WASHINGTON (7News) — Connecticut Avenue is considered one of the busiest channels to get through D.C.

“It is dangerous, it’s fast, and it’s deadly,” said Elizabeth Kiker, the Executive Director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA).

The future of the thoroughfare is up for debate with the possibility of adding bike lanes back on the table.

Last year, the mayor reversed course, and the plan was postponed by the D.C. Department of Transportation.

The move stunned WABA members.

READ MORE | DC pauses proposal to put bicycle lanes on Connecticut Ave. after major pushback

“This process happened,” Kiker said. “This process included ANCs. It included community members. It included businesses, and it was voted on and it was done, and it was budgeted, and then it was stopped. That’s not fair. That’s not how you run a city.”

However, the chance for barrier-protected bike lanes going in on Connecticut Avenue was given a new life when new language was approved by the Committee on Transportation and the Environment.

“The chairman of the transportation committee, Charles Allen, and Matt Frumin slipped in language in the budget recommendation report that requires any safety improvement on not just Connecticut Ave. but any road to have protected bike lanes or else they withhold all the funds for safety improvements,” said Lee Mayer, President of Save Connecticut Avenue.

He said this could mean that the D.C. Council’s transportation committee could block all capital improvements to Connecticut Avenue and any street if bike lanes are not included.

7News reached out to Committee Chair Allen’s office.

They said the language has been misinterpreted.

In a statement, Allen’s office wrote:

“The language approved by the Committee on Transportation and the Environment preserves full funding for the project, including 5% to create an alternative design. It does restrict construction from advancing on Conn Ave that does not include protected bike lanes (option C from the many years of discussion includes protected bike lanes). The clause “or any other capital project for the same or similar purpose” was inserted to prevent DDOT from simply renaming or attempting to skirt the law and advance construction. This language clearly applies only to the Conn Ave Street Safety Project and does not apply to other safe streets projects around the District.”

Still, both sides of the debate remain uncertain of the future and tell 7News they’ll work to plead their case with councilmembers ahead of the vote.

“This is going to hurt the mayor’s plan for revitalization for downtown,” said Mayer.

“It’s going to be massive congestion up and down Connecticut Ave. and people are not going to want to go there,” he added.

“We don’t know what they’re going to say, but we hope they say this is back on the way they said it would be,” said Kiker.

The DC Council will vote on the matter twice. The first vote is set for Wednesday, May 29. The second vote will happen on July 12.

Between those votes, the public can ask questions during a virtual meeting on June 3.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), the lead Democrat on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, announced a total of $24.2 million in recommended funding for three Tribal projects to remove and replace fish barrier culverts and restore access to healthy habitat for migratory fish, including endangered salmon populations, in Northwest Washington.

“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the Tulalip, Swinomish and Sauk-Suiattle Tribes and their partners have the critical funding they need to improve fish passage and foster salmon recovery in Northwest Washington,” said Larsen. “I will continue to champion robust federal funding to improve salmon habitat connectivity and boost resiliency to ensure Washington meets its treaty obligations to Indian Tribes.”

The awards are recommended under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grant and Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grant initiatives, which are funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Three WA-02 Fish Passage Projects Recommended for Funding

NOAA recommended a total of $24.2 million in grant funding for three projects in Washington’s Second District:

One grant under the Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grant initiative:

• $11.7 million for the Tulalip Fish Passage Collaborative I
• The Tulalip Tribes will work with partners to plan and construct multiple barrier removals in several watersheds in the Stillaguamish and Snohomish Basins, part of the South Whidbey Basin in Puget Sound.
• This work will support several salmon and steelhead species that are of economic, recreational, and cultural importance to the Tulalip Tribes and other members of the local community.
• By removing or replacing undersized and aging culverts with structures designed to withstand climate change, these efforts will also help protect the community from flooding.

Two grants under the Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grant initiative:

• $9.2 million for Tulalip Fish Passage Collaborative II
• The Tulalip Tribes will work with partners to remove multiple fish passage barriers at priority streams in the Stillaguamish and Snohomish Basins, part of the South Whidbey Basin in Puget Sound.
• This effort will open significant habitat to access by threatened Puget Sound Chinook and steelhead, as well as Puget Sound coho. It will also benefit Southern Resident killer whales, a NOAA Species in the Spotlight, by supporting their prey.
• Climate change considerations will be incorporated into the barrier replacements, to help prevent flooding and increase community resilience.
• $3.3 million for Skagit Basin Tribal Priority Fish Passage Implementation
• The Skagit River System Cooperative, which provides natural resource management services for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, will remove or replace seven culverts that block fish passage in the Skagit and Samish watersheds. They will also assess the feasibility of one additional fish passage project.
• This project will support tribal capacity to develop and engage in fish passage projects and provide a hands-on opportunity for tribal members and youth to participate in habitat restoration.

Additional Information

NOAA is recommending nearly $240 million in funding for 46 fish passage projects this year, as well as an additional $38 million in funding in future years. Total demand from all four of the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation Round 2 competitions is $3.5 billion, more than 6 times the amount of funding available.

For more information on NOAA’s announcement and fish passage initiatives, click here.

