Revised Master Landscape Plan for Francis Field
Original posting: June 2020
A revised master plan for Francis Field was given final approval by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) on April 16, 2020.1
The plan was not controversial. Rather, it was a documentation of changes that had been made since the first master plan was approved in 2009 and implemented in the winter and spring of 2010.
After a dog park was constructed on the northern part of the field in 2015 it became apparent that the existing master plan needed revision. The local advisory neighborhood commission approved the concept in a resolution of June 2016.2
Funded by Friends of Francis Field (FFF) the plan was drawn by landscape architectural firm Oculus, which had drawn and developed the 2009 master plan. The revision was completed in November 2018, by Oculus, working in coordination with Peter Nohrden, a landscape architect in the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR).
It then and went through a three-step approval process.
First, it was presented to Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A on February 21, 2019, and was approved in a unanimous resolution on that date.3
Next, it was submitted to the DPR director, under a FFF-DPR partnership agreement. It was approved on December 4, 2019.4
DPR then submitted the plan to the CFA on February 12, 2020.This DPR application provides a thorough explanation of the development of the plan, and is recommended reading.5
During this federal approval process, no objections were raised by the National Park Service or the CFA staff. The plan was placed on the consent calendar and approved.
A large-size PDF document of this Revised Master Plan is on this website. It will open in a separate window.
Sub-Plan: Additional Tree Planting
The master plan also has two sub-plans, one for the placement and species of additional trees requested by the Urban Forestry Division of the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT).
The placement plan was drawn by the same landscape architect, Oculus, based on suggestions of species by DDOT. A detail of the Oculus drawing is shown at right.
A large-size PDF document of this Additional Tree Planting plan is on this website. It will open in a separate window.
Sub-Plan: Rear-Field Landscaping
The second sub-plan is for the landscaping of the rear-field area that was used as a
construction easement for the conversion of the building at 2501 M Street from mixed-use office/residential to predominantly residential, with retail space on the ground level.
There are three sheets in this sub-plan, showing: 1) existing plantings, 2) additional trees, and 3) new plantings.
A large-size PDF document of this Rear-Field Landscaping Plan is on this website. It will open in a separate window.
Notes
1.This was Commission of Fine Arts case # 19MAR20-e. It had been scheduled for approval on the consent calendar at the March 19, 2020, meeting, which was cancelled because of the Covid-19 public health emergency. The consent calendar for the March meeting was approved at the April 16, 2020, meeting, which was held by video conference
2. Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A, Support for Improvements to Francis Field with Private Funding. June 15, 2016. PDF.
3. Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A Revised Master Plan for Francis Field, February 21, 2019. PDF.
4. D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, Francis Field Updated Master Plan Approval, December 4, 2019. PDF.
5. Peter Nohrden, D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, Revised Master Plan for Francis Field, February 12, 2020. PDF format on this website will open in new window.