Alternative 2

Resource Conservation and Management

As described for the proposed plan, agencies with responsibilities on the site would be encouraged to adopt a consistent stewardship and management approach to protect all cultural and natural resources within President's Park. Elements of this program would include keeping all cultural resource documentation current, and identifying, inventorying, and assessing the condition of historically significant trees and specimen plants.

Cultural Resources

As described for the proposed plan, a new fine and decorative arts storage area would be provided within or near the White House. Limited public access lo the White House collection would be provided, with the approval of the White House curator.

A comprehensive study of probable archeological resources would be done, as described for the proposed plan. Recording and monitoring of any ground disturbances' such as construction, would also be conducted on a project-by-project basis. The archeological resource collection would be available for research and interpretation.

Plant Materials

As described for the proposed plan, a comprehensive landscape management plan would be developed. Plant materials would be monitored including the condition of soils, and corrective actions would be taken as needed. All significant plant materials damaged or lost through natural causes or development actions would be replaced with specially propagated stock.

Home and Office of the President

Executive Residence

First Family Recreation

Secure, indoor multipurpose family space would be constructed belowground north of the Executive Residence.

Support Functions

General storage for the Executive Residence would be provided under West Executive Avenue and potentially in the lower level of the west colonnade. As described for the proposed plan, the White House grounds maintenance facility would be redesigned for efficiency, and utility systems would be replaced and relocated.

Executive Office Support Services

Visitor Arrivals /Meeting Space

Similar to the proposed plan and alternative 1, new underground meeting and arrival space would be constructed below West Executive Avenue adjoining the West Wing of the White House. Because of the location of the proposed west-side parking/delivery facility, these spaces would be farther north under West Executive Avenue than under alternative 1. Multiple entry points would remain. However. surface access from E Street would be limited to motorcades and official uses.

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Alternatives, Including the Proposed Plan

Access and Parking

Motorcades, Diplomatic and Business Visitors, and Staff. A total of 1,140 replacement parking spaces would be provided under this alternative, as described below:

( 1 ) On the west side a 290-space underground, two-level parking facility would be constructed beneath the south plaza of the Old Executive Office Building and State Place. Access would be by way of 17th Street and State Place, with one portal on State Place and a second on West Executive Avenue. To provide access and to accommodate parking as well as delivery functions, the facility would abut and wrap around the southern and eastern foundations of the Old Executive Office Building, care would be taken not to affect this historic structure.

Motorcades and diplomatic visitors' vehicles would enter President's Park along wide pedestrian paths along what was once E Street or from State Place and 17th Street. To enter the parking facility, they would proceed to the portal on West Executive Avenue. Official visitors could then enter the West Wing aboveground on West Executive Avenue or belowground from the parking facility.

Senior staff and business visitors would enter the White House complex by way of 17th Street and State Place, with a portal to the parking facility on State Place. Staff would enter the West Wing or the Old Executive Office Building belowground from the parking facility.

(2) An additional 850 parking spaces for other staff would either be constructed or leased from parking operators within a 10-minute walk of the White House. (The area being considered extends from 19th Street to 13th Street and up to I Street). If leased, these spaces would be in mixed use parking facilities that operate around-the-clock. Leases would likely be parking permits and not for designated spaces. If a permanent parking facility was built, a staff shuttle could be provided to the White House complex if needed or desired. (The viability of a shuttle would be evaluated once a permanent location had been identified.)

Before long-term parking proposals were finalized, a comprehensive parking management study would be undertaken as described for the proposed plan. During construction, interim parking would be leased nearby.

Deliveries. Deliveries to the White House complex would be made through the westside parking facility. Three or four loading docks would be provided, along with a short pedestrian/service corridor to the White House. Delivery access for trucks would be by way of State Place, and trucks would have to make a 180° turn from the right to enter the east-facing portal.

Staff Circulation

As described for the proposed plan, a new east/west underground corridor for staff and business use would be constructed north of the White House, along with a separate delivery corridor that would connect with the delivery corridor from the New Executive Office Building.

