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NCPC Delivers Setback to Boathouse, Nov. 18, 2003

-GU Boathouse Meets Opposition, Sept. 16, 2003-GU, Park Service Agree To Trade Land For Possible Potomac Boathouse Site, Nov. 20, 1998

The university agreed to a land swap with the National Park Service in 1998 on the condition that the university would receive approval from the D.C. Zoning Commission to build on the site.

“We’re just happy that this part of the process is completed,” University Architect Alan Brangman said.

The university was met with last-minute opposition from local rowing organizations and environmental groups that opposed the construction of the 33,000-square-foot structure because it would transfer public land for private use and obstruct views of the river.

Lengthy debates dominated three Zoning Commission public hearings in June and July and although the university received partial approval of the project at a July 31 meeting, the university could not submit permit applications until receiving final consent.

“In terms of the building completion, we’re looking forward to the next stages, the permit process and fundraising, among others, that have to happen before construction begins,” Brangman said.

The permit process will take between six and nine months, Brangman said, and cannot begin until the university receives a written order following Thursday’s hearing.

Three commissioners reached consensus on the boathouse with little debate, angering opponents of the project who had hoped to see a scaled-down version of the facility. Opponents argued that the university had exerted unfair political influence during the entire land swap process.

“It was a considerably done deal beforehand,” said Paul Pollinger, a member of the Washington Canoe Club, which is adjacent to the university’s site. “Georgetown is a one-thousand pound giant.”

Georgetown has been in land swap discussions with the NPS since 1987, when the park service set aside riverfront land for recreational use.

Pollinger blamed the university for not being more open about their negotiations.

“I question Georgetown’s ethics on this,” he said.

Several opponents had argued that the transfer of public land for private development established a dangerous precedent, but Zoning Commission Chair Carol Mitten said that this was out of the commission’s jurisdiction.

“When a property owner comes to take action, we are obliged to allow them to develop their land,” she said.

Opponents had also objected to the size of the building, but May said that the building’s attractive design would make for a welcome addition to the riverfront.

“There are a wide range of concerns, but I don’t view any single one as a showstopper,” he said.

The Zoning Commission expressed concerns regarding public access to the riverfront, but nonetheless agreed to the university’s request to a special exemption on a zoning variance that requires all boathouses to be at least 20 feet from the waterfront.

The facility will sit 15 feet from the waterfront with an overhead balcony that leaves seven feet between the river and the top of the structure.

“There is an inherent need to be close to the water [for a boathouse],” Commissioner Peter May said, arguing that a 15-foot setback would still ensure unobstructed access to the waterfront.

The National Capital Planning Commission had said that the proposed 54-foot height of the boathouse exceeded a 1995 agreement with the NPS that kept the height at 40 feet.

May said that the design complied with this agreement, however, because the Zoning Commission measures buildings by the height of the top floor’s ceiling and not by the peak of the roof.

Commissioner Anthony Hood remained concerned that the zoning commission’s stipulations on the approval would be overlooked.

“One of the things we need to grapple with is its enforceability,” he said.

The commission set forth several conditions for the university, including the enforcement of the university’s parking management plan. Only maintenance vehicles and boat trailers can park at the facility, which will have an access road crossing the Capital Crescent Trail.

“It must be clear that there is not free access for anyone who wants to drive through the road,” Mitten said.

Mitten stipulated that use of the facility extends only to students on the crew teams and participants in a summer day-camp that the university plans to run from the boathouse. Mitten added that the boathouse will not be allowed to host social events that do not pertain to specific athletic functions.

Opponents had also raised concerns about water traffic, as rowers must cross canoes and kayaks to enter rowing lanes on the west side of the river. The commission also ruled that rowers must give right of way to other recreational boaters while maneuvering into rowing lanes.

The university has raised nearly two-thirds of the $15 million required for the facility, a two-story building with two adjoining wings fashioned in a traditional, wood-shingled design.

The university currently shares space at Thompson’s Boathouse with the George Washington University crew team and various high school teams, rowing clubs and individual rowers.