NCPC backs staff comments on Fort Circle (Civil War defenses) plan amendment, Committee of 100 asks for more review time

The National Capital Planning Commission on June 4 voted to approve staff comments on the National Park Service’s draft General Management Plan (GMP) amendment for the Civil War Defenses of Washington—known as the Fort Circle Parks—while a preservation group asked for additional review time and more inclusive coverage of individual forts.

NCPC staff summarized the amendment as an update to the 2004 plan that introduces new management zones (including community garden and site‑sensitive recreation zones), divides the parklands into four geographic focus areas encircling the capital, and lays out a Potomac Heritage Trail alignment to improve continuity across park parcels. Staff supported the NPS goal of balancing cultural and natural resource protection with expanded community uses but recommended clarifications on invasive species management approaches, explicit rationale for why zoning designations were selected for each focus area, and additional explanations linking focus‑area zone maps to later site‑level designs.

Deputy Superintendent Shaina Scott, speaking for Rock Creek Park and the NPS superintendents responsible for the Civil War defenses sites, said the amendment is intended to help parks evolve with surrounding neighborhoods while protecting resources: “These decisions help shape how we protect and steward these extraordinary places for generations to come,” she told commissioners.

The Committee of 100 on the Federal City, represented by Loretta Newman, praised aspects of the draft but pressed the Park Service to provide more time to review a plan that covers roughly 1,315 acres and 18 historic forts. Newman said several significant forts—including Fort Stevens, the site of the only Civil War battle fought in the District—were not included in focus‑area revisions and requested an extension to incorporate findings from a planned bus tour and supplemental analysis. She said the Park Service had told the group an extension might be possible to June 24 but that a written confirmation was not received.

NCPC staff noted the NPS 30‑day public comment period closes June 15 and said the GMP amendment will return to NCPC for final review after NPS considers public comments and revises the document. Commissioners supported continued coordination with local agencies and communities, emphasized the need for clear invasive‑species and maintenance strategies, and approved NCPC’s recommended comments by roll call.

What happens next: NPS will finalize the GMP amendment taking public comments into account; NCPC will review the final plan in a subsequent meeting. The Committee of 100 and other stakeholders will likely submit additional comments, and staff urged NPS to provide clearer documentation on zone selection rationale and how resource‑protection and recreation goals will be balanced in site‑level planning.