National Commission Gets Wish: Control of Mall Development

Congress has passed, and the president has signed, Public Law 108-26, which includes an amendment to ?EUR??,,????'??protect and preserve the integrity?EUR??,,????'?? of a ?EUR??,,????'??reserve?EUR??,,????'?? within the Washington, D.C. Mall. The reserve extends from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, and from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial, and empowers the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) to limit development of memorials and museums within this central axis.

The NCPC has lobbied for years to amend the Commemorative Works Act of 1986 to prevent overbuilding of memorials on the Mall. The reserve concept was first outlined in the NCPC?EUR??,,????'???s 2001 memorials and museums master plan, which was supported by the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission, and the Commission of Fine Arts.

While the NCPC has gotten its authority to limit the building of new memorials and museums in the reserve, it has identified in a master plan more than 100 potential sites in the city where future works could be located.

The NCPC provides planning guidelines for federal land and buildings, not only within the District of Columbia, but for Prince George and Montgomery counties in Maryland; and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties in Virginia.

The NCPC is comprised of 12 members. Who appointed them Mall keepers? The commission includes five civilians with planning experience: three are appointed by the president of the United States (one must reside in Maryland; one must reside in Virginia); the other two civilians are appointed by the mayor of the District of Columbia and must reside in the district.

The seven other commissioners, i.e., the majority, are ?EUR??,,????'??ex officio?EUR??,,????'?? members, a nebulous, authoritative Latin phrase for ?EUR??,,????'??by virtue of office.?EUR??,,????'?? These members are the mayor of D.C., the chairman of the city council, and members of House and Senate Committees with ?EUR??,,????'??oversight responsibility for the District of Columbia.?EUR??,,????'?? The NCPC points out that the ex officio members ?EUR??,,????'??often delegate alternates to represent them?EUR??,,????'?? at the monthly meetings.