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Community Members Invited to View NoMa Underpass Finalist Designs

Washington, D.C., October 14, 2014 – On Thursday, October 16, the NoMa Parks Foundation will host a community meeting to present the final 13 designs for the NoMa Underpass Design Competition. Those who are unable to attend the meeting are invited to view the designs online and take an online survey; or view a presentation of the proposed designs in the Lobby at 1200 First Street, NE, from October 14 to 17 and fill out a paper survey.

The NoMa Underpass Design Competition is an initiative of the District of Columbia government and the NoMa Parks Foundation to beautify and improve the neighborhood’s four railroad underpasses (at Florida Avenue, K, L and M Streets, NE) with engaging artistic light installations. WMATA and Amtrak are also collaborating on the project.

The Community Meeting
Date: Thursday, October 16, 2014
Time: 6-8 PM
Location: Lobby Project, 1200 First Street, NE
Please RSVP here
Light refreshments will be served.

A distinguished jury selected 10 outstanding artists, architects, lighting designers, and landscape architects representing three countries and seven cities across the United States as finalists in the competition. With the community’s feedback, the jury will select the winners with installation of the winning designs to begin in 2015.

“We encourage the neighborhood to come give its input on these incredible installations,” said Curtis Clay, Director of Park and Public Realm Development for the NoMa Parks Foundation. “While much of the difficult technical work lies ahead as we delve into the installation details, we are excited to transform these four underpasses into exciting and beautiful passageways.”

The NoMa Underpass Design Competition has generated overwhelming interest and excitement since its announcement in April. During the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) phase, the Foundation received 248 submissions from 14 countries. After a rigorous review, 49 semi-finalists were selected, and then 10 finalists were chosen. They have submitted 13 proposals for the four underpasses.

About The NoMa Parks Foundation
The NoMa Underpass Design Competition is led by the NoMa Parks Foundation, and is one of several projects that are proceeding concurrently to acquire land, improve existing sites, and execute the long-term vision set forth in the NoMa Public Realm Design Plan. The NoMa Parks Foundation was formed in 2012 and the following year received a $50 million commitment from the District government to acquire land, build parks and enhance public space in NoMa.

In the rapidly redeveloping NoMa neighborhood, one critical ingredient is missing: parks. More than 18,000 people live in greater NoMa, and the population is projected to double in the next 10 years; but currently NoMa contains no publicly accessible parks, playgrounds, or plazas. While the District of Columbia averages 12.9 acres of open space per 1,000 residents, none of these spaces exist in the NoMa neighborhood. They are urgently needed to serve the residents and more than 40,000 daytime employees and visitors to the neighborhood. Undeveloped land is becoming more scarce each year as development occurs on the remaining empty lots. The creation of refreshing, inviting parks and public spaces – before it is too late – will improve the lives of people in NoMa today and for generations to come. More about the NoMa Parks Foundation can be found at nomabid.wpengine.com/parks.

About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood nestled among Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C. Over the last several years, private developers have invested more than $5 billion in the 35-block area within the NoMa BID boundaries, and have plans to develop more than 16 million square feet of additional office, residential, hotel, and retail space. NoMa is home to more than 3,800 new apartments, and more than 40,000 people work in NoMa each day. With unparalleled transportation access via Amtrak, VRE, MARC, two Red Line Metro stops, and vehicular access to Interstate 395, visitors, workers and residents can easily travel throughout the region as well as to New York or anywhere on the East Coast. For more information about NoMa, visit nomabid.wpengine.com and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter.

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For immediate release
News media contact:
Rachel Davis
202-997-3846
[email protected]

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