News Media Facilities

Under this alternative two options are considered for media facilities:

( I ) Upgrade the existing two-level media facility in the west colonnade (2,400 square feet) to include a small presidential briefing area. A dedicated entrance for media

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ALTERNATIVE 2

personnel and portable equipment would be provided near the northwest gate on Pennsylvania Avenue.

or

(2) Upgrade media facilities on the first floor of the west colonnade and construct additional facilities beneath West Wing Drive. The same type of facilities would be provided as described for the proposed plan, including a presidential briefing room. Combined facilities would total 10,900 square feet (1,200 square feet in the west colonnade and 9,700 square feet in the new facility). Personnel and small equipment would enter from Pennsylvania Avenue, near the north end of West Executive Avenue. The lower level of the west colonnade would be used as Executive Residence storage.

Visitor Use and Services

Information/Orientation

Extensive interpretive exhibits and interactive monitors would be provided at park entryways. Some locations, probably those on the east side, would be staffed by rangers at peak times. These stations would be designed in such a way as to not appear empty when a ranger was not on duty.

Visitor Center

A 40,000-square-foot White House visitor center (the smallest of any action alternative) would be. built belowground south and west of the Treasury Building. Visitors would enter the center from East Executive Park by means of a ramp near the west steps of the Treasury Building. (Utility work that is now being considered by the Treasury Department and that could occur south of the main Treasury Building would affect the proposed location of the visitor center.)

In addition to basic visitor information, the facility would provide limited educational exhibits and programs, along with four theaters to orient people to the White House tours.

Interpretation/Education

Even though interpretive opportunities in the visitor center would be somewhat limited, numerous interpretive and educational experiences would be available throughout the park, and all significant resources would be highlighted. Outdoor exhibits, interpretive programs, and visitor activities related to the interpretive themes would be provided or sponsored throughout the park.

Educational information about the White House and President's Park would also be available through such commonly used approaches as the Internet.

White House Tours

Visitors would leave the theaters after watching the tour orientation film and take escalators up to the visitor entrance building to begin their tour of the White House. Visitors could pass through security either before taking the escalators up or in the entrance building. The visitor entrance building would be remodeled to accommodate an escalator, an elevator, and a stairway.

Site Amenities

In addition to orientation information at park entrances, visitors would be able to use restrooms, telephones, and other amenities at or near the prominent entryways on the east side

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ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING PROPOSED PLAN

of President's Park. Outdoor gathering places would also be provided.

As described for the proposed plan? no commercial vending would be allowed on the sidewalks or curb lanes adjacent to the study area, and no food concessions or vending activities would be provided. Nearby food service facilities would be encouraged to offer menu items reflective of park themes

Public Recreation

Traditional recreational activities on the Ellipse, such as spontaneous games of softball, would continue.

Special Events

Special events (excluding First Amendment demonstrations) would be similar to current ones, but with less commercialism.

As described for the proposed plan, a permanent events plaza would be developed in the northeast panel of the Ellipse, with unobtrusive infrastructure to provide a performance area. Hidden infrastructure would include electrical connections and structural footings that accommodate modular staging systems Where possible, adjacent pedestrian walkways and the trace of the Ellipse roadway would be used for infrastructure to minimize resource impacts.

Transportation

Access and Circulation

E Street would be tunneled from 15th to 17th Streets, across President's Park (see appendix I). Two eastbound lanes and two westbound lanes would be constructed. Tunnel approaches would be just east of 15th Street (in front of Baldrige Hall) and just west of 17th Street (adjacent to the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the American Red Cross Building).

To accommodate four lanes of traffic flowing into and out of the tunnel, the south side of E Street would be widened between 17th and 18th Streets (similar to alternative 1). Concrete retaining walls, incorporating design elements to soften their appearance, would frame both tunnel approaches. Right turns from westbound E Street to 15th Street could be allowed by providing a dedicated surface lane (see appendix I).

Official traffic accessing the parking garages and the White House complex and emergency vehicles would be the only traffic allowed on the former E Street surface alignment.

Public Parking

As described for the proposed plan, no surface parking for automobiles or tour buses would be allowed within President's Park. Visitor parking would continue to be available in nearby commercial garages and potentially in lots outside the city, with a shuttle service into the Monumental Core area. The Park Service would continue to help implement visitor parking and transit options in cooperation with the National Capital Planning Commission and other interested parties.

Visitor Circulation and Way Finding

As explained for the proposed plan, the National Park Service is evaluating a visitor transportation system that would promote the use of a regional transit system, with access to the Memorial Core and shuttles to nearby attractions, including the White House.

