November 13, 2018

Casey Trees
3030 12th Street NE
Washington, DC 20017

Re: Is #RFKReady for Trees?

Dear Volunteers,

Thank you for providing the comments submitted by a number of Casey Tree Advocates on the first
phase of the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium Campus Redevelopment Project: the multipurpose playing
fields. The comments were generally supportive of our efforts to transform the Campus and bring a
much anticipated recreational amenity to the community and, frankly, the city. As you may be aware,
we broke ground on the fields project on August 29th and construction is currently underway, with
substantial completion slated for Spring 2019.

Throughout the course of this project, we have had held extensive planning sessions with members of
the community and various user groups, as well as engaged our local and federal partners to help guide
the master plan for this site. We have made significant effort to incorporate that input into our
plans. The recent questions we received from the advocates were largely focused on tree species, soil
volume and Stormwater Management. I would like to address those specific areas in turn:

The tree species for the multipurpose fields complex were selected because they are native and will
survive in a flood plain. Other factors in determining the species was wildlife attraction, fall color and
interest, and shade. Non-native species are adapted for this climate zone and will also perform well in
areas that may be subjected to flooding. Additionally, all the trees specified have proven track records
in urban environments. The addition of nearly 400 trees will contribute towards the District’s canopy
goals.

The planting hole for each tree within lawn areas will be dug to at least twice the width of the root ball
and dug to a depth of 30” to 36”. These trees on average will have approximately 100 cubic feet of
planting soil each, which is soil that has been amended to provide optimal growing conditions. Since
these trees are in lawn areas, the root zone will be able to spread out into the adjacent soil, which is the
ideal growing condition for any tree, unlike trees in typical street tree pits which are contained by
hardscape on all sides. For the trees within the plaza space, on either side of the Pavilion, Silva cells are
being employed. These are high density plastic open ‘box’ structures that allow pavement to be
installed over the top of the structures while providing large volumes of loose planting soils at the root
zone.

As it relates to Stormwater Management, we have been working with the District’s Department of
Energy and the Environment (DOEE) as a resource to ensure compliance with all regulations and
requirements relating to Stormwater Management. DOEE completed a thorough review of the plans for
the fields project, determined that the site is fully compliant and have issued the Building Civil
Permit. The multipurpose fields complex design includes a variety of bioretention facilities throughout
the site to retain the 1.2” storm. Additionally, drainage from the proposed parking lot and plaza area
has been designed to be captured and treated by a Contech filtration system and oil/debris separator
inlets. These systems are included in the design to treat the 1.7” storm to comply with the Water
Quality Treatment Volume required for this site as it is located within the Anacostia Waterfront
Development Zone.

We will continue to coordinate with our partners at DOEE and the National Park Service as construction
for the first phase of the redevelopment project advances. Again, we sincerely appreciate the
comments as projects like this don’t get done without the support of the community.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any additional questions about the project, please do not
hesitate to contact me at jlawrence@eventsdc.com. Or, for any specific environmental or regulatory
questions, please contact Daniel Conner, Special Assistant to the DOEE Director, at dconner@dc.gov.

All the best,
Jennifer
Jennifer Lawrence, Events DC