Save the C&O Canal from intrusive development!
DEFENDERS OF POTOMAC RIVER PARKLAND
BOATHOUSE ZONE MAP
The NPS aerial view at right shows the area of Georgetown to be considered under the Non-Motorized Boathouse Zone Feasibility Study begun in December 2011.
The outcome of the study may be positive -- or it may renew the threat of intrusive private development within the borders of the C&O Canal National Historical Park.
The outcome of the study may be positive -- or it may renew the threat of intrusive private development within the borders of the C&O Canal National Historical Park.
Click on the image above to enlarge it. Below is the key section of the image, with notes added by this website's editors.
A. The dotted line indicates the upriver boundary of the zone, which NPS has described as approximate.
B. The proposed site for Georgetown University's massive private boathouse is in this wooded area of tidal floodplain. This site was the "preferred alternative" in NPS' draft Environmental Assessment of 2006, and it continued to be considered during the subsequent Environmental Impact Study. It is unclear whether the current feasibility study will include all, or only part, of that GU preferred site.
C. The C&O Canal towpath is the tawny-colored path, while the Capital Crescent Trail appears in gray, close to the Washington Canoe Club. Both of these popular trails run through this extremely narrow area between the canal and the river.
D. The remaining part of the historic Alexandria Aqueduct is within the C&O Canal National Historical Park. The area of the C&OCNHP between the Washington Canoe Club and the Aqueduct is sometimes referred to as the Dempsey site. The shoreline between the Aqueduct and Key Bridge is under multiple ownership.
E. This more accessible area just downriver from Key Bridge includes public land that is appropriate for boating-related development.
F. The dotted line indicates the downriver boundary of the zone at 34th Street. The feasibility study zone does not include the downriver shoreline that includes the Georgetown Waterfront Park and the Thompson Boat Center.
It's vital to ensure that the feasibility study does not favor intrusive private development within the C&O Canal NHP. For visual examples of what such development might bring, see IMAGES AND MAPS. For more information about the study, read ARTICLE. To comment on the feasibility study, click on TAKE ACTION.
It's vital to ensure that the feasibility study does not favor intrusive private development within the C&O Canal NHP. For visual examples of what such development might bring, see IMAGES AND MAPS. For more information about the study, read ARTICLE. To comment on the feasibility study, click on TAKE ACTION.
