New GU Campus Plan

Proposed conditions in North District open space near Darnall Hall/Georgetown University 2017 Campus Plan. (Rendering is conceptual in nature and does not represent specific architectural intent.)

By Nan Bell

As Yogi Berra once said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

In the case of the Georgetown University Campus Plan (Plan), one fork would lead to argument and failure and the other fork to harmony and success. Happily, the latter prevailed. While challenging discussions on issues such as off-campus conduct, undergraduate housing, parking and transportation, and trash occurred at the beginning of the process some years ago, those conversations were replaced with thoughtful, positive consensus building, due in large part to the creation of the Georgetown Community Partnership (GCP).

The GCP began in 2012, continues today, and includes members of the community, university administrators, and students. For the past several years, these participants collaborated diligently to craft the details of the 2017-2036 Plan, which built on commitments of the 2010 Campus Plan.

I am honored to have represented Burleith on the GCP and thus been a part of the dialogue that led to the finalization of this 20-year endeavor. Many Burleithians also participated in discussions about the Plan and/or contributed significantly to its development by serving on one of the six working groups that guided the numerous conclusions in this document. Thank you for your thoughtful contributions, including the questions posed on the GU website and at various meetings about the content of the Plan following its public presentation in June 2016.

I believe that the Plan will carry on the significant successes already achieved by the GCP, which will continue to monitor and address issues of importance to the community and the university in the future. It is a lengthy and detailed document that you can find on the GU website.

On September 1, Georgetown University filed for approval of the Plan to the DC Zoning Commission, which in turn established a hearing date of December 1. As the Burleith representative on the GCP, I plan to file for party status on BCA’s behalf and to testify briefly in support of the Plan. For those of you who are interested in attending the hearing, we will put the details on our website closer to the December 1 date. I also welcome any questions you might have about the Plan, the final approval process, or about Yogi Berra’s famous non sequiturs.

Existing conditions adjacent to Darnall Hall.