Improvements to nearby Metro stations (Farragut West, McPherson Square, and Federal

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ALTERNATIVE 2

Triangle) would be encouraged to allow visitors and staff to move easily aboveground from these stations to President's Park. Appropriate signs, paving patterns, and streetscape design could be used to guide visitors from Metro stations to the White House area. These elements would be compatible with the Design Guidelines for President's Park.

Tour Bus Management

As described for the proposed plan, the National Park Service would cooperate with the National Capital Planning Commission and the District of Columbia in developing a tour bus management plan for the metropolitan area. This plan would assess offsite staging locations for tour buses.

Like the proposed plan, dropoff and pickup points for passengers on public tours of the White House would be determined at a later time.

Site Management and Operations

President's Park Maintenance

Maintenance space within the immediate area of President's Park would be leased as a satellite equipment and storage base. The central maintenance facility at Hains Point would remain.

As described for the proposed plan and alternative 1, utilities and infrastructure would be replaced and relocated to reduce resource impacts, a landscape management plan would provide guidelines for maintenance operations, and lawn irrigation systems would either be replaced or installed.

Ellipse Steamline

The steamline would be relocated, based on the same criteria as in the proposed plan.

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ALTERNATIVE 3

Alternative 3 would continue to meet the needs of the presidency and visitors; however, management options would be taken to preserve existing cultural resources and landscapes more so than under the other alternatives. Where feasible, operations and support facilities would be smaller, decentralized, and dispersed away from the White House grounds and President's Park. Only those operations that must occur within or near the White House would remain. The use of existing structures would be emphasized, with as little new facility construction as possible.

Comprehensive Design

A historical ambience would be evident throughout President's Park. Architectural and streetscape elements (such as sidewalk paving and benches) would be used so that people would identify this area as a special place. E Street would be removed, helping link the Ellipse with the rest of President's Park. Minimal infrastructure would reduce impacts on the character of the park and grounds.

Elements complementing historic districts adjacent to President's Park would be used in surrounding areas. These elements would be designed and installed in cooperation with the District of Columbia.

Entryways to President's Park would complement the ceremonial landscape and would also repeat historic design elements used in the adjacent neighborhoods and business areas. The entryways would be simple, with landscaping used in place of physical structures.

Meeting space and media facilities would be developed within the north courtyard of the Old Executive Office Building rather than below West Executive Avenue. A parking facility for motorcades, diplomatic and business visitors, and some senior staff would be constructed under Pennsylvania Avenue. Additional parking, as well as delivery facilities, would be provided in existing structures near the site.

East and West Executive Avenues would be redesigned as broad pedestrian streets bordered by trees, recalling the historical street alignment. Pavement, ranging from smooth to rough textures, would create a visually pleasing environment and strengthen the historic right-of-way along Madison Place / East Executive Avenue and Jackson Place / West Executive Avenue (West Executive Avenue would remain closed to the public).

The visitor center in the Commerce Building would be expanded, as described for the proposed plan, and programming would be broadened. Numerous opportunities would be provided for visitors to learn about all significant site resources.

Special events would be moved to alternative sites away from President's Park. E Street and the Ellipse roadways would be replaced with inroad walkways (access would still be allowed for emergency and authorized traffic). The Ellipse side panels would be redesigned to include informal gardens with shaded sitting areas; landscaping and vegetation would provide a more intimate scale.

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Alternative 3

Resource Conservation and Management

As described for the proposed plan, agencies with responsibilities on the site would be encouraged to adopt a consistent stewardship and management approach to protect all cultural and natural resources within President's Park. Elements of this program would include keeping all cultural resource documentation current, and identifying, inventorying, and assessing the condition of historically significant trees and specimen plants.

Cultural Resources

A new fine and decorative arts storage area would be provided within or near the White House. Limited public access to the White House collection would be provided, with the approval of the White House curator.

A comprehensive study of probable archeological resources would be prepared, as described for the proposed plan. Archeological recording and monitoring of any ground disturbances, such as construction, would also be conducted on a project-by-project basis. The archeological resource collection would be available for research and interpretation.

Plant Materials

As described for the proposed plan, a comprehensive landscape management plan would be prepared.

Impacts on plants materials and soils would be monitored, and corrective actions taken as needed. All significant plant material damaged or lost through natural causes or development actions within President's Park would be replaced with specially propagated stock.

