3.0
A
FFECTEDENVIRONMENT
Thispageintentionallyleftblank
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
3.0 AFFECTEDENVIRONMENT
3.1
Thissection
CULTURALRESOURCES
withinthesurroundingarea.Thi
documentsthepotentialarchaeol
sinformation
ogical,historic,
wasderivedfrom
andvi
hist
su
oricmaps,Nationa
alresourcesthatarepresentont
lRegisternominatio
heFOB8siteand
disturbing
andfieldsurveys.Itwasdeterminedthattheonlyimpactstoarchaeologicalresourceswould
ns,priorstudies,
a
thebuildingandthec
ctivities.Thus,the
urbline.T
AreaofPotentialEffects(APE)forarcheologicalresourcesincludestheareabetweent
occurasaresultofground
hefaceof
potentialfo
generallyboundedby:4
th
rtheproposedsecurit
swasdefinedbasedo
3
rd
W
undingthesite.Th
nthe
Street,S
yimprovementstobevisible
hroughtheSection106process,
fromhistoricpropertiess
theAPEforhistoricresource
inthewest,northtoJeffe
urro eareais
Street,SWtoMarylandAv
onSouthCapitolStreettoCStr
enue;northeastonMarylandAvenueto
rsonDrive;eastonJeffersonDr
theU.S.CapitolBuilding;so
iveto3
rd
Street,SW;southon
uthfromtheCapitolBuilding
3‐1).Thestudyareaf
tracks;westalongtherailroad
orvisualres
trac
Street,
o
kstoVirg
eet,SW;weston
iniaAvenue,
CStreetto1
st
SW;andnorthwestonVirgi
SW;southalongthe1
niaAv
st
Streetalig
urcesisidenticaltotheAPEforhistoricresources.
enue,SWto4
th
Street,SW
nmenttotherailroad
(Figure
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 1 
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
3 2  AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
1
2
3
Figure31:AreaofPotentialEffectsforHistoricResources
Source:EDAW2009
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
3.1.1 Archaeological
AspartofthelargerPotomacRi
Resources
reflect
1815,the
this
W
h
ashingto
istory:accordingto
nCanalwas
theU.S.Depart
constructednorthand
mentof
verwatershed,thelandsu
eastof
rroun
the
ding
site,resultingint
theMallwashistoric
hefilling
allymarshland.Between1810
ofthesemarshes.Thearea’ss
and
soils.Urbansoilshaveaman‐ma
Agric
desurfacelayerthathasbeenprod
ulture’ssoilsurveys,t
ucedbymixing,fillin
hearea
g,
aroundFOB8iscomposedofUrb
oils
an
disturbedthroughcon
surfaceinurbanandsub
structiona
urbanar
ct
eas.
ivitiesforth
Duetothenatureo
ebuilding,roa
fthe
dways,andsidewal
soils,andthefactthatthesite
ationofland
archaeologicalresourcesar s
ks,itisunlikelythat
andimmediatea
orbythecontamin
in
r
t
eawere
epre entnearthesurfaceontheFOB8site.
tactprehis oric
spreadw
workersduetotheproximityt
Duringthe19thcentury,thepro
o
jectsitewaspartofaresiden
theCapitol,theareabecamea
tialco
vibrantresidentia
mmunityknownasSo
lneighborhood.Asresidentialdev
uthwest.Attractivetogovernment
elopment
scaleresidentialandcommercialusesuntilth
ithinSouthwest,commercialestablis
emid‐20th
hmentsben
centur
efited.T
ywh
hisportionofSouthwestDCre
enurbanrenewalresultedin
ma
thed
ineda
emolitionof
combinationoflow‐
officebuildingsduring
halfofthearea’sbuildings.T
the1950s,1960s,and1970s.
heareanowknownastheSouthwestFederalCenterwasredevelopedwithlarge‐scalefederal
morethan
the19
th
AccordingtohistoricSanbornandBaistmaps,theblocknowoccupiedbyFOB8wasfairlydenselydevelopedfromtheendof
stablesexis
brickstruct
tednearerthecente
centurythroughthemiddleofthe20
th
century.Th
rofthesite,offthemainstreets.The
estructures
Metropolitan
werebrickorframe
WesleyA.
andsmallinscale.Anumberof
ure,waslocatedonDStreetnearthecenteroftheblock.TheWattsandBrothersCoalandW
M.E.ZionChurch,amodestsized
onCStreetnearthecentero
parking(Sanborn1928‐1959).
ftheblock.By1959,thebuildingsonthesitehadbeenrazedandtheblockwasbeingusedfor
oodYardwaslocated
the18
th
centuryweredo
Noarchaeologicalsurveyshaveb
cumentedinasurveyc
eencompletedontheFOB8site.
ompletedpriortothe
Nor
con
thofFOB8,historicarchaeologicalremainsdatingfrom
Associates1993).Althoughitispossiblethatsimilarhistoricarchaeologicalres
structio
ourceswere
noftheNMA
presentontheFOB8site,iti
Ibuilding(JohnMilnerand
s
likelythattheyhavebeendisturbedduetotheurbanrenewaleffortsinthe1950sandtheconstructionofFOB8itself.
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 3 
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
3.1.2
FOB8
HistoricResources
FOB8wasconstructedin19
buildingsfromthisperiod,FOB
65aslaboratory
8issetbacksignifican
spaceforth
tlyfro
eFoodand
mCStreet,SW.Thear
DrugAdministrat
eabetw
ion.
e
A
en
sischaracteristicofm
thenorthfaceofthebuilding
anymodern
andCStreetwasdesignedasaparkinglot.GSAandtheDistrictofColumbiaStateHistoricPreservationOfficerarein
concurrencethatFOB8doesnotmeetthecriteriaforlistingintheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.
L’EnfantandMcMillanPlans
thecountry
Theproject
siteisborderedbyst
smostnotableachievementsi
reetsorigin
nur
allyplannedbyPierreCharlesL’Enfantinthe18
th
century.Recognizedasoneof
exampleofB
coordinatedsystemofradiating
aroquecityplanning,L’Enfant’sPlandefinesthep
avenues,vistas,andparksover
banplanning,the
laidupo
L’EnfantPlan,c
nanorthogonalgridofstr
ompletedin1791,ischaracterized
hysicalandsymboliccharacterofthecapitalcityt
eets(Figure3‐2).A
bya
arrangementofroadways,buildin
hroughits
notable
theL’EnfantPlaninamannerconsistentwith
gs,parks,andviews.Atthe
theCityBeautifu
turnofthe20
th
century,the
lmovement.TheMcMillanPlane
McMillanCommissionexpande
xtendedtheMalltothewest
don
andterminateds
developmentofthec
everal
itytoday.
importantvisualaxeswithmonuments.Theprinciplesarticulatedintheseplansstillguidethe
3 4  AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure32:L’EnfantPlanfortheCityofWashington,1791
Source:NCPC
DistrictofColumbiaInventoryofHistoricSites.ThedesignationrecognizescomponentsoftheMcMillanPlanthatcontribute
ThePlanoftheCityofWashingtonislistedintheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces,andisalsoacitylandmark,listedinthe
to,exte
AFFECTED
nd,
orenhancet
ENVIRONMENT
heL’EnfantPlan.Theperiodofsignifi

canceis1791‐1942.TheNationalRegisternominationforthe
3 5 
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
Theportionsof3
rd
Appropriat
theL’EnfantPlan.Inaddition
ionNumber2.Thevis
,the
Street,SW,CStreet,SW,andDStreet,SWthatbordertheprojectsiteareallcontributingelementswithin
ta
CapitolGrou
alongCStre
ndsandth
et,SW,iside
eNat
ntifiedwithintheno
ionalMalleastof14
th
Streetc
minationasb
ompriseL’Enfant’sOriginal
einginterruptedbyI‐395eastof
th
L’EnfantPlanidentifieshistoricstreets,reservationsandappropriations,andvistasthatcontributetotheplan’ssignificance.
theprojectsiteandat5 Streetwestoftheprojectsite.
3 6  AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
Mall
Northwest
CapitolGroundsintheeastto14
ofFOB8,theMallwas
th
Streetint
akeycomponento
hewest,
f
andf
L’Enfantan
romCo
dMc
nstitutionAve
Millan’splansfor
nueinthen
thecity
orth
.TheM
toIndependenceAv
allextendsfromthe
enuein
MallwaslistedintheD
thesouth(Figure3‐3).
