Socioeconomic Environment

The region of socioeconomic influence is the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. For statistical purposes the metropolitan area is defined as the Washington, D.C. / Maryland / Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). In addition to the District of Columbia, this area includes Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's Counties in Maryland; and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford Counties in Virginia. The incorporated cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park are located within the Virginia portion of the area; and the cities of College Park, Takoma Park, Greenbelt, and Bowie are within the Maryland portion.

Some labor force data are not available for the metropolitan statistical area and are reported for the larger primary metropolitan statistical area instead. In addition to the metropolitan statistical area, this area includes portions of West Virginia. Primary data sources for regional data were the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the D.C. Department of Employment Services and Office of Planning, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The District of Columbia is divided into eight wards. The White House and President's Park are included in Ward 2, which is comprised of all of southwest Washington and that portion of northwest Washington generally south of Whitehaven Parkway and Florida Avenue. Within Ward 2 the study area is described as a subarea, based on an analysis of a building and property database obtained from the D.C. Office of Planning. Data for Ward 2 are provided where available. Because the study area contains portions of seven census tracts, information for individual census tracts was determined to be of limited value.

Trends and Forecasts

Employment

Total wage and salary employment in the Washington MSA grew from 1,637,100 in 1980 to 2,409,000 in 1995, an average annual increase of approximately 51,500 jobs per year (average growth rate of 2.6% per year). A substantial portion of this growth took place between 1980 and 1990. Since 1990 regional job growth has slowed substantially to 13,100 jobs per year (or 0.6% annual growth), with only the services sector accounting for significant job growth. By contrast, the government, construction, manufacturing, and finance/insurance/real estate sectors have recorded net job losses.

According to the D.C. Department of Employment Services, the reductions in employment have been felt disproportionately within the District of Columbia. Since 1990, the District has experienced a loss of 42,700 jobs, or 8,540 jobs per year. The greatest reductions have been in the government sector because (1) federal jobs have moved from the District to the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, and (2) government downsizing. Only the services sector, which includes a range of business types (such as professional services and consultants, health care associations, and the hospitality industry), recorded net job gains over the last five years. It is now the largest employment sector in the District of Columbia, capturing 41.1% of total employment in contrast to the government sector, which supports 39.5%. Other sectors individually capture less than 10% of total employment.

Growth in unemployment within the District has been more severe than at the regional

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level. In the District unemployment increased from 6.6% to 8.9% between 1990 and 1995.

According to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, employment within the Washington MSA is forecast to grow at a slowing pace (employment in these forecasts is broader than the historical data and includes military, self-employed, and mining). The region is expected to sustain an average growth rate of 1.4% in the 2000-10 period and 1.0% until 2020. The District will still be the slowest growing portion of the region, but the recent loss in jobs should reverse, with jobs growing at a 0.5% rate in the 2000-10 period and to 0.6% in the following decade. Given the overall slowdown in the region, these forecasts imply the District will begin capturing between 9.4% and 13.8% of the regional job growth in the 20-year time period, assuming a change in the current movement of jobs to the suburbs.

Population

U.S. Bureau of the Census figures indicate that in 1995 the population of the District of Columbia was 554,300, down from 638,333 in 1980. This reflects an annual change in population of-0.5% between 1980 and 1990, and -1.2% percent between 1990 and 1995. Losses are largely due to declining household sizes and net job growth in suburban counties.

The population of Ward 2 was relatively stable between 1980 and 1990, with a total increase of 1,965 persons. Current ward population estimates are not available, but given the low levels of new housing construction, estimates are expected to be similar to 1990 figures.

Forecasts by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments indicate the District of Columbia will have a 0.6% annual growth rate in population from 1995 to 2020, showing positive growth for the period as compared to the negative annual growth from 1980 to 1995. The District of Columbia population loss is expected to bottom out in 2000 at 536,800 and to increase to 636,400 by 2020.

Socioeconomic Characteristics

According to 1990 census data, the largest portion of the 1990 population for the District of Columbia consists of people 25 to 44 years of age' accounting for 35.7% of the total population. The working age population (20 to 64) accounts for 64.1 % of the total. Ward 2 has a similar age distribution, with 71.6% of the population in the 20-64 age group.

Average per capita income in the District was $ 18,881 in 1989; average household income was $44,413. Ward 2 per capita income was $21,416 and average household income $49,647. Per capita income has risen faster in the District than in the metropolitan statistical area over the last four years (a 24.5% increase), possibly reflecting the number of single professionals remaining in the District compared to the number of families with children moving to the suburbs.

