrossings.Inaddition,connectionstotheproposedFortLincolnNewTowndevelopmenttothe northeast of the study area (east of

SouthDakotaAvenueNE)maybeeasiertoaccomplishwithatrailonthenorthside.

Multi-Use Trail ConnectionsAconnectionbetweentheproposedmulti-usetrailonNewYorkAvenueNEandtheMetropolitanBranchTrail(MBT)shouldbecreatedintheundevelopedlandbetweenNewYorkAvenueNEtothenorthandFloridaAvenueNEtothesouth.TheMBTisatahigherelevationthroughthissection(crossingFloridaAvenueNEonabridgeratherthanat-grade)andaconnectioniseasiertoconstruct,whereassouthofFloridaAvenueNEthetrailbeginstotransitiondownbeforeconnectingwiththeNewYorkAvenueMetrorailStationentranceonNStreetNE.

Aconnectionshouldalsobecreatedontheeasternendoftheproposedmulti-usetrailonNewYorkAvenueNEwiththeAnacostiaRiverfronttrailsystem.ThiscouldbelocatedontheeasternbankoftheAnacostiaRiverandcouldeventuallyconnecttopotentialfuturetrailsinMarylandthatwouldbeparalleltoRoute50fromCheverlytoNewCarrollton.AnimprovedcrossingoftheAnacostiacouldbecantileveredoffoftheRoute50bridgeortheAmtrakbridge.Thefeasibilityofthecrossingwouldrequireandextensivestudy.

Pocket Green SpacesPocketgreenspacescouldbecreated


Figure 59: Cross Section with Cantilevered Trail at New York Avenue NE Bridge over Amtrak Railroad Tracks, Looking East.

Figure 58: Cross Section with Widened Trail at New York Avenue NE Bridge over Amtrak Railroad Tracks, Looking East.

where there is adequate space between themulti-usetrailandbuildings,fences,orotherphysicalstructures.Thesevegetativezonescouldreducestormwaterrunoffandimprovethevisualexperiencefortrailusers.Thesezonesshouldnothinderviewsof signs, business entrances, and other importantfeatures.Propermaintenanceofthesezoneswillbeimperativetomaintaintrailusercomfortandsafety.

Florida Avenue NE to New York Avenue Bridge NE

Multi-Use TrailInthissectionofthetrailthesidewalksaretoonarrowtosafelyaccommodatepedestriansandbicycliststogether.Additionalwidthisnotavailableintheexistingconfigurationonthebridge.Thesidewalkonthesouthsideshouldbe widened to a minimum of 11 feet to

accommodatepedestriansandbicyclistsinbothdirections.Oneoption(seeFigure58)mayrequirecantileveringstructures,dependingontheexistingstructuralsupportsofthebridge.Thefencingontheouteredgeshouldberelocatedtotheouteredgeofthenewtrail.Thesidewalkonthenorthsidewillremainunchangedandwillcontinuetoaccommodatepedestriantraffic.Asecondoptionistoreducethewidthofallsixvehicletravellanesfrom


12feetto11feetandallocatethe6footgaininwidthtothesidewalkonthesouthsidetocreateatrail,whilemaintainingthesidewalkwidthonthenorthside.Athirdoptioninvolvesreducingthewidthoftheeastboundtravellanesonly,from12feetto11feet,andallocatingtheresulting3feettothesidewalkonthesouthsidetocreateatrail,maintainingthesidewalkonthenorthsideforpedestriantraffic(seeFigure59).

TheNewYorkAvenueBridgeNEovertheAmtraktracksiscurrentlybeingreplaced,andthenewbridgewillhaveessentiallythesameoverallwidthandcrosssectionastheexistingbridge.Thesecondandthirdoptionspresentedabovefornarrowinglanes(lanediets)toaccommodateawidermulti-usetrailonthesouthsideofthebridgeshouldbefeasibleandrelativelystraightforwardtoimplementonthenewbridge.Thecantileveredtrailoptionwould

bemorecostlytoconstructandmaynotbefeasible,dependingonthestructuraldesignofthenewbridge.