Home and Office of the President

Executive Residence

First Family Recreation

The west colonnade would be returned to use by the first family as an indoor multipurpose recreation space.

Support Functions

Approximately 8,000 square feet of general storage for the Executive Residence would be provided in the Office of Thrift Supervision building (one block west of the Old Executive Office Building), with an additional 2,000 square feet under West Executive Avenue.

The grounds maintenance facility would be redesigned within its existing footprint. Utilities would be replaced and relocated.

Executive Office Support Services

Visitor Arrivals

Guests and official visitors would have access to the West Wing from West Executive Avenue by way of State Place or the northside parking facility. Similar to the proposed plan, a visitor arrival area would be provided under West Executive Avenue. There would be no access by way of the former E Street alignment except for motorcades and other limited official uses.

Meeting/Conference Space

Meeting space would be developed in the internal north court of the Old Executive Office Building, provided that such a facility could be developed above- or belowgrade without adversely impacting the building's historical integrity.

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ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING THE PROPOSED PLAN

Access and Parking

Motorcades, Diplomatic and Business Visitors, and Staff. A total of 1,140 replacement parking spaces would be provided.

(1) On the north side? as described for the proposed plan and alternative 1, a 290-space parking facility for motorcades, diplomats, business visitors, and senior staff would be constructed under Pennsylvania Avenue. A pedestrian corridor would connect the facility to the West Wing. Vehicle access would be by way of H Street and the New Executive Office Building (with a vehicle corridor to the garage) and by way of 17th Street and State Place to West Executive Avenue (with a portal at the north end of West Executive Avenue). Motorcade and diplomatic access would continue at surface entrances to the White House.

(2) An additional 200 parking spaces would be provided under one of the following options (traffic constraints would not permit both options to be implemented):

* Expand existing parking on the two lower levels of the Office of Thrift Supervision, and construct belowground pedestrian and service corridors to the Old Executive Office Building. Vehicles would enter from F Street and exit onto G Street.

Or

* Expand the northside parking facility to the west. This addition would be separate from the 290-space garage, and access would be by way of the Office of Thrift Supervision and a new vehicular corridor.

(3) Another 650 parking spaces would be provided for other White House staff by
either leasing or constructing a new facility within a 10-minute walk of the White House complex. A shuttle for White House staff could be provided from a permanent parking facility to the complex if needed or desired.

As this alternative was implemented, interim staff parking spaces would be leased in areas adjacent to the White House and President's Park (from 19th Street to 13th Street and up to I Street). Leased spaces would be in mixed-use parking facilities that operate around the clock. Leases would likely be parking permits and not for designated spaces.

Before undertaking detailed planning for long-term staff parking, various strategies to address parking needs would be evaluated, for example, encouraging the use of alternative modes of transportation, identifying specific parking garage locations, looking in detail at operations and management, determining funding availability, and phasing implementation strategies.

Deliveries. Deliveries on the west side would be made at existing street-level loading docks in the Office of Thrift Supervision, with access from F Street. Materials would be transported through the underground service corridor to the White House complex.

Staff Circulation

A staff circulation corridor for east/west access across the site from the Old Executive Office Building to the Treasury Building would be constructed, as described for the proposed plan.

News Media Facilities

News media facilities would be provided in the north courtyard of the Old Executive

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ALTERNATIVE 3

Office Building in conjunction with the meeting/conference facility. Facilities would accommodate the same functions as described for the proposed plan. Media personnel and small equipment would enter from Pennsylvania Avenue and would have a direct connection to the facility.

Visitor Use and Services

Information/Orientation

Signs and features at pedestrian entryways would orient visitors to President's Park.

Visitor Center

As described for the proposed plan, the existing White House visitor center in the Commerce Building would be expanded to the two lower levels to include a new museum and theaters for orienting visitors taking the public tour of the White House.

Interpretation/Education

As described for the proposed plan, the visitor center would provide a comprehensive educational experience related to all significant resources and interpretive themes of President's Park and the White House. Specialized programs and exhibits would be provided about President's Park and the White House. In contrast to alternative 2, interpretive and educational programs would occur primarily within the visitor center, rather than throughout the site. Outdoor exhibits would be minimal.

