The Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) held a Look & SEE regarding the District-owned green space on the southwest corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE near Food & Friends (shout out to resident/co-chair of LRCA development task force Deborah Grimstead for the concept). If you were not able to attend, you can still give your input on how you would like to see this green space preserved and maintained for community use.

Please complete LRCA’s Community Green Space Survey by October 15, 2022.

Many thanks to Carrie Stoltzfus, executive director of Food & Friends, and Casey Dyson, director of government relations for Food & Friends, for hosting and opening their space for the Look & SEE. Thanks also to Edwin Washington, executive director of The Parks Main Street, for joining.

Features of Green Space

A few things to keep in mind as you complete the survey. The space is roughly 1.5 acres and triangular shaped with grade changes near a busy intersection. Given the shape of the land, it is not an ideal location for a standalone building/development project. The space has some really wonderful mature shade trees as well as a field of grass. If you can, take some time to just walk around the space and feel what it would be like to spend time on that corner of the neighborhood on a weekday morning/afternoon/evening or on the weekend.

Some ideas kicking around for the space include a neighborhood history park, art park, native plant demonstration garden, orchard, walking path, information kiosk, skating/ice skate rink, water feature, and more.

Note that a dog run will be included in the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten, which is currently under construction on South Dakota Avenue between Ingraham Street and Kennedy Street NE with an anticipated 2025 completion date, so a dog park is not a use included in the survey for this green space. Specific uses and timeline for the final phases of Art Place at Fort Totten which will sit along South Dakota Avenue just north of Kennedy Street are unclear at this time. In addition, leadership of Food & Friends, located just west of the green space, indicated they are looking to potentially double the existing building footprint in the nearish future. So the surrounding neighborhood contexts could look a little different several years from now.

Riggs Road/South Dakota Avenue NE Area Development Plan

The Look & SEE event and the survey are efforts by the LRCA to advance an element of the neighborhood’s area development plan that contemplates having “park and open spaces” on this District-owned space.

2009

Neighborhood area development plan approved by the DC Council in March 2009.

2011

District Department of Transportation (DDOT) completed reconfiguration of the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road intersection, eliminating the former right turn slip lanes, creating contiguous green space on the southwest corner.

2017

In September 2017, ANC 5A passed a resolution, initiated by residents, requesting that the green space be transferred to the DC Department of Parks & Recreation for community park space. DDOT and DPR have indicated that they do not think it is a good idea to have a playground on this green space given the volume of car traffic near this intersection.

2019

In May 2019, LRCA executed a community benefits agreement with EYA, developer of Riggs Park Place, to work with residents on visioning sessions and provide in-kind design concept services for the space.

2021

Neighborhood area development plan fully incorporated into the DC Comprehensive Plan (2021 Comp Plan).

Present

The space today remains in the portfolio of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT).

Residents have been working informally with the DC Office of Planning on ways to get this element of the neighborhood plan implemented.

Play a part by completing LRCA’s Community Green Space survey by October 15, 2022.

Photos of current site conditions below

View looking north from Kennedy Street NE towards Riggs Road NE. The space between the two rows of trees in the image below roughly aligns with the old slip lane that was eliminated when the intersection was reconfigured in 2011.

View from middle of green space looking northeast

View looking southeast from Food & Friends driveway at 219 Riggs Road NE

View looking south towards grove of trees from Riggs Road NE

View looking east from southwest corner towards townhomes under construction on southeast corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE

Photo gallery of Food & Friends outdoor space on their enclosed campus