CInvento
Numerou
ry
snationalmuseumslinetheMall,andatree‐linedgreenswardrunsthroughthecenter.The
identifiedcontributingfeaturesa
MultiplePropertyNominationfor
n
theL’EnfantPlan.In
in1964andtheNation
2006,a
alRegisterin1966.Itisalsoacomp
culturallandscapeinventorywascompletedfortheMa
onentoftheNationalRegister
llwhich
significance.FOB8isvisibleinviewssouthon3
rd
dconcludedthat,whilenot
StreetfromtheMall(Figure3‐4).
aNationalHistoricLandmark,theMallclearlyhasnational
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure33:TheMall
Source:EDAW,2009
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 7 
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
3 8  AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
Figure34:Viewsouthon3
rd
StreetfromtheNationalMall
Source:EDAW,2009
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
TheU.S.CapitolBuildingandGrounds
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 9 
TheU.S.CapitolBuildingisoneofthenation’siconichistoricbuildings.Locatedapproximately¼milenortheastofFOB8
the19
th
centuryby
(Figure3‐6),theNeoclassicalstylestructurewasdesignedby
columnedporticoonthefrontof
BenjaminLatro
the
be,CharlesBulfin
building,andamassivedomethatcapsthe
ch,andThomasU.Walter.Thes
structure(
tructurei
WilliamThorntonin1793,andthe
scharacteri
nrenovatedand
zedbyalarge
expandedin
buildingissitedonanoriginal
theCapitoldomeandthegroundsarevisiblefromthenor
L’EnfantAppropriationandissetwith
Figure3‐5).Themonumental
theast
inalandsc
cornerofFOB8.
apedesi
TheCapi
gnedbyFreder
tolwasdesignatedaNational
ickLawOlmsted.Both
HistoricLandmarkin1960andlistedintheDCInventoryofHistoricSitesin1964.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
Figure35:U.S.CapitolBuilding
Source:EDAW,2009
3 10 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure36:ViewtoU.S.Capitolfromthenortheastcorneroftheprojectsite
Source:EDAW,2008
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 11
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
HubertH.HumphreyBuilding
oneoftwoModerniststylestructu
TheHubertH.HumphreyBuildingislocatednorthofFOB8acrossC
ofHousingandUrbanDevelopment
resinSouthwestDCbyrenown
Building.TheHumphreyBuildi
eda
ngisasix‐st
rchitectMarcelBreuer,
Street(Figure3‐8).Constructedin
theotherbeing
1976,thebuildingis
oryconcretestructurewithabrisesoleil,a
theDepartment
penthouse,andarecessedgroundfloor(Figure3‐7).Althoughnotyet50yearsold,theHumphreyBuildingcouldpotentially
3 12 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
beeligiblefortheNationalRegisterbothforitsdesignandastheworkofamasterarchitect.
Figure37:HubertH.HumphreyBu ilding
Source:EDAW,2008
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure38:ViewofHubertH.HumphreyBuildingfromFOB8
Source:EDAW,2009
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 13
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
MarySwitzerBuilding(RailroadRetirementBoardBuilding)
3 14 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
Oneoft
Buildingis
helastbuilding
Locateddirectlywestof
serecte
FOB8,
dunderth
theMarySwitz
emassivefeder
erBuilding
aloff
wasdesignedbyCharl
iceconstructionprogramof
esKlauderandconstructedin
the1920sand1930s,theSwitze
1939‐1940.
r
Distinctiv
constructed
efeaturesinclu
fortheSocialSecur
asecondarycomponen
ityAdminist
twithinajointlyplannedcomplexthatincludestheWilburJ.CohenBuilding(originally
3‐9).Inplan,thebuildingrese
demonumentalwin
ration)tothenort
mblesahalf‐fis
dowsandpylons,andEgyptianmotifsthatador
h.Thestructurewasdesignedin
nthesandstonefacade
theStrippedClassicalstyle.
s(Figure
determinedtobeeligibleforlistingintheNationalRegister
hbone,withsix
ofHistoricPlaces.
wingsthatextendoffamainbase.TheSwitzerBuildinghasbeen
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure39:MarySwitzerBuilding
Source:EDAW,2008
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 15
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
WilburJ.CohenBuilding
3 16 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
SwitzerBuildingtothesouth,t
NorthwestofFOB8,theWilburJ.CohenBuildingwasconstructedin1939fortheSocialSecurityAdministration.Likethe
stylewithitsbandsofvertica
DistrictofColumbia,aswellas
llyorientedwindows(Figure3‐1
hestructurewasdesignedbyCharles
0).Thebuildingissignificant
Klauderandisrepresentativeoft
foritsrolein
heStripped
cityplanningi
Classical
nthe
modernprogrammaticneeds.
Deal.TheWilburJ.CohenBuildi
Itisfurthersignificantforit
thelastworkofaprominenta
sassociationwiththeS
rchitectknownforhisskillinmeldinghi
ocialSecurityAdmin
st
ist
o
r
rica
atio
lrefe
in2007.
ngwaslistedintheDCInvento
nand
renceswith
ryofHistoricSitesandtheNationalRegisterofHist
th
oricPlac
eNew
es
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure310:WilburJ.CohenBuilding
Source:EDAW,2008
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 17
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
U.S.BotanicGarden
3 18 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
invar
TheBotani
yingc
cGarden,located
limaticexhibits.Thega
north
rdenwasorigina
ofFOB8withintheCa
D
llyest
pitolGrounds,showcasesdiversevegetativespeciesa
kindinNorthAmerica. esignedintheBeauxArtsStyl
abli
ebyBennettParsons&Frostin1902,
shedbyCongressin1820,andrem
thegarden
ainsoneofthelarg
ndeco
estofits
systems
waslistedintheDC
InventoryofHistoricSitesin1964.ItalsolieswithintheboundsoftheNationalMall(Figures3‐11and3‐12).
Figure311:U.S.BotanicGarden
Source:EDAW,2008
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure312:ViewofU.S.BotanicGardenfromFOB8
Source:EDAW,2009
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 19
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
BartholdiFountain
3 20 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
tieredcastironfountai
TheBartholdiFountainh
nisthe
asbeenaprominentfeatureonth
exhibit
workofFredericAugusteBarth
egrou
oldi,sc
ndsoftheU.S.Bo
ulptoroftheStatueo
tanicGarden
fLiberty.Thefountainwas
since1878.Theelaborate
edalongsidetheStatueo
supportingawaterbasi
purchasedbythefederalgovernm
entennialExhibitionin1876andwasthensubsequently
fountainwaslistedintheDCIn
n,attended
ent.Itselaboratef
fLibertyatthePhiladelphiaC
ventoryofHis
bytritons,reptiles,
cornerofF B8duringthewintermonths.
toricSitesin19
anddo
ormrises30feetaboveam
lphins.Twelvelightglobescirc
arblepool,wi
letherimofthebasin.The
ththreecolossalcaryatids
O
64(Figure3‐13).Thefountainmaybevisiblefromthenortheast
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure313:TheBartholdiFountain
Source:Wikipedia,2009
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 21
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
3.1.3 VisualResources
Methodology
wasdet
Thissect
e
io
rm
ndocumentstheex
inedbyestimating
i
t
st
hevisibilityofF
ingvisualcharacterof
OB8,andthus
FOB8a
theproposedexteriorimprov
ndthesurroundingarea.Thestu
ements,toviewersfrompublic
dyareaforvisualresources
affordedal
placesand
o
historicresources.DuetotheurbandensityoftheSouthwestFederalCenterneighborhood,viewsaregenerally
openparcel
Thevisualcharacterof
seastofthesite,n
ngthestreetsthatborderthesite,includingC,3
ortheasttowardstheU.S.Capit
rd
,D,and2
nd
Street
olBuilding,andsou
s,SW.Inaddition,viewsareaffordedfromthe
theroadways,buildings,andopenspacethatborderthesitearedescribedbelow.
thwestfromtheCapitolGroundstoFOB8.