New York Avenue Bridge NE to Penn Street NE Recommendations

Multi-Use TrailTheseventhlaneinthissectionappearstobeunnecessaryforvehicularmovement.Itislessthan200yardslonganddoesnotappeartoaccommodatepull-offusessuchasbusesorloading.Itisrecommendedthattheseventhlanebereallocatedforthemulti-usetrail.Inthisscenario,thecurbwouldberelocatedtotheouteredgeofthesixthtravellane,andabuffershouldbeincludedtoseparatethetrailfromtheroadway(seeFigure60).

Penn Street NE to Brentwood Parkway NE Recommendations

Multi-Use TrailTheexistingsidewalkonthesouthsideshouldbereplacedwiththemulti-usetrailuptothevacantparkpropertythatisdirectlyeastoftheNationalParkServicemaintenancefacility.Theexistingstreettreebufferstripshouldbemaintainedbutmay need to be removed or narrowed at certain spots in order to accommodate the necessarywidthforthemulti-usetrail.AretainingwallmayberequiredonthesouthsideofthetrailbecausethelandslopesupawayfromNewYorkAvenueNE.AttheparkpropertythetrailshouldbeseparatedfromthesidewalkthatparallelsNewYorkAvenueNEonthesouthsideoftheexistingtreesothetreescanbesaved(seeFigure61).

Figure 60: Cross Section West of Penn Street NE, Looking East.


Multi-Use Trail ConnectionsTrailconnectionsintotheparkspaceanduptoBrentwoodParkwayNEshouldbeprovided.WherethetrailpassesundertheBrentwoodParkwayNEbridge,theavailablespacenarrows between the bridge abutment and theroadway.Themulti-usepathmayneedtoreconnectwiththesidewalkatthispoint;itappearsthatthenewlyconstructedBrentwoodParkwayNEbridgewillprovidesufficientspaceforasharedusefacility.

Brentwood Parkway NE to West Virginia Avenue NE/Montana Avenue NE Recommendations

Multi-Use TrailTheexistingsidewalkonthesouthsideshouldbereplacedwiththemulti-usetrail.Theexistingbuffershouldbemaintainedbutitmayneed to be removed or narrowed in certain

spots to accommodate the necessary width for themulti-usetrail.Someofthedrivewaysatthegasstationshouldbeconsolidatedinordertoreduceconflictsbetweenmotoristsandtrailusers.

OnthenorthsideofNewYorkAvenueNE,theparkinglots,whichappeartobeatransitionalortemporaryuse,couldbeusedfortheimplementationoflowcostorinterimLIDstormwater management improvements, such asraingardensorswales.Thesewouldimprovewaterqualityaswellasprovidesignificantaestheticimprovements.Theseareascouldbeconvertedtoalinearparkwithamenitiessuchaslandscaping,benches,publicart,andpossiblystationaryexerciseequipmentsuchaschinupbars.Thisparkcouldincludeatrain-orientedthemeinordertocapitalizeontheproximitytotherailyard.Becauseofthelocation’sproximitytothebusyroadway,soundprotectionsuchastransparentglasswalls

similartothoseusedtoseparatethetrailfromtheroadwayontheWilsonBridge,orwaterfeaturesthatgeneratenoise,couldbeusedtobuffertheroadnoise.

Multi –Use Trail ConnectionsThislinearparkcouldincludeaseparatepathwaythatwouldconnectwiththesidewalkonthenorthsideofNewYorkAvenueNEatthehotelproperty(seeFigure62).

