Libraries held up by D.C.'s smart-growth ambitions
Washington Business Journal
Friday, May 2, 2008
by Jonathan O'Connell, Staff Reporter
In many respects, the Tenleytown and Benning neighborhoods couldn't be farther apart. The former is in wealthy upper Northwest, while the latter is in the second-poorest part of town in Northeast.
But the two communities have this in common: Neither has a permanent library. Libraries in both neighborhoods closed in December 2004 and were later demolished, replaced only by temporary facilities. Both also had their rebuilding plans delayed by ideas to leverage their prime locations near Metro stations and commercial corridors, plans intended to bring more vibrancy to those neighborhoods than libraries alone could.
In Tenleytown, the library has been moved in and out -- and now back in again -- to a larger project that would bring housing and a rebuilt Janney Elementary School to Wisconsin Avenue. On Benning Road, a private developer and a D.C. Council member say they think the library would make sense as part of a redeveloped shopping center.
Both suggestions threaten to further delay construction of the new 20,000-square-foot libraries, said John Hill, president of the D.C. Libraries Board of Trustees. The library system planned to break ground on both projects in July, but is just beginning to procure construction contracts, threatening a proposed March 2010 reopening date.
Those communities have been made to wait too long for new library services, Hill said, and the delays absorb money intended for other renovations. "If these projects get delayed significantly then it affects our capacity to begin other projects," he said.
The Tenley and Benning libraries are among four set to be rebuilt, along with branches in Anacostia and Shaw. All four are fully funded, at between $14.7 million and $16.1 million per branch, and $18 million has been set aside for the Georgetown library, which fell to fire in April 2007.
But Tenley and Benning have been caught up in the movement to build mixed-use projects at underutilized Metro stations. That ought be a priority, Hill acknowledged, which is why Neil Albert, deputy mayor for economic development, included the Tenley library in soliciting bids for a 3.6-acre parcel across from the street from the Tenleytown-American University Metro station. After three teams made proposals, Albert altered the solicitation to allow for an independently built library, but reversed course again recently in seeking final offers that include the library. No team has been chosen, although Albert had planned to make a selection in February. "I do understand the urgency, but I want to make sure we maximize that particular site," said Eric Scott, project manager.
On Benning Road, developer D.C.-based City Interests LLC has proposed adding 10,000 square feet to the new library and moving it into a redeveloped East River Park shopping center -- a plan that Councilwoman Yvette Alexander, D-Ward 7, said she likes, even though it would probably further delay that library for another six months. "My preference would be to optimize the design of the library by incorporating it with the development," Alexander said.
Hill, also president of the Federal City Council, and Ginnie Cooper, chief librarian, want shovels in the ground. Hill said the library board will look at building its Tenley library in a way that allows housing to be added on top later, once the deputy mayor selects a development plan. Otherwise, he said the delays mean the project "is going to take much, much longer."
"We're not going to stop moving because an individual council member tells us we should slow down or we should stop," Hill said. "That's not any kind of due process."
"We're on a pretty good site now," Cooper said of the library's Benning parcel. "It's an attractive site, and we are hoping to stay there."
E-mail: joconnell@bizjournals.com Phone: 703/258-0835
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