3 22 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
ExistingVisualEnvironment
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 23
CStreet,
CStreet,SW
SW/NorthoftheSite
mid‐risefederalofficebuilding
borderstheFOB8sitetothenorth.Thetwo‐laneroadwayisborderedonthenorthandsouthsidesbymassive
currentlyencircledby
fromCStreet,allowingforsurfa
atallfence.
ceparkin
Inaddition
gbet
t
weent
s.Onthesouthsideofthestr
osurfacepar
hebuildin
eet,bothFOB8andtheSwitzer
gentrancesandthestreet.Thesurface
Buildingaresetbacksubstantia
c
lly
lowwalldividestheCStreetsidewalkfromthedriveattheea
king,FOB8hasanac essdrive
parkinglotatFOB8is
HumphreyandCohenBuildingsaresetclosertotheroadway,bot
sternendoftheblock.OnthenorthsideofCStr
hbuildingslackingsubstantialbuildingyards.E
eet,the
toabelow‐gradeparkinggarage.A
ofthesite,theroadwayandassociatedviewcorridorsareinterrupted.Theviewwestfromthesiteterminatesatalarge
astandwest
now
smallgreen
buildingat5
th
Street,SW(Figure3‐15).TheCStreetview
thatit turnstothenorthea
parcel(Figure3‐14).WhenI‐395wasconstru
st(Figure3‐16).Viewsarethu
ctedin
safford
the1960s,
corridorterminatesat2
nd
Streetimmediately
ignedeastof
eastofthesiteata
theproject
edoftheCapitolBuildi
CStreet,SW,wasreal 2
site.
ngfromthenortheas
nd
tcornerof
Street,such

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
Figure314:VieweastonCStreetfrom3
rd
Street,SW
Source:EDAW,2008
3 24 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure315:ViewwestonCStreetwithFOB8andtheSwitzerBuildingintheforeground
Source:EDAW,2008
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 25
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
Figure316:ViewalongthediagonalportionofCStreetfromthenortheastcorneroftheprojectsite
Source:EDAW,2008
3 26 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
3
rd
Street,SW/WestoftheSite
along3
rd
rd
Borderin
Streetarefra
gFOB8tothe
m
west,3
edbymid‐riseb
Street,SWisafour‐laneroadwaythatrunsnorth‐south,followingL’Enfant’scitygrid.Views
andasunkengardenlo
mirroringthewalkonthewestsi
catedbetw
de
eent
ofthest
hesid
reetadjacenttotheSwitz
uildingsandavarietyofstreet
erBuilding
trees.Thesidewalkadjacentt
(Figure3‐17).There
o
isa
FOB8isnarrow,
smallplantingbed
Views
greenstri
area
p
fford
iswideran
edtot
d
h
extends
enorthalong3
rd
tothefaceof
ewalkandFO
thebuilding;h
B8att
owev
he
eaiscurrently
southendoftheblock.Atthenort
lockedfromviewbyatallfence.
hendoftheblock,the
StreettotheMall(Figure3‐
er,thisar b
theelevatedrailroadlinesoneblocksouthofFOB8.
18).Viewstothesouthalong3
rd
Streetareobstructedby
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 27
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
Figure317:Viewlookingnorthalong3
rd
StreetfromDStreet,SW
Source:EDAW,2008
3 28 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure318:Viewlookingnorthon3
rd
StreetnearCStreet,SW
Source:EDAW,2008
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 29
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
DStreet,SW/SouthoftheSite
sidewalki
DStreet,S
s
Wisanar
narrow.
ro
Alineo
wone‐waystreettha
naturalligh
slightlyraisedplanting
fstreettreesandlamppostsrunb
tbordersFOB8tot
etweenthecurbandthesidewalk
hesouth.OnthenorthsideofDStreet,adjacenttoFOB8,th
.Insideofthewalk,anarrow,
e
bedcontainsalineoflowshrubsandsmalltrees.Betweenthetrees,aseriesoflightwellsprovide
ttothebuilding’s
sizesandmodernmid‐r
sidewalkandtheroadwayencircl
isebuildin
estheFordHouseOffice
lowerlevel.Onthesouthside
gs.Viewstotheeastinclude
Building.Viewsalon
ofthestreet,alineofunifor
gDStreetareframedbystreettr
mbollardsplacedbetweenthe
eesofva
infrastructure(Figure3‐19).Viewstothewestterminateat4
th
theonramptoI‐395andgr
Street,SW,whereabuildinginterr
eenspacebeyondthehig
uptsL’Enfant’shist
hway
rying
streetalignment(Figure3‐20).
oric
3 30 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure319:ViewlookingeastonDStreet,SWwithFOB8ontheleft
Source:EDAW,2008
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 31
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
Figure320:ViewalongDStreet,SWlookingwestwithFOB8ontheright
Source:EDAW,2008
3 32 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
2
nd
Street,
EastofFOB8,2
nd
SW/EastoftheSite
FOB8,thesidewalkisnarrow.Betweent
Street,SWrunsintwolanesone‐wayfromthenorthtothesouth.Onthewestsideofthestreet,adjacentto
create
American
sagr
V
eenedge.
eteransDis
O
a
ntheeastsideofthes
bledforLifeMemorial
treet,th
hesidewalkand
esid
ew
thebuildingface,aplantingbedcontainingbothtreesandshrubs
ramptotherecessedportionof
.Tothesouth,at
I‐395(Figure3‐21).Viewsnort
theintersectionof2
nd
andD
alkdividestheroadwayfromasmallpark,thefuturesiteoft
Streets,SW,thereisanaccess
he
buildings,opengreens
Avenue(Figure3‐22).
pace,high
Fromthecornerof2
nd
wayinfrastructure,surfaceparking,andthe
northeas
andCStreets,SWviewsareaffo
elevated
handsouthalongthe2
r
nd
Streetcorridorincludemid‐riseoffice
rdedofthe
ailw
U.S.CapitolBuildingtothe
aysouthofFOB8atVirginia
t.
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 33
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
Figure321:Viewsouthon2
nd
StreetfromCStreet,withFOB8ontheright
Source:EDAW,2008
3 34 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Figure322:Viewnorthon2
nd
Street,SWwiththeHumphreyBuildingontheleft
andtheNationalMallandU.S.BotanicGardenintheCenteroftheView
Source:EDAW,2008
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 35
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
3.2SOCIOECONOMICRESOURCES
3.2.1
FOB8isag
LandUse
overnment‐
andgrounds.Boundedby2
nd
ownedbuildinglocat
Streettotheeast,3
rd
edwithintheSouthwe
acresiteoc
Streettothewest,CStreettot
stFederalCenter,twoblocksfr
henorth,andDStreettothesouth,the2.1‐
omtheU.S.CapitolBuilding
Anadditio
pedestrian
n
e
a
ntranceiso
cupiesafullcityblock.Thestructureissix‐storieshigh,withtwoaddition
lbelow‐gradepark
nCStreet,
ingareaisaccessedviaarampo
whereanapproximately100‐
ffof2
nd
Street.Constructed
footsetbackallowsforasurface
alstorieslocatedbelowgrade.The
in1965aslaboratorysp
parkinglotforthebuilding.
main
l
U.S.FoodandDrugAdministrati B8hasbeenvacantsinceFDArelocatedin2002.WhileGSAownsthebuilding,
aceforthe
thesurroundingsidewa ksareund
on(FDA),FO
erthejurisdictionoftheDistrictofColumbia.
TheareasurroundingF
cityblock.TheHubertHumphrey
OB8isdominate
Buildingis
dbymid‐risefede
DepartmentofHealthandHumanS
siteddirectlynort
raloffic
hofF
ebuildings.Lik
OB8,acrossCStreet.
eFOB8,many
Thisstructurehousesthe
ofthesestructuresfillafull
BuildingisoccupiedbytheU.S.
ervices.NortheastofFOB8,acrossInterstate395(I‐395),theRayburnHouseOffice
Architec
DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices.T
HouseofRepresentatives.The
toftheCapitol,bordersFOB8tothesouth.Privately
heFordHouseOfficeBu
CohenBuildingliesnorthwestof
ilding,whichhousesCongressionalstaffandthe
FOB8andisoccupiedbythe
8at3
rd
andDStreets,and4
Therearesevera
th
andEStreets.
ownedcommercialofficebuildingsarelocatedsouthwestofFOB
parceldir
thesite,across2
nd
lsmallparksandlargerareasofopenspaceintheimmediatevicinityofFOB8.Directlyeastandnortheastof
fortheAmericanVet
ectlyeasto
er
fthesitea
Street,areseveralsmall,irregularlyshapedparcels,eachlandscapedandtraversedbysidewalks.The
andthe
ansDisabl
ctsasapartialbarriertotheI‐395underpass.Aparceltothenortheastistheplannedlocation
U.S.CapitolGroundsoffe
Mall,liesoneblocknorthofFOB
raddition
edforLifeMemorial.Furthernorthandeastofthesite,theNationalGarden,BartholdiPark,
groundsinthewest.
