An influential Georgetown citizen is protesting the plans for the new Georgetown Waterfront Park, located at the intersection of K Street and Wisconsin. The new park is being designed by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, according to Sally Blumenthal of the National Park Service.
Steve Kurzman, a former president of the Citizens Association of Georgetown, said that a petition against the park design has garnered 200 signatures from residents and businesses. Kurzman described the park’s shade structures, called pergolas by the designers, as “truly ugly.”
“It’s far too complicated and cluttered,” Kurzman said, “They’re going to impede the views of the river.”
Other neighbors at Tuesday night’s CAG meeting disagreed.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea. What’s taken them so long?” said Richard Claude.
According to Blumenthal, the project will take 18 months to complete once it is financed through a combination of private and federal funding. She did not specify a timeline for the funding. The other half of the waterfront, which is currently a parking lot, is already under construction to become greenery and will be finished in 18 months to two years, Mauricio Coelho, the project’s construction superintendent said.