White House Tours

Two options are considered for access from the visitor center to the White House.

( 1 ) Construct a spacious, belowground pedestrian corridor with moving walkways to the White House visitor entrance building. The corridor would connect the theaters in the lower levels of the Commerce Building to escalators (or an elevator for the physically impaired) up to the ground level for the start of the tour, similar to the option described for alternative 1. The corridor would be approximately 700' long and take approximately three minutes to traverse. Tour participants could be cleared at the visitor center just before entering the corridor or in the visitor entrance building. The visitor entrance building would be remodeled to accommodate an escalator, an elevator, and a stairway. (To avoid any conflict with potential utility work that is being considered by the Treasury Department and that could occur south of the main Treasury Building, the route of the pedestrian corridor could be changed slightly.)

or

(2) Provide a 15th Street underpass to the Ellipse, with visitors then walking on the surface to the visitor entrance building.

Site Amenities

As described for alternative 1, few amenities would be available for visitors. Benches, water fountains, and trash receptacles would be appropriately placed throughout President's Park.

As described for the proposed plan, no commercial vending would be allowed on the sidewalks or curb lanes adjacent to the study area, and no food concessions or vending activities would be provided. Nearby food service facilities would be encouraged to offer menu items reflective of park themes.

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Public Recreation

As described for alternative 1, active recreational uses would be discouraged by offering programs such as interpretive activities, special events, and concerts.

Special Events

Special events currently held on the Ellipse would be held on alternative sites outside the study area. Only events associated with First Amendment activities would be permitted within President's Park.

Transportation

Access and Circulation

E Street would be permanently closed to public traffic. Emergency and authorized vehicles would continue to have access along pedestrian pathways.

Public Parking

As described for the proposed plan, no surface parking would be provided. Parking would be available in nearby commercial garages and potentially in lots outside the city, with shuttle service to the Monumental Core. Like the proposed plan, the National Park Service, in cooperation with the National Capital Planning Commission and other interested parties, would continue to evaluate and help implement regional visitor parking and transit options.

Visitor Circulation and Way Finding

Shuttles in the Memorial Core area would provide access to nearby attractions, including the White House. Improvements to nearby Metro stations (Farragut West, McPherson Square, and Federal Triangle) would be encouraged. Appropriate signs, paving patterns, and streetscape design elements compatible with the Design Guidelines could be used to guide visitors from the stations to the White House area.

Tour Bus Management

As described for the proposed plan, the National Park Service would cooperate with the National Capital Planning Commission and the District of Columbia in developing a citywide tour bus management plan, with offsite staging for tour buses.

Tour bus dropoff and pickup points for White House public tours would be determined at a later time.

Site Management and Operations

President's Park Maintenance

As described for alternative 2, a nearby satellite maintenance facility would be developed.

As described for the other action alternatives, utilities and infrastructure would be replaced and relocated to reduce resource impacts, a landscape management plan would provide guidelines for maintenance operations, and lawn irrigation systems would either be replaced or installed.

Ellipse Steamline

The steamline would be relocated, based on the same criteria as in the proposed plan.

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MITIGATING MEASURES
INCLUDED IN THE ALTERNATIVES

The following mitigating measures would be applied under all alternatives to reduce construction impacts on cultural resources, vegetation, and soils. Some additional action-specific mitigating measures are also presented in the "Environmental Consequences" section, where they are more relevant to the specific impact that would be mitigated.

Cultural Resources

All proposed construction projects would require a mitigation plan and meetings onsite with contractors before work started. Excavation and construction equipment and supplies would be staged away from the site or handled in such a manner as to eliminate any threat to the integrity of resources in the project area.

Cultural Landscape

Historic roadways and walkways within historic and ceremonial sight lines would not be used to store equipment or supplies. Mitigation plans would specify how to avoid damage to important aspects of the cultural landscape during excavation and construction.

For commemorative plantings and gardens, measures to address accidental tree and plant damage, root conservation, dewatering, and drainage would be taken, including ways to avoid impacts from equipment and supply staging. (See also the discussion on vegetation below.)

Archeological Resources

Surveys, monitoring, and recordation would be conducted to mitigate the disturbance of any archeological resources. Any construction scope of work, particularly for large-scale excavations, would include this requirement, and mitigation plans would be needed before work started. Staging areas for excavation and construction equipment would avoid known archeological sites or areas of high probability.

