PEPCO Park could be an opportunity to straighten out the Met Branch Trail

The NoMa Park Foundation, a group supported by the NoMa BID with the goal of creating parks in NoMa, recently released a map of proposed park space in the area. Since the area is bisected by the Metropolitan Branch Trail, it's no surprise that many of the trails are adjacent to the trail. These parks have the potential to make the trail even better. The underpass art parks have been written about before, but some of the others are new.

The L Street Plaza would be at the southern terminus of the trail. 

The Plaza will have traffic calming measures installed to allow for a curbless pedestrian experience and will have a special area for bicyclists and other Metropolitan Branch Trail users to gather and refresh before the next leg of their journey. 

But most interesting is the "PEPCO Park" located just south of R Street where the MBT has its Z-shaped curve. 

The largest open space currently existing in NoMa is a roughly 4-acre parcel of vacant land owned by Pepco. As envisioned in the Public Realm Design Plan, “Pepco Park” would provide for outdoor recreation and community gatherings and serve as the “backyard” for the neighborhood. The NoMa Parks Foundation is seeking to acquire two acres of this site. Two acres is large enough for active recreation.

This would, of course, be right next to the trail and make for a nice addition to the trail experience. But there is another possibility.

The cover of the old WABA concept plan for the trail, shows this area as a wide green space with the trail running down the center. When DDOT originally started to design the trail, they had it making a pair of 45 degree turns for a more fluid path from the tracks to the back of the buildings. You can see this on the original image below (unfortunately, I can't find the draft plan online anymore). But, DDOT wasn't able to acquire the land, currently fenced off for earth moving equipment storage, necessary. Staff had to work hard to get the current easement for the trail, and it was a source of some concern at the time.* (as I recall.) 

The draft trail angled from the current first turn of the Z on the line with R Street to Randolph Place. The trail as built makes a sharp 90+ degree turn, follows the line with R Street and then makes another 90+ degree turn to run behind the buildings along the right-of-way.

I know that the NoMa Park Foundation want this to be an active recreation space, but if they did acquire it, it could also be a chance to rebuild the trail more in line with the original vision by having the trail bisect it and an angle. This would move the diagonal south a bit from the original design, but still get rid of the Z turn, making for a better trail. On the one hand, it would create two smaller spaces separated by a bike/ped trail - which may not be desirable, but on the other, it would make a little more space available for the park (hypotenuse needs less space than the sides). It's worth considering.

*I heard that the reason they didn't get the land was that they couldn't get any property acquisition staff to work on it. They were all busy on the baseball stadium land. File that under opportunity cost.

Comments

[Purple Eagle]

I think this is a great idea. Cutting off the angle would not lose a lot of land - it's not like the alternative routing would bisect this parcel in half.

[Citizen]

Some have noted that many of the violent attacks on the MBT occur at the Z turns on R St. and behind the warehouse on T St.

If Pepco Park became an inviting and active area, it could deter such attacks at that spot. Depends on how successful the park design is. Would it be empty most of the time, or would there be many people be there, participating in active and positive events?

T St. would remain a potential problem spot. But if Pepco Park is successful, then maybe it can increase bike and pedestrian traffic along that entire section of the trail.

[washcycle]

I agree. They don't have any renderings of it, but they do include this "Community input into what is desired at this location has touched on an amphitheater, a strong connection to the MBT and grilling facilities. Other community participation identified tending a garden and walking through a meadow as desirable for Pepco Park."

So that's five things. By running the trail diagonally across the site (or some sort of S-Curve) that would get one of them and also break the space up.

Make the NE side transition from community garden near the diagonal to trees near the train and north side fence. In the middle is a meadow and the existing trail path becomes the walking path. The trees provide screening.

Make the SW triangle into an area with a pair of grills and some picnic tables and a small stage in the SW corner.

That's how I would do it.