Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser was joined by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner, Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (DCFEMS) Chief Gregory Dean and Department of General Services (DGS) Acting Director Christopher Weaver for the groundbreaking ceremony on a $12 million state-of-the-art fire station at Walter Reed in Ward 4. The groundbreaking is the first major development to begin on the Walter Reed Campus.
“Today marks a significant milestone for Walter Reed and Ward 4 residents,” said Mayor Bowser. “A new DCFEMS Engine 22 means improved emergency services for Ward 4 residents and businesses. It also puts us on a trajectory to bring thousands of jobs and much needed affordable housing to this community. Once completed, Walter Reed will play a major role in our efforts to build more pathways to the middle class.”
As part of the Walter Reed Campus Development project, the existing Walter Reed Building #18 located at 6825 Georgia Avenue, NW will be demolished to make room for Engine 22, Truck 11, and Ambulance 22 companies. It will be built by DGS and is scheduled to open in December 2016. Upon completion, the new Engine Company 22 will be a 23,000-square-foot, three-level facility with a layout that will ensure internal response times are quicker and more efficient.
The existing Engine Company 22 is located at 5760 Georgia Avenue, NW near the intersection of Georgia and Missouri Avenues, NW. Engine Company 22 has called that location home since 1897 (previously Chemical Engine Company 2).
“Fire stations in the District have always been an integral part of the communities they serve, by not only responding to emergencies but also participating in neighborhood activities,” said DCFEMS Chief Gregory Dean. “The addition of a new state-of-the-art fire station signals Mayor Bowser’s continued commitment to public safety as it will help our firefighters and EMS personnel provide quality services to the residents of the Brightwood community.”
“This is an exciting project for DGS, in that it will be the first new, ground up, stand-alone station that we will be constructing for Fire and EMS,” said DGS Acting Director Christopher Weaver. “We are committed to providing our customer agencies high quality infrastructure from which to deliver their services and missions for our city.”
Earlier this month, Mayor Bowser introduced the Walter Reed Development Omnibus Act of 2015 to the DC Council. This act would authorize the District to acquire 66 acres of the former Walter Reed campus from the U.S. Army and begin development of a vibrant new mixed-use community bringing 3.1 million square feet of residential, office and retail to Ward 4, which includes 5,000 jobs and 2,100 units of housing, 432 of which will be affordable.
Acting through the Walter Reed Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA), the District of Columbia acquired 5 additional acres, including site frontage, through negotiations in 2010, and it is charged with submitting a Reuse Plan to the US Department of Defense and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The LRA Site occupies 66.57 acres of the 110.1-acre former campus. The remaining 43.53 acres on the eastern portion of campus will be occupied by Department of State. For over a century, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center provided facilities for patient care, medical research and educational development for the Armed Forces of the United States. Patients have included soldiers from all branches of the Armed Forces, their dependents, retired military personnel, heads of state and high ranking government officials.
For more information on Water Reed, visit www.walterreedlra.com.
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