Executive Director s Recommendation Commission Meeting: March 5, 2015

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1 Executive Director s Recommendation Commission Meeting: March 5, 2015 PROJECT Curseen-Morris Processing and Distribution Center Parking Lot 900 Brentwood Avenue NE Washington, DC SUBMITTED BY United States Postal Service REVIEW AUTHORITY Federal Project in the District 40 U.S.C. 8722(b)(1) NCPC FILE NUMBER 7643 NCPC MAP FILE NUMBER 52.00(38.00)44102 APPLICANT S REQUEST Preliminary and final approval of site development plans PROPOSED ACTION Approve as requested ACTION ITEM TYPE Consent Calendar PROJECT SUMMARY The United States Postal Service (USPS) proposes to reconfigure the existing employee south parking area to accommodate both employee and postal vehicles at the Curseen-Morris Processing and Distribution Center in Northeast Washington, DC. The south parking area currently accommodates 1219 employee vehicles; reconfiguration of the parking area will result in a total of 1088 parking spaces, with 197 assigned to postal vehicles in a secure area, and 891 assigned for employee parking. KEY INFORMATION The Curseen-Morris Processing and Distribution Center, at 680,000 square feet on acres, is a major mail distribution center for the region. Reconfiguration of the existing parking area allows the USPS to move an existing carrier operation from a nearby highcost leased facility into this USPS-owned facility. RECOMMENDATION The Commission: Approves the preliminary and final site development plans for the Curseen-Morris Processing and Distribution Center Parking Lot in Washington, DC.

2 Executive Director s Recommendation Page 2 PROJECT REVIEW TIMELINE Previous actions None. Remaining actions (anticipated) None. Prepared by J. Hinkle February 26, 2015

3 Executive Director s Recommendation Page 3 I. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Site / Background / Proposal The United States Postal Service (USPS) has requested preliminary and final approval of site development plans for a project to reconfigure an existing employee parking area to accommodate both employee and postal vehicles at the Curseen-Morris Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) in Northeast Washington, DC. The P&DC is a 680,000-square-foot USPS-owned facility located on a acre site. The site is bound by Brentwood Road to the east and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Metrorail and other rail tracks on the south and west. The Rhode Island Plaza low-rise commercial shopping center borders the site on the northeast. The Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metro station and new medium-density apartments are to the north of the site. While the facility maintains a public postal service center on the east side of the site with access from Brentwood Road, the facility is a major mail distribution center within the region. Figure 1: Project location within Northeast Washington

4 Executive Director s Recommendation Page 4 Figure 2:South parking area, the project site Apart from the P&DC structure, the majority of the site is developed with parking for both employees and postal vehicles, with a surplus of employee parking spaces for the current number of employees at the facility. There is a 9.3 acre employee parking lot on the south end of the building providing 1219 employee parking spaces. At the front entrance to the retail portion of the facility, there are 52 customer parking spaces and an additional 69 employee parking spaces. At the north end of the facility, there is a 7.8 acre parking lot for postal vehicles, including trucks and carriers, where carrier and truck loading and unloading currently occurs. As part of an USPS consolidation/optimization program, the USPS proposes to consolidate an existing carrier operation from a nearby high-cost leased facility into this USPS-owned branch. Due to new efficiencies in mail processing and sorting equipment, over time the amount of floor space required for these operations has decreased, freeing up floor area within the Curseen-Morris facility for additional carriers and allowing for the consolidation of facilities. Following the proposed consolidation, the USPS projects assigned employment at the facility to rise by 151, from 992 employees to However, even with the projected rise in employment, with nearby access to public transportation, including Metro bus stops and the Metro rail station, the total existing 1219 employee parking spaces at the south parking lot are no longer required. As

5 Executive Director s Recommendation Page 5 such, the USPS proposes to reorganize the south parking area to accommodate both postal vehicles and employee parking. The proposed parking layout will incorporate a secure fenced area for 197 postal carrier vehicles with three separate entrances to the secured area from within the existing employee parking lot. New pedestrian ramps from the processing and distribution center building to the secure parking area will allow for vehicle loading and unloading. Placement of the secured parking area will require the relocation of handicap parking spaces and a number of employee parking spaces to elsewhere in the south parking lot. Currently, the lower end of the south parking lot is unused due to the decline in the number of employees required at this facility, and as such the proposed layout will fully utilize that portion of the parking lot for employee parking. With the reorganized parking layout, the total number of parking spots in the south parking lot will be reduced by 131 spaces. The majority of the existing asphalt parking areas and associated concrete sidewalks, curbs and driveways are in good condition and most of the existing materials will remain in place in the reorganization of the parking lot. To accommodate the reconfigured parking area minor internal island areas with landscaping and 16 existing trees will be removed and replaced at a one-to-one ratio with new landscaped islands and trees. Construction is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2015 with a completion in the fall of The project is estimated to cost approximately $1,352,000. Figure 3: Existing condition of the area of the proposed reconfigured parking, with the parking islands to be removed identified

