Public Meeting on West Heating Plant, Thursday

Community members are invited to discuss the potential impacts of selling the West Heating Plant, located just north of K Street on on 29th Street, NW, with officials from the General Services Administration Thursday evening. The at . GSA officials hope to be able to put the property up for auction by the summer of 2012, if all goes according to plan.

As part of the required Environmental Assessment (EA) process, GSA will consult community members and organizations on the impacts that sale might have on Georgetown. The four primary issues the agency is considering as potential impacts on the neighborhood are:

• Transportation
• Historic and Cultural Resources
• Public Health and Safety
• Water Resources

Though neighbors are largely concerned with how the property will be used once it is auctioned, .

"We’re not really in a position to prescribe use," explained Tim Sheckler, the director of the real property utilization and disposal division as GSA.

Currently, the property is not zoned, meaning there is no prescribed preferred use for the site, such as residential, commercial, etc. Additionally, GSA has no way of prescribing the future use of the site through its auction process.

Accordingly, the meeting Thursday is not intended to offer discussion on future site use. Rather, the meeting notice says, "The purpose of the public meeting is to offer members of the community, interested agencies, and the general public an opportunity to assist GSA in identifying potential impacts, and potential issues for this proposed Federal disposal action."

Written comments for those unable to attend Thursday can be sent via mail or email:

U.S. General Services Administration

Attention: Ms. Suzanne Hill, NEPA Program Lead

301 7th Street, SW, Room 4004

Washington, DC 20407

suzanne.hill@gsa.gov