Letter
Dear Mr. Singh:
During its meeting of 15 May, the Commission reviewed and approved the revised Master Plan and Urban Design Framework Study for the Main Section of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. These documents should prove invaluable in directing the future changes and improvements to the Center's facilities and physical environment. At this stage in the planning, all the proposed directives and initiatives for the base that are included in the master plan are welcome enhancements to the campus and its surroundings. The recommended removal of the engineered building on Georgia Avenue is a welcome change. On a more detailed level, the intervention of the visitors' center/security checkpoint on Georgia Avenue and Elder Street and the new guesthouse at the Alaska Avenue gate will require removing mature, healthy trees and changes in topographical features of those two edge sites. The Commission recommends that great care be taken to maintain the natural character of these two sites to avoid their becoming visual intrusions in the green edges of the Center.
The members would like to commend the Center for the thoroughness of the plan and study. We look forward to the review of the new projects that are included in the Master Plan; please submit them when ready.
Sincerely,
/s/
Harry G. Robinson III, FAIA
Chairman
Mr. Harjinder Singh
Acting Director, Public Works and Transportation
Department of the Army
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Washington, DC 0307-5001
cc: Marjorie Marcus, Senior Master Planner, Master Planning Branch