Historic Resources

A mitigation plan would be required before any excavation or construction within or next to historic structures, districts, memorials, commemorative plantings, or historic roadway patterns and systems to show (1) how resource impacts (including those from truck routes and equipment staging) would be mitigated, and (2) how the integrity of these historic resources (including fences and trees) would be protected.

The fragile historic fabric of adjacent structures would need to be considered before any extensive excavation and construction. Foundation stability, vibration, dewatering of foundations, drainage, and similar issues would be addressed before work began. In areas of intense activity, individual buildings might require fencing, barriers, tarpaulin drape, or other temporary conservation measures.

For memorials, measures to reduce the effect of airborne pollutants, including dust and gases, would be undertaken. In areas of intense activity, individual memorials could require boxing, fencing, wrapping, tarpaulin drape, or similar temporary conservation measures.

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Alternatives, Including the Proposed Plan

Natural Resources

Vegetation

A vegetation survey would be conducted before construction to assess variables for each species, including the time of year and duration of disturbance, percentage of root loss, and health of the plantings.

The National Park Service would provide specifications for tree pruning and removal, general planting and transplanting of trees and shrubs, aeration, fertilization, and mulching, along with a schedule for maintenance and planting activities. A certified arborist would conduct onsite monitoring during the construction period.

Protection efforts during construction would be taken to reduce damage to trees such as the American elms. Equipment and supplies would be staged away from the trees as much as possible. The construction work area would be restricted to the minimum area needed and would avoid all significant vegetation where possible.

Tree preservation areas would be defined by fencing to protect the root area, plus vehicular barricades where needed. (The root protection area is equal to a radius of 1.5' for each inch of the tree's diameter at breast height.) Equipment and materials storage would be prohibited in the root protection area; construction activities would not take place within this area without measures to protect the trunk and roots. Excavations would not be conducted in this area without first root pruning the affected area.

When feasible, significant plantings would be removed and stored in the NPS nursery for future replanting. The pruning and removal of trees would be monitored by a certified arborist. (See the discussion under "Plant Materials" on page 54 for additional mitigating measures.)

Because the interrelationship between soil moisture and vegetation is unknown, soil moisture would be monitored during and after construction. As a result, the capability to water the trees might be necessary if moisture sensors indicated a threatening decline in soil moisture.

Soil Compaction, Erosion Control, and Stormwater Runoff

To avoid soil compaction and related effects on vegetation and drainage, safeguards would include restricting the contractor's work area to the minimum area needed. Protective fencing around the perimeter of root zones and prohibiting the storage of materials and equipment within this zone would reduce soil compaction.

A heavy layer of bark mulch would be applied over planting areas to hold in moisture and help reduce soil compaction. Mulch also would lessen the density of compacted soil as organic matter worked its way into the soil.

For actions outside the White House grounds, the Soil Resources Management Division of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs requires an erosion control and sedimentation plan and a stormwater management plan for any ground-disturbing activities. The plans must be reviewed and approved by the department's engineers.

To minimize adverse effects from stormwater runoff end erosion, construction areas would be delineated and activities limited within reason to these areas. Techniques to slow runoff would also be implemented. Standard mitigation techniques to control erosion and stormwater runoff include revegetation, mulches, mats, netting, erosion control blankets, sand bags, silt fences, straw bales, and riprap. New technological solutions would be applied as they were developed.

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OPTIONS CONSIDERED BUT REJECTED

Each alternative being considered consists of numerous individual actions. Some actions that were previously considered in the alternatives were replaced with actions that would be more compatible with the planning assumptions or program requirements for particular facilities or functions included in the plan. For example, the Treasury Building was initially considered as a potential site for the White House visitor center under alternative 2; however, further evaluation revealed that the structure would be incompatible with the requirements for the visitor center. This refinement process occurred throughout the planning process. Options that were considered and rejected are described below.

Home and Office of the President

Meeting/Conference Space

Treasury Building. The Treasury Building is a national historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. To avoid any adverse effects on the building's interior architectural integrity, only small meeting rooms could be accommodated. Large meeting spaces would not be possible.

Old Executive Office Building. The Old Executive Office Building is a national historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All meeting rooms in this building are already fully used. To avoid any adverse effects on the structure's interior architectural integrity, no additional large meeting rooms could be constructed.

