Section 106 Meeting: Kennedy Center Expansion Connection Project

The National Park Service (NPS) and National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), in cooperation with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Kennedy Center), hereby notify interested Consulting Parties that the second consultation meeting on the Kennedy Center Expansion Connection Project, as provided for under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), will take place:
December 10, 2015
9:30-11:30 am
** New Location **
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20566
 
The purpose of the proposed project is to provide a safe pedestrian and bicycle connection between the Kennedy Center and the Rock Creek Multi-Use Trail and to improve access and create a public waterfront link to and from the Kennedy Center, the National Mall and Memorial Parks (NAMA), the Rock Creek Multi-Use Trail, the Potomac River waterfront, and the surrounding vicinity. The Kennedy Center is initiating this action because currently there is no direct connection between the Kennedy Center and the Rock Creek Multi-Use Trail along the Potomac River waterfront. The proposed connection would be located on a site bounded by F Street, NW, to the north, the Potomac River Freeway and ramp to Roosevelt Bridge on the east and southeast, and the Potomac River on the west.
 
The Kennedy Center is a Congressionally-designated national showcase for the performing arts and a living memorial to President Kennedy. It was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 2012, for its association with President Kennedy and as the work of master architect Edward Durell Stone. The Rock Creek Multi-Use Trail within the project area is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks under the jurisdiction of the NPS.
 
The NPS and NCPC are coordinating Section 106 consultation with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and are preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to identify alternatives and assess the potential impacts of the Kennedy Center Expansion Connection Project. NPS and NCPC held a joint NEPA/Section 106 public scoping meeting on September 29, 2015, during which the Consulting Parties were introduced to the project, presented with a draft APE, and invited to comment on the proposal. A 30-day public comment period was open from September 15 to October 15, 2015. Section 106 consultation was initiated with the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office (DCHPO) on November 10, 2015.
 
The purpose of the upcoming Section 106 Consulting Parties meeting is to present the proposed alternatives, identify affected resources, and hold a preliminary discussion on the potential effects of the undertaking. The NPS will post an agenda in advance of the meeting on the NPS’s Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov. The NPS and NCPC look forward to continuing consultation on this undertaking.
 
To confirm attendance of you and/or your organization at the meeting, please contact , NCPC, at 202-482-7252.