New Parks Plan for NoMa

NoMa BID released its new Public Realm Vision Plan Friday night for the growing community of residents, shops and offices. The vision includes three parks and a "modern, monumental gateway."

With 1,200 apartments already leased and 2,200 more under construction, there are plenty of residents looking for space to relax, play, and interact. The vision offers ways to create the space they need.

"To me, neighborhoods are about ... the interaction of people both with the environment and with each other outside their own private places," said NoMa BID President Robin-Eve Jasper. "So parks are just a critical part of that. And we have disaggregated what a park is around the concept of what jobs do people hire parks to do."

With that in mind, the Public Real Vision Vision Plan was borne. According to a Friday press release from NoMa BID, the vision focuses on four sites:

1. The Plaza: A public gathering space at First and L Streets, NE
2. The Tracks: A recreation and train-watching venue between the railroad tracks and Second Street, NE at K Street, NE
3. A casual neighborhood park at Florida Avenue and N Street, NE
4. The Gateway: To enliven and add color to the intersection of New York and Florida Avenues and First Street, NE, the plan envisions large, colorful obelisk-type structures greeting residents and visitors on their way to and from NoMa and Washington, D.C.

The vision plan is a preliminary look at what could be created in NoMa, but details have not been worked out. According to the press release, Councilman Tommy Wells introduced legislation that could created funding for the parks.

The press release states that property owners with land next to the proposed sites "have been approached, and many are considering ways they can incorporate the NoMa parks ideas into their own future developments." Translation: NoMa has potential for traditional neighborhood amenities, but its going to take a village.

Washington, D.C., real estate development news