In 1990 African-Americans comprised 65.9% of the District population, and whites 29.6%. Ethnic distributions vary within Ward 2, with whites accounting for 56.1 %, African Americans 35.9%, and Hispanic 7.2%.

The characteristics of the housing stock are dramatically different in the District of Columbia and Ward 2 than they are in the Washington MSA, with multifamily units accounting for 60.9% of all units in the District and 78.2% of all units in Ward 2, compared to just 36% for the metropolitan statistical area. Rental units represent 60.5% of all units within Ward 2. Single-family units comprise only 19.7% of housing within the ward, compared to 62.6% in the metropolitan area.

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The Affected Environment

D.C. Revenues

Even though the District remains the hub of the Washington metropolitan region and a prime tourist attraction, recent federal workforce reductions, coupled with private retail and service sector job losses, have affected D.C. revenues. Total general fund revenues are flat at approximately $4.3 billion, while expenses arc rising. Projected revenues for FY 1996 by source area are shown in table 14.

Property taxes represented 15.4% of general fund revenues in FY 1995, the largest revenue source. Real property is assessed at 100% of estimated market value. The second largest source of tax revenues was individual income taxes and business franchise taxes, with 19% of FY 1995 revenues or $804 million. Sales and use taxes were the third highest source, comprising 11.4% of general fund revenues in FY 1995. The District levies a 5.75% rate and exempts groceries and drugs. Alcohol is taxed at 8%, restaurants 10%, and parking 12%.

Payments from the federal government are the largest overall source of revenue and are fixed at $660 million per year.

There are approximately 2,000 vendor business licenses within Washington, D.C. Most of these licenses apply to mobile and sidewalk vendor locations. According to the D.C. Department of Regulatory Affairs, there are 76 roadway spaces; each space has one licensed vendor. These spaces are all located in the vicinity of the White House and Monumental Core on 15th Street, 17th Street, Independence Avenue, and Constitution Avenue. Each year food vendors pay a license fee of $130 and merchandise vendors a license fee of $106. Each vendor license holder also pays a flat sales tax fee of $1,500 per year.

According to the Department of Regulatory Affairs, these 76 spaces are the most desirable vendor locations, generating from $2,000 to $5,000 per day in business revenues from April through September; even during the off season revenues are still high compared to other vendor locations. Because of their desirability, these spaces are allocated through a monthly lottery. Typically as many as 1,200 people apply for the 76 available licenses.

TABLE 14:
TOTAL D.C. GENERAL FUND REVENUES,
FY 1995 and 1996
(In Thousands of Dollars)

Revenues

FY 1995
Actual

FY 1996
Projected
Real Property Taxes 654,300 640,100
Individual Income Taxes 643,700 658,100
Business Franchise Taxes 160,700 152,700
Sales Taxes 485,650 506,650
Gross Receipts Taxes 210,900 237,450
Other Taxes 61,300 140,700
Subtotal 2,216,550 2,335,700
Local Nontax Revenue 204,000 173,800
Federal Payments 660,000 660,000
Grants 855,305 822,600
Other Financing Sources 314,145 304,350
Subtotal 2,033,450 1,960,750
Total Revenues* 4,250,000 4,296,450
SOURCE: DC FY 1997 Budget and Finance Plan.
* FY 95 total revenues were estimated from the General Fund Revenue Table

 

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Socioeconomic Environment

Land Use

Land uses and the local economy are described for the area extending Constitution Avenue north to I Street, and from 14th Street west to 18th Street. For issues related to leased parking spaces, the area of influence extends beyond the study area to include parking garages within a 10-minute walk of the White House.

President's Park consists of some 3.8 million square feet or about 57% of the study area (see table 15). Surrounding land uses are predominantly government and government-related offices.. Office space totals 14,406,071 square feet (94.4% of the total building area, excluding President's Park properties). According to the D.C. Department of Planning about 43,600 employees work in this area.

The study area includes street-level commercial uses and upper floor offices on G. H. and I Streets and Pennsylvania Avenue between 17th and 18th and on F. G. and I Streets between 14th and 15th. Three financial institutions flank the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Street (cultural institutions, such as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Daughters of the American Revolution Memorial Continental Hall, are also within this area. Except for the White House, there are no residential land uses in this area. To the north of President's Park is a primary business district, centered on K Street and Connecticut Avenue. To the west are more government offices (including the Department of Interior, General Services Administration, World Bank) and George Washington University. To the east are government offices and private development. To the south is the National Mall.