8andstretchesfromthe
alpublicopens
U.S.
pace.Thelargestareao
Capitolgroundsintheeasttot
fgreenspacein
heWashing
thedowntown,th
tonMonument
eNational
Otherlandusesintheareaincludeculturalattractions,retailestablishments,andtransportationinfrastructure.TheNational
AirandSpaceMuseumandtheNationalMuseumoftheAmericanIndianarelocatedtothenorthofFOB8alongtheedgeof
3 36 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
isopendailyforpublictours.
TheFederalCenter‐SWMetrorai
Interstate395runsbelowgraded
lStation
irectlyeastof
islocatedlessthan
thesiteanda
SW.AraillinealsorunsalongVirginiaAveSWandcrossesov
oneblockfromthesite,attheintersecti
ccesstothishighwayisprovidedviaano
onof3
nrampat2
nd
rd
Street.
erI‐395twoblockstothesouth.Finally,severalsurfacelots
andDStreets,
and
theMall.TheU.S.CapitolBuilding,locatedtwoblocksnortheastofFOB8,alsofunctionsasacivicandculturalinstitutionand
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 37
parkingstructuresarelocatedwithinthevicinityofFOB8.
3.2.2
Zoning
PlanningControlsandPolicies
federalpropertyareunderthep
Asafederally‐ownedproperty,FOB8isnotsubjecttoDCzonin
urviewofNCPC,pursuanttotheDistrictofC
gregulations.Instead,newdesign
Stat.802andDCST§6‐641.15).Inaccordancewiththe
olumbiaZoningEnabling
andr
A
enovatio
ctof1938
nprojectson
Act,NCPChasapprovalauthorityforuse,openspace,height,and
(ch.534,52
Com
The
prehensivePlanfo
bulk,forprojectsonfe
rtheNation
deralproper
al
ty.
Capital(2004)
planningoffede
ComprehensivePlan
ralfaciliti
for
esi
the
nWa
NationalCapital,Federal
shington,DC.ThePlanis
Elementsistheprincipalplanningtool
growthanddevelopmentintheNation’sCapital.Therearetwoelementsthatareofparticularrelevancetothepro
comprisedofgoals,objectives,andpoliciesintendedtoguide
usedbyNCPCtoguidethe
perimetersecurityprojectatFOB8,theFederalWorkplaceElementandthePreservationandHistoricFeaturesElement.
posed
thefede
TheFedera
ralworkforcetoenhancet
lWorkplaceElementstatesthatit
heefficienc
is
y,productiv
thegoalof
ity,
thefederal
andpublicimageof
governmen
thefede
tintheN
ral
ationalCapital
economicwell‐beingandexpande
government;tostrengthenthe
Regionto:“Locate
theDistri
addresspe
cto
rimetersecuritya
fColumbiaasthe
ndinc
seatofthenationalgovern
mploymentopportunit
ment
iesofthe
.”This
regionandth
elementout
e
l
localitiest
inespolicie
herein;andtogivee
sinsupportofthisgoalthat
mphasisto
ludethefollowing:
DesignsuchimprovementsinaccordancewithguidanceincludedinTheNationalCapitalUrbanDesignandSecurity
Plan(andrelatedpolicies).
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
excess
mannertha
ively
t
restri
:enhancesa
ctorimpedeoperation
ndbeautifiesthepublicrealm,resultin
impactthehealthofexi
aluseofsidewalksorpedest
ginco
stingmaturetrees.
ri
heren
an,han
tand
dicap
welcomingstreetscapes;doesnot
,orvehicularmobility;anddoesnot
securityw
Designproj
it
ectsina
htheneedt
mannerthat
oenhanceandmain
doesnotimpe
tainthevitalityof
decommerceand
urbanareas.
economicvitality,butbalancestheneedforperimeter
Designsecuritybarr
locatedandthatrespe
ierlinesa
ctthehistor
ndel
i
ementst
ccontextof
hat
theareawhen
complementandenha
applicable.
ncethecharacteroftheareainwhichtheywillbe
Designs
minimizet
ecurity
hesizeof
elemen
sec
tstorespon
urityelementswhenp
dtosite‐sp
ossible.
ecificconditions,suchasvehicleapproachspeedandangles,inorderto
Placesecurityelementsinthebuildingyard,ratherthaninpublicspacewherepossible.
ThePr
theimage
eser
an
vation
didenti
and
ty
H
ofthenation
istoricFeaturesElementstatest
’scapitalandregionthrou
hatitisthe
ghdesignanddeve
goalofthefedera
lopmentth
lgovern
at
mentto:“Preservea
principlesoftheL’EnfantandMcMillanPlans,theenduringval
isrespectfuloftheguiding
ndenhance
following:
ofthecapital’ssetting.”Policiesinsupportofthisgoalthatar
ueofhistoricbuildingsandpla
eapplicabletotheFOB8exteriorimprovementsincludethe
ces,andthesymboliccharacter
image.
Protectandenhancethevistasandviews,bothnaturalanddesigned,thatareanintegralpartofthenationalcapital’s
views,andprincipleso
Promotecontinuityint
f
h
theL’Enfa
ehistoric
n
desig
tPlan.
nframeworkofthenation’scapitalbyprotectingandenhancingtheelements,
Protectthe
thehistoricc
settingsof
haractero
historicpro
NationalCapitalUrbanDesignandSecurity
fthepropert
y.
perties,includingviewstoandfromthesiteswheresignificant,asintegralpartsof
Plan(2002)and
NCPC’s
Urban
(adoptedMay
DesignandSecurityPlanPoliciesandObjectives(2005)
Nati
requiremen
onal
tsoffedera
Capital
lagenc
UrbanDesi
iesw
gnand
iththen
Secu
eed
rityPlan
toprotectthehistoricurbanfabricofWashingt
5,2005)seekstobalancethesecurityneedsand
on,DC.ThePlanholdsthat
Incorporatesecurityneedsintothedesignofbuildings,streetscapes,andlandscapesusingurbandesignprincipalsina
3 38 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
securityelementsforfederalbuildingsshouldbeenhancedinamannerthatdoesnotcompromisethevitalityandfunctionof
thePlanest
thepublicrealm,beit
ablishesas
pedestrian
eriesofgoa
circulation,
ls.Thesegoalsareasfoll
vehicularmobil
ows:
ity,commerce,ortheaestheticexperienceofvisitors.Tothisend,
Provideap
byunautho
propriat
rizedvehiclesappr
elevelsofperi
oach
meterse
ingorent
curityfor
eringthem.
sensitivebuildingsandtheiroccupantsagainstthreatsgenerated
Provid
rathert
esec
han
u
asasepa
rityinthe
rat
context
eorred
of
undantsys
acity‐widep
tem
rogramofstreetscapee
ofcomponentswhoseo
nhancementandpub
nlypurposeissecurity.
licrealmbeautification,
Expandthepaletteofeleme
endlesslinesofjerseybarriers
ntst
orb
hatcangracefullyprovid
ollards,whichonlyinvoke
eperi
defens
m
i
eter
veness.
standoff security, avoiding the monotony of
Produceac
giventoach
o
ievingae
herentstr
sthe
ategyfor
ticcont
deployingspecificfamiliesofstreetscapeandsecurityelementsinwhichpriority
needsofaparticularbuildingu
inuityalongstreets,andw
nderthejurisdictionofonepu
ithinareas,ra
blicagency.
therthansolutionsselectedsolelybythe
is
Provideperimeter
mobility,oroperation
securityin
aluseof
amannerthatdoesnotimpedet
sidewalkswithintheMonumental
heCity'scommerce
Coreordowntown.
andvitality,pedestrianorvehicular
Ino
These
rderto
solutions
achieve
include
these
such p
goals,theP
hysical
lanoffers
elements
a
as
var
“har
ietyofdesignelementsthatcanbeusedinperimetersecurityprojects.
plinthwalls,bol
measures.Poten
lards,largero
tialsecurityme
un
as
dlinearplanters
uresshouldbedes
with
igne
seatin
dened”
g,
o
b
r f
icycle r
ortified st
acks,
reet
and
furniture
curbside
,
hedges
planters,
w
ith e
and fences
dtobeappliedinavarietyofdifferentcontextsandways
mbedd
,
ed
low
security
stone
tomeetthe
specificsecuritya
The
inte
Urban
ndedto
Design
n
and
dd
esign
Security
needsofeachparticulardowntownarea.
vehicularandpedestriancontrol
beusedtoguidefeder
Plan
alagenc
Policies
ies
and
s,andtheplace
whenev
mentand
Objectives
aluating,
design
plann
ofp
i
h
wasadoptedin2005
ysicalsecurity
toclarifyiss
elements.
uesrelated
Theobjectivesandpo
tocontextualdesign,
ng,anddesigningproposedperimetersecurit
liciesar
yprojects.
e
Thepoliciesandobjectivesincludethefollowing:
Strikeabalancebetweenphysicalperimetersecurityforfederalbuildingsandthevitalityofthepublicrealm.