Deliveries

A delivery function was not incorporated into the proposed northside parking facility because of the location of and access to vehicle portals and the inability from a security standpoint to separate parking and delivery functions. The necessity to make daily deliveries along West Executive Avenue would be an inappropriate use for this portion of the White House complex.

Expanding the northside parking garage south towards the Old Executive Office Building was considered, with an entrance to the garage through the OEOB north courtyard. Delivery truck access into the courtyard would be difficult due to the height of the court archway and other infrastructure.

Visitor Use and Services

Visitor Center/Museum

Main Treasury Building. Even though this building would provide adequate square footage and excellent proximity to the White House, on-grade accessibility is very limited, and the interior spaces would not meet the functional area requirements for a visitor center and museum. Also, because the Treasury Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its historical integrity must be protected, which would be difficult if interior spaces were changed to accommodate a visitor center function.

Metropolitan Block. This block (on 15th Street between G and F Streets) includes the National Metropolitan Bank Building, the Riggs/Albee Building, and the former

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Garfinkel's Department Store. These buildings are listed on the D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites and the National Register of Historic Places. The Metropolitan Bank Building and the Riggs/Albee Building are included in the Fifteenth Financial Historic District; the former Garfinkel's Department Store is adjacent to the district on the east. The interior space could be used for some visitor center functions, but the structural systems restrict the size of spaces needed for a visitor center. The location is not appropriate for staging visitor tours. Visitor movement to the White House would require the construction of a passageway below the Treasury Building, which would affect the historical integrity of that structure.

Import/Export Bank (Lafayette Building). This structure is a potential historic building and is listed as part of the Fifteenth Street Financial Historic District. Adaptations to meet visitor use needs would require the removal of interior marble veneer partitions. The overall floor plan is linear, with mid-span column supports, which would prevent spaces from being opened up, thus restricting flow and use options. Although the site would allow for adequate visitor circulation, it would be impossible to separate tenant and visitor uses.

Renwick Gallery. This building, which is a national historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has very limited space and could not be adaptively used as a visitor center. Since the building is northwest of the White House, it is at the end of current White House public tour flows, (visitors enter through the East Wing and exit through the north portico).

Veterans Administration Building. The Veterans Administration Building is located over the McPherson Metro station and is outside the study area. The interior spaces are linear, with long access corridors, which would restrict the creation of large functional areas required for a visitor center. Recent renovation provides space for a new cabinet level agency. This building is listed as part of the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District.

Treasury Annex. This building is listed as part of the Lafayette Square National Historic Landmark District. The lower levels of the Treasury Annex were considered as a potential visitor center only because space is inadequate for a museum function. However, there are too many problems with the existing space to be useful as a visitor center.

White House Tour Access

Aboveground Shuttle. A shuttle was considered as an access option in alternative 3. A continuous flow of shuttles would leave the visitor center in the Commerce Building, with each shuttle carrying 50-70 visitors. The shuttle would travel east on E Street, turn north on 14th Street and west on Pennsylvania Avenue North, continuing west to Hamilton Place and north on East Executive Park to the visitor entrance building for the start of the tours. This option was rejected because of the potential impacts to East Executive Park, to local traffic flows, and to site security. Tour groups have to arrive consistently at the visitor entrance building so that all public tour groups can be accommodated during tour hours. However, shuttles could be repeatedly delayed by traffic and by security procedures on Hamilton Place. Also, the addition of shuttles to East Executive Park would be disruptive to pedestrian uses. Additional security personnel and measures might be required.

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OPTIONS CONSIDERED BUT REJECTED

Transportation

Site Circulation and Streets

Pennsylvania Avenue

Two options for Pennsylvania Avenue that had been considered-depressing or narrowing the street-were rejected when the restrictions on public vehicular traffic were put in place. A third option, tunneling, had been previously rejected because of construction, operational, and aesthetic issues. Developing a parking garage below Pennsylvania Avenue was not considered until after the Pennsylvania Avenue public traffic restrictions were implemented.

Pennsylvania Avenue Pedestrian Underpasses

Before public traffic restrictions were imposed on Pennsylvania Avenue, underpasses were proposed from Jackson Place to West Executive Avenue and from Madison Place to East Executive Park for pedestrian safety reasons. These underpasses became unnecessary with the restriction of public traffic on Pennsylvania Avenue.

