- Georgetown Waterfront Park
The Georgetown Waterfront Park is a new national park that is under construction in
Washington, DC . Part of the Georgetown Historic District, the park stretches along the banks of thePotomac River from 31st Street, NW to the Key Bridge. The result of many years of advocacy and fund raising, the site will feature several notable design features. Once completed, the site will link 225 miles of parkland along the Potomac River stretching fromCumberland, Maryland toMount Vernon, Virginia . The park was designed to passively complement the natural curve of the river. The first part of the park is scheduled to open on October 4, 2008.History
The park has been in various stages of planning and development for several decades. In
1968 , the National Capital Planning Commission identified the Georgetown Waterfront as future parkland. An agreement was reached between the National Park Service and theMayor of the District of Columbia to transfer 10 acres of land for the proposed park.In recent years, the Georgetown waterfront has been redeveloped from industrial blight to a thriving commercial and residential destination. Parts of the park site had served as a parking lot before construction began. The Washington Harbour complex and a movie theater on the Georgetown Incinerator site regularly draw crowds down to the waterfront.
Design elements
The park will feature gently sloping grass hills and shade trees. The landscape blends with mixed-use paved pathways. The promenade will provide panoramic views of
Theodore Roosevelt Island , the Key Bridge, and theKennedy Center . Several distinctive design elements including an interactive fountain, river stairs, and scenic overlooks have been proposed. This part of the park, known as the Wisconsin Avenue Plaza will serve as a gateway to the Potomac. The final phase of construction is scheduled to be completed by2009 .References
* [http://www.georgetownwaterfrontpark.org/about.html About the Park - National Park Foundation]
* [http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc15.htm Georgetown Historic District]
* [http://users.erols.com/anc2e/waterfront/1987plan.html#plan Historical Planning Document - Georgetown Waterfront Park]
* [http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/1996/07/01/story6.html Kaplan, Peter "City seeks plans for Georgetown incinerator", Washington Business Journal, Friday, June 28, 1996]
* [http://www.millenniumptrs.com/news_article.cfm?presscenter_index=94 Forgey, Benjamin "With Good Looks to Burn" The Washington Post, June 28, 2003 - Press Release, Millennium Partners]External links
* [http://www.georgetownwaterfrontpark.org/index.html The Final Jewel, Georgetown Waterfront Park - National Park Foundation]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/10/AR2006051000814.html Dvorak, Petula "Hope for the Waterfront at Last?", The Washington Post, May 11, 2006]
* [http://www.cctrail.org/ The Capital Crescent Trail]
* [http://www.georgetownwaterfrontpark.org/ParkUpdate3.pdf Georgetown Waterfront Park Update]
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