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 39
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
structuralengineerin
information,operationalandpro
g,windowglazing,emergencyegress,andp
ceduralmeasures(suchassurveilla
hysica
nceandscreening),an
lperimeterbarriers).
d
designstrategies(suchas
Intellige
borneexplosives.
nceinformation,operationalcontrols,andphysicaldesignmeasuresshouldbeusedtoprotectagainstvehicle‐
Theplacementofphysicalsecuritybarriersinpublicspaceisdiscouragedandshouldbeminimized.
Forexisti
thes
ng
faceof
faceof
the
ensitivebuildingt
buildingtotheouts
othe
buildingsinurbanareas,perimet
outsideedge
ersecurity
ofthebuild
barri
ingyardis
ersshouldbelocatedwithin
aminimumof20feet.If
thebuildingyardwhenthe
permittedinpublicspaceadjacen
ide
t
edgeofthe
tothebuilding.
buildingyardislessthan20feet,thenperimeters
thedis
ecurity
tancefromthe
barriersmaybe
Perimeterse
ed;barriers
curitybarriers
thatar
ati
beminimiz
movement.
e
ntersections,cornersandnear
neededshouldbelocatedtoallowsafepedestrianwaiting
crosswalksorotherhighlyu
areasandpedestria
sedpedestrianareas
n
should
Thedesign
landscapec
o
ontextin
fsecurity
associat
w
barriers,
hichtheyarelocatedan
includingtheirmass,formand
dcomplementandaestheticallyenhan
materialsshouldrespondtothearchitecturaland
edbuildingandprecinct.
cethespecialcharacterofthe
Perimetersecuritybarriersinp
benches,parkingmeters,trashreceptaclesan
ublicspaceshouldincorporated
dotherelementsa
e
ndp
corativet
ublicamenitiestypic
reewells,plante
allyfoundinastre
rs,lightpoles,signage,
NationalCapitalFrameworkPlan(2008)
etscape.
TheNationalCapitalFramework
andtheU.S.CommissionofFineA
Plan,releasedinthesu
rts(CFA).ThePlanservesasat
mmerof2008,isthe
ooltoguidestrategicdecisi
resultofajointplanningeffortbetweenNCP
onstocoordinatefederaland
C
goalsofthePlanareto:Planf
localinterests,identifyingopportunitiestocoordinatelan
orthefutureneedsofthefede
du
ralgover
se,urbandesign,andtransportationimprovements.Theprincipal
theNation
publicgatheringspaces,andfed
alMallandprotectitfromoverbuilding;
eralofficesinawaythatcont
andextendthesp
ributest
n
o
ment,includingspacefornewmemorials,museums,
ecialcivic
sustainab
qualitiesof
lecitylife;
th
preser
eNation
vethehistoricop
alMallandthevital
ensp
ity
aceof
Encourageamulti‐facetedapproachtoselectionofappropriatesecuritymeasuresthatconsidersintelligence
andvibrancyofthecityintotheadjacentfederalprecincts.
3 40 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Inordertoaccomplishthesegoals,thePlanidentifiesfourmajorprecinctsadjacenttotheNationalMallwhicharetobethe
Triangle,
focusforfutureculturalattractionsandgovernmentoffices.Thefour
precinctsinordertomeett
theSouthwestRectangl
hefutureneedsofthefederalgove
e,andEastPotomacPark.The
rnment
Framew
precinc
orkPl
ts
an
a
e
re:
xamin
theNorthwestRectangle,Federal
realm.
,whilealso
e
protectingth
sopportunitie
ecity’sope
stoenh
nspacean
ancethese
dpublic
AsidentifiedwithinthePlan,theSouthwestRectangleprecinctgenerallystretchesfromJeffersonDrive,SWonthenorthto
Freeway
Rectangle
on
is
totran
theeast
theSoutheastFreewayandthe10thStreetOverlookonthesouth,andfrom15thStreet,SWonthewesttotheCenterLeg
throughimprovedcon
sfor
nectionsbet
mitfromaster
.FOB8islocatedattheeastendofthisarea.ThePlanstatesthattheprimaryobjectivefortheSouthwest
andtheJeffersonMemorial.Specifi
weentheS
ileofficeprecinctt
mithsonian
o
C
astle
adesira
and
bleworkplace,culturalvenue,andvisitordestination
cstrategiestoachievethisobjectiveincludethefollowing:
theSouthwestwaterfront,andbetweentheU.S.Capitol
NationalMallandthe
Establish10thStreet,SWandtheO
Southwestwaterfront;
verlookasalivelymixed‐usecorridorandpremierculturaldestinationtoconnectthe
EstablishMarylandAvenue,SWasagrandurbanboulevardtolinktheU.S.CapitoltotheJeffersonMemorial;
Createnewplacesformuseums,offices,shops,andresidencestoincreasethemixofuseswithintheprecinct;and
BridgethePotomacRiverandrestorethestreetgridtoimprovemobility.
TreeRemovalPermit
TheUrban
removalofstreettr
ForestryAd
ees.
m
et
inist
seq.
rat
Specifically
ion,underthe
),establisheda
,theUrban
Distr
OfficialCode8‐6501.01
ForestPr
nurbanfor
e
e
serv
ictDepartmen
ation
tofTransportatio
Actof2002,effectiveJ
n(DDOT),requirespermitsforthe
priortotheremovalofatreewithacircumferenceof55inche
stpreservationprogramrequirin
Forestry
sormore.Ifatreeremovalp
gaSpecialT
une12,2003(D.C.Law14‐309;D.
reeRemovalPermit
C.
Administrationwillrequirethereplacementoflosttreesbasedoncaliper,eitheronthesiteor
ermitisapproved,theUrban
inacomparablearea.
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 41
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
3.2.3
TheDistrict
PublicSpace
ofColumbiaDepartmentofTransportation,PublicSpaceManagement
TheDistrict
thepublicspace.Accor
DepartmentofTra
dingtoD
ns
astreet
D
portation(DDOT)hasmanagementandoversightresponsibilityfortheuseandoccupancyof
a
thewalksandcurblinea
ndincludes,butisnotlim
O
itedto,the
T,publicspaceisdefinedasallthepubliclyownedproperty
roundFOB8areconsider
roadway,tree
edtobepublicspa
spaces,sidewalks,
ceunderthejurisdictionofDDOT.
andalleys.Thesidewalksandtheareabetw
betweenthepropertylineson
een
DDOTencouragesthat
buildings,notonsidewalks,cur
securityperimet
bs,gutters,str
ersbeestablished
eets,orpublic
withinpriv
alleys.Intheeventthatperimeters
ately‐ownedspaceorfeder
ecurity
alpublicspaceadjacentto
closerthan
withinpublicspace,aPublicSp
twofeetfromthecurblineandneitherblockpedes
acePermitmustbeobtainedfro
triantrafficflowfr
mDDOT.Further,
omthecurb
DDOTrequiresthatperi
elementsa
meterbarr
repro
iersbeno
posed
linetothesidewalk,norpresent
unreasonablebarrierstopedestrianstravelingwithinthesidewalk.
GSA:AchievingGreatFederalPublicSpaces
Federal
AlthoughnotdirectlyrelatedtoDDOT’spublic
Guide
spacepolicyandreview,GSAhaspublishedguidelinestitled
andimprov
Public
spacesshould:
Spaces:A
epublicspacesandt
Property
r
Manager’s
ansformfederalspacesintociv
.Thispublicationwasreleased
icplaces.Accordingtothisguide,GSA
in2007aspartofGSA’
b
seffo
Ac
rt
uildingsa
stoe
hievingGreat
ndpublic
valuate
Reflectthedignityandaccessibilityofgovernment;
Besecureandwelcoming;
Improvetenantsatisfactionandbuildingrevenue;
Provideaforumfortenantactivityandpublicuse;and
Actasacatalystfordowntownrevitalization.
partne
Theguidep
rship
resentsan
swithcommunities,
overallstrategyf
tobetterma
orimp
nagement
rovement
pr
o
a
fafac
ctices.It
ility’
recognizesakeychallen
spublicspaces,fromphysicalenh
getobetheneedt
ancements
oinc
to
rease
securityatfederalfacilitieswhileprovidingwelcomingpublicspaces.
