Presentation This Thursday on Eisenhower Square

The National Capital Planning Commission will be holding their June meeting on Thursday and one of the items on the agenda, as reported by DCMud, is a presentation by Gehry Partners on Eisenhower Square, the memorial planned for President Eisenhower just south of the National Air & Space Museum between 4th Street and 6th Street. The four-acre memorial will close off Maryland Avenue, but sight lines to the Capitol will be maintained. Also on the agenda is the new Metrobus facility planned at DC Village.

Groundbreaking at CNG Facility in DC Village

According to this press release from WMATA, the transit agency broke ground on Wednesday for a new Metro Bus garage at DC Village. Back in May, WMATA's board agreed to purchase 16 acres for $6.45 million to build a compressed natural gas facility that will store anywhere between 114 and 250 Metrobuses. The new bus garage will be located at Shepherd Parkway and Blue Plains Drive and replaces the Southeastern garage near Nationals Park. Funds for the new garage came from the sale of the Southeastern garage and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The new garage is slated to open in 2012 and is aiming for LEED-Silver certification.

New Bus Garage Planned at DC Village

It's been a busy week for construction activity at DC Village! On Tuesday, there was a groundbreaking ceremony for a MPD evidence warehouse. Today, according to an article in the Washington Business Journal, WMATA's board agreed to purchase 16 acres at DC Village for $6.45 million to build a compressed natural gas facility that will store anywhere between 114 and 250 Metrobuses. WMATA is aiming for LEED-Silver certification for the new facility, which will replace the Southeastern bus garage on M Street, SE, which was demolished earlier this year and is now home to The Bullpen. The new bus facility is slated to open by 2012, but first, the sale must be approved by the D.C. Council, which will consider the sale at its June 2 meeting.

Groundbreaking for Evidence Warehouse at DC Village

Yesterday, according to The Washington Post, there was a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Property and Evidence Warehouse for MPD at DC Village, which is located near the southern tip of the city on the east side of the Anacostia River. This $20 million project will be jointly developed by the city and Akridge (the same developer that will build 100 V Street), and will aim for LEED-Silver certification. The press release from DMPED states the new facility will provide the following features:

• computer-automated storage system for logging and retrieval of evidence
• secure and controlled access to all areas
• video event logging of transactions
• radio frequency handheld portable terminals
• bar code scanning & printing techniques
• refrigerated units for storing DNA samples

Construction will be complete by early 2011. The above rendering of the evidence warehouse is from the OPM website.