Norton Says First Walter Reed Groundbreaking of New Fire Station Achieved Through Her Congressional Work is Only the Beginning

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that she was delighted to see the $12 million groundbreaking today of D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services' Engine 22, the first building to rise on the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), federal land that Norton got transferred to the District of Columbia last year. Norton was instrumental in ensuring that at least 67 acres of the 110 acre WRAMC site would go to the District. Initially, D.C. got a smaller portion following the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, but Norton got the General Service Administration (GSA), in 2010, to declare a larger portion as surplus property that could be used by the District. She also fought successfully to get 13 additional acres transferred for a public health purpose for an organization such as Children's National Medical Center, which can utilize the state-of-the art lab space for children's health research.

"Today's groundbreaking begins a fertile period for much-needed new development in Ward 4 on Georgia Avenue," Norton said. "However, we are beginning where the need is greatest with a fire station, which will help reduce wait times for emergency response, a public safety problem that has long been neglected. There is much more to come that will enhance Ward 4 and our city."

In 2006, Norton got GSA to agree to consider plans to develop the WRAMC campus that would allow commercial development on Georgia Avenue, NW. Under the agreement, GSA would work with D.C. officials in deciding the type of development, including retail that the uptown Georgia Avenue community has long desired.