3 42 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
3.3
Thestudyareafo
NATURAL
rtheinven
RESOURCES
asborderedbyC,D,2
nd rd
tory
Streets,SW.Inpreparingthis
andanalysisofphysicalandb
Survey(USGS)mapping,aeri
,and3
alphotos,localcomprehensiveandl
analysis,thefollowingr
iologicalresourceshasbeen
esourceswer
defineda
er
s
eviewed:
theareaar
U.
oundFOB8
S.Geological
databases,conceptualdesigndrawings,scientificliterature,governmentreports,otherpre
anduseplans,GeographicInformat
viousstud
io
ies,agencyc
nSystem(GIS)
omments,
andothermaterialsasneeded.SitevisitstothegroundsaroundFOB8werealsoconducted.
3.3.1
Vegetationa
Vegetation
Thevegetationconsistsentirely
roundFOB8wasinve
of
Taxus
ntoriedthroughsitere
streetscapeplantingsandm
connaiss
theseplantingsconsistofyews( sp.),creepingjuniper(Juniperushorizo
Buxux
odestlandscaping
ncludeboxwood,crepemyrtle,j
Malus
building.AlongCStreet,SW,
g
ntalis
anceandareviewofthe
adjacentthe
mostrecentsurveydraftedin2006.
andtwolar eoaktr
),andcrepemyrtle(
SW.AlongDStreet,SW,shrubsi
eesatthecurbline.Boxwoods(
unipers(
Lagerstroemia
Juniperus
sp.)andfloweringcherries(
sp.),holly(Ilexsp.),andabelia(
sp.)areplantedalong2
nd
indica
Street,
)
)withsomeyarrow( sp.)plantedaswell.Scarletoaks(
(
grandiflora Achillea Quercus
bicolor
Magnolia
Streettreesalong3
rd
Str
sp.)atthebuilding’snorthwes
eetincludeswampwhiteoaks(
tcorner(Figure3
Quercus
Acerjaponica
‐23).Additio
),whiteoak(Q.
)arepresen alongthest
Abelia
coccinea
alba
t reet.
nalplantingsalong3
rd
),scarletoaks,andalargemagnolia
andJapanesemaples( ).
Street,SWincludecrepemyrtle,
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 43
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
Figure323:MagnoliaatthecornerofCand3
rd
Streets,SW
Source:EDAW,2008
3 44 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
3.3.2Wa
TheDistri
te
ct
rResources
ofColumbiaDepartmentofHealth(DDOH)
administer
theU.S.Envi
p
ronmental
rogramscreate
Protecti
dbyt
onA
heFederal
gency(EP
W
A
aterP
)regulate
W
waterr
aterQualityDivision,theDDOHWatershedProtectionDivision,and
thefederalWaterQualityActof1987,anda1984amendm
ollutionCon
esourcesandwaterpollutionintheDistrict.Together,they
entto
t
t
ro
hefederalResourceCon
lActof1972(commonl
servat
yknownastheCleanWaterAct),
ionandRecoveryAct(RCRA).
ecosystems
implements
Inaddition,
theWaterQ
theWaterQualityDi
ualityStandardsforSurfaceWa
visionadministersprogramsen
ter.Build
actedbytheWaterPollution
ingconstructionandusecanaffectwaterqualit
ControlActof1948
y
and
byalteringthedomin
andaquatic
contributingpollutantsandparticulatestodownstreamsurface
anthydrodynamics(i.e.,thevo
wa
lumeandtim
terbodies.
ingofflows),increasingwatertemperature,and
Therearenosurfacew
streetcurbandguttersystemfo
aterbodies
rdi
inthevicinityofFOB8.All
schargetotheDCWaterandSewerAuthority(
stormwaterdrainagemovesove
DCWASA)sto
rlandintoareadrainsorthe
floodplainmappingproducedbytheFederalEmergencyManagementAgency(FEMA)hasindicatedthatifthecurrentlevee
rmsewersystem.Preliminary
expect
systemis
edto
notupdated,t
commencein2009.Asaresult,iti
heFOB8sitewouldbewithin
sunlikelyt
the
hat
100‐yearfl
FOB8willbelocatedwithi
oodplain.Constructionofthenewleveesy
nthe100‐yearfloodplain.
stemis
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 45
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
3.4 TRANSPORTATION
3.4.1
Thetransportati
Vehicular
onnet
Circulation
workinthevicini
borderedbyfourlocalroadways,CStreet,S
tyo
Winthenorth,3
rd
fFOB8includesbo
Street,SWinthe
thlocalroadwaysandafederalhighway.
west,DStreet,SWinthesouth,and2
nd
TheFOB8siteis
Street,
SWintheeast.Interstate395(I‐395)islocatedimmediatelyeastof2
nd
Street,SW.
CStreet,SW
east‐wes
includeintermediary
CStreetisclassifiedas
streetsthat
acollectorroadwayaccordingtoDDOT’sroadwayclassificationsystem.Collectorroadways
t,withonetr
this,theroadwayturns
avellaneine
tothenorth
achdirect
funnelvehicu
ion.Theroa
lartrafficfrom
dwayisint
localstr
erruptedat2
nd
eetstoarterialstr
easttowardstheU.S.CapitolBuilding.AdjacenttoF
Street,SW
eetsandback.CStreetruns
OB8,meteredparkingis
,byasmallpark.Beyond
providedo
parking.Acc
nbothsidesoftheroa
ordingtoDDOT,theaverage
dwaymosttimesoftheday;ho
weekdayvolumeontheportionof
wever,theportioneastof3
theroadwayadj
rd
acentt
Streetprovidesno
oFOB8was5,500
vehiclesin2007.Thepostedspeedlimitis25mph.
2
nd
Street,SW
leftturnonlylanethatp
AsitpassestheFOB8site,2
nd
rovidesac
Street,SWisao
cesstoI‐395,andtherigh
ne‐way,two‐la
tlaneisbothaleftturnandthrou
neroadwaythatrunssouthbound.Thelefthandlanei
toI‐395.AccordingtoDDOT,2
nd
Streetisclassifiedasalocalroadway.Parkingisprovidedalongthewestsid
ghlane,providingacc
sa
eofthe
ess
roadway.Thepostedspeedlimitis25mph.
intersectionof2
TruckaccesstoFOB8isalsoprovidedvia2
nd
Street,SW.Aguardstationislocatedoffof2
nd
nd
andCStreets.Asecureram
Street,nearthe
deliveries,aswellastosecureparkingbelow.
pslopingdownwardfromeasttowestprovidesaccessforserviceand
3 46 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
DStreet,SW
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 47
trav
DStreet,S
ellane.
W
Themajorityofits
borderstheFOB8sitetothesouth.Thislocalro
usersarefederalworkersacce
adway
ssingthe
isonedirec
buildingsinthe
tionalandp
immediatear
rovideson
ea.Parkingis
eeastbound
providedonbothsidesoftheroadway.Thepostedspeedlimitis25mph.
3
rd
Street,SW
twotrav
TheDistrict
ellanesi
classifies3
rd
a.m.and4:00–6:30p.
nthenorth‐southdirection
Street,SWasacollectorstree
duringoff‐peaktimes,andfourtrav
t.Asitpassesthewestern
e
sideofFOB8,3
rd
Street,SWprovides
m.).Twolanesofparkingareprovidedduringoff‐peakhourswhe
llanesduringpeakhours(7:00–9:30
purposes.AccordingtoDDOT,theaverageweekdayvolumein2007on3
rd
Streetadjacentto
nnotinusefortravel
FOB8was6,600vehicles.
Thepostedspeedlimitis25mph.
Interstate395
Locateddirectlyeastof2
nd
southboundon‐ramplocatedat2
Street,
nd
andDStreets,SWand
SW,I‐395carriesalarge
anoff‐ra
proportio
mp
nofthedailytraf
locatedtothenortheastonWashingtonAvenue
ficintoandoutoftheDistrict.A
accommodatetraveltoandfromtheFOB8site.AccordingtoDDOT,theaverageweekdayvolumeonI‐395was
107,000in2007.Thepostedspeedlimitis55mph.