West Virginia Avenue NE/Montana Avenue NE to the National Arboretum Property Recommendations

Multi-Use TrailTheexistingsidewalkonthesouthsidebetweenWestVirginiaAvenueNEandBladensburgRoadNEcanbereplacedwithamulti-usetrail.Theexistingbuffershouldbe

Figure 61: Cross Section West of Brentwood Parkway, Looking East.


maintained but may need to be removed or narrowed at certain spots in order to accommodate the necessary width for themulti-usetrail.Someofthedrivewaysatthegasstationshouldbeconsolidatedorclosedinordertoreduceconflictsbetweenmotoristsandtrailusers.EastofBladensburgRoadNE,itisrecommendedthatthemulti-usetrailtransitionfromthesidewalkspaceonthesouthsideofNew

YorkAvenueNEtotheservicelaneonthesouthsideofthecorridor.Thetravellaneappearstobeatleast22feetwide;itisrecommended that 10 feet of roadway bere-allocatedforthetrail.AbufferisnotlikelytofitwithoutencroachingontoNationalArboretumproperty(seeFigure63).Thenarrowingofthevehicularlanewiththeright-of-waywillcontributetotrafficcalmingandprovideamore

comfortableexperiencefortrailusers.AnadditionaloptionistocoordinatewiththeNationalArboretumforthetrailinstallationinordertogainadditionalspaceandcreateabufferbetweentheroadwayandtrail.ItisrecommendedthatthetrailcontinueontotheNationalArboretumpropertybyconnectingwiththeexistingpedestrianentrancethatisdirectlyadjacenttothevehicularentrancegate.

Figure 62: Cross Section West of Fenwick Street NE, Looking East.

Figure 63: Cross Section West of the National Arboretum, Looking East.


Multi-Use Trail ConnectionsThesegmentofNewYorkAvenueNEeastof the Arboretum is out of the study area forthisproject.However,thereareseveralkeydestinationsinthisstretchincludingtheexistingandproposeddevelopmentsatFortLincoln,theAnacostiaRiverTrail,andaproposedrouteextendingfromCheverly,MDtoNewCarrollton,MDandultimatelytheWashington,BaltimoreandAnnapolis(WB&A)TrailinGlenarden,MDwhichshouldbeconsideredinfuturetrailexpansions.

1 inch equals 150 feet

0 200 400100 Feet

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New York Avenue NE

Metropolita

n Branch Trail (

Existing)

Connect with existing trail through development

Florida Avenue NE

Eckin

gton

Plac

e NE

Amtrak Railro

ad Tracks

WMATA Red Line Tracks

Replace Sidewalk with Multi-Use Trail

Replace Sidewalk and Buffer with Multi-Use Trail

Reallocate Roadway Space for Multi-Use Trail

Conflict Point or Pinch Point

Install Multi-Use Trail Separate from SidewalkLegend

Existing Sidewalks

Map Locator

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Map 1



0 200 400100 Feet

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New York Avenue NE

May lose existing trees

4th Street N

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Penn Street NE

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Driveway crossing

Future Redevelopment

Amtrak Railroad Tracks

Close driveway






Existing Sidewalks

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Driveway crossing

Weave through existing trees

Realign ramp

New York Avenue NE Bren

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Provide connection to neighborhooods to the south and Gallaudet University and sidewalks on Brentwood Parkway

Amtrak Railroad TracksBridge under construction






Existing Sidewalks

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0 200 400100 Feet

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New York Avenue NE

Fair

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nue

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Kend

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Guardrail creates pinchpoint:Reduce curb radius to create additional space

Proposed linear park

Okie Street NE

Close drivewayDriveway crossing






Existing Sidewalks

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Existing Sidewalks



New York Avenue NE

Fenw

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Okie Street NE

Utilize dedicated right turn lane

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New York Avenue NE


West Virginia Avenue NE

16th

Str

eet N

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tana

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Close driveway

Future Redevelopment


Narrow sidewalk pinch point






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Future Walmart development


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Utilize half of service lane for trail

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district of columbia office of planning may 2011 · new york avenue green infrastructure...

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