TABLE 15:
PROJECT AREA LAND AND IMPROVEMENTS
BY LAND USE CLASSIFICATION
LAND USE PARCELS LOT SIZE
(SO FT)		 GROSS
BUILDING AREA		 ASSESSED
LAND VALUE		 ASSESSED
IMPROVEMENT
VALUE
Commercial - Non-retail
Office 96 2,534,629 14,406,071 $1,705,509,673 $929,817,333
Banks and Financial 2 10,419 36,352 5,745,506 1,694,425
Lodging 2 34,369 316,876 19,587,937 10,584,413
Subtotal 100 2,579,417 14,759,299 $1,730,509,673 $942,096,171
Commercial-Retail
Retail Store 3 36,226 292,802 $29,066,292 1,615,282
Theaters and Entertainment 1 3,852 11,460 589,356 506,268
Private Club 1 12,229 81,695 6,677,526 4,510,400
Restaurant 2 5,206 12,756 3,387,060 179,460
Store/Restaurant 1 3,094 10,950 569,296 1,670,226
Subtotal 8 60,607 409,663 $40,289,530 $8,482,036
Miscellaneous
Parking Garage/Lot 2 13,789 0.00 $2,921,910 $2,371
Museum, Library, Gallery 3 99,868 63,218 44,179,580 3,104,462
Religious 1 15,975 23,148 1,581,525 3,087,700
Subtotal 6 129,632 86,366 $48,683,015 $6,194,533
President's Park 5 3,834,422 NA NA NA
Vacant 4 66,687 5,085 37,578,447 0
Project Area Total 123 6,670,765 15,260,413 $1,857,060,665 $956,772,740
SOURCE: D.C. Department of Planning, Property Database.

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THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

Based on assessed valuations, the study area has a trial laNd value of $1.85 billion and building improvements are estimated at nearly $1 billion, excluding President's Park. Land and building values are relatively consistent throughout the area.

Zoning within the project area is largely consistent with the developed land uses (see the Project Area Zoning map). The area zoned commercial and special purpose comprises 73% of the project area compared to 27% zoned government (see table 16). Commercial zoning classifications allow for a mixture of office, retail, service, and institutional uses, while land zoned special purpose allows for office, service, and institutional uses but not generally retail.

TABLE 16:
Project Area Land and Improvements
by Zoning Classification
.

Parcels

Building Area

Land Area
Zoning Category No. Percentage Sq Ft. Percentage Sq Ft. Percentage
Commercial-3C 2 1.6 323,226 2.1 47,434 0.7
Commercial-4 66 53.2 7,568,091 49.6 837,170 12.6
Commercial-5 1 0.8 210,935 1.4 21,490 0.3
Special Purpose-2 15 12.1 2,155,343 14.1 691,219 10.4
Government 34 27.4 2,928,527 19.2 4,847,409 72.7
Downtown Development
District / Commercial		 6 4.8 2,074,291 13.6 226,043 3.4
Project Area Total 124 100.0 15,260,413 100.0 6,670,765 100.0
Source: D.C. Department of Planning, Property Database.

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SITE MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS

Jurisdiction and Security

The White House and President's Park are administered by the executive branch of government under several special subjurisdictions. The president's home is in the historic White House (the portion of the building constructed from 1792 to 1800). This part of the structure is administered by the Executive Residence at the White House, an agency headed by the chief usher. The president's offices in the West Wing, as well as staff of flees in both the East and West Wings, are maintained by the General Services Administration for the Executive Office of the President

The National Park Service is responsible for historic preservation, major maintenance, and construction in the historic portion of the White House. The Park Service is also responsible for maintaining the exterior of the entire White House, including the East and West Wings, although some work on the wings is done by agreement with the General Services Administration. The Park Service is also responsible for the gardens and grounds of the White House.

The Department of Defense manages some facilities and functions in support of the president's role as commander-in-chief. In addition, the U.S. Secret Service manages some facilities and functions in support of their security responsibilities.

The museum function of the White House was established by legislation in 1961, and the Office of the Curator and the Committee for the Preservation of the White House were established in 1964. Section 107 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 specifically exempts the White House and its grounds from compliance with the act and its provisions. The White House Curator's Office, the National Park Service, and the Smithsonian Institution cooperate in the curation and storage of the White House museum collection. The American Association of Museums accredited the White House museum program in 1989. In all cases, however, primary emphasis is given to the status of the house and its contents as the residence of the president.