E Street Depression

Lowering or depressing E Street below the existing grade level was considered as an option to a tunnel. However, the continued intrusion of cars through the site, the probable amplification of traffic noise in the depression, and the challenge of designing safe, aesthetically pleasing pedestrian crossings were reasons this option was rejected. Because tunneling addressed these issues, it was preferred to a lowered roadway.

E Street Pedestrian Overpass

This alternative involved providing one or more pedestrian bridges over E Street. The bridges would have to be handicap accessible, meaning they would have to be accessible by means of a ramp or an elevator. The option was eliminated because the size of the bridge, if accessible, would be excessive and out of scale with the rest of President's Park. An accessible ramp to serve a bridge with a 15' traffic clearance height would be over 200' long. Such a bridge would be visually intrusive to regular pedestrians and site visitors. Although an elevator would take up less area, it would appear to be larger because it would need to be enclosed.

E Street Traffic Flows

Alternative traffic scenarios for two general traffic lanes on E Street were evaluated to determine their potential effects on surrounding traffic patterns. The following scenarios were rejected because they would create additional traffic problems on adjacent streets.

Two Lanes, one-way Traffic: Eastbound Morning / Westbound Afternoon. Changing the direction of traffic on E Street from one way eastbound in the morning to one-way westbound in the afternoon would result in a loss of needed eastbound capacity during the afternoon rush hour. Under this scenario usual eastbound afternoon traffic on E Street would be displaced to Constitution Avenue and H. K, and L Streets; however, H. K, and L already operate either at or over capacity (LOS E and F), making a poor situation worse. Afternoon westbound traffic on E Street would relieve some traffic on westbound K and M Streets; however, these two streets operate under capacity westbound in the afternoon. Traffic on I Street (LOS F during both morning and afternoon rush

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ALTERNATIVES . A INCLUDING THE PROPOSED PLAN

hours) would be somewhat relieved, but would likely continue to operate at or over capacity.

Two Lanes, Two-Way Traffic (One Lane Each Direction). Providing one eastbound lane and one westbound lane on E Street would negatively affect levels of service on eastbound H. K, and L Streets (LOS E and F), further diminishing levels of service on these streets, which are either at or over capacity. Constitution Avenue would remain relatively unaffected (LOS C).

Westbound streets would experience minor improvements. K and M Streets are currently operating under capacity. Adding one westbound lane to E Street would not be enough to improve the level of service on I Street (which operates at LOS F during the morning and afternoon rush hours). During the afternoon rush hour, E Street eastbound would continue to operate over capacity. Based on traffic flows before the Pennsylvania Avenue restrictions, the demand to use E Street would exceed the capacity provided by one lane in each direction.

Parking

A Privately Financed Parking Garage. Three scenarios for constructing a privately financed parking garage under the Ellipse were examined: an 883-space garage for White House staff only and two staff/public garages (1,521 spaces and 2,046 spaces). A cash flow analysis conducted by the General Services Administration (based on NPS construction costs) indicated that all three alternatives would return a negative net value and a rate of return inadequate to attract private investors. In other words, under normal circumstances, a private sector developer or financial institution would not commit capital to develop any of the three proposed scenarios.

The restraint on profitability is the high unit cost to construct the garage because of its location and environmental factors such as groundwater. Any appreciable reduction in construction cost would increase the rate of return and improve the net present value of the investment.

The smallest garage (883 parking spaces) would commit the least amount of capital to a below-market investment. This option is considered under the proposed plan and alternative 1, although the source of financing has not been specified; the other two larger garages have been rejected as noted below:

(1) Both scenarios would return a negative present value and a negative rate of return.

(2) Additional traffic congestion would most likely occur on 15th and 17th Streets because of portals into the parking garage.

(3) Large mature vegetation could be lost during construction as a result of dewatering and the extent of construction.

(4) White House tour visitors and commuters would arrive at President's Park at approximately the same time during the workweek. However, no provisions would be in place that would prevent commuters from using the garage rather than visitors.

(5) Providing a large public parking garage would not be compatible with long range plans of the National Capital Planning Commission and the District of Columbia to encourage private vehicles to park on the perimeter of the city and use shuttles in the downtown area.

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Comprehensive Design Plan Continued