NEW: NPS submission to the National Captial Planning for September

The NPS has submitted documentation to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) for its meeting on September 5, 2024. Changes and improvements to Rock Creek Park Golf Course rehabilitation project:

Clubhouse

- Modification of clubhouse interior layout to improve programming for golf, community activities, educational programs, and operational needs.

- Refinement of bird-friendly design to include exterior glazing with an acid-etched visual marker for bird protection. This project exceeds the DC Bird-Friendly Act, which takes effect in October 2024.

Cart Barn & Driving Range Pavilion

- Shift of cart barn structure to open-air pavilion to reduce construction cost of the project. This new, open-air space is now being referred to as the "driving range pavilion."

Driving Range

- Removal of second-story roof of the driving range structure to reduce the overall cost of the project.

- Shift of solar panels from the driving range to driving range pavilion roof.

Golf Course Lighting

- Reduced site lighting, further analysis of other lighting designs, and incorporation of new camera technology to reduce the amount of lighting needed.

Trees

- Improved approach to managing tree removal to ensure we remove as few trees as possible. In the first phase, we've already reduced the number of trees to be removed to 1,070.

- The design has developed further to identify areas of the course to plant between 1,503 and 2,175 new trees on more than 7.1 acres.

- Refinement of phasing to implement adaptive management to tree removal with a goal of minimizing tree removal.

Meadows

- Refinement of meadow areas, approach, and plantings to add 1.2 acres of pollinator meadows (an increase of 5.7 acres in total) to the golf course improving habitat for insects, birds, and other animals.

- Overall, when combined with other meadow areas (native grass, riparian, mid- successional), the total meadow area will be 12.3 acres. This will add enhanced ecological functioning by supporting species at different life stages and across seasons. Forests and transitional edge habitats provide shelter and cover for overwintering insects, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals.

Water Retention

- Removal of irrigation pond in favor of expanding the capacity and functionality of the cisterns. This change has reduced tree removal by 77 trees.

Some aspects of the project may continue to be refined during design and implementation. These refinements are consistent with the plan and are not changes to the project's selected alternative. Project elements such as cart path alignment, lighting plan, tree removal, potential groundwater well, and other design features described in the plan will continue to be developed and finalized. The plan to rehabilitate the Rock Creek Park Golf Course remains the selected alternative identified in the Finding of No Significant Impact. This project received preliminary review from NCPC at a May 2, 2024, meeting with a requirement to coordinate additional public engagement on the tree inventory, removal and replacement plan, and other environmental issues raised during public testimony.

Document Content:

Rock Creek Golf Course Rehabilitation NCPC Submission   (10.6 MB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.