Lafayette Park and the Ellipse are managed by the National Park Service. The grounds of the White House and the Treasury Building are managed by the respective executive agencies, in conjunction with special maintenance arrangements with the Park Service; the grounds at the Old Executive Office Building are maintained by the General Services Administration. The buildings are managed by the executive departments, with some assistance from other agencies, such as the General Services Administration (the Old Executive Office Building and the East and West Wings of the White House) and the National Park Service (the Executive Residence and structures on the grounds).

Various other agencies and organizations have responsibilities within President's Park. The Commission of Fine Arts, established in ~ 9 ~ 0, reviews and makes recommendations for new architectural and artistic additions. The National Capital Memorial Commission (1986) recommends the placement of memorials. The White House Historical Association (1961) sponsors various projects connected with the site. The Committee for the Preservation of the White House (1964) oversees preservation of the "museum character of the principal corridor on the ground floor and

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Site Management and Operations

the principal public rooms on the first floor of the White House." Additionally, private groups, like the Lafayette Square Historic Association, monitor public interests in the district and individual sites. Historic associations for the Old Executive Office Building and the Treasury Building have been established to commemorate and preserve the history of each building, and each association provides tours (by reservation only) for its particular building. (Tours of the Treasury Building are staffed by Treasury employees, who volunteer their time.) The National Capital Planning Commission (started in 1926) reviews and approves projects that directly affect the property and its continuing evolution. The Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation (1962-96) implemented the renewal of Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House, including Sherman Park and the eastern side of the U.S. Treasury Building.

Personal security for the president and his family is the responsibility of the U.S. Secret Service, which also has responsibility for the police protection of the White House and its contents. The United States Park Police provide general law enforcement in the areas of President's Park outside the White House complex. Law enforcement on most perimeter streets is by the Metropolitan Police Force of the District of Columbia.

The District of Columbia supervises matters of maintenance, traffic, and management, but fee-simple title to the right-of-way and jurisdiction ultimately remain with the U.S. government. Interior streets, such as E Street and State and Madison Places, are administered by the National Park Service.

Maintenance Operations

President's Park

Maintenance requirements for President's Park and the White House visitor center include storage space for equipment, supplies, and bulk materials; space for support services such as carpentry, electrical, and plumbing services; and storage for nursery materials for landscaping. These operations are all located away from President's Park in individual satellite facilities, making the transportation of staff end materials a daily logistical problem. These services were dispersed to satellite facilities in response to needs that were identified at particular times. However, travel times to move people and equipment from outlying bases to President's Park have increased substantially because of traffic congestion. As a result, one-way trips can take up to 2/ hours during special events like the Fourth of July celebration, seriously reducing the efficiency of operations

Offices for management and administrative staff for the White House visitor center and President's Park are housed in the visitor center in the Commerce Building. The existing operational functions include interpretation and tour staging operations, as well as maintenance of the visitor center. Daily maintenance operations for President's Park (mowing, trash removal, and cleanup after White House tours) and setting up for special events and demonstrations are handled out of Hains Point, the location of regional NPS facilities about 1.5 miles away.

Operational needs for demonstrations and special events can vary, but they are generally quite intensive and generally occur within a short time period. For example, preparation for the egg roll requires approximately three to five days setup time on the Ellipse and White House grounds and two days for site

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THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

restoration afterwards. For permitted special events, NPS staff provide a number of services, including grass cutting, sanitation, and water. The special event sponsor is responsible for specific costs, such as staff overtime, trash bags, water bubblers, generators, and stages (beyond base daily costs). If the National Park Service cosponsors an event, then it funds all services. Table 7 lists events and demonstrations, and their duration.

Turf maintenance is a continuing problem on the Ellipse, an area 850' by 1,000' - the largest open space in President's Park. Heat from a federally owned steamline running east to west under the middle of the Ellipse (from 17th and C Streets to 15th Street) interferes with grass and promotes weeds and bacteria growth. The dead, brown turf is very apparent on the Ellipse and from popular visitor locations, such as the Washington Monument. Disturbance and compaction from major special events and daily foot traffic and the lack of a sprinkler system also contribute to the unkempt appearance of the Ellipse throughout the year. The Park Service annually aerates, seeds, and sods areas but is not able to maintain the Ellipse to as high a quality as the White House grounds because of the amount of use and limited operational funding.