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Adjaye Associates has built a community-led mass timber pavilion in Washington DC, United States. 

Named Sycamore & Oak, the 2,050-square-metre pavilion takes its name from its location, the corner of Oak Drive and Sycamore Drive. 

Sycamore & Oak lies at the intersection of economic development, community elevation, material innovation, and planetary regeneration

Designed as a community-led mixed-use development in the predominantly black, primarily residential, and historically underinvested Congress Heights neighbourhood of Washington DC, the structure accommodates retail and food concepts that originated in the community and provides job opportunities to neighborhood residents.

The canopy shelters and shades the interior programmed spaces while circular skylights bathe the space in natural light

Adjaye Associates envisioned a mass-timber structure with an open-air layout, while featuring a spacious canopy that offers protection from the elements. The pavilion promotes a sense of intimacy or ‘community within community’ when underneath. 

The pavilion is punctuated by eleven strategically positioned skylights that help to allow natural light into the interior, and programmed spaces. 

The open air timber structure features gathering space and a timber panel backed stage for community events and musical performances

“This Retail Village offers wellness and entrepreneurial support services, food vendors, convening and event space, and provides a year-round community resource, retail, and cultural destination,” said Adjaye Associates. 

Conceived as entirely public space, the building is comprised of two main modules and rests on an elevated plinth that becomes a central gathering and performance hall, and event venue with a viewing deck into the multiple programs activating the site from the fresh food market, education and fitness centers, retail incubators to the outdoor dining. 

Mass timber columns support the roof framing above a mezzanine seating area

Designed and constructed as a kit of parts using a modular system and reclaimable joints, Sycamore & Oak serves as a model on how to nurture and promote local businesses in other underserved communities.

“We are building the community that Ward 8 deserves at the St. Elizabeths East campus. This campus is coming to life right before our eyes—a place for people to live, to have fun, to work and find new opportunity,” said Muriel Bowser, Mayor of the District of Columbia

“Sycamore & Oak is going to be a beautiful new destination for our city and an incubator for local talent,” Bowser said. 

A community mural designed by Congress Heights-based artist Keyonna Jones offers a vibrant atmosphere for visitors

Sycamore & Oak lies at the intersection of economic development, community elevation and placemaking, material innovation, and planetary regeneration. 

The pavilion is constructed entirely of 100% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood, which is responsibly for sourced timber. The retail village is the largest free-standing structure of this nature in DC.

Designed for durability, strength, and exposure to the elements, the mass timber construction allows Sycamore & Oak to be a climate steward for a holistic future. It is a non-toxic, non-composite, durable material that facilitates fast and efficient assembly due to its simple construction techniques and standard sizing.

In a food, retail, and job desert, Sycamore & Oak is a home for local food vendors, a health-forward grocery store, and boutiques that employ and serve community residents

According to Adjaye Associates, the structure is “aimed at supporting emerging Black entrepreneurs, the pavilion provides storefronts for 13 local, small businesses.” 

The pavilion’s modular design includes removable and replaceable wall panels, providing flexibility as businesses expand or move in and out. In line with inclusive development, the project actively engaged local minority-owned businesses to participate in construction and operations.

The seating area on the mezzanine level directly beneath the timber canopy is warm and inviting

The mezzanine is an elevated area with outdoor seating and planters, creating a cozy, tree-house-like atmosphere. The environmental canopy covering the structure collects rainwater and uses photovoltaic panels to generate energy, aiming for net zero impact.

Opened in 2023, Sycamore & Oak serves as the first phase of the ambitious St. Elizabeths East Parcel 15 mixed-used development. 

View overlooking the ground level gathering space

Phase two will serve as the gateway to a revitalized St. Elizabeths East Campus. It will feature mixed-use commercial and retail spaces, a hospital, open public areas, and residential development, capitalizing on both public and private investments in the neighborhood. 

This first-ever mixed-use development will prioritize outstanding design and local input to establish a new benchmark for affordable housing, job creation, sustainability, and community equity.

Sycamore & Oak is a vibrant focal point used for gatherings ranging from seated events, workout classes, musical performances, or holiday markets

Sycamore & Oak is designed as a temporary pavilion to encourage inclusive development and community engagement on the site for the next two to four years before being disassembled and redeployed in other historically underserved communities.

Site plan

Deck level plan

Mezzanine level plan

East Elevation 

North Elevation 

West Section 

North Section 

Adjaye Associates recently created a new home for dot.ateliers, a community-oriented and ecologically responsive destination that offers a robust space for artistic production. Adjaye Associates and Sydney-based contemporary aboriginal artist Daniel Boyd designed a black, porous canopy in Sydney, Australia.

Project facts

Architect: Adjaye Associates

Location: Washington DC, USA

Size: 2,050m2

Architect of Record: Winstanley Architects & Planners

Structural Engineer: StructureCraft Contracting LLC

Construction: HEP Construction

Gneneral Contractor: Banneker Ventures

Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: CS Consulting Engineers, Inc

Civil Engineer: Wiles Mensch Corporation DC

All images © Dror Baldinger.

All drawings © Adjaye Associates.

> via Adjaye Associates

Adjaye Associates
built
mass timber
pavilion
Washington DC