The National Park Service manages roughly 6,500 acres of open space in D.C. — that’s 90% of the District’s green space.
A task force that’s been two years in the making has come out with recommendations to put more parkland into local hands to better serve residents.
David Whitehead, with the D.C. chapter of the Sierra Club, served on the D.C. Neighborhood Parks Task Force.
“Local parks officials and the D.C. government — you know, ANCs, ward council members, the mayor and so forth — they’re going to be better advocates for better use of parks for local citizens, and I think that is the right way to go.”
The report comes just weeks after several council hearings on the District’s budget issues, including a projected deficit of around $600 million.
Whitehead said, in some cases, taking over the smaller parks, such as the so-called “triangle parks” that dot many neighborhoods, could be cheaper to manage under local control. Putting those parks under the purview of D.C.’s agencies, he said, could actually save money.
“Just in terms of process, like there’s less entities that you have to go through” to do something as basic as adding a bench or placing a bus stop nearby, Whitehead said.
At the same time, Whitehead said, D.C. officials have to answer some important fiscal and management questions.
“If we are going to bring these local green spaces into local control, do we have the funds and ability to manage them well?”
One of the recommendations in the report is aimed squarely at that issue, suggesting that the District should “explore cost recovery options.”
Whitehead said the report creates room for District officials to look at what portions of parkland might be “rentable.”
“And that’s sort of what this points towards, is like, creating a system to think that through, to come up with the right path and the right pricing and all that kind of thing and using that revenue directly to improve parks,” Whitehead said.
The task force report states that the National Park Service would retain control of parks with “national significance,” but that there is a mismatch between some parks and facilities that are of historical significance versus parkland that would “meaningfully activate limited green space in urbanized areas.”
The report outlines four different types of park categories, from small neighborhood parks to District parks with play areas, playing fields, picnic areas and native plantings and trees to nature conservation areas and downtown “destination” parks that could include cafes or concessions.
Another recommendation in the report suggests fostering community management of small “parklets” and neighborhood parks. That could include the community management of gardens and outdoor spaces.
The report’s conclusion states that there’s currently an opportunity to “reimagine” the District’s park system that bridges preservation of the past and future needs of residents to have spaces to recreate and enjoy.
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