Park
3.4.2
ing
Parking
andgarage
isprovidedwi
parking.At
t
o
hinandaro
talof38meteredpark
undtheFOB8siteint
ingspaces,
hefor
and3
mofmeteredparkingspaces,permitparking,at‐gr
FOB8.OnCStreet,SWthereareeightmeteredspacesoneachsideoftheroadw
5permitspaces,a
ay.Ont
reprovi
hen
dedalongtheroadwayst
adeparking
hatborder
,
2
nd
Street,S
notallowed
W
between7:00and9:30
thereareeightmeter
a.m.Onthesouthsideofthe
edspacesonthewestsideofthestreet.Ther
street,parkingis
eare
restrictedb
orthsideofthestr
etween4:00and
eet,parkingis
6:30p.m.On
allowedontheeastsideof2
nd
Street.OnDStreet,SW,thereare18parkingsp
nopeakhourrestrictions.Parkingisnot
thenorthsideofthestreet.Similarly,thereare17permitspacesonthesouthsideofthestr
acesreserved
eet.Therear
forlocalgovernmentw
esevenmetered
orkerson
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
parkingspacesoneachoftheeastandwestsidesof3
rd
Street,SW.Themeteredspacespermitpublicparkingfortwohour
incrementsandfollowtheDCguidelinesforaccessibleparkingspaces.
Anat‐gr
garage
motorbikeparkingspa
adeparkinglot
c
ldingprovidesf
withinthebuilding.The
es.Thesespacesserve
locatedontheCStreetsideofthebui orty‐eightautom
garageisaccessibleviaanentranc
demployeesatFOB
e
8.
on2
nd
Fifty‐ninea
Street.
ddition
Aguardstat
alspacesarelocated
obileparkingspacesand15
inabelow‐grade
andexitingbothlots.DuetothefactthatFOB8isvacant,utilizationoftheselotsisminimal.
ionmonitorsvehiclesentering
severalmanagedandprivatelyo
Additionalparkingthroughoutth
perat
estudyar
edparkingg
eaisav
arag
ailableinth
es.Theclo
eformofmeteredspacesalo
sestgaragestotheFOB8siteareloc
nglocalroadwaysaswellas
atedonVirginiaAvenue
3 48 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
and4
th
Street,bothmanagedandoperatedbyColonialParking.
3.4.3 PublicTransit
Metrorail
TheFOB8siteisaccess
FederalCenterSWstationisloc
edbytheFederalCenterSWMetrorails
atedoneblockfromFOB8along
tation
DStreet,neartheint
,whichisservedbythe
ersectionofDand2
nd
BlueandOrangelines.The
servedbytheBlueandOrangelines,theCapitolSouthMetrorai
Streets,SW.Also
FOB8.Althoughnotaccessiblebyeitheroftheselines,UnionStatio
lStat
n,oneof
ionislocat
theregion’sm
edapproximatelysixblockstotheso
ostsignificantintermodal
utheastof
transportationterminals,iseasilyaccessibleviaMetrorail(Redline)andMetrobus.
Metrobus
site,whil
pointfor
Thesecondmajorcomponento
theMetrobus,servedby
fth
nearly100
epublictransitsystem
Metrobusroutes.T
servingthestudyareaisWMATA’sMetrobus.Ward2isthefocal
etheP6lin
northofthesite,connectingth
ehasstopsonCStreet,S
isportionofSo
Wadjacenttot
uthwestwithCa
hesite.
thewest
pitolHilltotheeas
Numerouslinesr
heP1andP2linesrunalong3
rd
unalongIndependence
Street,SWadjacenttothe
tandtheMa
Aven
llandPennsylvaniaAvenueto
ue,oneblock
andnorth.
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
3.4.4 PedestrianandBicycleCirculation
PedestrianactivityinthevicinityoftheFOB8siteisgenerallylight,withthemajorityofpedestrianconsistingoffederal
workersinthesurroundingofficebuildings.Thehighestlevelsofpedestrianactivityoccurduringthea.m.andp.m.peak
asthefro
thataccessedthemainentranceandonethatborderedtheroadw
hours,andduringlunchtime.WhenFOB8wasoccupied,therewe
ay.Thesidewalkclosesttothe
retwosidewalksalongtheCStreetsideofthebuilding,on
buildingiscurrentlyclosed,
e
butisdifficulttonavigatedue
ntofthebuildingand
tothebelow‐gradeparkingarea
toit
(Figure3‐24
schangingwidths.Itis
feetwid
).Sidewalks
thesurfaceparkinglotareco
substantial
ntained
l
withina
ynarrowe
fence.Theoutersidewalkremainsoperational,
on2
nd
,D,and3
rd
rattheeas
e.
Streets,SWarerelatively
tendoftheblockduetotheramp
narrow,between5and8
routeconnectstoitseast‐westpa
AccordingtoDDOT’sBicycleMap,
thalongIStreetinthesout
theclosestdesignatedbicycleroutetotheFOB8siteisalo
handupnorthtotheNationalM
ng4
th
Street.Thissignedbike
signedbicyclepathsalongtheroadwaysimmediatelysurroundingthesite.
all.Therearenodesignatedor
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 49
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
Figure324:NarrowsidewalkattheeastendofCStreet,SWwithFOB8ontheleft
Source:EDAW,2008
3 50 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
3.5 UTILITIES/INFRASTRUCTURE
3.5.1 SiteUtilities
Thefollowingutilityinformationisbasedona2006utilityplancompiledbyA.MortonThomasandAssociates,Inc.(AMT).
Water
WaterserviceissuppliedtoFOB8bytheDCWaterandSewerAuthority(WAS
crossesthesidewalka
roadwayssurroundingthesite.Waterlinescro
ndentersthebuildingatthenorthendo
ssthesidewalko
ftheblockalong3
rd
nDStreets,entering
A).Eightin
thebuildi
chwater
ngatmid‐block.Anotherline
linesarelocatedbelowthe
nd
Street.Anabandonedwaterlineisalso
locatednearthesoutheastcornerofthesite,withinthe2 Streetright‐of‐way(ROW).
SanitarySewer
WASAprovideswa
collectedandtransportedfortre
stewatermanagementfor
atmentatWASA’sBluePlainsWas
DC,includingthecollection,tre
tewaterTr
atment,anddi
eatmentPlant.T
scha
reated
rgeof
discharged
e
effluent.Se
ffluentisthen
wageis
intothePotomacRiver.
tunneltotheFordBuildinganda
A24inch(610mm)sewerlineru
ga
ns
infurthere
belowDStreet,cros
astonDStreet.
singthesid
Another24
ewalkandenteringthe
inch(610mm)lin
b
eislocatedwithin
uildingneartheped
the3
rd
estrian
ROW.A15inch(381mm)sewerlinerunssouthalong2
nd
Street,enteringFOB8atthebuildingsnortheastcorner.Ina
Street
ddition,
manholesincludeoneonthesout
severalstormsewermanholesare
heastcornerofthebuildingal
locatedontheperipheryofthes
ong
i
t
t
h
e,alongthe
ecurb,threealong
curbline.Th
nd
eidentifiedlocationsofthe
rd
the2 Streetcurbline,oneinthe
northeastcorner,andtwoalong3 Streetnearthefrontofthebuilding.
Electric
Electricserviceisprovidedto
Streetcurb/gutterline.Smaller
th
feederlinesrunalongtheper
ebuildingbyPEPCO.Themainlin
imeter
esarelocated
ofthebuildinga
withinthe3
rd
ndbelowadjacentsidewalks.
StreetROWandalo

ngthe3
rd
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 51
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
Steam
3 52 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
HeatingPlan
TheFOB8buildingis
t),whichisoperate
heatedbys
d
t
andowned
eamprovidedbytheHeatingO
byGSA.Themainst
perationandTransmissionDistric
eamlineservingthesiteislocatedwithinthe3
t(SteamDistr
rd
S
ibutionand
treetROW
andentersthebuildingfromthewest,crossingbelowthesidewalknearthepedestriantunneltotheSwitzerBuilding.
Communications
According
systemalongDStreet,enteringa
tothesurveyconductedbyAMTin2006,f
ndleavingthesouthwalloft
iberopticlines
hemetro
were
vent.Additionalfiberopticlineswere
notlocatablebutarebelievedtoexistwi
found
thina
tobe
duct
locatedoutsideofthecurblinealongCStreet.TelephonelinesrunbelowthesidewalkonDStreet.
Other
twoalong3
Streetlamppostsarelocatedalongtheperimeterofthesite,threealongDStreet,twoalong2
nd
rd
Street.Anadditionalsixlamppostsarelocatedalongtheat‐gradeparkinglotonCStr
Street,
eet.
threealong
Becausethemetro
CStreet,and
tunnelislocatedimmediatelytothesouthofthesite,severalmetroventsarelocatedalongDStreet.
