A new boathouse would ease the crowding at Thompson's, where 60 boats are stored outside the center in makeshift bays, and would put Georgetown on an equal footing with teams in cities such as Philadelphia and Boston, which already have boathouses for university crews on their major waterways.
In the past 10 years, rowing has exploded in popularity, in large part because of federal Title IX requirements that schools offer women and girls equitable athletic opportunities.
(Rendering Courtesy Of Muse Architects)
|
|
But when Georgetown officials unveiled their architectural designs, some environmentalists, outdoors groups and members of the Washington Canoe Club were shocked. The building would include five storage bays for racing shells, several indoor rowing tanks, a docking pier extending 75 feet into the water and weight-training and locker rooms. At its tallest point, the roof would be 50 feet high.
It would be right next to the Washington Canoe Club, which at 10,000 square feet is less than one-third the size of the planned structure. Opponents say the Georgetown boathouse would block views of the river, Key Bridge and the Arlington skyline from the Capital Crescent Trail and the tow path.
"We believe what is being proposed is not in the public interest, and the whole project has not had enough public input," said Sally Strain, a co-leader of the Defenders of the Potomac River Parkland. "Technically, I don't think you could propose a worse location for accessibility. It's inaccessible. It's five feet from the Capital Crescent Trail, 25 feet from the historic canal bank."
Opponents have suggested at least two other locations. One is on the other side of the Washington Canoe Club, where limited space would mean building a smaller boathouse. The other is near 34th Street NW, under the Whitehurst Freeway, but that is an area where Park Service zoning rules specifically prohibit a facility for non-motorized boats.
Supporters of the Georgetown boathouse argue that the parkland will not be harmed and that river views already are blocked most of the year by dense trees and brush.
"If anybody can see the Potomac through that stretch of area, God bless them," said Bill Starrells, a member of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission from Georgetown, which backs the boathouse.
The opponents, Starrells said, "talk about moving it, but where will they move it? They say, why not move it in front of the waterfront park? But no one wants it there. We have a nice park."
Gretchen Ellsworth, head of a rowing coalition for area high schools, said the boathouse opponents are misrepresenting the facts. "Yes, there may be a moment when views are blocked, but it's not massive. It will not interrupt the scenic virtues of that area," she said.
Ellsworth said there now are "long delays in practice time for kids because the dock is so crowded. It takes a long time to get boats on the water. If they had better facilities, this would not be happening."
People on both sides of the issue are now writing letters to the Park Service as part of the public comment process.
"I think it's regrettable," Ellsworth said of the debate. "I hate to see people who all support the trail and canal and canoes and kayaks and long shells working against one another. Our interests are more aligned than opposite. We should all be trying to get as many people to use the river as possible."