White House

The National Park Service is responsible for maintenance operations on the White House grounds, as well as for West Executive Avenue and East Executive Park. Operations are staged from a maintenance facility on the south grounds, where equipment and materials are stored. Maintenance operations for the White House grounds are independent of operations for President's Park.

Additional NPS facilities serving the White House are scattered throughout the metropolitan area. The functions provided by these facilities include a greenhouse, plant nursery' museum storage, and general storage. Because facilities are several miles from President's Park, additional expense and coordination are required to meet tight delivery schedules.

Utilities

There are numerous utilities of various types and sizes within the President's Park study area. Underground facilities include water, storm, sanitary, steam, gas, electricity, telephone, and telegraph lines. These facilities are concentrated generally in public street rights--of-way, although several utilities also cross President's Park. The Utilities map shows the most significant utilities, in terms of size and potential conflicts, although it does not show all electric, gas, telephone, and telegraph facilities within the area.

Steamline

Two 18" steamlines and one 10" condensate line cross the center of the Ellipse from east to west. The lines are buried directly in the soil, with no encasing tunnel. Estimates of the depth of the lines vary between 3' and 6' (pers. comm., Harry Washington, GSA, Washington, D.C., and Fran Woods, Summer Consultants, Virginia). The lines carry steam at 250 pounds per square inch and at a temperature of approximately 400°F. The exact date of installation is unavailable; however, most steamlines in the District were installed in the early 1 970s.

The Ellipse steamlines are integral to the steam system that serves federal facilities in the Washington, D.C., area. These two particular lines connect two plants (known as the central plant, serving the eastern portion of the city, and the west plant) and associated

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Site Management and Operations

distribution systems. The west plant is not sufficient in size to handle all building loads west of the Ellipse; therefore, this cross connection is used throughout the year, including summer, when maintenance outages at either plant require the cross connection to stay active for approximately one month.

NPS records for President's Park indicate that in the past pedestrians on the Ellipse have been injured by steam escaping from the lines; repairs have remedied known problems. An even greater concern is the structural stability of the line. The life expectancy of direct buried steamlines is approximately 15-20 years (pets. comm., Fran Woods, Summer Consultants); thus, many of the lines are at the end of their life span. A failure, such as a large rupture, of the Ellipse steamline could cause a large crater in the Ellipse and possible fatalities if the break occurred when people were in the area. Also, homeless people regularly sleep on the steam grates.

Sewers

The study area is served by two trunk combined sanitary and stormwater sewers:

(l) North of E Street is the Easby Point line, which extends under 15th Street from New York Avenue to E Street and crosses the Ellipse in a southwest direction to l 7th and D Streets. Stormwater from the Easby Point line enters the Potomac River north of the Lincoln Memorial. Sewage in the trunk line is separate`] from slormwater by a regulator at 22nd and Constitution Avenue and diverted into the B Street/New Jersey Avenue line. A pumping station at 2nd and N Street SE pumps the flow from this line to the Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant l mile north of I-95 on 1-295

(2) South of E Street is the B Street/New Jersey Avenue trunk sewer. Near the study area this line extends to the east under Constitution Avenue between 23rd Street and 10th Street. Stormwater from this line eventually flows into the Anacostia River.

The combined stormwater/sewer system in the study area has the capacity to handle normal flows. However, when excessive runoff enters the system during periods of above-average precipitation, the excess runoff may flow directly into local streams, particularly the Anacostia River. This excess is composed of untreated sewage mixed with stormwater. Untreated wastewater typically contains organic matter, pathogenic bacteria, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants that affect water quality. Flooding or sewer overflows sometimes occur near Constitution Avenue and l 4th, l 5th, and l 7th Streets during periods of above average precipitation (pers. comm., Eb Strealy, Water and Sewer Utility Administration, 1996). Storm sewer backups also flood wheelchair ramps, as well as vehicular access and parking within President's Park.

Several steps have been taken to control combined sewer overflows over the years The pumping capacity was increased in the sewage system, and sanitary waste lines were separated from stormwater lines where feasible. The District of Columbia also completed a swirl concentrator facility near the stadium to remove solids from the largest of the combined sewers and disinfect the flow discharged to the river. The effectiveness of the facility and other controls are being monitored, and some reductions in levels of suspended solids and bacteria have occurred (MWCOG l 993).

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Comprehensive Design Plan Continued