3.5.2 Stormwater
Typicaloftheurbanenvironment
Management
generalareahavebeenaltereda
throughouttheDistrict,thenatur
collectedinstormdrainsandcombinedsewerli
saresultofurbanization.Stor
neslocatedalon
mwate
gthepe
rwithinthe
alstormwater
area
drainagep
ripheryofthesit
drains
e,as
awayfr
atternsoft
omthe
hesite
notedintheUti
buildi
and
ngandi
withint
s
he
Combinedsewerlinesthatconveybothstormwaterandsanitarysewagearelocatedalongtheperimeterofthesit
litiess
e.
ection.
sewerover
StormwateristreatedattheBluePl
flows(CSOs)maybereleaseddir
ainsWastewaterTreatmentPlant.However,underextremestormwaterevents,combined
stormwatermanagementinDCistheStormwaterMa
ectlyintoth
nag
e
e
Potoma
mentSectio
cRiver,impactingwat
noftheDepartmentofConsu
erquality.Th
mer
egoverningbodyfor
andRegulatoryAffairs.
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
3.5.3 HazardousMaterials
Duetotheageofthebuildinga
a
1998‐1999,a
PhaseIEnvironmentalSiteAssessment
the
FinalEnvironmental
ndp
Hazards
hazardoussubstancesatFOB8.Thesestudiesi
Report
ncludea
rioruses,severalenvironmentalst
Chemical
udieshave
Decommission
beencompletedt
ingReport
oassesspotential
FlyAsh
PCBs(inelectricalfixtu
ContaminationSamplingReport EnvironmentalConditionsReport
(Phase1ESA)undertakenin
Environmental
thesesubstancesa
Con
reb
ditionsReport
final
completedin2
documented
izedin20
thepr
0
esence
7,andan
003,a
released
completedin2005,
res)inthe
ofasbestoscontainingmaterials(ACMs
in2008.Although
eingremediatedduringtherenovationprocess,asepara
building,itisunlikelythatsuchsubstancesar
teactio
epresento
nfro
u
m
tsideofthestructure.Inad
),leadbasedpaint,a
dition,
nd
andmetalsofinterestabovethe
EA.The2007samplingofflyash
limitofdetection.Thisconta
atFOB8establishedtheprese
minationisduetothepriorope
nceofdioxinsandfurans,Polyn
whatisbeing
uclearAromaticH
analyz
y
edinthis
drocarbons,
incineratorsystembytheFDA.Itispossiblethatthesematerialsarepresentinthesoilimmediatelysurr
rationofabiologicalwaste
duetotheventilationofthesystemthroughastackontheroof.
oundingthebuilding,
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 53
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS
3.6 AIRQUALITY
InresponsetotheCleanAirAct(CAA)of1970andthe
monoxide(CO),ozone(O
3
Agency(EPA)hasestablishedNat
),nitrogendioxide(NO
2
),sulfurdioxid
ionalAmbientAirQualityStand
CAAAmendmentsof1977and1990,theU.S.EnvironmentalProtection
micronsinsize(PM
10
),andfineparticulatemattereq
e(SO
2
),lead(P
ards(NAAQS)forcriteriaairpollutantsincludingcarbon
ualtoorlessthan2.5micronsinsize(PM
2.5
b),particulatemattere
).TheNAAQSinclude
qualtoorlessthan10
primarystandardsdesignedtoprotecthumanhealthandsecondarystandardstoprotectpublicwelfare.
attainmentareasareclassified
Regionsofthecountrythatare
as“
curr
m
ently
argin
n
a
otmeetingt
l”,“moderate”,
heNAAQSareidentifiedas“nonattainment”areas.Thesenon‐
qualityreg
asmoderat
i
enon‐attainmentfort
on,whichincludesWashington,DCandtensu
“ser
rroundi
ious”,“severe”,or“extreme”.T
ngcountiesinVirginiaandMaryland,
heMetropolitanWashingtonair
hefederaleight‐hourozonestandardandnon‐atta
iscurrentlydesignated
standa
WashingtonAirQualit
rd.TheWashingtonDCmetr
yCommittee
opolitana
(MWAQC)
reaisalsolocatedw
,astheregion’slead
ithinanozonetransportr
inmentf
egion.T
orthefin
he
e
M
particulate(PM
2.5
)
tobringtheregionintocompliancewiththeNAAQS.
airqualityplanningagency,hasundertakenpl
etropolitan
anningefforts
TheEPArequiresthatnon‐attainmentregio
agenc
nspreparea
determineiftheactioneitherco
toreachcompliancewiththeNAAQS.Federal
nformstotheprepared
iesr
tta
esponsib
inment
leforanactioninanon‐at
plansaimedatreducingozone
tainmentareaar
‐causingemi
erequiredto
ssionsinorder
directandi
determined
deminimis
thatfedera
ndirectemissionsof
lactionsar
egiona
no
o
r
n
eexemptfr
‐attainmentpollutants:(1)
mconformitydeterminationswherethet
lattainmentplanorisexempt
otalofallreasonablyforeseeable
fromconformity.TheEPAhas
knownas
conformitydeminimis
lim
limitsforozonenona
its,and(2)wouldbelessthan10percentofthearea’san
wouldbelessthantheirspecifiedemissionratethr
nualemissionbudget.Thegeneral
esholds,
is100
organicco
tonsperyear.
mpounds(VOC)and100tonspery
ttai
ear
nmentareasinsi
fornitrogenoxid
deanozonetra
es(NOx).The
n
de
sportreg
minimis
ionare
limitford
50to
irect
nsperyear
emissionsofPM
forvolatil
2.5
e
3 54 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
FOB 8 EXTERIORIMPROVEMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
3.7
Noisecanbe
NOISE
gen
LEVELS
logarithmicscale,that
erally
arew
defineda
eight
sunwantedorunwelcomesound.Noiselevelsareusuallymeasuredindecibels(dB),ona
asanaverageoveraperiodoft
decibelsaccountforthefactthatthehumanea
edtosoundsperceiv
risnotequally
ablebyt
sensitive
hehumanear(A‐
toallfrequencies.No
weightedsou
iselevelsar
ndlevel(dBA)).A‐w
etypicallyexpr
eighted
operationoroccurrence.
ime(Leq)sincenoisesourcesmayproducevaryingdegreesofsoundthroughouttheperiodof
essed
Noiseregulations
property,basedont
intheDistr
imeofdayan
ictes
dlandusecategory(i.e.,resid
tablishmaximumpermissible
ential
soundlevelsforanoperation,activity,ornoisesourceona
Thereareexceptionstothemaxi
commercial,suchastheprojectsite,haveama
mumallowablenoiselevelsint
ximumallowable
he
nois
DCnoise
elimitof65
noise
ed
ergency
regulationss
dBA(dayti
,commercial,andindustrial).Areasthatarezoned
me)and60dBA(nighttime).
emittingfromem vehicles.From7:00a.m.to7:00
u
ordemolitionarelimit toamaximumof80dBA.
p.m.onanyweekday,noiselevelsres
chasforconstruction
ultingfrom
activitiesan
constructio
d
n
Themaxim
ambientno
u
ise.Certainlanduses
mallowablenoiselevelsaredesignedtopro
hospitals,nursinghomes,educationalfacilities,andlibraries
areconsideredtobenoise‐se
tecthuma
nsitive
nactivitiesor
receptors,i
landusesth
ncludingresiden
atmaybeinfringedup
tialdwellings,hotels,
onby
potentiallybeclassifiedasanois
.TheNationalMuseumoftheAmericanIndian(NMAI)would
landusesaregenerallynotconside
e‐sensitivere
redtobeno
ceptorbec
isesensitiv
ause
ereceptors.
itservesaneducationalfunction.Commercialandindustrial
prominent
Ambientnoiseleve
vehicletyp
sourceofn
lsat
o
iseisthev
theprojectsitea
ehiculartra
ndsur
esonthoseadjacent
fficonther
roundingare
oadw
asareprimarilygeneratedbyt
streetscorrespondswiththevolumeofnoisegenerated.
aysadjacenttothesite.Level
ransportationactivity.Themost
buses,furthercontributetothevolumeofnoise.Becausetrafficisthelargestsourceofnoi
Idl
softrafficcongestion
ingvehicles,suchasWMATA
andmixof
periodofthedayisanticipatedtobethepeakhourtrafficperiod.Th
seinthestudyarea,thepeaknoise
pedestriansonthesidewalkssurroundingthesiteandvisitors
o
tothemuseumsandtheMa
seprimarilyaffectedbythistrafficnoisewo
lloneblocktothenorth.
uldbe
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3 55
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