Comments for “EMMP Concept B”
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I have no objection to expanding the library; it seems like a great idea. but the design of the entrance is completely out of character with the neighborhood and the library itself. Do something that works with the Hill and is not so harsh.
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Adult play lawn and outdoor learning spaces are not at all what community really needs. We need places to walk dogs, sit and drink coffee and enjoy a little shade in the summer while we watch children play in a clean, but not overbuilt, playground. Mid-street pedestrian crossing is excellent as this addresses genuine community need. Most of the rest of the proposal will not enhance quality of life for the community and is really a waste of resources
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Great park. Great ideas. But for goodness sake, lets think safety. The medieval torture devices look scary and dangerous.
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Extend the lawn or make an area larger for small tables and chairs. New York has them. They are wonderful. MORE TREES PLEASE!
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LOVE the fountain idea! This area is set back further from the street. Awesome! Hey folks! If this is is a covered fountain with only the holes in stone, NO RATS! Make it totally drainable to one pipe below ground. Investigate how many fountains DC has close to streets. THEY DO WORK! They are NOT the beach! THINK PEOPLE! COMMON SENSE!
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Both Plans have great ideas. Why pick between. Why not put the best of both into a (1) (ONE) plan?
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Please, everyone, do not ask for "lawns". Grass is high maintenance, is far from drought tolerant, cannot stand up to heavy wear and tear, and must be fertilized and watered -- a no-no for today's financially stressed park maintenance resources -- and a no-no for being environmentally savvy and kind to the nearby Anacostia River. If you want to have open space, there must be drought-tolerant plantings of some sort or else some "soft" permeable paving of some sort.
Dog parks are needed in this neck of the woods, but they are not pretty -- they tend to be muddy -- although sometimes dogs can be fun to watch as they play.
Agree that lighting is a problem for nearby houses at night -- too bright, and too much of a draw of the wrong sort of night-time activity. Yet safety at night for pedestrians is also a concern. Crime needs to be prevented by our creating some sort of "defensible space" in our park -- nowhere for muggers to hide -- and an open enough space for pedestrians to venture through.Liked 0 times -
The Metro entrance creates the regrettable jay-walking across the median, but that jay-walking is important to 90% of busy pedestrians exiting and entering the Metro from the North, the East and the Northwest. Go with the existing pedestrian pattern. Put a light there in the middle of the block. Create walkways so pedestrians do not have to walk in mud, slush, rain. For sure, eliminate grass from the medians. And do not ruin the lovely views up and down Pennsylvania Avenue of the Capitol and the Library of Congress with shrubs taller than the existing plum or cherry trees. The medians are baking hot in summer so the existing shrub roses work well. But please put yourself into the shoes of the hurrying pedestrian. Do not force her to walk all the way to the corner, wait 1 minute for the light to change, and then have to dash across Pennsylvania at 8th, across both sides of the PA Avenue boulevard in 20 seconds. Inhuman. Lengthen the length of that light and also allow for cross-median pedestrian travel. Because that's the way the Metro forced it to happen. Go with what pedestrians need.
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The library desperately needs more space so the underground space idea is ingenious. There is zero above-ground space available. Friends of the Library who do much to help DCPL with ideas, support for programs, publishing books, need adequate space to store books for sale. Community groups need better meeting space. So do children need more activity space. And much more. But do not clutter the Metro Plaza with an entrance -- use existing entrance, and simply have "skylights" or some thrilling waterfall feature visible from below as the National Gallery has.
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Like others, I very much like the library concept and hope it can be realized. That said, I'm dubious about what seen to me overprogrammed plans for the playground across the Avenue -- it seems quite crammed to me (maybe deliberate to offer more options) and also while I'm hardly of an age to judge, it seems there's a bit of a frisson that this is what kids should like or what is good for them. I'd reduce the "furniture" a bit, make sure it's not permanently planted, allow for significant change as experience is gained. Finally, the "biowales" plan is terrific!
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As a parent, I think kids want just a normal playground structure that they can play on, climb on, run through, slide down, etc. I think that trying to make the play area too unique, modern, or 'smart,' may be more pleasing to the adults than it is to the kids, and at the expense of those kids' enjoyment. And speaking of expense, I think that the primary goal is a project that can in fact be funded and completed so that certain parts of a concept that are more expensive should be dropped for the greater goal of getting something done.
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I agree with others that planning for a larger underground library in the future is a great idea.
Keep the entrance to the library where it is and have skylights only on this parcel. No need to clutter the parcel with entrances to both the metro and the library.Liked 0 times -
Strong preference for concept B.
The major thoroughfares in concept B are large and harmonious.
It is a much better overall design from a birdseye view of the neighborhood.Liked 0 times -
The glass cubicle entry for the library is awful. Visually, it is totally out of place for the area. Also, what provisions are there for the aged and infirm in the new "underground sections. What safety provisions are there for the "tunnel"?
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Priority should be placed on the safety of the children. A playground for tots that is adjacent to Penn Ave and 9th needs a fence.
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I don't live across D Street, but I would think that trees I see in this plan would provide a green buffer to preserve the privacy of the residential area.
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How about placing a fountain here?
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Is it possible to have the bus stop by the bikes? Moving the stop closer to 7th street allows those emerging from the Metro a more inviting view....and it would encourage those who ride the bus to use the cross walk at 7th Street...instead of jay walking jaywalking.
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Pretty much the only thing I remember from the only landscape architecture class I took was the story of the campus where they waited a year to put in the sidewalks, so they'd know where people want to walk. This plan takes the opposite approach: figure out what people want to do and then get in their way. Hmmmm. Wonder how that'll work out?
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With the existence in this concept of a raised median, the point is made all the more clearly: DELETE this stub of D St SE and INSERT a Metro Entrance on this side of Penn Ave.
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While not opposed to a water feature, I think for safety reasons, a water feature shouldn't be right on the path of so many pedestrians - both b/c it could cause slipping and because of fears of snatching. Kids need a safe place to play away from crowds of people, roads and escalators.
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I still don't feel that either of these plans make it much easier for me to cross 8th St here. The cars just fly down 8th and only see the light at Pennsylvania. The totally ignore D St. Can the stop for the light be moved back to D st so that cars have to stop half a block back? Could the entire "box" be turned into a pedestrian friendly crosswalk? It's just so dangerous now.
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I was really against this feature before I knew what it was. The visual is appalling. I don't want a big glass cube taking up so much space in the park. It's out of place for the neighborhood and the style of the library. BUT, I was slightly more favorable once I learned it was to create more library space. I support the library 100%, but would want this entrance configured in a more tasteful way. Or better yet, why have an entrance there at all? Can't the current library still serve a s the entrance and just have the triangular skylights in the park green? Or, if you need an entrance at all, just a simple glass elevator.
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I think these raised medians would be a great deterrent to the current mid-median crossings. I support them, but would add community art/sculpture to them.
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I definitely prefer this plan to the strange one in Concept A. I would want this to include some traditional playground equipment, too, though. And definitely be fenced in. Think about how useful and effective the small playgrounds are in Manhattan parks and just mimic that. No need to reinvent the wheel when NYC already does it so well.
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