Section 106 Consultation Meeting for the proposed redevelopment of the Carnegie Library

Dear Consulting Parties –

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), in coordination with Events DC, invite you to attend a Section 106 consultation meeting for the proposed redevelopment of the Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square on Thursday, April 10, 2014 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The location of the meeting is:
Washington Convention Center
Ballroom Pre-Function Space
3rd Floor
801 Mt. Vernon Place NW
Washington, DC 20001

Directions
*   Mt. Vernon Entrance: Enter building, make a left towards Starbucks. Take the bank of elevators behind Starbucks to the 3rd floor and make a left into the Ballroom pre-function area.

*   Mt Vernon Sq. 7th St-Convention Center Metro Entrance: Enter building, proceed along the hallway to L Street. Walk thru the under pass into the main building. When you reach the grand lobby, make a right towards Starbucks. Take the bank of elevators behind Starbucks to the 3rd floor and make a left into the Ballroom pre-function Area.

Background
Events DC, representing the District of Columbia, and in partnership with the Spy Museum, proposes to rehabilitate the public space of Mount Vernon Square and renovate and expand the Carnegie Library building. The proposed project would improve the circulation patterns of Mount Vernon Square; provide green space for play areas and outdoor gatherings; add retail and café uses; incorporate a new, state of the art Visitor Center for the District of Columbia; provide new, renovated headquarters for the Historical Society of Washington, DC; and provide museum exhibit space to accommodate the relocation of the International Spy Museum to the Carnegie Library.
The proposed project will be reviewed by NCPC under the National Capital Planning Act as a District of Columbia project located in the Central Area. NCPC’s review and action on the project is an Undertaking subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. NCPC is also preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the project to fulfill the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The first Section 106 meeting was held in conjunction with a public scoping meeting for the EA at the Carnegie Library on November 20, 2013. During the joint NEPA/Section 106 public scoping meeting, a draft area of potential effect (APE) was defined for the Undertaking and the potentially affected historic properties identified in accordance with the Section 106 regulations (36 CFR 800).

The purpose of this Section 106 consultation meeting is to:
*   review the significance and contributing features of the Carnegie Library and other historic properties within the project’s APE;
*   present the action alternatives for the project; and
*   discuss impacts to historic properties in the APE resulting from the proposed action alternatives in order to apply the criteria of adverse effect as required under the Section 106 regulations.

If you have questions regarding this process or the meeting, or if you wish to update the contact information for your organization, please contact me at 202.482.7239 or via email at jennifer.hirsch@ncpc.gov<mailto:jennifer.hirsch@ncpc.gov>.

Please indicate your intention to attend the Section 106 meeting by replying to this e-mail.