6 Executive Director s Recommendation Page 6 Figure 4: Site plan of the reconfigured parking area, with the new parking islands and landscaping highlighted II. PROJECT ANALYSIS/CONFORMANCE The project will reconfigure an existing employee parking area to accommodate both postal vehicles and employee parking. The postal vehicles will be within a new secured area designed to allow for loading and unloading of the currier vehicles. Much of the existing paving, curbs, sidewalks, and driveways will remain. Minimal site disturbance will occur; this disturbance will involve the reconfiguration of the parking lot islands, removal of existing trees and the planting of new trees at a one-to-one ratio, the placement of a new security fence, and new pedestrian ramps from the postal building to the secure postal vehicle parking area. The Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital (Comprehensive Plan) provides goals and policies that guide the Commission in evaluating and acting on plans and projects in the National Capital Region. The proposed project is generally consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and in particular, the consolidation of postal operations is consistent with the policy in the Federal Workplace Element that encourages the federal government to utilize available federally owned land or space before leasing land or building space, and to monitor utilization rates of land and

7 Executive Director s Recommendation Page 7 building space to ensure their efficient use. While the site will remain above the Comprehensive Plan s recommended ratio of 0.25 employee parking spaces per every employee for federal facilities within the historic boundaries of the District of Columbia, the project does reduce available employee parking in the south parking area by 328 spaces (131 existing parking spaces will be eliminated, another 197 will be newly designated for postal vehicle use). Combined with a projected increase in assigned employment at the facility by 151 (from 992 to 1143), the parking ratio will move closer to NCPC s recommended ratio for employee parking (the current ratio is 1.30 parking spaces per employee, or 1288 spaces for 992 employees); post reconfiguration of the south parking area the ratio will become 0.84 parking spaces per employee, or 960 spaces for 1143 employees). The USPS should continue to strive to meet the NCPC recommended ratio of 0.25 employee parking spaces per every employee as future projects at the facility are proposed. Parking Spaces per Employees Existing Employee Parking South area 1219 East area 69 Total 1288 Existing employees: 992 Spaces per employee: 1.30 Proposed Employee Parking South area 891* East area 69 Total 960 Projected employees: 1143 Spaces per employee: 0.84 * Reduced by 328; 131 parking spaces are eliminated, 197 parking spaces are designated for USPS currier vehicles While the consolidation of postal operations at the facility will increase the number of postal vehicles using the site, the increase is not expected to negatively impact area traffic as the site continues to operate with less employees and less employee traffic than it was initially designed to accommodate. As the proposed reconfiguration of the south parking area does not modify the use of the site as a postal facility and supports the Comprehensive Plan s policy to consolidate federal facilities where efficiencies can be gained, involves minimal modifications to existing conditions, and improves upon the facility s employee parking ratio, NCPC staff recommends that the Commission approve the preliminary and final site development plans for the Curseen-Morris Processing and Distribution Center Parking Lot.

8 Executive Director s Recommendation Page 8 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) In conformance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the USPS has determined that this proposed project qualifies for a Categorical Exclusion under section (e)(11) of 39 CFR Section (e)(11) allows a Categorical Exclusion for the Expansion or improvement of an existing facility where the expansion is within the boundaries of the site or occurs in a previously developed area unless the proposed action is listed as requiring an EA in NCPC has its own review requirements under NEPA and has determined that the proposed project qualifies for a Categorical Exclusion C.21. under Section 8 of its Environmental and Historic Preservation Policies and Procedures. C.21. applies to the Review and approval of acquisition of occupiable space by lease acquisition, construction, or expansion, or improvement of an existing facility where all of the following conditions are met: (a) The structure and proposed use are in compliance with local planning and zoning and any applicable District of Columbia, state, or federal requirements; (b) The proposed use will not substantially increase the number of motor vehicles at the facility; (c) The site and the scale of construction are consistent with those of existing adjacent or nearby buildings; and (d) There is no evidence of community controversy or other environmental issues. National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) In conformance with the National Historic Preservation Act, the USPS determined that the project would have no adverse effect on historic properties including archaeological resources included in, or eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic Places. A cemetery was located to the north of the subject property, but there are no indications that the cemetery extended to the location of the parking lot. The District of Columbia State Historic Preservation Officer concurred with the USPS determination and indicated that there were no archaeological concerns regarding the project. NCPC also has an independent responsibility to comply with NHPA and NCPC has elected to designate the USPS as lead agency pursuant to 36 CFR (a)(2). III. CONSULTATION Coordination with local agencies The Coordinating Committee reviewed the proposal at its February 11, 2015 meeting. The Committee forwarded the proposed preliminary and final site development plans to the Commission with the statement that the proposal has been coordinated with all participating agencies. The participating agencies were: NCPC; the District Department of Planning; the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office; the District Department of Transportation; the General Services Administration; the National Park Service; and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.