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EPA Provides District of Columbia with Green Design Assistance

Release Date: 08/12/2011
Contact Information: Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567

WASHINGTON (August 12, 2011) -- The District of Columbia will receive technical assistance to make three intersections at the Anacostia Metro Station safer and improve use for cars, pedestrians and bicycles through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greening America’s Capitals Initiative.

The announcement was made today by EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin and District Mayor Vincent C. Gray across the street from the Anacostia Metro Station.

“EPA’s technical design assistance will help build on Mayor Gray’s sustainability efforts that are already underway. The project also involves public participation that will allow residents who live in Anacostia, Barry Farm, Sheridan and Buena Vista neighborhoods to have a voice in creating ideas to restore and re-imagine this key District community,” said Garvin.

Improvement to this area is a high priority for Mayor Gray. The street network around the Anacostia Metro Station serves more than 7,757 people on average per week and is surrounded by neighborhood schools, a recreation center, a historic residential neighborhood, and churches, as well as major federal and local government employment centers.

“I am excited that the District has been selected for this partnership opportunity with EPA,” Mayor Gray said. “The Greening America’s Capitals program will provide us with critical innovative thinking and tools to leverage this transportation hub into a safer and more sustainable asset for the Anacostia community.”

In addition to the District of Columbia, EPA announced that the capital cities of Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi and Nebraska would also receive technical design assistance to help stimulate economic development.

Greening America’s Capitals Initiative is a project of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities among EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The interagency collaboration coordinates federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services to get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently. The partnership is helping communities across the country to create more housing choices, make transportation more efficient and reliable, reinforce existing investments, and support vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that attract businesses. HUD and DOT were involved in the review and selection process and will provide technical expertise on each project. This is the second year of the GAC program. The capital cities selected last year were Boston, Mass.; Jefferson City, Mo.; Hartford, Conn.; Charleston, W.Va.; and Little Rock, Ark.

This year the five capital cities were selected from 23 letters of interest received through a solicitation of interest by EPA. The agency will organize teams of regional urban designers, planners, and landscape architects to provide customized technical assistance as requested by each community. In addition to helping the selected state capitals build a greener future and civic pride, the assistance will help create models that many other cities can look to in creating their own environmentally and economically sustainable designs for growth and development.

More information on GAC: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/greencapitals.htm