On February 26, 2026, the DC Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR) and Department of General Services (DGS) held a final design and pre-construction community meeting for the park space on the southwest corner of South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road NE. The property sits in ANC 5A09, currently served by ANC Commissioner Shelagh Bocoum (5A09). It looks like DPR may now being calling it South Dakota and Riggs Park (they used to refer to it as Riggs & South Dakota Park). They anticipate construction starting this spring, ending this fall.
Riggs & South Dakota Park Project Website
First thing to know is that thanks to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office, there is $600,000 of new federal money for the green space, but District officials do not know when that money will become available. So they are proceeding with the design as planned with the budget of $337,000. When the additional funding becomes available, they will return to the community to begin planning for the next phase.
Final design for the first phase:
- Concrete platform of 830 sq ft with native planting surround
- Total native planting of 1,374 sq ft
- Art installation
- Trash and recycling receptacles
- Two benches
- Bike racks
- Lighting
The presentation contains the plant palette, which should provide lots of visual interest.
Art Installation
DGS will handle solicitations for the art piece. Commissioner Bocoum along with ANC Commissioners Keith Sellars (5A01) and Danielle Geong (4B09) will assist DGS with reviewing applications. They will recommend the artist and the location for the installation. If a more interactive installation is selected, that will be placed more in the interior of the green space.
Water Source
Lots of time spent discussing the fact that the team does not plan to provide a water source to help maintain the plant or provide a drinking fountain. A water source has been a clear ask from the community from the beginning. The project team said providing a water source would cost about one-third of the $337,000 budget so they opted not to go that route.
The contract team said they as the contractor will be responsible for watering the plants the first year following installation. After that, DPR would love a community partnership to help maintain the plants, but without a water source, that will be a bit more challenging.
Construction Timeline & Maintenance
Lots of time spent discussing maintenance more generally. Sounded like DPR/DGS committed to putting together an info sheet identifying agency maintenance responsibilities, i.e., DPW, DGS, DDOT, DPR, etc.
The public space application was approved at the Public Space Committee’s meeting in January earlier this year (application #481392). I believe the project team will notify the ANC commissioners when they obtain all of the necessary permits and construction is imminent so that people are not surprised when fencing pops up.
Construction hours will be 7am-3pm, Monday-Friday. Delivery hours will be 10am-2pm (outside of rush hour). The construction entrance will be on the South Dakota side. Currently, they do not anticipate a need for lane closures.
Direct any questions to Brittany Hughes (DGS) at brittany.hughes@dc.gov and Christopher Dyer (DPR) at christopher.dyer@dc.gov. And please copy ANC Commissioners Bocoum (5A09), Sellars (5A01), and Geong (4B09): 5A01@anc.dc.gov; 5A09@anc.dc.gov; 4B09@anc.dc.gov.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 
Choosing to forgo a water source at the get-go will doom this to failure, and any person with a modicum of intelligence knows that. This is planning for failure on the part of this administration, but that’s par for the course. What a blessing it will be to have an opportunity to soon have leadership that isn’t so hidebound and stupid.
Why would a playground be placed at such a busy intersection? Why not relocate it behind that location on the open lot on Kennedy Street? Children could be hit by cars trying to cross that crazy intersection.
Hi there, there is not going to be a playground. There is no playground anywhere in the presentation.