The National Mall is plagued by cracked sidewalks, algae-filled pools and a dearth of amenities.
That could be about to change with Tuesday’s signing of the final National Mall Plan, which aims to revitalize and restore the 684-acre park.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis formally signed off on the plan Tuesday, outlining 30 objectives that include improving resources, public access, visitor amenities and monument preservation.
“We can roll up our sleeves and get to work,” said Molly Wade, spokeswoman for the Trust for the National Mall. She said the trust is starting efforts to raise the $700 million — $400 million in maintenance costs and $300 million for infrastructure improvements — the plan is expected to cost.
Fundraising initiatives will include grass-roots campaigns and outreach to companies and foundations, Wade said.
The plan, which will be reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission at a Dec. 2 meeting, focuses on improving the “pedestrian environment” of the Mall. Tuesday’s signing concluded the Park Service’s environmental impact process, which needs to be complete before the commission can give final approval.
Among the plan’s components:
» Adding more paved areas for pedestrians and gathering, including paving the gravel pathways, building a paved welcome plaza at 12th Street and Jefferson Drive SW, and designating areas for high-use events.
» Shrinking the Capitol Reflecting Pool
» Building more restrooms
» Improving sustainability through water conservation and tree restoration
» Redeveloping Union Square near the U.S. Capitol, including the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial
» Creating multipurpose visitors’ centers
» Developing a computerized permit system
» Rebuilding seawalls at the Tidal Basin
“The National Mall is where we come to learn about our country, our leaders and to celebrate our shared values of equality and freedom,” Salazar said. “This plan will help ensure this special park is capable to upholding these ideals and principles for generations to come.”
But not everyone is satisfied with the plan.
Judy Scott Feldman, chairwoman of the National Coalition to Save Our Mall, said the proposal fell short. She said a long-term vision for the Mall should encompass not just outdoor areas, but also the Smithsonian Institution, the Capitol and the White House, as well as issues such as public programming.
“This plan is a maintenance plan for the Park Service’s areas of the Mall,” Feldman said. “Just stopping decay is not a vision.”
Mall visitors were divided on the question of whether “America’s front yard” needs improvement.
Angela Bullock, a 43-year-old D.C. native, said she visits the Mall frequently and welcomes plans for more restrooms. She said often has to walk to local restaurants or a museum to find one and explains to annoyed tourists where the nearest facilities are.
The restoration is a “great idea,” she said.
But Lynne and Richard Chapman, on their first visit to D.C. from Stratford-upon-Avon in England, said they think the Mall is in good shape.
“It’s clean, it’s nice, it’s safe, it’s everything you’d expect it to be,” Richard Chapman said. “It’s as described in the brochures.
Letting people know about the need to restore the Mall and add amenities is one of the project’s challenges, Wade said.
“People are not aware of the state of disrepair,” she said. “It’s easy to get caught up in the grandeur of the monuments.”
Examiner intern Anna Waugh contributed to this report.
