PARKSIDE COMMUNITY UPDATES

JULY 2020

Community Events

Parkside's vacant land will be activated with free pop-up events. The events were initially supposed to launch in May and were grander in scale but had to be pushed back and downsized due to COVID-19 and social distancing measures. Please click the link below to stay updated on events as they happen.

FEBRUARY 2020

Parkside Access and Circulation Study - Recommendations

The Parkside community in Washington, DC, is one of a handful of neighborhoods wedged between the Anacostia River and I-295. Parkside’s attractive homes line a grid of neighborhood streets, but traveling beyond the neighborhood has been a longstanding source of frustration for residents. Accessing downtown DC and Union Station on a nearby arterial is impossible due to the perimeter fencing of major electricity and solid waste transfer facilities occupying land along the neighborhood’s south side. So while the neighborhood is less than a half-mile walk to the Washington Metro Area, Transit Authority’s most active Bus/Metrorail station, and the area’s only local shopping district, access as a pedestrian requires crossing the highway on an obsolete non-compliant pedestrian bridge and traveling through a tunnel under the railroad tracks.

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DDOT is using the study to refine and fund projects designed to reconnect Parkside to its neighbors, the downtown Ward 7 business district, a regional transit center, and a multimodal transportation and recreational trail network. It is installing new Capital bikeshare stations at locations identified by residents. A new ADA-compliant pedestrian bridge is now under construction and plans implemented before the study is now viewed by residents as amenities meant to serve them rather than an uninvited change from outside forces. The study’s comprehensive approach, commitment to working closely with resident advocates, elected leaders and agency staff has yielded additional benefits to the community that residents intend to track through their subsequent phases of analysis, design, and funding including:

-A proposal to relocate the temporary trail connection and design it as a neighborhood amenity.

-Proposed geometric and operational changes to one of the major ingress points to reduce frequent congestion and offer relief for local trips increasing both safety and convenience for all users living in and visiting the area

-Safety and access improvements around neighborhood facilities, including but not limited to schools, parks, recreation centers, transit stops, and other key community facilities

-Safety and access improvements around neighborhood facilities, including but not limited to schools, parks, recreation centers, transit stops, and other key community facilities

-Enhanced comfort and livability for residents and visitors to the Parkside area

For more on the study, you can visit - https://ddot.dc.gov/page/parkside-access-study.